Doohicksie

Some people maintain both teams can't "win a trade." An important aspect of any trade though is the time phasing. The Sabres weren't ready to win when they dealt ROR. We thought the were but they weren't. The Blues were and ROR filled a critical need. So yes they won the trade; they got exactly what they wanted from it. But as it turned out, so did the Sabres... they got a foundational player who was not yet mature, and who is maturing just as the team is also maturing as a team. Perfect for us too. Win-..........Win.

Never let facts get in the way of a good narrative.

My knee-jerk reaction is JJ. Quin looks better since he's been back but I think JJ's game is naturally more complete. JJ ~= Cozens; Quinn ~= Olofsson. And I've probably never been more wrong about anything in my life. If Josh Allen played hockey.

It's the ***** internet. You should accustomed to that by now 😄 I get the sense he does more than he says he does, and more than the players realize he's doing. He doesn't allow them to go open loop, he keeps them grounded, even if he won't admit it.

Bills social media at it again.

That's an interesting question. I think from Granato's perspective (and he's said this several times), if the team plays the right way, the wins will come. He often says how little actually coaching he does in games, that the players figure it out themselves, which he takes as a gauge to how he's been coaching them in practices I think... or perhaps he's minimizing the role he does play in-game to put the spotlight on the players' accomplishments. But when this team is in the playoffs, will be able to "go to the whip" so to speak? Will he know how to get the something extra out of them? Or does he think that if he builds the right mindset the players will do that for themselves? I think when it comes to that point he will. He preaches stability but he's shown that he can tweak lines and defense pairings to elevate the teams' play. Okposo's been a fine addition to the top line, but end-of-the-season Okposo might not be nearly as effective there and I would expect Granato to put another winger there, likely Tuch but depending on how the other lines are clicking maybe it will Ollie or Peterka or Cozens or Asplund or Zemgus. I think when it matters Granato will answer the call.

That's tough because each of those players faced different situations as they came into the league.

Two points: Dahlin was dropped into a dysfunctional team with suspect coaching, a cliquey locker room and poor leadership Given that, I think he felt more motivated to live up to expectations now rather than give himself time to grow.

Odd, really, that people feel that if Krebs plays the fourth line he's a bust, but admire Asplund for his 2-way ability. I like the idea of having a shutdown line that can also pot a few goals now and again. I wonder if it's because Krebs came as part of the Eichel deal so people want/expect more out of him.

Not in that case though. The break was happening. He needed to get back.

I will say this about Owen Power: Rasmus tried to see what would work and made a lot of mistakes along the way by reaching for more than he was capable of. I think Power tends to play within himself. He makes mistakes but they tend to be "less spectacular."

That was what I said on Tage's second goal yesterday... that toe drag+shot just isn't fair.

I think Power was gassed too but knew he was last man back.

I should be so lucky.

With a bit of empathy, something I've been trying to cultivate, I can develop respect for people even when they make that..... challenging. I don't blame anyone for ignoring people who trigger them, but sometimes the folks who aggravate me do spur good discussion and bring up points I hadn't considered.

But you are *hoping*, amirite? 😄

I really think they're going to be better than they were at the end of last season when it's all said and done this year. Whether they make the playoffs will depend on consistency and keeping the valleys/losing streaks to a minimum. They've shown they can play against the best of the west. If they can play even .500 hockey against Boston/Florida/TO/TB and be the cream of the crop out of the rebuilding/emerging teams in the division) I think they'll make the --------. (I dare not say it yet.)

Dare I say Donny actually has an effective defensive system? I think the key is the whole team needs to play defense. When the forwards back check, when every one keeps tight gaps, the team looks good. When they play too far off their assignments they get running around and look foolish. One player doing that cascade through the team as other players stretch from their assignments to cover the weak link. That's why they occasionally look so bad defensively. The new guys have to adjust to that kind of tight checking, taking away space, instead of just gliding back and staying with their man. They need to force the other other team to move the puck before they're ready to prevent scoring opportunities and force turnovers. They did it pretty well last night. When the defense is effective it springs the offense. The Sabres are scoring a lot on the rush and that starts from defensive transition.

I use that feature but rarely keep people on it permanently; they either get banned or I unignore them once I've decided to take what they post with a grain of salt.

It's early. The term irrational exuberance comes to mind. I hope they can keep it up; right now I don't see why they wouldn't. It's crazy that we're arguing which forward should sit because we actually have more than we need and the guy who's sitting right now is a big contributor.

What’s worse is that’s gotta be someone else’s foot she’s putting in her mouth. I'm a little shocked to be honest that no foot fetishists are popping out of the woodwork.

Timing & chemistry. I really feel that's all it was. When to jump up, when to defend, how to know when Skinner is about to pass the puck and to where. Having faith that (now) Okposo has his back if they go in deep. Granato said in the last two post game interviews that off-season workouts, training camp and preseason can't recreate the tension of playing real regular season games. It's about working with linemates, about (re)developing a feel for the game. As much as Granato would have liked, he knew the team couldn't simply just pick up where they left off. About 10% of the season is behind us and the players are finding that mojo and more of them will be lighting up I think. We will be really good. But also remember all the other teams are going through the process and they could be really good too. But still, I like what I see. Also, remember that for players like Clague, Pilut, even Fitzgerald. They haven't played with the Sabres as much; they're still developing that timing too. And when Joki and Muel return they might not be fully up to speed for a game or two, even if injury isn't affecting their play. Tage addressed that too: "Sometimes they just all go in."

Gritty transcends NHL fandom.

This woman lives in Arkansas... but had a great costume for Halloween: