DarthEbriate

Do unto Canes as you done unto Pens.

So you sense some VO coming to rescue us once again?

Unless of course, the refs only call trips for the home team.

If Carolina isn't careful, the Sabres are going to speed run them right off the ice.

It's all he does.

Can that be called as holding the stick?

We can net you 2 goals now. Plus 15 by the time we reach Alderaan host Vegas. ++ 17? OK. You've got yourself a fan.

By the time we make the playoffs this season, Tage is going to be averaging 1G/1A per game. The playoffs will be a breeze. He'll earn a Conn Smythe to match ROR's. And all the puppies shall be healed.

Judge you by my size, do you? As well you should not. For my ally is the Concept of Kassian. And a powerful ally it is. The thing about size is it's useful if properly applied. But we're fast. We're fast enough to beat size and fast enough to beat regular fast. Speed (play + mental) crushes size. And big + speed (play + mental) is better than regular fast. We're getting there. We're big, fast, and we're learning to play faster and think faster. That's exciting. The physicality, initiating contact, initiating mental intimidation through physical contact... that we won't know with this team until they get a taste of the playoffs. How do they adapt and change? Who can handle it, who can't? But don't worry about that yet -- that's part of the journey, but that's the Second Act and we're still super early in the First.

Plus the shiny new coach effect. Trouble is, it's a really good team, so I don't expect it to wear off. They're also getting great goaltending from Ullmark and the offense is good enough to cover for Swayman's poor showings thus far.

There's a lot of issues at play that reduce the available workforce pool that we wrestle with for this line of work (linemen/gas/utility workers) that contribute to "kids these days!". 1) Public schools no longer have shop classes. Kids don't get 2-5 years of building an aptitude for mechanical work, problem-solving, and the opportunity to hone a craft on the side, or learn skills they might not be able to practice at home, even if they stink at chemistry or whatever. I also lament losing music/art classes in school too, because similarly it reduces that opportunity to hone a craft and providing dedicated time at school to it free from life/family time. 2) Screen-time/immediacy. Everyone has a phone and everyone has apps for entertainment, which gives instant access and gratification. Kids are conditioned for years to think a minute out, not 5 years, or 30 years (and retirement) out. 3) Screen-time; quick cuts. Really like 2b, but the instant access is also reflected in pacing and cuts in every single media outlet. Especially in electrical work, you need to stay cut in for extended periods otherwise you can get killed or get your coworker killed, and young brains aren't being conditioned to focus intently on the same thing with situational awareness for extended periods. That said, the positive is they can multi-task and schedule/plan and coordinate things really really well. 4) People are getting married older instead of early 20s (even late teens) and needing to provide a good salary immediately for a family. It's a lot easier to selfishly think about that new car, mortgage, (craft beer!), and hanging with other unmarried/untethered friends when you don't have a family to support. And that means you want a similar schedule to them, storm pay be damned. 5) Working outside is tough; and being a lineman is a whole bunch easier when you're 6'2"+ and a strapping stud. There are a ton more factors in the reduction of the work pool and interest... but there's a lot of social conditioning that makes money less important and a skill/craft-based person more difficult to attain/retain. And yes, these are all generalizations on the populace as a whole. And I say all this with the addendum: I don't like having to work more than 40 hours a week, either. Particularly when there are Sabres games or the weather is nice out or when work can be more efficiently done and you don't need to spend extra time dawdling on stuff. And there's this. I'm not an immigrant, but like many, my great- great-s were. They lived the American dream and "made it" to varying degrees. When they arrived, they worked whatever they could and learned the skills they needed and new language(s), etc., and probably had to deal with a bunch of garbage from the existing residents. (And they still deserve a competitive wage so that their kids can also live the dream and their great-great grandkids can get become the "kids these days who don't want to work".) Human motivation is an amazing way to help everyone around you, even the folks who don't want to see you helping them.

ENGs might pad stats, but ENGs mean you're winning. RE: VO. Other players have the opportunity to make the ENG, but VO puts them in from distance with authority. Dead center, sometimes midway up the net. None of this letting the puck slide and wobble on edge and go wide and end up as an icing. VO EN snipes. Plus... Gimme Gimme Gimme at home for song and dance. Gotta put on some blue pants, otherwise the colored triangles on the sweater just chunk down to nothing. It doesn't flow. The game highlights were fun. And here's where the fun continues. @ CAR -- very good team. 1st back-to-back of the season @ TB - how will the Sabres' legs and speed look on the back-end on the road? Will they look like PIT in the 3rd? Vs. ARZ - a potential trap game against an on-paper and Corsi very bad team starting a 14-game road trip. Vs. VGK. You must face Jackikin Eichwalker again. Then, only then, a Sabre will you be. Fantastic team thus far this season. (And what makes ARZ the truest definition of a trap game.) The #2 team in the NHL (right now) - one of 2 teams with a better goal differential than Buffalo. Vs. BOS. It all builds to the showdown with the #1 team in the division and NHL (right now). The other team with a better goal differential. Accelerate to attack speed. This is it, boys.

Still high because it's payment for an entire season and no GM is out of it yet and they're not yet ready to go for futures. You could maybe find a cap-tight team to free up some space so they can make additional depth moves later in the season. Everything else will be for the bottom-pair guys (Bear), or you're looking for a big time trade --- but again, very few teams are looking for the F futures we can provide this early in season, and if they're already tanking then having a single mid-level vet defenseman already in their lineup isn't going to win games anyway. I would kick the tires on a 4th for Arber Xhekaj for the name alone. Edit: 5th/6th. He was undrafted and just made it to the league.

I'm not seeing it on the Hulu upcoming list. Plenty of professional kabbadi, though.

My macrobinoculars thing to scan of the game tonight: Crosby's (and yes, I guess there are other Penguins) forechecking vs. any defender not named Dahlin. How effectively can we exit the zone and start plucking the Pens?

TNT on TNT, eh? No live coverage on ESPN+. ++I'm hit. I can't stay with you live, boss. Get clear, me. You can watch it later online there. ++Sorry.

If you acquire a veteran who can be a top 4 level guy, then sit Bryson and Fitz. Carry 8 and rotate those two in as needed for rest days and recovery from blocked shots, etc. They're both showing to be solid NHL depth at this point.

Sometimes I ignore myself. The constant references and altered names.... Power was getting caught pinching and misplaying the puck early (OTT/FLA), and once he learns how to play the body without drawing an interference penalty, his game will really open up further. But for now, with his reach and skating he can back off and on handle the rushes. This one he broke up beautifully... just deflected the puck the wrong way. There was another 1-on-1 rush a few games back (Alberta somewhere?) where he simply used his reach to nab the puck right away from the opposition's stickhandle. We've gotta give him more time.

It took all of 2 games for Tage's shot percentage to de-regress to above last season's (edit: unsustainable) mark.

Even the hockey guy is in on the act these days. He knows the Sabre Wars Original Trilogy is underway.

Levi (Leia) and Tuch (Luke) are the first of trade children of Jackikin and Reino. Okie is Old Kyle. Kylo Ben. Oky-lan Posobi. Many variations on the captaincy and Dadness.

Missed it live, but... good game. I'm thinking I'm starting to realize that Tager is Chewbacca, making Skinner the Solo figure. It might all still make sense.

Definitely not Laaksonen. At this point, it almost has to be a waiver claim (like Wolanin last year) where it's a temporary Buffalo venture. When the starters get back, you re-waive and the other team takes him right back and sends him to their AHL squad as initially planned. The alternative is a trade. But it's early in the season and no one wants to give up hope yet (even Vancouver has won a couple now), so no one's throwing away a veteran defensive D for a 3 or 4 yet. OR -- you've got to give up a real asset to go get someone with some future term and/or potential. Adams hasn't done that yet with anyone who "wants to be here".

Are you ready, Legion of Doom? Here come the Buffalo Sabres. Speed kills. They're a combined -5. Transition fast and run and gun them. LeClair-Lindros-Renberg they are not.

If he can't beat out Bryson/Pilut, then he won't be stepping into very many top 6s in the league next season, either. (And I'd still want him starting for half a season in the AHL anyway.) But, yes, he'd definitely be logging 20 minutes/night for the Sabres right now.