GAME DISCUSSION THREAD

[nfreeman]

Just not interested in lower expectations. You might as well say Bills fans should be happy with Chan Gailey. There is a real opporntunity here for this franchise to do something special and I would hate to have them waste it. Being close this year doesn't mean we will this close next year. Recent Sabre history has proven that. Two Conference Finals followed by two years without playoffs.

I agree that Miller has, at times, bailed the team out. In fact, he's probably directly stolen about 5 wins. Maybe with a more middling goalie, we'd have allowed 128 goals instead of 108. But that doesn't mean the defense "sucks". I'd say they're at least top 10 in the league and still going strong.

You're both right. It's not all Miller. Team D and toughness is markedly improved over the past 2 years. The system, which is designed to maximize the Sabres' strengths, is working well.

 

However, it's also undeniably true that good chances at the Cup don't come along very often. The last 2 years have made that crystal clear. And we shouldn't pretend that this team isn't flawed. I don't think we can assume that the light is going to magically flip on for Vanek this year, especially not during the playoffs. The Sabres need a veteran forward who can score and who doesn't get the yips during the playoffs. (OTOH, it's not impossible that Myers, who has been stepping it up on offense lately, morphs into Bobby Orr over the next 5 months. He is amazing.)

 

DeLuca has been pushing for both a top 4 defenseman and a good forward to be added so that the Sabres can take a real run at the Cup this year. While I don't think DR will add a defenseman, I must admit that I've been toying with the idea of trading for Niedermayer if the Ducks become sellers at the deadline. How much would I (or any of us) give up for Niedermayer and, say, Ray Whitney from Carolina? Whitney is 5'10", 180, will turn 38 during the playoffs this year and has 18-25-43 in 83 career playoff games. He's Carolina's leading scorer this year with 15-19-34 in 46 games. Would those 2 guys -- who'd be on the team for one month of the regular season, plus playoffs, and that's it -- be worth Sekera, Ennis and a #1? What if we had to include Kassian?

 

I'm not sure where I come out on this Eklund scenario, but I find it pretty interesting. Myers, Tallinder, Niedermayer and Rivet as the top 4 would be pretty GD formidable. Whitney doesn't move the needle as much as Niedermayer does, but if the Sabres are going to sacrifice some young assets for this year, they have to get a good forward.

[K-9]

First of all, who doesn't ? Nothing gets me going more than a leather hood and red ball shoved in my mouth. :thumbsup:

 

LOL! Good one DeLuca.

 

Quick question. Is there ever a gimp involved?

 

GO SABRES!!!

[That Aud Smell]

John Vogl wrote, "It's common for Buffalo fans to travel well." It's always been my perception that the vast majority of Sabre fans on the road live in those cities; they're not vacationers. Am I wrong? Did seemingly thousands of folks fly out to Phoenix for a hockey game? Doesn't make a lot of sense.

well, if by "travel" he means "permanent relocation", then yeah, that makes sense. :rolleyes:

[Stoner]

well, if by "travel" he means "permanent relocation", then yeah, that makes sense. :rolleyes:

 

Like, LOL.

[Stoner]

LOL! Good one DeLuca.

 

Quick question. Is there ever a gimp involved?

 

GO SABRES!!!

DeLuca's safe word is "BRIERE!!!!"

[SwampD]

DeLuca's safe word is "BRIERE!!!!"

I thought it was "B-Rod".

[nobody]

How did you get hell through?

 

She's Dante?

[Zona]

OK, I went the game last night and didnt get a chance to post here before now. So i will offer my $.02.

 

We were yelling GOOSE! when he went into the corner. The building was probably 60/40 Sabre fans, maybe 70/30. There were ALOT of us there. I thought we made a lot of noise (my voice is rough today). I forgot to set my tivo, so i couldnt go back and check to see how it came over the TV. (btw- I made the jumbotron twice! woot for me). My wife bought us some great seats. Center ice, 6 rows behind the benches.

 

Vanek has a bandage/brace on one of wrists, and I noticed him suffering in a lot of pain on several occasions as he was coming off the ice after his shift. Is he hurt? could this be why he hasn't produced, maybe?

 

Gaustad is a BEAST.

 

Myers is my new favorite Sabre. He is going to be a fabulous player for us I think. Lock him up now I say.

 

Seeing eye pucks Bigtime last night.

 

Mair has jump! he was moving out there.

 

Doan had an awesome goal!

 

My daughter was able to get her Canon rebel T1I into the game, and took 600+ pics. She is into photo and Journalism, so she wanted shots for the school paper. Also, she is a HUGE sabre fan!

 

Oh well. It was a great night. Thanks for listening(reading) my $.02 worth...

[FogBat]

First of all, who doesn't ? Nothing gets me going more than a leather hood and red ball shoved in my mouth. :thumbsup:

 

I have to remind myself that some of you guys/ladies are youngsters. I've seen this team look like world beaters and bow out in the first round. I believe at one point they lost in the 1st round 10 straight years. I've this team get over a 100 points back when a 100 points mattered and still got knocked out. I saw a offensive Juggernaut with LaFontaine and Mogilny sweep the Bruins in one series and swept the next by the Habs. I saw the greatest goalie ever to play the game carry this team to the finals, once. Despite having multiple years where he was the best player on the planet. I saw the greatest Sabres ever #11 retire with only on kick at the can.

 

It's not negativity, it's putting aside the meaningless Pollyanna bullsh!t and looking at this team with one question in mind. Can they win the Stanly Cup? I look at this team and see a lot of areas for improvement. A lot of areas that come playoff time are going to turn from a minor detail to a glaring weakness.

 

Please by all means high five and enjoy you standings today. I've been there and done that. I want a Stanly Cup Champion in Buffalo. That is all I care about when it comes to this franchise. Anything less is a disappointment.

DeLuca, I owe you an apology because I did go way over the top in my post.

 

Like you, we all would love to see a Super Bowl or Stanley Cup trophy in Buffalo someday. If it ever happens, we just don't know when that will be.

 

However, I will do my best not to rip the FO to shreds in the future (Rene Robert appears to do a fine job with that). I may not agree with everything they do, but I will concede that they haven't sent us to the bottom of the league in quite some time. I like the team's chances. They may not have the perfect lineup, and I cannot seriously expect them to run the table and win every game.

 

Will they get a "Butch Goring" type trade before the Trade Deadline? IIRC, history says probably not. However, stranger things have happened.

 

In the meantime, I am going to deal with the highs and lows, and cheer the team on. After all, the team and their fans are like a straight husband and wife marriage vow: for richer, for poorer. For better or worse. We just don't leave them even through the worst of times. We may complain, but most of us tend to hope for the best.

[nobody]

OK, I went the game last night and didnt get a chance to post here before now. So i will offer my $.02.

 

We were yelling GOOSE! when he went into the corner. The building was probably 60/40 Sabre fans, maybe 70/30. There were ALOT of us there. I thought we made a lot of noise (my voice is rough today). I forgot to set my tivo, so i couldnt go back and check to see how it came over the TV. (btw- I made the jumbotron twice! woot for me). My wife bought us some great seats. Center ice, 6 rows behind the benches.

 

Vanek has a bandage/brace on one of wrists, and I noticed him

 

 

It was nice to hear the 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 we want 8 chant on TV!