DarthEbriate

Never want your coach questioning whether you even want to play. I like that Prospal is playing the last chance card as one final kick in the rear. Yup. At least in Buffalo’s system. Alas, he’ll never even be a Nylander change of scenery trade at this point. Gone the way of Karabacek and that entire trio of 2nds.

So Tage would be the three-note phrase of “T-N-T” from T.N.T? Optionally, add in the notes of “I’m dynamite” to close the phrase.

Likewise, Dustin Wolf has had NHL nibbles, but accrued 141 AHL games over the previous 4 seasons before making the full-time jump to hyperspace this year.

You mean like that season in which he spent a combined $4.6M on goaltending... for the entire organization? Subban $850k, Luukkonen $778k, Anderson $750k, Dell $750k, Houser $750, and Tokarski $725

This team is ###### psycho, man. But, they're my mate, so what can you do?

But isn't the R the AHL-level player? How can you have a WAR in the AHL? This is melting my brain.

As others have said, Finland has a couple. There's also plenty of ex-Sabres to cheer for. 😇

No, the music is in here. Like Mozart when we're doing Sabres solitary.

Was I devastated that Return wasn't as good as Star Wars or Empire? No, no I wasn't. The end wasn't everything. It was about the Ewoks we met along the way. Plus, Paploo rode a speeder and the music was lovely.

Soucy is available. Borgen was available. Fabbro was on waivers (I think the Sabres were a point or 2 better than Columbus at the time so he was claimed before reaching them, but I'd have to go back and confirm that) and has been skating with Werenski ever since. They're out there.

It's not Power. Power likely won't ever earn his salary as long as Dahlin is PP1. The only way Power could come close to earning his salary is if his PP2 unit was scoring at an elite level (and the PP1 was as well). Contrast the Sabres' 27th-ranked PP (16.67%) with Winnipeg's (33%) and Vegas' (28%) absurdly good PPs. That's where the Sabres need to be to justify paying two D as top-pair PP1 pointmen. Consider this season's contrast: WPG Morrissey age 29, 1 PPG, 17 PPA. 2:43 PP ATOI. $6.25M. 3 more years under contract. And 5th and 7th in Norris voting the past two seasons. WPG Pionk age 29, 4 PPG, 7 PPA. 1:23 PP ATOI. $5.875M. UFA this summer. WPG 3rd D is DeMelo with no PP time and 13 points. $4.9M. WPG spends only about $16M on its top 3 D. VGK Theodore age 29, 2 PPG, 17 PPA. 2:48 PP ATOI. $7.425 for 5 seasons beginning this summer. Currently, $5.2M. VGK Hanifin/Pietrangelo age 28/35, 1 PPG 1 PPA. 0:58/0:54 PP ATOI. $7.35M and $8.8M -- but only one is on the PP2 at a time. Theodore is PP1 and the other guys get the scraps. Hanifin and Pietrangelo don't have the production, but they're also established vets who are decent in all zones. Combined top 3 is about $23.5M. Contrast that with the Sabres. BUF Dahlin age 24, 3 PPG, 11 PPA. 3:14 PP ATOI. $11M BUF Power age 22, 1 PPG, 1 PPA. 1:49 PP ATOI $8.35 BUF Byram age 23, 0 PPG, 2 PPA. 1:17 PP ATOI $ RFA. The Sabres are at $23M this season, and their production on the PP is only equivalent to what Theodore provides. Power scores at 5-on-5, but he's still a minus -10 player this season overall (which is his first minus season overall; but he's not getting demonstrably better defensively). Next season, if Byram gets top-pair money, then they need more on the PP for any and all three D, but especially the PP2 D-man. Dahlin's number are slightly deflated by missing 8 games.

And it should be noted: McLeod PP ATOI: 0:06 (0 G, 0 A) Cozens PP ATOI: 2:24 (2 G, 2 A) --> 6th highest ATOI on team The 7th PP ATOI is Tuch with 0-5-5 PP pts. Everyone above Cozens (TNT, Zucker, Dahlin, JJP, Quinn) has at least 9 PP points. From Quinn at 2-7-9 up to Zucker 9-6-15. Cozens is a statistical dead spot on the PP -- but it was a nice shot on the PP goal vs Nashville. Quinn only gets 2:31 ATOI, so 7 more seconds.

Power couldn’t work Forsberg off the puck at all. Forsberg could’ve had a five minute game-ending shift on power there.

The Predators played the puck. At that point, offside should no longer be applicable. But yeah, that’s no goal.

Checking in, Benson! All Bens report in.

It jumps to 35 for an undefeated streak including ties.

Metsa... I’d offer him an ELC once Joker is moved as a RHD tweener for that 7/8 role next season. (This is under my operating assumption that Bryson and Joker are both gone.) But he is free to sign with any NHL franchise at any time. With Bryson gone and Muel ever-IR, Novikov is going to be on the roster next season. I make sure he’s up for a week this year to see the speed, now that the playoffs are safely beyond reach.

If the Sabres set a new NHL record for consecutive wins in a season (18) as part of this streak, they'd be on pace for 94 (Obi-Wan voice: "Ninety-four") points. The two current EC wild cards are on pace for 92 and 93 points, respectively.

Because of his boss' faith in him and the EEE approach to ownership, GM Sheevyn could stand five feet from an active lava flow, wearing naught but a robe with its hood up, and not feel the heat.

mmmm. Salisbury buffalo... bison.

TNT, Cozens, and Luukkonen practiced on Friday so it's possible they all play (and Rosen sent back to AHL). Sabres 4-0 looking for five; Nashville 0-6 looking for seven. Which cuisine will reign supreme?

I didn't mean to infer a direction connection. It was just more of the same: electing not to build around your team's 1W who had improved each season, was likely going to lead the team in scoring and PPG the following year, and was just entering his prime. Instead, the choice was to build around a defensive defenseman who had yet to play 60 NHL games.

If true, that stinks for Samuelsson. The only breaks the kid can buy are his own bones. Also if true, LTIR!, weaponize that cap space to... hahahahhahahahaa Also also if if true true, the Sabres have 2 home games out of the break where they can control matchups. Those would be my Novikov test flight to give him a taste of the game and speed. Then, send him back down to continue getting top minutes and bring up Johnson to be the D-zone specialist that is his game in ROC.

If he'd continued to play like he did in his first year, and they won 70% of all games he dressed in, and he'd stay healthy, it would've been the best deal in the world once the cap gets over $100M. Alas, LT to Muel and bridge-to-UFA for Reinhart was some poor decidery from up top. Also, let's get a new D coach, because Muel's game was strong and steady when he arrived from Rochester.

More important in the extreme short-term, can this team carry its strong finish to the pre-4-Nations break over to the end of February after the break? Great to finally win 4 games in a row, but of note in the it's not who you play, it's when you play them: BOS - missing H. Lindholm, McAvoy, and Carlo NSH - missing Saaros and with a EBUG dressed, and currently on a 5-game losing streak NJD - missing Hischier, Markstrom, and 5-10 in their previous 15 games before Buffalo CLB - missing Monahan, Marchenko, Chinakov, Werenski, Fabbro, Gudbranson, and Jenner