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Did Leg-a-wand wipe his nose on Foligno's back?

Yay, I get to watch in real time.

Soccer players curve their shots all of the time.

I knew I was forgetting someone. I like McCabe lots. Seems we have a log jam at D, oddly enough. Nelson projects to be a second pairing D man in the NHL, so I was projecting forward. Not that I like it, but Pysyk might be the odd man out given his narrative this season. Bogo and McCabe is a good second pair for next year. Gorges isn't leaving, I believe. He's on the third pair with a Pysyk or Nelson type, Nelson probably if he can get points and play the PP like he did in college. Pysyk would be wasted as a 7th D man.

It was the dude's first NHL game and was put on the PP. I'd say he did better than our mouse-potato eyes tell us he did (well, I thought he look perfectly NHL-level, especially when you consider this was his first NHL game...ever).

Had to watch the replay. Uhm, why isn't Johnson signed already for next season? Hudson, The Faschist, Faschers, Hudsies...whatever they wind up calling him, dude interviews like Chip or Dale. Espresso, anyone? I can't believe Nelson is 6'2", he looked small out there. Freaky he was on for every goal, though. Samson, typical heads-up play for him. What a guy. I almost think if we didn't have ROR, Samson would be the next captain, being so diplomatic and all in his interviews. He's pretty smooth out there on the ice, he's always a pleasure to watch. Speaking of smooth. Jack Jack. Holy sh*t. Not only did he score an elite goal-scorer's goal, he was hitting nearly every player he came across. Obviously, we have yet to see Eichel's matured offensive game, and I believe his physical game could develop well beyond expectations. This team. Man, if Hudsies can keep up the game he played today, that second line of Hudsies, ROR, and Kaner could be quite the second line. I'm still not convinced Z is the best choice for the Z, Jack and Samson line, but I'm not $11 mil over 7 years unconvinced, either. It will be interesting to see how these last games play out, but if what we're seeing is an accurate representation of this team's potential, then we definitely need to spend some cash and find a 1-2 D man to go with Risto first and foremost. Then go after a winger. The D had a good game today, overall, after the first 5 minutes. Risto and Pysyk looked very good, I thought. Where does that leave the D? Risto + ?, Bogo + Pysyk, Nelson + Gorges. Mmmm, not too shabby.

I don't think I like all of these Saturday afternoon games. Invariably, I have things to do on Saturday afternoons which make sitting down to watch the game impossible.

Wow. Most of it was no big deal, but certain things, like the super cramped escalators to the oranges, the cubby-hole entry to the upper blues, the last section of oranges at the end. And I always wanted to touch one of those cylinders, but am glad I never did.

So, it seems the high-danger scoring chance/shot area is something created/defined by war-on-ice.com? Behold! A high-danger scoring chance, then, must be a shot from the blue area? All attempts at clarity seem incomplete, LIKE THIS. You advanced fancy stats folks would have made killer AD&D players.

Haven't looked at the PDF yet, but I will. A compelling study on Z's progress. I will need to find out what a "high danger scoring chance" is before I can say I see the picture with 100% accuracy. But I think you've supported your conclusion well enough for me despite my uncertainty about that particular stat. I'm not sure he is the right complimentary piece for our top 6 talent, though, unless he either gains an additional 10 lbs of muscle and the equivalence in nasty, or can increase his simple offensive output to something that is truly complimentary. Otherwise, he will get pushed down the lineup again and will, essentially, have no place to go. The third line is set, IMHO, while Gionta is still here. He's really not a fourth line guy, and he doesn't belong on the PP. All that would be left for him is the PK. The saving grace is Foligno and his growth this year. If Z can follow a similar trajectory next season I can see him sticking around, but if not, he's gone.

To be fair, he might welcome less responsibility and being in the spotlight less. Maybe that is what is causing the downturn in his numbers, aside from the leg. One could argue that he can focus more on re-acquiring his elite game if he doesn't have the pressure of being a team leader.

Murray was asking this question a few game-day interviews ago. Is that guy Ennis (I don't think so)? Z (no - and, frankly, I don't see why he's brought up at all)? I guess we'll find out his answer over the summer.

Very interesting discussion, folks. I'm looking forward to seeing those stats on Stamkos. I'm in the he's not worth $9 million camp - for the Sabres, at least. But I'm willing to change my mind based on thorough data. I guess I would like to see stats, or something, that would give insight into HOW he would fit in with Eichel, say, since he's the pairing that is mentioned all the time. Does his game fit Eichel's? Does his skill set match the game the Sabres will play in the Cup finals? It's one thing to say a person has skills, and that you can afford him, and another to determine if he actually fits in with everything else. This latter point has been made already, but it seems to get lost in the "can we afford him" debate. For example, maybe you don't want to lose someone like Kane. Who is Kane's replacement at a better price?

Zone time. Nice to see after all of these years.

That will get called back. Just because.

That was a goal. This league sucks.

Has to be.

It's a goal.

Goal!

Foligno is the man this season.

This game is a wreck.

I need to warm up the @FireDiscoDan account. The only thing this game has going for it is the fisticuffs. These lines and the experimenting are boring.

Maybe Lehner needs to rest his ankle more? Put him on IR and see what the kid can do?

I found the play for Jack's winning goal in this: Breakout Basics