JohnC

Your strawman argument that you color me with is utter BS. On this issue you offer the same nonsensical response. You and your pugilistic allies say it is not about fighting when you and your allies argue about the lack of fighting by the Sabres. My position is consistent. Play harder and tougher. That has nothing to do with fighting. That isn't promoting soft hockey; it's the opposite. If you are so enamored with fighting then just go to a to a MMA or pro fighting match and get your vicarious bloodthirsty thrills there. The Sabres certainly have deficiencies. Idiotic, contrived fighting is not one of them.

Even if this team has an end of the season tailspin I don't see KA fired. The owner is committed to the GM and the plan he agreed to. I won't be as lenient if after another season this team continues to be stuck in the muck of mediocrity.

The problem with the Sabres has absolutely nothing to do with willingness to fight. That is a phantom issue imagined by old school fans who pine for the hooligan era of hockey that existed more than a generation ago. A willingness to fight addresses none of our obvious deficiencies that were on display against the Flyers. Playing hard and tough have nothing to do with fighting. There is no fighting in Olympic hockey and college hockey. Fighting is not allowed in football, basketball, baseball, genuine wrestling etc. If people are so enamored and captivated with fighting in NHL, they should instead watch MMA, pro wrestling and pro fighting events. The Sabres were too loose and not engaged defensively (including forwards) to keep up against a team that played harder and tougher. How many times were Flyer players uncovered when they got off a goal scoring shot? The Sabres lost to a more active and engaged team. I turned the channel and watched one of the tournament basketball games. It was much more entertaining. Fighting is simply stupid and a doesn't address the real problems that hinder this team.

How about 3 to 4? I would bet on 3. I can see maybe two defenders added to the blueline unit. I know we just signed Levi but I would like to see an upper tier goalie added such as Saros. However, not counting on it.

How can you tell if an old-timer is a hipster? They button the top button on their shirts.

@Brawndois combative. I'm confident that he threw the Milk Duds back at you, followed by some choice obscenities. Rumor has it that he is the usher who hits unruly people with his bulky flashlight.

He's well known. He has a reputation for physically throwing out juveniles who are unruly. The punks know not to mess with this tough as nails mature hipster.

Don't tell me you were shirking your duty for a matinee discount? If you then asked for a senior citizen discount, you will be pushing your luck. Get back to work and serve this cantankerous community!

Send him to Rochester to play full-time. If and when the Sabres are out of the playoff race then play him in Buffalo to get him introduced to the league.

Within this WGR link is a 25 min interview with Dan Dunleavy. The focus of the discussion is on having a perspective on where this team is in comparison to some of the more established and veteran teams. You can skip the first five minutes which focuses on arenas. In this interview, you get a more positive sense of where this team is at and trending. We often have similar discussions here. Participants here such as @dudacekand @Taro T and some others, periodically, try to quell the heat of the emotions after some frustrating and exasperating losses by acknowledging and accepting that disappointments are part of the process. It's good hockey talk. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/howard-and-jeremy-show

Stop being so supercilious. 🤡

I also hope that he learns from this experience and becomes a better person. However, this is a different world from which you and I grew up. Our episodes of bad behavior were not captured on camera phones or surveillance video. Our bad deeds were forgotten. We were able to move on without permanently being tainted. That's not the case in this era. That video will exist forever. And it is going to be a public record that will follow him and be associated with him.

There is no question that the reason why this incident became a public issue is because his father is prominent in the hockey world. And there is no doubt from a criminal perspective compared to other acts this is a miniscule bad act/behavior relative to criminal matters. But what makes this issue resonate (at least for me) is that it represents a behavior that lacks decency, civility and empathy. Is this young fellow a serious bad actor? No. However, this particular conduct goes beyond being inconsiderate. He's at an age that he should have known better. And he's at an age where he should be held accountable for his more than boorish bad behavior.

I don't want to shift the subject away from the topic but the same arguments that make Buffalo a good situation for Levi are the same that can apply to D Ryan Johnson from University of Minnesota. Both could be joining a team on the rise and be in a situation where their respective positions are in need. And both players will be given an opportunity to play rather soon, assuming each demonstrates the talent to do so.

Put aside who his father is. If he were simply some typical, immature over-drinking college kid (which he appears to be), this behavior still falls in the category of being disturbing simply because it is so callous and inconsiderate of how it might affect someone who was handicapped. I don't want to exaggerate the seriousness of this stupid act. It is less about the issue of criminality as it is a testament to this kid's lack of character and awful attitude. He's a punk who needs a good jolt (ass kicking). Some people can be publicly shamed, resulting in remorse and a change in behavior. My sense, maybe being unfair, is that he is a spoiled and entitled brat who is shameless. Whatever category he falls under, he should be held accountable.

The Sabres are in a serious competition to be in the playoffs. Why do you believe that if he signs soon he will be thrown right onto the NHL ice. That makes no sense. If they did throw him right onto the ice, how do you believe the players would react if he struggled to get quickly get acclimated to the higher level of play? Assuming he signs (and I believe he will) I am excited about him being in our system. But it would be a mistake to throw him in during this point in the season while this team is still in the running for the playoffs.

Seek and you will find. https://www.google.com/search?q=picture+of+jeffrey+dahmer+in+high+school&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS802US802&oq=picture+of+Jeffrey+Dahmer&aqs=chrome.0.0i512j69i57j0i512l2.8217j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Even with the signing of Levi I would hope to add a goalie, such as Saros, to the unit. The Sabres are at the point where if the organization proactively acts to upgrade the position this offseason, the team will be elevated. I'm excited by the prospect of Levi signing with us. It just seems to me that too much, too soon, is being counted on him. That's a precarious position to place this team in, especially with the recent developments.

An old country Italian remedy for a rectum that is in flames is to apply olive oil to the area that is burning. You will find the affected area to be quickly soothed. Don't use butter. Too messy.

As you highlight our penalty kill is atrocious. Not being able to win a draw in your zone puts the defenders on its heels right from the start. The goalies we have are the goalies we have. That's what you have to work with. The goalie position is already a vulnerability for us. With the caliber of kill we have it makes the goalie even more vulnerable. It seems to me that the PK structure needs to be altered. Are the problems related to our PK more due to personnel or structure? Probably a combination of both. What was so aggravating about this game is that we were in a position to win. Tuch's lack of discipline at a critical time turned a favorable situation into an opportunity get back into a game for a team on the ropes. As frustrating as this loss was we were fortunate to earn a point.

Attached is a link from NHL.com showing the standings. The loss was disappointing because of the penalty call against Tuch. This was a victory that we allowed to be snatched out of our grasp. It wasn't a smart play on Tuch's part. Getting the point for the SO loss is somewhat of a consolation. This was a game that is difficult to say who stood out. On the blue line I liked the play of Power and I thought that Lyubushkin had a good game. There were too many occasions where the Sabres were stuck in their own zone with the Capitals controlling the puck. UPL in the shootout is a disaster. He's worse than Lehner in SOs. The goal off his chest was a bad goal but the other goals in regulation can't be blamed on him. I still get nervous when he is in between the pipes. The Sabre play of the game for me was Krebs pass to Gergs who converted. Krebs fought to get the puck, dig it out behind the net and then get it to Gergs. https://www.nhl.com/standings/2022/wildcard

I prefer the mild banana peppers. The hot peppers painfully burn the rim of my rectum. You were much tougher in your youth than I was.

You are correct. KA stated on the morning show on WGR that the contract demands that Ullmark wanted went beyond the contract parameters that the organization established for this player. There were many reports that Ullmark was requiring a longer term and more per annum with the Sabres than with Boston. It was essentially a loser's tax. Our GM said no to the player's contract terms. It's my opinion that the GM made a mistake that ended up probably costing us a playoff spot. Overall, our GM has done a marvelous job. I believe that in this case his inflexibility was costly.

I respectfully but strenuously disagree. There were more games where the effort was anemic than what you remember. That type of low energy and less than resistant play has happened more often than what you are describing. You disagree. That's okay.

I think that you are over-interpreting the consequences from a game in which the players were simply overwhelmed. Did the players quit? Maybe so. But I wouldn't go so far to say that it wouldn't have happened if Tuch played that particular game. Okposo and Girgs are every bit a leader as Tuch is. It happend when they played. There is nothing unusual about teams getting trampled in a game or so. It happens to the best teams, to the middle pack teams and to the lower teams. If you watch NBA games it also happens, at a greater frequency, in that sport. I just think you are taking too much meaning from that dismal game.