Pimlach

Chances of all these things happening in the same season are slim. My take is this: 1 Tage Thompson is going to have a monster year Maybe. For this to happen he has to stay healthy. He has to click with a line. The PP has to improve. 2 Zach Benson is going to improve the top 6 Benson will likely improve his game but how much that improves the top 6 is debatable. He may not even be on it very much. 3 Josh Norris will be a notable upgrade on Dylan Cozens Yes, he is definitely an upgrade if healthy. 4 Jack Quinn will replace JJ Peterka I think they were always about the same, and maybe Peterka was the slightly better player. JJP is sturdier and more reliable. We shall see what Quinn brings but I would not bank on him. 5 Michael Kesselring is exactly what the blue line was missing We don't know this. He has to emerge from a bottom 6 to top 4. I do think he could be solid and will help. 6 Josh Doan is exactly what the forward ranks were missing We really don't know how this either. He could be a solid 3rd liner that plays with grit, we need that. 7 Lindy knows the roster and they know him Ruff's legacy is on the line. His coaching staff is not impressive. 8 This defence corps is going to create a *****-ton of offence They will create offense, can they provide defense? 9 The team is going to play better defence It has to get better, but how much better? 10 The goaltending can’t possibly get worse It actually could get worse, but I think Lyon will be as good as Reimer was at the end of the season. 11 - They need vets like Tuch, McLeod, and Zucker to continue to contribute. 12 - Attitude: They have to be resilient playing in front of sparse home crowds until they can bring hockey excitement back to the region. They have to stay in the race and not fold early as usual. This team needs a chip on it shoulder and they have to learn how to win. They have to earn the right to win as McDermott says. A lot has to happen to fix this team.

What a mess. I read some of that court transcript. Pretty wild.

Adams spoke very highly of Lyon. Right now we have 4 goalies, which usually means we don't have a goalie.

It doesn't matter, just as long as we have Doan.

The Sabres brand has been tarnished beyond our wildest thoughts. Right on cue.

Isn't he a guy we beat with regularity?

Good to hear. This could be the year he makes a bigger impact. We really need that if this team is going anywhere.

Yup. And my 3 millennial kids are long gone and out of the house. No more, "Hey Buddy, what are these phone updates and are they any good?" My youngest son always knows if there are ways to shut them off and which updates are useful.

Not me, I would love to pound the crap out of KC in the AFC championship game, preferable at home in the Bills last game ever at Highmark. Beating Reid and Mahommes in the playoffs, and KC being an old AFL Rival, that would be fantastic. After that bring home the Lombardi Trophy!

It was. Anything could have happened with that rushed set up and the kick was nearly blocked. But you gotta' love the execution and the result. A walk off FG was fitting given all the missed two pointers.

^ This is wrong. Sounds like you are a casual football fan and not watching very closely. He is top 2 the league right now and already destroying the NFL record books, and that is without any HoF level receivers and running backs on his team so far. How many players elevate their team like him, just a very few.

This sounds awesome. Wish I could be there, I would break my boycott. Go Bills!

Well boys the last home opener at Rich/The Ralph/HighMark was one for the ages. Allen with 394 yards passing and 2 TDs, 30 yards rushing and 2 more TDs, and a 112 QB rating. The defense will get better, there are a few vets on the DL that are on suspension, the secondary is very young and has to get better. Great win. Bring on the Jets.

what about “drill another well”?

Last regular season opener in the former “Rich Stadium” today. I have seen some really great football games there.

Yea! On the positive side, they fixed something two years in a row now. First the scoreboard and the holey roof, now better Audio and express entry and better hot dog buns. Go Sabres!

The Bills have a good Fax machine.

My hockey team hate starts and ends with the Toronto Maple Leaves. I do respect some of their history though, like their original Imlach era, and of course the Bill Berilko story as told by Gord Downie.

RIP Ken Dryden. This seems like a good time for some Ken Dryden Fun Facts, and there are a few good ones involving the Sabres: Ken won a Stanley Cup and the Conn Symthe MVP Trophy in 1971 and he did not reach rookie status as he played only 6 NHL games that season. He is the only player to do that. On March 20, 1971, Buffalo at Montreal, so of course Punch Imlach had to start Ken's brother Dave Dryden. Montreal did not started Ken Dryden, despite Punch's cajoling to Al McNeil their coach. After the anthem Punch pulled Dave Dryden and went with Joe Daley in goal. The matchup was not to be. Then the Montreal starter Rogie Vachon went down injured, Ken came in the game. Punch immediately put Dave in net and this the only time in NHL history that a pair of brothers faced against each other as goaltenders. They finished the game with a handshake https://external-preview.redd.it/SmL4RQcRVHDmV-Qghj7IJQ5_xEGDGwfHYhOx2hxiauI.gif?width=448&format=mp4&s=fc256cc2a677af11ff375369de90ed685b220f8e The next season Ken Dryden edged out Rick Martin for Rookie of the year Calder Trophy Ken won 6 Cups and bunches of Vezina's He was multi talented guy - lawyer, HoF goalie, politician, writer, teacher, and NHL exec.

Going back to last season, the very idea that Adams and Ruff would let an unconfident kid like Cozens share an A with Tuch shows that the Sabres do not have a steady hand at the wheel. My tolerance for Adams especially, and Ruff as well, is zero.

He also led the NHL in blocked shots by a forward, and is one of the very few that sticks up for teammates. He is one of 22 forwards selected to try out for US Olympic team, so he is a respected player in the league. Letting him go would be very deflating to an already fragile team.

Zito wants to get the 3 peat. He is also going to help Team USA pick their Olympic roster so he is going to be a busy man. Agree he could take the job simply for the huge challenge. He was born in Pittsburgh, grew up in Wisconsin, went to college at Yale and played varsity hockey there. He became a lawyer to pay for that Yale education. He was a sports agent, and then a hockey front office guy, then the Florida GM. He is not a fancy guy, he is a gritty worker that relates to people. Pegula allegedly had him in his final two and he took Boterill. Seattle had him in their final two and they took Francis. If Zito ever leaves Florida it will be for huge money and complete control. Terry can do both but will he ever? Making Buffalo a Cup winner would be the biggest challenge he could tackle.

The Sabres are not the fans, the fans are not the Sabres. This is too abstract for me. The fans are much better than what has become of the Buffalo Sabres hockey organization. The fans do not deserve this, they certainly don't contribute to the losing, and most of the fans do not like the way the team has been run since Pegula took over and made his big promises. The fans have now become quick to boo, but all they have left is nostalgia - Ryan Miller Day, Rob Ray Day, RJ Day. These special nights are the season highlights under Pegula and we are running out of hero's. I can agree that the fan base has eroded significantly, and that is because the Sabres Hockey Organization has been inept for a historical 15 years and counting. The look of the Sabres FO is that they do not even seem to be trying. I am with the bold. The lowest point keeps getting lower with each losing season. I stopped buying tickets to home games, that has never happened to me in any other season no matter the circumstances.

Would I overpay for Zito? Yes. Zito is going for a 3-peat, that makes him elite in today's world, plus he is relevant right now. No second thoughts on this question.