#freejame

Newark is the only airport I am adament about not flying in or out of. Gonna have to agree it’s a crap hole.

Swap mitts for sobotka and it’s the best lineup of the season

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2019/02/17/don-cherry-calls-carolina-hurricanes-bunch-jerks-because-victory-celebrations/?utm_term=.eb4f9e3a2870

I’ve lived in Canes country nine years now and I would never even consider rooting for those bunch of jerks.

There’s no chance they have. Syracuse is still a national draw who play in the ACC and our three seasons removed from a final four berth. Boehiem is also a major presence.

It’s Tampa-centric, but the athletic put out a good article about the game. Tampa looks like they’re going to be taking a week for the trip, I would imagine Buffalo the same. https://theathletic.com/879822/2019/03/21/how-swede-it-is-victor-hedman-ecstatic-as-lightning-sabres-will-play-in-stockholm-for-nhls-global-series/

Does playing with Dahlin improve Risto’s metrics? I would think that Dahlin would be facing greater competition playing with Risto, hence the worse metrics. Likewise, does the top line take more defensive zones starts with Risto on the ice than without him? I’m still not sure where I stand on Risto. I think he suffers from poor usage, but someone has to log those minutes and he’s the best suited for it. I would like to see him play with more support before having to decide, but I don’t think that’s a luxury that I will be getting.

That’s not how you want to start a period. Nice play Tage...

Always the worst way to find out your broadcast is behind.

This is an awesome segment. Have they done a Scars episode before?

Hutton played very well, hopefully he can keep it up in the dreaded second period.

Larry with a pretty ugly face plant along the boards. Took his bucket off and everything.

Nice ***** work! That last thirty seconds on the peeper looked great. Heck of a shot from Casey!

Eichel is getting pretty good at borderline dirty hits.

That’s a ***** call on Larry. Not sure what he could have done there. Good to see the captain getting some PK time

Heckuva save there by Hutts

Agreed. It’s got me much more invested in the game. I want to see all these ***** go home pissed.

Why do people believe the yells of “Dougie!” are sarcastic and that people don’t like him?

I only read a handful of comments, but it seems like most of their “fan fixes” are also the obvious needs of the team and concerns of writers, reporters, and analysists throughout the league (not that they know more than every fan either). They have no defense, one goalie, and too much money upfront. I saw one comment about Babs needing to make more adjustments. I can’t speak to the accuracy of that statement because I don’t watch enough Leaves games, but it’s far from the “fire Housley” calls that are everywhere right now.

This is my dream free agent acquisition. He’s still a force on the ice and definitely is a leader. He would be our Marleau...only better.

The Sabres aren’t going to control every single possession, no matter how good they are. All people want is a team that will be aggressive and play like they give a ***** (which includes finishing checks). How is that so hard to understand? The Flames hit less than us, but I guarantee Sabres fans would be happy with their numbers if it came with their effort and aggressiveness of the hits. There are opportunities in every game to separate your man from the puck using a check. One team (Flames) does that. One team (Buffalo) doesn’t. Flames have fewer “hits” because they control possession more.

I think you are right about the talking past and I think we agree on our expectations.

That’s not at all what I’m saying, nor do I know where you got that from. We have players on this team now that are capable of finishing their checks but seldom do. It’s a question of effort. We need more players who will put in the effort. Finishing checks goes along with a strong forecheck and aggressive backchecking. Are you saying we don’t need that? It also seems like you’re implying a player can’t produce and also finish their checks, which is just flat out wrong.

But did the Hawks finish the hits they did lay? That’s the biggest difference. I would rather the Sabres get ten hits where they finish them all than get 30 hits that are more like shoves and don’t do much of anything. That’s where this team has been. There wasn’t a ton of hits at the end of the game, but they hit hard when they had the chance. I don’t care if the team leads the league in hits, but finishing your check is something every team should preach and something most fans get enthusiastic about.

Yes, but if you don’t have the puck you might as well finish your check. IMO, that was the biggest difference in the last ten or so minutes of the period.