Pimlach

They are still in it Woodman. Hang in there.

I will be watching. The roster has been thinned down by injuries but you never know. A road trip can bring a team together. Lyon in the net?

Yup. They are both going to play more. This could be turning point for Power to step up, I can dream.

I know people that were once a part of the team. Players, coaches, and front office. Even they complain about what’s going on. Listen to the folks on TNT, HNIC, ESPN. I make a point to listen to the opponents broadcasts on ESPN+ to hear what they say about this team. Everyone knows there is a big problem in Buffalo. No one blames the fans for it.

What would be nice is to see Owen Power step up.

“EVERYONE HERE” does not do this nonsense. Some people, sometimes will say some things that support your claim. You have an unusual desire to act as a voice of reason, a mediator between the team and the fans. Unfortunately, your excuses for this team (including Pegula and Adams) often come off as a way to satisfy your own need to argue and poke others. I’m pretty sure most people here think that Terry is a nice guy that wants to do better. But the past 15 year performance of this team cannot be defended, and palm trees, taxes, and weather have nothing to do with it. Terry makes bad decisions because he is over his head and he can’t or won’t find the right help.

Soooo. It looks like time to drill another well.

According to the AI on Google - Peterka was not mic'd up for the Sabres game in Buffalo. But I do believe he told his former teammates how great it is out west. Tuch already knows that from his time in Vegas. I just read a recent article were Peterka talks about how well they are treated in Salt Lake City. Modern arena, modern practice facility, ya da ya da. It was not long ago when players on that team were complaining about how poorly they were treated in Phoenix. And we all heard about Florida - golf carts for the wife and kiddies to drive around the complex on and stuff like that. Sun, Disney, Universal, beaches, night clubs, more golf, palm trees and no state tax. They also have high levels of violent crime, lots of drugs, bad traffic, terrible humidity, damaging hurricanes, high property tax, and astronomical homeowners insurance. Finding a good school for Junior might required a pretty good commute too. The Sabres facilities, including Harbor Center, is probably still above average compared to the others, although the Sabres hockey area is a poor one and always was. Peterka likes the mountains, the newness and cleanliness of the American West. Good for him. He got what what he wanted, so far. Back to Dahlin - it is entirely possible that this is a partial season for him and that he misses a lot of games. I do trust that Pegula and the organization will provide excellent support, sans the mountains and pretty vistas of Utah.

Maybe because McBeane proved themselves to be worthy of little to no supervision. And Beane is always willing to let Terry hang out at and play with the cool football team. On top of all that Terry and Kim mixed in well with the NFL owners and NFL elite, but that is not how the NHL works.

OR They rally, they hang in there, and stay in the race. It would be nice to get healthy and still be in the race. It would be nice to cheer for something for an entire season. They need new hero's every night. It is team game and they need to hang in there together.

Love this video and the way they fold the Van Morrison song into it. Welcome Zac Brown, uh, er Jones.

lets unpack this before I speak. You say that: 1. He knows the team is not progressing 2. He is going home for “soul searching” 3. He will come back with an ultimatum How about this: 1. He now knows the team, any team, is not the most important part of his life. 2. He wants to be home to check on her, be with her, and let her know his true feelings, all of which will help both of them. 3. He will come back when he feels he can’t do any more, and he will be grateful for the support from the Sabres Team and organization.

He is not a playmaker at all. He is a finisher. He could be a 50+ goal player but he will never be the catalyst that consistently drives the play. He is a piece of the puzzle but not the solution to the problem.

I assume humor was intended. Benson is listed at 5'10" and 180, and still only 20. He is actually bigger right now than Danny Gare was. He is an inch shorter but already the same weight that Mike Peca was. Benson will add another 8 to 10 pounds in the next few years. His shot is the only area that really needs improvement. He can work on this and getting stronger will help.

I was ok with the recent string of losses and/or OTLs but the events leading up to the Blues game should have got the Sabres attention that this game was going to be a battle. The performance from all of them tells us a lot. It was not just a bad night. Unprepared. Out coached. Out worked. All of it.

I think we know that Lyon is better. And I think we know that Lyon is not the long tern answer if he is expected to play 50-55 games. Ellis played one game and was better than UPL. He kept the team in the game. They rallied around him. He needs to play more. After that we just pray that Levi is an NHL goalie someday. As for Quinn, he had a few good games on wing but his two way game is still suspect. People complained about Peterka's two way game, why does Quinn get a pass? Quinn does not belong on the point on the PP. He just cannot be trusted in that role. I would use Dahlin, Power, Byram, or Kesselring and keep it simple. Get bodies to the net and fire away.

To be fair the lines have been unsettled all year starting with the injury to Norris. The one exception for a few games was when Tuch - McLoed - Doan were clicking, but injuries are a big part of the problem. The AHL guys show flashes but they are not ready for prime time.

100% True. But I feel they took this game lightly. I know how weak this club is emotionally and I know that they can be lazy group. Hence trap game.

Thanks for reminding me about the UPL tripping penalty, which killed any chance of a comeback since we played 2 of the last 3.5 minutes in our end killing that penalty. That was dumb and dirty. It was childish and selfish. The Blues are a bad team and yet they knew how to finish a road game and preserve a shutout. Coaching matters. I just want to see if Colton Ellis can play in the NHL. Give him some games then decide on a #2. Why is this so hard?

Get your steps in and suck up leaves. Retired guys can relate.

Oh, I thought it was last night. Felt bad for you guys to have to watch that game last night.

Yes. Trap game. The Blues were playing bad, they were embarrassed the night before, so their coach took action. Montgomery said his players should be breaking other players legs to get to the puck first. He did not rest them, he skated them. Remember when Terry flew to Montreal, give his inspirational speech, cancelled the practice, and fly back to the big boat only to have his charges lose 5-1 to the Canadians? As I recall the Sabres cancelled at least two practices during that winless streak of 13 game (11 loses and 2 OTLs). Instead Montgomery skated his team in between a back to back. They worked on fundamentals, and then he benched two significant players. Put good ol' Joe Hofer in net, who knew he had a SV of 1.000 versus Buffalo, and who knew he would pitch a shutout? I did predict the Blues would try hard to slow the Sabres down, limit their scoring chances, control the neutral zone, and wait for the Sabres to leak. Looking at the Sabres depleted roster and all the factors leading up to this game, a Sabres let up was exactly what I expected from this group. The Sabres coaching staff was completely outmatched putting out a jumbled mess of forward lines and another night with a totally impotent PP. Remember that recent game on TNT? The praise that Ellis got, the positive vibes the Sabres created for one night with the National media. Fast forward to now. Since that night the Sabres have a bunch of "celebratory" OTL's that are keeping them alive for now. That Ellis kid has not played another minute since that night either. UPL is back and he is making a lot more clams than both Colton Ellis and good ol' Joe Hofer. That's the way it works in Sabreland.

So how was the meet up, the pub, the food, the talk? Never mind on the game.

I can still golf, weather matters.

It’s too early in the season to overreact to how a single game or two impacts the standings. They simply have to avoid two losses in a row and they need wins, not OTLs. They can’t fall into the same old bad habit of accepting losses or this will unravel quickly This team takes periods off, sometimes entire games off. They lose to teams they should beat. The outcome of the Blues game was predictable. All the signs of a trap game were there The Sabres are poorly coached. They start slow, they finish slow. The top 6 is a shambles right now, but even without the injuries it is not that good. The center spine is a weak. Josh Norris was a big and stupid gamble that a GM with 5 straight losing seasons should not have made. Thompson and Dahlin are not doing enough. I fear more inner turmoil is brewing Goaltending will be the key. History says Lyon will not hold up. History says UPL is not good enough. We have seen Ellis once and he stole a win yet he can’t get back on the ice.