Pimlach

Byram got dominated, the forwards were not supporting, and UPL did rise up.

Big giveaway in the d zone

The probably never looked for a head hit. Why did Tuch get instigator? McCabe dropped them first. Why did Tuch get 10?

Well Tuch went at him. McCabe was already looking for trouble. I didn’t like McCabe’s hit on Byram who was in a vulnerable position.

Ok. Tage we needed that.

Nether does Geertson. We don’t have ready to play forward help in Rochester. Rosen has not shown anything in the past, Östlund not standing out so far, maybe Helenius gets a look next. Get Kozak, Danforth, Greenway back, that would help a lot.

Terrible power play. Quinn salvaged two shots at the end, otherwise terrible at zone entry.

Swapping Kozak for Dunne is a big drop. Greenway coming back will help.

Good PK

Dunne is slow, which is why he got called for that.

McCabe really turned into a solid defenseman. It takes time.

Team defense is going to have to limit the shots on goal tonight. I just don't see how one game in Rochester is enough for him to be ready? Ok Uppie, make me a believer. Yes, the had a string of games like that, chase out the starter and fall apart while losing to the backup.

This hurts. Since when was Ellis "not feeling good"? Looking at this: Luukkonen career vs. Leafs: 0-5-1, .833 save percentage, 4.56

Certainly, Lyon has given them a chance in every game. What else is new? Benson's emergence as a force, Doan being a top 6 contributor, Timmons performing well, improved play from Muel and Quinn, solid play from Rosek and the entire 4th line. Special teams improving. The top guns are starting to make a little noise now, there is more than ample incentive for Thompson and Tuch to play well - Olympic opportunities may not always be there. Dahlin is in a difficult situation right now but his play is still pretty solid, as is Byram. They should get better as the season goes on, especially if Kesselring and Greenway are positive contributors. Can Lyon keep it up and what will they do with UPL/Ellis? It sounds like they are going to play 3 goalies. If Ellis and UPL both play well then they have an opportunity to make a move to improve the roster and really go for the playoffs. The goalie situation is in interesting sidebar to the season. Having Ruff and Jarmo here to manage it, rather than Adams alone, gives me some hope.

Quinn has been aggressive in the offensives zone, on the attack, which is the best part of his game. When he plays like this it leads success for him and his line. Zucker is a guy that seems to be a good complimentary winger for Quinn. When Quinn vanishes he stops creating offense, and because he does not play a strong 200 ft game he appears to not be doing anything at all. Unlike Tuch, who can be in a goal scoring lull and still be a solid contributor in the d-zone, or block shots, and play the PK, and take advantage of his size and reach in other ways. Quinn has none of that. So I would be pushing Quinn to attack the offensive zone with shots and passes, and to get his body to the net - get off the perimeter and go were the goals are. He has to bring the game that he has, offensive skills, he needs to play stronger and win those puck battles, even when the other team is trying hard to shut it down. He is 24, its time to be a man out there.

He is pretty close to batting .000 but he hit on the Byram/Mitts trade. If Peterka didn't ask to be moved would the Sabres had pursued Kesselring or Doan in separate trades? That would be interesting to know, but our insight is limited so you have to look at whatever happens is now part of the collective of Adams + Ruff + Jarmo. Prior to that it was Adams with some inputs from Granato.

Good move. No brainer actually.

When I was in my school days being a 3 letter athlete was very hard to do and was a lofty goal for some. I had a friend make it as a pitcher in MLB, and he had a good career. He also lettered in basketball and football. He was a star in all three. We didn’t have much off season sports in WNY back in the olden days. He only played baseball in spring and summer, but he made it. Times have changed.

Come on, man. You never miss an opportunity to take a shot at the kid.

Good start for the Jays. They have momentum. The Dodgers will try to bury that game and come back.

And why would sitting out help him? Sitting him out is isolating him from something he loves doing. He may already feel isolated due to the situation with his partner. He could become preoccupied by it. I think that maintaining his responsibilities to the team, being actively involved in helping his team, and being among some of his closest friends on the team is actually good for him. He cannot fix her. He can make her feel better by being who he is. And if he does feel the need to get away I suspect he would get full support from Lindy, Adams, and Terry.

Ok, the team is playing better and confidence is building. They have an opportunity to gain points on the dreaded Maple Leaves. Ellis should be starting again, he earned it. UPL had the shortest conditioning assignment in the NHL. Who gets the net? I would love to see the first line collect a bunch of goals and the Sabres run away with it. Instead goaltending will probably decide tonight’s game.

I was not impressed with Östlund in the Toronto game. He was not physical enough. Hope he steps up more tomorrow.

Benson gets penalties because he is involved. He also draws penalties.