I agree with you on both points. Brendan is probably lucky that he's still young & dumb. I took many kicks from cows when I was a teenager and I'd jump right back up. Now, I'd stay down and let someone else deal with the bastard bovine.
what impress me the most here is Eichel's first couple of steps. He was even w/ the defender at the blue line and blows past him untouched and is a full stride+ up on him by the time he reaches the red line. as mentioned that long reach of Eichel's in play and the Leafs player can forget about it at that point.
I'm not going to claim credit for this observation as it was noted on a Sabres site. Eich took only about 2/3 of the number of strides as the d-man furtively chasing him. The Sabres will roll two - possibly three - solid lines. Their fourth line will be envied by [del]many[/del] some teams. The D is too immature and too thin - but will appear much better on paper, (i.e., stats-wise). I have been impressed with Lehner. He strikes me as a young man that's impatient for success. He'll have some bad games, but on whole he should carry his own, and occasionally he'll carry the team. The tinkering with lines, and the thin D is what stands in the way of an historic leap in the standings. I am o.k. with that if the team is patient to establish their identity. As it looks to me right now, I expect that in one year the Sabres will be an acknowledged contender for the playoffs. They could be good enough to be considered a dark horse SC contender, (but it'll probably be 2 or 3 years before they'll belong in the SC discussion.)
I really think Buffalo goes as the goal-tending goes. Who's there besides Lehner? I believe you gotta have 2 good ones these day's.
The Sabres have a long history of solid to outstanding goalies. Even in the past three seasons when losing was the goal, (that was not my goal, and definitely not the players' goal - but the stated objective by many fans), the team had good goaltending. There were demands for trading Enroth and in turn Neuvirth because they were putting the tank at risk. Hell, even the hack they got back in the Enroth trade looked like an NHL goalie once he donned the blue & gold. That leaves us with Chad Johnson. (Obtained in the Neuvirth trade but injured before he played one game for the good guys.) Matty can probably give a more cogent and objective evaluation on him. My view - perhaps influenced by wishful thinking - is that Chad could be one of the better backups in the league.
I remember Chad from Boston. I'll tell ya what... im going to be keeping a very curious eye on the Sabres this season.
My world-view is that everybody is the same. We're all Sabres fans, and that leaves us with two types of people: - There are Sabres fans, and - there are some that don't know that they're Sabres fans. Yet. Congratulations, Will, it looks like you're seeing the light. The good news is you not have to denounce the Wings when you proudly proclaim: "I am a Sabres fan!"
Chad was really good in Pittsburgh too. He has a killer left hook. Just ask Rick DiPietro... if he's awake yet.
I think you'll have a serviceable backup in Johnson, Id be worried about the starter if I were a Sabres fan though.
In the this-is-not-news department: Jack Eichel made the Buffalo Sabres opening day roster. Since he has "earned" his spot he will switch from #41(which was assigned at camp) to his future HoF #15. Let the merchandising begin! Samson Reinhart also made the team, but his spot is more tenuous. He is penciled in as the third line RW. I expect he'll get some 3C action, and possibly some top six play. He will also probably make the 90 minute trek to and from Rochester a few times. Where he plays as an Amerk may tell us the most about the team's plans for him. He was drafted as a C, and played that in the WHL, plus C's are generally more valuable. However, the team is very deep at C, or at least in players than can man the pivot. His future in the NHL - if he remains a Sabre - may be at RW. Last year he was not strong enough, period, for the NHL. This year he is much stronger and could probably handle third line duty at C or RW. But, it's doubtful he can handle the banging a top six winger would face. There really is a tremendous amount of offensive talent in this organization. It'll be fun watching the team Assess & Assimilate it all, (my mantra for this season). While currently injured, Brendan Guhle has not been sent back to the WHL. This young D has impressed everyone, and there's a decent chance that he could get 9 games. If Guhle skates for BUF this year then two second round picks will have accomplished that from the '15 class, (Sprong!). That is extremely rare. In the past decade I can only recall Saad and ROR achieving that.
Lehner is not day-to-day. He left the rink last night in a walking boot. This could be more than a week-to-week injury, but obviously it's too early to know for sure. If Rob is going to be out for a few months then I hope the Sabres make a move to bring someone in; I do not think anyone in Rochester is ready for the NHL. In fact, I do not think anyone is close enough that they would benefit from having the NHL experience. Therefore, it is highly speculative at this point, but if the Sabres do make a move these are the teams/players I'd target: - Calgary, the Flames are in go-for-it mode and do not have the cap flexibility to make any major move if necessary. They're carrying three Goalies - all of whom are not signed past this season. I think that they may want to move 33 yr. old Hiller and his cap hit; I have always liked 29 yr. old Ramo, but am not sure he's the best fit for the Sabres. - Minnesota, they're in the same position as CGY in many respects, and they may wish to move one G. If TM deals with them the most likely G he'd ask for IMO is Kuemper. - Ben Scrivens, [del]Edmonton[/del] Bakersfield. Obviously the Oil would like to remove this contract and I doubt it would take very much for TM to accommodate them. I admit to being very biased about Cornell Big Red players, but at 29 there's little risk bringing in him, and he may be rejuvenated by playing in Upstate NY again. - Emery. He's out there and he's available.
Wow, I may have actually understated the amount of line tinkering the Sabres would go through this season. In today's game I think there were five different 2RW's. Sure, this is game-2 and things will fall into place a bit, but there are going to be more line changes than W's. As long as they're patient to get this right, I'm o.k. with this.
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhPpiAbnAZ8[/video] flipping through the channels and i landed on 60 Minutes Sports. this episode focuses on Ireland's love of hurling. The full episode also has a segment on the Pegulas, unfortunately I couldn't find the full episode, just part of the hurling piece. Great segment here and some insight in to our friend Dan's name and makeup.
Och, that was a treat, Matty. Thank you very much, sir! I was chuffed to watch - mind ya, I didn't have the sound and it'll be better yet when watch & listen. My great great great (something great) grandfather came from County Kilkenny shortly after the Big Dig, (the Erie Canal - the internet, 3D printing, and Guinness Stout all in one of its day). Them Kilkenny Cats! They OWN GAA (Gaelic Athletic Assoc.) Hurling. They have more All Ireland banners than the NYY and Les Habs combined. Oh, 'twas a good thing you've done lad. A good thing. I think it's Ditchworthy.
Hurling: a game that combines the speed of lacrosse with the excitement of battleaxe. What's not to like?!
