nfreeman

That slew-foot should be reviewed by the NHL and get Marchand at least a warning. Will it though?

I agree with the above 2 posts. I thought he looked pretty good -- smooth, good decisions, very good skater. Top-4 potential.

Good opportunity for Zemgus to reassert himself in an upper slot in the forward rotation.

If nothing else, this means that GMTM still sees NHL potential in Guhle.

Oh, no ya don't. You're married to the caviar-at-FNC meme now.

I'm giving Westworld a B for this season.

i call BS on caviar at the arena.

I think anyone posting in this thread should hesitate before doing so and ask him/her/it self whether the post is really scrapbook-worthy. It shouldn't be just some random non-Eichel video clip or song or random thought about whether Eichel should be captain, etc. Every single post should be a "holy mackerel -- did Eichel really do that?" moment. (Of course, this post fails that test, but still.)

True enough on American cheese, but it is damn good on a burger.

I am highly confident that the lines report is just more Harrington being a bozo.

Absolutely one of the best comedies of all time.

OK. I think we're going to take a time out from political discussion for a while and then reevaluate.

My son wore my Ryan Miller jersey to school today. This is better than him making the honor roll or getting into college.

I was curious about this. There were quite a few empty seats in the lower level that were visible on TV, but it sounded respectably loud. How full was the arena? I think DDB had Zemgus on with ROR and KO for most of the 3rd. That line wasn't doing much -- he tried Moulson in Carrier's spot a couple of shifts and then went with Zemgus. I agree -- Zemgus looked good on that line. I'd expect to see it again on Sat. Yeah baby! Yeah! I beg to differ. He would be really GD fast today too, albeit not as fast as McDavid & McKinnon. Separately -- my game notes: - Did that really just happen? Did Eichel really take over the game with 7 minutes to go and get the Sabres a win against the #3 team in the NHL standings? - The 3 forwards on the ice to close out a tough win against a loaded offensive team: Gionta, Eichel and Kane. - Speaking of Gionta -- that was a professional finish he applied on his goal (his fifth of the season -- good pace for an older gentleman). - I think Kane hit the crossbar on the streak to the net (Iwhich was really GD fast, btw) right before the GWG. - Nifty pass by KO to spring Jack on the GTG. - I loved Foligno giving the shove/high-5 to everyone on their way off the ice. - I didn't love Nilsson's game but he did make a number of really good saves, including one with 20 sec or so to go that someone else noted upthread. - I think most of this board owes Cody Franson an apology (even though Kreider sailed around him on a drive to the net 5 seconds into the game). - Still 5 under DeLuca .500, but there is life! Hope! Hockey!!

Seconded.

25+ goal pace Top 3 among Sabre forwards in ice time 1st or 2nd in SOG 1st or 2nd in hits Contributes on the PK

Very nice. Thank you sir. Enough puffery: how was the date? How many wings did she eat?

Good question, and tough to answer because we don't have that much info yet. He missed his first half-season here after the Sabres traded for him, played 1 season in which he was a good and effective player, had a problematic offseason, then immediately got hurt in his 2nd season here and is just now coming back to form. IF he has a strong rest of this season and meshes well with Jackie boy and Reino, and stays out of trouble off the ice, I can definitely see them extending him. It's become quite clear that the Sabres need all the offense they can get, and it's highly likely that it won't be coming from Moulson, Ennis or Zemgus -- so it's hard to see them cutting Kane loose if he is still a reliable 20-25 goal guy. However, it also sounds like he's used up a good amount of his goodwill, so if there are any more arrests or missed practices I would kinda expect them to trade him at the deadline next year.

Another benefit to Kaner being on the kids' line and being friends with them off the ice: he's an effective policeman on the ice. I noticed him mixing it up vs Ottawa with a Senator who had taken a shot at Eichel's legs. I think Kane came into this season wanting to make amends for his offseason and establish himself as an important player on this team -- and immediately got hurt on an aggressive play. He came back pretty quickly, no doubt played with a good amount of pain, and was unable to break the Sabres' offensive constipation by himself. Now that Jackie boy is back, Kane is back in an optimal on-ice situation. He played over 20 min vs Ottawa -- 2nd-highest on the team among forwards. I expect him to start crushing it, and for that line to be highly entertaining and dangerous pretty much every shift. Go Sabres.

Good info. Thanks. I'm curious as to whether it will be Fedun or Falk that sits. If Fedun keeps contributing on the PP, I think he'll stay in.

I vote for retiring it -- primarily because I can't shake the association I have with the customized Bills jersey of a random meathead I saw at a game last year with the name "D. Gozinya." The jersey #, of course, was 69.

This is fair. I think though that TT and the threat he represents plays a fairly significant role in loosening up the D for McCoy. As for the cash: I agree it's a ton of $$, but it's not out of line for a starting QB, and if they pick him up for next year, their cap obligations only affect either next year or next year and the year after (I've seen it described both ways). And, critically, I don't think there's a better QB option out there for the same or less $$. I wasn't snapping back -- just offering some genuine message board respect and affection. As for the apparent oddness of my enthusiasm for TT -- I know I've criticized the Bills pretty harshly and relentlessly lo these many years. But those criticisms have, I believe, generally centered on the Micky Mouse nature of the way in which the franchise has been run (which I think has been valid). I like to think that I evaluate each player based on his own merits/demerits, without considering franchise baggage. The Bills have been lost in the desert for a generation. A team simply can't be a viable contender in the NFL without a real QB. Not coincidentally, the Bills haven't had a real QB in a generation. So do I want TT to succeed perhaps a little too desperately, and is this clouding my judgment? It's quite possible. But I also think (i) he's a real playmaker, (ii) in most cases, it takes much more game experience than TT has had thus far for a QB to become highly proficient at reading the whole field, finding the open guy (and the guy who's going to be open), developing timing with his receivers, etc. and (iii) unless a no-BS top-5 QB falls into their laps, I'd much rather take my chances on the guy who's running the #8 scoring offense in the NFL to continue to grow in the job than start over with some retread like Cutler, RGIII, etc. There's also the non-quantifiable, but very real, enjoyment factor of knowing that he could do something incredible on every snap. After 15 years of Fitz, Edwards, EJ, Orton, etc. -- and listening to Russ Brandon blather on about "we need to stack some wins" -- I need some electricity to move the needle.

Well, thank you sweetie! As for the bolded: why does this matter if they are #8 in offensive scoring?

Well, that's a pretty big "if." I also think we also need to consider that he's missed chunks of the games he's dressed for. He's been far from an every-snap guy. Separately: another point recommending TT is the fact that the Bills are #8 in the NFL in offensive scoring, despite the revolving door at WR and the loss of McCoy for parts of the season. He's flawed, to be sure, but perhaps those flaws are improvable, and in the meantime he's overcoming those flaws with other aspects of his game and, most importantly, getting the job done.

Yes indeedly.