GDT Sabres @ Hurricanes Saturday Dec 2, 7pm MSG ESPN+

[zow2]

Sell the team Terry.  it’s the only way to lift whatever curse you placed on them. 

[PerreaultForever]

That was so pathetic I am lost for words.

and according to Rob Ray, "there's nothing you can do about it" "sometimes things just don't go your way". 

This entire franchise is a f'n joke.  Soft as butter would be downplaying it. Just pathetic. 

[Nitro60]

This group has talent but lack the discipline to play good hockey.  Too many mistakes lead to goals.   How they can look a goalie in the eye and not apologize is beyond me. 

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, SABRES 0311 said:

Sell the team. Move it to a different city. In five years make an expansion team in Buffalo. Use the VGK model. Win a cup.

 

1 minute ago, zow2 said:

Sell the team Terry.  it’s the only way to lift whatever curse you placed on them. 

This is a nameless and faceless message board, so you are entitled to say whatever you want.  But a new owner doesn’t fix 23-24 and the reset button was hit the day Eichel was traded. Like it or not.  It has been slightly over two years since then.  Businesses don’t make decisions based on what happened ten years ago. They aren’t emotional like us fans are. 
 

Is it appropriate to hold ownership accountable for this 12 year mess? YES! Is the answer selling the team? Probably not.  

And listen, I love that you care. I do too!

But regardless of the owner, the only thing that would have changed during the last two years was your patience with the new guy. 

[Pimlach]

11 hours ago, nfreeman said:

Early December, 4 games under DeLuca .500 and we aren't far from a place where the playoffs are impossible.

The countdown to DG getting canned is officially on.

I was hoping to not have to decide on DG until after Christmas.  A coach change means Ellis or maybe Appert.  Not sure that makes things better. 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Pimlach

[PerreaultForever]

31 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I was hoping to not have to decide on DG until after Christmas.  I coach change means Ellis or maybe Appert.  Not sure that makes things better. 

You're not going to get this lot to change much with a mid season coaching change. If you want to change the approach and culture, get a team that plays hard, sticks up for each other, has accountability and brings effort and intensity most nights you need a multi year plan and you have to weed people out first and bring in new leaders and examples. KA did the tear down. Eichel Reinhart and Risto were the problems right? Hmm, I guess not. Team is a joke. 

Edited December 3, 2023 by PerreaultForever

[Sidc3000]

6 hours ago, Claude Balls said:

Dylan Cozens interview.

- I made a mistake on the faceoff

- we're playing soft

- we're getting bullied every night

- we need to play angrier

-we need to get some FU in our game

They are soft and that is what DG wants. Every time they show DG after a fight he looks disgusted. He doesn’t want FU in their game 

[Sidc3000]

5 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

So it seems Carolina rolled out a play by play-less broadcast tonight. Just two guys saying ohhhh nice save and ohhhh yeah when the Canes scored. And stories about Arturs Irbe. Bizarre.

Their play by play guy is from the Kenmore area (my wife knows him) and is back there because his dad died. The Sabres broadcast mentioned it and sent their condolences 

[triumph_communes]

St. Louis was last place changed HC from an assistant then won a cup

[Believer]

So sick of hearing players in post game comments mention having fun playing hockey with no mention of winning hockey games… Losing is not fun, fellas… Haven’t seen any of the goofy player videos posted in awhile… Progress of a sort… Don’t want to see another until the team can put together a couple weeks of winning hockey at least…

 

[Stoner]

2 hours ago, Sidc3000 said:

Their play by play guy is from the Kenmore area (my wife knows him) and is back there because his dad died. The Sabres broadcast mentioned it and sent their condolences 

That's fine. The abomination of a broadcast that disrespected the game and confused viewers in no way honored someone's memory. Rick's parents died. Someone stepped in and called the game.

[steveoat87]

7 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I was hoping to not have to decide on DG until after Christmas.  I coach change means Ellis or maybe Appert.  Not sure that makes things better. 

I don't know anything about Appert, but is he considered to be a good coach?  I want Ellis gone tomorrow!!

[Mustache of God]

1 hour ago, triumph_communes said:

St. Louis was last place changed HC from an assistant then won a cup

Yup, remember when we had their first round pick that year and it was looking like it was going to be a really high pick and then it turned into the last pick of the round? That was fun.

[JustOneParade]

7 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

You're not going to get this lot to change much with a mid season coaching change. If you want to change the approach and culture, get a team that plays hard, sticks up for each other, has accountability and brings effort and intensity most nights you need a multi year plan and you have to weed people out first and bring in new leaders and examples. KA did the tear down. Eichel Reinhart and Risto were the problems right? Hmm, I guess not. Team is a joke. 

If you can’t change people, change people. And if you’re asking ‘WTF does that mean?’ I’ll use some emphasis.

If you can’t CHANGE people, change PEOPLE.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Mustache of God said:

Yup, remember when we had their first round pick that year and it was looking like it was going to be a really high pick and then it turned into the last pick of the round? That was fun.

Ryan Johnson 

[Pimlach]

9 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

 

This is a nameless and faceless message board, so you are entitled to say whatever you want.  But a new owner doesn’t fix 23-24 and the reset button was hit the day Eichel was traded. Like it or not.  It has been slightly over two years since then.  Businesses don’t make decisions based on what happened ten years ago. They aren’t emotional like us fans are. 
 

Is it appropriate to hold ownership accountable for this 12 year mess? YES! Is the answer selling the team? Probably not.  

And listen, I love that you care. I do too!

But regardless of the owner, the only thing that would have changed during the last two years was your patience with the new guy. 

Uh, no. Look at Pegula’s  full and complete hockey record.  FAIL.  it’s one calamity after another.  I can look at two years or twelve, or any period in between.  The amazingly consistent thing is losing, and hiring inexperienced people to run the team.  I’m talking NHL experience.  Literally everyone is a first time GM, or HC.  
 

we the fan base have been more than patient.  The NFL would have stepped in by now.  

[JustOneParade]

Is there anything to point to that this team does consistently well? What traits does the team possess that makes it competitive? Setting aside all the well discussed deficiencies, the Sabres were at least supposed to be built to be fast and skilled. They aren’t particularly fast (or don’t play fast), and I think the skill is vastly overrated.

They’ve developed a close team culture, yes. But they need to figure out how to develop a winning culture. Fast. Changes are necessary. In the interim get these young kids out of there and let them experience some team success in Rochester because I see no path to the playoffs in Buffalo this season.

[Stoner]

4 minutes ago, JustOneParade said:

Is there anything to point to that this team does consistently well? What traits does the team possess that makes it competitive? Setting aside all the well discussed deficiencies, the Sabres were at least supposed to be built to be fast and skilled. They aren’t particularly fast (or don’t play fast), and I think the skill is vastly overrated.

They’ve developed a close team culture, yes. But they need to figure out how to develop a winning culture. Fast. Changes are necessary. In the interim get these young kids out of there and let them experience some team success in Rochester because I see no path to the playoffs in Buffalo this season.

You think the team culture is close based on what? Fluff videos?

[Stoner]

9 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Uh, no. Look at Pegula’s  full and complete hockey record.  FAIL.  it’s one calamity after another.  I can look at two years or twelve, or any period in between.  The amazingly consistent thing is losing, and hiring inexperienced people to run the team.  I’m talking NHL experience.  Literally everyone is a first time GM, or HC.  
 

we the fan base have been more than patient.  The NFL would have stepped in by now.  

I've often wondered what the league office and other owners think of the calamity in Buffalo? Maybe things are proceeding apace. The team could move any day now and who would care? Sometimes I think I smell a rat. Why did he buy the team again?

[JustOneParade]

1 minute ago, PASabreFan said:

You think the team culture is close based on what? Fluff videos?

Yes. Pictures of them hanging out together. Videos. Are you implying it’s all made up? And to be clear, I want a winning culture developed.

[Pimlach]

Just now, PASabreFan said:

I've often wondered what the league office and other owners think of the calamity in Buffalo? Maybe things are proceeding apace. The team could move any day now and who would care? Sometimes I think I smell a rat. Why did he buy the team again?

Because he loved them and their reason for existence was to win Stanley Cups.  Excuse me, I just swallowed some vomit. 
 

Knox was a gentleman with a presence, and he hired wired proven winners.  Pegula won’t even talk to proven winners, and vice versa. 

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, JustOneParade said:

Is there anything to point to that this team does consistently well? What traits does the team possess that makes it competitive? Setting aside all the well discussed deficiencies, the Sabres were at least supposed to be built to be fast and skilled. They aren’t particularly fast (or don’t play fast), and I think the skill is vastly overrated.

They’ve developed a close team culture, yes. But they need to figure out how to develop a winning culture. Fast. Changes are necessary. In the interim get these young kids out of there and let them experience some team success in Rochester because I see no path to the playoffs in Buffalo this season.

This team does have good speed.  They are skilled with the puck.   When opponents try to skate with us we tend to score and prevail.  Hence we see a lot of neutral zone traps and heavy games.  We get impatient in this type of game and we give up odd man rushes. Worse, we stand around watching.  After awhile our goaltending breaks down.   This is the pattern.  
 

It was all there in St Louis.  The Blues tried to play our game and we dominated for a stretch and tied it up.  TIME OUT called by St Louis.  BAM - two goals in 20 seconds all because our youth breaksdown and makes errors.  Heavy game was back and we caved.  

 

 

Edited December 3, 2023 by Pimlach

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, steveoat87 said:

I don't know anything about Appert, but is he considered to be a good coach?  I want Ellis gone tomorrow!!

He is a college hockey coach that had been good at the minor league level so far.   He has never coached in the NHL.  We have hired a bunch of first time NHL coaches with no success. 

[Porous Five Hole]

58 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

Uh, no. Look at Pegula’s  full and complete hockey record.  FAIL.  it’s one calamity after another.  I can look at two years or twelve, or any period in between.  The amazingly consistent thing is losing, and hiring inexperienced people to run the team.  I’m talking NHL experience.  Literally everyone is a first time GM, or HC.  
 

we the fan base have been more than patient.  The NFL would have stepped in by now.  

Oh right, like the Ford family in Detroit for instance?

 

Also, the spirit of my reply was that a new owner two years ago or today doesn’t change the course of this current rebuild. If you don’t accept the Jack Eichel trade as an obvious pivot and want to throw poop on the Pegulas, go right ahead.  

[Sabres Super Fan]

Another terrible lose last night against the Carolina Hurricanes there is really nothing to say anymore it is what it is. Onto the Nashville Predators game tonight in my opinion. Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo