nfreeman

Nail-biter.

If you're referring to McKenzie's 2nd awful play in the red zone today, I agree that it was a bit behind him, but McK definitely should've made that catch. Separately, the Bills' inability to handle KC's pass rush and blitz is the difference in the game so far IMHO.

I thought the same thing! I thought Mitts was pretty ineffective yesterday, but I'm encouraged that you thought he looked better. To be continued.

The bolded is spot on, IMHO. Yesterday I kept thinking that TT and Skinner need someone who plays with force, and VO, although I like his game, is not that guy. Tuch is that guy, which I think is the reason that DG has him with Mitts and Quinn, who also need someone with that quality. This might be the solution. Aspy plays a fairly forceful game and has good chemistry with VO. That would enable Tuch to go back to TT and Skinner.

My game notes: - Like the Ottawa game, the Sabres were well outplayed and outchanced in the first period, but played better in the 2nd and 3rd, in which they were pretty competitive. If Skinner buries either of his point-blank opportunities, it's a different game. - Overall though the Sabres were fortunate not to lose that game by 3 goals. Florida was clearly the better team. - I think DG was unhappy with the team as he did a fair amount of line and D combo shuffling later in the game. - I thought Mitts took a step back from his performance vs Ottawa and was pretty lousy -- although DG evidently didn't think so as MItts led all forwards in ice time. - Cozens and JJP created a few chances but were not as effective as they were vs Ottawa. - In order for the Sabres to beat a Cup contender like Fla., they need to get much more from their top forwards than they got yesterday. The passing, entries, etc. were generally crappy and shifts with sustained offensive pressure were few and far between. - Tuch was by far the Sabres' best forward yesterday. I want him back with TT and Skinner, who were pretty ineffective again yesterday although they did create a couple of great chances that Skinner didn't cash in. - Dahlin was their 2nd-best player if not their best. I loved his battles with Tkachuk, who is going to supplant Marchand as public enemy #1 very soon. - Bryson played well again in his limited role. - Comrie wasn't bad but he wasn't a difference-maker like Anderson was vs Ottawa. - I did like their team spirit and willingness to mix it up, although I'd like to see it from a few more guys.

Interesting. I am of the opinion that Mitts is actually a pretty mediocre skater -- i.e. not quick in small spaces and not particularly fast when he gets going. However, last night he looked to me much more poised, thinking the game better and making better decisions and more accurate passes than ever (recognizing that there is much room for improvement among the entire team, including him). He also looked to me like he's in the best physical condition of his career. I agree about Tuch and the lines. It's too soon for panic but if TT and Skinner look lousy again tomorrow I'll be ready for Tuch to move back to their line.

Has anyone seen anything today on Mule's status? It looked like he might've gotten hurt blocking a shot in the 3rd last night.

I agree with most of this except for your observations on Power, Joki and Mitts. As I mentioned upthread I thought Power was shaky for most of the game and Joki was solid. Despite being a longtime Mitts skeptic, I also thought that was maybe the best I've ever seen Mitts look, and I think he's going to have a pretty good season. I'm already looking forward to tomorrow.

Well, JJP looked really good last night, innit? He played 16 shifts in just under 12 minutes, all 5-on-5, and was tied for 2nd among forwards with 4 shots. More importantly, he and Cozens dominated most of their shifts with speed, range and forechecking, although they probably benefited from weaker matchups (not sure if that data is posted anywhere). Krebsie turned it over too many times, but he seemed pretty capable on that line as well. Suddenly I'm feeling pretty confident about JJP being a real contributor this year.

Anderson played pretty well in most of his outings last season. As many have noted, it's reasonably likely that he'll deliver good goaltending IF they limit his workload.

The “Sabres Hockey” podcast on apple podcasts has the postgame shows, plus interviews with DG and a number of players most days.

…busy getting completely worked over by Stutzle’s line, I’d say.

If you thought TT’s line was lousy, as I did, here are some fancy stats to bolster that view:

My 2 cents: - Very exciting win and great start to the season, as many have already noted. - The outcome could've easily gone the other way, as Ottawa had plenty of chances and probably more than the Sabres had (although the Sabres had quite a few). - Goaltending was the difference. Good for Anderson for delivering that gem at age 41 against his former team. The Sabres will need to give up fewer chances than that to win most nights though. - JJP was the Sabres' best forward through 2 periods. Cozens and Mitts were the 2 best by the end of the game though. But that was a terrific showing by JJP. - Did not like Skinner's game or TT's. As someone noted upthread I think those 2 are better with Tuch and hope DG switches Tuch and Olofsson, both of whom were OK but not great. - It was great to see Cozens looking like a force of nature (JJP was keeping up with him and the 2 of them were outstanding together especially in the 2nd) and Mitts looking consistent, focused and effective. Those are 2 great developments for this team -- really 3 because JJP should be included. - Dahlin looked confident, in control and frequently like the best player on the ice. Power was pretty shaky but Joki did very well covering for him on a number of occasions. Mule was very solid. Loobie was tough and made a few very nice plays but also a few brain locks. Bryson did fine and I think helped kill the first shift of the 5-on-3 and a good shift at the end before VO's 1st ENG. - The Zemgus-Aspy-KO line got better as the game went on and was very effective in the 3rd. - Ottawa is good. I think these Ottawa-Buffalo games are going to be highly competitive and entertaining for a long time.

McTavish is a horse.

It's a good question. I have been expecting, and still kinda expect, that Cozens will emerge as the clear #2 C this year. In the meantime, I still expect Cozens to end up with about as much ice time as Mitts if not more, although I'd guess that will vary from game to game depending on how the various lines are doing. I also think, as I've said previously, that DG likes Mitts more than I do. This is evidenced by Mitts' lineup slot, including his getting VO's slot in the right circle on PP1. I sure hope DG is right about him.

I could be misremembering, but I think Bryson played a fair amount of PK last year, although that might've been due to lack of viable options. I also think DG made a point of playing Dahlin on the PK as he wanted to develop Dahlin's entire game. I kinda expect him to do the same with Power.

I don’t think anyone is disagreeing about the contract being early. The point, as you know, is that early contracts on the right guys result in cap savings, which is one of the key factors in assembling long-term cup contending rosters. Cernak, who IMHO is a good comparable in terms of role and size, being well established is the exact reason he got 8 x $5.2 after a 1-goal season. Waiting for Mule to similarly establish himself, as I stated upthread, could easily drive his cost above $6MM per year. Also, if your point is simply that they should’ve waited until halfway through this season, or next summer, just to see how Mule does this season — there are a lot of factors that go into this. Mule was ready to sign long-term now. That might not have been the case in January. They also might be working on deals with other guys (like Cozens), whose decisions could be influenced by the fact that Mule has now signed. I understand your concern, and I think it’s valid in the abstract, but I think there are also good reasons to have pulled the trigger now.