Pimlach

True. But he came to mind because he showed up at 25, never played in the NHL, and leads his team to a Cup. Binnington is even more volatile than UPL, with higher highs and lower lows. Wins a Stanley Cup as a rookie, selected to NHL All Star first team, wins a Gold in 4 Nations tournament. Currently he has a 3.34 GAA and a 0.859 SV%. He is not looking like an Olympic team goalie for Canada.

We need to skate hard and fast and wear them down.

Binnington came to my mind but even he was 25 when he made the big jump. Other that that I don't know. Ellis is 25 and still looking for a shot. My assessment is that UPL is inconsistent. Good UPL is a #1B while he is hot. Bad UPL is a back up #2.

Ruff likes UPL. That is a given. Nothing is wrong with giving UPL a chance. They gave him a big chance in 22-23, and then again in 23-24. They gave him a contract in 24-25, and now more chances in 25-26. After all of these chances, I think they know what he is capable of. He could be good, or he could be lousy. Nothing is wrong with giving Ellis a chance either - unless he is still hurt. Ellis hasn't even dressed as backup since he played his one game.

I watched it, in part to see what the Blues look like and in part to see OV get the 900th. I thought the the whole team streaming out was necessary and I thought they might do even more. But hey, score your 900th goal at home after playing 1,504 games for the same team - no big deal.

What? The mighty Mammoth lost? Back to back road games are tough.

I watched a lot of the Blues and Caps last night. St Louis looked terrible and not just the bad goaltending. The key to beating them is to outskate them like Washington did. Which is why I worry. Expect the Blues to try to slow the depleted Sabres down - like Philly and Montreal do to us every game. If the Sabres can dictate their game and take a lot of shots then they should win it.

I see it the opposite. They know what UPL is. When UPL is in his good groove he is a 1B, otherwise he is a 2. Unfortunately he has never shown enough consistency to be a true #1, not even in the AHL. Everyone knows that. Could that ever change? Should they keep rolling the dice on UPL? They should be giving Ellis an equal number of games as UPL right now - both backing up Lyon. If Ellis gets waived and becomes a solid NHL goalie somewhere else it will be another massive fail. They should give Ellis some games if he is healthy. I cannot understand why they wouldn't unless they are showcasing UPL for a possible trade.

I worry about Tage and Dahlin asking to leave. The precedent was set to accommodate those who want out and it has been followed. Then there is Tuch with an expiring contract.

I get what you are saying but lets look at it closer. Tuch is currently leading the team in points and he is on a 32 goal / 76 point pace. This would be his second most productive scoring totals ever. He has 17 blocked shots, which is very close to his pace last year when he led all forwards in this category. His PK work has been excellent and he has one shorty thus far (he had 6 last season). He seems to wear the "A" with purpose and is there for his teammates. Tuch is getting a bunch of negative reviews at SabreSpace but to me he has consistently exceeded what I thought he was when the Sabres acquired him. The only problem with Tuch is the upcoming contract, at his age I would not go big and long - but they might have to in order to keep him. Its tough situation, created in part by a GM who is over his head. Thompson is on the same scoring pace as Tuch which would be a down year for him. We need 40+ goals and 80+ points from the top scorer. He is shooting the puck a ton, he is working hard. Losing Norris hurt him. Losing Benson hurt him. Losing Zucker, even that hurt him. I have been saying it for a long time, he needs help on the first line. I see effort and desire. He is also 3rd on the team in hits. Get him on a steady and capable line and the goals will come. Dahlin is on a 6 goal and 57 point pace. That is a problem. He leads the team in TOI with 24:35 but he is last in +/- at -8. He is not creating offense and there are not enough big plays to overshadow the occasional gaffs that you get from him. I do agree that these 3 have to play at their ceiling for the team to succeed.

Yeah, thanks for teaching me all about it

Makes sense on the tribute stuff. Just lamenting on the broken culture that makes them want to leave. I looked up 40 Thieves. It’s at Elmwood and W Ferry. I’ve seen it, never went in. I do remember Merlin’s. We stay in Elmwood Village quite often near Bidwell and Elmwood. JT’s is my go to place in that area.

Wonder what the tribute video standard is?

The tribute video gets used by organizations that are close with their players. It’s a nice tradition, I don’t think it gets used too much. He came up in Buffalo, did pretty good too. I’ll stick with my old fashion thoughts that team culture is still not a priority with the current hockey organization. They don’t understand it Player retention and relationships. It’s not a thing in the Pegula hockey era.

OV did it. At home

To be honest I don’t understand the tweet. I don’t get the point so I don’t agree or disagree with it. i just happened to be thinking about the no acknowledgment after reading the BN article on Peterka. Reflecting back, it just seems like this organization is 180 degrees out of phase with what it once was. The culture is wrong.

I was thinking of this today . No “tribute video”, or some type of acknowledgement fir Peterka seemed a bit amateurish by the Sabres. Adams doesn’t understand culture, lots of players return to their former teams later in their career. Sometimes being comfortable and appreciative in a city is a tie breaker. Another thing the Bills get and the Sabres don’t.

Geertsen is getting about 4 mins a game when he plays, he is often a liability. Dunne can do what Geertsen does and actually play 10+ minutes of much better hockey for you.

Sure seems like Ellis tweaked something, he is not dressing. That is just how the season is going so far. We started with a bunch of defenseman dinged up, now its forwards, we are carrying 3 goalies, and for some reason are not playing the one we know very little about.

You are on a anti-Ruff Crusade. He is one the the better players on team. Not a perfect player, but he brings a lot and he is far from being a problem on this team. Tuch Shooting Percentage - Career: 12.4% 2024-2025 season: 18.3% (82 games, 36 goals) 2023-2024 season: 11.5% (75 games, 22 goals) 2022-2023 season: 16.5% (74 games, 36 goals) 2021-2022 season: 8.6% (50games, 12 goals) Now factor in hits, blocked shots, PK, leadership/toughness.

I want to see Ellis again. Maybe his former team knows how to expose him? Maybe he steps up and beats them? It adds a bit of intrigue. Or Ruff could just play UPL and hope that he does ok.

Agree. While it is fun seeing Rosen, Östlund, and Dunne all contribute, their presence says we are running very thin, especially with Geertsen out there as well. Kulich adds scoring punch and I think Kozak was becoming a very solid contributor in his own right. Kozak might be the shut down forward we have been looking for.

The Blues beat Edmonton at home on Monday and then went on the road. They play the Caps tonight and the Sabres in a back to back tomorrow. This should be advantage Buffalo.