GASabresIUFAN

Don’t count out Jost. DG is working his magic on the former 10th overall pick. That said, Kulich is the long-term 3C imho.

Savoie or Kulich. Levi is really struggling of late. Of our top guys Kulich and Rosen have made a step forward. Savoie, Johnson and Östlund seems a little stagnant. While Levi, and Portillo seem to have taken a step back. Bloom has taken off lately on his new team. Neuchev seems to be adjusting well in the KHL. Current top 10 1) Savoie 2) Kulich 3) Levi 4) Rosen 5) Östlund 6) Johnson 7) Bloom 8.) Kisakov 9) Neuchev 10) Portillo

I agree the points are there, but when I watch him lately I’m seeing more forced passes into bad areas and being out of sink with Tuch and TnT. Maybe he is just trying to do to much.

Seriously? In his last 11 games Casey has 2g 8a and a +4 with no game worse than a -1. It’s not just one good game or even a couple. It’s 3 weeks of pretty solid play.

I’d had to watch the condensed game as I went to a wedding tonight. Some quick thoughts 1) Dahlin offensive skills are off the chart. 2) Power is looking like he is about to takeoff. He seems more confident each shift. 3) Mitts has turned a corner since replacing Skinner on the top line during the suspension. He looks more assertive and more confident. He was completely locked in tonight. DG moving him to wing has allowed him to stop over thinking each play and just be natural out there. Jost has fit this team like a glove and has helped Mitts play looser. With the kids going cold, we needed VO and Mitts to step up and they have. Now if we can get all 3 top limes going. 4) Skinner has been awful since the suspension. He seems to be in a funk. 5) Our in zone D play needs work. Mule seems off as well. How many stupid penalties can one D take Mr Lyubushkin? 6) Not UPL’s best effort, but he made some terrific saves. Overall a very solid and exciting win. I agree with earlier posts that this is a team that no one wants to play. Speed, high skill, scoring depth, youthful exuberance, and a playing for each other attitude is a recipe for success now and in the playoffs if they make it.

Jokiharju back practicing. 2 players on the chopping block if we keep 3 goalies.

I understood the Mikey reference. I’m not really a fan of Life Cereal. I think you meant Horned Frawgs.

I fully expect that this is Östlund’s last season in Sweden.

Let this be a lesson to you kids; always remember to wear your cup. Hockey, like life, is a contact sport.

Maybe after tonight’s game.

If they’re at home and 2 forwards go down, Asplund goes in first and they bring in Murray, Rousek or Weissbach to play. If they’re on the road and everyone is healthy, Asplund sits and no one is recalled. The only way someone is recalled for insurance is if Asplund is already in the lineup. At that point, the hope is no one else gets hurt so it doesn’t matter who sits. If Vinnie goes down, truthfully you want him to add to the veteran leadership group down there to help develop the younger kids. I’d rather him play there then sit in the pressbox on a 3 game road trip. Someone like Bjork is proving to be as marginal in the A as he was in the NHL. He can sit.

Update: The Sabres are 11-4-2 since my original post including the hoped for extended winning streak. They now sit 19-15-2 with 40 points. Still out of a playoff spot, but significantly closer. Because of the lousy weather, the Sabres also have games in hand over all their rivals for the final playoff spots. The team’s rebound coincides with getting most of the D back, continued dominate play for Tuch and TNT, and UPL coming up and playing very well. As is stands, the Sabres are 9 points behind TB for the final Atlantic playoff spot with 2 games in hand. As to the wild card, the Sabres are 10 points behind Washington (6 games in hand), 6 behind the NYI (5 games in hand), and 2 points behind Pitt (2 games in hand). Based on winning % the Sabres are virtually tied with the NYI. Outside of Wash who is 7–1-2 in their last 10, Buffalo is the hottest of the 4 teams and just beat Wash. The upcoming schedule is tough with 4 games a week for the next 3 weeks after tonights game. The schedule includes 2 games each against Min and Wpg plus Fla, Sea, Dal and the NYI. Come out of this next 13 games 9-3-1 and we may just be knocking on the playoff door with 4 weeks until the trade deadline. Fingers crossed.

Sorry. Go Sabres, Go Bills, Go Dawgs!

Sabres 5-3 All 4 lines pick up a goal tonight. Scorers: Krebs, JJP, Mitts, Skinner and Dahlin.

Didn’t he have 2 last year?

If they call up anyone from the A they’ll most likely be in the lineup, unless it’s an injury insurance issue for a road trip. If that’s the case you recall someone like Bjork.

So who wins the Natty? Obviously I’m predicting a GA victory, but how is the game going to go? TCU plays an unusual D with a 3-3-5 or a 3-2-6. This seems like a bend and don’t break D with an emphasis of not getting beat on the deep throw. Their goal is also to try to bait QBs into Ints with this unusual formation and well disguised coverages. Sadly I think that plays into GA’s hands. I don’t see how TCU gets to Bennett rushing only 3. GA can go deep now that Arian Smith and AD Mitchell are finally healthy, but it doesn’t have to. Bennett is at his best when he doesn’t try to be a gunslinger and hopefully the unique D will force him to be patient. Honestly, GA is best when it runs well behind it’s 4 excellent tailbacks and uses short to medium passes to their slot guys (Jackson, McConkey, Jack Saint, and Blaylock). the TEs (Washington, Bowers and Delp) and the RBs especially McIntosh. If GA stays patient, I can see 5-6 long TDs drives. The bad news for GA is they are banged up on D and will be playing 4-5 freshman. DL Nolan Smith is out, Chambliss (Smith’s replacement) is also banged up. Also TCU has playmakers of their own including an excellent dual threat QB in Duggan, a top WR and excellent RB’s. They will score on GA if the Dawgs can’t contain Duggan and get the pass rush home. The bad news for TCU is much of their passing is set up on play action. They need to run effectively to set that up and no one rushes the ball on GA’s defense and OSU didn’t even try. With the game on the line GA’s D stepped up in the 4th QTR where GA outscored OSU 18-3 to win the game. I think the game is close in first half and even into the 3rd qtr, but GA’s depth allows the Dawgs to pull away in the 4th qtr and win by at least 10. 41-31 final score with TCU’s final TD coming in garbage time. One other note: I’d love to see the Bills draft Duggan. He reminds me of Josh. He has size and runs well. He is a top competitor and has improved as a passer.

If Vinnie goes down, I honestly doubt he'll ever return. At this point in the season they are going to want to get a look at Weissbach, Biro and Rousek if injuries strike. They also like Murray's game.

Actually he won't as Asplund is still on roster if Vinnie is waived.

He has made 7.2 for his career according to capfriendly. By the time a move is made, he’ll gave earned about 50% of this year’s 1.7. He very well could want the additional money, but he also might want an opportunity in another organization to try to earn a contract for next season. I don’t think spending the rest of the year in Rochester is the best way to earn an NHL deal for next season.

1.7 might be hard for some teams to fit him in under the cap, but at the vet minimum he might have a better chance of going to a contender.

That might be true if the money is more important to Vinnie than playing in the NHL. If Vinnie and his agent think someone will pick him up, he may just forgo the money. Admittedly Sheahan thought he'd be better off, but he's now in Switzerland (with 0 pts in 6 games so far).

Maybe not LTIR, because is primarily for significant injuries, but they could easily use the IR to rest guys with nagging injuries for a week. For example Bush has been playing through a few injuries, maybe it’s time to rest him for a week or two to get healthy. Anyone have any idea when Joki is scheduled to return?

I wonder if Vinnie will ask for a release like Sheahan did if management tells them he is going to be waived?

The easiest thing for KA to do when Comrie finishes his rehab stint is to send UPL down, but is this the right thing to do? It should be noted that only Det is currently carrying 3 goalies and waived Vrana (who cleared) to accommodate that situation. There is only one primary reason to keep UPL up and that is he has arguably earned the job and isn’t that what KA has been preaching during this rebuild? There is a secondary reason to keep him as well. That is the schedule. The Sabres have 4 games a week for the next 3 weeks. With Anderson limited to a weekly appearance and the Sabres playing well it may be in the team’s best interest to keep all 3 goalies to weather the schedule storm, especially with many “winnable” games in the Jan schedule. The downside of such a decision is that someone else would have to be waived, traded or sent down when Comrie’s rehab stint ends in a week. A similar second possible move might also have to happen when Jokiharju returns. Candidates 1) Waiver exempt players - JJP, Quinn, Samuelsson, Krebs, and Power. Anyone see any of the kids being sent down? I don’t either. Krebs was the most likely, but he has found a home with Z and KO. 2) Forward depth - The emergence of Krebs and Jost as the 3rd and 4th line centers have stapled Asplund (RFA) and Vinnie (UFA) to the bench. Some here may be cheering for a Mitts or VO trade to open up a roster slot, but that is highly unlikely at this point in the season. 3) Defense Depth - With Joki out, Clague (RFA) has emerged as a reasonably solid piece, who like UPL has earned his job in the top 6. Bryson has been our worst D, but is under team control with one more year on his contract (at 1.85) and then an RFA. Fitz (RFA), is our only R had shot depth at D. Pilut has already been waived. 4) Goalies - Could Anderson or Comrie eventually be traded? So what is KA going to do? My initial thought was that he sends UPL down unless he someone gets injured and we open a roster spot that way. UPL still needs work on his game (glove side) but the compete level is now certainly NHL caliber. Then I looked at the schedule and the team getting closer to a playoff spot and think that moving out Vinnie or Asplund is not an unreasonable decision given our depth at forward. I think both have some limited trade value. Maybe KA can something for them rather then just waiving them and hoping for the best. The downside: Who do you send out when Joki returns? I think we can afford to lose one of Vinnie or Asplund, but not both. I really don’t want to see Bjork on a consistent basis again ever. A 12-8-3 roster doesn’t work for me. Thoughts?