So in the early part of the Toronto/Montreal game there were two fights. Staged events between Orr and Laraque, and some other guys I can't remember. They served no purpose other than allowing a couple players to make themselves known to the fans and their teammates as supposed tough guys. The commentators propped up the whole thing until play started again, but it was nothing more than a boring delay of game to me.

Later in the 3rd period Komisarek and Moen got into it after a hard charging play by Moen into the goalie. That was real, had a purpose, and their was actual passion behind it. The Sabres don't have any true fighters, and that's fine with me. All I want to see is guys like Rivet, Montador, Paetsch, Gaustad, Grier, Ellis, and Kaleta to be tough and physical, and fight when it actually means something. Anyone else on the roster should jump in to defend a player when an opposing player does something really stupid, but when a message needs to be sent to the right guy we have the players that can do it without resorting to staged events that don't mean a damn thing.

Other notes...

I'm not happy about losing Spacek, but we need to see what Butler and Sekera can do on the point. I really, REALLY liked what Butler said in a Buffalo News article this morning about keeping it simple, getting pucks on net and letting Vanek tip shots more. To me the most useful and overlooked tactic on the PP is moving the puck quickly between d-men for open lane shots and garbage goals.

Myers may very well be a healthy scratch tomorrow night, but it's not such a bad thing. The rule is that his 1st pro contract year is enacted after nine games PLAYED. He can be a scratch here and there between playing those nine games without losing that contract year. That could be a help with other roster changes in the next few weeks. Everybody is excited about him, but let's not jump to the conclusion that he's ready RIGHT NOW. I'll form an opinion after watching him in real games for a couple weeks.

Despite Hecht still being on the team, I'm very optimistic about the 3rd line. I think they will be a physical line that can put pucks on net for garbage scoring chances by sheer force and will. I'm a huge fan of garbage goals because they are a result of simplicity and hard work, and that's the kind of stuff that works come playoff time.

Your paragraph about Myers caught my attention, and I gotta say, I like the cut of your jib. Letting him sit and observe every few games to take notes could be a useful idea if he isn't progressing as fast as he could. But he definitely deserves his full 9 games, don't get me wrong.

_________________
mechaphil

Spot on. I used to complain about peters all the time, because his fights were pathetic staged affairs which held no passion, and therefore NO MEANING. There was no momentum swings, team unity, or a more empassioned and vigorous squad after his fights, they were just BS. I could not possibly be happier about shedding him from a valuable roster spot. Might be a nice guy, but good fucking riddance peters.