DarthEbriate

The refs still hate Benson, carrying over from last season.

Benson has to stay on his feet.

Cozens forgot how to pass, then dumped it in while the team is clearing the zone rather than pass it back into his zone and maintain possession on the pp. Just poor decisions.

Jeepers, Kreider!

Penalty kill?

Thanks, UPL, because the Sabres forgot about the slot.

Benson is good. If he can get Quinn going......

Shesterkin, known sieve of a goalie.

We only want accountability in our sports teams.

I had the same thought. Will the Rangers read about the Big, Bad Buffalo coming for them and say, "We've got to call up Rempe from the A because if not, Greenway will check Panarin through the glass." Will the Rangers pull a Dalton Smith? (But then I kind of dismissed the thought. I think the Rangers have confidence in their team's abilities [they've got two games in hand and a 6-point lead in the standings over the Sabres] and aren't intimidated by this team at all.)

It’s really a do it or do it not situation. There is no trying and then saying you did some good things.

Based on their contracts and Ottawa’s expectations for Sanderson to be a top-pairing D and PP 60-point producer, I’m not sure you could convince Ottawa to do Sanderson + a 1st for Dahlin at this point, let alone a top line winger.

++ See, you can do it. -- I call it puck luck. ++ No such thing as puck luck. -- Look, good against the Sens is once thing. Good at the Rangers? That's something else. They played like they needed to play. Now, do it again in NYC.

Sens try to send a message for next time. And Gilbert does just fine.

Good PK boardwork there.

Did it bounce on edge for JJP there?

A pile goal!

A first-minute dribbler!

Lafferty and Zucker with breakaways. Sens with a 2 on 0. Not a goal amongst them.

Like a turtle or a baby chick?

DarthExercise phase complete. I missed a goal. And Ullmark a great save on Lafferty. Just elevate ever slightly more.

TSN broadcast interview, asked about adjustments for period 2, player Jensen says “we have to match [Buffalo’s] intensity.” Huh. So that’s a thing?

Greenway can take their entire top line off the ice.

Muel and Joker out? Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate them.

Intraconference fun To make the playoffs as a #4/#5 Wild Card you want to get a few a wins vs. the good teams (maybe face some backup goalies or get FLA on a night without Barkov/Tkachuk) and then make some hay and be handily over (DeLuca) .500 against the other WC contenders and the bottom feeders. Last year the Caps snuck in with 91 points despite being just under .500 (40-42, with 11 OTL. NYI was also sub.500 but had a whopping 16 OTL!) The Caps were 8-8-4 vs. the top teams in the East (NYR, CAR, FLA, BOS, TOR, and TB). 8-12 is good enough against them. The Caps were 17-10-1 against their competition and weaker Eastern teams (1-2 vs. BUF). --- Sabres The Sabres are off to an OK start against the top team(s): 1-3 v. FLA & NJD. Would've been nice to get a NJD game to OT.... If the Sabres want to make it, then they need to be a cumulative 5+ games over .500 against their primary Eastern competitors. BOS, OTT, DET, MON & WSH, CBJ, PIT, NYI, and PHI. They have started... poorly... in that regard at 1-3-1. --- November This month is Western conference-heavy on the schedule, with only 4 games remaining (and those 2 L in hand!) against the primary teams, so we're unlikely to see the Sabres jump them or have significant movement in the standings barring a massive win streak or getting every other game to OT. But each of tonight 11/5 v. OTT, 11/11 v. MON, 11/16 @ PHI, and 11/30 @ NYI is emphatically a must-win game. Anything less than 3-1 or 2-1-1 will have the Sabres all but eliminated because they'll need to jump everyone in the conference.