That Aud Smell

So good.

^ Seemed as though PA would sometimes take things to heart around here. I never accepted - much less understood - the notion that he was somehow a net negative for the board. And I say that as someone who, on more than a few occasions, muttered epithets at him as I typed a reply to some provocation he seemed to have blithely planted in my path. Once again: That short story about Lindy, game 1 of the 2006 ECF, the Cup, the orderly, and the ring. http://forums.sabrespace.com/topic/3508-lindy-at-103/ Anyone who creates and shares that on a message board is on my message board team for life.

That was deft. I feel you, Blue. I feel you. I mean that literally, btw.

Not at all. You appropriately qualified what you said - that you watched for a bit, and he was quiet. He's just such a frickin' talent. He can go a long stretch like that doing nothing, and then end up with 3 assists. I watched about half of that game on a stream I picked up - and, man. That was fun hockey.

(Hahahaha - just realized, we can sub/dub out "Frodo" for "Jack", and "Sam" still works.)

That's a game effort on your part. Sorta like what you always get out of Toews, and mostly but not always get out of Eichel. /flees //covers head with arms

Just saw that Matthews had 3 assists.

Toews can still play the hockey, evidently. Hat trick and 2 assists tonight.

Timed to coincide with season ticket renewal mailings that are going out his week.

What a player, and what a guy. Thanks for linking it.

He's too young, and was once too good a player to be "done." But - it's confounding to see where his game is. My sense is that he's still not right, still not well. Maybe next year is the season where we see him return to form. Lehner touched on the idea that Chicago succeeds because they play the same way for 60 minutes - consistent, persistent, and some other collection of -ents. They just keep at it, they "stay on their grind," as the ballers used to say. I think there's a lot to that.

Yasss! Getting a 4th straight win against class of the league? Fingers crossed.

Is true. But, somehow, the third, where the SOG imbalance really came -- never seemed as dangerous as the spread would suggest.

Good stuff. Also, if you score ~32 goals in 2016-2017, you may as well have scored 40. The guy is doing work.

Kane's making himself increasingly un-tradable (sp?). GM TM presumably loves him as a player (the center piece of that major deal), and here Kane is doing exactly what GM TM wanted/wants him to do. IMO, if it's not a contemplated #1 LHD coming back for Kane (+), there's no deal involving Kane.

^ Appreciate that.

Went to the game with some of the kids. Fun afternoon. That crowd? That crowd was *feisty*. A. Go Sabres. Also, 3-4 times our whole row stood up for what Eichel was doing. A dad near us exclaimed at one point in the 3rd that it looked like he had "cheat codes." Love this.

I read a few of Scott Gomez's takes elsewhere from last night - they were legitimately awful. And I don't mean that because he was chirping the Sabres -- like, they were not even coherent thoughts.

fair, and funny. #puckluck

Joe Sakic was a terrific hockey player. I think he might be a turbl FO executive.

In addition to what d4rk says, Sullivan reveals his basic ignorance when he slags the D for giving up all those shots. As if that too is not part and parcel of Hot Daniel's approach. I've gone back to reading Sullivan from time to time. He writes well. And he understands a lot about the basic moving parts of how sports teams are organized, operated, and deployed. But I don't think he understands much about the finer points of hockey. I really don't.

Good post. I'll add more generally: You can sooner get/develop a good winger than you can a top/toppish d-man. I just wonder whether Kane's value is, in fact, high enough to garner a high-end LHD.

The question is now even more timely. For those with a good memory and the misfortune of actually reading the sh1t I post here, you'll recall that I had a visceral, somewhat irrational desire to kick this guy to the curb back in the late summer. So there's that. At this point in time, any trade involving Kane would need to involve a LHD that GM TM believes he can pair with Risto. I think there's a way in which, Kane has done so much to increase his trade value, that he's made it less likely that he will be traded (because the price is now pretty high). Someone Tweeted something last night about Kane's 5-v-5 numbers since ... some point in time. The new year? Anyway, it was him and Crosby at the top of the list.

Shutout. The guy's been mostly good of late. Very good, even.

^ If you want a 2nd pairing for McCabe, then it's a RHD? Who plays with 55?