Game 9
Buffalo Sabres, 3-5-0 vs. Colorado Avalanche, 6-1-0
Sunday, October 29, 2023 @ 1:00 – KeyBank Center
Colorado comes into town on two days rest with a roster of many that have a championship under their belts. It does not get any easier for our hometown heroes. Lace them up and be ready for a battle. They are going to be coming after us. With the likes of Rantanen, Makar, and MacKinnon, your chin straps better be tight.
I hope Granato can motivate the boys to pull off a victory. We desperately need one.
Still in last place in a division being led by the Bruins.
Didn’t they lose Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci?
I was hoping to be able to write about a streaking Buffalo Sabres team after a second win in a row fighting against the Islanders and Canadians, and heading to Ottawa on a back-to-back night. This, unfortunately did not happen at all. With a tired team hanging on against the Senators, we had to look to two very hard games this weekend after a decent rest. Time to lick the wounds. Chasing a 500 record is the only goal to put on the bulletin board right now. The boys are paying for some poor efforts out of the gate. Last night against New Jersey was a similar tilt to quite a few we have seen already. While the energy was there with some brilliant goals, and there have been signs of resiliency that has been thankfully emerging as the season progresses, mental lapses have popped the tires. Once again costly mistakes have erased some spirited play. Our best players show us why they get that recognition, but then turn around and kick us in the gut with poor decisions and passes. We let teams hang around and give them unnecessary momentum. There is evidence of this thing turning around because our core group is getting points and chances, but it isn’t translating into wins. As we watch this unfold as fans, I have to go back to famous Peanuts reference that I have used before. Are we going to kick the ball finally, or is it going to be pulled away again? We are getting to used to failure with our sports teams, and the pain is omnipresent throughout our fan base. Fall is here and our organization seems to be jumping in a pile of leaves with a wet sucker once again –
I am going to eat some crow and briefly touch on something that many of the faithful have been preaching about throughout the summer. With Levi on the shelf and Comrie apparently suffering another injury, it is becoming obvious that goaltending should have been addressed. I was wrong thinking they had enough. A solid veteran presence would have been a welcome addition. If Devon can get back in the lineup and play a consistent schedule, I still think we should have a fighting chance but Eric and UPL just are not going to cut it. You can get a quality start here and there, but no luscious fruit is going to grow off of that vine. Time to rip the bandage off before it is too late. It is a weird position and I understand that projecting if someone is washed up is hard. Looking at Jonathan Quicks’ statistics makes you think. I know the season is a grind and he could just be temporarily fresh in a new environment, but guys like him were out there. It didn’t have to be a home run. We just needed someone who had at one time proven himself.
Notes from the basement –
With guys like Alex DeBrincat getting moved during the offseason, and seeing the success that he is having in Detroit, it makes me wonder if we were ever in on someone like that. An instant top six forward would have looked good in the Blue and Gold. I know you have to give up something to get something, but we have a lot to give.
Casey Mittelstadt is certainly coming into his own. He carries the puck into the tough areas and has some great vision when it comes to creating scoring chances. At two and a half million he is a bargain and he still will be an RFA next year. Is it time to get him locked up? The proactive Thompson and Cozens contracts look pretty darn good right now. I hope we don’t mess this one up. Whether he sticks around or not it is an asset that needs to be in the fold.
I know technology is not going to go away but getting to the bench and reviewing a goal or play you just missed on the iPad makes no sense to me. Be present and feel the game. “What was I supposed to do there, coach? Shoot it where the goalie wasn’t?”
After watching some of the game last night I like me some Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Those guys can play.
Buffalo Sabres Blogger • 
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