JohnC

I agree with most of your post. Where I slightly disagree with you is that I'm not willing to write of Comrie as a backup. As I see it, Levi is our #1 goalie with Comrie and UPL vying for the backup role. As @Flashsabre stated, the bigger issue is the two-way play of the players in front of the goalie. If the Sabres can play the tough brand of hockey that was displayed in the Colorado game, the goalie play will be better.

Vegas has a fuller (more talent) team than Buffalo does. That's why they are the SC Champions. The coach has to make decisions based on the talent he has. He's not going to rely on a strategy that is more suitable for another team than on his team. The unvarnished reality is that Vegas is a Cup contending team while we are a playoff contending team. From a roster standpoint, there is a big difference in talent and most notably, experience. Your comment that shortening the bench is a sign of lack of depth and trust. That's true; and that's exactly my point. That's the reason why most coaches shorten their benches at the end of the game when the circumstances dictate it. It is done to give the team the best chance to win.

You are grumpy every day. So how can we distinguish one grumpy day from another?

As I said before, shortening your bench is a standard approach that all teams use at the end of close games. Why do you think that some of our best players play on the PK that is now one of the better PK units in the league? Coaches get paid to adjust to the circumstances of the game. Shortening the bench at the end of tight game is a tactic that every team employs.

There is nothing unusual that coaches shortened their bench at the end of a game. It happens all the time. It's a routine practice that all coaches employ.

Shorting after you gorge on your beans there will be victims who will be repelled by the toxic aroma coming out of your lower aperture! 🤢

We currently have one of the better PKs in the league. What is the need for another forward when our system is stacked with forwards. The fighting issue makes no sense to me. Playing hard and tough has little to do with fighting. That's what we need more! For those who are enamored with fighting I recommend that you attend MMA events. Cozens got involved in a fight just to prove whatever he was trying to prove. He's fortunate that he didn't get a lingering concussion that would have kept him out for the rest of the season.

I want to thank you and the other followers ( @inkman, @K-9 and others) who keep us informed on the Amerks and their players. All of you are doing us a service. 🍺

Getting a lot of playing time in the AHL as prominent players on their team is the right course of action for these players. The organization has built up its talent base in its system where not rushing players is the right course of action for the players and organization. I'm not precluding any player from moving up this year. But the general approach of allowing players to mature as players and physically is the right thing to do. The GM is doing the right thing in giving prospects time to develop. It should be noted that when you look at players like Biro, Rousek and even Ryan Johnson you have to consider that these players are older and more physically developed than younger prospects such as Kulich and Rosen. When taking an overview perspective, how can you not be excited about this franchise when you consider the bountiful number of young players in Benson, Savoie, Kulich, Rosen, Ryan Johnson etc. Then add those prospects to young players already on hand, such as JJ and Quinn. KA has done a terrific job in rebuilding this franchise the right way. Stay the course!

My opinion: No.

I don't recall their goalie giving up a weak goal. The play of their goalie wasn't a reason why they lost. I thought he played a solid game.

Ryan Johnson didn't play a lot of minutes but when out there he played well. He has a simple and efficient game. He skates well and smartly makes the right play to get the puck out of his zone. I thought he made the pass of the game to send a release pass to Skinner who got into the offensive zone ahead of the play where he scored on one of his sniper long shots.

Some quick thoughts. It has to be remembered that this intensely played game by the Sabres was the second game on a back to back. It's aggravating that this team struggles to play a similar tough brand of two-way hockey at home. Levi is our #1 goalie. He kept us in the game against a potent Toronto team. JJ is getting better and better. I thought he played really well. Mitts also played well. I thought the key play for us was Tage scoring a short-handed goal. It seemed that every time Toronto scored, we quickly came back and answered with a goal. I don't think that Ryan Johnson got a lot of minutes but he was effective. He kept it simple. He's young but he has a mature game. I like him a lot. The pass of the game was his release pass to Skinner who scored. How can you not be happy for Tuch. He's a good player and a tough player. In general, great effort with the players playing for one another. The Philly loss in front of the home fans still rankles me.

My thoughts and prayers are with your wife, you and family. Sports are fun and a diversion. Sometimes we lose perspective over a game. I'm sure you haven't. Real life is real life. 🙏

We didn't play well. That's obvious. However, we won. Winning when not expected and losing when not expected are part of the vagaries of a long and grinding season. When the season concludes, what counts is how many points your team earned. We got two points out of this game. There were occasions last season when we outplayed the opposition and lost because of the stellar play of the other team's goalie. In this game, we were the recipient of quality netminding when the opponent outplayed us. I'll take it.

Your scenario is possible. But my sense from the reports on Levi is that it is likely that he will play the next game. We shall see.

Last year, the Sabres had three different 8 game non-winning streaks. If we can avoid those types of losing streaks, the Sabres will not have to put so much effort digging themselves out of the hole like last year.

Minimal. Levi is likely to be in net.

His goal and pass back to Power for a score were critical plays. @Pimlach had him as our second star in this game. His judgment was sound. What's impressive about TNT is that for a big man he can maneuver in tight spaces, as those two plays demonstrated.

Some quick thoughts on this game. UPL was the first star and won the game for us. In general, the Flyers outplayed the Sabres but were stymied by UPL. I thought Joki played well. We had no flow and little ice time in our offensive zone. TNT's goal was nifty. This big man can maneuver in tight spots. I thought his pass back to Power was a critical play. Our performance on faceoffs was atrocious. Biro played hard all game and was rewarded for his efforts. The play of the game was Joki blocking a shot with his hand when the goalie was in a vulnerable position was the biggest play in the game for us. We won a game on the road when we were outplayed. That's a good sign. If we get this caliber of goaltending on a regular basis, we will be in the playoffs. Now let's win on Friday and make it three wins in a row.

What game were you watching? His positioning and rebound control were superb. He was the first star by far. This may have been his best game as a Sabre. He stole this game for the Sabres.

I'm not making an assumption that any of our goalies currently are or will be at an elite level. Although I believe Levi can become that caliber of netminder. The success of our goalies is predicated on the defensive play of the players on the ice, including the forwards. The Sabres played one of their best all-around defensive games against Colorado with strong net presence and tight coverage that helped the goalie in maintaining the shutout. The goalies we got are likely to be the goalies that we will play. So this fantasy hockey search for some savior goalie is unlikely to happen. Vegas won the Cup last year with their fourth goalie option who had little history of success. The primary reason for Vegas to go on its successful run was the play in front of the goalie. That's what needs to happen here. It's going to be difficult to consistently replicate the defensive standard of play that was exhibited in the Colorado game. But that will be the key to this team's success. What we got in net is what we got in net. That's the reality that many people can't accept.

I'm not disagreeing with you that there will come a time when he is likely to be supplanted. I don't think it is now. I prefer seeing the youngsters get a lot of playing time in Rochester before moving up the ranks.

I'm not going to make a conclusive judgment just yet on Krebs. If it gets to the point where he is hurting the team, then of course he should be replaced. Last year, when he played with Okposo and Girgs he contributed to making it a good defensive line. He does have good vision and can set up his line mates. As you well know, there have been a number of players prematurely targeted as lost causes. He's still very young and hopefully there is an upside to tap into. There are a number of young prospects waiting in the wings. They are close to being ready but not there yet. Let's exhibit more patience with him.

It's indisputable that cost cutting was the main factor during this covid period. The cash flow during this extraordinary pandemic era was severely stressed. Ironically, the austerity movement that resulted in Botterill departing because he didn't want to be part of this business restructuring, that included the evisceration of the scouting department, is a reason why this organization has turned things around. Because of the challenging business environment, the owners had the hockey operation comprehensively examined. Apparently, it has resulted in a more analytical approach that has put this franchise on a more positive path. The scouting staff that was eliminated has been replaced with new staff who are more analytically attuned. There is no question that there is now greater coherency throughout the organization with everyone being on the same page. The owners learned that instead of lurching back and forth in their management approach, it made more sense to institute a plan and follow through on it. My sense is that the owners learned from their mistakes and now have a better understanding on how to oversee the franchise.