mjd1001

I am repeating myself over and over, but Cozens, if he can stop making bone-headed decisions in his own end (which he HAS since Jan 1 2024 with the exception of the first shift of the preseason), would be a good 3rd line center or a great 3rd line winger. Let him be a high motor, fast skating guy that can give you 15-20 goals. But as a 2nd line guy...I can't have him sucking up 200+ shots (hes on the pace for 300+) when he is basically an 8% shooter for his entire career expect ONE season 2 years ago. The problem is they (no longer) have another option for the top 2C role, so they are stuck...unless you want to give McLeod a shot (not a long term answer) or move up one of your top prospects from Rochester.

A top 2 center yeah, that would solve a lot as I have said in my previous posts. Where to find one though... Top 4 D? I'm not there yet. Other than a handful of bad plays (which just about every D-group makes on occasion), I think they have played very well. Power, Dahlin, and Samuelsson all have had one horrendous pass or giveaway, but beyond that I haven't seen anything glaringly bad. Power and Bryam (overall) are playing like a borderline first pair, they have been better than I expected. Dahlin is off, but that doesn't mean he's bad, it means that he just need to elevate more. Jokiharju has played pretty well, I haven't seen much to say "I need him out of there" Samuelsson and Clifton are giving what you need from #5 and #6 guys. And if they start not too, I'm "OK" with Bryson and/or Johnson subbing into those roles. As of this moment, I don't see a top 4 Dman (You aren't getting Hughes or Makar or Josi so by a 'top 4' we are really saying a '3/4' guy)...I don't see getting of of those guys make a significant improvement over what they have. Its the huge, gaping hole they have in production from Center that is the issue these first 3 games.

One other thing about the PP....I haven't been as high on Benson as others, but this year he does look like he is controlling the puck well when it is on his stick. The Sabres did not respond to being pressured on the PP tonight, and not against NJ either. I think Peterka when he comes back, and Benson, they may have to play a bigger roll on the power play. Maybe try to run the PP through them on the walls? They both seem to have quicker hands for both getting off quick shots and/or handling the puck in tight when pressured. Dahlin is off. He isn't himself handlilng the puck back there. Byram looks a little more confident with the puck. If, IF there is something going on with Dahlin, make him your #2 point guy and give a little more ice time on the PP to Byram until Dahlin sorts out whatever it is he is going through.

I will admit, they looked more dangerous when down 1 man than they did on the PP. Seriously tonight.

Ok, well I don't now how to 'fix the PP', I am not good with analyzing NHL play in the offensive zone. Cozens has quickly become my whipping boy but it is well deserved. He has zero touch shooting the puck at all. Maybe start by removing Cozens from the PP. (He has the 2nd most PP ice time on the team). Replace him with who? Greenway? Big guy with reach, just have him stand in front of the net, take a beating, provide a screen, make the opposing players collapse closer to the net because he is standing there, and give the rest of the unit more time to work on the perimeter (Greenway has only 17 seconds of PP time per game, to Cozens nearly 4 minutes per game). If there are any rebounds just have Greenway whack away at the puck in front of the net...he may not have the best hands but he can't do much worse than what they have now. I want the likes of Peterka, Benson, Quinn, Thompson, and Tuch getting the shots on the PP from the wings and the slot, not Cozens. I have more faith that those other guys are likely to come out of a shooting slump.

"Fixing" the PP would obviously help. They'd likely have one win, and who knows if it would have changed any of the other 2 games. So yes, that is a big issue. But even if the PP was working they are still only shooting 3.6% 5 on 5. Yes, 3.6%. Even with a functioning PP, long term thats not enough unless you get a lot better/more productive even strength.

3 steps: -You have money to spend, it might be hard to find a trading partner the first week of the season, but you need to use that money and draft capital/prospects to bring in another Center. -Cozens immediately becomes a fixture on the 3rd line once you bring in someone else. Winger? Center? doesn't matter, he is now a 3rd line player until he proves otherwise. Or Move him as part of a package with a package of picks and other players to get that other center. -Pray Thompson starts converting his chances. Power Play, even strength, he is getting the shots yet everything he is doing looks 5% slower than the last few years. At least for tonight, I was fairly happy with the rest of the team. Its just you can't have your top 2 forwards, you $14m combo, having 1 goal on 26 shots for the season.

I never thought Quinn was going to be an 80 point player, and yes, I still think Cozens would be better on the wing, but not above Quinn. I'd rather have Quinn as a top 2 line winger and have Cozens on the 3rd line (Wing or Center, actually probably a 3rd line winger to be honest). But they are lacking a center. Cozens will likely continue to get chances at 2C due to no other options, but if he keeps performing the way he is, eventually you have to try something different. Unless some magic happens and he shoots 12-14% for the rest of the year, he simply is not a top 6 center. Someone else must be acquired or someone else in the organization need to be tried there.

ALMOST anyone yes. Mitts would be a lot better. Cozens needs to be a 3rd line center on this team and has to do that without his usual defensive positioning slip-ups. If he starts to score there, and does so consistently, then maybe he can move up again, but he's had his chance on a top line and he's not doing it. I can have a little more patience with Tage. He scored well for 2 years, not one (like Cozens) and even last year, he shot nearly 15% in the 2nd half of the year. A little more patience, but even with Tage, he needs to start converting. At least he has ONE this year. Cozens, he had the definition of a career year, just one good shooting year. Other than that, for the rest of his career, he's an 8% shooter, and is 0-14 this year with some of those being from good spots on the ice. There is no way you can have a #1 center or a #2 center that converts that poorly. To me you just can't have it and its pretty clear to me that is what Cozens is.

For me big picture is Pegula. Drill down and its on the players more, less on the coaches and GM. Sure you can say the GM brought in some of the players, but some of the others were here before him. I'm almost at the point of trying anyone at 2nd line center over Cozens. He just can't score. He had one good year and everything else of him we have ever seen at the NHL level shows he is about an 8% shooter. Thats just not good enough. Throw McLeod there for a couple games, bring up a Rochester young guy, just relegate Cozens to the 3rd line at this point. Tage? He needs to convert. He had a COUPLE years shooting at 15%, he needs to be close to that.

Kinda feels like the Bills, can't get an opposing kicker to miss a 50+ yarder to win the game.

Thompson, 12 shots on the season only 1 goal. Cozens, 14 shots on the season, 0 goals. Probably your 2 key forwards, starting the season with 1 goal on 26 shots between them.

That year they averaged slightly more than 1.2 goals per period. This year they have played almost 8 periods. At the 22/23 pace they would have almost 10 goals. This year.....2.

Ok, Sabres had some PP shots, but other than that, both teams are moving a lot slower than in the first period...what is the word...this period is a 'slog'?

He has top 5-6 raw talent on the team..but his hockey sense make him much of a time as much of a liability as an asset. He 'looks good' with the uniform on, the kind of player ever coach sees the skill and says "I can make it work", but usually they can't. Cozens might be the 'anti-Benson'.

Ok, Thompson has the only goal from a forward so far this year...and he is making a couple plays in the offensive zone...but.... His skating and his hands just look 5% slower than we are used to.

Ok, first couple minutes of the 2nd....a lot slower pace than the first.

No score, but the team is playing "decent", probably outplayed the Kings in the first, that helps too.

Ok, If its Kickstart my heart when wearing the Blue and gold, and Blur in the Red and Black....I can get behind that.

My biggest problem is, the first reaction most people might have is.....un-original. I think that song is played in every single arena at some point during every NHL game (and most NBA games I have watched on tv). If you are going to go retro, maybe something that people equate with when this team was good...late 90's, or mid 2000's.

Other than being overused, I think its a great choice, certainly the better than the other ones they had imo.

FYI...Kickstart my Heart by Motley Crue was Jokiharju's goal song in 2022-23

Ok, the stack of ryse fuel drinks on the desk during intermission is a bit 'tacky'

I think it is one of the best rock songs for a goal song...arena song in anyway....just its a bit over-used.

Looks like it is no goal by about 5/100s of a second.