That Aud Smell

^ totally had @mike555555555555555 confused with another poster who used to post as @mike555555555555555555555.

I saw Eiechel's quote about how this "series" will help "grow the game." Um, what? Dude. Hockey's plenty popular in Sweden. What you mean there is that the games may help grow the NHL's brand. Which, whatever. Honestly, this trip caught me unawares and I like it less and less the more I read and think about it. I mean, I guess it's possible that the trip will help bring the team together and, especially with the power of the Swedes, give the squad a new sense of purpose, etc. But it seems far more likely that all of the schedule-compression that results from this excursion is going to (has) hurt the team's overall W-L record.

I don't get the sense that anyone really is, or was. It's more the irony of him not following his own advice.

^ I got it now. Well, in fairness, Carter probably doesn't have the same cash flow that he once did when he was "Cris Carter Inc."

So, he's not out for having advocated that players have a fall guy, right? I'm having trouble keeping up.

Does it ever. I remain glad he’s elsewhere.

Hmm. I dunno. I think he's the size he needs to be for the style he's supposed to play. And it may not be that at all. I had heard that he was showing well earlier in the season. He is yet a rookie, after all.

Jordan Phillips recently moved ahead of Ed Oliver on the depth chart. And now the Bills have signed a DT who had been playing out-of-scheme in Oakland. It makes me wonder whether Oliver's being targeted with a wake-up call.

You don’t say.

Let’s go, Buffalo!!

Sorry. Gina and I are having our monthly macrame meeting.

I know! I know.

I am of the same mind. You’re putting lipstick on a pig until your top line can be a net positive 5v5. [John Mellencamp voice] Little sh1tty ... are Jack and Sa-aaam. They get real confused, in their own end.

Ironically, the Sabres looked good once I tuned in.

Yeesh. I haven’t even tuned in yet! Dare I say, based on apparent #scoreeffects: Unlucky thus far.

The Hasek-era Sabres really are a bit of a unicorn. They had the best goaltender of all time (imo), at the peak of his powers, and a game that was ~5 years away from being reformed to reduce obstruction, etc. It was an open secret (?) that a mediocre roster was riding Dom as far as he could take them. In that event, one of the measuring assessments would (largely) be in error. And I don't really wonder which one it would be.

maybe he will celebrate by getting his first 5v5 goal.

Last year's winning streak would like to have a word with you about that. It's a simple concept, of course: Fool's gold. Your post is thoughtful and well-considered. I'm gonna think on it some more. For now, I will repeat something I've said around here many times before: On an in-game basis, I almost never, ever think or talk about #fancystats. Like, at all. So, I do simply enjoy the game for what it is (or, sometimes just turn it off because it's shite). If the good guys are winning because our keeper is standing on his head, then WOOHOO, KEEPER! Then, when I am in off-game mode, I tend to think about the numbers to get some sense of where the team is, and where it's headed. It's a duality that works for me. Wait - a team can demonstrate how good it is by virtue of how lucky it is? Again, what you've laid out is not madness. It's sorta the definition of what luck is. Or fortune. And I endorse the idea that teams can make (some of) their own luck. That's where those shot location maps are helpful. And I get the clear sense that the Sabres are going to be more about quality than quantity, etc. The Sabres remain top-5 in PDO. Is that a product of RaKru's philosophy of fewer, but better shots? Maybe? I'm interested to see how it plays out. At minimum, I'd really like to see a game tonight with a SOG tally that's in the Sabres' favour or at least not heavily against them.

I know I opened myself to that. But, really. I'm done being happy with just whistling past the graveyard. Luck is fickle. I want to see a team that is good.

Weird to say, but I would damn near rather see them lose and look good doing it, than win against the odds.

Caps have been having their share of fun, btw.

I very much appreciate the incredibly detailed, labour-intensive GDT's that posters like @jsb create, but we shouldn't let that level of work be mandatory to get one of these rolling. The Sabres are rested. Are they ready? The sledding gets a LOT tougher for them in November. Let's go, Buffalo!

Just dropping in to say: Excellent content over the past couple of pages.

He does have that vibe to him. Otoh, what the Sabres have been doing hasn't been good enough for a while (their W-L notwithstanding).