...

I hope he's not out for the rest of the series. He's, like, a third of the reason I'm watching. It's the NHL. Plus, Tkachuk has been a real ass this series. The refs are doing Florida a favour.

Oof. Clean hit but brutal.

Vegas has been the more disciplined team through 4.5 periods, Bob lost his mojo through no fault of his own and Hill is playing lights out. Florida desperately needs to find a way to score a goal.

An interesting plot twist in the third. Tkachuk completely wrecked the Panthers.

This game is not disappointing.

So, we really need to update our game-day presentation.

Can't win more solidly than that. I thought Eichel's post-game interview showed a different Eichel than the one we had here. Time does amazing things. Yup. Both teams have highly competent forward groups and hot goalies. It's going to boil down to which team is grittier.

How much of Krebs game did he learn from KO?

I'm not Paul Maurice, sorry.

Paul Maurice wants to tell you a quick story.

Vegas has nothing left in the tank. Dallas has dug deep and found a well to tap into. Pretty interesting to witness the momentum swing. I wonder if Hill starts the next game.

He has a lot of assets on hand at this point to make a real splash.

Yeesssss...

Situations like these are like personality or psychological tests. We really have no idea why the event did not unfold in a traditional manner and therefore we fill in the gaps with our imagination, unable to bear the burden of not recognizing a pattern that makes sense. We thusly put on display the contents of our psyches through whatever we choose to fill the gaps with and also show how much (or little) we can suffer a non-linear narrative. Maybe we should just wait until Johnson and KA talk to the press about the process they went through instead of painting either into this or that corner.

Technically I believe it'd be called an abusive ad hominem fallacy.

Hmm...a lot of people are not going to be pleased to read this.

Dallas won by the skin of their teeth. Are we surprised McNabb cost them that goal? Vegas will win this but neither team is a match for Florida. We could see a sweep in the SCFs.

This game will be going down to the wire the way it's going.

This is interestin':

At this point in the exchange you're asking me how I "know" something when it's pretty clear I don't know anything. Like you don't know anything. We are making assumptions based on our observations and individual abilities to string together a narrative from available data and experience. In fact, you allowed yourself an out in every statement you've made in this exchange: "I'd[sic] he's such a strong leader, why the alleged problems in the locker room before? He's getting credit for a good locker room when it's good, but no blame when it's bad." Alleged. And, by the the by, it reads to me, here, like he is getting blamed for the locker room being bad - by you. "...why didn't he do anything about the alleged cancers in the room?" Alleged. "I personally think the cancer claim in[sic] BS, the whole organization was a large tumor." I personally think. Note that I posited my thoughts as questions since I am aware that, in the end, I really don't know for certain what was going on inside or outside of the group. If the entire organization was cancerous at the time isn't it pretty easy to presume that the GMs and coaches weren't supporting Okposo - or anyone in particular - in an effort to fix the locker room? Or, if they were supporting a particular person, that person wasn't Okposo since we know that what Okposo has done for this group has worked?

Not surprising. Relative to the other discussions about the roster next year, this is a perfect opportunity to collect data on where this guy is at and whether it's realistic that he has a shot of being on the NHL roster next season.

Great post. To add: where are you going to find that kind of guy with veteran NHL experience for the paltry price you'd pay to re-sign him? Again, if you look at the Panthers and Vegas - they have guys just like Z. Z is a prototypical grinder who can shut down offense while providing the potential to capitalize on opportunities if they arise. He will have offers if the Sabres don't re-sign him. Remember, the Sabres' really don't have a problem generating offense. Acquiring a solid second or third line forward would be icing on the cake to the team we had this past season.

Because he didn't have the backing of the coaches and GMs to accomplish anything meaningful to the average observer?

Not sure what you're asking. Are you suggesting Okposo take the players with the bad attitude and cliquey mindset out behind the arena and learn them a good one?