#especially now that vgk (and jack) won

[catzy88]

i'm just saying, if this vgk vs. edm playoffs and the second draft pick beating the first draft pick doesn't revive the mceichel fandom (at least momentarily), we're beyond salvation 😭

#mceichel #hrpf #hockey rpf #i wish i had the time and energy to write at least the winner's room fic i was thinking about earlier #especially now that vgk (and jack) won #i've even thought about two different scenarios #one with a lot of dirty talk and almost hate sex #where jack finally gets to take all his frustrations of playing second fiddle all these years #out on the bane of his existence a.k.a. connor #but it ends with him realizing there's a fine line between love and hate #and another with connor having been in love with jack from the beginning #and while he's devastated he isn't going to win the cup this year either #he's also just so happy for jack #it could also be the same story from both of their povs #idk i'm probably never going to write anything anyway #but it's fun to throw these ideas out there #maybe i'll at least end up giving someone else inspiration 💖

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 3 - VGK

The Vegas Golden Knights were the “it” team last season. Rightfully so: they broke almost every expansion team record in the book and made the Stanley Cup Final. But the operative word in that first sentence is “were”, as in the past tense. Yeah, it was their third game of the season too so nothing is for sure yet but they looked docile at best against the Flyers in their home opener. The Sabres can relate to looking like trash in a home opener or seven but expansion teams are supposed to be bad. Do you remember William Carrier? Yea, me neither. Buffalo beat the Knights for the first time today and see them again next week to maybe even the all-time record. Today the Knights came back down to earth. Today the Buffalo Sabres moved above .500 for the first time since JANUARY 2013 (That’s 2,082 games, thanks Joe Marino on twitter)! Today the fire of a New Look team we were expecting to see arrived with vengeance! This game was decisive confidence wise for the Sabres and a good start really demands you win most of your home games, especially if you start the season with four of them in a row. The Sabres will head into Thursday’s matchup against Colorado, their last game of the home stand, able to lock up a 3-1 record. Captain Jack led the way today and gave all the kids in attendance their money’s worth. Buffalo won this game in entertaining fashion by a 4-2 spread.

Last season I joked about Vegas’ secondary logo using swords in a way that could trigger a Pegula Sports copyright claim. That was just a joke but most of the first period of this game involved stick battles that made you think each team was practicing their swordplay. Vegas narrowly outshot Buffalo early. After a few botched attempts, a couple powerplays went the Sabres way and Jack Eichel tucked one in top shelf to put the home team up early. Before the game there was a growing and concerning sidebar of a lack of even-strength goals. The second period killed that sidebar and buried it somewhere the authorities will never find it. Captain Jack got his second goal about five minutes into the second on a tight breakaway over top of Marc Andre Fleury. It was a goal that makes you jump out of your seat even if you’re watching at home. That two goal lead was plenty exciting all its own until a deflection in front of Carter Hutton got Vegas on the board. Those are the moments you remember the two goal lead is the most dangerous lead in hockey. Then there was a flurry of goals… (no pun intended)… for Buffalo! It’s wild that the Sabres score goals now, eh? Not even two minutes apart, Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville scored very different goals. Scandella got an arching goal that luckily was not batted down and soared right over Fleury into the net. Pominville’s goal was something out of 2007. He got a righteous feed from Evan Rodrigues (who had a great game in his own right) and hammered in a banger from right in front of the net. It is a welcomed change of pace for the Sabres to be driving the game. Jonathan Marchessault, the hardest name in the league, scored in the third to harsh my melo but this game ended in a 4-2 Sabres win nonetheless.  

The unsung hero through these first three games of the season has been the Swedish Godfather Patrik Berglund. His faceoff wins and defensive zone time has dug the Sabres feet in on a lot of defensive plays and sprung a few offensive ones. Rasmus Ristolainen looked like a playmaker. He had a successful pass percentage of 90% in this game. That is good by anyone’s standards. He’s still on the top defensive paring but I think we may finally be getting Risto into a role that fits him. He’s not being asked to do too much anymore and that’s great. If Berglund is the unsung hero then let me just say I feel like a broken record already singing Carter Hutton’s praise. As the Knights bore down late in the third we saw Hutton move laterally through the chaos of a net front scramble; is there anything this guy can’t stop? A wise man once said a goalie endears themselves to fans through consistency. I think Carter Hutton is quickly becoming a fan favorite. It would be nice to see Casey Mittelstadt and some of the other young guys get some more ice time but Casey at least has found other ways to contribute in responsible puck play and great defensive pressure. Tage Thompson looks hot. He has been very noticeable in all three these first three games and I cannot wait to rub it in St. Louis’ face. Evan Rodrigues has cemented his spot up in Buffalo with his consistently speedy, aggressive play. I’ll reiterate last game’s big concern in saying the Sabres getting outshot is unsustainable but there was a point in the second when the Sabres had shot three shots and scored three goals. You also got to let the team find their groove; we’re only three games in after all.

Some fun stats: The Sabres are above .500! I know I already mentioned it but it’s worth repeating since it’s literally five and a half years. The Sabres have a wicked penalty kill compared to recent years at 83%, good for twelfth in this young NHL season. If the Playoffs started today the Sabres would be 2nd in the Atlantic Division and face the Maple Leafs in the first round. I know it’s only October and that was a totally worthless stat but this is a New Look Sabres team and we’re feeling good! I speculated that this would finally be the season the team turned the corner, like many of us did, and named my blog for it and today certainly makes it seem like I made the right choice! Share this blog with your friends. Comment, reply at me. It’s nice to hear from anyone who reads the blog and it’s just fun to talk about them when they’re doing this good. For the first time in a while we’re here waiting with baited breath for the next Sabres game. And I think we can all get used to it!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I know he’s the Captain now but can we not make Jack talk about the Bills in postgame? It just didn’t feel natural.

#buffalo sabres #vegas golden knights #nhl #hockey