JohnC

I am perplexed. It appears that the coach was perplexed. It seems as if the compulsive Levi prefers placing his water bottle upside down in the holder. I guess it was leaking. So the referee ordered that it be removed. What's interesting in this inexplicable episode is that instead of placing the water bottle right side up, he instead took his drink when he was by the bench. Goalie's can be eccentric and compulsive in their behavior. As long as he plays well I have no problem with his eccentricities.

If you are referring to the water bottle issue, it is that the referee took away Levi's water bottle from the holder on the top of the net. On the broadcast it was said that it was leaking so it was removed. It seems as if Levi wants his bottle upside down in the holder. The referee said no, not allowed. It still is perplexing to me.

Don't take any of the mocking personally. What you will find is that the posters whose views you find reasonable and insightful, even if you disagree with them, are not the same people who childishly throw slings at others. You have to ignore some people and give credibility to those who deserve it. If you have been here for a while, it won't be too difficult to discern what category the posters belong in. The best posters show their hockey smarts more when the team is swooning than when it is shining. I appreciate your comments.

Attached from a Sabres.com link is the coach's postgame and short locker room comments. He was asked about Levi's water bottle issue he seemed to be perplexed by the referee's decision. Also, within the page you can find the scoring highlights. https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/don-granato-postgame-4823/t-277822760/c-16491424

There is nothing unusual about coaches tightening up the bench at the end of a game, mostly for defensive purposes. Okposo, Girgs, Tuch etc. and our top two pairs were on the ice taking the time away from the less-proficient players on defense. I saw Lyubushkin on the bench in the third period. He didn't seem very happy. For the coach, it is doing what you have to do to win without worrying about feelings.

The Dahlin stick block was the play of the game. Not only did it prevent a goal but it led to a goal for us on the other end.

Attached is the standings taken from NHL.com https://www.nhl.com/standings/2022/wildcard

Just some quick impressions on the game. I didn't see the first period but saw the clip on Mitts first period score. Dahlin would get my first star. And Mitts would get my second star. The third star goes to Levi. The hit of the game was Spellman's hit along the boards that drew a penatly. The pass of the game was Dahlin's pass to Mitts for his second goal. The second best pass was Skinner kicking the puck to Mitts who backhanded it in. Keep shooting Skinner! The play of the game was Dahlin's using his stick to deflect a shot from a Carolina player who had an open net. Anyone who has any issues with Mitts is simply being stubborn about him. Carolina is not a flashy team. They are a tough and rugged team that relentlessly grinds it out for the whole game. We matched them at the compete level. Carolina is a good team. But when you watched this game you can't come away and say that they were the better team. With good and consistent goaltending, which Levi provides, our team is elevated. The crowd was into this game; and the crowd is into Levi. The fans recognizes what he does for this team. The coach putting Mitts on the first line is paying off for the player. Tage playing well on another line shows his versatility. The Sabres are acquiring enough top twoline players that allow for mixing, maxing and experimenting with line. This was a good win. It's especially good to see a filled building with enthusiastic fans.

I don't know how you came up with your interpretation that I said that you were not optimistic.

Both sides of the issue were at fault. The signature bridge faction wanted their more expensive rendition of a bridge, and the environmentalist and anti-pollution faction didn't want more cars in their area. The companion bridge and a more functional and scaled down bridge would have been a good compromise. The bottom line is the interested parties couldn't come up with a compromise that was suitable. And as you noted, the clock ran out.

It's just maddening how absurd it ended up. I place the majority of blame on the nihilists who were fanatically determined to stop anything from getting down. There is a DC developer, Douglas Jemal, who has established an operation in western NY, where he has been involved in many regional projects. There isn't a developer in the country who is more accommodating and willing to modify his proposals in order to get his projects approved and moved on. His signature project was the Seneca One Building. When he entered the picture on that project that building was one of the tallest buildings, outside of NYC, in the state. It was mostly vacant for at least twenty years. Before he got involved there were a number of attempts to invest in the building and bring it back to life. None of them worked out. The nihilists fought him before he finally won approval and got started on his multi-year and multi-faceted task. Not only is that building filled, but the surrounding area is very active and economically vibrant. He also took over the stalled Statler project after Croce died. He won approval for his plans. Slowly but steadily, the project of restoring a building that had been dormant for a quarter century, is being revived. People like him are doers. The best sentiment to express to this impressive developer is a community expressed: Thank you!

Attached is a WGR link with Shayna Goldman on the SabresLive Show. The focus of this 16 min discussion was about the goalie situation for next year. The issue according to her and Marty Biron is the style of play that puts the goalies in a vulnerable position. She seems to argue that it would be a mistake to pursue major upgrades at the position because she's not sure that they will be available or worth the costs. At the end of the discussion Marty points out that a more defensive emphasis needs to be made on team defense than on pursuing outside talent. He thinks that Comrie is still a viable goalie for us. At the end of the segment there was talk about Mitts and his contract value. She was considering somewhere in the range of $4.2 M on a medium length deal. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live

I agree with the thrust of your post but not all of the details of your post. I have no problem with Rousek moving up to replace KO if he decides to retire. Because of the unique situation of Savoie not being able to play in the AHL, I agree with you that he will probably make the roster. It makes more sense to me to keep Kulich and Rosen in the AHL and give them a lot of playing time. Where I slightly disagree with you is why wouldn't the GM offer a contract to Jost and Zemgus? Jost shouldn't cost much, and Zemgus is a veteran presence who is respected in the room. He plays hard and with heart. He's certainly not a primary player but he is a solid player who is also a glue guy. As you noted it is going to be interesting to see how ready Savoie is for the big league. I hate the rule, although understand why it exists, that doesn't allow a prospect like Savoie to play in the AHL. What's evident to me is that the pieces are falling in place. There are some obvious needs to be addressed but for the most part the rebuilding is being done in-house, and that is how the GM mostly wanted it to go. How can one not be optimistic about this team? Just think how dampened our spirits were two years ago when Krueger was steering the leaky ship!

You don't have to worry about a Peace Bridge project in the future because it has been extinguished in the ash heaps of righteous and unyielding principles. What's the saying: Something from nothing is nothing. There was a time in that interminable debate where something was ready to get done. Then each side hardened their positions and ran out the clock. There were those on one side who wanted a more costly and grander "signature" bridge while on the other side were the nihilists who wanted nothing, despite the fact that the properties along Busti Ave. were mostly bought out by the government. A good compromise would have been a more functional companion bridge to what currently exists. That's why I have no complaints with the new stadium getting built in Orchard Park and the process involved. It got done!

You have a wonderful description of Skinner: "He's a pretty clean kind of pest...." He's become one of my favorite players. He adds some fire and emotion to this team. A year or so ago, the narrative on him was that his value would never come close to matching his sizeable contract, and that he was a cap albatross that we couldn't give away. That narrative has dramatically changed to the point where he is a critical player to this emerging team. Coaching matters!

There is no question that the proposed Arizona project is much greater and complex than the Buffalo stadium project. My point with my previous post is that all the parties here were aware of not only what could be done but also what realistically couldn't be done. The Buffalo stadium project was a simple project compared to the grander and more multi-faced project in your area. Let's not forget that in the Buffalo area simple projects have a history of getting stalled due to intransigence. A classic example of that was the Peace Bridge project that was fought over for a generation. In the end, the project died because sides were not willing to make the necessary compromises. That didn't happen here. The timeline here was short. The disputes were worked out. The new stadium will get build. There is a saying that is very applicable here: Don't let perfect be the enemy of the good.

KA gave up a minimal amount of assets to help build up the lower half of the roster and add more depths. Spellman and Jost are lower half roster players. I'm open-minded about Greenway who I consider a third liner. It won't be a surprise if Rousek is on the team next year. You can see that the upper lines and pairings are filling out. Upgrading that lower half of the roster is critical in creating a well-rounded and deeper team. What's evident is that the pieces are falling into place.

I agree with you that the Sabres need additions to that unit. That's obvious. But our problems on defense are not only associated with our defensemen. Our forwards are not particularly detailed in handling their defensive responsibilities. Too often, the coverage in the defensive zone is too loose giving up too much open space in the middle, just above the net. There is no doubt that Granato emphasizes offense over defense. He's been candid about that. Next year, along with a player or two added to the blueline unit, there has to be a better balance between having an offensive/defensive mindset. It's a work in progress; it takes time.

Even after there were a few deflected goals off of his own players, I never felt that Levi was flustered. He has such a mature makeup that is a able to handle and forget misfortune. He's going to be our #1 goalie next year.

Some quick thoughts on this game: The Sabres were too sloppy in their end. The Lyubushkin to Jost in their zone pass was egregiously bad. The score didn't reflect how well Levi played. He made a number of big time saves. One goal was off of Power where he had no fault. Too many times Levi was put in a vulnerable position. I thought Mitts had another good game. He made a nice pass to Greenway for a score. Tuch was tough throughout the game. The pass of the game was Okposo feathering a pass to Girgs for the redirect. Pretty play. The Sabres committed too many penalties. I thought the officiating was erratic. The problem was not calling penalties when they were obvious. The coach jumbled the lines. He put Mitts with Tuch and Skinner, and had Tage with Cozens, JJ and sometimes with Greenway in JJ's spot. Greenway is not a flashy player but he is a solid player. He is growing on me. He should be better with a full offseason. The Sabres have accumulated a number of first and second line players that can be mixed and matched. Dahllin played 30 minutes in this game. Wow. Power is good now and will soon be a stud defenseman. In the last seven games the Sabres have gone 5-1-1. They are fighting to the end. The Sabres should end up with 87-90 points. Last year, they garnered 75 points. The negativists don't see that as progress. I do. Levi is going to be our #1 goalie next season. A win is a win. I'm happy.

Sometimes a stop looks like it is routine because the goalie has great instincts and is able to anticipate a play to be in great position for the stop. Although he is young he is very composed. What you don't see from him is a lot of scrambling; what you do see is an economy of movement.

If you look back to when Krueger was dismissed and Granato replaced him, what has been accomplished during KA's short there year tenure is remarkable. The organization was rebuilt, the roster was reshuffled and added to, and the once depleted farm system is now rated as one of the most robust farm systems in the NHL. Some people are unwilling to see the progress even when it is in front of their unhappy countenance.

With respect to the NHL, the standard way of rebuilding a roster is following the method that the Sabres are undergoing. You get rid of your more expensive older and established players for future assets. Then you develop then. There is nothing new about it. Toronto, Ottawa, Detroit, Jersey, Tampa. Colorado etc have followed the same process. There is nothing new about it.

The Orchard Park stadium has been in existence for a half-century. It had gone through a number of costly rehab jobs. The current facility simply has run out its lifespan, as all stadiums eventually do.

I remember the Bass Pro Shop saga differently. There was a lot of excitement about a mega Bass Pro Shop being located where the old aud use to exist. The hope was that it would attract a large number of people to the area, as it has done for other stores. What happened is that there was a not-so-firm agreement from the owner/s Johnny Morris and Bros that the project would move forward. There was a lot of hope but no action. And of course, there was a resistant faction to the project that I'm sure was a factor in the tepid response of the owners of the business. Ironically, after the failure of the project to materialize, there was a determination by the political establishment and the business community to get something done to better utilize the waterfront area. So a comprehensive plan was made, and for the last 25 years or so, the plan has steadily and organically been implemented. When I grew up that area was wasteland that was used for parking. Now, it is my understanding that it is well developed, with projects that are still in the works. If my memory is inaccurate, I would appreciate being corrected.