JohnC

I was as befuddled by that phantom call as the player was. It made no sense to me. When Colorado is on the PP they are masterful at quickly moving the puck around. Given more open space they are even more lethal. There is no question that Colorado is an elite team. Considering that the Sabres were playing a back to back coming off a road game and Colorado was resting in town I thought the Sabres gave them a good and energetic effort. The Sabres gave them a good challenge. The Sabres certainly have some obvious deficits that need to be addressed, but after this game I was more encouraged than discouraged about our pathway. One observation about this game: Cozens is emerging as a player. You can see the confidence he has that he is capable of being one of the big boys in this league.

I like this line better. Although I would try Mitts on the wing instead of Hinostroza for the short term. If Mitts still struggles then I would be receptive to the line you present.

I'm posing a question because I haven't seen Chychrun play that much: Wouldn't it better for the Sabres to pursue a second to third pairing defenseman who is more defensive than offensive oriented? It would cost less in assets in a trade and it would better round out the blue line unit.

Krebs is a center and not a winger.

The bigger issue about question mark players such as Mitts as it is what are the better options? Maybe for the present Krebbs should be back at center with Mitts playing on the wing? I simply don't know???

I'm not much a drinker. But I will have a whiskey that will make me loopy and dedicate it to the good news coming from you. 🍷

I was going to post something about a nagging health issue that I have been plagued with for nearly the past two months. After reading your post I feel ashamed of myself for the lack of perspective. I just want you to know that I'm wishing you the best and offering my prayers.

The coach has spoken on the radio about assessing young players. He leaned into a belief that it is better to be patient before making a concluding judgment on a young player. That is not to say that the leash for players is endless. My sense from listening to him on his last WGR radio stint is that especially for Mitts the leash is near its end. When I watch Mitts you see that there are a number of good attributes, such as skill level, skating and effort. It just doesn't seem to translate into production. And it appears the coach is recognizing it by severely curtailing his and his linemates' minutes. It would be such a bonus if Mitts could make the leap. Most others have a hardened jaundiced view of him. I'm not in that category yet. I just don't know what his issue is? Maybe he simply needs a change of scenery to refreshen his game?

In general, I thought this game was fairly called. There is no doubt that there were missed calls, but not all of them went against us. I distinctly remember a sequence of plays where the refs could have called penalties on the Sabres in the third period. The Detroit crowd definitely hooted and hollered about those calls. In this game I thought the calls (good and bad) balanced out. That's all you can ask for.

You and are in sync about the fun aspect of watching the Sabres. I'm very aware that there are many people who are not satisfied with the team's record. But what can't be denied is that this version of the team is very entertaining to watch. (As you point out.) That's definitely due to more talent but also to the philosophy of play that the HC promotes. Compare the entertainment value of a Krueger coached team to a Granato coached team? It seemed that Krueger's approach suppressed individual talents while the current coach accentuates the talents of his players. With a few more pieces this team will be even more of a compelling team to follow!

If you have a chance listen to DG's last weakly Tuesday appearance on WGR. You perfectly capture the dilemma that he faces if he juggles the Mitts line with other lines. He made the point that the other lines are clicking, and he doesn't want to disrupt the chemistry on those lines. If you listen to him you can also sense that he will have to make a change on that line. It's apparent that he is already doing so by limiting that line to limited playing time.

Whether the Sabres are up or down in a game I remain in a state of anxiety until the horn goes off. One can review the games we have lost and believe that the Sabres could have won at least three of those games. On the other hand, you can review the games we have won and conclude that we could have easily lost three of those games. So, it shouldn't be surprising that in following the Sabres this year I'm in a constant state of agitation! The one positive thing about this team compared to the previous years' teams is that this team can compete with even the top tier teams in the league. That couldn't be said before. So with all the fluctuation the trend is upward, even when we don't see it. It's better than giving 2 points to a divisional rival and not getting any points for yourself.

The back and forth scoring in games is a reflection of this era of hockey. Yzerman was interviewed on the broadcast and was asked why there so many come from behind games where teams were up or down by two goals or more. In his dour style he pointed out that hockey is faster, less defensive structure and overall, a lack of high-end goaltenders. He noted that most teams, with the exception of the few teams with elite netminders, are looking for better goalies. He said that there is simply a lack of them. He also pointed out in this era the emphasis is on coaching the offense more than the defense. For those who are more fixated on the flucuation of scoring they are not understanding that the game of today is not the game of yesterday. There is less clamping down on teams because it is simply too fast and oriented toward offensive play. As you stated enjoy a win instead of sneering at it. A win is a win.

That's exactly what Granato has said on WGR on multiple occasions. And he also said that he was confident that his goal scoring will materialize because he has had a number of pipe missus. The coach knows his players.

He was a solid pickup. He fits in well with Okposo and Girgs.