Who do you think is the best matchup for the Sabres in round one? There are still upwards of eight teams that could wind up playing the Sabres in the first round. We spend this week's episode talking through Buffalo's potential opponents in round one, providing insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each team and which we feel would be best for the Sabres to avoid and which would be favorable to draw.

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Is Lindy going to win the Jack Adams? Will he retire if he does? Who should be the playoff starter and what will the Sabres do with their third pair? All of those questions and more are addressed on this mailbag edition of The Instigator Podcast.

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It's been quite the week for the Sabres. Under normal circumstances, the trade deadline would have offered more than enough fodder for an episode, but then the Sabres and Lightning put on the most exciting game of the season. We talk through the aftermath of Sunday's barnburner, dig in on Buffalo's deadline acquisitions and look at the road ahead. We also talk about Lindy Ruff's bonafides as a coach of the year candidate and whether or not he can overtake John Cooper to win the Jack Adams Trophy.

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The Sabres didn't land any big fish at this year's deadline but they brought in depth at forward and the blue line. Logan Stanley and Sam Carrick will likely be the most heavily deployed acquisitions while Tanner Pearson and Luke Schenn offer addition depth. This quick episode runs down Buffalo's additions at the deadline, the prices they paid and what we can expect from the quartet of new faces who will don blue and gold this spring.

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Colton Parayko may be a Sabre if he opts to waive his no trade clause. Robert Thomas was very nearly a Sabre, based on reporting on Tuesday. Both big names out of St. Louis are our primary talking points this week as Thomas would represent a monumental blockbuster deal while Parayko is a seasoned top four defender who would further strengthen an already impressive unit. We break down what Parayko could mean for the Sabres as we await word on the trade being finalized. We also dive deep into the Thomas rumor, discuss which Sabres assets would have been involved and consider what could bring the teams back together before Friday afternoon.

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For the first time in 46 years the U.S. has won gold in Olympic Hockey. Meanwhile, the U.S. women brought home yet another gold medal, cementing themselves as the global power in the women's game. We break down both gold medals in addition to addressing the discourse that has followed in the wake of the double championships. In this episode we debate if USA Hockey will learn the wrong lessons from hanging on for dear life in the gold medal game along with our grievances with the officiating in both tournaments. We also share some thoughts on the Sabres return to action on Wednesday.

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The Olympic hockey tournament is here and we take a look at the tournament favorites on the men's side. We break down the Canadian and U.S. line combos and share what we think separates the two gold medal favorites. We offer thoughts on what countries we think will make some noise at the tournament and pick our podium.

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With the men's Olympic hockey tournament set to begin and the women's Olympic hockey tournament already underway, Parker McLean of On The Fly joined the show to give a host of insights on this year's Olympic hockey tournament. Parker provides some great, in-depth talking points on the women's tournament, the teams who will be competing behind the U.S. and Canada and which of the two big rivals will walk away with gold. We also break down the men's tournament, discussing what fans can expect from IIHF officiating, the rink dimensions and sever other aspects of the tournament. Parker offers his favorites and who he thinks will win gold in the men's tournament as well.

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