Richard Noggin

But see, isn't that how true NHL pros are supposed to play the game? They don't necessarily need to smile much, but they do need to be energized and desperate to succeed on every shift, which then often leads to getting fired up when all that relentlessness directly pays off. They need to passionately sell out for one another every shift, every game. The Sabres don't always look like they're all playing with that edge, to say the least.

On one hand, you could say that part of this "playing the prospects too soon" problem boils down to how terrible the Sabres roster is outside of what should be the maturing prospect pipeline. Their legitimate NHL veteran depth chart has been ABYSMAL for a long time. So the conveyer belt of rushed draft picks is too often getting bombarded at the NHL level like so many sea turtle newborns being picked off by savvy seagulls. Even mediocre NHL teams DEVOUR sloppy, unfocused, and inconsistent play. I think Benson, in spite of his penalties and diminutiveness, might be the most gritty and competitive player on the team (outside of a couple of the 3rd and 4th liners). One of the only players who consistently does the greasy things any coach would demand. He'd look good on a line with some real dudes.

Who cares about the obscene increases in valuations of the Buff sports franchises Pegula purchased? That benefits none of us in any way. Congrats to him on getting even richer. The Sabres are still a bare bones joke of an NHL organization. Crazy that they were his passion project, and yet their organizational spending has been SO restricted especially in recent years. Almost like it's now just a business, and one that is NOT succeeding. Gotta invest in the bizz and remove himself by at least one executive layer, if he wants to turn things around.

Saw a couple of those (drive-bys in the defensive zone) from Thompson late in the game. Immensely talented dude, but yikes.

I stated as much in total agreement a few pages back. He ain't an enforcer most nights, but damn he's effective with that stick check.

GRIIIIITTY

sounds hawt

Seems to my eye like "power" has never really been part of his game (not meant to be pejorative). He's not a small guy, but he's all about the handle and the hands. Has one of the most active and disruptive/productive sticks in the NHL--and thus often chooses to stick-check his man, rather than take the body.

GD that was close to another one

LOLOLOL

Right as they started signing off the thread lol

Such a young person's drink. Might as well learn to appreciate the journey of drinking, the aesthetics of various higher quality beers, wines, spirits. If it's only about the effects, well then might as well find a lower/zero sugar alternative. You'd like to think professional athletes would be smart with the macros when drinking; I left restaurant work behind in recent years, so not sure how the Sabres young core, for example, handles public dining/drinking. I know I've seen it every which way over the years.

Really puts the edge ON

Did Nic Deslauriers complete his conversion from D to LW before entering the Buffalo org? Wasn't he a D-man originally? I know it's not the same thing, exactly, but he immediately popped into my head. **Wikipedia page confirms that the LA organization first experimented with the LW transition in preseason, but it wasn't until Buffalo brought him in via trade later that season and then spent an entire offseason program preparing (and losing a bunch of weight apparently) that he made the full-time switch to forward.

I first saw it on Instagram, of all platforms. The comments there were a one-sided deluge of "fire Adams!" tropes. So I came here, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the board's measured optimism. Appreciate the honesty here about your reaction to the initial social media "consensus" response, which is predictably negative, but then you show your work as you think through things logically and strive for some sober truth. I'm not easily swayed by internet reply-guys, but can absolutely appreciate the emotional noise it creates for so many. Buffalo is easy to root for when things trend up, and even easier to drag when things don't.

Was that Krueger he (Montour) played under and/or Housley? Seeing as it's actually both, I mean...that was a toxic time from top to bottom for the organization. Those coaches were brutally overmatched and out of touch. Those locker rooms were cliquey and aloof, especially with respect to vets vs prospects. Seeing how they dined (at Tempo, both privately and for sanctioned parties) was a steady glimpse into the disfunction, or at least distance, between players. I served Montour's first Tempo reservation after he arrived in Buffalo. 6-top of what seemed to be him and his nuclear family. He was incredibly detached, which could mean anything/nothing, but there were also other Sabres tables there that night and aside from I think Reinhart (?) paying his brief respects, none of the various Sabres present interacted beyond stiff greetings in passing. The outgoing vets had badly lost the highly drafted youngsters by that point. And those coaches were complicit.

Khruangbin tonight at AKG in the rain was solid. Better than when they played Artpark a couple years ago; they're growing as musicians and as performers. Good stuff.

Khruangbin at the AKG Orville Peck at Artpark Regina Spektor in Albany (The Egg) -- first concert for my 7-year old daughter) King Gizzard in Queens NYC Spoon at Electric City Maybe Talking Dead Heads and Dirty Work at Larkin

But you don't get the OPPORTUNITY to do a thing for that long unless you do it fairly well. That is just obvious.

Benson has shown the resilience, tenacity, and instincts to overcome his physical shortcomings (and the beating he's taken all year) enough to belong on the Sabres NHL roster. He goes to the front of the net more than his well-paid teammates. Definitely needs to work hard in the weight room and the cafeteria, but he's already flashed more toughness and compete than many of the Sabres' other diminutive prospects. Possible, seeing as he still hasn't backed down at all even after a full season of grown men bullying him all over the ice. MacKinnon reminded me of Pavelski when I used to frequently wait on visiting athletes at Tempo: smug, joyless, intense dudes a good team needs but no one actually "likes." Do the Sabres have a guy like that? Maybe TNT if he cuts out the visible frustration and ramps up the on-ice arrogance?

Don't blame yourself.

Currently talented hands and determined net-front presence, obviously flourishing on a GOOD team. Amazing (and likely not replicable) PP production. Previously skilled but "slow/weak" C/W tweener on a mediocre team. Probably mismanaged, in retrospect. Showed flashes.

Thought I saw something around 7% before the game.

So what's the deal? Sabres still alive with like a 10% probability?

Refs just trying to get this game over with