LTS

I look at the roster and I see: Östlund, Benson, Malenstyn, Dahlin, McLeod, Doan, Timmins, Samuelsson (small sample size), Zucker, Bryson, Kozak. I think Bryson remains a serviceable 7th D, Timmins a 3rd pairing D, Kozak does his job as does McLeod and Malenstyn. I think Östlund is showing promise. Why no Thompson? He's a one-trick pony at the moment. He can't win board battles and he doesn't do great in contested space. I like him, his skill is immense but the book on him is close his time and space and he's a turnover machine. No sample size on Norris. Quinn hasn't made it happen. Tuch is... who he is. Zucker is an established vet. Dahlin covers for others. Sammy is getting it done this year. Doan is the real deal. The Sabres continue to not have a great first line simply because they keep trying to inject youth into it. If the Sabres get one more top line forward who can pull attention from Thompson I think they will do very well.

Ellis is still a bit too busy with his movements, but I'll take it for now. They managed a win. I don't really care too much other than a dub is better than the L. Find a way to make it happen more consistently... reminder this is only their second road dub and they are about to embark on a long road game stretch. I don't miss Greenway. I like Greenway, but I think the game has passed him by. Still puzzling over giving apples on Doan's goal... that does NOT go in unless Zuccarello plays it.. that should be a straight no apples play... but I guess the NHL stat keepers are tasked with keeping Sabres fans engaged... (hah)

I understand why it could feel that way but I don't think so. Coaching affects performance, certainly. But the effort a player puts in on the ice is 100% attributable to the player. I see a lot of lazy players on the ice who don't want to win puck battles, make good passes, and skate hard. Even if the system is bad the point at which a player decides to make a pass whether it's the right pass or not, that's on the player to execute. The desire to win a puck battle in the moment is on the player. The coaching on this team is laughable. I think the players don't want to put their full effort in. They are both contributing to the problem but while the coaching won't get better the players can play better. I see some of them still working hard. I watched McLeod swing by the net after a shot on goal the other night. You could point to coaching and say they aren't forcing the players to go to the net when the shot is on goal. You could be right, but I watched Benson go to the net. Every player is taught from the moment they begin playing, you go to the net after a shot. You don't fly by, ever. We saw it happen in OT earlier this year. They didn't go to the net to force a whistle. The goalie put it back in play and whoever they were playing went right down the ice and scored because Buffalo was caught sleeping.

Tage Thompson has also seemingly stopped doing all of these things again. It was like he was motivated when he heard he was a bubble USA Olympic team option and decided to show he could actually care and play stronger. I also believe the Sabres do not emphasize physical play and instead emphasize stick work. It's why they attempt to poke pucks free more than separate player from puck through checking. It's why they leave players open in front of the net because they believe by standing in front of the player they can intercept the pass or shot. Some players are good at the puck poking, they all seem to fail at intercepting the pass before the player in front of the goaltender can have an impact. Meh..

Confusing statement. Does the coach get on the ice and push them around faster? I think a coach can help take motivated players to the next level but regardless of what is said in the locker room or on the bench the only motivation that really matters is when a player steps on the ice. Either they are going to put it all out there or they are not. A coach does not make Timmins make a bad pass, even Herb Brooks wouldn't have prevented that. Even if a coach does not hold a player accountable (and yes, that's on the coach) a player needs to hold themselves and their teammates accountable. Coaches can certainly negatively impact a team, but I don't see how it negatively impacts a player's willingness to spend their own energy. Even if they don't like the coach they should be doing it to spite the coach and because they hold themselves to their own personal higher standard.

I watched the first two periods. If I were to use recent social media speak I would classify it as "Tell me you have no interest in this game without telling me you have no interest in this game." They were soft, slow, and disinterested. So.. I turned it off. I'm now on my fourth black manhattan.. I'm happy; just as I predicted earlier today. Because.. why on Earth would I care about this game if the team that gets paid stupid bucks to play it does not?

Not the one's who starve to death.

I get ghosted by a lot of people... so yes?

If they win, I'm happy. If they lose, I might throw up. If I throw up I will have more room for Thanksgiving indulgence, so I'm happy. Either way. I will be happy.

Maybe... and believe me I might already have seriously kicked into the holiday weekend drinking festivities.. but maybe.. The Sabres can help facilitate a 3-way trade that puts Hughes in NJ and shakes free a NJ player? I mean, I understand that Kevyn Adams might be the only person who doesn't like a 3-way... but perhaps Jarmo is open to it? Wow, that post is going to read strange later on. Especially since I've actually been working all day and haven't jumped into drinking yet.

Yes, what an appropriate punishment that would be. 🙄

Possibly, although I've had a glass shatter just sitting on the table.. sometimes strange stuff just happens.

Jack Eichel's neck appears to be holding up just fine. Sidney Crosby seems to have been okay. I'm not going to put any player into a bucket as it really depends on the injuries and what's done to treat them. Not sure if we know enough to make a statement on what will or won't happen.

What happens first? Sabrespace posting new threads asking my Terrence Pegula has still not made changes or Terrence Pegula making a change? 😉 I'm going to start a new club called BSA, Buffalo Sabres Anonymous. It'll be for people who have finally decided enough is enough and want to quit the Sabres and need support in staying away. Lord knows I need the help too. It's been 2 days since I've given a damn about the Buffalo Sabres. Well, I'm posting here, so maybe I'm back off the wagon?

Gotta love that salary on the 3rd pairing as well. But, I think it proves what we know. They have no confidence in him and the less he is on the ice the better. Good news is that I have a long list of things I will do instead of watch the game tonight. Thankfully beer league hockey superseded the Bills game last night. I love when life saves you from the misery that is Buffalo sports. My son and his friends on the other hand decided they want to go to the game tonight.

Yeah.. I'm out. I ultimately decided that taking time to drive to Buffalo, spend money on tickets, etc. is not worth it. I know it's chance to meet up with people, but the misery of this team is too much for that to overcome. Ultimately it boils down to spending money in support of Pegula and I just can't do it.

I'm so glad i turned this game off when they disallowed the first goal. By virtue of the Sabres I am now just getting tired of the NHL as a whole. I'm tired of goalie "interference". It's worst than what constitutes a completed catch in football. Oh well.. more of the same. Time to check out.

And if that's the case.. and because of Pegula it all circles back to.. we're doomed as long as Pegula owns the team. Also.. well done!

Fair.. I think Peterka will outscore him overall, but I don't care.

Nope.. but it's also why I specifically called out the Bills and Sabres and not "Buffalo sports fans". I realize the Bandits have had success, I just don't consider it as big a deal. It's certainly great for fans of the team and I am sure it's a good thing in the NLL circles but it's not the same. At least not to me.

I'll still take Doan in the deal for his tenacity. The slight drop in offense (to date) is worth the increase in tenacity. It's an example for the rest of the team.

I'm not sure how confident I feel in Adams having full decision authority any longer. He may still be the GM. Part of me feels like Pegula brought in Jarmo to evaluate the team and organization much like he was using Adams when Botteril was GM. The only different is that it's not really a secret this time and Adams knows it. Kevyn may have limitations on him that we are unaware of. Or.. I could just be hopeful. While Zucker is right, I have no influence on the team so all I have is hope.

At this point a Buffalo Bills and Sabres fan can't point to the "year they won it all" to fall back on. So.. yeah, I'd be a happier person than I am now simply because I would at least know what that feeling once in my life. It may not be much, but it is more than nothing!

Well hell. In High School I could dunk a basketball on a 10 foot net. I wish someone had given me the NBA minimum at the time because I sucked at basketball. I was barely a decent volleyball player... but I could jump!

Either way... it won't have an impact on you right? Frankly, unless NYS gets involved it wont have an impact on me either. But... give me a new owner anyway.