Doohicksie

I think I mentioned a while ago (before Levi was brought up for one game) that I think Kozak is done with the AHL. Sure he's the easy forward to move if you need to juggle the roster, but I think at this point he's NHL-ready. He's got the hustle and drive and for a guy just getting his first taste of regular NHL play, he seems very good at not getting bullied around; there were a few times where he got checked hard in the corner but managed to stay on his feet and come away with the puck. He is also pretty speedy. I don't expect 20 goals out of him, but I do think he has the ability to tilt the ice toward the opposing goal. I also think that when it's all said and done, Krebs will be on this team for the long term, and that he will continue improve, albeit at an incremental pace from here on out. It also seems like JJP and Kulich are starting to build some chemistry. If we could get Tage, Cozens and Tuch to consistently play with as much heart & hustle as Krebs, Kulich and Kozak, we'd have a team.

This fanbase will desperately cling onto any positive we can find.

The Sabres FO% seems to have improved significantly this year. In many games it's no longer a weakness. I know people like to bag on Krebs but he's put in the work to be an NHL regular. Not a top six guy but he's good in a bottom six role. And apparently on the power play lately? Maybe that's because he's most likely to win faceoffs and give the team possession. For the record, Tage took only one draw yesterday and lost it. Cozens was a respectable 50% on 8 draws. On the other side, Petterson was only 33%.

Kulich was 45% on the dot. Kozak and Krebs were 67% and 62% respectively. The team as a whole as 50-50 on the dot.

Holy *****!

Krebs is actually not part of the problem.

Been there, innit?

They started the 1st great. They started the 2nd asleep.