JohnC

Oops! 😀 You may not believe me but I was semi-sober when I made that stupendous error.

With respect to Power and him being more appreciably physical, it's not going to happen. That's not his game and never will be. What you want to see from him is better positioning/angles on defense. And from that standpoint, I see some improvement. I also see him being more aggressive on offense. The problem that I see with Dahlin is that he is trying to do too much to carry the load. He needs to stop pressing and let the game come to him instead of forcing the action. My problem that I have with Ruff is he's too old school. When he negatively labels a player the player, the player gets sidelined. Johnson can be a useful third pairing defenseman. He's wasting a useful asset for a franchise that can't afford to waste any assets. Our owner's staffing preferences can be peculiar. He has weighed this franchise down with his inexplicable major hires.

Just some belated quick thoughts on some of our players from last night's game. I liked how Kesserling looked. Will be interested to see who Ruff pairs him with. I hope it is Power. Samuelsson is really playing solidly and consistently. I would prefer seeing him on the third pair with Timmons. Impressed by Timmons and how he plays. He's a defensive minded player who knows what his talents are and plays to them. As someone else noted Quinn is coming around. Playing with more speed and aggressiveness. Kulich is not ready for a 1C role just yet. Norriss's injury was a setback for the first line. Doan is a tough player who is willing to inhabit the net area. Specific attribute that this team desperately needed. The most encouraging thing about last night's play was the play of Lyon. If we regularly get this caliber of goaltending, we should be in the playoff mix. The penalty on Tuch that led to an Ottawa goal was atrocious. In general, disappointed at the outcome but encouraged by some individuals performance.

Slow but steady is good enough for my rosier eyes. 😃You have to acknowledge that Samuelsson and Power are playing better this year. And there is no question that Timmons was a solid addition. I'm unsure about Byram but open-minded about him. Last night, we finally got a glimpse of Kesserling. I liked how he played last night. In my view, the blueline has improved.

If Kesserling plays like Samuelsson is currently playing, I would be ecstatic.

I'm not expecting too much from him tonight. As a third pairing player in this game his workload is going to be somewhat limited. What most of us expect/hope is that he will soon be paired with Power and put him in a better position to flourish. TBD.

I’m happy that Buffalo made the trade for Doan and Kesserling. But I’m also sure that as Utah sits on top of their division with an 8-2 record that they are happy acquiring JJP. This was a fair and good trade for the dealing teams.

The Halloween party was exhausting.😄

I’m not sure what his injury is but the Sabres are smart in handling it with caution. It’s a long and grinding. As like you, I’m anxious to see him play. I’m hoping that he can be a suitable partner for Power.

Timmons has been a solid pickup. He knows who he is as a player and stays within his limits. Not flashy but consistently solid. I expect more offensive production from Kesserling than from Timmons.

Fear not . Get out of the closet and walk tall. We do not judge, at least those who of us who are enlightened and tolerant. I think you look great in red. Just a kind recommendation: please shave your hairy arm pits. Yuk!

I agree with your observations that Power his steadily improving on his positioning. It's not a dramatic change but it is noticeable, at least to me.

@Brawndo, fess up. Is that you with the red top and hairy arm pits? You should be proud of your thick thighs. 😁

There is something about Byram that makes me unsure. When one watches him play, it seems that the parts/skills just don't match the production. He can skate and shoot and is more of an offensive defensive. However, he just doesn't seem to mesh well with the other players. I'm not advocating to trade him because I want to see more. From a contract standpoint, it seems to me that KA got it right not signing him to a very long contract.

Trading Power for Byfield makes absolutely no sense to me. Sure, I would love to add Byfield but not for Power. And it would take a lot more than Byram to get Byfield.

I’m hoping that when Kesserling works out the rust that he gets paired with Power. I like the way Sammy has been playing but I believe he is better suited on the third pair with Timmons. That leaves Bryam paired with Dahlin on the first pair. The player that I’m most pleased with in the unit is Samuelsson. He’s not noticeable because he’s efficiently doing his job and seems to be playing with confidence.

As you point out, the inescapable deficiency with UPL is that he isn’t mentally tough enough to handle a position that requires tough-mindedness.The best way to make a judgment on that attribute is not how a goalie handles success but rather how one handles adversity. I want him to do well, but I wouldn’t want to count on him. KA made a bet on him and invested on him. KA is not very savvy.

Playing UPL was a reasonable decision given the choices. Ellis was supposed to start but because of his stiffen back couldn't play. (That's what was reported.) So the choice was between playing UPL or playing Lyon on a back-to-back. Criticizing UPL's is understandable. But criticizing him playing has less merit given the circumstances. We have opposite views on Power. I certainly don't consider him to be a defensive stalwart. But that isn't his game and never will be his game. What you and other critics of him are unwilling to yield on is that his style of play is never going to be agreeable to you. I'm confident that he will be one of our emerging and mainstay players for us.

You and I are in accord that we don't believe that UPL will be the answer in net. As I stated in a prior post, KA jumped the gun in his evaluation of him. He made an overvalued projection based on a good season. You are presenting a key question as to whether the organization will continue playing him because they have invested in him? Smartly run organizations wouldn't do so, especially for this mercurial position. Few hockey people would consider the Sabres to be a smart organization. UPL playing last night was due to uncontrollable circumstances. Reports are that Ellis was supposed to get the start but had a stiff back. So the choice was between playing Lyon on consecutive nights or rushing UPL in. In my view, playing UPL last night was a reasonable decision. On WGR a couple of days ago, Bulldog's son who works for WGR and was a goalie pointed out that Ellis has had a better developmental career than UPL leading into their NHL play. As you well know, KA gets invested in players and doubles down on them. When you make bad decisions on such a critical position, you handicap yourself.

Our middling GM placed a bet on UPL, and doubled down on him. He lost and the franchise lost. I’m not anti-UPL or any player. The GM had taken an approach of entitling players roster spots. He used prospect projections as a basis for roster decisions instead of having them compete and earn their spot. That’s how the UPL case has been handled. Bad decisions have bad consequences.

You are absolutely right that in OT when you have an opening on offense, you should go for it. Is it a risk that you are leaving yourself defensive vulnerable? Of course it is. But in a 3 on 3 format the worst strategy you can take is a passive approach.

Frustrated at the final result. On the other hand, being able to get the loser point might be a sign distinguishing this team from prior years when the team would freeze and the momentum would swing to other team snatching a win from us. I thought that the Sabres had the slight edge in play. But as @Taro T pointed out if the Toronto shooters were more accurate hitting the target this would have a been a different game. One big positive was the play of Tage. I liked the play of Timmons. He’s a no frills solid defenseman. Quinn is getting better and playing with more grit and speed. How can someone not like how Benson plays? In a couple of years when he is more physically developed he is going to be a gem. The Toronto player who stood out to me was McCabe. He was the toughest player in the game. The loss was disappointing but getting 3 points in a back to back is a positive.

I don't want to overreact either up or down. However, even recognizing that the improved play is for a short stint, isn't it so much more fun when the team is playing well? The focus of the attention is then directed to the play rather than to the rickety state of the organization. There are a number of reasons for this upgrade in play. In my view, the biggest factor to this better play is the play in net.

You may be mixing up Jarmo with Karmonus who lives in Pittsburgh.

No GM, good or bad, gets everything right or wrong. That’s not how you evaluate a GM, an overseeing position. The fairest way to make an evaluation is assessing the body of work over an extended period of time. Based on that criteria, I’m comfortable in my critical view of him.