dudacek

I would invest not insignificant assets for Demko. Not any of last year’s 1sts, but maybe UPL and Rosen or something similar? Launder some Canucks cap? This year’s poor season doesn’t wash away his resume. Guy is much better than this board gives him credit for. Improves us now, and, at worst, walks us comfortably to Levi.

Players buy into that stuff, or at least they used to. Its painful to hear Rivet and Peters talk about it. Intimidation was certainly a huge part of the game 50 years ago - won the Flyers two cups by being a pack of lunatics. But then it morphed into the staged “my nuclear deterrent vs yours” in the 90s. And now, it’s pretty much an afterthought. It isn’t the dirty play of today’s Lightning that is cowing the opposition, it’s their ability to win puck battles and their skill in finishing after they win them. Hundreds of games every year now, how often do you see a Donnybrook? What good team is the bully of the NHL playground? Toughness is still a huge thing, but it’s not toughness as defined by your ability, or even your willingness to fight. It’s toughness in terms of your ability to play hard. The idea that the threat of a fight deterred cheap shots is laughable. Players have been taking and absorbing cheap shots for as long as I’ve watched NHL hockey. Less so now they they did when fighting was an every-game thing. ”Answering the bell” by taking a run at someone when you feel embarrassed by your own ineptitude and “let the players police themselves” aren’t really part of the NHL game today. They were always about revenge, plain and simple. “The appropriate response” is something guys like Peters use to excuse their own stupid behaviour and more of a concept in the minds of middle-age fans than something that actually is a current NHL tactic.

Kravtsov and Gurianov in consecutive days. I have heard NHL GMs are increasingly targeting disappointing former high picks in trades over actual picks - partly for better sense of their floor, mostly for a quicker return on investment. Personally, I’m calling it the Tage effect.

Not so sure about the bolded. Otherwise, I can’t believe people are second guessing this move. Providing injury insurance and lineup flexibility is exactly why they signed Hinostroza in the 1st place. A remarkably injury-free season up-front is the only reason he hasn’t been playing most of the games already. As @Taro T says, when you consider all the factors - experience, ability, position, fit, familiarity, psychology - it’s about a no-brainer a move as there is.

Is there any evidence that “the appropriate response” deters further cheap shots? Anecdotally I’ve never seen any. One of the bigger myths of hockey culture, from what I’ve seen.

IMO Tuch is pretty clearly our 3rd most important player. Hope it’s short-term. Personally, I’d pop KO into his spot.

When you play 4 games and allow 7 goals in 1 game and 4 goals before getting pulled in one period in another, your save % and GAA tends to skew badly. His other 2 games were a 5-1 loss to to the Canes and a 4-2 win over the Sharks. The .910 was from mid-December on.

Yep. Code words they use are “standing up for your teammates” or “sending a message.” But that, in a nutshell, is what they mean.

Oh man, I'm bad enough with GIFs at the best of times, but a PA GIF? You're praying for me? You're praying I'm right? You just think Sabrespace needs more Sofia Vergara?

Agree with every word.

So you're talking 3 games though, one of which was a .938 SV% in a loss to Ottawa. Really the only stinker was the Chicago game. He wasn't good against Philly, but the guys in front of them were terrible. Maybe he's been a little rusty. Not debating your point at all, but am I the only one who was shocked to see the shot count last night? From my recliner that sure didn't feel like 27 shots in the 3rd.

We've been told this. It might be true. But do we know it? You've got to go back to the 8-game losing streak to find the last time he was being used like more than a backup. He lost 3 times in 5 days: .900, .844, .933 SV%, the latter was over 25 minutes in relief of Comrie. There were two games over 4 nights in late November, both of them over .930. And then .944 and .981 this week against the Leafs and the Panthers. Might be time to give it a shot.

This. As sporadic as the Sabres can be defensively, I've seen Robin Lehner and Linus Ullmark make more saves behind much worse teams. They've all had their moments, but none of them have made a difference at enough times in enough games.

That's what I would do based on what the other 2 have served up. If it's Comrie or Luukkonen, it would feel like a forced attempt to get one of those guys to run with it.

Just so I'm clear, as much as i love Devon Levi, I do not expect him to step in and own the crease from day 1. He almost ceertainly will have to pay some dues. But....😁 Isn't the table set kinda perfectly for him getting a shot after signing, taking the crease in a way the three-headed monster has not, and riding a wave all the way into the playoffs? If hacks like Steve Penney, Andrew Hammond and Patrick Lalime can catch lightning in a bottle, why not our best prospect since Ryan Miller?

If you’re making the playoffs out of this logjam, this is the type of game you win.

20? Im pretty sure that’s Reid during spring break in Grade 9

Way off topic, but Krebs is really coming into his own lately. Kid competes hard. Donnie’s rewarding him too. Over the past month he’s moved into the 2nd tier of forwards in ice time, along with Kyle, Mitts and Cozens in the 15-16 minute range, just behind the Tage line.

Yeah, most people don't, but why is this? Every time we play them, they are doing ***** like this, Dirtiest, most entitled group of players in the league, IMO.

Good. Dirty scumbag play from a dirty scumbag player on a dirty scumbag team.

Those two assists he got last night could have been the work of Dale Hawerchuk. So good! And he's been making those plays all year. Pre-Granato he was such a selfish player, whether he scoring goals or not. And even when he tried to pass, it frequently looked weak and off-target. I don't remember ever seeing a veteran player improve his playmaking the way he has.

I stand corrected.

Didn’t get enough props in this thread. Are we starting to take him for granted already? Dude was money. Three prime opportunities, three ice-cold kills. Next goal will make him the first Sabre in like 15 years to hit 40, and just the 3rd since Lafontaine and Mogilny were in their prime nearly 30 years ago.

The one I’m thinking of was in the Winnipeg game: Tuch driving hard down the the right wing, Skinner finding him with a Josh Allen laser, and Tuch sweeping it back against the grain to Tage in the high slot. Fooled Helly so badly he was almost in the corner. I think that game was as good as the Sabres have played all year; 60 minutes of utter domination in terms of flow of play. Biggest moment? I think the OT in Boston was special. Still feeling the high from last night too. Something about beating a bully.

I ***** hate Tampa. The way this game ended? That, I liked.