The Instigator Podcast

The Instigator Podcast 13.5 – Power Outage

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The Sabres enjoyed two strong performances upon their return from Europe, though they only came away with one win. One reason is the team’s power play has yet to score this season. We devote this episode to discussing what has and hasn’t worked for Buffalo’s power play and what areas we think could serve to improve the unit’s potential for success. 

Along the way we touch on the rumors that the Bills may sell a stake to a group of former athletes with ties to no other city but Toronto and we offer some reflection on the touching tribute to Johnny Gaudreau ahead of the home opener for the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

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The Instigator Podcast 13.4 – Plodding Back From Prague

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The Sabres fell flat in their opening games against the Devils in Prague, with many key areas of their game serving to derail the pair of losses. We discuss the disappointing opening games and what will need to be fixed if the Sabres hope to get back on track. Along the way we touch on James Reimer moving on to Anaheim after being claimed on waivers, the injuries the Sabres are working through and when the right time will be for fans to hit the panic button.

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The Instigator Podcast 13.3 – Who, or What, Makes the Sabres a Playoff Team?

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The Sabres desperately need to snap their playoff drought and if they’re to do it, there are several key factors that will get the job done. In a different type of season preview, we discuss which players will serve as the key drivers for Sabres if they’re to get back into the playoffs. We also touch on other factors that will be at play, such as the power play, and if all of the things the Sabres need to go right, will be too much for a team with a lengthy run without postseason hockey. 

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The Instigator Podcast 13.2 – Sabres Set Roster for Jaunt to Europe

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The Sabres roster has officially split as the team’s 27-man traveling group departed for Europe on Tuesday. The players remaining in camp are made up of the bulk of the Rochester Americans roster. We discuss the final choices to round out that traveling party and how Lindy Ruff may have a tough choice to make in terms of how he handles his goaltenders once the team arrives in Europe. We also offer up some thoughts on the team’s progress early in preseason while running through where some Sabres landed on The Athletic’s player tier rankings. 

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The Instigator 13.1 – Few Roster Questions Remain as Sabres Open Camp

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The Sabres hit training camp with 59 players but very few questions about what the final 23-man roster will look like. Kevyn Adams’ offseason yielded a number of new additions and has left very few openings for a training camp surprise like Zach Benson last season. We run through Peyton Krebs’ new contract, the new roof and scoreboard along with Buffalo’s roster as they prepare to open camp on September 18. 

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The Instigator Podcast – Prospects Challenge Preview

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Hockey will be played by players wearing Buffalo Sabres uniforms this week as the Prospects Challenge kicks off on Friday. The Sabres are bringing a few star prospects along for the ride. This episode highlights some of the key players to watch for this weekend at The Prospects Challenge along with others who will have an opportunity to make an impact over Buffalo’s trio of games. Each position group is touched on, with the likes of Nikita Novikov and Anton Wahlberg getting some added focus. 

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The Instigator Podcast – Pipeline Update Featuring Kris Baker of Sabres Prospects

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Episode three of the PipelIne Update series is here, featuring an in-depth conversation with Kris Baker of Sabres Prospects on the state of the Buffalo Sabres forward group at forward. We touch on several of Buffalo’s top prospects, along with others who haven’t gotten quite as much attention compared to the likes of Jiri Kulich or Noah Ostlund. Kris gives a thoroguh breakdown of the season outlook for the likes fo Brodie Ziemer, Kulich, Ostlund, Konsta Helenius and many more. We also touch briefly on how things may shape up for next week’s Prospects Challenge and Sabres training camp. 

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The Instigator Podcast – Pipeline Update featuring Greg Balloch of EPRinkside

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As the season approaches we will run through each position group in Buffalo’s pipeline to look at how the Sabres are shaping up and what sort of talent they have coming in the future. For the first iteration of this series, Greg Balloch of EPRinkside joins the show to discuss Buffalo’s goaltenders. We kick off with a conversation on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi before digging into the club’s prospects, with Greg providing some great insight on newly drafted Ryerson Leenders and Scott Ratzlaff. 

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Warpath #3 – Year One

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The Buffalo Sabres made their official entry to the NHL on October 10, 1970. This episode follows the the Sabres from the draft and offseason acquisitions made in the summer of 1970 as they prepared for their inagural season. Then follow the team through the ups and downs of their expansion year with an eye on how they would grow in those early years in the NHL. 

https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/60655243/download.mp3

References:

Historical Hockey
Sportsnet
Buffalo Sabres 1970-71 Media Guide

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The Instigator Podcast 12.45 – Have the Sabres Done Enough?

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The offseason isn’t over but as we get deeper into July, the odds that many more significant moves will be made decrease. In the wake of Buffalo’s acquisition of Ryan McLeod, we discuss just how well Kevyn Adams did this summer and if the moves he made are enough to end the Sabres’ 13-year playoff drought. We kick off with a discussion on the McLeod acquisition before exploring the way the Buffalo roster will shape up and what holes may still exist if Adams is indeed done for the summer. 

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