That's No Moon

This is also why you never see players go to the locker room with skate problems anymore either. They all have spare steel on the bench and the trainer just swaps it out. Some guys swap it between periods habitually just so they always have a crisp edge.

1966?

Agree with all of this

It's complicated if Luukkonen plays well in Buffalo and Portillo also plays well in Rochester. As you said, a good problem. It's also slightly complicated if they both stink next year.

Better yet, put something in the driver's door pocket and see if you can see it from outside the driver's door.

I wouldn't be shocked and Im also not sure it wouldn't be the right move depending on what comes back. Given his age, what his contract demands are sure to be, and the wall that lots of WRs hit around 30 I don't think we want to be the team to write his next contract. If he can be turned into another WR with more years of cheap team control I think that needs to be explored.

Who have I excoriated? I don't think that word means what you think it means. Let's try it this way and see if it helps you all. Was Bylsma's team that finished with 81 points, ended the season something like 8-3-2, had a ridiculously good power play, Eichel, Reinhart O'Reilly, Ristolainen, two young goalies who looked promising, and had improved nearly 30 points from the year before "on the right track"? At the time I bet you'd have argued yes. Turns out no. Does this current team look better than it has in several years? Yes it does. Is it too soon to declare them "on the right track". Yes it is.

FFS how many actual times do I have to say that they are better. I think I've said it every single post.

I think it would be more insulting if he DIDN'T hit on your mom. FWIW, they got outworked, outshot, and outchanced by a team who played 4 times in 6 days. They also gave up 5 goals again. Was it nice that they scored on two power plays to make it closer in the 3rd? Sure. Does it change that they got worked for the vast majority of that game? Nope. It's easy to blame the goaltending but the defense in general continues to give up far far too many grade A chances. Let's see how they respond. In previous years they'd respond to the end of a long run of good by going on a corresponding or longer run of losing. They were 6-1-3 in their last 10 coming into today. In the next 10 they have 6 in a row against good teams and then 4 against mediocre to bad teams. Let's see what they do. In my eye .500 would be a benchmark. Can they be .500 over that stretch against the schedule they have. Being .500 just means beating Philly twice, the Islanders, the Devils and then just one of the Leafs, Panthers, Lightning, Blues, or Hurricanes x2. That's not a crazy bar to cross if they've turned a corner. Of course, it's also not that long since they lost 6 straight to Ottawa, Colorado, Montreal, St. Louis, Columbus, and Dallas which isn't exactly murderer's row. More important than .500 over the whole 10 game stretch tbh would be not losing 7 in a row including today because each of the next 6 games is against someone much better than them, several are on the road and in places they have not done well historically. Go 3-3 over THOSE games. I'm to the point with them where TELLING me they are better doesn't do anything for me. I'm in show me status. You want me to believe you aren't the same old crap team then you need to show me you aren't and that takes more than what they've just done, for a much longer time. They were 7-1-3 over 11 games before today. Outstanding. They were 3-8 in the 11 before that. Not outstanding. I get it, you desperately want them to be better. That's fine. You do that. They are somewhat better. I will once again acknowledge that. It is difficult to be worse than what they were. However, to declare them, "On the right track" with the gaping holes they still have on the roster and the lack of near term fixes for the largest of those holes makes it difficult to buy in. Luukkonen is going to be the goalie next year, they intentionally structured it that way, and if he doesn't pan out there isn't anyone else until at least 2023. They've already said they want Anderson back. OK fine, he can back up. Even if Portillo and Levi BOTH sign (which isn't likely IMO) neither one of them is going to play in Buffalo next year short of prime Hasek like performance in Rochester. They haven't rushed any of their prospects recently (which is a GOOD thing) why would you expect them to start doing it now with Portillo and/or Levi? The defense is atrocious apart from the goaltending and is more than a rookie Owen Power away from being acceptable.

A. you don't want someone in Buffalo as a backup, you want them getting starters minutes wherever they go. Neither one of them are ready to come in and start on day 1. B. Next year is going to be Lukkonen's turn to start with Anderson as #2 C. I think it's more likely that he's waiting for the delayed World Junior tournament in August. And yet, you did it.

Portillo would be in Rochester next year if he comes out. So would Levi to be honest. This is why I said you don't want both of them coming out of school this year. Portillo's clock is a year ahead of Levi's so, in theory, the Sabres would rather Portillo come out this year and get #1 minutes in Rochester to see what they have and have Levi coming out the following year. If they both come out this year someone is going to Cincinnati and if you are going to Cincinnati you'd might as well stay in school. Did you think the Bills problems were over the multiple times they had a good month over the course of 20 years or did it take a little longer than that?

And I'm agreeing with you and it's been for a three week period and it needs to continue

Ok, you're right. They are fixed and all is well 🙄

And it's still only been for three weeks. Immediately before this stretch they lost what, 6 in a row?

I've watched them play a couple times this month. I'm not going to argue that it isn't better. It is. It needs to continue. You don't wipe away a decade of garbage with 3 weeks of tolerable hockey. Levi is going back to school so he is 2023 at the soonest, more likely 2024.

That Chicago game had at least 3 extremely fortunate bounces. Extremely. I need to see more for a longer period of time and that period of time needs to extend significantly into next season. As in, well into January if not February. Were this a slightly better year in the not so distant past we'd be referring to this as the valiant run for 9th.

With that kind of money he can finally buy some asbestos underwear

They've gone on runs like this several times in the last 10 years. I need to see more. A lot more. They are giving up far far too many goals for this to be sustainable.

Drayton Florence pick 6 v. the Patriots or the 3 TDs in 77 seconds v. Denver

Yeah, that video didn't give me the warm fuzzies it gave everyone else.

I break out in hives as soon as I pass exit 8A

I don't know how he is as a receiver, but what I saw of him as a returner was it looked like he had the worst field vision I've ever seen and was lucky he didn't get himself killed.

Missed it by THAT much.

If they trade up to draft a safety who ran a 4.7 at his pro day they better be right. Like really really right.

Spear