On this episode of the Moran-Alytics Podcast, Patrick Moran welcomes a returning Joe Yerdon of The Athletic in a chat covering the Buffalo Sabres and the company he writes for.

When Yerdon was first on the podcast back in mid-September he had just begun his stint with the newly formed Athletic Buffalo division.   Today he discusses how that job has been going, including what it’s been like creating a formidable one-two punch with colleague John Vogl.  Moran asks Yerdon how the arrival of The Athletic has helped bring out the best not just in him and his writing partners but all local media covering the Buffalo Sabres and Bills beats, with the winners being the sports fan having more quality content to consume than ever before.

The attention then turns to the Sabres and he offers his take on their surprising first half of the season, a campaign thus far exceeding  any realistic preseason expectations. He talks about the monumental 10-game winning streak that put Buffalo on the map around the league and the inconsistencies that have sometimes plagued them since.

He also has thoughts on Jack Eichel’s recent injury, Jeff Skinner being left off the NHL all-star team, the team’s crazy upcoming schedule, Phil Housley’s fate if Buffalo fails to make the playoffs and much more.

You can follow Joe on Twitter at @JoeYerdon and of course check out The Athletic at www.theathletic.com.

Immediately following Yerdon’s interview, Tone Pucks (@tonepucks) joins for another installment of “Pat with Pucks.” On the heels of a survey sent to season ticket holders, the two debate if the Pegula’s should build a new stadium in downtown Buffalo or renovate the current one in Orchard Park.   After having a little time to digest the season, Pucks offers his take on where he thinks the Buffalo Bills are at in their rebuilding process and what he thinks expectations should be for the 2019 offseason, a win total the two disagree on.

They also spend time doing the “Pucks Interest Meter”, where Moran offers up a series of sports topics and Pucks replies with how much (or little)  of interest it is to him with a few comments about each before they conclude the segment by agreeing on which NFL home favorite is most likely to lose this weekend.

♦♦♦♦♦

Follow Patrick Moran on Twitter @patmorantweets and “like” the Moran-Alytics Facebook page.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.