Ranking the World Cup of Hockey Goal Masks

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

The World Cup of Hockey is right around the corner, finally bringing the international event back to the hockey world after a 12-year absence. In the time between the 2004 event and this year’s World Cup, some major changes have come to the world of goaltending. It’s far easier for goalies to get new customized equipment and turnaround time on new masks is quite short.

As we approach the start of the tournament, every country’s goaltender has had their new gear or helmets released to the public via Twitter, Facebook or otherwise. Let’s take a look at the best and the worst of the World Cup of hockey goal masks (and gear). Continue reading →

Tim Murray should not hesitate to move the 2017 First Round Pick

John Barrett3 Comments

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I just don’t feel quite confident with the prospects of the 2016-2017 Buffalo Sabres being a playoff team. Yet.

Considering the recent arrest of Evander Kane, missing out on Jimmy Vesey, and Rasmus Ristolainen still lacking a contract, there are more than enough possible impediments to Tim Murray’s club breaking its four season playoff drought. Its time for something positive to happen, and what better way to get the team on the right track than to make a trade. I think the Kyle Okposo signing will yield highly positive dividends for Sabres, and his acquisition cements a very formidable top six going into next season (and a scary good top six going into the future), but I do believe that more will be required to make that extra push. Continue reading →

The Instigator Podcast 5.14 – Vesey Breakdown & the Sabres New Tickets

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Chris and Tyler are back to discuss Jimmy Vesey’s decision to sign with the New York Rangers along with the reports that Alex Nylander will be likely playing in Rochester this season. We also take some time to discuss the new ticketing policy for the Sabres while also touching on the viewing party for The Tragically Hip’s final show at Larkin this past weekend. Listen to the podcast here or download the episode on iTunes. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a new episode previewing the World Cup.

The Instigator Podcast SWAG is here

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After receiving some feedback that some Two in the Box or Instigator Podcast swag would be well received, we took the steps to get decals printed adorned with The Instigator Podcast logo.

Whether or not you’re familiar with the logo, it features the lightning bolts and stars from the Buffalo city flag along with Buffalo Sabres blue and gold. You can slap them on water bottles, lap tops, car bumpers or anywhere else you please.Untitled

The decals measure roughly three inches by three inches and will stick on anything. They’re vinyl automotive decals so they’ll stand up to abuse as well. We’re selling the decals for $4 each which will cover any postage necessary to get them sent your way.

If you wish to purchase one send an email to 2intheboxbuffalo@gmail.com or simply tweet to Tyler or Chris and we’ll get you set up. Thanks to everyone for continuing to listen to the podcast and reading the blog.

The Instigator Podcast 5.13 – A New Era at the Stadium Featuring Del Reid of 26 Shirts

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Del Reid of 26 Shirts joined the podcast to discuss the new naming rights deal for New Era at the stadium. We also discuss what options the Bills and the Pegulas have when the time comes to either renovate  “The Cap” or build a new stadium. Download and subscribe to The Instigator Podcast on iTunes by following this link.

Grading Tim Murray’s Trade History

Tyler RoederLeave a comment

Tim Murray has been uncharacteristically quiet on the trade front during offseason, only making three deals of note. His wheeling and dealing was less than what fans have become accustomed to and, most surprisingly, came with a fair bit of criticism.

As Murray has dealt away analytical all-star Mark Pysyk and failed to bring old friend Jhonas Enroth back via free agency, some fans have begun to question Murray’s acumen, and a few have gone so far as to call for his job. Evander Kane’s off-ice activity has also draw ire for the deal which brought the winger to Buffalo along with Zach Bogosian.

I think those calling for his job are in the minority, but in order to see if they have a legitimate bone to pick I’ve decided to grade every deal Murray has made since he began calling the shots in 2014 (with the help of nhltradetracker.com). It’s tough to grade some trades simply because the pieces that were acquired or dealt away aren’t finished products yet, but this will still show whether Murray has been able to get the better of his fellow GM’s, or if they’ve been able to take advantage of his aggressiveness. Continue reading →

The Instigator Podcast 5.12 – Grading the Sabres Trades

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Chris and Tyler devote more time to this episode than usual as we got a little off track discussing the Bills injuries of late and the debate around Buffalo’s injury troubles. Our main point of focus is to analyze Tim Murray’s trades and whether or not he’s been successful on the trade market during his time as GM of the Sabres. You can catch the episode here or you can subscribe and listen on iTunes or tune in via Sticher.

The Instigator Podcast 5.11 – Sabres Wish List

Chris Ostrander1 Comment

This week we reached out to our fan(s) to hear what you would put on a Sabres Wish List. Among the suggestions were redesigned jerseys, a return of the goathead, in-arena upgrades and much more. Chris and Tyler tackle the various items that were submitted while adding a few of our own. We also touch on the latest developments surrounding Evander Kane and the news of the Sabres Prospect Challenge and the coming US Junior Select Camp. You can listen and subscribe to The Instigator Podcast on iTunes or listen in on Stitcher by following the links.

The Instigator Podcast 5.10 – Re-signing Risto and Examining the Remaining UFAs

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Chris and Tyler come together to discuss the lack of a contract for Rasmus Ristolainen while looking at some of the recent deals inked by RFAs around the league. Meanwhile we discuss the remaining options (or lack thereof) on the free agent market in the event that Tim Murray needs to find a final body or two for his club. You can subscribe to The Instigator on iTunes or tune in via Stitcher by hitting the links.

Off Topic: Thoughts on the New Ghostbusters Flick

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Never in my life can I think of the lead up to a movie being so divisive than the lead up to this year’s Ghostbusters release. Even before the trailer release fiasco there were scores of complaints over the movie’s choice to reboot with a female cast which ultimately took a great deal of focus away from the movie itself.

I saw the movie this past weekend and it really wasn’t enjoyable. There were some nice pieces to it but in the end a vast majority of the jokes fell flat and the story itself was a tangled mess that didn’t carry any sort of real connection from the beginning to the end.

Perhaps the biggest challenge Paul Feig faced was simply taking on the task of rebooting Ghostbusters in the first place. It’s a property anchored by a movie that’s truly a cultural icon – it’s on AFI’s Top 100 comedies and was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress. So Feig was going to be fighting an uphill battle with those who were, by default simply going to compare it to the original.

I thought of it almost like if someone wanted to reboot The Godfather by keeping the title, poster art and mob ties but altering the story otherwise. It would be incredibly difficult to evaluate the new property on its own when the specter of the original hung in your mind.

I really did my best to look at it from the scope of a separate movie than that of a story which connects directly to the first two. To Feig’s credit the story itself does a fair bit to distance itself from the originals. Some pieces simply force a comparison (Ecto-1, for example) while plenty of the script keeps this story original, which was key. However, the overall execution that was lacking, in my opinion. Continue reading →