Pimlach

Do you think Karlsson is the favorite? He is 11 points ahead of Dahlin as of today. If Dahlin helped lead the Sabres to the playoffs and finished 2nd in points that might sway the voters.

You do know your predictions do not ever end well. I thought you were a school teacher?

I think Dahlin leveled him in the open practice? The one with the intra-squad game. I was there, hard to recall now who hit who. Time flies. Looks like Pekar is never going to be the next Barnaby.

TNT coverage. Let’s show them our improved team defense and goaltending while still filling the Carolina net. Big game. Get a Dub before the break.

What changes over time is the "something unpopular" part. Some things that were acceptable and common decades ago might be considered abhorrent today.

He has played 17 games, he has been hurt and still is hurt. Without knowing the extent of the injury he may not be worth renting. Next, who's place does he take? Who would he be better than right now? Pass

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/team/dear-buffalo-dahlin

In the older days, like the Imlach and Bowman era, there were probably not too many players that could openly talk to and probe the Coach and GM. Maybe Tim Horton to Punch, or Gil to Scotty, but open communication within the right protocol is common today. The last interview that I heard with Adams, he said he learns a lot about the team by talking directly to Kyle. Dahlin has a letter and he is in line for the C. He can probably have that conversation in the right forum, and in the right way, and not have any problems. Adams is new school.

And he had nothing to lose, we didn't have many centers to begin with.

I don't think it is a plea to management, he can talk to Adams any time, I think he could be rallying the fan base to fill the rink.

I am going to the Calgary game. Another matinee. Hope it is packed to the max.

I guess he meant Cliff Notes. Unless he means Coles on Elmwood.

Great comments Promo. Few coaches do it, partly because the pressure is on to win now, right now, a coach might have maybe 3 years on average. Vegas is 6 years old and they are on their 3rd coach. And they are considered a "successful" franchise. Granato was part of a rebuild program in Buffalo that was going to take the time needed to develop a core, not to trade for a core. He really fit the bill. We expected Dahlin to be in the core, we hoped Cozen could develop and be a core player, and Power was a pretty safe bet at FOA to be a core player. Thompson is the piece that most did not see. Tuch is playing at his highest level. Has Jost ever played any better in the NHL than he is now? Krebs is taking advantage of any opportunity he gets. What about Olofsson and Mitts and Joker? How did Samuelsson get so reliable after a half season of NHL play? This is incredible work by the coaching staff and the FO. It took a lot of growing pains to get here ... and more growing pains are coming if they are going to climb the ladder to playoff team, then even more rungs to division winner and legit contender. KA and DG give players a chance. The players talk. Coming to Buffalo to play hockey is going to be a good thing once again, unless you are the visiting team that is. After reading the Dahlin letter I think that Wednesday night will be electric downtown. I got my tickets for the Calgary game, which is the next time I am in town.

When I was a very young boy I liked him because he was really good at hockey. That is all I knew about him. Take the Russian press incident away. There is still more than enough out there were Hull comes of very bad. Bad in any decade, and through any lens that I have looked and lived through.

Wow. What a nice letter. This team just might make a good run. Now you see why Adams has to be careful with who he adds and subtracts from this group. Not saying he should sit idle, but he needs to do his homework on trades and acquisitions. yes. most of them

When I first got into ice hockey Hull was a super star with the big slap shot and he had set the goal scoring record for 58 goals in a season. He was a must see player when the Sabres came to town in 1970. When you broke a hockey stick you went out and bought a plastic end to replace the wooden blade. Great for street hockey because the plastic lasted a very long time. You could heat the plastic over the stove and then bend a curve into the blade. Many of us put big curves in - what we called "Bobby Hull banana curves" on our sticks. I don't really know if Hull actually used a big curve, but in my neighborhood he somehow got the notoriety for it. Of course when your slap shots consistently go flying harmlessly over the net, and you cant take a backhand shot or make a pass, you realize you have to get back to the stove and tame that curve a bit. LOL 😂 After awhile I started hearing about his off ice problems. Lots of drinking, smoking, and carousing in those days. Later the stories just got worse. Not sure I believe the Russian press Hitler story but usually, were there is smoke there is fire.

I worry they go on a vacation and then take a few games to get going. Maybe the rest helps? We will find out.

Krebs with the Kids. Carolina might like that. Those are the three forwards DG has been most likely to shelter. Cozens covers for the Kids and he plays shifts for both Krebs and Jost under normal circumstances.

Agree. I don’t like the slow start we get after the All Star games. Too many days off. More reason to get 2 points at home versus a Carolina team that should be tired. I really want to beat that team in front of our fans. It’s a big game.

If I were coach - You play Asplund and you expect him to handle more than 7-8 minutes, he should be much more ready to go after a game and a few practices. Vinnie has to clear waivers again if he gets sent down, so for 1 game it is not the risk of losing an experienced forward with the playoff run coming. If TNT sits you move Cozens to line 1, assuming he plays, to try to keep it a strong line. I don't think DG liked what he saw with Aspie centering the kids so maybe you move Jost up to that line? Leave the Krebs line alone to have some continuity. Put Aspie with VO and Mitts. I don't see the point in looking at Kulich to play on a makeshift line for a single game. Asplund has been there all season, lets hope he can step up when needed.

The Pegula's completed the building of a new trophy room at the First Niagara Center to hold the record number of Cups won from 2024 to 2033. Team leaders Dahlin, Power, Cozens and Thompson will be on hand to dedicate the room before they suit up for another run at the Cup. In other news, Dan Dunleavy and Rob Ray are honored by the NHL for excellence in Hockey broadcasting.

I doubt they will say since it tells us specifics. He has looked a little bit slower and less involved in recent weeks. He might have a few nagging issues, most players do by this time of year.

They have 10 days off after Wednesday. I would like to get those two points from Carolina in our building. I am concerned about a slow start after the All Star break. Depending on what is going on with them, I would be playing them Wednesday - Cozens and Muel will have had 5 full days of rest. Not sure what TnT needs, they are keeping that one quiet. Every point is critical now.

Agree. Asplund was naturally a bit rusty in place of Cozens but they played well enough as a group to beat Minnesota in regulation (even if they didn't). I was surprised that DG did not use Asplund on the PK.

Yes, there are questions surrounding both KO and Z. Money is a factor, term is a factor. If we lose both and replace then with rookies from within I think we are going to go through another big learning adjustment. Maybe even a year of less growth in terms of W/L? How young can we be up front is the key question? This year we have 3 rookies (Quinn, Peterka, Power) and 3 sophomores (Muel, Krebs, UPL) in the lineup. Next year maybe 2 more rookies to go with the 3 sophomores? That is 8 kids fed into the system in a couple of years. And maybe we see Johnson at D for a trial next season too? Without KO and Z and Andy the oldest vets are Skinner and VO. We will see how the team holds up in February. They are IN the playoff race right now and they will see the best from their opponents. Luckily, we have a core that loves to play hockey and wants to win! Exciting times are coming and what KA does between now and next October will be fascinating to see.