LTS

This indicates the challenge the Sabres face. 3 of the teams ahead of them are in their own division. 5 of them are in their conference and right behind them are 3 more teams in their conference. The East is stacked.

I agree with this. Granato is earning a reputation as an excellent coach and the organization is starting to be noticed. Plus, players want to play with stars.. Dahlin and Thompson are that.. and Power.. man he looks really good right now. Then there's the other line.. that is getting everyone's attention.. It's nice.

So Brandon Beane should do something? 😉

That first period was especially ugly.. the Kings dominated but even they were missing passes, the puck was bouncing around way too much. It was like someone forgot to freeze the pucks. Glad to see the 3rd period turn around. They are still giving up chances but tonight at least cleared the net area and weren't out of position too much. Still, Anderson played a great game and I like Clague back there before any of Bryson, Fitzgerald, or Pilut. It would be nice if the Adams can go shore a few things up to give this team a legitimate chance.

Ullmark - historically 2022-23 - SV% .941, GAA 1.77 2021-22 - SV% .917, GAA 2.45 2020-21 - SV% .917, GAA 2.63 2019-20 - SV% .915, GAA 2.69 2018-19 - SV% .908, GAA 3.00 Now, would he make a difference given comparative stats of the team in front of him? SA/GP Bruins - 28.7, 5th best in the league. Sabres - 32, 20th best. Shots/GP Bruins - 35 - 3rd best Sabres - 32.7 - 10th. GA/G Bruins - 2.11, best in the league Sabres - 3.68 - 27th. GF/G Bruins - 3.89 - best in the league Sabres - 3.86 - 2nd. PK Bruins - 85.4% - best in the league Sabres - 70.5% - 28th GA Bruins - 57 - best in the league Sabres - 103 - 26th. Ullmark is well above the league average in SV%. He's benefitting from a very good team in front of him who controls play. Gives up fewer shots, generates more. Scores like the Sabres but shuts down other team better. In 3v4, 3v5, 4v5 scenarios - the Sabres have given up 27 goals, the Bruins 15. No goalie is making up that difference. The Bruins have 4 players that are a negative +/-, combined they account for 23 man games, with 2 players only logging a single game. The Sabres have 11 players that are a negative +/-, combined they account for 189 man games, with all but Sheahan logging double digit or higher games. This team is losing because it's not sound defensively, we all know the 5 players where the problem lies: Bryson (-15), Mitts (-12), Olofsson (-9), Pilut (-4), Fitzgerald (-3). As good as Ullmark is.. right now. He's never been this good and everything points to a very talented team in front of him. I don't even think if he kept his stats even the Sabres would improve enough to be in the playoffs. They'd be better, no doubt.

I give Adams a pass because it was not the plan. I think at that time they might have hoped for more out of UPL but clearly Adams does not believe in him. I have no doubt Adams wishes he had a better goalie situation, but sometimes the now has to suck for tomorrow to be better. It takes a lot of discipline to not go chasing the pretty shiny things. I don't characterize it as a mistake, instead I look at it as the discipline to stay the course and see it through. Something that has not been done with the Sabres in the past decade. I think the evolution of Cozens, Peterka, Quinn is the signal to Adams that now is the time to press forward. I think roster players will be moved and some prospects as well to shore up the goaltending and the defense going into next season. A lock for the playoffs in this division and conference? I'm not so sure about that.

Saw that.. now I can rock the reverse retro and the goathead.. and done.

They are what their record is. Am I doing this right?

And that always comes back to who? Who was the upgrade? I feel like all options have been debated and reasonably shown to not have been possible. Perhaps Husso, but no one knows if it was possible, just that the Sabres did not get him. Ullmark's name is thrown around and until this season was not the starter, did not have these numbers, and routinely was injured. No one would have projected Ullmark to be this, and if he was injured, then people would be complaining that the Sabres did not have ANOTHER goalie.

And therein lies the issue. Those who believe it was as an important a priority and what the organization actually planned for. But then again, the trick is identifying which goaltender would have been the Sabres savior. People tend to look at the positivity of this season and forget that even a year ago, or two years ago, and certainly three.. the Sabres were not a place where players would choose to go. We still debate whether players want to come here today. So.. who are they getting without overpaying.. and if they overpay, what impacts does that have on the current situation?

I was at that game.. sitting up high in the corner where the whole event took place. I still recall how the place erupted when Snow went over and tapped Barnaby with his stick...

This the thing people seem to be missing. The Jets D is ranked higher than the Bills D. They are quite legit.

Bear sucks.. simply suggesting he should have been an option undermines your take. Reilly, I think we all agree, was a tad confusing. This is so unlike the you I remember, even the angry you. There really wasn't anyone good who was available that would have solved the problem. Jake Allen... c'mon man. See my comment on Bear above. Jake Allen suuuuucks. Remember when the Sabres lit him up? Being near the top in scoring in the league is not moving forward? A team that has 109 goals right now after 28 games.. who had in 2013-14: 157 goals, the following season: 161 goals.. that's like 1.96 goals per game... right now they are at 3.89.. that's not progress. Oh right.. the record.. would you rather have the teams from 2013-2015 or this team? Yes, it's been a long time.. the fan carries that weight with them if they so choose. But there are reset buttons in sports franchises, it happens. It wasn't a priority. The priority was building the scoring talent along with the right D. That exists... now It's not so much the more.. but the experience. This team lacks experience to deal with the adversity. The more likely comes with a change in about 3-4 players from this current roster... and then the younger players end up staying in Rochester longer.

I had a 12U player start smacking a teammate in the head with his stick... when I told him to get off my bench he politely said "***** you". That was fun...

Perhaps.. as put above, Matthews was suspended. Then again, I doubt that last year Tage Thompson draws that "tripping" penalty from Crosby. It happens.

Cross-checks to the head.. and especially the face tend to earn a suspension of 2 games.. certainly I don't pay attention league wide, but I feel that's been fairly consistent the past few years.

It's a feature that people can choose to use, there's not really a need to disparage those who choose to do so.

Every time I see or hear this name.

Not only that.. but to me.. Thompson's goals are more exciting than Eichel's. At least to me... and yea.. the combination.. fuhgedaboutit

Wait.. I can watch this game? Nice! I am glad I am excited to watch this team play...

Well *****.. I will be there too. Didn't even realize. Sorry to all those who would be better off not knowing that.

I would bet that Adams would willingly move on from those players if there was a trade that made sense. We know they have little value, but so does everyone else. Could the Sabres get a player back in a trade that would fill those spots? Might be a stretch. I would bet they could for Olofsson, not so sure for Mitts. So if they had to fill the roster from the Amerks who's coming up? Biro, Bjork, Murray? They won't bring up Rosen, Kulich.. I doubt Rousek even. So perhaps its play them, knowing they aren't what you will keep and hope they improve to get a trade opened up.. or else its the off-season.. or hope someone waives someone else that would work better.

I'd say that Allen is the key only in the sense that if they lose him, they are done. However, I don't think they can necessarily win just because they have him and even if he performs well. We saw that last year. The defense however will be okay. It's never just a situation of sacking the QB and I think the line will still be formidable. It's a question of whether the secondary can cover the receivers properly and if the D can stop the run. Two things they've struggled with.. individually and together at times.

This is a helpful explanation and largely agree. But even then, do you have to account for factors like a front-loaded easier/harder schedule? That state of the opponent at the time? Take the teams that beat the Bills during periods of higher injuries.. do they get more credit than they deserve? So, yeah, at that point in time, given all the factors, they earned that. But the question is, if you don't consider all the factors, are you getting an accurate representation on which to base an opinion? The irrefutable fact is the record, I absolutely agree there.

As many as they want... the only question is how many you want to give them. Apparently you're willing to give them a lot of corners as well.