dudacek

Any team that blows a 4-point lead this late in the season deserves to be blown up.

I missed him saying that.

I’m not even sure why “the Islanders took them lightly” is considered a shot at the Sabres. I see it as a shot at the Islanders. The weren’t prepared, therefore they got spanked.

Looked like the Islanders took the Sabres lightly to me too. That's a team that we've found impossible to penetrate in recent years, and one that's flirted with a top 10 record in the back half of the season. Seemed easy tonight. Yes, we are better, but unless the Islanders have fallen crazy hard, they've got a better game than that.

This is an oddly timed thread, considering that the attendance has been horrible all season and the numbers have been slowly climbing the past month or two. The fans will come back as the team earns it. They're starting to do just that.

5/1/0 outscored the opponents 26-16

The concept of Will Borgen is something that will never die around here. Guy has yet to play 50 NHL games and turns 26 this year.

Whatever you think of Don, this team ranks among the most improved in Sabres history. In terms of point percentage, last year’s team projected for 54 points. This year’s team has 71, projects at 74 and could get to 77. The Sabres have made a 20-point jump 6 times in their history. Best-ever leap was 37, from 51 to 88 in ‘72-‘73 and from 76 to 113 in ‘74-75. The others: ‘15-16 27 points ’05-06 25 points ’79-80 22 points ’87-88 21 points

Wasn’t Anderson nicked up and missed practice?

I think people tend to forget Jokiharju is 22. (Not disagreeing, or agreeing with either of your points)

i believe it’s 5 games for Ras on the right side now. He’s got 3 goals and 5 assists and is +2 averaging 24 minutes a game. Have we solved the question of our imbalance on D?

It's complicated because its point percentage, not points; teams are playing different amounts of games this year. That said, they are in now (barely), so if they win out I doubt they can be knocked out.

Since the catharsis of the Eichel return game, our record is 12/6/3. That's good for 11th in the NHL, 4th in the division and 6th in the conference. Our offence is 13th in the NHL Our defence is 15th in the NHL Our PP is 5th Our PK is 19th Shots for 27th Shots against 12th

Part of why I’m feeling optimistic is that everything I hear from the players and coaches screams optimism. I’ve specifically heard them speak to the bolded and suspect we will hear a lot of that on locker room clean out day.

I think those looking for sweeping upgrades are going to be disappointed. We're going to add a goalie and an RD and upgrade Eakin. None of those 3 will be big names. Adams will be counting on internal growth from UPL, MItts, Quinn, Power, Krebs, Cozens and Peterka.

Couple recent national podcasts (I think Custance and Marek) made a point of saying something good and long overdue is happening in Buffalo.

It's too bad this thread went the way it has, because there's a decent discussion to be had here on two levels: One is how the hockey sense a healthy Victor has shown this season is reminiscent of Sam's and big leap from what we've observed in his game before. He has made some of the sweetest passes we've seen this year. He still needs good linemates to maximize his game, but it's become more of a two-way street. Another is how a healthy Victor has produced: 18/14/32 in 33 games in October, March and April. That raises the question of how productive he can be over a full year. A developed Sam Reinhart was essentially a 65-point per 82 games player for the Sabres. Based on recent numbers, wondering if Victor can better that is not a silly exercise. Forget "who's better." Make it about "what level can Victor reach?"

It's the not the bad passes, although they have been reduced. It's the good ones. Skinner is looking for, finding, and hitting the open man in a way he never has in his career. I'm with @Taro T, he has been a better hockey player this year than during his 40 goal year.

Legend

“The fans will come back when we earn it.” - Kevyn Adams

Don speaks highly of everyone. You’ve got parse through the attitude stuff and the talent stuff and focus in on what he says about a player’s actual play. That said, I’m still not clear why a 30-point scorer with the best defensive numbers on the team in his first full NHL season would be in danger of being pushed out.

Mitts and Krebs are a work in progress in their current roles. Wish each was showing at least a bit of a threat as a shooter.

Sabrespace feels worried about his numbers, his size and where he played this year. Sabrespace also knows he was a long-term project given his physical immaturity and is willing to give the current regime the benefit of the doubt this early.

Our 2nd unit is almost as dangerous as the 1st lately and that’s new territory for this team. I’m a little surprised about how much Tuch and Thompson have not handled zone entries well on the PP, because at even strength they seem pretty good.

From the Buffalo News: Since March 1, Buffalo’s power play ranks fifth in the NHL with a conversion rate of 28.6% across 24 games. What do you think about what you are seeing? Does anything need to change?