JohnC

The tic tac toe goal was the play of the game.

There are a number of players who could be singled out for their performances. But one player who I thought was outstanding was Joki. He was more than solid in the defensive zone, and he is becoming more involved with the offense with his passing and shooting. Skinner's passing is becoming more obvious as the season advances. Tuch is a tremendous addition to the roster. He's a true power forward. Krebs is feisty. Comrie didn't face a lot of shots. But he made a number of high-end stops in the beginning of the first period that set this game up for a win. The trade Olofsson talk has slowed down. It should be silenced. This game was a good measuring stick game that demonstrated that the Sabres are a good team. And I'm confident that all the teams in the league are aware of it. No more flying under the radar. This is turning out to be an exciting season.

In this game, I thought none of our lines or defensive pairings were outplayed. That says a lot against this team with one of the best rosters and goalies in the game. Being faster and quicker against St. Louis isn't much of an accomplishment because our roster is constructed to be faster. But to out quick and out pace this high quality roster with a number of offensive studs is a testament to the quality of our lineup.

I agree with you that this may be the best this team has played in a period. We dominated a good team with an elite goalie. Our speed and tenacity dominated a quality opponent in the second period. The Tage goal was exquisite with two exceptional passes from Tuch and Skinner. As good as Tuch's was I thought Skinner's saucer pass to him was exceptional.

There is no good purpose to this thread. Go back to the first page on this thread where @Brawndoposts the family's request to respect their privacy.

The issue isn't about breaking any laws. Her health situation was reported more than a half year ago. Speculating on a person's health situation when the individual and family want to maintain privacy is irresponsible and classless. Speculating about hockey is one thing; speculating on someone's health situation is altogether different.

@nfreemanyou are the law man and authority on this site. This topic should be shut down. It's utterly ridiculous to keep it going!

Meier would be a terrific addition. But the issue that would make a deal for him challenging is the near term cap implications. In the not too distant future, Dahlin is going to get maximum money. And Cozens will also get a sizeable deal when his contract comes up. Based on Power's projected play he will eventually be in the gilded contract category. I just don't see a Meier deal materializing for Buffalo. I haven't heard about the McCabe rumors. But if there is substance to those whispers, he would be an excellent addition that would solidify that unit. Pairing him with Lybushkin would make a lot of sense. That would be our rugged pair. And if need be he would also be able to move up and be a good partner for Power.

Just curious, do players have their own rooms on the road or do they double up?

Within this link is a 20 min interview with Don Granato on WGR. Very often when he talks hockey it is shows a broader perspective on how he approaches the game. In this segment he talks about his emphasis on offense when he took over from the prior coach. At the end of the segment he talks about Power vis a vis with Dahlin. He's terrific to listen to. There are few cliche responses. Most of his responses are very thoughful and insightful. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

Before and during the game Rob Ray said that St. Louis was going to goad the Sabres into scrums and retaliations. He repeatedly said that the Sabres shouldn't fall into the trap. The Blues are a demonstrably slower team that wanted to break the flow of the faster and quicker team. Rob Ray is old school and has no problems with hitting back. But in this game he recognized even before the puck was dropped that it would be a mistake to fall for cheap tactics. Playing tough and smart is the best response.

Great write up. Are you aware that you have that Sean Penn bad boy look? 🍺 Buffalo's road record is astounding. Paul Hamilton was asked on WGR why is that the case. He was conjecturing but felt that the mostly youthful Sabres get aroused when playing in front of a full and energized house. He also noted that Buffalo's home record in front of full or near full house was also excellent.

Why do the people of Buffalo deserve to know what her health situation is if she doesn't want to release that information? She and her family consider this to be a private and family matter. I understand the curiosity. But it's simply none of your business.

Not this season or the next.

Your perception is your perception. I don't get the same vibes with Duff. However, sometimes when people are paired with someone so different in presentation and personality it becomes an odd/unique mixture that gives different vibes to the audience.

The trading of Nylander for Joki has turned out to be one of the best deals in the Pegula era. Coach Don G has repeatedly stated that Joki is still young and has more upside to tap into. I, like you, thought Joki played well last night. And it should be noted that he has more recently been willing to be more active offensively in our zone.

Marty Biron does have dream boat eyes. And his effervescent personality is pleasant to watch and listen to. But in my mind he is also a terrific analyst who not only fairly assesses the players on the Sabres but also the players in the league. He's very fair-minded in his assessments. He can be critical but do it in such a way that is not personal or demeaning. I'm a Marty fan!

Getting Jost to play with Mitts just as putting Krebs on a line with Okposo/Girgs made the individual players and line better. The coaching put the struggling players in a position to succeed. It worked wonderfully. Coaching matters!

The narrative on a number of players has recently gotten better. Joki, Mitts, Olofsson, UPL and Krebs are in that recently elevated category. As the team has gotten better and players gained experience their profiles have become more positive. Mitts playing with Jost as his center has been an important factor in his upgraded play, just as Krebs playing with Okposo and Girgs influenced how Krebs has played. And it shouldn't be a surprise that UPL's improved level of play took a positive turn when the defense in front of him got healthy and was stabilized. The rebuild plan that the GM and coach laid out was to primarily build from within. Draft and develop was the mantra. I don't want to get carried away with this recent surge because the tide can quickly change, but having the fortitude to adhere to the plan, even when the team seem to be backsliding, is not only changing the narrative on individual players but also the team in general.

After this win we are in the thick of a playoff race and are jockeying for position. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2022/division

One possible weak goal and a half dozen exceptional stops to secure a win. I'll take that ratio any day of the week.

How can wins not be a goalie stat? That's a number/analytic that trumps every other number. That's what the game is about. UPL made some big stops that were a significant factor in the win. In this win I don't recall UPL allowing in a weak goal. There was one goal where the shooter put in a laser shot that was high on his glove side. On that shot I credit the shooter more than criticize the goalie .

Lyubushkin was a free agent signing. I consider him more of a third pairing defenseman. Both he and Jost were terrific pickups that cost us no assets. The GM did well with those acquisitions. Both of them fill needed roles and blend in well with their teammates. Instead of the Chyrchrun trade speculation that would be costly, and in the not-too-distant future squeeze the cap, more attention should be given to acquiring another Lyubushkin caliber player who would help to round out the unit.

Another player on that line who has demonstrated that he is more than a goal scorer is Skinner. He already has 27 assists. He made the quick pass to Olof who jumped into the open space when he scored. And as you noted it was Tage who made the pass from tight quarters to Power to end the game. It's not much of a surprise that our prolific top line is going to be the center of attention of the opposition. When option A isn't available, they are able to go to option B to contribute. In this game the two players on that line got the primary assists in this win.

I think that the negative perception of Mitts has lessened a lot because of his consistently good play for the past dozen games or so. Jost deserves a lot of credit for the elevation of the Mitts/Olof line.