Other than Rudolph hitting Garrett with his helmet there's no reason for Garrett to hit Rudolph with his. That's an immense escalation. If he just pulled him off the ground by his facemask, ripped the helmet off and then spiked it, ok, a bit of an overreaction, but trying and (partly) succeeding in braining someone with a helmet is inexcusable.

Even James Harrison thought it was excessive, and he was barely a notch below Burfict.
- Wetbandit1

I am not discounting what garrett did. He should get another season off actually imo. It was despicable. That doesnt mean Rudolph was innocent though. He started it, and he perpetuated it. He is not innocent. Just because he got slammed with a helmet doesnt mean he shouldn't get suspended too. A couple games, not 22 games like I think Garrett should get. Also he just looks like a sore loser little punk female dog in the end. Complaining to the ref with 8 secs to go in a 14 pt game after running over looking for a fight. Pretty Busch league if you ask me.

- IonSabres

1 goal and 2 assists tonight. He made Risto look good last year while in the lineup.

He is one of our best 6 d-men right now and is in the minors.

1 goal and 2 assists tonight. He made Risto look good last year while in the lineup.

He is one of our best 6 d-men right now and is in the minors.
- Pegullaville

So who are you trading?

1. Dahlin
2. Joker traded for
3. Monty traded for
4. Miller traded for
5. Scandella. Traded for/ last year = trade
6. Bogo. Last year. Trade?
7. McCabe. Tenured but time to move?
8. Risto. Tenured but time to move?
9. Pilut. Inherited but in miners.
10. Gilmore. Perfect 7th d

Montour-dahlin
Miller-joker
McCabe-bogo
Reserve:Gilmore-pilut

Eichel-skunk-aa
Skinner-mojo-Olof
Mitts-lazar-Tage
Girgs-Larsson-Okposo
Reserve:Vesey-Rodriguez-sobotka

6k (one can dream)-Hutton-ullmark

AA and Olof maybe switched as Olof has been more than fine with Jack
- turbo044

Yah.
Me no like.
I'm not sold on AA anymore.

On that team, he should be burning down the house more. Instead, he was in the dog house for several games, is a problem child relative to contract negotiations, and is on pace for -110.
Ya, say what you will about +/-, but -110 pace!!! Come on it is at least a red flag to look into...his defensive liability is a consideration for sure.

He has turned up his production the last 5 games, but with that significant uptick,
I'm not sold on him, and certainly would not trade what they reportedly want in a 1st and a Prospect.
Maybe McCabe and a 3rd/4th or g Erod and a 3rd, maybe a 2nd...that is it.

Also, too many players playing above their capabilities
Mojo, Lazar, and the entirety of the 4th line.
More of the same bs.

I am not discounting what garrett did. He should get another season off actually imo. It was despicable. That doesnt mean Rudolph was innocent though. He started it, and he perpetuated it. He is not innocent. Just because he got slammed with a helmet doesnt mean he shouldn't get suspended too. A couple games, not 22 games like I think Garrett should get. Also he just looks like a sore loser little punk female dog in the end. Complaining to the ref with 8 secs to go in a 14 pt game after running over looking for a fight. Pretty Busch league if you ask me.
- TheHank

Garrett should be in jail right now. Or out on bail, I guess, since he probably would have been arraigned by now.

1 goal and 2 assists tonight. He made Risto look good last year while in the lineup.

He is one of our best 6 d-men right now and is in the minors.
- Pegullaville

I should have stated my issue isn't with Pilut specifically, it is the idea of bringing g a D man up, rather than sending 1 down
How many do you want up here? Is 12 enough...I mean Borgen is available too.

Trade 3 is the focus...then bring him up.

So who are you trading?

1. Dahlin
2. Joker traded for
3. Monty traded for
4. Miller traded for
5. Scandella. Traded for/ last year = trade
6. Bogo. Last year. Trade?
7. McCabe. Tenured but time to move?
8. Risto. Tenured but time to move?
9. Pilut. Inherited but in miners.
10. Gilmore. Perfect 7th d
- Gr8daygo

Those three guys should be looking over their shoulders.

So who are you trading?

1. Dahlin
2. Joker traded for
3. Monty traded for
4. Miller traded for
5. Scandella. Traded for/ last year = trade
6. Bogo. Last year. Trade?
7. McCabe. Tenured but time to move?
8. Risto. Tenured but time to move?
9. Pilut. Inherited but in miners.
10. Gilmore. Perfect 7th d
- Gr8daygo

Sure!! 2 - 10

Scandella for a 3rd
Risto straight up for AA

We’ll need someone to up the toughness quotient though. Would love to see Jack fight just once. I know boxing is a pet if his workout in the summer. McDavid got in a fight and a long time ago Perreault did, knocked a guy out with one punch and nobody (frank)ed with him ever again
- turbo044

Perreault fought Dan Maloney when Maloney was with Chicago.

Those three guys should be looking over their shoulders.
- Pegullaville

Kinda what I’m thinking if just to change the faces.... but I’m in a sick of the same crap mood today...

Garrett should be in jail right now. Or out on bail, I guess, since he probably would have been arraigned by now.
- JetpackJesus

That's all fine and well. I don't disagree.

That's not my point. I'm not talking about him.

Sure!! 2 - 10
- IonSabres

Evander Kane has 12 goals and 18 points through 18 games. However PP goals, SH goals, and assists don’t count
- Pegullaville

Speaking of which. We have no shorthanded goals this year, and the twins are poopting the bed at even penalty killing. Time to change it up.

Let's tryout Reinhart.

I should have stated my issue isn't with Pilut specifically, it is the idea of bringing g a D man up, rather than sending 1 down
How many do you want up here? Is 12 enough...I mean Borgen is available too.

Trade 3 is the focus...then bring him up.
- IonSabres

At this point, i have a hard time believing Gilmore, pilut, Borgen, etc. would be significantly better or worse than what we have. There's a plethora of mediocre talent. I like Montour and Miller. The rest is not good. Dahlin gets a pass due to his age. Honestly I would sell any of them other than Dahlin if it means getting a reasonable forward. They're all interchangeable to me. Maybe they all suck. Idk

Another anti-analytics blog that's just so uninformed.

No one says the Powerplay doesn't matter to a team. From a team perspective, a goal is a goal. Rather Powerplay goals are less important when looking at an individual player. If for example a player scores 20 goals, but 14 are on the powerplay, how much is he really generating? Because he took one of the prime spots for scoring goals, and someone else in his place might have scored 11-12, so really, he only improved you by a few goals. He scored, but you were going to score anyway a lot of those times with a different player, and maybe even more.

Now, if he scores all those goals 5v5, those are goals scored when your chances to score are a lot lower. They're 'extra' goals so to speak.

For example, if I take Olofsson off the Powerplay and put Mittelstadt on, who has more goals? Probably Mittelstadt. That doesn't mean Mittelstadt is better, because he probably isn't as effective on the powerplay.
The point is when evaluating a player to look at their usage. 5v5 always translate, pp goals dont as well.
Looking deeper into how goals are scored helps you build a team properly.

As for the actual stats: Sabres are 8th in Powerplay, so no, the Powerplay is not to blame for them being 18th. As for the 'advanced stats that don't tell the story', well:

24th in CF%
28th in SCF%
28th in xGF
23rd in xGA
25th in High Danger Chances
19th in Shooting

The only reason they are as high as they are is that they're 8th in PP and 6th in SV%. Literally everything else they suck at.

If you want to ignore stats be my guest. But don't go out of your way to blast analytics when they're bang on and you're out to lunch.

I may have missed it, but the Isles waived Ladd yesterday, if only Botts had the balls to waive Okposo...

Speaking of which. We have no shorthanded goals this year, and the twins are poopting the bed at even penalty killing. Time to change it up.

Let's tryout Reinhart.
- jcragcrumple

Interesting how almost everything complained about this summer was dead on accurate. Turns out, paying the twins over 3 million wasn't a genius idea. Turns out, they can't kill a penalty to save their life, and there is a good chance Asplund could be killing those penalities better for less.

Turns out, we don't have enough offense, and Botts didn't do enough to change the forward group.

Turns out, Risto is the exact same player under Krueger he has always been.

It's almost like the fans of the team know what they are talking about ...

Why is Pilut in Rochester...... He is way too good to be there.
- Pegullaville

Because, Botts.

Interesting how almost everything complained about this summer was dead on accurate. Turns out, paying the twins over 3 million wasn't a genius idea. Turns out, they can't kill a penalty to save their life, and there is a good chance Asplund could be killing those penalities better for less.

Turns out, we don't have enough offense, and Botts didn't do enough to change the forward group.

Turns out, Risto is the exact same player under Krueger he has always been.

It's almost like the fans of the team know what they are talking about ...
- matty12345

Yup, what was clear in July has been proven true in November

Turns out sticking with the same crap gets the same crap results

It's a no-lose scenario (his favorite word) for him.

Tim Murray still gets the blame while he fiddles with his 12 defensemen. Meanwhile the forwards are worse than 3 years ago
- jcragcrumple

Botts is in a nice spot. He can blame the previous regime for any shortcomings.
And if the team finishes DFL? “We get a great draft pick.”
Finish 7th from bottom? “Deep draft, lots of good players to choose from.”
Finish just outside the playoffs? “Look at the amazing progress made this year!”
Squeak into the top half of the conference? “Check us out!”

He can’t lose. Everything is great.

Botts is in a nice spot. He can blame the previous regime for any shortcomings.
And if the team finishes DFL? “We get a great draft pick.”
Finish 7th from bottom? “Deep draft, lots of good players to choose from.”
Finish just outside the playoffs? “Look at the amazing progress made this year!”
Squeak into the top half of the conference? “Check us out!”

He can’t lose. Everything is great.
- PrinceChill

None of it's his fault. Just a couple more years and he'll get it right.

All these UFAs are leaving. Nevermind that he was the one that signed or acquired them. Vesey is going for the Leino goalless record, sheary shows up against the penguins. Can't buyout Sobotka, we should put him on the second line. The twins are tanking the PK to the bottom half. Here comes Bogo. Scandella needs to be in the lineup, nevermind the guy he acquired for a 2nd is in the press box. Good think Hunwick is helping him out with the cap relief. Nelson is in the minors.

Did I leave any UFAs out? Any part of the brilliant UFA scenario I left behind?

What a plan.

Wait. Maybe his plan was for them bad so he can spend more assets for bad players next year once these guys are gone. Can't wait

Yup, what was clear in July has been proven true in November

Turns out sticking with the same crap gets the same crap results
- jcragcrumple

I'd like to see some, you know, coaching. I get that Krueger's schtick is that he's a motivator and his assistants are the X's and O's people. But keeping the PP the exact same strategy with the exact same personnel in the face of almost complete and utter failure for a month(3 PPG in the last 10 games since 10/19, going 0 for the last 12 chances), not changing the lines/pairings except in cases of injury. Garbage in, garbage out.

I'd like to see some, you know, coaching. I get that Krueger's schtick is that he's a motivator and his assistants are the X's and O's people. But keeping the PP the exact same strategy with the exact same personnel in the face of almost complete and utter failure for a month(3 PPG in the last 10 games since 10/19, going 0 for the last 12 chances), not changing the lines/pairings except in cases of injury. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Wetbandit1

The dump and change/chase is not working either.

They are coaching the offense out of Dahlin right now. I really have never felt a situation is so dire and bleak as right now. On all fronts.

I don't know. It just feels like there's no deeper bottom to get to. Either this is the bottom or something seismic will happen to make the bottom deeper or get us out. This is the worst

I'd like to see some, you know, coaching. I get that Krueger's schtick is that he's a motivator and his assistants are the X's and O's people. But keeping the PP the exact same strategy with the exact same personnel in the face of almost complete and utter failure for a month(3 PPG in the last 10 games since 10/19, going 0 for the last 12 chances), not changing the lines/pairings except in cases of injury. Garbage in, garbage out.
- Wetbandit1

It sure would help if they would actually shoot on the power play frequently instead of waiting for the perfect slam dunk goal. Krueger even said as much after the Carolina game.

The dump and change/chase is not working either.

They are coaching the offense out of Dahlin right now. I really have never felt a situation is so dire and bleak as right now. On all fronts.

I don't know. It just feels like there's no deeper bottom to get to. Either this is the bottom or something seismic will happen to make the bottom deeper or get us out. This is the worst
- jcragcrumple

Pretty sure they've hammered him on focusing on defense which is why he's not carrying the puck into the offensive zone like he did all the time last year. I'd rather they let him do what makes him special, as the defensive awareness will be better over time anyway.