Pimlach

To me Ruffs post game interview was a circular ramble. Others might think he has the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln. I don't.

If the Devils miss the playoffs by one point then the two points matters. I don't see it happening unless they collapse.

Definitely seen worse hits but still, who had the benefit of the replay? No one. Since when do hockey players need that much evidence to bring justice? Noesen had taken other runs and cheap shots. This was building up for awhile.

My guess is Gilbert and Dahlin.

Agree. But if his sole intention was to rest them he would have cancelled it yesterday after another hard fought (see the pun) win. He sarcastically alluded to no practice to the media. Harrington says it was cancelled 52 minutes prior, so I think the players were there and talking about it. I think the hot kitchen means maybe not all the players were on board with the decisions made. The Columbus game should be interesting.

Dirty players have to be kept in check. You won't stop them from being a pain to play against, you probably won't stop them from being dirty, but you have to contain it and address it. Noesem was running our players every chance he had. He should have been addressed after the hit on Zucker. Lindy commented on the chippy play an the strange calls the refs made and didn't make. He had the last change and he had Gilbert on the bench, but he did not use him. I think he felt that the Devils were too skilled to risk playing Gilbert.

If Pegula set the teams direction to that fine level of detail then forget ever winning. I don't think he does or that he can be bothered with those details. If he is truly a hockey guy then he understands the role of fighting. The lack of toughness and accountably started with the Lucic hit on Miller. It was 2011, Pegula's first season and Ruff was the coach. In 2024 Lindy was supposed to bring in NHL experience, accountability, and a team that is harder to play against. Under Lindy they are were all but eliminated by Christmas, they are entrenched in last place in their conference, several young players have regressed, they consistently play worse as the game goes on, they freeze up and blow big leads all the time, and now apparently he decides when the players can fight or not. Someone pointed out his teams record defending a third period lead. It is the worst in the league, ironically Granato's was among the top. I like Lindy and appreciate his history with the team but yesterday was the end for me. He does not look like a coach that will fix this team. In his defense he didn't want to get swept by the Devils and he knows he has to defend his record after the season. So given that the 2 points mean a lot to him. Some of us think the teams reputation and culture mean more.

I take it you never played? Having to fight will absolutely deter a dirty hit. Why is everything that you disagree with a “narrative”? I have not read one word to even suggest a bench clearing brawl. That is your narrative. Lindy blew it by not immediately sending out Gilbert. He told us why he added him to the roster and then he fails to use him. His defense of his decision in his post game interview was incoherent. At least he took the players off the hook by telling us they were ready to respond. I’ll give him credit for standing by his incorrect decision. If your captain is on the ice bleeding and possibly concussed you put Gilbert out. Why is that hard to understand? So Gilbert gets a 2, a 5, and a 10. Big deal, they play 4 on 4 and then they get a power play. Was Chris Drury more valuable than Tage Thompson? Are two points that valuable to a team that is last in their conference with no legitimate shot at the playoffs? If the Sabres did the same thing to Hughes do you think the Devils would have not responded and been happy with a 5 minute power play? There is no defense for his decision to hold back his players response. If this spills over into next season it is completely because of Lindy’s poor decision yesterday.

Which team needed the 2 points more? Lindy’s second term has been a failure. The team is worse than last year. At a minimum, he was supposed to help improve the culture. His post game interview was a disjointed rant. He actually was sarcastic about giving the boys Monday off. It’s sad to see actually.

Remember, Lindy just told his guys all about the value of Rob Ray to his team. He said that Ray always put the teammates first, right? I guess they forgot already, and so did he. How quickly that changed. Lindy’s post game comments were inconsistent, defensive, and short sighted. First he said two guys on the bench were ready to go answer but he didn’t want a penalty. A far cry from the “run him” philosophy he had when Drury got hit in the head versus Ottawa. Which Sabres team had the better culture? Which team needed the two points more? And so the Sabres didn’t answer because Lindy wanted the 5 min power play. He said they would need it. That’s great faith in his teams ability to hold a 2 goal lead. And with all his excuses, his team gives up a shorty, and then takes two more minor penalties, while almost choking away yet another 3 goal lead going into the 3rd. The biggest folly was that his team won and he is up there making excuses and being irritable and defensive. Did the postgame interviews feel like a victory? Anyone get a good feel from watching them? Lindy yells at a reporter for asking about the lack of response message. Then he does a very strange 180 flip by saying that Noesem was gone but “you can answer by picking a guy, any guy”. WTF is he saying? The media room got quiet upon this big contradiction. Which is it Lindy? Gilbert was dressed and ready, but apparently Lindy wasn’t. Let’s not forget that the Devils were not done. Kulich gets blasted next and he limps off the ice. Still nothing, we really gotta get those 2 points. They were lucky to win, and the win was mostly due to UPL playing brilliantly. Victory was achieved but the tone in that locker room was not a positive one, I think many of the players regret the lack of response, and they should. Tage has made several on ice immediate responses for players, but we didn’t have the “right players” out there apparently and our coach really valued those two points over his teams reputation and culture. Ironically, this was something he was brought in to fix. The Rob Ray messages were quickly forgotten.

Because Ray likes getting paid. Just know that Ray would have done the exact opposite. But he can’t criticize the team on the air. After the hit Seigenthaler (#71), first takes a path to Kukich who backs away, then he takes a stick poke at Muel to let him know he would be ready to go. The ref stepped in then not before. Watch the replay. Samuelsson skated around in circles. The two points means little, the season is over with the exception of building the culture for next season. No response is the current culture. It wasn’t just the hit on Tage. The hit in Zucker was late and dangerous. The hit on Kulich was unnecessary. The team is weak and flaccid.

I don’t think they won 4 in a row last season either. ?? Im hanging on to my house and all the accounts. I’m not a gambler.

You read UPLs mind.

Intercepting who? It is EXACTLY like no one responded. No one did a thing. Minutes later Kulich is down. Prior to that Zucker was flattened. I heard those same excuses on the Lucic hit too. Good teams don’t let all that happen back to back to back. They just don’t.

Great point. I hate hearing Ray agree with the passive play of this team when you know that deep down he feels the exact opposite. On the rare occasions that the Sabres respond he always agrees with it.

I’m not making up any stories. I heard him. There should have been a response on the ice before the penalties were even called. If not, then on the very next shift. They had a 5 minute power play anyway, so what if you get an 2 minute instigator, they are better off 4 on 4 anyway. Put out Gilbert and run somebody. Ok Lindy gets his 2points. Wow!!! What will he do? send someone out next season? They came dangerously close to blowing this game anyway, they still took 2 minor penalties after that. Ruff is either out of his mind, or protecting his players. Either way, he should know from the Lucic hit what the lack of response means.

Why is it hilarious? He admitted it. No penalties so we can hold on to the win, right? That was his direction. Those 2points will mean nothing, they are going to finish 16th in the conference. Next year NJ will push them around again. Just like Montreal, NYI, and Columbus have this season.

I missed the live action. I watched on ESPN+ after knowing we won. - Great first period. - inconsistent second period. - terrible hit on Zucker after the 4th goal, unanswered - terrible hit on Tage that went unanswered - hit on Kulich, unanswered - overall poor 3rd period, giving up a goal in 18 seconds, giving up a Shorty when on a 5min PP, no attack on a $hitty minor league backup goalie. - they held on to win because of UPL. UPL was fantastic The Devil have no respect or fear of the Sabres and pounded them until the final horn. A win is a win. Oh boy. The conversation on Lindy wanting to avoid penalties to try to win just blows me away. Noesom was running everyone, even before the cheap hit on Tage. Why was Gilbert dressed? This team is not likable. They just aren’t.

I would think that both you and Lindy would have learned after the Lucic-Miller hit, the response has to be immediate. The team is out of it, winning the game means little. The will play NJ next year and no one will care.

Got it. This brunch is my wife’s idea. See the family, get together, get out of the house, and not have the work of cooking and cleaning up. I just roll with it.

I like @mjd1001 ‘s posts. Some posts are long because he makes an effort to back up his position. He is a polite and respectful person that should get respect in return.

Taking the family out for brunch. Gonna miss a lot of this one, maybe all of it. Go Sabres.

Is Kulich a center? He played wing in the AHL, but in Buffalo his has worked his way up to the top 6, and as a C. That means what I’ve saying since preseason is true. The Sabres did not have a legit 1C and 2C on the roster. At least not what a top tier team would have in those positions. Kulich is playing damn good hockey and he can play center or wing so I’m happy with him. How he evolves is to be seen. PS - I’m still in the camp that Tage is not a center. That doesn’t prohibit him from taking the center position upon zone entry, which fulfills the Granato theory that some here cling to. But Tage cannot consistently handle the defensive and puck handling aspects of a true 1C/2C, especially against other teams top lines.

Gives us links to the winds on line.