That Aud Smell

They have almost nothing in common other than the position they play. Levi is super athletic - and he needs to be, given his size. UPL is a big fella who, by NHL standards, is not very athletic.

HC DG offered an explanation about this discrepancy last season. I don't recall the specifics. Something something structure. The Sabres would not only be a playoff team with that level of goaltending, they would be a borderline contender.

6K? Hard pass. Also, I pray to the sweet baby Jesus that the young man can figure sh1t out enough to give the team slightly above average NHL goaltending.

I'll post late, which is consistent with how I learned that there was a game -- when a buddy texted me mid-afternoon and said "a bit shaky to start, but that as a solid 1st!" I very much enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd periods. Terrific team effort. More, please!

i'll freely admit: i actively work against getting mad about the sabres' losing (same goes for the bills). sometimes i do get mad, but that is a relapse.

Sometimes @PASabreFan makes me think that, if enough of us cared enough, we would.

I don't think there's a bigger fan of the team that I've "met," whether virtually or IRL. I've met a few who equal him, but none have exceeded him. Also, please provide a trigger warning when using that word.

Let's Go, Buffalo!

I listened to several callers on the drive home last night as I waited to hear McDermott (ha) speak. I'll say: Those callers were a special species of stupid. I mean stooopid.

Good takes. That's what I had hoped for Kincaid anyway - not a TE, per se - more of an evolution of the Beasley role. But there does seem to be a difference in how people distribute into space in 11 versus 12 -- and it does seem that Allen prefers the former. Idk. Your point on speed on offense is very well-taken. I guess that's why they got Harty? But then don't use him in any meaningful way.

In fairness, I would imagine that Dorsey is calling a short menu of options in advance of Allen being at the line. Agreed on Kincaid. I guess the error comes from their having earlier committed to Knox and thereafter created a need to use 12 personnel more than Allen would (apparently) like.

Nice to get the win, of course. Gratifying to see Davis and Shakir step up (to say nothing of Kincaid). It seems clear that Allen prefers the up-tempo 11 personnel approach - where he gets to the line quickly and figures out what he wants to get into based on what the D is showing. So I hope to stick with that. Speaking of which: It seems like another personnel/roster architecture error by Beane to tee up more 12 personnel for his QB who seems to thrive in 11. (The other major error being Elam - why, why, why fall in love with a guy's measurables when he's a consensus bad fit for your coach's scheme?) Also, yes - this is a wildcard team.

The guy has one authentic interest when he's on the ice: Shooting the puck. He has exhibited no aptitude for developing a defensive game.

This is a wild take. And I'm here for it. I mean, it's effing WAY out there. But it's a fun one. Phil Jackson was an average coach but for Jordan? Belichick is widely - almost universally (thanks to recency bias) - talked about as the greatest of all-time when it comes to football coaching and maybe the GOAT coach in general. So, hot-take away, my man. *Tsssssss*

Hahaha - I hadn’t intended the ambiguity - but it’s there in all its glory.

Can confirm. Bro 1: "I'm gonna go home and take a shower. I'll see you there." Bro 2: "Bet."

The Tkachuks are punks.

The vouchers are everywhere if you have e-tickets. And yes, they're meaningless -- for now. Apparently, there's still a plan to use that functionality to provide "bonuses" of sorts, such as an opportunity to buy Bandits tickets before they go on sale to the general public.

Everyone fell apart there at the end - including UPL. It would have been nice if he could have come up big on one of those 3 goals that came in rapid succession. The limitations of his game are accurately noted upthread. In my hamster-brain, I can't help but feel comforted by the fact that he's a big fella in there. "The puck's bound to hit him," my idiot inner voice tells me. Then I watch him try to move laterally and my sphincter puckers.

For real. There is that maddening tendency to look for the spectacular at home. Their road game is better.

he is an absolute anchor at this point. every time he's out there, i clench my butt cheeks.

C'mon, Sabres.

I think that's the first game I've ever attended where the (home) crowd spontaneously cheered several shifts by the Sabres, and yet the Sabres lost. Usually those games end up in wins. There were periods of time when the Sabres were skating circles around the Canadiens. And yet. I said essentially these words several times last night in that same scenario. A bunch.

At even strength. It was twice that (8) if you count the power plays. MTL tracked as having 13 high danger chances for at even strength; 17 if you include power play (3) and penalty kill (1).

Hmmm. From my Chet and Muffy perch, there were several times where I winced (groaned) at an attempt to do something slick in the O-zone (toe drag, low percentage pass), when there was a simpler play available. The volume of shots and shot attempts were encouraging. But, yeah, the MTL goalie wasn't overly troubled by most of those. In point of fact, MTL had a much larger share of dangerous scoring chances - that was according to the eye test and a subsequent check of Natural Stat Trick's game log.