PerreaultForever

I believe so yes.

Well at this point in his career I don't think Benson is a legit top 6 forward either. Now don't get me wrong, I like Benson and I like Doan. I think they are the type of players the team has been lacking, but Benson is far from fully developed and Doan is either not fully developed or if he is not quite there. They are imperfect pieces trying to give top lines the missing element. We have a lot of good third liners, but they all end up playing too high in the line up. There's a lot of the "same" on the team.

Is that not the definition of jumping onto a bandwagon? As I've said before I've been burned too many times to get too excited too fast. I also see the fundamental flaws in the make up of the team that underly these things so even when they win a few you can see the cracks are still there and they can be exploited. I truly believe that this team as a whole is not taken very seriously by opposing teams as a whole, by the league as a whole, and if it ever gets to the point that they stop and take notice, scout us properly and watch the videos they will all see how the team is flawed and they will play us accordingly. Our ineptitude always inflates our standings. Nothing has really changed with this team, Nothing. I respect your hope and desire. I get it. Watching winning hockey is fun no matter how they do it. I too enjoy watching wins, I just don't even think about playoffs cause that's folly and heartbreak.

Puppet master Pegula. Fans of other teams that I talk to all agree almost universally that he is a horrible owner, an idiot, and maybe the worst owner in the league. That's not just Bruins fans either. Flyers hate their Comcast ownership but think Pegula is worse. Canucks, Leafs, others. Everybody. It's not just a local thing.

That used to be the old school indicator. Everybody could win at home, but the good teams, the playoff teams, were the ones who could win on the road. It changed a little because originally the rinks were so different in sizes and quirks the home teams truly had home advantage and now uniformity makes that less special but maybe the old adage still applies to some extent.

I knew a girl back in the day that had a big arrow in the center of her lower back pointed down right into the crack and if she bent over in a crop top it was just like an invitation into her pants. Best tattoo I've ever seen in my life.

Nah, I don't do Springsteen imitations. Oh wait, different Jeremy 🙂 (I don't know WGR 550 at all but glad to hear I'm not alone)

Loser points give you too much imo. I really think the league needs to look at a 3,2,1 system. 3 points for a regulation win. 2 points for an OT win and 1 point for the OT loss. I think that might put it back on track for .500 actually meaning .500 but maybe not. I'm just speculating.

Ya, Doan is third line on many teams and 4th line on a really good team. He's playing too far up the line up because we lack veteran Zucker types. So you think Doan is a top 6 guy then? Really?

Just to be clear, I'm not saying YOU need to ignore stats. You do you. I'm just saying stop trying to convert me to your world view. We will never agree and you can throw boomer around as a faux insult or whatever else makes you happy but it's pointless. We see the game differently and always will. You do you, but also let me be me.

You know they will.

and this is why you don't jump on the bandwagon too soon with this team. I'm not surprised by this. It's much like the Boston games were. Philly plays a tight D first system with movement along the boards. Very north south and very in your face and tight. Sabres have not done well against that sort of thing for years and it doesn't change. Too many lost puck battles, bad net front, and sloppy mistakes. Don't blame Ellis, their goals were all dirty or tough to stop efforts. Ellis made some big saves when he had a chance. As many of you know I've been comparing the Philly plan with the Buffalo plan since they started around the same time. This is far from definitive but tonight they were the better team and look like the better plan. I see a better foundation there even if they have less high end skill. Again, far from definitive, but at the moment that's what it is. Refs were a little too active in this game for my tastes but that too is what it is and their PP won out. So ya, back to fire Adams.

Jacob Bryson as the most dominant player in the NHL last week. and people wonder why I pay little attention to stats.

In fairness though, Doan is looking more like a bottom 6 guy lately as well. He's fine, but also not that great. Still remains to be seen if we won the trade or lost it (and it might actually be even) and we won't know at all until we see more from Kesselring.

The comparison is meaningless. Ottawa didn't think Cozens was going to be as good as Norris. They traded for a guy they thought could play regularly rather than a guy who is always on IR. Nobody has ever doubted Norris' talent, it's always about his ability to stay healthy and still is.

lol, yes, I guess you could read it that way. I think you know I meant he is not going to be any better than he's already been. Ellis to me could be a Joey Daccord type. Late bloomer.

Ellis will not clear.

I think Lyon is Lyon and we know what he is. He's a career back up and he can give you some good games but he's nothing special and there's no ceiling. He can also be bad and that's why Detroit ditched him. UPL is UPL but he is the guy they paid to be the guy and Ellis is a little unknown with a possible ceiling still to come. I think they have to roll the dice and go with the younger guys who might be better than they have been, so UPL and Ellis. Then next year they compete with Levi and you just roll with the best 2. If they are convinced Levi will be their guy then they clear the competition by removing Ellis and they might do that but I wouldn't.

It's simple but we don't have a real GM so it's not. You move 2 for 1 in a trade (even 3 for 1) to upgrade your starting roster. Failing that you move a non essential player for picks/prospects who go to Rochester. Problem solved. Obviously one of those moved should be a goalie. Kulich returns he could be sent down for conditioning. I'm not waiving Kozak. I'd trade Krebs before I did that. You can probably waive Dunne but it's risky. If you could trade Greenway I would. Another option, of course, is trading Tuch if you can't get to a number you like and his leaving at the end of the year seems likely. Not a preferred option, but losing him for nothing isn't preferred either.

Agreed. Stats can show you some things you might miss following the puck and you don't always account for every player (especially as the camera follows the puck) but if you know the game the eye test will always tell you most everything you need to know and certainly everything important. Stats are a tool but they are just stats.

We aren't ever going to agree on stats world and watching hockey in real life world so why do you even want to go there? Just accept me as an old former hockey player who is trapped in old school ideas and I will accept you as a video game raised younger person who has never played the game and thus doesn't fully understand it and we will each go on our way not agreeing with anything the other says. It's much simpler.

Minnesota loss? I think I watched a different game 😉 Yup, speed and pace, that's their forte. They have to not get sloppy or carried away doing it though absolutely. Maintain structure. What veteran leaders we have have to keep them in check if and when they swerve away from that. I hope there's enough of that now but I don't think there actually is.

Everything is interconnected though right? We scored a lot of goals one year there for Granato. Weren't we like 3rd or something? Anyway, they were a bad team. They can score in bunches but generally when they have done that it's wide open hockey with bad D. You have them playing D first the goal scoring goes down. That's pretty normal aside from the very very elite who can do both (and then win the cup). Would you not agree that for the first time in a long time the roster has the shape of a typical successful team? It is more balanced than it has been with more clearly defined roles. Far from perfect yet and I still think too many puck movers on D and not enough defenders but it's looking more and more like a real hockey team. The thing that bugs me though is Adams is just content to let this evolve and take as long as it takes. The wealth of young forwards and extra bodies has me thinking armchair GM you can make a 2 for 1 move(s) to make this team even better and make it a real run for the playoffs. If he sits pat I see the real likelihood of another wasted opportunity.

Well I've seen Winnipeg play this year and this version was slow and not really up to their usual standard. I do think they came in not ready to play. I'm not taking anything away from the Sabres though let's be clear. They were fast and they chased the puck in numbers. That is the core essence of what they have built and how they have to play. If they continue that and slowly add more physicality they eventually could be quite good. Lastingly good even, but I'm not shifting from cautious optimism just yet.

Oh ya I have no issue with the hit. The Dahlin hit earlier was pretty dirty but I have no issue with it either. I was actually surprised Winnipeg didn't go after him. The team stepping up is very good. I'm not sure they will be able to handle it if somebody calls them on the bluff though. At this point I'm not sure most of them can actually answer the bell if the bell actually rings. We shall see.