nfreeman

I agree that it will come down to Gorges vs Antipin for the last spot in the top 6. Risto, Scandella, McCabe, Bogo and Beaulieu are all locks IMHO. I do think though that Antipin will have to earn it, and that it's far from certain that he'll do so (although I sure hope he does).

The Bills didn't look great (other than McCoy, who was terrific), but it was a beautiful day at the stadium today. They'll need to play a lot better to beat a good team.

I will also note that the Harborcenter rink is really nice.

I stand corrected -- per NHL.com (which has pretty good stats, btw), Lehner's SH SV% was #5 in the NHL last year among goalies playing 50 games or more. So how were they so freaking bad?

I thought Baptiste looked pretty good and Fasching looked solid. No one else really stood out (although I only saw the 3rd period).

I rolled up with no ticket just now and they let me in! Bonus live Sabres hockey! Anyone else here?

Well, I'm making my annual pilgrimage to the Ralph this weekend. There's a real possibility of a 9-3 stinker, but it looks like it will be a nice day and I'll be tailgating, hanging out with friends and family and eating real wings. And TT might do something amazing.

Good post.

Well, I think Pommer and Vanek were pretty well liked (albeit not without some critics). Consistent production goes a long way.

This -- not the shootout -- is where Lehner needs to make a statement.

I hope no one minds if I seize the first one of the season: Must win.

If anyone expects him to play half the season or more in Buffalo -- I'd be curious if you could articulate your reasoning.

C'mon. You're going to roll out of bed on New Year's Day after your unfortunate companion from the night before serves you breakfast in bed, stumble over to the couch, load up on water, coffee and advil, turn on the TV... and NOT watch Eichel and the Sabres playing an outdoor game on national TV? Do you expect us to believe that?

Yeah baby! Yeah! Good work rakish.

McD is the only player in the NHL that I would trade Eichel for.

That was another terrible move by Whaley.

Well, he had 36 points the year before last, and he turns 35 in November -- so last year's production might not be the right benchmark.

There is a golden opportunity for one or more of the young wingers (including Zemgus) to seize a spot on Jack's line. It's a coveted NHL slot. Who will grab it?

Or you could say he had 17 goals for a terrible team, including, IIRC, something like 25 games in a row without an even-strength goal. I too think that DDB didn't get the most out of him, and I really want to see him get a chance at center. But do we have to shout down all doubts about him and pretend that he's established himself as a star?

Well, I'm a Reino-as-top-line-winger skeptic, so that comparison doesn't really move the needle for me. Regarding Andreychuk, he played in a slower league and had a much different game than Pommer -- planting that big keester in front of the goalie and using that enormous reach to snag pucks for putbacks. As for the larger question about whether the feet need to be able to keep up if the hands and head are there -- although I can see Pommer being reasonably productive (as Reino was) on Jack's wing, I think Jack's line will be most effective if his wingers are able to pressure the defense in the transition game with speed and size. I think when Eichel flies up the ice, he has the elite gift of being able to move a bit this way or that to bend the defense and create passing or shooting lanes. If he has wingers who can fly up with him and finish or go to the net for a screen or rebound, or lay a big hit on the opposing defensemen -- it will create more scoring chances. If Pommer has lost a step, I think sheltered minutes with a good playmaker (like what we hope Reino is) against lesser defensive groups will enable the Sabres to get the most out of him.

This is one of the chief reasons why I don't think he should be on Eichel's line. He just won't be able to keep up.

A stealthy Donnie and Marie reference! That is some high-quality SabreSpacing right there.

I'm not optimistic about getting much out of Pommer. Best case would be solid RW on the 3rd line with Reino and Kane, making smart plays, finishing chances with an undiminished one-timer, having enough life in his legs to play a regular shift effectively and showing the kids how to act like a pro. Worst case is Moulson 2.0 -- a terrible contract for a guy with nothing left that we're stuck with for 2 years. I think Minny thought he was closer to worst case than to best case, which is why they made the Sabres take him as part of the price for Scandella. I'm reasonably optimistic that he hasn't fallen all the way to the worst case, but the best case seems unlikely too.

This ties into something I was wondering about -- whether The Buffalo Star (a new online publication covering Buffalo sports -- e.g. they've just posted a really good article on Risto that was linked to in the Risto thread) is viable. The Star is subscriber-only and is $4 per month or $30 per year. It features good writers that will be familiar to many people here (Dave Davis, Kevin Oklobzija, Matthew Coller, etc.), and I'm virtually certain its written content will be substantially better than that of any other WNY publication. (Certainly the Risto article fits that description.) And yet I'm pretty skeptical that there are enough Buffalo sports fans who are going to be willing to pony up $30 per year to make it viable -- even combined with advertising, which I also think won't deliver much revenue. I hope I'm wrong.

And this is pretty obnoxious.