DarthEbriate

Also: Unleash the Metsa!

Fun roster. Power-Kesselring get playing time for familiarity. Beyond that, it's a cornucopia of bottom 6 and potential Rochester call-ups -- minus Kozak who already played back-to-back and many NHL games last year. Ruff knows what he has in Kozak. Detroit's "home" roster had better obliterate this team. If the Sabres hold the Wings to fewer than 24 shots, 1 goal or less, and win it going away with an empty-netter to make it 4-1 with 1:30 remaining... it's playoffs!

Bryson as an 8 (or better yet, waived, cleared to Rochester and still the #8) is OK if you have a solid top 6 and he only needs to fill in for limited minutes in 15 games. He's got wheels and NHL experience. It was the early extension that didn't make sense. At the time, they had JBD and Ryan Johnson. Either of them could be the 7 (who will play 40 games) if you go out and get a top-4 D-man for Power like they needed to do. JBD, of course, had played with Power and looked alright down the stretch, but the shopping list still needed the experienced defensive/crease-clearing RHD type for Power.

If recent history is anything to go by, Jones would be in the lineup for Samuelsson for at least 15-20 games, meaning Bryson is skating in place of anyone else who dinged up during that span.

I think we had it only a short time ago with Luukkonen. January-February 2024 he was .919 sv% and a 2.31 GAA and 4 shutouts in 26 games. That's a half-season of RGE, particularly on a Granato "we'll teach 'em defense next year" team. Although that was the year of teaching them defense.

No, I don't think he has the foot speed anymore. 😇

Patience. Norris has to stay healthy first.

Shootout/penalty shot specialist. And ideally, you get a goalie who catches right-handed to really mess with the shooter's minds.

Nice one. I'd have said Houser.

They're on to something. Levi is the closer. Switch starters. Go full goalie rotation. UPL as long relief for when someone gets shelled. Bold new strategy to dress... five goalies???

He's their most natural playmaker. Shooters just need to find seams and he'll find them.

Outshot them 9-1 through the beginning of the period and trailing 1-0. That was one very disinterested goal call. I realize it's the opponents, but there's not even sadness or "oh no". It's the same tone the entire time.

They already have you. They don't have the money of foreign markets. 2nd period -- listening in -- and there it is. "Sabres from right to left" Dan helps me out.

So... they can stream a scrimmage worldwide, but a preseason game just can't get out of the local region? I hesitate to listen on the online radio only as I'm unlikely to have any concept of what's going on. Particularly preseason where you've got a random guy like Kopff who the announcers don't recognize so they just don't mention what he's doing with the puck. (But Dunleavy is very good about announcing left-to-right or right-to-left at the beginning of each period.)

And a fine goal it was

If Georgiev posts a .910+ save percentage in 50 starts, there are only two Pegula-owned team options: 7 x $8M Let him walk in UFA. No blockers!

Really old... like late '90s, where they outworked their opponent nearly all night and got solid goaltending? (And yes, it's only a preseason game against a half-CBJ roster with no Werenski) but after the first period, the Sabres forechecked and backchecked like you'd expect of a '90s dead-puck team.)

They were inspired, particularly Party in the USA (which was fun to hear on the road that season during breaks in play --- they're wishing for Skinner to score on them!). Shoutout to Olofsson, too, for ABBA's Gimme Gimme Gimme. It's such a break from the "Grrr, make it louder. Yell into the PA that we're on the powerplay" of the rest of sports presentations these days, etc. Just have a singalong danceable frolic that everyone has heard. Now, if it's for everyone on the team and every goal, it probably gets obnoxious. But no worse than a Chelsea Danger.

I don't put any stock in that at all. The fight was a staged "hey I'm trying to make my team, wanna scrap?" out of a faceoff. It was not a response, nor was there any contentious play leading up to it.

Adams traded away Montour and let McCabe walk so Granato could ice this D-corps: Dahlin - Pysyk Bryson - Jokiharju Hagg - Miller (Butcher) IR: Samuelsson Curiously, the Sabres won the game 4-1. Tokarski in net. Dahlin was 21 years old at the time. And a nice line for him with Zucker-McLeod. I think Helenius will get the 2-game looksee at the end of this season (after the Sabres have clinched a playoff berth of course).

The game wasn’t chippy, there wasn’t much rattling of boards. But the Columbus statistician was racking up hits for the Sabres. The Sabres did forecheck well. 32 hits awarded to Sabres forwards. 7 for Helenius. I think in Buffalo it’s more like 16 hits. But that’s just me.

As @Flashsabre said, Doan did some nice things away from the puck and he helped clear the zone, maintain possession a couple times. Little things. But I think the Quinn-Kulich-Doan line looked the least impressive in terms of overall effort or possession. Kulich was solid as a forechecker. Neither good nor bad for one game. But definitely nothing that jumped out. No glaring mistakes though… which is very important for this team.

It was nice to see our team’s grinders outwork the other team’s home outfit. Nothing fancy. I think Levi had to make the hardest save, but the goaltending was very solid. Patient. In position and square. Dare I say it… efficient, effective, and very very economical.

Helenius had a good shift prior. Now, buries one on the rush. I think he *might* be AHL eligible because of his international status. As a Seattle area resident, I hope he gets his season for the T-Birds. Gives me more excuses to hockey.

Mrtka protecting the crease after the whistle. Nice.