That Aud Smell

I watched most of this one. They were good early, got absolutely sh1t pumped there for a while, and then somehow turned it around. Even when they were struggling, I didn't hate watching them. As has been said, they make their mistakes while falling forward. Something that occurred to me this morning: Days gone by, when the W/L results were similar but the style of play was quite different, the team would be criticized for a lack of effort. I think maybe what fans and writers were seeing was not a lack of effort, but a concerted kind of effort that was mistake-avoidant, reactive, passive ... the result often looked limp and lame (i.e., lacking effort). With the current approach, the team generally looks frantic and disorganized when they're struggling, but they at least they look like they're working towards getting on a front foot. And then sometimes it snaps into place, and they get rolling. I'll keep tuning in.

^^ YOU PLAY. TO WIN. THE GAME.

Watched some of the Friday game and most of the Saturday game. I liked how they played in both. And I think they actually deserved a better outcome in the Saturday game, at least. I can recall fans (myself?) saying things like: "I could tolerate the team losing tons of games, so long as they were enjoyable to watch." Or something to that effect. That's what's going on right now. I see a lot of honest effort and pretty good hockey. The results just aren't there -- yet.

There may be some confusion here between hernia and groin? Those athlete hernias (they have a shorthand name - can't recall it) - like the one Briere had - are in the abdominal region, I believe, and that would be upper body (above the waist).

So strange. I've tried to remain open to the guy, but that sort of stuff is just so indicative of him being a thin-skinned doofus. Also:

Sure. But it's a smell that Hamilton presumably loves (boiled hot dogs, roasted peanuts, popcorn oil, tobacco tar, and such).

I am still confused about the re-injury to the wrist and a limp down the tunnel. Also, Hamilton apparently reported on this, but he's blocked me on Twitter. No idea why.

Looks to me like Florida misunderestimated Buffalo. Maybe too much talk from Reinhart.

boy I’ll say. that one was egregious. imagine rick in good form there? Like - that was a *moment*.

The word is score, Dan. SCORES.

Mountain Wetness.* *A nod to our visitors from a coast made rainy by the Cascades.

I tuned in intermittently. Yeah - that was gross. Onward!

Hmmm. I dunno. Different players. I'll say this for Gerbe: The guy carved out a very respectable professional career.

Mischievous Wrens. Let's go, Buffalo!

I have a Perreault 11 that the Sabres Alumni group put together as a gift (from my wife) back in the ... goathead days? I'm not sure. It's an approximate vintage jersey - and now has all manner of food stains on it. It is also signed by the man himself (who one day appeared near our seats, having emerged from an Alumni gathering room of some kind on the 200 deck). And I wouldn't do an RJ, I don't think. I also have a bootleg Drury that is a somewhat hilarious approximation of the vintage royal road blues. That stays on a hanger. Agreed - I just can't do it. We crossed paths with Josh Allen at a Hamburg Village eatery - he and his companion got hung up near us for a minute as we both waited to be seated. My son was just saucer plates for eyes and barely managed a sheepish "hi"; I gave the polite white guy smile (no teeth) and rapid nod, and, God as my witness, asked "how you doin' there, young man." My kid was mortified. I have to admit that, while I obviously did not plan that, it was an affected thing to say -- but I think it came from that awareness that I'm plenty old enough to be QB1's dad. That'd be fun. Have you ever seen one?

Also, don't look now, but, after kissing a few frogs*, the Pegulas appear to have hired two very good head coaches. *Has there been a conversation about Rex Ryan ≅ Ralph Krueger?

I don't know that I've posted here. But I have posted about HC DG elsewhere. So I feel obliged to chime in and say that I am a believer in HC DG. Between the way the team plays under his direction and the things he says (and does not say!) in his media appearances (and how he says them (his "vibe")), I am convinced that he can and will be a successful NHL coach. Hopefully, that success occurs here. And soon! Most recently, I was fairly over the moon when he talked to the following effect on his weekly appearance on WGR -- paraphrasing: "These guys are capable of more than they realize. They are NHL players. That's a huge deal. They've put years and years in to become among the very best in the world. And yet they can forget how good they are, and how good they can be. We're trying to get them comfortable with getting back in touch with just how good they are. And if I am yelling at them for honest mistakes, that's not helping anything. There are some rules of course: Working hard and competing. But I have to avoid being negative with them all the time, and we can't plan to play conservatively." His comments are here --> https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/podcasts/howard-and-jeremy-20258/11-16-sabres-head-coach-don-granato-948493351

Purloined victory. Onward. Also, Dahlin’s play and trajectory are tending to vindicate the FO’s decision to select Power as a potential 1D stud. I think Dahlin is/can be a good NHL’er … but I’m just about done expecting (consistent) *greatness* from him.

Apparently he’s not selling? Or at least he’s not selling his entire stake.

Huh.

Let's go, Buffalo. Mangrove Wisps!

Fair point. He was on WGR this morning and, to my ear, sincerely (albeit vaguely) apologized to the fans for his injury updates. I think he must have read this thread. 😛 On WGR this morning, he clearly indicated that Mittelstadt is not dealing with a break. He said Jokiharju was dealing with a break, and that with breaks, you get a clear cut and predictable timeline (no idea why that was "at least" a couple weeks initially - maybe the break didn't show up on the x-rays for a few days (which happens)). He said everyone else is dealing with soft tissue stuff, and at one point he alluded to a bone bruise (which must be Mittelstadt (?)). Anyway, I really, really like Granato. I haven't trusted a Sabres coach this much since Lindy was in his prime here.

I don’t recall seeing those timelines. As per the first post of this thread, Granato initially estimated their absences as “at least” a couple weeks. So in my tiny brain, I was like: “Two weeks. Bet.”

The Mittlestadt thing is perplexing. Initially announced as a couple of weeks or so … one month later, he’s still a couple weeks away. Seriously. They need to get their sh1t together.