26CornerBlitz

This week doesn't present any great matchups.

NFL Teams are Getting Smarter and Better on Fourth Downs One of the hallmarks of last year’s Super Bowl champion Eagles was their aggressiveness on fourth downs: Eagles coach Doug Pederson listened to the analytics experts who have been saying for years that teams should go for it on fourth down more often, and the result was Philadelphia leading the league in fourth-down conversion and winning the title. The NFL is a copycat league, so it’s no surprise that this year, more teams are getting smarter about going for it on fourth down — and better at converting when they do go for it. In 2017, NFL games averaged 1.89 fourth-down attempts per game, and offenses picked up the first down on 46.4 percent of fourth-down attempts. So far this year, NFL games are averaging 2.0 fourth-down attempts per game, and offenses are successful on 62.5 percent of fourth-down attempts. In other words, NFL teams are getting a little more aggressive about going for it — and a lot better at picking up the first down when they do go for it. That indicates that offenses are spending more time installing fourth-down plays, and getting smarter about calling them at the right time.

May he R. I. P.

Bills Today: Micah Hyde: We Have to Play Our 'A' Game

From the Locker Room: Sabres-Canadiens Jeff Skinner and the Sabres continued their remarkable run on Friday, rallying to beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. Skinner provided the game-tying and game-winning goals, the latter of which came with the man advantage, giving him a league-leading 17 goals. Casey Mittelstadt opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the season. Hear from Skinner, Mittelstadt and Zach Bogosian after Buffalo's victory.

Yep. It was a fun contest at the end, but not the best shot making from either.

Post-Game Report: 11/23 vs. Montreal Final Score 1st 2nd 3rd OT SO Final SOG Canadiens (11-7-5) 0 1 1 0 – 2 33 Sabres (15-6-2) 1 0 1 1 – 3 40 Game Summary Event Summary Top Notes The Sabres are now on their first eight-game winning streak since the team won its first 10 games of the 2006-07 season. Their 9-1-0 record in their last 10 games is also their best 10-game stretch in a season since the beginning of the 2006-07 season. Buffalo now has points in eight straight games for the first time since they had points in nine in a row (7-0-2) from March 10 to 27, 2012. The Sabres are now on their first five-game home winning streak since they won seven in a row from Nov. 28 to Dec. 15, 2014. The team’s 8-2-1 record at home this season puts them on pace for its best home record since the 1979-80 season (27-5-8). The win gives the Sabres their first four-game winning streak against divisional opponents since Nov. 15 to Dec. 2, 2014. The Sabres have won all three of their matchups with the Canadiens this season and are now on their first three-game winning streak against Montreal since the Nov. 28, 2014 to Feb. 3, 2015. Jeff Skinner scored his 16th and 17th goals of the season and finished the game tied with David Pastrnak for the league lead this season. With his goal today, Casey Mittelstadt now has a point in each of his three games against the Canadiens this season (1+2). Conor Sheary’s assist on Mittelstadt’s goal has extended his point streak against Montreal to four games (2+2). Tonight’s Goaltenders Tonight’s Stats Team Goaltender Decision SV% GAA Canadiens Niemi O .925 2.85 Sabres Hutton W .939 1.90 Updated Season Stats Team Goaltender Record SV% GAA Canadiens Niemi 4-2-1 .893 3.61 Sabres Hutton 11-6-1 .919 2.53 Post-Game Audio Sabres head coach Phil Housley Sabres forward Jeff Skinner Sabres forward Jack Eichel Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian Sabres goaltender Carter Hutton Canadiens head coach Claude Julien Canadiens forward Andrew Shaw Canadiens defenseman Brett Kulak Canadiens defenseman Jordie Benn

FINAL: Canadiens 2 - Sabres 3 (OT) Jeff Skinner scores twice as Buffalo wins its 8th game in a row in dramatic fashion. FINAL STATS // STAY TUNED FOR POSTGAME COVERAGE Game Summary Event Summary Full Play By Play Sabres Ice Time

I certainly wasn't going to pay. Free is for me.