DarthEbriate

Fewer games for UPL, because the final 2 weeks of the season, just after Florida eliminates the Sabres from playoff contention on 4/4, Levi and Portillo both sign ELCs. Comrie gets to rest as each college kid gets their taste. Levi goes 3-0, Portillo goes 2-0. There are shutouts involved. And Ottawa is eliminated from playoff contention in game 82. (5 Metro teams make it; no BOS, no OTT).

I'm definitely in the Batherson makes it 7 camp. He was over a point per game last season until the Dell cheapshot caused him to miss 2 months. Even after coming back and ramping back up he was almost 1pt/gm. Standings-wise: the top 4 will lose more games to the middle 3 this season and the whole division is going to squeeze together this year (except Montreal). TB - Another year older. All the kids locked up on long extensions. Still the team to beat and still Vasilevskiy. Still a minimum 108 point team. TOR - They get gruff about not being good defensively but they have gotten so much better the last couple years in that regard. Murray has been garbage for more than 3 years and Samsonov... could be good, but neither will play to Campbell's level. That won't keep the Leafs from breaking 108 points. FLA - Got career years from everyone last year. While they gain a Tkachuk, they're minus Huberdeau/Weegar and Duclair's Achilles injury --- that's losing a ton of offense. They'll make the playoffs and get 100 points, but they're not reaching 122. They'll also focus more on the playoffs than the regular season. BOS - Injuries (Marchand, McAvoy), age (Bergeron, Krejci), and less attention to defense with the new coach will cause some issues. They've got goaltending and they could be dynamite in the 2nd half, but it could be too late. 90 points minimum. OTT - Adding DeBrincat and (even an old) Giroux gives them the best top 6 among BUF/OTT/DET, and they have a legitimate pair of mid-starter level goalies that BUF/DET don't. They're also adding Sanderson. Ottawa's depth is... fine. Their goaltending wins though. 90 points minimum. BUF - 86 points minimum. DET - Lots of additions but those were filling holes. Around the league, UFA signings are sexy and getting Husso and his Vezina votes (instead of Comrie who was backing up Hellebuyck) are why they're trendy. DET fans will also say they're better than Buffalo because they swept us last year. But those games were all played against an injured Olofsson, Tokarski/Dell in net, and pre-March. They add Edvinsson to Seider on the D-line. They'll be better, but not good enough to get past us. Minimum 80 points. MTL - no Price, hello Bedard sweepstakes.

I also got the sense Kisakov was up to something. He took an elbow. He was run at once or twice. I recall he had a collision and maybe drew a penalty by the benches during a line change? He did something(s) to rile up some folks.

The Athletic normally does a decent job with their analytical pieces, but this Sabres preview reeks of halfassery and dianoga poopoo. Using Krueger-season data on players like Tage, Mitts, and especially Skinner seems like a horrible, horrible way to prognosticate anything (unless they're all silently putting lots of money on the Sabres). Including Levi (unsigned) as an option? Nope, that's lazy journalism. These lines about VO: "[Olofsson's] stock has dropped off in recent seasons. At five-on-five his game has fallen off and he’s turned into a bit of a power play specialist thanks to his efficient shot." Every word that they just said is wrong. It's pretty much the opposite of his career trajectory. And no mention that for half of last season VO had a busted wrist/whatever and couldn't shoot. In the 3 months where he was able to shoot his stats line read: 36 GP, 18-16-34 +9. Extrapolate it to an entire season and VO is Ottawa's new toy: DeBrincat. This will all come down to goaltending though. Ottawa (in addition to sexy UFA forward names) jettisoned their crap goalie (Murray), kept a guy who had a 1B-level season last year, and added a consistent 1B-level goalie in Talbot. They theoretically have two 1Bs... and that's healthy (good SW reference, me) goaltending. Buffalo kept a 2 (Anderson) and added a potential 1B in Comrie. That's the difference in the rosters as I see it.

Rasmus, but angrier. Angry Asps. Very dangerous.

You rush a miracle rebuild man you get rotten miracles rebuilds. Chocolate coating makes it go down easier. It's been extra long because it's been reset with 3 GMs and each one gets a chance to enact the vision they want. (The drafting this time around looks better thus far, though it's still way too early to say.)

Great feed to the drifting Savoie left alllll alone in front.

Nice shot by Kisakov.

Kulich isn't going to get much better of a look then that. This is a fun line for Rochester. Jiri, Isak, Lukas.

Not to make anything of a prospect challenge, but the powerplay unit changes from Thursday tell me: 1) The coaches liked the Weissbach-Savoie-Kisakov line in game 1 and have united them on PP2 in practice. 2) Kulich ready to wire one from the right circle. 3) Kozak to the front of the net/below the goal line, replacing Bloom... nice. Selfishly, I'm good with him in Portland so I have more reasons to catch Portland/T-Bird games this year and I can track his progress. But... from a franchise standpoint: get the kid in Rochester.

Oh my flippin' goodness. The Twins bullpen has blown 8 games against Cleveland this season (including tonight). 8 flippin' games! Cleveland now has 5-game lead, but if the bullpen had held onto even half of those leads, this race would be neck and neck. Stupid bullpen.

^ That's pretty cool. Soon we shall be able to watch any and all Swedish prospects on ESPN+ to our hearts' content.

Liking Kozak a bunch. Kisakov looks sharp. Savoie is just plain quick.

Kozak with a nice tip-in from fellow WHLer Lindgren for the lead. But will Kozak make the Amerks? TBD

No! More D-zone faceoff prowess. Block all the shots. Maintain positive Corsi. And if you're a minus at the end of the night, you're clearly a draft bust.

Weissbach looks like an AHLer among juniors. Game is slower for him.

Yup, Slafkovsky looks like a top pick. Smooth, deceptively big.

Woot. Nice deflection!

Weissbach also is pretty. He just slams on the brakes and then feeds Passolt. The backchecker should've killed Weissbach there....

Mesar is pretty. (good footrace and battle won and then pass, too, by Slafkovsky)

Lock S-foils in attack position!

Fewer goals than last year, but more points. In his second year as a center, he'll be slightly better defensively and slightly better at faceoffs. Those minor increases, plus an entire season of either a healthy Tuch or VO at his side, will have everyone excited by year's end. 30-40-70.

How high can we get it?

Movers and shakers between July's Dev Camp roster and the Prospects Challenge roster: Lindgren & Laaksonen: -1 in each Komarov: +2 in, +10 lbs Rousek: +20 lbs Rosen: +8 lbs (stole it from Kulich) Olischefski: +1 in, +2 lb... transferred it with Nadeau: -1 in, -2 lbs Kulich: -8 lbs

I'll take that bet. I'll wager my new racing pod on the over.