Kennedy was slightly better last night than in the previous 4 or 5 games. Maybe he is returning to form? If Lindy would stop tinkering with the line combos long enough to let some chemistry develop then Kennedy might find his game. I think with younger players the chemistry is much more important than with some of the veteran guys who can play on any line.

Personally, I don’t know why Ellis didn’t see himself back in the Press Box and Stafford on the Injured List. If a team knows a player will be unable to play for an extended period of time (2 weeks is the minimum, I believe), they can place that player on the Injured List. Thus, creating a roster space. Ellis is a nice forechecking forward, but with Kaleta back out there and Gaustad’s return… Ellis wouldn’t be missed. I do not believe that Kennedy is able to return to Portland without clearing Waivers (which he likely wouldn’t). So, rather than risk losing Kennedy on Waivers for nothing in return, the Sabres have kept him up all season with the big club. It’s things like this that likely take the wind out of the sails of a player like Mancari. The poor guy probably looks at it like he’s simply not one of their favored prospects and won’t ever get a real shot at playing for them… unless someone goes down with a season ending injury. Even then, if Tyler Ennis is recovered from his concussion… he’ll be recalled before Mancari. I hope another team gives him a chance by acquiring him from the Sabres in the offseason. Then, when he goes on to become a 25-30 goal scorer we can all ask why our brilliant front office never gave him a chance?

Gotta love Lindy’s wonderful system… looks great so long as Hasek or Miller are between the pipes. This team looks terrible every time Miller isn’t in net. It’s not just Lalime, either. Other than Marty Biron’s 13-game undefeated streak, he was often ridiculed in the local media for underperforming behind Miller, same for Roloson, Conklin and now Lalime. Funny how smart Ruff looks when he had Hasek and now Miller back there, isn’t it? Not saying he’s terrible… he’s a good coach. But, in my opinion, he tinkers more than any coach I’ve seen with a winning team and receives too much credit for what he puts out on the ice. Have to give the players credit, too. They are overachievers to this point… who really thought prior to the start of the season that they’d be competing for 1st place in their division? Great job, Sabres!