JohnC

A second-line winger who can score and a stay-at-home defenseman would better round out this team. It would be such a bonus if Quinn can regain his form. My concern about him this season is that it is not unusual for a player who suffered a serious leg to take an added year after healing to get the zip back to his legs.

Your eyes are too jaundiced. Byram is inarguably more of an offensive defenseman whose strengths are shooting and skating. He's not a rugged defenseman, and will never be. Expecting him to be a more two-way player is miscasting him as a player. With respect to Power, he's a tall and lanky fellow who can skate and move the puck. He's not a thumper and will never be. In my view, he's fast approaching being an anchor player for us and in the not-too-distant future he will be considered an upper tier defenseman. (My opinion.) I also very much agree that the primary reason why the Sabres won all the games on this road trip was due to exceptional goaltending. I'm ecstatic about that.

You noted the underlying reason why some people have a less than sterling view of his game. He's not a thumper and never will be. A lot of people have this stereotypical view that because he is big (although lean right now) that he should play a more physical style of hockey. That's simply not his game. As you point, the things he does do well at demonstrably override the things that he is not adept at from a cost/benefit tabulation. In a few years, he is going to be a top echelon defenseman and an anchor player for us. We are very fortunate to have him and Dahlin on the blueline unit. Byram is starting to look comfortable and is coming on. And just maybe in the future Samuelsson will get healthy, regain his confidence and be a piece of a very good unit.

I would add Tuch to your three listed players. I consider him a very unsung player.

I won't be surprised if Washington slides down after losing Ovi for an extended period of time. As @Pimlach noted, if the Sabres can win the next two home games against good teams (Minn and Vanc), that would be a good omen for our chances of making the playoffs. And with UPL as our primary goalie, the Sabres have been getting superb and consistent high-end goaltending. That's a recipe for success. There was some recent speculation that KA was perusing the market to make a notable deal. My sense is that he won't pull the trigger just yet. Maybe closer to the trade deadline when he has a better feel for where this team is. We shall see.

What's hurt him with public recognition is that he has played for a forlorn franchise since he's come into the league. If the Sabres become a serious franchise in the league (which they are not currently), I'm confident that the recognition will follow.

I think it is the opposite of how he is valued as a player. I think both in the league and even locally, he is considered to be not only the best players on the team but also in the league. It wouldn't surprise me that if a league wide survey was taken of GMs where they were asked if they could pluck one player off of the Sabres, there would be near unanimity that it would be Dahlin. If there is an over-accentuated local criticism of Dahlin it is because so much is expected of him. Based on the large amount of playing time it is obvious that the HC has the same high evaluation of him as you do. I'm with you in believing that he is a gem of a hockey player.

The difference between upper echelon teams such as the Rangers, Dallas, Florida etc. compared to Buffalo is that because of their abundance of talent they have a greater margin of error in the playoff rankings. When we have a mistake riddled or lackluster effort game against a lesser team, those irretrievable lost points can come back to haunt us. For us, the issue is will we make the playoffs? For those more talented teams the issue where are they slotted in the playoffs.

Cozens is coming around. I thought last night he was one of our best players. He played with renewed confidence. With respect to Cozens, would he be better playing center or forward? I'm not sure? It seems that in the international tournaments he plays well as a wing. I said this in another post so I apologize for the redundancy. The Sabres have a number of young players that haven't reached their potential. So in the near future there is an expectation in improved play. The hope is that this is an upswing team while some of the mature teams might be on the downswing, most notably Boston, maybe Tampa. And Washington without Ovie for an extended period of time might struggle. So there is space to move up. I need to keep my hope in check!

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Right now, I'm not moving any of the highlighted players. I realize a lot of people are impatient with Quinn's play. It's too soon for me to give up on him. I can foresee Kulich on a line with Quinn. I agree with you that our system is rich with prospects. Clearly, we won't be able to keep them all. It's just too soon to decide which ones will be parlayed for established players. As they marinate their market value increases. Being patient on this issue will be more beneficial than detrimental.

The weather is getting crazier and crazier. The potency and frequency of storms have exponentially gone up.

And Islanders. The Montreal and Islander losses got my stomach in a state of agitation. On the other hand, sometimes tough losses can result in the team refocusing their efforts and bringing more attention to what the coach is espousing. As the saying goes: You learn more from your failures than from your successes.

Curious, was the loss of electricity a weather related issue? What part of the country or world do you live in? I'm a nosy fellow. 😃

I say no. I'm sticking with Quinn and hope that he becomes the player that many of us hoped he would become. I don't want to see any of our own late bloomers on other teams. Patience is a virtue.

What's encouraging is that Lindy is instituting a more responsible two-way style of play that the players are buying into. And if you factor in a healthy Tage and the return of Greenway, you can see a deeper roster. Cozens looked like one of the best players on the ice last night. And Quinn seems to be steadily, although incrementally, playing better. The point being that with the young players there should be even more upswing to their play. If we continue to get consistently good goaltending, then we should be able to get the breakthrough on that tormenting playoff wall. I hope, I hope, I hope. The abused Sabre fans deserve it.

The Sabres won all three games on this trip. On the other hand, all three of these tight games could have just as easily gone the other way. Without Tage, the first line's scoring threat steeply declined. You can see how not having Tage on the ice limited the space and scoring chances for JJP. The question that you seem to be posing is if Tage is on the ice would the Sabres play such a defensive oriented game. Probably not. However, I'm confident that with him there would be more scoring chances. It's a balance. My position is that Tage is our biggest scoring threat and because of that the team would definitely be better with him playing. Ultimately, the difference for the Sabres on this road trip was the superb netminding in all three games. You are not always going to get that level of play from that position. We definitely need Tage back to give our offense more potency. (Just my opinion.)

Byram played well but I wouldn't have given him a star. Giving a star to a hometown player is understandable. I would have given a star to Dahlin instead of Byram. But I can't dispute the fact that Bo played well. And as the games add up it he seems to be getting better and better.

Absolutely not.

The first star of the game without question is Reimer. My second star would be Cozens. What shouldn't be forgotten is that Cozens was winning a lot of draws. For a good portion of all three games on this west coast trip the Sabres were behind. What was encouraging was that the team stuck to its structured game and kept at it. There was no panic---they just kept playing. The defensive stick work is noticeably better than prior years. Also, there is more clutter in front of the opposition's net. The too many men on the ice penalty at the end of the game was foolish. We're fortunate that it didn't come into play in the outcome. Dahlin played well. My only criticism of him is that he is taking too many foolish penalties. That cross-check penalty at the end of the game was not smart. One play that embodied the grittiness of the team was Clifton getting hit with the puck, sticking with the play to reach the puck and then sending it down the ice. That was a tough play by a persistent player at a critical time of the game. It's apparent that what Lindy is preaching is taking effect. Coaching matters. Great road trip. 3 for 3. Eager to get Tage back. Let's keep it going.

My worry isn't whether they will come out as a hungry team or not take the opposition seriously. It's hoping that on a back-to-back game their legs are fresh enough and not too fatigued to play a fast-paced game. With the upcoming second game, you never know whether it will look like they are skating on ice or mush. It's not so much a worry about the players' attitude as it is a physical status for the players.

What's evident in Power's play is his increasing confidence in expanding his offensive game. He's not afraid to jump into the attack and go to the net when the opportunities arise. An example of that is when he went to the net in OT to take a pass from Tuch and get a shot off that ended up rebounding to Kulich who buried it.

More like .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001. And that may be an overestimation. The organization is at a point where it is starting to fill out its roster and building some depth. Thinning out the roster for one appealing player makes little sense to me. (Not saying you are arguing for that but some here are making that argument.) When there are opportunities to make a trade to improve the roster, it should be done. But in general, the GM has staked out a course and should follow through with it.

We are agreeing. I also need to see more. Let's just see how this plays out. More likely than not, he will be sent down. And no doubt, his experience in the NHL will enhance and accelerate his development. Side note: I see Quinn getting incrementally better. In the first period, I was encouraged when he made a move to the middle to get off a good shot in the danger zone. Let's hope that he becomes the player we thought he would become based on his previous play. Patience is a hard to take virtue.

That's my point! I'm open to all options. I'm not foreclosing anything simply because it is the standard option. As you point out, having a deeper and more talented roster presents tough decisions. Considering this teams feeble recent history, that's a good thing and not something to be tormented over.