DarthEbriate

Greenway Wall at the blue line to end it.

Maybe try a stick lift next time, as opposed to a sledgehammer-to-railroad tie swing.

There we go. You remember the Death Star and you start taking shots. You only need one.

Uh... I think they've forgotten. Remember the Death Star!

The SN graphic was damning. UPL in 2024. 1st, 1st, 2nd, win percentage 22nd.

Hello there, Mr. Tuchly.

If you've established yourself as a physical player, as Xhekaj has, and the game is fun and flowing and physical, the refs get conditioned to let more and more go. A pitcher nibbling on the corner gets the strike call just a bit outside. The cornerback holding on every play will only get called for a couple. The hockey player who hits gets freedom to hit more.

Plus, walking on water in the game of hockey is just mundane.

I've got a radical idea: trade Skinner for Xhekaj.

Nice deflection goal by Krebs. Get that kid on the PP.

Zemgus screen and a deflection from the Joker!

I think we can attribute all crises to the fact the Sabres haven't made the playoffs in 13 seasons.

Has Skinner completed a pass this... month?

Thompson drove the net with a burst of speed. Haven't seen that recently.

Clague in for Ryan Johnson

Took a bit, but here's my reworked record extracting the outdoor home game played in Canada and when wearing the black goatheads. I combined OTL+L for a true W/L record. 2020-21 = 8-20 2021-22 = 16-24 (TOR outdoor game) 2022-23 = 7-22 (no goatheads) 2023-24 = 7-12 (no goatheads) 38-78. That's a garbage home record (.328 winning %) You want points percentage with OTL loser points to make you feel better? .384 points % That's worse than every Sabres coach not named Craig Ramsay (21 games) and Punch (expansion season +1). No coach has been below .421 since the tank started.

Now, take away all their "home" wins in outdoor games, big "get-up-for-Toronto" games, and black goathead games.

My cynical side says any offseason change is dependent on whether Darth Pegulas the Wise is watching the playoffs and some UFA catches his eye that will put this team over the top... the Ehrhoff, Leino, or Hall type that could get him to open up the wallet for someone.

But WJC games are often super entertaining because a) they aren't all about playing defenses and systems yet, and b) they're often trying so hard they take themselves out of position or lead to chaos, or just make beautiful things happen.

When is the draft lottery? It's usually midweek during the first round of the playoffs. Why a random weeknight instead of Saturday night on HNIC? It's the NHL and they don't want to make a big deal out of it. Why do I know the general timing of the lottery draft? Because I'm still a Buffalo Sabres fan.

Enough harmonicas/harps. It's late at night. Time to let whatever will happen happen because everything works with the groove of Cosmic Slop.

There's a parallel to Vancouver this year with that Sabres season. In 2018-19, the Sabres had just traded ROR, drafted Dahlin, and traded for a rejuvenated Skinner to pair with budding star Eichel. The Sabres got off to moderate start and then went on a streak to get to 16-6-2 at Thanksgiving. 1st in the NHL. But the underlying metrics said, "This team isn't that good. Regression is coming." It did. Berglund went from injured to retired. They got hit with D injuries: notably McCabe, but also Scandella, and 7D Nelson missed time. But they righted the ship a bit... they were still 21-11-5 on Christmas Day. They needed a GM (or owner) willing to do something. And GM JBott didn't reward them. At all. No acquisitions. None. Instead of getting a veteran to pair with Risto or hold over for Scandella during the injury, they called up Pilut & Tennyson. Instead of trading for a veteran to replace Bergland, they dressed 13th F Remi Elie. The roster had gaping holes and inexperience (baby Mitts, baby giraffe Tage who were the future -- not the present -- and could have been easily sent to Rochester if a veteran comes in). I understand the patience., because it's perhaps a season too soon. But...throw your players a bone when they're in 1st place. Show them some confidence. Eventually, after the season went off the rails for 2 months. At the deadline, JBott traded for Montour and sent out Beaulieu and that was it. (Montour would've looked awfully good in December!) The Sens were going nowhere all season. A Brannstrom/Lindberg/2nd equivalent for Mark Stone at New Year's when Ottawa's season was already over? Contrast that with this season. The Canucks were off to a blistering start with the overhaul to last year's squad (no ROR or Skinner trades/Dahlin draft, but several shrewd moves to close last season and in free agency: Hronek, Soucy, Blueger, etc.). Everyone screamed "Regression is coming! A team can't sustain 20% shooting percentage or whatever absurd number it was." But the Canucks GM knew the gaps in the lineup were fixable, and even with regression... It was worth it because the team kept winning. Right after TurkeyDay: Zadorov. As a reward, filling a hole at RD. Fast forward another 2 months: still going: trade for Elias Lindholm. And Vancouver will add some patchwork/depth pieces at the deadline, too.

Huh. The Pens-Isles game went to overtime. How surprising. Just two veteran teams sloggin' through another February. Neither really a threat to make the playoffs anymore, but still capturing loser points because that's what they do.

Add in Minnesota. They started poorly, made the change, and are 21-13-2 since. They're 2 points back of a wild card (LA being one of the teams they're chasing down).