JohnC

I have a different priority than the forecheck you mentioned. It is shooting more accurately when the scoring opportunities exist. The King game really aggravated me. For two periods, we definitely outshined the Kings. We simply dominated in those first two periods. And during that interval we had more than enough opportunities to score. However, the accuracy wasn't sufficient to take advantage of them. In the two home games, I felt that this team played the grittier way that Lindy advocates. There seems to be a greater emphasis and determination to place more bodies in front of the opposing net. My hope is that the shooters will be more accurate.

They are not retaining any money.

There are a variety of roles that a good team needs to be successful. From a hockey skills standpoint, there is nothing special about him. He's certainly not a very fast or quick skater. But he makes up for that deficiency by his sound positional play. As a shooter, he certainly is not a sniper. But his value lies with his size and willingness to play big. He's not just a big fellow but a rugged player on a team that in recent history has been too finesse oriented. His brand of physical play is something that this roster has needed for a long time. As you smartly noted, he's not the type of player/talent that you should overpay; but he is the type of player you want on your roster to better round it out. Without question, so far, he has not only been one of our better players but also one of our most consistent players. He is definitely a Lindy player.

I would say that our own draft steal was JJP. The GM moved back up in the second to ***** him. His relatively quick production has proven that the trade up was an astute move. And it is evident that he has even more potential to draw from to make that year's draft maneuver to be very smart and calculating.

Fantastic physical feats! You are this room's iron man. If you get in a quarrel with your usual combatants just challenge the rogues to a road race. You will leave them in the dust! You are the Aud Room's Lance Armstrong (without the steroids--just expresso coffee).

As you noted, there are a variety of reasons why this team seems to be playing better since the first half of the previous year. A significant factor may be that last year in the second half of the season UPL played the bulk of the games and was consistently good. And for the most part, our netminding has been solid. If we can have this level of play from both of our goalies, then we should be in the playoff mix. It's going to be intriguing to watch how the competition ultimately turns out with UPL and Levi vying for the primary role.

When has NHL referring not been inconsistent? You deal with it and play on. No more excuses.

I thought Power played well. When evaluating the play of defensemen over emphasizing the scoring sheet doesn't always indicate the caliber of play. Clifton may not be racking up stats but I have been pleasantly surprised by his play. What you are doing is resorting to a pre-written script. It's simply too soon to do that. It will serve you well to be a little more patient before slamming the door closed.

Some very general comments about last night's game. Over the past two games I thought Clifton and Greenway played very well. These are not star players but players who are maximizing their assets and are fitting in well with the grittier style of play that the new coach is trying to instill. Greenway is a big fellow and plays big. He's not particularly fast but is positional sound, so he usually is where he is supposed to be. KA used one of his extra second round picks to acquire him. It was a good deal for us. You can see a greater effort in having net presence on both ends of the ice. It is particularly noticeable in the offensive zone. There is more clutter in front of the opposition goalie when we shoot. I thought that Levi played solidly. He wasn't tested too often but when needed he made the stop. If both of our goalies can be consistent and solid, then this team should be in the mix. This team is adjusting to Lindy's grittier and more responsible two-way play compared to the looser and more free-wheeling play under Granato. You can see the Lindy difference in this game and the first two periods of the King game. That type of transition is not always smoothly made. But it is evident to me.

I don't know of many comments from the board members and from NHL analysts who have stated that this organization acted in a significant way that elevates this team against the competition. That is deeply understood by most sentient observers who follow the Sabres. That's the general judgment made about this offseason. What did you expect? A blockbuster deal and a splurge on players? It's a middling organization and operation. Most of us are aware of that sad conclusion that is evidently true. The historical record supports that notion. However, that doesn't mean that every comment about each Sabre game should be colored by that ugly reality. In the King game, the Sabres played well for two periods. We had our scoring chances but didn't capitalize on them. A positive takeaway in that game is that for two periods the players played a tougher brand of hockey that the new coach is trying to instill. That's a positive takeaway from the bigger negative that we lost to a team at home when the house was full. The Sabres are in my opinion a fringe playoff contender. I'm just trying to be realistic and hope for the best. To be fair, it's still too early to make a judgment about this team under this new coach.

I think you are prematurely becoming too despondent after only three games. Should we all be deeply disappointed about the start of this season? Of course. Before you get lost in the fog of depression about this team, at least give it a little more time. Sometimes exhibiting courtroom drama is tactically appropriate; and sometimes the timing is wrong where it gets you in trouble with an impatient an irascible judge. It's a long and grinding roller coaster season. How about giving it a little more time before jumping off the bridge?

People in his position can't always candidly say what they think. That's the nature of the position more than the nature of the person. I just think that he is a person the befuddled owner plucked from the business operation to act on his behalf. Both the owner and GM are in over their heads. Their records loudly speak for itself.

Cozens may be more suited to be a winger than a center. When he played in the international tournaments he thrived as a wing man. You brought up the Mitts deal in a previous post explaining why it didn't make sense from a hockey and financial reasons. The accumulation of bad front office decisions has weighed this franchise down. It shouldn't be a surprise that a mediocre organization fields a mediocre product on the ice. It starts at the top with a clueless owner who hires less than the best. I agree with you that Clifford played well last night. LA's goalie, Kuemper, was the difference in the game. He made some tough stops. Again, we had opportunities but didn't seize on them. In general, I thought the Sabres played well in the first two periods. (As you noted.) In the last period, team malaise reared its ugly head. It can't handle adversity. This team is mentally weak.

There are certainly obstacles that a GM from Buffalo faces that many other GMs face because of its earned second-rate reputation. Let's be blunt and not complicate the measuring stick for sports i.e. the record. KA seems like a good and a sincere fellow. He's been in the stewardship chair now for more than a few years. Systemic mediocrity is not a challenge to identify. What you see is what you get. It's sad.

I have been long time gone. Still have relatives there. It's great to hear what you and @LGR4GM said about that downtown and arena area. 🍺

Is there much business/entertainment activity around the arena or is it just a spillover from game nights?

It's a disgrace that a franchise that has been stuck in the muck of mediocrity for nearly a generation can't come up with the resolve to get better and become a serious franchise. This owner who presides at the head of this middling franchise has become too comfortable with this embarrassing inconsequential status. Where is the pride?

You make a good point but I don't fully buy your argument that there aren't players to be acquired through trades or free agency that could improve the roster. No question that the pool of players willing to come here is shallower than for other teams. No one is demanding a major roster overhaul here from transactions. What is expected is that a couple to few consequential moves be made when there was cap room to do it. The bottom line is that the Sabres have become an outlier franchise because of their historical ineptitude. (As you point out.)

I don't care if Kulich scores 30+ goals. If the GM would have added a second line winger to the roster, this team would be a deeper team with more line flexibility. The GM has this cruising along approach to his job and is resistant to making consequential moves. As you point out, with the dispatching of Skinner, the organization had the wherewithal $$$ to improve this team and excite the fanbase. There is little creativity and an unwillingness to demonstrate a degree of urgency from the front office. This is a dull franchise being run by mediocre people.

Pesce and Markstrom were two excellent pickups for this team. Their GM outplayed our GM this offseason. We had room to bring in an impact player for our second line that would have also had the effect of improving our third line. Our GM didn't act with urgency while another organization's GM did. I can see New Jersey being an under the radar SC contender.

We don't need a brawl in the worst way. (Your words.) What we mostly need is for our top two lines to play like top two lines that can more reliably score goals when the opportunities exist. The Sabres were clearly outplayed in the Prague games. However, what was disturbing in those two games is that there were opportunities for the top lines to score. The shooters simply missed the net when golden opportunities existed. That pattern of misfiring has plagued this team for two long. I agree with you that one of the best features of hockey (regular and playoff games) is the changing ebb and flow of a game. I didn't see much of that in the two European games. We were by far the slower and sluggish team in those games. I'm hoping that in our first home stand that this team plays with more energy and urgency. I'm really getting tired of watching the Sabres play as if they are fatigued. I'm not enamored with watching thuggery. I prefer watching a fast-paced and hardnosed style of play. That leads to more winning.

No, he is not. That doesn't mean that there isn't a role for him on this team, but I don't see it on either of the two top lines.

You and I are riding the same bus. KA was a cheap and non-threatening hire for the owner. The owner got what he wanted with KA's hire, a congenial person he extracted from the business side of the operation. That in itself tells you a lot about the owner's hockey adroitness. I like you thought this GM's aversion to Mitts was peculiar. Here was a versatile player who was developed in the system and could play center or forward on our top two lines. The player's agent let it be known that the organization never even made an offer. To put it mildly, perplexing. With respect to your frightening question of what happens to this roster if it can't be made to congeal into a competitive team? Fan fatigue and apathy and plenty of empty seats in the arena. That would be so sad. It is the accumulation of a lot of bad personnel decisions that has weighed this franchise down into the muck of mediocrity. As you point out, we actually had the talent to build a serious roster. It was the organization's dysfunction that resulted in our own talent fleeing out of here. And inarguably it benefited all the players who thrived in the better situations they went to.

There isn't anything in your catalogue of bad decisions that I disagree with. I agree with you that the process of hiring LIndy was a sham. He was the designated hire that was made before the season ended last year. I did at the time criticize the phoniness of the search because there wasn't a real search. I agree with you that there were good coaches to consider. But it was a mirage that fooled no one but the most naive. I believe that Lindy was a good hire. He was an experienced veteran coach who would be more demanding in holding players accountable. That's what we were looking for, and what we got. Other than the phony hiring process that added to this organization and owner's severely diminished creditability it was a reasonable hire. (I'm aware that you are not saying otherwise.) The Sabres lost two games on this foreign road trip to a more cohesive and better team. It's certainly disappointing but I'm not going to panic just yet. Let's just wait for at least 12 games or so to be played before we judge how good or bad this team is. Understandably, it's difficult to be patient with this team because of the history of this ignominious era. Too many people are already getting on the ledge and are jumping off. It's not popular to say here but let's be a little more patient before wanting to blow things up again. Why are you suggesting that the coach is the problem after two games?

If he offers an opinion that is reasonable, then it shouldn't automatically be dismissed. If he says something that is outlandish in order to be provocative, then I wouldn't give it much credibility. Simply making a judgment on a case-by-case basis.