JohnC

The attached link is an article on two way players written by Alex Prewitt and taken from a SI site. It mentions players who are top tier two way players such as O'Reilly and Barkov, and others. It also mentions some players from earlier eras who top were elite two way players. This is not a short article but also not tiresomely long. You can skip through some sections. https://www.si.com/nhl/2019/10/02/two-way-forward-oreilly-barkov-sissons

The Sabres are +13 on five on five with a 7-1-1 record. There is more scoring balance than before and it is translating into wins. The Eichel line is not scoring at the rate hoped for on 5x5 but that doesn't mean that they won't get back on track in the near future.

The attached link is WGR's Paul Hamilton giving a quick and brief summarization of the game. I liked that he recognized Joki's play in this game. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/opinion/sabres-used-some-good-work-win-san-jose

When you are tired you are a free floater poster. That is so psychedelic. Are you sure that you didn't pop one of those LSD mind expanding pills last night? ?

The attached link is the current league standings. Besides our record what stands out is our +13 stat. That is second to Colorado's +14. That is a indicator that our record is not a fortunate fluke like it was with our early success last year. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2019/wildcard

I watched the first period and then the recap this morning. The player who has unexpectedly caught my eye this season is Jokiharju. He is getting better each game. You can see him playing with confidence and asserting himself more and more. What is so impressive about him is that for such a young player he plays with the poise of a veteran. He was a factor in two scores. Botterill should be arrested for felonious theft in his deal with the Blackhawks. You have to like what you see from the Mitts line. I'm sure most of the attention is on Mitts with his goal scoring but the player that I see steadily loosening up and playing better is Vesey. Jimmy V is known to be a slow starter but you can see him coming out of his shell and being a factor. His style of play is not flashy. It is more of a blue collar and straight line style of play. He was a good pickup by the GM. I said this before but the GM with his non-flashy additions has solidified this team. Johannson, Miller, Vesey and Joki are all positive additions. Olofsson who is also an addition from the system is a dynamo on the PP but hasn't been much of a factor on 5x5. I'm confident that he will come around. The one thing that I liked about the Sabres in this game is that there is a more net presence where most of the goals are scored. There is a big difference in that mucky area this year compared to the recent past. The feisty Skinner (another Botts acquisition) is one of the most effective players in the league in that congested area.

I don't how old Dave Thomas is but he looks likes he aged well. Does he live in the area or moved to a warmer climate? The kind manner in which he interacted with the 94 yr old women and picking up the tab shows how much of a fine fellow he is.

If you have garbage in one side of the house moving it to the other side of the house doesn't alter the intrinsic value of the garbage. There are plenty of times that what is said about a topic has been shut down by the monitors because it has run its course or it became a discourse in foolishness. And for that service I say thank you.

They are not in a position to say stop it. So I am speaking on their behalf. ?

What's the purpose of keeping it up anywhere? This topic has run its course to oblivion. What else is there to say about this tawdry episode?

Is Dave Boreanaz Dave Thomas's son?

I found a solution to my problem. The video doesn't work with Microsoft Edge but it does with Google Chrome. Try another program to see if this compatibility issue is resolved.

Requesting some assistance. I used to be able to bring up the video on NHL.com. It was a good resource for highlights and game recaps. Although I can bring up the site I can not get the videos on the site to work. Any advice?

I didn't watch the game. This link is WGR's Paul Hamilton write up of the game. His major point is that Mitts and his line played well, and that Sobotka made important contributions at critical times. Hutton was the star of the game for being the difference when the stats indicated that we were the lesser team. Overall, our goaltending has been superb. From his writeup the most encouraging thing about this game is that Mitts and his line were big factors. If this line can get going it will balance out the lines. Another encouraging takeaway is that this team is so much more mentally tough than the previous fragile teams. They played with heavy legs and fought through it. Resiliency may not show up in stats but it is critical in a long and fatiguing season. https://wgr550.radio.com/articles/news/sabres-get-back-win-column-after-just-one-loss

Scandella is playing well for us so far. But the problem with your Scandella conjecture is that there wouldn't be much of a return. The only way I see a Scandella trade for a forward who can help us on the second or third line is if a high end prospect such as Pilot or Borgen is included.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was on WGR's The Instigator show today. This is a 21 min. segment. The biggest rumor he put out is that defensemen other than Risto are being offered on the market. My guess is that McCabe may be offered in addition to other considerations for a forward. Montour may be a couple to a few weeks before he is ready to return to the lineup so there is still plenty of time to scan the market. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/10-17-sportsnets-elliotte-friedman-instigators

If there is a flow to the game Dahlin stands out because his instincts and skating are at an elite level. However, when it is a grind out game and he is defending man on man around the net he struggles. He's simply not strong enough at this point. Eventually, he will physically mature and have a more rounded game. In general, this same criticism applies to the team. When there is a flow to the game this team thrives. When it slows down and they are stuck in their zone the defense (including forwards) gets out muscled and bogged down. That physical inferiority was evident in this game. (The Okposo line is the best line that can deal with the bigger and tougher constructed teams.) So what is the solution? When the opposition starts abusing us and gets penalized we need to capitalize on the PP and make them pay. Until to this game we have done it. I'm hoping that in tonight's game the Sabres will respond by skating and quickly moving the puck. If being outmuscled is the strategy to beating us more teams will be following that strategy.

I only saw the first two periods. What was evident is that the Ducks are a physically stronger team. They had plenty of net presence and were difficult to move. We just didn't have the strength throughout the lineup to match them. The only way to counter that imbalance in muscle is to use your speed and get out of your zone as fast as possible. From what I watched I was impressed with Anaheim. More and more I am coming to the conclusion that this teams Risto on the roster because he adds size and toughness to our defensive corps.

Teams are soon going to adjust by taking away our flanks with Eichel and Olofsson on the PP. What that will do is open up the middle for Skinner and Reinhart. In addition, with the middle more open shots from our defenseman (Miller and Montour) will be more available. Or another way of describing the situation is to pick your poison.

I have a different take on the Nylander deal. Right now Nylander is on the Mathews line. Mathews is one of the most dynamic goal scorers in the league. Nylander's presence on that line enhances Mathews's scoring. My point is that Nylander is maximizing Toronto's biggest asset in Mathews. And that ability is not going to come cheap. I agree with you that next year there will have to be some roster shuffling because of the cap squeeze. But all teams that have a contingent of premier talents have to contend with that issue. They won't be able to keep all their defensemen but they should be able to adequately replace them with cheaper veterans and cheaper farm players who are ready to move up.

There is no debate between us regarding his talent level. We are in accord. He won a MVP trophy a couple of years ago because he deserved it. For the sake of argument let's say that the Sabres traded for him and were able to sign him to an extension. What do you think his average salary on a long term deal will be? $9 plus? If we sign him to a market rate I doubt that we will also be able to sign Reinhart. In the not too distant future we will be facing a contract negotiation with Dahlin. With Hall on a high end contract the team will have to do a lot of maneuvering and shedding of players to accommodate our sparkling pimple faced defenseman. Taylor Hall is going to be a free agent after this season. If dealt he is not going to sign with us, or with anyone, and forego the market bidding of being a free agent. More and more retaining Risto seems like a good option not only because he is playing well but also because he has a reasonable contract with a few years on it.

For a talent standpoint I agree. However, he is a free agent and I'm not willing to take the risk of giving up Risto for a one year rental. I don't believe that he is going to give up his free agent status for us. I don't believe that this is a Skinner type situation where he was partially willing to give up his no trade clause in the deal for us. So that deal was less risky than a Hall deal.

This is a 16 minute segment with Jeremy Roenick on WGR's the Instigator Show. His comments about some of the added players were interesting. The best part of his commentary was at the end of the segment where he criticized LeBron James for his cowardly and hypocritical comments about China. Roenick is a straight shooter. Nuance is not part of his vocabulary. https://wgr550.radio.com/media/audio-channel/10-16-nbc-sports-jeremy-roenick-instigators

Reinhart isn't a scintillating player but he is a critical player. His value is not measured by his stats. I would be willing to consider giving up Risto for Hall but not Reinhart. However, more and more I am moving toward keeping Risto unless the offer is so overwhelming in our favor. The problem with giving up a rugged player such as Risto is that what he offers as a player is not likely to be replaced..

Hall is a terrific talent. But I'm not giving up a player like Risto who is under contract for a player who will be a free agent after this season. When you watch the Devils and watch the Sabres what becomes evident is how critical your defensive unit is to be successful.