...

They earned those two points. Let's hope they remember what it takes, now.

NICE!

The D is alive!

Dahlin.

So, after that period I want to watch the third.

Good pressure.

No Eichel?

Bogo not having a good game. Skinner is possessed!

Boy, if we ever needed a goal, that was it.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERod!

That right there SHOULD change the momentum of the game.

Ho ho ho! Ullmark!

They really didn't look too bad. Bogo with the boo-boo at the very end there.

That's not a lot to go on.

Does anyone have a link to something where Phil says he won't line match. I would like to understand his thinking.

Which is what JBot is trying to do. Hence the reason I'm more inclined to look at this season as the first real attempt to recover from the Tank Years.

While I like your post, this here is a can of worms. Eichel and Dahlin came from the tank and there is no way around that. And no way you get them otherwise. So, that said, you're right that the danger of tanking means you can remain a garbage team for a long time unless the plan to dig you out of it is solid and executed well. I think if we had JBots all along instead of Murray, we'd be in a better place (but wouldn't have Dahlin). I think that the way to look at The Sabres' Tank is as a prolonged one, netting us, again, Eichel and Dahlin (and JBots, truth be told), and this season is the first real attempt to recover from The Tank Years. With that as the context, things look much better.

Larry and Girgs go there, for sure. That's what makes them effective.

Good points. I don't disagree that some can learn it - as in they figure out that the only way to get things done is to play the game a certain way. But I think the capability is always there. Some, or a lot, don't seem capable...ever. Risto, as an example, always struck me as a kid who would develop a physical game. Dahlin is following in his footsteps and he will be a beast, bank on that. Samson will never develop the physical game he needs to be a proper net-front presence - I don't "see" that in his psychology, he doesn't have an angry or mean streak. He needs it to be more effective on the boards. Eichel, has the tools and the angry, mean streak. He has a psychological barrier to break down, still. There are flashes of it, though. I'm not going to go through all of them, but let's look at someone like ERod. He's the king of the stretch-out-your-arm-and-stick-as-far-as-possible poke check, defensive style. Dude never takes the body. If he developed a proper physical game he could become indispensable. I think Elie plays a decent physical game, Bogo, McCabe and Risto play a great physical game. On the whole, I don't see our top 3 lines really playing much of a physical game at all and it's the reason teams walk all over us. The only time they don't is when the level of physical game is matched, like in the NJ game.

I'd do Mitts. Well, I mean, I'd include Mitts. Wait, that's not right, either. If I were GM, I would trade Mitts for Couturier.

What are you talking about? He did make adjustments during the game.

Many on the roster simply do not wish to play a heavy game. It's clearly not something that is easy to teach or learn. When we draft or acquire players, they need to naturally play a heavy game - hit, want to battle one-on-one for the puck, not afraid to get dirty on the boards and by the goalie. This is key, in my mind. We have too many players that simply shirk the physical side of the game, seemingly too afraid or not confident enough to engage the enemy player in a physical manner. They're too focused on their skill, thinking that is the only way they're going to succeed. This is no doubt the result of the changing culture in hockey, and JBots needs to avoid players who might have high skill, but are unable or unwilling to play a, or play in a, physical game. And, no, before some of you blow the concept out of proportion, I'm not talking about checking players through the glass on a routine basis or fights every period. I'm just talking about a game that features more physical engagement relative to the situation on the ice.

This is close to a thought I had the other day and decided to backspace out the entire post. When is it, historically, they start their "Heroic Runs™"? If you consider that they allowed themselves to drop just below a wildcard spot, and then pick it up like they seem to do after the All Star break, there is still a very good chance they claim a wildcard slot.