DarthEbriate

But there was only one backup to worry about last year. As always, it goes back to Adams and the man who hired him and continues to love and employ him despite all evidence showing he still hasn't learned enough to be effective or efficient at his job. I'm sure he's economical. They had a goalie with 500 games played experience ready to provide average backup (tandem) goaltending. And that guy whose career numbers are equal to UPL's best season in which he was excellent for half a season? They waived him immediately upon returning to the States after the Prague games. Adams had an offseason plan to pair the new starter with a veteran. And then he abandoned the plan immediately. It was shown that Luukkonen wasn't at the same level he had been the end of the previous season and Levi wasn't ready. And their defense still included Cozens, Quinn, Power, Muel... etc. and a new system under Ruff. And they went with two inexperienced goalies instead of Reimer. It was the people in charge of personnel who don't understand teambuilding and roster construction... again. If Reimer had been retained and provided his usual .900 goaltending, instead of Levi's numbers in Oct/Nov, and if Ruff had allowed Reimer to split the games instead of just riding UPL forever once Reimer had been re-claimed off of waivers... they probably are 4-5 wins better. And if one of those wins is against Montreal (0-3-1), maybe it's the Sabres sneaking into the playoffs. ----- Fast forward. This season, they might finally get it. Once again, it's a veteran goalie with career numbers better than UPL's career (though not as good as Reimer's). But there's no reason for Lyon not to be a tandem goalie with UPL. Let Lyon play. Send UPL to Rochester for a conditioning assignment. Play Ellis once every 4 games so you see what he can do and you don't burn out Lyon. Get the goaltending right. For once. (then fire Sheevyn anyway.) Ellis should play Monday in MTL and at TOR next weekend, and he should already know when he's going to be in net.

Wow. Ruff really didn't like that interference call. Whatever. The kid played the body. Why is this Metsa -- the captain of the Amerks -- instead of Novikov? If you just need a body to sit in the press box, let Geertsen practice as a defenseman (like he did in NJ).

Go to the front of the net. No matter what happens... no matter what occurs... Benson will find you!

Unless he was injured... Johnson essentially benched for his first-period interference penalty. 5:12 total TOI

Spence was a +3 for the Sens. RHD. 3rd and a 6th over the summer. Sized like JBD or Bryson....

Oh come on, ***** can't be blocked. It's such a versatile word.

....Docs will say that's how you get hemorrhoids.

Tagebacca is over 200 years old and has infinite patience. Kulich!

Conflict of interest Wait... the KBC has a beer sabre and a 2-foot chicken parm now? Why isn't the barn full???? Fan experience!

Eeep. Fortunately, Stutzle didn't bury that.

Errrrrm... Or 5-2 for that matter. As I posted earlier today in another thread...

Good burst to feed Quinn. But yes, he can make nice passes, but he doesn't have the vision to get to them. Benson does. Which... I guess is why Krebs has had to reinvent himself as a Lazar-like 4th liner type. Who can still make a nice pass.

Two goal lead re-established. They were just teasing the Sens with hope.

Great kid, don't get cocky!

Dahlin and Byram were split up to start the period. Dahlin/Timmins couldn't figure out the coverage. Byram/Bryson almost gave up a goal as well. They stopped skating. A city in McLeods! Part 2. McLeod and Tuch woke up.

I'm still not sure how Ottawa hasn't moved him to wing yet. Remember last season, when Ruff got upset by TNT and Cozens not playing responsibly as centers and he made the comments about how he'd move them to wing if they weren't willing to play the position? On 11/1, Cozens played on the wing vs. NYI. Cozens scored his first goal of the season on the PP. And immediately thereafter, he was back at center next game. He never started on the wing again the rest of the season. Meanwhile, Thompson eventually went to the wing and never went back to center until this season.

Zucker! Just impacted on the surface.... of the net.

He is their best forward playmaker.

Dang. I wish the 4th line had been rewarded with a goal on that shift.

That's who Woooooo! Zucker! we want Benson to be. Sabre Giroux. Also, another nice play by Doan.

Power got slashed. And did what, exactly? Let his smaller teammates come to his aid.

Did he do anything or did the scrum just come to him? Because I'll believe it when I see it that he actually engages. He's not in the box.

LLllllllllimited Power!

Gah. Power could've kept the puck in the zone before this clear and scrum. But he was so eager to peel away to the neutral zone and not take the man that he gave up possession. You're bigger! Pin him to the boards and keep the puck in. There was Senate blood in the water. .... dissolve the council, permanently.

Doan outhustled the defenseman, poked the puck free and Bryson puts it on net. Nicely done.