GoPuckYourself

Please trade Middlestadt for a defensemen who can actually play defense. It's like Carolina has a breakaway on every other play.

It's 3rd period so we got this, right?

2 solid teams duking it out to the end. May the best man win!

We may have some big players but the Hurricanes are pushing us around out there.

Middlestadt even takes punches terribly.

Finally, someone standing in front of the net, well done Krebs!

Unfortunately it's the normal Middlestadt giveaway that turns into a 2-1, then you see him doing the floating Eichel to get to the puck afterwards.

Bryson that was bush league.

I should have said at the very least a bridge until Levi gets here.

What an unbelievable performance by Thompson, I mean he looked like a man on a mission to score all 8 himself. It was also great to see Skinner show up big also. Asplund finally gets on board with a goal, good on him I really like how he plays in both ends. I was on the fence with the Comrie pickup in FA but I think he makes some really solid saves and may be the perfect guy to bridge why we wait for Levi to show up to the party. Dahlin again played fantastic, good to see these guys just showing up in big ways now.

We had a perfect chance last season at the deadline to deal Olofsson for a defensemen, I highly doubt we couldn't have gotten an upgrade to Bryson or even Jokiharju. Middlestadt has been in the top 6 and although displays talent, it's not enough to warrant him being in our top 6, like another poster said "he blocks a spot for 1 of our younger prospects" which I agree. Casey also is a turnover machine, I was wrong on Dahlin and I want to be wrong on him also but my eyes see what they see, a mediocre talent.

Can't get out of our own zone, nobody on our team stands in front of the net...NOBODY!, we always look for these pretty passes.

We have a bunch of passers on this team.

I'm sure Middlestadt will be on the 1st line for his horrible play once again. Oh look he's on the top PP line lol

So many turnovers by just about everyone. Power is having a tough start to this season.

Bryson, Middlestadt and Power are turnover machines right now, lucky that Tuch bailed us out with that beauty!

Ice time, right now it seems close but Middlestadt will get more ice time as the games go by. I'd much rather give that to Cozens who has way more upside imo. Right now Middlestadt 18:55 TOI to Cozens 16:23 TOI which definitely adds up per 82 game season.

I really hope so, it seems like he climbs the depth chart with every mediocre game he plays.

Middlestadt over Cozens? Man what does this guy have on Granato?

Great win for us out of the gate. Anderson was our saving grace in this 1, he was unbelievable. I feel the same about Middlestadt as I've felt last season, gives the puck away too much, not fast, not tough imo. But it's only game 1 so hears to hope. Jokiharju Is terrible at everything. I'm almost to the point where I think we should sit him that's how bad he is. Power was definitely shaky at best but he's still young and he might have that I need to do everything mentality right now. Samuelsson, Tuch, Cozens and Lybushkin are our only tough players, most others seemed to get knocked around fairly easy, I didn't notice Thompson out there most of the time, that's never a good thing but again way too early. Congrats to Peterka, hopefully that's 1 of many goals he gets. All in all I thought we were rusty at first and took us the period to get our legs back, that Peterka line was on fire and if Anderson can give us this type of play throughout the year then we're golden but at 42? that's alot to ask.

I like this signing alot, 4.28M for a wrecking ball and shutdown defensemen. I'm all for it!

I just saw what you had to say on it now, it's all very realistic questions that we'll have answered. I agreed with all but I think Power is going to be unbelievable in a great way. Just watching a small sample size he looked like a player who can be a driving force for us. The only game that i saw him really struggle was against the Blues, Tarasenko put a clinic on him but he does that to even the best players so I wont fault him there.

I'm trying to be realistic, I see around the same record as last year. I don't think Goaltending is strong enough yet, if we have any key injuries on defense then we'll be in trouble as we're pretty thin imo as far as depth. Plus a bunch of unknowns like Jeff Skinner (can he sustain what he did last season?), Tage Thompson (Had a career year by a mile), Kyle Okposo (Had his best year in a very long time, does he have anything left?). Of course I hope I'm wrong and we make the playoffs and I think we're definitely headed in the right direction but there are too many question marks this season.

You should say in Buffalo leadership does not equal hockey skills, I look around the league and I see otherwise..... Pitt- Crosby, TOR- Tavares, EDM-McDavid, WAS-Crosby, BOS-Bergeron, OTT- Tkachuk, TAM- Stamkos, SJ- Couture, FLR- Barkov, COL- Landeskog and the list goes on.