PromoTheRobot

I've heard Donald Trump isn't as sweet as he appears in public. #BNsexist

I redid the original post because Montreal is on a pace for 91 points. Still tough but more reachable at 26-11.

45 games into the season we have 40 points. That's a pace to finish with 73, a 19-point improvement from last year. We are 10 points out of a wild card berth. Montreal has 50 points in 45 games. They are on a pace to hit 91 points. That means the Sabres need to go 26-11 (.702) in the remaining 37 games to get 91 points. Lat year Pittsburgh was the #8 seed with 98 points. By whatever measure the Sabres are pretty much out of it barring a miracle run.

You don't think they do that now?

Or...they want to improve sports talk radio in Buffalo from its current high school amateur hour level.

Kills me when we miss the empty net

ESPN New York or Chicago are full of local shows. ESPN 1520 is off the satellite 24/7, except for UB games. Also 1520 is co-owned by WGR. What a waste they don't put the Sabres on 1520, a station that covers most of the East coast at night.

Obviously so you'll have no lack of dots to connect.

Not to mention an utter lack of sports knowledge of any kind, which you would think would be mandatory for a sports talk host. Maybe that's why his shows are filled with candy drafts. How else do you fill 4 hours? One more observation: I've never heard a man use the word "I" more than Mike Schopp. ESPN Radio.

I would welcome it myself. I think WGR is mostly dreadful. Appallingly bad, in fact, for a station that is a flagship for two major league sports franchises.

http://talkintv.buffalonews.com/2016/01/07/sabres-in-strong-negotiation-position-as-tv-radio-deals-near-end/ This recent column by Alan Pergament at the Buffalo News suggests only the possibility of the Pegulas buying a local Buffalo radio cluster to launch their own sports radio station. I'm going on record to say this is going to happen. The Sabres radio deal with WGR expires at the end of the season. (The Bills deal expires in 2017.) http://bills.buffalonews.com/2015/05/16/pegulas-taking-steps-to-deal-with-tv-and-digital-media-issues-involving-bills-and-sabres/ The above link from last May details how the Pegulas retained media consultant Steve Greenberg to assess media strategies. This is the same guy who consulted them during their purchase of the Bills. So I hope WGR savors its final few months as a sports talk monopoly.

First of all, Risto did not force the shooter outside. Danault skated by him like a traffic cone. Second, if Johnson comes out too far, Danault cuts inside and across the crease for a wide open net. Johnson had to stay in because of Risto's fukkup. You have a shooter moving at top speed with no one on him. A goalie has to stay close enough to react to an inside move. As it was, Danault hit a key hole's worth of space above Johnson's shoulder. Good shot. Sometimes you have give credit to the shooter. But Risto hung Johnson out to dry.

Well I think DDB made that comment before seeing the goal on T.V. or realizing Risto did a bang up impression of a traffic cone on the play.

Because all NHL network does is grab a local game and sends it out nationally. Usually it's the home team broadcast.

You just did when you said Johnson let in a softy.

LOL, soft. That's funny. You know what's soft? Risto's defense. Danault went by him like he's standing still. This soft goal BS really irks me. There was nothing soft about that goal. No goalie on earth can cover the corner over the shoulder, especially when the puck is shot from less than 15 feet away. Danault hit the key hole, while Risto was pulling his thumb out of his azz.

Only 1 goal (#4) was on Johnson. The other three were a result of bad, bad defense. These Sabres are more exciting offensively, but they are still in tank mode on D.

Sorry, those make me think of this guy.

That's because web feeds have totally separate commercial feeds. National audience vs. Local.

Just finished watching a delayed feed from GCL. That Holtby save on Kane was sick as f#@k.

One thing you notice is how defenders respect Eichel with the puck. They contain rather than attack.

The ROR deal makes up for Lehner (I know, still early.)

As far as game atmosphere is concerned, I agree it's pretty dead, but I side more with Santa than Potato. The level of "game ops" (as it's called in the biz) is fine. I'm there to watch the game, not to be led through the Hokey Pokey. And as for hating the music, that's a lame excuse. It just means they aren't playing YOUR favorite songs. I actually was the backup DJ at Monarchs AHL games in the early 2000's. Trust me when I say atmosphere is foremost in everyone's mind. We used to meet at 5pm game nights to game plan ways to get people fired up. But the game has a huge effect on mood. It's harder to fire to a bored crowd. And frankly the Sabres have been pretty boring the last two years. The entire NHL is boring, frankly, because teams have taken scoring out of the game. It's all about defense now. That's the main problem.

As much that fits his narrative.

PA, is your handle "Michael Bolton" when commenting on BN stories? Just curious.