JohnC

In most pro sports, including basketball, hockey, baseball and football, paternity leave is part of the labor agreement. It's a standard leave of absence for a player that shouldn't surprise anyone.

The topic in question was about this singular game. It wasn't about an overview of the franchise or even the season. There are plenty other topics that address the state of the franchise issue. The complaints that you and most of us have made about the play so far were not evident last night. The problem with being infected with long-term cynicism is that it makes it difficult to recognize a positive when it evident, even if it is only for the short-term. I'm not sure there are eye-drops for what ails you i.e. jaundiced eyes. Don't misinterpret what my point is. I'm not getting carried away after a good game against an inferior opponent. But when good play is exhibited, it should at least be acknowledged instead of sneeringly dismissed. As I said in my prior post, last night's game will be rendered meaningless if tonight's game doesn't end in a win.

As you are pointing out, there is an efficiency and maturity to this rookie's game that is impressive. He doesn't stick out because he's so efficient in moving the puck out of his zone. As you stated, staying four years in college prepared him well for the NHL. Just think, we got Tage and Johnson in the ROR trade with St. Louis. Sometimes it takes some time to calculate the p+/- in a deal. This was a great deal for us.

Why the snark? The Sabres played a game that accentuated their best attributes i.e. speed and skating. They played a fast paced and north/south game. Instead of trying to get cute and make the extra pretty pass, they shot the puck. The other team's goalie played well and kept Columbus in a game that I thought we dominated. Although UPL didn't face many shots (reflection of our dominating play and ability to get the puck out of zone), he made a number of key stops. What is surprising is that you, as much as anyone else has been a harsh critic (rightly so) of our goaltending. So when good play does happen you should at least acknowledge it. Quinn seems back to form and has helped to energize Cozens, and the line. Isn't that a positive takeaway from this game? This team would be in the middle of a playoff run if only it would have beaten teams that it should have, such as Columbus. That's what happened last night. Is this a meaningful game? Not if they lose to Ottawa, another team that it should beat. My point here is that when the team plays well it should be acknowledged. When it doesn't then it is fair to blast away. These comments are coming from someone who has been disappointed from how this season has so far transpired. What's fair is fair.

Some quick thoughts in this game. I thought Mitts was our best player in this game. I thought Buffalo outplayed Columbus offensively. We doubled their shots. Their goalie who was at first shaky, he tightened up and kept his team in the game. This was a back to back game for them. I sensed they lost steam and were holding on for dear life. UPL was solid. Quinn seems back to form. Considering how we outplayed Columbus offensively, it would have been demoralizing if we would have lost this game. This was a fast paced game with few penalties. It seems that the replacement HC is in sync with the sick HC from a style of play approach. This game will have little meaning if we don't win tomorrow.

How anyone can be critical of TT in the OT format is baffling. As you pointed out, he shot the puck, retrieved it, made a nice pass to Power who quickly got it to Skinner for a score.

In his recent post game interview he seemed to be very drawn and fatigued. He appeared very subdued and drained. Hopefully, some added rest and time will get him through his illness. I couldn't see much difference in this game in how a Appert coached team differed from a Granato coached team.

Odds are that the Sabres will win today. That's not the problem plaguing this team. It's has more to do with the next game after a win and good game. The lack of follow up and consistency is what is most disappointing about this team. If the Sabres win today and then follow up with a win tomorrow against Ottawa, then that would be a positive step. This team has already dug itself in a hole, even before the halfway point. It's got to make a move now just to get within range to be taken seriously. That's what I will be focusing on.

Rob can instead chatter with the backup goalie to get the inside scoop. 😀

Every once in a while, Torts would step aside to allow another coach on his staff to get behind the bench. He would do it to offer a different voice on the bench. He would then watch from another vantage point in order for him to also get a different perspective on his players and their play. He's basically trying to provide a different coaching dynamic to freshen things up. That's not the case here. DG went outside his coaching room to work the game.

I disagree. There is nothing unusual that during the season the HC can't be behind the bench for a variety of reasons, such as illness or personal reasons. Usually, the replacement is a coach already on his staff. Often for a variety of reasons, the HC can't conduct practice. The assistant coaches take over. Supposedly, they know the players on the roster and their capabilities. Yes, coaches have defined roles. But they aren't so limited that they can't at time assume greater responsibilities beyond their normal roles.

What's telling is the Rochester coach is brought in to do the job rather than one of the coaches on his staff.

Is holding staff accountable for their results meddling? That's what owners are expected to do in all sorts of enterprises. Is tolerating a flaccid PP doing the same ineffective things over and over acceptable? If it's a player problem, then make a player change. If it's a scheme problem, then change the coaches devising it. What's become exasperating to the followers here is the numbing sameness to these merging seasons over this past generation. Teams rebuild. That's a process that happens in all sports. But there should be a greater degree of tangible progress that is evident to all in that tough process. What has bothered me most about this season is the lack of consistent effort. It will be evident against the better teams. And then it flattens out against the lesser teams. If a team demonstrates that it can play at a high level but can't sustain it, then there is an internal problem associated with the player mix and/or coaching staff. The one that I don't consider fair is criticizing the fans for expressing their frustrations with this team and franchise. If you want to be satisfied with the course of this franchise, that is your prerogative. I'm not. Will the Sabres come out and win today. Probably so. That's not the problem. It's how they play the next game, and the next game etc. So far, they haven't demonstrated that they can play at a high level for a sustainable period of time. That's the source of my frustration with this meandering team.

Within this WGR link is Granato's regular segment on the Jeremy White show. He talked about the Leaf and Ranger games. He addressed the style of play between last year and this year. He made the point that the bigger issue is focus. In general, on this issue he talked about the psychology related to pressure and higher expectations. He also made the point that currently the team is for the most part healthy, and that made a difference when matching up against the opposition. He also noted that Girgs is close to being back. The one player he commented the most was Quinn. This is a 17-minute segment. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/jeremy-and-joe-show

The NHL and hockey system in general has a wonderful approach of young players being brought in to sponsoring homes.

The most interesting part of this story is that Dahlin took him in and engaged with him as if he is a family member. That's leadership and caring for a young teammate. https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/no-world-juniors-no-problem-sabres-zach-benson-thrilled-to-be-in-buffalo/

I could see a situation where a young player/prospect would state his preference to management to play in an international tournament. If he were on the NHL roster but given a limited role with limited minutes, I could see him wanting to play on the international stage with his peers. That's not the case here. He is playing regular minutes on one of the top two lines. And from a developmental standpoint playing with the big club makes sense for him and the organization.

Did Benson want to go rather than stay with the Sabres?

I'm not trying to be sarcastic or condescending. But if you don't believe that there are games in which the Sabres benefit from bad calls or non-calls, then there is little basis to discuss this topic. There were certainly questionable calls in this game. I'm not arguing otherwise. However, the Sabres didn't lose the game because of them. The Sabres lost because the opposition had the better goalie who made a number of exceptional stops. We had more than enough opportunities to win regardless of the caliber of officiating. We simply didn't capitalize on them because their goalie was up to the task.

The word never in my prior comment is not a loaded word. There are games where the erratic officiating benefits us at the expense of the opposition. And there are games where erratic officiating benefits the opposition at our expense. That's a part of the sports world that will always exist. I thought the game was poorly called. From my perspective it seemed to tilt toward the Rangers. Did the calls result in us not coming away with a win? Not necessarily. The difference in this game was the play of their elite goalie. There are games where the officiating tilts toward the opposition; and there are games where the officiating tilt toward the Sabres. That's an inescapable aspect of all sports. My point regarding the officiating issue in this game or any game is that you play on and control what you can control. Johnson's manufactured fight didn't help us. It hurt us because the team was forced to PK instead of possibly create some scoring chances on 5 on 5. The Skinner 10 minute unsportsman's penalty ended up taking one of our best goal scorers out of action for 10 minutes in a close game. It's frustrating to say but erratic officiating is part of all sports at every level. The best way to handle it is to play through it and not allow yourself to get frustrated to the point where you take yourself out of the action.

I thought this game was poorly officiated. That's not an unusual occurrence in the NHL. However, are you arguing that the Sabres never benefit from bad calls and non-calls that favor them?

If you advocate for fighting in certain situations, then do you advocate it for football and basketball? Do you believe that it should be a part of the college or Olympic games. If not, why not? There are always missed calls in the pro ranks, in all sports. You act as if inconsistent officiating is an unusual occurrence. I would argue the opposite: That it is more the standard than it is not. Responding to bad calls in an unproductive manner doesn't help you, it hurts you. Do you complain when bad officiating benefits your team? I don't! Inconsistent officiating certainly is aggravating and agitating when it hurts your team. But that's part of the game.

My point about Cozens needlessly dropping the gloves is that it didn't help the team and it resulted him in getting hurt. How was dropping his gloves beneficial? What if he broke his hand that kept him out longer or suffered a season plaguing concussion. How would you respond to that?

What does fighting have to do with bad refereeing? It's a problem in all sports.

There is no question the officiating in this game was uneven. It's uneven in all sports. What's your solution? Beat up the referees.