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I was talking about this same thing with my son earlier today. I said they need to be super careful coming into tonight. Because you can’t have the Seattle loss turn into losing 3 of the next 4, or losing 5 of 7, etc.. We knew it would be tough in this game coming off the West coast. That first game back is always hard. But they played well. just didn’t bury their chances. Needed to get this game to OT and couldn’t. Reminded me of so many losses last Fall.

I posted this somewhere else but I'll repeat it here....Locals already pay a lot of money for an amateur hockey product and a team they care about (Sabres). Bringing in college teams, with no emotional attachment and charging professional prices in WNY is not gonna fly. Some blame has to be attributed to the Western draw. Duluth and Denver were only going to bring a handful of fans to Key Bank. That being said... I whined about ticket prices as much as anyone, but Buffalo has hockey fatigue. Years of disappointing finishes by the Sabres have diminished my interest in the sport a bit. I'm like why would I pay $250 to sit in the nosebleeds with my son?, and that's before food and parking. Sadly I think Buffalo will be out of the rotation for the Frozen Four and World Juniors for quite some time,... maybe forever. The city looked bad and non-supportive of both events even when it wasn't entirely the city's fault. They should continue to market amateur hockey tournaments for the Harborcenter rink as that is the perfect size. The USA women, USA sled hockey, etc.. it all works beautifully in a small but really nice facility like Harborcenter. The big rink is never going to be filled for amateur hockey events at $100+ per ticket.

I like Botts,, but if he sticks with Housley after this season I will begin to question him. It's not working. Phil coached the team to dead last place last season and they weren't supposed to be that awful. This year's club has a nice core of players and he's coaching them into the toilet...again. Whatever his tactics are,,scheme, strategy, etc.. is not working. He doesn't have the ability to push the right buttons. Geez, even Lehner and O'Reilly leave this staff and suddenly they get mentally "right" again. After the season, find a new coach..and get a better goaltender too. Our goalies get outplayed by the opponents goalie way too often. I have some hope for Linus that he will improve in the future. Yes, defense too...but they will have to get a new coach to get the D corrected I think.

I've definitely soured on TM. I was really hoping he would do great things here. It's not his fault they didn't get the McDavid ping pong ball, but the team assembled right now isn't very good. We still lack puck possession and look slow compared to the opponents. I don't see playoffs happening in the next few years unless some huge changes/additions are made.

I watched on TV and sort of assumed the simplicity of this ceremony was Dom's wishes. I mean who comes out to an empty podium by choice? No family, no MC, nothing to keep things organized. Strange but OK, i guess that's the way he wanted it. The only awkward part on TV was the banner raising, in relative silence. It was so slow going up, no one really knew what to do? Whatever...move on.

Just watching the highlight packages (not knowing their exact stats) I would take Sam Bennett if available. Either Sam would be fine with me though.

Not quite. One more got out. I was listening to Buffalo Airport air traffic control (a bit of a geek i am!)....and the Sabres Delta Airlines charter took off successfully a few mins ago. They had to stop all plow activity for a bit but the boys are on their way to Carolina.

The WGR people seem to think drafting high will automatically make them better. I could not disagree more. You may hit lightning in a bottle with a great player like Crosby but it's going to take more than that to turn this mess around. In the meantime the team is hemorrhaging fans, ticket base, sponsors, national TV games...etc. The product is getting totally devalued and it's an embarrasment to the city, the fans, ownership. There's going to be a half empty arena very soon.

Wow, another shortie against. 3-2 now. How many odd man rushes do we give up on the PP?? ridiculous.

I heard that too on the Caps broadcast. Very disappointing to hear if that's true. I thought TP had some fancy refrigeration units installed under the ice. There's no reason a team in Buffalo, NY should have the worst ice in the NHL. That rep will stick with the team.

I'd be fine with trading Miller. He could use the change of scenery as well. If the Sabres flop with Enroth, so be it. They're not making the playoffs anyway. Miller's best years are behind him imo and he's not going to win a Cup here. I also feel like his skinny frame will break down more in the coming years. Just get some assets for him while you can Darcy.

Lucky to get a point. Totally outplayed from the 2nd period on. Id flip rosters with the Panthers in a heartbeat. They have good team speed and play keepaway.

I don't think its a style. I just think the team is poorly constructed and when the opponent decides to press... there's not a darn thing buffalo can do to stop the pressure.

The Sabres don't carry play enough in any game to make me believe they are a good team. They lay back and still soft.

When is the trade deadline? This will be one deadline where most Sabres will beg to be shipped out. This is absolutely hockey's version of the titanic. The defense can't defend, the offense can't forecheck or cycle. This is the worst mix of players on any Sabres club I've watched in 40 years.

I agree with this. I'd rather not make a knee jerk hire just to appease the fans. If Pegula and the Execs commit themselves to moving away from Ruff at seasons end, than do a proper search and hire the right man, with the right experience & system for this job. You aren't going to be able to grab the best hire during mid-season. This team is not making the playoffs this season no matter who is behind the bench. They are too far behind and every game is practically a 3 point Eastern conference game... (unless you are Buffalo who tend to lose alot in regulation).

I'm actually starting to feel a little bad for Miller. Kinda' like i did for Hasek when i knew he "should" win a cup in his career but knew he'd never do it in Buffalo. I'm ok if they trade Miller to a contender at some point while he is still good enough. A shame he will not win anything here. This Sabres club is a few years from contending at the very least.

I'd like to know over the last two seasons how many times the Sabres have lost in regulation when they were tied in the 3rd or had a 3rd period lead? It feels like an inordinate amount of times. You HAVE to find a way to get these kind of games to OT. At least get a point. So frustrating they find a way to lose in regulation...AGAIN!

Better game last night by the boys...they probably deserved a point or two. The game of hockey always evens out. They should have lost on the Island and won, they played well enough to win last night and lost....always evens out. The problem is that Buffalo put out maximum effort and still took an L. They just aren't a very good team. I'm not rooting for them to lose out but it might be best for the franchise to crater this season and look to re-tool next season...hopefully with a new coach.

Not a bad effort by the boys tonight. We've seen soooo much worse. Anderson > Miller...and that's not a knock on Miller. It just is.

To put it bluntly, this 2013 Sabres team is one of the worst looking teams in the past several years. They look slow and tired, except for just a couple guys. They don't know how to forecheck and keep the puck in the offensive zone. They allow every opponent to cycle them to death in the defensive zone. They give up numerous point blank chances and odd man rushes, inexplicably while trying to play better defensively. So if your defensive gameplan is to collapse deep and give up chance after chance, and hope Miller is on top of his game...then they are executing brilliantly. The Buffalo Sabres look like the worst team in the NHL. Out of the first 13 games, there has only been maybe 2 games where the ice hasn't been tilted towards the Sabres end. If you can't fire all the players, they better get a new coach and system.

Penalties notwithstanding, hate seeing buffalo getting dominated at home like this. Too bad for Miller. Not his fault.

Should never be outshot that much by the Isles. Thanks Miller for stepping up and stealing one but there's something seriously wrong with the Sabres.

The Sabres flight is leaving for JFK soon. Getting in won't be a problem. Getting out of NY will be dicey tomorrow night. http://flightaware.c...e/flight/BSK397

What a joke. They dont deserve a losers point.