DarthEbriate

Of course, maybe someone should've told Pasta that. Yay, Boston! (because it helps Buffalo)

Boston coaches trying to throw this game, everything from a backup goalie to resting Bergeron, to making useless coaching challenges... All it tells me is they'd rather see Pittsburgh in the opening round than Florida. (Or Buffalo or Ottawa, I guess). 😇

That was an odd desperation challenge for a tie game. Swayman has to sell the bump a lot more than that or else there's no way they're overturning it. Crosby a light graze at home? Nothing to see there. Even if his stick blade was nearly in Swayman's eyehole, he didn't bump Swayman nearly enough to warrant a call.

He's been good with the Tri-City Amerks (and Czechia and Sabres camp), too. Milic might be overrated as he's playing behind a very stacked T-Birds squad. But the concept is the same: get a 19- or 20- year-old mid/late round CHLer who can be an AHL backup goalie immediately next season, even if he's just a stopgap until Leinonen or the next higher-round pick shows up.

I did preseason prognosticate that Levi and Portillo would combine to go 6-0 with 2 shutouts... so now that's all on Levi. And if he plays like he did last night, then yes -- UPL and Anderson won't see the ice again (though Anderson at least dresses as the backup in the final home game). But then I've got to send UPL down ASAP to get him some work. No prospect should stagnate, even in a playoff race. That said... the playoff race is basically the Sabres need to go 7-1 and hope that both PIT and FLA fall apart against teams that either a) are just trying to stay healthy for the playoffs or b) may want to play spoiler for a night each week, but are otherwise scratching tees in the grooves of their golf clubs.

Agreed on going with the folks the team rallies on. With up to 4 (Anderson currently day-to-day), I'd set up something like this to keep everyone involved (but emphasize the future and the vibes). 4/1 @PHI Comrie/UPL 4/4 @FLA Levi/Comrie (the future and let Levi have a pressure-packed attack against a team trying to stay alive & that let him go) 4/6 @DET UPL/Comrie (Get UPL a start) 4/8 CAR Comrie/Levi (Go veteran against the Canes, let Levi try his hand as backup) 4/10 @NYR Levi/Anderson (Levi gets to see professional adjustments, how does he fare on the road against a team that just saw him?, get Anderson be on the bench for guidance) 4/11 @NJD Comrie/UPL (back-to-back, swap goalies) 4/13 OTT Anderson/UPL (home crowd send off against his old team) 4/14 @CLB Levi/UPL (a potential future) And of course, if Levi remains undefeated and stays hot, then he also gets starts on 4/8 and 4/11. But then you might as well send UPL down for some games to round out his season.

But pay no attention to what happens in the next scene!

I also think he's already the most talented. He'll need to adapt from the 2 weekend games each week to the professional grind of 3-4 games each week and occasional 4 games in 6 days where he's only got 1 game off and there's travel between each game. That's where half a season in the AHL can help him. The other part of starting in the NHL next season is Comrie is under contract and UPL will be subject to waivers (5th season since signing his ELC). Neither is going to return much in a trade, but UPL wouldn't pass through waivers as there are plenty of teams who could take a flyer on a backup and move their own waiver-eligible guy down. Just letting UPL go is poor asset management. But then there is the issue of... who is helping the Amerks and the flood of talented youngsters? We don't want it to just be Houser or Subban --- which is why an overager draft pick in the later rounds might not be a bad idea (Seattle T-Birds' Thomas Milic could be a direct-to-AHL type).

Also... Greenway with the ol' Sanderson one-handed flick goal. Nicely done.

This sort of fits better in this thread despite it coming from the previous GDT.

The team had an emotional high with Levi. They can let him enjoy that. Now it's back to work (I'd go Comrie who has also looked decent lately). The key is how does the team respond against a team/coaching style that has given them all sorts of trouble this season. If the Sabres can get a couple goals early (or via PP) or whatever to take the lead, they'll blow Philly out of the water. But if Philly can get a lead and go full Torts... will the Sabres show the resolve they showed for Levi?

There may be injuries involved, but once you lose a step it can get ugly fast. Watching Perry against the Sabres this season, no amount of toughness or intangibles was going to help him keep up with their speed. (Perhaps in the playoffs he'll be allowed to grab and hang on to every jersey in sight, but even that may not be enough. Opposition coaches will be double-shifting their top lines or throwing their speedy guys over the boards as soon as he steps onto the ice.)

Yup. Levi is going to demand the Oettinger treatment. He might not make the Sabres out of camp (but he won't have the likes of established NHL goalies Bishop and Khudobin in front of him), but he's playing fewer than 40 career AHL games before he's back up with the Sabres for good. And yes, that means moving a goalie if need be to clear the roster spot.

He didn't need goatheads or giraffes. He did need the Muel, though. He's a legit NHL goalie in that if he sees it, he stops it. Yes there will be occasional bad one that all goalies give up, but he's going to make so many great shots look harmless because he'll already be there by reading the play and being extremely fast. (A quicker Miller.) Maybe not scratched, but he'd never have made it back to the top line. And Thompson would be a 3rd-line winger.

Yes, 1 year remaining after this one. So... 10 games and 1 year remaining.

This is what I can't understand. I mean, he saw Levi in camp and knows the GM love him. But... didn't he also look at the empty AHL spots, the retiring 42 year-old, the 1-year contract on Comrie, and UPL and say... "Well, I can do pretty well against all the rest of that?"

This is where the fun begins.

It's the question of... what would we say if we watched Hasek and the '99 Sabres live with modern communication technology? There would always be some folks would certainly complain that Hasek let himself get out of position and that made him have to do the rolling save in the first place.

Rosen ties it late. Weissbach and Houser take care of business in the shootout.

Best goalie on the roster.

They got a President's Trophy with that trade. (So far.)

He's in their heads!

Ok... now for the Sabres to score one.

All the goathead (and white reverse retro) games are predetermined for the calendar early in the season, aren't they? For marketing and opposition planning purposes. I don't think they're allowed to just change the jerseys they're going to wear or wear them more than initially planned.