Pinch me Cuz I'm dreamin'

[LeGrosGil]

Ok I know Boyes is playing huge right now but he can't be the entire reason the Sabres are back. Watched the game online tonight and the Boston announcers acknowledged Buffalo would be a disaster matchup for the B's in the first round. Is it Pegula injecting expectation into the mix? Sekera coming back at a high level? Can't help but think the emotional level of this team is as high as it's been in the last three years- GO SABRES!!!

[LGR4GM]

Once, Jeanneret asked us all, "Do you believe?" Terry Pegula might have made the team believe. After that win in Philly and the win tonight, this team is making us Believe once again that the impossible is possible...

[SabresMojo]

This team has a huge amount of momentum and positive emotion in that locker room!

 

Love it!

[Derrico]

This team has a huge amount of momentum and positive emotion in that locker room!

 

Love it!

 

Let's Go Buffalo!!

[PromoTheRobot]

I thought this team was so devoid of talent that it had to be dismantled? :rolleyes:

 

PTR

[henysgol]

It seems like they've got the "We can beat anybody" mentality again. Or something close to it, like the Drury/Briere days. Will we see miracles happen?

[Meathead]

stafford sucks

 

hecht sucks

 

gaustad sucks

 

lindy sucks

 

darcy sucks

 

so bad that they should all be shipped out for whatever they can get

 

yet somehow theyre one of the hottest teams in the league since mid december

 

just lucky i guess

[henysgol]

stafford sucks

 

hecht sucks

 

gaustad sucks

 

lindy sucks

 

darcy sucks

 

so bad that they should all be shipped out for whatever they can get

 

yet somehow theyre one of the hottest teams in the league since mid december

 

just lucky i guess

 

I am taking this as a facetious statement. Thanks for the chuckle!

[darksabre]

I thought this team was so devoid of talent that it had to be dismantled? :rolleyes:

 

PTR

 

To be honest, I still think it does. However, I will not complain about them winning games. :thumbsup:

[Weave]

I am starting to suspect that a majority of the issue was Tom Golisano. As in, the players knew nothing was going to be done to try to actually win something so the players stopped caring. With a new personality at the healm there is a sense of someone who actually wants to try to win it all.

 

 

But, as D4rksabre sez, there still needs to be quite a few changes before this team is a real contender. The entertainment and level of play is nice to watch but I still don't have any post season expectations. It is the same team that played so poorly in December + Brad Boyes afterall.

[eball]

But, as D4rksabre sez, there still needs to be quite a few changes before this team is a real contender. The entertainment and level of play is nice to watch but I still don't have any post season expectations. It is the same team that played so poorly in December + Brad Boyes afterall.

I am reminded of a certain quote:

 

"A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks for a coffin."

[Weave]

I am reminded of a certain quote:

 

"A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks for a coffin."

 

Well, alot of the players have looked like cadavers for much of the past 4 seasons. :P

 

 

ZOMBIE HOCKEY FTW !!!!

[ROC Sabres]

This team has a huge amount of momentum and positive emotion in that locker room!

 

Love it!

And a new carpet too.

[ROC Sabres]

Well, alot of the players have looked like cadavers for much of the past 4 seasons. :P

 

 

ZOMBIE HOCKEY FTW !!!!

Reminds me of Mutant League Hockey for sega. Always pay homage to the classics.

[rbochan]

[frissonic]

I am starting to suspect that a majority of the issue was Tom Golisano. As in, the players knew nothing was going to be done to try to actually win something so the players stopped caring. With a new personality at the healm there is a sense of someone who actually wants to try to win it all.

 

 

But, as D4rksabre sez, there still needs to be quite a few changes before this team is a real contender. The entertainment and level of play is nice to watch but I still don't have any post season expectations. It is the same team that played so poorly in December + Brad Boyes afterall.

first off, weave, i'm assuming you're the same weave that was over on LGS before 'the fall.' if so, good to see you on here. if not, erm ... hey. :)

 

i have the center ice package, and i try to catch as many of the games as i can. this dates back to the 06-07 season. after we lost 'those two' in july 2007 and in the following seasons, there simply wasn't any heart. we basically have the same core players as we did that season with a few notable exceptions. if there's one core element that i kept coming back to, it was the complete lack of heart that everyone consistently displayed, with the exception of miller. no attack, no forecheck to speak of, no speed, no ... ANYthing.

 

this season, we've seen spats of determination and heart, but only that--spats. that is, until february 23rd. and the 25th. and the 26th. and so on and so forth. really, the only game i've seen since pegula took over where the sabres have shown less heart was the pittsburgh game. other than that, it's been balls out every night for 60-65 minutes.

 

so what was the change? why the sudden shift in mentality?

 

seriously? is this really even a question anymore?

 

God bless golisano for keeping the team in buffalo. who the hell knows where the team would have ended up. so from that standpoint, great job, tom. but when your exit press conference sounds like you're reading from a prospectus sheet and all you do is spew numbers and ###### that no one gives a frack about, you've pretty much shown who you were as an owner. and of course the players picked up on that. it's disheartening when the mantra is "break even."

 

i don't know. i fully admit that i don't eat, drink, breathe and inject hockey like a lot of you have the chance to do (cuz i would if i could ...), so i'm not up to snuff on a lot of the minor details of just about anything. but from where i'm sitting and from what i've seen the last 3-4 years, there is no doubt in my mind that pegula is the second coming in buffalo. period.

 

now, back to your comment about not being a real contender. to use just this road trip as an example, we've taken on and taken down top-tier teams in the conferenec. the boston and philly wins were huge. and we didn't just play them--we out-played them. granted, philly was in a slump, so maybe that had something to do with it. however, the same can be said for the sabres for the past 4 years. since they've finally decided to play, it's been lights out for everyone except detroit, pittsburgh and carolina, and 2 of those games were SO/OT losses. we're playing with the best, and we're competing. and winning.

 

april should be a fun month. i'm betting may will be too. june? let's just get past april and may and see what happens.

[Stoner]

 

And the old regime put up that quote by Ronan Tynan about the will to win and Drury had a photo of the Cup hung by the lockerroom.

 

Who cares?

[shrader]

Something's obviously clicked with them, but the comeback win against Boston really isn't anything new this year. According to NESN last night, Boston is 31-0-3 on the season when leading by 2 goals. Those 3 are all the Sabres.

[Kristian]

Teams battling for 8th beating teams firmly lodged in the 1st through 6th spots, really isn't anything new this time of year.

 

In my book, the 3-2 win against the Rangers is much healthier sign, seeing as that's a game they'd have lost in the past.

 

The OT loss against Carolina was a shame, but I take some comfort in the effort, as I never thought that was a game they should've lost.

 

That's another positive sign, cause after beating the Rangers, the Carolina game had all the signs of a typical no-show effort, but not this time.

[Samson's Flow]

But, as D4rksabre sez, there still needs to be quite a few changes before this team is a real contender. The entertainment and level of play is nice to watch but I still don't have any post season expectations. It is the same team that played so poorly in December + Brad Boyes afterall.

 

That may be true personnel wise, but if you recall early on in the season there were quite a few players that struggled mightily early on and were nowhere near the production they are at now (Stafford, Sekera, Morrisson, Myers and Neidermayer :nana: ) Ok so maybe I'm kidding on the Neids reference but the point is that player production from the D and our younger forwards is night and day compared to Nov/Dec.

 

Saying that I still wouldn't call this team a legitimate contender... we still need to drop a lot of dead weight to get into that discussion

[Sherman]

That may be true personnel wise, but if you recall early on in the season there were quite a few players that struggled mightily early on and were nowhere near the production they are at now (Stafford, Sekera, Morrisson, Myers and Neidermayer :nana: ) Ok so maybe I'm kidding on the Neids reference but the point is that player production from the D and our younger forwards is night and day compared to Nov/Dec.

 

Saying that I still wouldn't call this team a legitimate contender... we still need to drop a lot of dead weight to get into that discussion

 

I agree. The effort from almost everyone is great. Young players are performing better and I think the constant energy from the differnt recalled players helps provide a boost. The one player who I think really stands out is Tim Connolly. Not because he is playing well but the effort and desire does not seem to match up to anyone on the team. He doesn't win faceoffs, doesn't fight for loose pucks and is a turnover machine, (Can we please stop the no look drop pass).

 

I think another big difference between the begining of the year and now is our play in front of the net. Both offensively and defensively.

[Weave]

first off, weave, i'm assuming you're the same weave that was over on LGS before 'the fall.' if so, good to see you on here. if not, erm ... hey. :)

 

One and the same. What was your screen name over there?

[Stormin Norman]

I am seeing a level of effort which reminds me of the team that went to the conference finals vs. Carolina. (Did I mention I hate the Hurricanes?). Coming back from two goal deficits and winning, playing hard from start to finish. It's all good.

 

My real concern is our scoring ability. Without guys like Briere and Drury, it seems we don't have enough guys who can finish... you know, the guys who bury their chances and, in doing so, step on the neck of the opponent.

 

But, hustling like they are right now, this team will be competitive in any game.

[Robviously]

I am starting to suspect that a majority of the issue was Tom Golisano. As in, the players knew nothing was going to be done to try to actually win something so the players stopped caring. With a new personality at the healm there is a sense of someone who actually wants to try to win it all.

I think this is exactly right. Everyone forgets that the players are still people. And if you've ever worked in a dysfunctional company or organization, you know how low morale can get and how that can affect work. It really doesn't matter how much you're being paid if you hate coming to work and aren't buying in to your group's goals/plan.

 

The whole team got a fresh start with an owner who really cares about success on the ice. I'm surprised how much of a difference it made too, but in retrospect the fact that it made a difference should not have been a surprise.

[nfreeman]

I think this is exactly right. Everyone forgets that the players are still people. And if you've ever worked in a dysfunctional company or organization, you know how low morale can get and how that can affect work. It really doesn't matter how much you're being paid if you hate coming to work and aren't buying in to your group's goals/plan.

 

The whole team got a fresh start with an owner who really cares about success on the ice. I'm surprised how much of a difference it made too, but in retrospect the fact that it made a difference should not have been a surprise.

Good post.