Winston

Legwand officially announces his retirement http://www.nhlpa.com/news/david-legwand-retires-after-16-nhl-seasons

Geez, sorry to hear all that! This is my second surgery, so only my second time with anesthesia. First time I had no problems whatsoever. This time the racing heart was really scaring me, so I'm glad that has stopped. I think I'm mostly back to normal, but I'm obviously on the lookout for anything strange. Just took another dose of medication not too long ago, and it made me a little jittery but nothing bad at all. Normal pain med type of feeling. Tomorrow I have the six hour car ride from Columbus to Rochester. We'll see how tough it is the get comfortable for that! I'm going to be all set up in the back seat so I can keep elevated. I'm hoping I can sleep some of it away so I'm not just hanging out and thinking about the throbbing. PS: Thanks for being me internet vent buddy through all this :)

Oh yeah, I've got some quality pain meds. First few times I took them though, they made my heart race uncontrollably. I'm talking to the point that I was taking tylenol instead of them and dealing with the pain because it was more appealing than the pounding chest. However, that "pain" was before the block wore off. I have given them another chance today out of necessity, and no luckily I've had no ill effects. Heart rate is fine, and the stronger meds are helping out a lot. Chatted with my surgeon's nurse, and she said that is was likely a combination of the stronger meds and the lingering effects of anesthesia that sped up my heart rate. What's bothering me the most right now is the incision. I obviously haven't seen it since I'm in a hard cast, but the surgeon said it's about 6 inches long. It's throbbing like crazy. That was the last thing that the nerve block was shielding me from. Now I can feel the cast pressuring the incision, and it feels like a machete in my ankle! I'm hanging in there though. Very happy there's a Sabres game tonight to watch :) Very sorry to hear this. Best wishes that everything turns out okay! I can't imagine how stressful it is going through the holidays not knowing. I don't do well with uncertainty like that. Me personally, I would tell my fiancee right away. I wouldn't be able to keep it from her, just because I'm not good at hiding things. Even though it would upset her and would damper the holidays, I know she'd want to know. And I would want her to know so that she could support me. I wouldn't want to go through the holidays internalizing this kind of thing. I don't think I would tell everyone else until you've got more info. But the wife, I would tell now so we're on the same page and get through it together. Best of luck either way!

I had a nerve block for my ankle surgery. It was awesome. They did an incredible job, hit a giant nerve in the outside of my knee, and numbed the out of it. I could hardly feel my shin, toes, and most importantly, ankle for a full 34 hours. It wore off. Holy hell, it wore off.

I think I'm gonna go regardless. If it turns into my bachelor party, all the better. The best man and I live down here in Columbus. But the rest of the party lives up in Buffalo, Amherst, and Batavia. Perfect timing, saves them the travel, and something I've always wanted to do. Also I got engaged right there at the Marriott (way back in the olden days, when the arena was known as First Niagara Center :P) so it would be fitting to party it up right there. I'm talking myself more and more into this even though it's not mine to plan haha.

I know it's early, but anybody thinking of going to round 1 of March Madness in Buffalo this upcoming tourney? It's always been a sports bucket list item for me. Might come home for it. Hell, it might even turn into my bachelor party!

I would like to see 10 minutes of 3-on-3. If neither team can score during that time, it's a well earned tie. Point a piece. I feel this way regardless of the Sabres struggles this year and last. It just makes more sense to me and would be significantly more exciting. Samson has scored twice (2/5 on the year I think). The rest have come up blank other than Cal's snipe you mentioned.

We've been in 6 shootouts, lost 5 of them. Those 8 losses include shootout losses and regular OTL

One thing that baffles me is that we don't seem to utilize scouting reports. I don't have any data or any clips to support this claim. It's just a gut feeling. I watch a lot of non-Sabres hockey. It seems other teams chat with the coach and have a game plan of where the goalie is weak, where to attack him. For us, it seems like Dan goes, "Uhhh, O'Reilly, I choose you." Then ROR tries that same move that Bylsma obviously hasn't coached out of him. It doesn't seem like we have a targeted approach out there. Meanwhile, Lehner has a couple tendencies that other teams must pick up on. Gaping 5 hole and bites on dekes to his glove side. I think other skaters are coached to know that, and Lehner is a sitting duck. Our shooters have the skill to be so much better. Obviously Lehner has the skill to be better than he's been too. It seems like both are just guessing though. Maybe this is the wannabe baseball coach in me. But damn, Bylsma, utilize a scouting report for opposing shooters and especially opposing goalies!!!

https://www.sportingcharts.com/nhl/stats/goalie-shootout-save-percentage/2016/ Here are some SO Sv% stats for ya.. Lehner has saved 0/6. Nilsson is 4/8 this year

(Not directly in response to Pi, although it might apply. More a general thought on Risto) Really interesting to look at top performing Dmen and their ozone vs dzone starting percentage this year. All slash lines are O% / D% Karlsson: 58.2/41.8 (first time ever not cracking 60/40 Burns: 60/40 Letang: 53.3/46.7 Subban: 48.8/51.2 Byfuglien: 46.5/53.5 (first time ever below 50/50) Josi: 54.3/46.7 Weber: 47/53 Risto: 43.9/56.1 Despite being up there with elite scorers, he's starting far more of his possessions in the defensive zone than anyone else. Is that a testament to his great defensive play or the lack of talent on our back end? I think it's a little of both, probably much more of the later. But, I wonder what his ES offensive numbers would look like if he got Karlsson's cushy offensive minutes. No matter how you slice it, it's a testament to how important he is to this team. Bylsma uses him as our defensive anchor. He goes out there and performs as our offensive anchor too.

Currently on pace for 61 points. Dmen that scored 60+ points last year: Karlsson, Burns, Letang, and Josi. Also on pace for 34 power play points. Dmen that scored 34 points last year with the man advantage? Zero. Burns led the way with 31. I said this in the GTD, but I'll say it again. Jack is and always will be my favorite player. But damn, Risto is closing the gap.

Buffalo expressways, and the way I refer to them, always cracks me. It's "the 90" and "the 290." It always will be no matter how long it's been since I drove them. But never once have I caught myself saying "the 71" or "the 670" down here in Columbus. Nor do I ever say "the 490" when I'm visiting home in Rochester. I'm guessing it's a product of what we hear on the radio.

Jack is and always will be my favorite player. But damn, Risto is closing the gap.

Just got home from my surgery in time to see the Sabres goals! First thing I did was change into my Sabres shirt. You're welcome, guys.

That's a question we don't have to ask here in Columbus :P Fwiw, I agree. Go with the "the" if you're writing University of Rochester in long form. It sounds odd because normally you'd just say "U of R" and omit the "the."

Haha just having a little fun. It's a special place to me. Hope you guys enjoy the game and the Marriott! Definitely check out 716, and I also love Pearl Street for food and beer (short walk). If you're getting into town early or staying the next day, the ice rink at canalside is neat. Fun "couple thing" to do.

The lake view is very nice. I got engaged in a corner suite on the lakeside of the hotel .... no pressure taking the girlfriend there though ;)

I highly recommend the harbor center Marriott. It's a beautiful hotel. And it's more than just "walking distance," it's attached to the arena. But you could find cheaper I'm sure. Hard to beat the convenience though if price isn't a barrier. 716 sports bar is on the ground floor of the hotel too, and there's a Timmy's for the morning.

One of my friends DMed it to Jack on instagram but no response yet. I should tag the Sabres in it to see if I can get a little shoutout.

Thanks, fellas! Glad you and my social media friends enjoyed, because it sure is a pain to change pants :P JJ, I wish it was my Trek! 17.5s with mountain tread would come in handy on this ice. I actually just had to put mine down in the basement for storage. The Christmas tree took its parking space.

A special treat for you guys...

If you guys have been in the random thread, you know my current predicament. I broke my right ankle when I fell on some ice. When all is said and done, I'm "walking" away with some added hardware (plate, screw, sutures) after my surgery on Tuesday. I'm currently way heavier than I'd like to be. My plan was to hit it hard at the new year (isn't that everyone's plan?) so that I'd be in better shape for my wedding in June. 6-8 weeks in a boot puts quite a kink in that plan though. I'm thinking it will be tough to stay in shape, let alone lose weight. So I turn to you guys- any advice on exercise options? I know some of you have experienced similar injuries before. How did you stay in shape? Just core and upper body? Crutching around? :) Did you alter your diet knowing you'd be less active?

Never mind, I just fired up NHL.tv and answered my own question. Didn't realize he stayed right out for the power play. Excellent!

Unfortunately I missed most of the game, but I was able to catch the GWG as I streamed on my phone. How many shifts did Eichel miss? Would he have missed time if he wasn't pulled by the concussion spotter?