Taro T

IF UPL is going to get all 3 games on this California trip, agree with starting him tonight. (And join @Brawndo's calls for having Levi in the AHL.) But if the plan is to give Levi one of these next 2 games, why not give your backup goalie the horrible team that is currently imploding and your starter the good team that's going through a rough patch? The idea is to try to win as many games as you can from this point forward, and if you're playing your #1 against the bad team and your #2 against the good team it seems you're going to be looking at a lower expected points than if you do it the other way. Maybe somebody else can explain the logic behind it? (And again, if they think there's a realistic chance that they start UPL all 3 games, then by all means, start him tonight. But IF that's the plan, then why have Levi travel all week and not get any games once again? (Realizing Ra-cha-cha doesn't play until Friday, but the Sabres won't be back for either Amerk game this weekend.)

Don't disagree that teams play the Sabres PP very aggressively, because they do. And absolutely agree that the Sabres run an absolutely awfully structured PP w/ too much of the movement coming from near the blueline. But, personally don't attribute those SHG against as being due to Dahlin being the PP QB. At least 2 of the SH goals against (and probably quite a few more, but 2 are firmly planted in memory (at least for now)) were from somebody else other than Dahlin losing the puck at the BL. Tuch turned the last one over and there was a turnover at the left boards w/ Dahlin not involved that resulted in the other one that is springing to mind. (The other 6 seem to be fading in memory like so much else of this season.) So, if the comment was railing on the Sabres PP structure, please continue on. If it was railing on Dahlin losing the puck at the BL too often, don't believe that is actually the case. Sorry for not twigging to your intent immediately.

Strictly as an FYI, that hot stretch for Thompson was right in the middle of the 6-7 week stretch that the PP was hitting at 34%. Might be a SIMDGE of a correlation there. 😉

That concern is very legit. Expecting that Adams believes when the "core" are actually in their primes that it will be a truly formidible one. But the risk that they aren't / won't be is there and if they aren't it'll cost a lot of the accumulated future capital to fix that. Mildly surprised that Mittelstadt hasn't been extended yet. Suppose it's hard to sell the public (and Adams bosses) on locking up another "key piece" when the team has taken such a step back from last year. But the Cozens deal got worked on in February; expecting Adams will sit down with Casey's agent over the AS break to see what they can hammer out.

Am not fully convinced that the team doesn't develop talent well. The bigger issue is the Sabres develop the talent at higher levels (in large part the NHL: Mittelstadt, Thompson, Cozens, Dahlin, Power, Levi, Benson just ottomh all playing significant portions of either their D1 or D2 season in Buffalo not to mention guys that they've moved on from that also were in Buffalo for D1 or D2 year) than 90%+ of the NHL does so all the growing pains that come with learning to play as a professional are on full display at the highest level available. It's an interesting experiment to which we are all held hostage as the organization tests the mettle of its young players at the highest level of competition available. Mittelstadt when he reached his 24th birthday started to excel in that environment. Would he have excelled in it earlier or later had he played 1 more year of NCAA hockey and then had a year of the AHL under his belt before coming to Buffalo? The same question can be asked of the other young kids as well. Adams seems to be banking on them being able to reach their peaks quicker by being here while also not driving away the love of hockey in his players that are in their primes/ past their primes (and the fanbase as well) while enduring the growing pains that come with young players developing. In many ways the Sabres are the 21st Century's Eulers East, but since sending Eichel packing having not been sending any of the other youngsters out the door (yet) as they continue to accumulate young talent that he believes will eventually mature with a critical mass of that talent. EVENTUALLY the plan almost has to succeed PROVIDED the losing endured while getting to there doesn't burn everybody out before that point is reached. It COULD actually work, but will the cost in lost seasons and lost love of the game have been worth it if it does? And, we need to keep in mind that the plan seeming to ALMOST having to succeed at some point isn't the same is it having to succeed at some point. The anxiety of not knowing that this necessarily will succeed is high and if it doesn't succeed we'll have watched 4 or 5 more years (on top of the earlier 7 or 8) wasted as we get ready for another rebuild. This month is going to be so interesting to watch, because if UPL has finally gotten out of his own head and really is a midtier (or dare we suggest better) starter maybe there is the critical mass of talent in front of him that the Sabres can be next year's juggernaut from seemingly out of nowhere with just a couple of tweaks here or there. (And, flat out, Matt Ellis being reassigned is a tweak that needed to happen months ago.)

Still believe that Ukka Pukka Dukka has a nice flow to it. And it could even become 6K3A (or for our Canadian friends, 6K3eh).

No, there WAS a thread about it on this site. That disappeared sometime last week.

Several of the NHL's fighter used steroids (John Kordic who died presumably from their usage being the most notable) or synthetic steroids (Andrew Peters who admitted to using Andro when it was not on the NHL's banned substance list). Have never heard a credible rumor that players from other skills categories used them. Though would be shocked if NONE of them used them for a bit at some point in their development / careers, but expect it is an extremely small percentage of players that have used them. Would expect a very few might have used steroids or HGH after hitting adolesence to get a jump on others in their age cohort or that some have used HGH to speed injury recovery. And no, don't expect for a moment that Thompson is/was using anything illegal.

Well, for the past 12+ seasons they have been. Thought we saw the dawn peeking through last spring, but it turned out to just be a trick of the light below the horizon reflecting off all the ice in the air. Similar to those pillars of light we sometimes see during a crisp February night.

Get rid of Shakir?!?!? NEVER!!!!!

By bridge are you referring to a 1 year deal? Asking, because a 2 year deal walks him to UFA status. Would either give him 1 year or 3. Wouldn't want to give him 2 years.

What a kick to the nuts Buffalo sports weekend. The Bandits on Friday hosting the previously 1-3 Riptide were unable to go through their normal day before the game practice because the Sabres game that was supposed to be played Wednesday was played Thursday and Vinc proceeded to sleep walk through the 1st half giving up 9 goals on 15 shots. They managed to get the game tied at 13 with about 2 minutes to go but immediately gave up another goal and couldn't get another equalizer losing 15-13. Then on Saturday, the Sabres extra man offense gave up 2 goals in a 3-1 loss to a team that was 7 points ahead of them heading into the game and now sits 9 points ahead of them. And today, the Bills kicker that had been extremely reliable until a week ago misses a kick with the wind at his back and the game on the line. Brings back memories of the old Marv Levy fight song: go Bills and take the Sabres with you, go Bills and take the Bandits too. At least we still have our normal rallying cry of NEXT YEAR!!!

That stinks. Very good football game. Tough way for it to end. Hope the Chefs kick the snot out of the Crows and the Lions kill the Whiners.

It's an excellent question and one they have to get right. UPL and Levi are the goalies for at least the next 2 years but it's doubtful they'll BOTH be here more than 1 or 2 years after that because they likely won't be able to afford both at that point and both will be wanting to be a #1. Whether 1 or both deserve to be a #1 at that point is still to be determined. Would expect they'll try to get him to sign a 3 year deal buying 1 of his UFA years. But honestly have no idea how receptive he'd be to a 3 year deal.

Which is why ALL this is frustrating. Have been with you all along that the O'Reilly trade was terrible because of the amount of time that was thrown away in getting to an "even" trade. Hate that it looks like they once again are going to be on the outside looking in. But don't see anything indicating that as we speculated far earlier in the season (perhaps even in the off-season) that even if they miss the playoffs Adams and Granato will be back but assistants won't be and Granato will finally be at a point where he's actually coaching for his job. While for most or-gan-eye-zay-shuns this season would be the season that one or both of Granato and Adams have their jobs on the line; don't believe it's the case. And IF Adams is right that this team is buliding into one that's going to be a legit competitor for the SC for 8 or 9 of the next 10 years starting next year (or God forbid, even the year following that), then 4 years of failure probably end up getting viewed as acceptable in hindsight. But it's nowhere near certain that he'll be proven right and even if he is, we're still in the painful rehab after the operation you know will eventually improve your quality of life stage but right now we're in pain and there's no end in sight and maybe the surgeon sold us a bill of goods and those health improvements we were promised won't actually materialize. It's just frustrating to be here right now.

It's frustrating because it's very possible that that is what ownership expects. The play of Sabres castoffs when they finally reached their prime years is likely something that they look at when assessing where the Kid Line and Power and Johnson and others are going to be next year and moving forward. The emergence of UPL is likely also getting pointed out as how they can't give up on a young guy that seemingly underachieves such as Krebs. But yet, Adams still hasn't extended Mittelstadt and he, along with Thompson, appears to be the epitome of the stay the course "don't go all wobbly on me now, George" player that Adams and Granato have been preaching. Am getting flat out at a point that am fully expecting essentially status quo with the improvement that comes with age as frustrating as that is because there are a few spots that so glaringly could be improved by adding from outside and for what would seemingly not be a large cost in the grand scheme of things. And yet, still hope (for no apparent reason) that Adams will go off the board and really get us that jolt that might not save this season but at least get things back on the rails. Really not sure why that hope is still there, because it keeps seeming like what we have is what we get. And maybe like you say, Adams will end up right about this. But it's just so darn painful waiting for that to either pan out or the shoe to drop. (How totally different would this season feel right now had that puck not gone in off Fasching's knee and the Sabres score that next goal to win that game in regulation rather than losing it in regulation? It would be annoying, but not horrendously so and would likely be viewed simply as that slight step back that @Thorny kept expecting and that the Bills went through in Allen's rookie year with a lot of hope for what the next year would bring.)

Am expecting that come the AS break, they'll be following the course that you've been advocating for. We'll see soon enough.

Yep. When challenged, the Sabres often curl back to regroup rather than trying to win the 1v1 battle. How many times have the Sabres taken a penalty because a F was about to drive past them for a solid scoring chance? Either intentionally or accidentally, the Sabres take at least 1 if not 2 penalties like that each game. They need to start forcing the opponent to do that also. (Well, at least once they get the PP working. Right now, NOT getting PPs might be the more effective strategy.)

Had they known Granato was going to play UPL all 4 of the final games of the home stand, then yes, Levi should've gotten an extra game or 2 down in Ra-cha-cha. But, was that the plan prior to UPL pitching 2 back to back shutouts? Really doubt it was the plan. But, there's no way you're pulling a goalie out of the lineup that pitched a SO. And, again, if Granato &/or Bales intended to give UPL 4 straight starts, then yes, 100% Levi should've gotten some extra action in Ra-cha-cha over that stretch. He can bounce down to Ra-cha-cha when they get back from the road trip if it makes sense then. Maybe Comrie is finally actually 100% healthy. Didn't see his games down in Ra-cha-cha, but heard that he had a SO recently. IF he is actually 100% healthy, that could change the calculus too. Because, would trust him as the backup IF he truly is 100%. He's an adequate backup when he is fully healthy. Have been in favor of keeping Levi in Buffalo most of this season. And were he still getting say 2 out of 5 starts would still be in favor of his being fully in Buffalo. Since Levi came back up, until this past 4 game stretch of the home stand, UPL was NOT getting used as the clear #1. Things have changed in this past week. When things change, so should the plan moving forward. If UPL remains the clear #1, and there is no reason at present to expect that to change, and hybridizing Levi isn't working, then alter that plan too.

Thanks for the link. Had only heard Granato's postgame comments in the past week on Monday. (We park pretty far from the rink and unless we're in a rush back to the car, he's usually finishing up or done by the time we get the radio on.) And only caught his response to Hamsammich's Q about them standing around on the 1st PP they had that game. Which the team did. Granato's response was either a falsehood or delusional. He said that they'd just watched that particular PP before him coming out for the PC and they had a lot of opportunities that they just missed on that one.

Agree. UPL played well yesterday.

Which is what they should be doing with him now that UPL has actually been given the net as the 1 (and not a 1A/1B situation). Let him get some games in Ra-cha-cha but keep him up with the big team so that Comrie doesn't get games with the big team. And keep reevaluating the situation and if conditions change change the plan.

But it isn't really a defensive focus IMHO, it's more of a maintain puck possession philosophy that they execute poorly. They curl back to the blue line after getting the puck into the opponent's zone rather than challenging defenders to force the puck low. Theoretically, that should maintain puck possession, but they make bad passes after the curl and end up losing the puck. In the neutral zone and in their own end, they drop the puck back to a D man further back, or if they aren't pressured, they just hang stationary waiting for teammates to get further up ice presumably forcing the other team back closer to their blue line theoretically opening up space in the neutral zone to gain speed for an aggressive entry. But they rarely actually transition that puck deep into the other team's zone with pace and bodies.

Was at the Sabres game. Can confirm Comrie was sitting on the bench all game long.

They do have systems. You can watch them do the same things over and over and over. They look for the long breakouts to spring breakaways but they rarely actually spring the breakaway. So a lot of their standard entry plays end up slowing the play up. Rather than trying to drive the puck low, they curl back after getting into the zone as they're all alone hoping that teammates will drive towards the net while either getting a pass through to that guy breaking or dropping it to the D to get a screened shot through. It works occassionally. Like it did early in the Columbus game. But it usually doesn't. It usually ends up in bad passes with teammates now trying to get deep into the zone ahead of the puck with no ability to get back to backchecking in a timely manner. That's when they don't mess up that initial or that 2nd outlet pass. Rather than working short give and go passes and weaving getting the other guys back on their heels, they look for the long passes that way too often don't connect. There's a reason most teams try to break out as a unit and they also work the simple wide and drive. These plays generate pressure in the other team's end. They count on F2, F3, and D1 to join that rush quickly as F1 curls the puck back towards the blue line. Why not let them drive in while the puck continues to go deep into the zone if they have to keep running that 2 F's break out of the zone early w/ 1 near the boards in center ice on their side of the red line and the other guy near the other boards outside the far blue line? They don't draw many penalties. If they actually challenge the D rather than curling back waiting for teammates to join them, they'll start drawing some penalties when they use their speed and size to force past defenders. Of course, that would create other issues as the PP is absolute trash. Without that early PP, the Sabres might've gotten the game to OT this afternoon. We complain about a lack of movement and poor passes, but somehow even though the Sabres have the extra skater anytime there is a battle for a puck the Sabres are almost always outnumbered. How can that continually happen? Except when Benson is on the PP, there is a 50-50 chance that if the Sabres have the puck near the blue line that not one single Sabre will be below the hashes in the face off circles. Are they looking to crash the net when the shot from the point (that shot never coming) rebounds off the goalie? Are they planning on some fancy movement that they never quite get to the right moment to implement? Like that they've tried having Thompson drift high a couple of times with Tuch and the other low F drifting to the goal line for the Loafs old cross crease pass to Tucker (who actually would find himself in one of the few spots on the ice where he couldn't miss a shot) that was effective back in the day. But that has to be one of several options and there have to be other options available when they actually DO have some player movement within the PP. They are far too content to pass around the perimeter hoping that a defender will get out of position, but with almost no movement other than the puck around the perimeter that defender never does go out of position. Personally, like that Granato wants to attack. But they have to do it so much differently than they do. @mjd1001 keeps talking about how many fewer goals Thompson and Cozens have this year. But, how many times last year did Thompson drive to the net with speed or with the sweeping moves that got D tied in knots - it was something we'd see multiple times every game. This year, we might see that once every 3 games. How many times did Cozens and Frick and Frack come down the ice and run a beautiful tic-tac-toe play after flying past the red line with one of them, often Cozens, burying it - that was another play (whether it ended in a goal or not) that we saw 2-3 times most games. That just isn't happening this year. Even when that line has finally had chances to be together again. (Obviously, we couldn't see that the 1st 2-1/2 months this year, but we should be seeing it again.) How many times did one of them steal the puck away, get knocked down, have his linemate resteal the puck away and then set the F3 up with a beautiful scoring chance last year? Not an every game occurance, but it happened a lot. It just doesn't seem to happen much at all this past month. From last year's systems, how 'bout you make sure a F is ready to cover for the D-man pinching in to help with the pressure, which they didn't do often enough; and when the puck is in their own zone, don't have 2 F's cheat out of the zone before they have control of the puck so the 1st pass inside the zone isn't ALWAYS to the only F that's still in the zone. Give the D 2 options besides turning back to his partner rather than just 1 option. And when breaking the puck out of the zone or off a transition turnover, make sure the man with the puck has more than 1 option besides curling back towards his own goal. Your team's asset is its speed. Leaving only 1 option besides curling back forces them to be slow. We get it, Tampa is tough to break the puck up ice against. But it's even harder when you do things that help them neutralize your strengths.