nfreeman

Disappointing showing. They looked like, to quote the great Ryan Miller, fragile little children and they looked allergic to defense. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh looked like a mentally tough, veteran team that was able to completely expose the Sabres. I don't expect Levi to be as ordinary as he was last night, but they aren't going anywhere if they don't start playing NHL-caliber team defense. And to echo @PerreaultForever, this isn't a couple of the individual defensemen playing poorly. This is a team defense issue and it's a major problem that will keep this team out of the playoffs if it doesn't improve substantially. Mental toughness and dedication to defense is needed. It's far from clear whether the Sabres can provide it. Otherwise, Benson continues to look like he belongs, and belongs in a real role. As noted upthread, he consistently elevates his linemates, regardless of who they are. I liked Greenway-Mitts-Benson much more than I liked Greenway-Mitts-Tuch. The power play looks better. VO looks like he's playing with some desperation for a roster spot and a contract. Good for him. We haven't seen much yet out of TT, Dahlin or Power. I wonder if contract issues are on the minds of the latter 2. DM has his work cut out for him.

Tage and Skinner on the half-walls. Tuch down low. Dahlin at point. And Benson in the high slot.

You don't think he's going to get the 9-game look? If not -- care to make a charity wager?

I too am pretty skeptical that Von will play. There is no rush and the Bills have generally been pretty cautious with this kind of thing.

This is reasonable. I think he's going to get the 9-game look, and those 9 games will be pretty informative as to whether he can handle it physically.

In this context I'd define it as able, right now, to be effective in an NHL game. I think Benson is "ready" in that sense now and Kulich isn't.

Good stuff here. The NHL's rights to call the shots on franchise relocation -- and their longstanding opposition to it -- is the key, IMHO. I think the alleged NMC in TP's purchase agreement is a red herring -- it almost certainly includes conditions relating to financial performance, attendance, arena, etc. that may or may not be met in the future and if not met would allow the team to move. But the NHL, for many reasons including the desire to protect expansion fees, would almost certainly prohibit a move.

Way too early for the victory lap. This weekend feels like a classic trap game -- letdown after huge win vs Miami, stomach punch from Tre's injury, travel, jet lag, mediocre opponent with a good QB, etc. 3-2 is quite possible.

I'll predict that by the end of game 2, the lines look like: Skinner-TT-Tuch JJP-Cozens-Mitts Greenway-Krebs-Benson Zemgus-Jost-KO extra: VO

He was my favorite Sabre when I was a kid. Our family dog is named after him. Taken off the ice and the earth too soon. But one of the great ones while he was here. Thinking of you today Rico. Go Sabres.

It’s just preseason, but I think: - Benson is the real deal. - Mitts is not a #2C and Greenway-Mitts-Tuch did not work last night as a second line. - Comrie is better than UPL. - Rosen and especially Kulich are not ready and the Sabres were right to send them down. - Ryan Johnson isn’t ready either but has a lot of game on both ends and has top-4 potential. - The team overall doesn’t seem focused and determined.

Well, it sure seems like we're going to see these as the #2 and #3 lines to start the season: Greenway-Mittelstadt-Tuch Peterka-Cozens-Olofsson

I agree with most of this, but I think "steady improvement" is a bit generous (although there was certainly plenty of adversity). Before last season I was far from convinced that he was going to develop into an effective NHL player, and I don't think I was alone in that assessment. I was originally responding to the victory lap being taken about being right all along about Mitts -- that is the "inspire confidence" I was referring to. Overall he was much better last year than ever before in his career. I think he took a substantial leap, and that it wasn't the logical culmination of steady improvement -- although it's fair to note that his ability to improve steadily was substantially impaired by injury, poor coaching and general dysfunction. In any case, it was a full season, and he improved substantially over the course of the season, and his coach believes in him, so I don't think it was a fluke. I'm just not ready yet to proclaim him as a rock-solid #2C or #3C.

I agree it's an upward trajectory. My point was simply that he hadn't really done anything to inspire confidence prior to the 2nd half of last season. As for point totals and GP -- the problem with pts/game is that this can be distorted when the sample size is small -- ie a few garbage-time assists in a 22-game span when the team is running for the bus can give rise to the claim that he was a good player. Except that when I said he's had one good half-season in the NHL, you said: Well, YMMV, but I do not agree at all with the first bolded. I thought he was terrible at this until the 2nd half of last season and recall posting about it in GDTs last year. I am cautiously optimistic that you are right about the 2nd bolded.

So he put up some garbage-time stats for a rock-bottom team as they ran for the bus a couple of years ago, and that means he was a good player at that time? Even though the next season, he had 6 goals in 40 games? His point production in his 4 NHL seasons before last year: 25, 9, 22, 19. Last year, he had 1 goal in October, 2 in December, 0 in January and 1 in March. Again: he looked like he had finally arrived by the stretch run last year. That is potentially a very promising development for the team. But it is pure #hammymath to claim that he's been a good player all along.

The sentiment that Mitts is a tough winner of puck battles has been expressed a fair amount here recently. I'm here to take exception. IMHO he's gone from completely ineffective in this regard to average. He's far from some monster on the boards who comes out of every scrum with the puck. As for his historical issues, there have been quite a few, but IMHO the biggest issue was consistently poor decision-making with the puck. He'd get it in the neutral zone and skate it inexplicably into traffic, pass it where his teammate wasn't or think he could beat a defender one-on-one and immediately lose the puck to the defender. That issue improved, like the rest of his game, in the 2nd half of last season. Will that improvement continue? DM seems to think so. We'll see. First, it's way too soon for the victory lap on Mitts. He's played 5 NHL seasons and had one good half-season. His early years were spent in a highly dysfunctional environment, and I think everyone runs his own race, so I think the Sabres were right not to give up on him. I kinda expect him to continue to improve -- but there will be more pressure on him and the entire team this year. He may or may not be up to the task. As for a contract, I could've missed it, but I don't think KA has said anything about an extension for Mitts, who is an RFA after this season -- unlike Power and Dahlin, whom KA has publicly stated the team is trying to sign. I'd guess that KA wants to sign Mitts, but at a fairly limited number in term and AAV, and probably not until Power and Dahlin are done.

Too late to join? NP either way, of course.

If Cozen's and Mitt's lines really are: JJP-Cozens-VO Greenway-Mitts-Tuch ...then Cozens' line is probably going to play less than Mitts' line, unless JJP and Cozens have both taken major steps in their defensive games. This seems like an odd result, although DG has clearly and frequently stated that he really likes Mitts.

Rammer! Yes — retire it. And they shoulda hired him after they stupidly fired Lindy.

I think there is zero possibility that R. Johnson makes the team out of camp. His D-zone decision-making is miles away from NHL-ready.

Yes and also a well increased number of blitzes out of the secondary this year. Like it or not, she is one of maybe the 5 most famous people in the world. Her being at the game to cheer on her new boyfriend is an event of huge worldwide interest. NBC would be foolish not to show plenty of shots of her, and the NFL is very happy for this as well.

McD is a great coach. The defense was outstanding today. Get well soon Tre.

This reminds me of the famous Jim Kelly vs Steve Young shootout that ended in a thrilling 34-31 (I think) Bills win. No punts in that game.

JFC.