dudacek

38 save shutout for Devon Levi - 20 games this year, 8 shutouts.

Weird. I thought Bowness had a rep as a good guy...?

Damn, a lot of you have been saving up for that one, eh? Took 16 games before they finally gave you a reason to say what you've been wanting to say. Next game please.

Dom did 25 times. https://www.statmuse.com/nhl/ask/dominik-hasek-most-goals-against-in-a-game

I wonder if/how adding Mitts, Tuch and VO - arguably the Sabres 3 best forwards right now - changes this.

No issues with the additions. I just rearranged the original list. Id arm wrestle you over Levi and Poltapov being too low, though 😜 It’s nice having guys around 15 who could be in the convo for 10 spots higher. Hope that does better than the Eichel Tower.

five months later: 1. Power (obviously) 2. Cozens 3. Quinn 4. Krebs 5 Peterka 6. Bryson 7. Samuelsson 8. Levi 9. Rosen 10. Johnson 11. Poltapov 12. Portillo 13. R2 14. UPL 15. Kisakov 16. Laaksonen 17. Novikov 18. Weissbach 19. Nadeau 20. Bloom 21. Murray 19. Marjala 20. Rousek 21. Sardarian 23. Huglen 24. Biro 25. Van Barnekow

Sacrilege, I know, but there was a moment in the Penguins game when a random thought crossed my mind of 'hey, Dunleavy sounds pretty good when the game actually has something on the line.' It will be interesting to see if a playoff team could elevate what the fan base thinks of him.

I have too many to list, but my favourite is the vintage white Perreault #11 and the oddest is my Armia #33 turdburger. The current team in transition is tough to pick, but I'd gamble on Cozens and if you want to go a more obscure direction, there's no shame in an Okposo.

Utica played like the dead puck era Devils. Amerks deserved to win. UPL didn't get enough shots to be awful, but he wasn't good enough. Is it just me, or has Krebs been less noticeable each game?

Exactly the same for me north of the border, adding in the exchange rate.

It is and I’m happy I did it, at least so far. The production values are not good. You are watching the scoreboard feed, the lighting is bad, the replays are unpredictable and Don Stevens thinks every player is JJ Peterka.

Peterka doesn't have a lot of "size" but he has a hockey player's low centre of gravity and powerful legs. Coupled with his speed and hockey sense, his lack of "size" will never be an issue. Quinn is "bigger" but his lack of strength is a question mark. His hands, his skating and his sense certainly overcome that an AHL level, but might not at an NHL level. "Size" is not an issue. Strength is, but he has the size to add strength. Ruotsalainen lacks size, but more importantly, he also lacks strength and quickness. Does he have the size to add enough strength without sacrificing quickness, or vice-versa?

Seems like 'size' is one of those trigger words. Better to use 'strength' or 'length' which, if an individual has them, can be used as assets to enhance his game. And, if he doesn't, they can be detriments that he needs to compensate for. They are useful tools — along with quickness, speed, hockey sense, and agility — that can help you get position and win contested space.

Pysyk doesn't fit the bill for you?

He's 23, a 2nd-year pro on a 2-year ELC. I would think he's waiver-exempt, but Capfriendly has him listed as "emergency loan"

Maybe when VO, Tuch and Mitts are here, we’ll have enough talent to unlock what you’re seeing.

You gotta love a coach whose focus is to get his players to be the best version of them, as opposed to a cog in his system.

I remember annoying the hell out of people in a game day thread once by pointing out every time a transition play quietly died because of Skinner. I wonder what would happen if I pointed out every time a transition play quietly stayed alive because of Dahlin. Like with Skinner (who has been much better) I really think people are focusing far too much on a few high-profile moments.

I’d be curious to see a risk-reward analysis of Dahlin breakout passes - how many he completes, how many he misses, how many result in rush chances. He does make some bad ones, but he also makes so many good ones.

I mean he’s right it’s a small sample size and weak linemates, but that’s more or less true for most Sabre forwards. Thompson and Asplund started the season in the same place as R2, but they’ve stepped up their games. They got better. Cozens has JAGs on his wings and has been up and down, but you can see flashes of what he can be despite that.

No, the PP got bad when R2 replaced Olofsson. Hayden’s not good (works hard, but the only guy in the roster who’s definitely not an NHLer) but not sure why you’re so down on Caggiula, he’s been more effective than R2. Also, Caggiula has played mostly with Cozens. What are you seeing R2 do well right now?

I think people must be putting too much weight on the 10 minutes after Dahlin took that puck in the side and was clearly hurting. Otherwise he looked pretty good to me.

Dylan Cozens was so good in the first period before vanishing later. He was executing and identifying plays against men the way he did against boys. At some point he’s going to break through, and then it’s going to be fun to watch around here for a long, long time.

After tonight I am starting to wonder if Dustin Tokarski could be on the verge of something rare and unexpected. He doesn’t look like a modern NHL goalie, but he’s making every stop he should and many he shouldn’t. The two points tonight are entirely on him.