Doohickie

They ain't calling ***** tonight.

Huzzah!

Okay then.

(When Tage is playing) we now have two true #1 lines.

Just keep winning and wait for Pitt and FL to crater.

Really, just like Power's debut last year. There was some talk of drafting college players. The good part about them is that when you finally get them on professional ice, they're a lot closer to NHL-ready than 18-year-old prospects. They don't need as much development (kind of like the way NFL rookies are ready to contribute at the pro level immediately after college).

Yes, but much in the same way we hear, for instance, Olofsson's name. At this point he's not the player he once was and at this point I'll be disappointed if the Sabres sign him as a free agent. He is not where this team is going. Chaotic Good.

One thing Anderson said earlier in the year is that one thing that helped him stay in the league this long was his ability read the play and know where the shot is coming from. Comrie and UPL don't have that. They play the technical game of positioning and hoping the puck hits them. One game in, Levi seems to have that play-reading ability. He made a couple of saves in traffic that the other two wouldn't have made, actively saving the puck based on where he thinks it's coming from and going to based on the play. There were a few tonight that I thought, "How did he know that's where the puck was coming from?" when making saves in traffic.

Should have posted this earlier right after the game

Jeff was on a mission after the two no calls in regulation.

Levi is like a cat who has a cat for a glove.

Gah.

You mean this?

No, you're right.

No, you're right.

That was Cozens not too long ago.

I meant to take a half hour nap and set my alarm for an hour and a half... looks like I missed a

Either way we're good. The scorer of the Butt Goal versus the scorer of the Wild Scrum Goal.

It’s a comparison I’ve seen a lot. I think that's just what this D corps needs.

I lived in Detroit in the 1990s and they had a similar problem. The team was pretty good but goaltending let them down. I remember the fans chasing Tim Cheveldae with boos night in, night out. They wore him out, playing him in 72 (!) games. Look at the Wings goalie states from 1991-92: In 1993-94, not much better, but they saw promise in rookie Chris Osgood and gave him all they could: The following year they brought in 31-year-old Mike Vernon to mentor Ozzy and made it to the Cup finals in 1995 and the conference finals in 1996: They finally won it all in 1997 and 1998. Note that by 1997-98 Vernon was gone. Ozzy ended up playing in the NHL for 17 years, 14 with the Wings. I guess the point is... we might have our Osgood in Devon Levi. I think it's important to bring in a Mike Vernon. And my other point is that once the goalie situation was settled there was a very long period of success for the Wings. So you're right, @Pimlach: Goaltending.

You mean this Kevin Weekes?

I think our veteran leadership is already here, in the form of Dahlin, Tuch and Cozens. Yes I know Cozey is only 22 but his growth over the last year has been nothing short of phenomenal and whether he ever wears a letter or not, he is a leader on this team. Muel too. Quinn too. Only Tuch is of an age where you consider him a veteran but going with the youth movement have given these guys experience beyond their years. As for augmenting that, I think Boosh, Stillman and Greenway are the way to go, although I don't see any of them as long term Sabres. Rather than bringing in veteran leadership I think it's going to be more of a case of bringing in steady veterans to fill holes. In terms of roles on the ice I see steady vets backfilling Okposo and Girgs. Eventually it will be guys that kind of "age out" of their current roles on the Sabres and bump down a line or two (Mitts for example).