So following Thursday nights finale...what will fan reaction be in the stands?

[LTS]

22 minutes ago, jad1 said:

Yeah, kids are delusional like that. Put them in a good home, give them a bunch of free stuff and they're happy idiots until their first crush breaks their hearts.

 

Not just kids. Just because people aren't as despondent as you appear to be does not make it wrong. I was there with my two kids, 21 and 17.  My son, despite only having known this team as a failure, and caring about this team more than the Bills, still asked about season tickets after.  He still wants to go. No, I did not even begin to consider season tickets. He hates the losing, but he likes hockey.  It's his choice.  First and foremost it's entertainment, for 9 hours yesterday (drive from Rochester, dinner, game, long ass line at the store, then drive home) I was with my kids, hanging out, and talking.

I've lived through 4 straight Super Bowl losses, getting screwed over by the NHL with a foot in the crease, a freak combination of items in 2006, and I'm still here. I'm doing okay. It's always interesting, when something serious happens in sports (Malarchuk, Hamlin, etc.) everyone always talks about how it puts sports into perspective. I choose to put it into that perspective all the time. That said, I was rightly quite concerned last night when Reimer grabbed his neck after one play. Thankfully it was just a nick, I did not need another Malarchuk experience in my life and Reimer sure as hell didn't.

This is who me and my family are. It's okay to be you too but maybe just lament your viewpoint without crapping on others like some pigeon hanging out under a bridge.

[JohnC]

In some respects, not making the playoffs again makes this offseason more intriguing. Is the organization going to make enough consequential moves to get over the hump? This team/roster isn't devoid of talent. It basically lacks enough balance, toughness and experience to make them a serious team. When I say toughness, I'm referring to adding fighters. What I'm looking for is a couple more Zucker like talents whose play is more physical than finesse oriented. 

Will Norris be a legitimate #2 C? I don't know but hope so. We still need another second line forward added to the mix. A priority this offseason has to be finding a legitimate second pairing defenseman to pair with Power. And that player has to have the complementing attributes of being physical and defensively oriented. 

What this season has demonstrated is that when the team gets consistently good goaltending, this team is so much better. (Stating the obvious.) Is UPL the answer? I'm not sure. Is Reimer the answer? As the primary goalie I have major doubts. What's the answer then? I don't know? 

The GM has gambled on sticking with the young players such as Kulich, Quinn, JJP, Power, Benson, Krebs etc. Collectively, the concerning issue isn't their offense, it's their ability to play a two-way game. Unless that is done better, this team will have to deal with a sabotaging trait that has sunk this team since KA initiated his rebuild. TBD.

[mjd1001]

2 hours ago, jad1 said:

Stockholm syndrome.

 

Some people just watch sports for different reasons, and don't take it as seriously as others.  It has nothing to do with the Stockholm syndrome. As a matter of fact, I would say that those who use that term as you have above are doing so to try not to be victims of it themselves.  To those of us who view each game as entertainment, there isn't much more to it than that.

There are no REAL victims here...we all have the option to not go to games, to not buy the merchandise, to not watch the games on TV.  But there are some people that actually do enjoy it because they don't take it too seriously.

Edited April 18 by mjd1001

[LGR4GM]

Just now, mjd1001 said:

Some people just watch sports for different reasons, and don't take it as seriously as others.  It has nothing to do with the Stockholm syndrome. As a matter of fact, I would say that those who use that term as you have above are doing so to try not to be victims of it themselves.  To those of us who view each game as entertainment, there isn't much more to it than that.

I stopped caring in December and just enjoyed each game individually. Was a fun season with some fun moments and I can move on without too much energy.

[Wyldnwoody44]

When the team is good and there is something on the line, I always found a way to watch the games. 

With them being this bad, I still sometimes put the game on, if convenient, but they haven't really had me WANTING to find that TV while I'm on vacation or that illegal stream lol. 

I miss that, I used to try and work my hospital schedules around some game nights so I could watch with friends or even attend, but that's gone. 

I the refs have been Meh at best in some of these latter games, but I haven't gotten as angry or annoyed, I remember whole radio segments the next day about a missed call in a game. 

I hope one day it can come back. 

[dudacek]

54 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

I stopped caring in December and just enjoyed each game individually. Was a fun season with some fun moments and I can move on without too much energy.

I wouldn’t go as far as “stop caring” but this was kinda my approach to the entire season: put the drought in the closet and watch one game at a time with the same mindset I did when I was 12.

Being happy with the 36 wins, unhappy with the 46 losses made for a better winter than watching through the overwhelming filter of 14 years. So did appreciating the positives.

Dahlin and Thompson are worth watching. I have a lot of respect for Tuch and enjoy Benson.

I see the flaws and am not immune to the frustrations. But I managed not to own them.

Edited April 18 by dudacek

[bob_sauve28]

The fans just enjoyed a good game yesterday. The beer flowed, the game was a good one and the fans loved it. There is just a special thing about being at the game, being around other fans you don’t even know and sharing in the good and the bad. I have been watching the Ken Burns series on baseball lately and really enjoying it. Kind on made me really want to get to one last game this year, “take me out to the ball game” and all that. I have not been the most faithful in attending games over the years, but now I’m more better able to and am Going to. It’s just so much fun. 
 

I was in the second row right on the ice looking at the players and them looking at us. I like seeing all the stuff you can’t see on tv, like the players and refs talking, the little player huddles and warm ups. 

[Pimlach]

2 hours ago, JohnC said:

In some respects, not making the playoffs again makes this offseason more intriguing. Is the organization going to make enough consequential moves to get over the hump? This team/roster isn't devoid of talent. It basically lacks enough balance, toughness and experience to make them a serious team. When I say toughness, I'm referring to adding fighters. What I'm looking for is a couple more Zucker like talents whose play is more physical than finesse oriented. 

Will Norris be a legitimate #2 C? I don't know but hope so. We still need another second line forward added to the mix. A priority this offseason has to be finding a legitimate second pairing defenseman to pair with Power. And that player has to have the complementing attributes of being physical and defensively oriented. 

What this season has demonstrated is that when the team gets consistently good goaltending, this team is so much better. (Stating the obvious.) Is UPL the answer? I'm not sure. Is Reimer the answer? As the primary goalie I have major doubts. What's the answer then? I don't know? 

The GM has gambled on sticking with the young players such as Kulich, Quinn, JJP, Power, Benson, Krebs etc. Collectively, the concerning issue isn't their offense, it's their ability to play a two-way game. Unless that is done better, this team will have to deal with a sabotaging trait that has sunk this team since KA initiated his rebuild. TBD.

John,

Power is injured and could miss a big  part of next season.  A brand new priority is replacing his minutes with a steady defensive presence.   So not only adding a RHD partner for Power, but replacing him.  

We have two top 4 defenders with Dahlin and Byram.  They must add a defensive minded stalwart to the group  

Samuelsson,  Clifton, Bryson and JBD -  none are good enough to consistently play top 4 minutes.  There is a new problem to address here.  

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

I stopped caring in December and just enjoyed each game individually. Was a fun season with some fun moments and I can move on without too much energy.

I was pretty upset when they blew the month of December.  They were briefly in 3rd place in the division right around Thanksgiving.   Then it all blew up.  

The lack of action taken, the Adams presser, the mocking from the media that came afterwards, the Pegula pep talk.  This all ruined the season and it reinforces the thoughts around the league that this is a team to avoid.  

 I can move on because I think they are close to playoff caliber.  But at the same time I do not have a lot of confidence in the braintrust that got us here.  
 

 

[PASabreFan]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

John,

Power is injured and could miss a big  part of next season.  A brand new priority is replacing his minutes with a steady defensive presence.   So not only adding a RHD partner for Power, but replacing him.  

We have two top 4 defenders with Dahlin and Byram.  They must add a defensive minded stalwart to the group  

Samuelsson,  Clifton, Bryson and JBD -  none are good enough to consistently play top 4 minutes.  There is a new problem to address here.  

Adams said on GR he is not concerned about Power missing time. The decision now is surgery vs. rehab. Power was to go to NYC for second opinion.

[Pimlach]

5 minutes ago, Stoner said:

Adams said on GR he is not concerned about Power missing time. The decision now is surgery vs. rehab. Power was to go to NYC for second opinion.

did he mean that Power won't miss time?  Or is he not concerned that he misses time because he has players to fill in?  

[PASabreFan]

Just now, Pimlach said:

did he mean that Power won't miss time?  Or is he not concerned that he misses time because he has players to fill in?  

Good point. He doesn't think Power will miss time. And Time is not his pet iguana that just died.

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

John,

Power is injured and could miss a big  part of next season.  A brand new priority is replacing his minutes with a steady defensive presence.   So not only adding a RHD partner for Power, but replacing him.  

We have two top 4 defenders with Dahlin and Byram.  They must add a defensive minded stalwart to the group  

Samuelsson,  Clifton, Bryson and JBD -  none are good enough to consistently play top 4 minutes.  There is a new problem to address here.  

The loss of Power for an extended period of time next year would be a big blow. However, injuries are a fact of life in pro sports, so you just have to deal with them. If there is anything redeeming about his injury it is something we know about in advance. What I would do is still similar to what I recommended in my prior post. I would keep Samuelsson on the first pairing with Dahlin and acquire a more defensive oriented second-pairing caliber to play with Byram on the second pair. 

I'm aware that Samuelsson receives reflexive scorn here but it appears to me that he has stabilized his game and is not hurting Dahlin's performance on the first pairing. Is Samuelsson a first pairing caliber of defenseman? I would say no. But if you can't attain the ideal then pursue the next best workable option. As you well know, it doesn't matter who Dahlin is paired with, he still shines. He deserves being in a better situation. 

[HumanSlinky39]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

I was pretty upset when they blew the month of December.  They were briefly in 3rd place in the division right around Thanksgiving.   Then it all blew up.  

The lack of action taken, the Adams presser, the mocking from the media that came afterwards, the Pegula pep talk.  This all ruined the season and it reinforces the thoughts around the league that this is a team to avoid.  

 I can move on because I think they are close to playoff caliber.  But at the same time I do not have a lot of confidence in the braintrust that got us here.  
 

 

My biggest frustration is exactly this. Moreover that we were in that same spot following 2023 and 2024. They're close. They've been close. They have talented pieces, but each season has shown that collectively they are not good enough. There's no reason to "blow up" the roster. There are plenty of talented individual pieces that may not fit with the others, that should be/should have been used to bring in the kind of complimentary pieces that would make this a playoff team. But we have a GM who seems to be intent on building a playoff team organically. Nobody does it organically. You have to go outside the organization to supplement the homegrown talent. Adding B-tier free agent guys like Zucker and Clifton is fine, but it is not near enough. KA either doesn't believe in that philosophy or is too bought into his "palm trees & taxes" ***** that he doesn't think it can be done. Either way, that is a fireable offense. Get this errand boy out of here and get somebody in here with some balls that will aggressively attack the myriad weaknesses on this roster.

[spndnchz]

1 hour ago, Stoner said:

Good point. He doesn't think Power will miss time. And Time is not his pet iguana that just died.

He has two Iguanas. Names are Parsley and Sage

[mjd1001]

6 minutes ago, HumanSlinky39 said:

KA either doesn't believe in that philosophy or is too bought into his "palm trees & taxes" ***** that he doesn't think it can be done. Either way, that is a fireable offense. Get this errand boy out of here and get somebody in here with some balls that will aggressively attack the myriad weaknesses on this roster.

I still think the "palm trees and taxes" thing is code for "We don't want to spend that much money to attract guys".

If you are already good, or if you pay up,  players will play where there is high taxes and no palm trees (See the Rangers the last few years before this year, or Winnipeg now, or the Bills for that matter"  

Edited April 18 by mjd1001

[Thorny]

21 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

My nephew took his family. Their kids got bobbleheads, the daughter caught a t-shirt, and the saw the Sabres win, They love it. They don't know about any of the drama or baggage. They dress in Sabres gear and cheer their team.

Perhaps hockey heaven is the world we create ourselves by deciding we don’t care about the results 

 

10 hours ago, dudacek said:

I wouldn’t go as far as “stop caring” but this was kinda my approach to the entire season: put the drought in the closet and watch one game at a time with the same mindset I did when I was 12.

Being happy with the 36 wins, unhappy with the 46 losses made for a better winter than watching through the overwhelming filter of 14 years. So did appreciating the positives.

Dahlin and Thompson are worth watching. I have a lot of respect for Tuch and enjoy Benson.

I see the flaws and am not immune to the frustrations. But I managed not to own them.

I’m so happy for you all 

Truly 

[jad1]

2 hours ago, Thorner said:

Perhaps hockey heaven is the world we create ourselves by deciding we don’t care about the results 

It's becoming a micro-aggression to admit that you want the team to compete for, and hopefully, win the Stanley Cup.

 

[Thorny]

32 minutes ago, jad1 said:

It's becoming a micro-aggression to admit that you want the team to compete for, and hopefully, win the Stanley Cup.

 

It has gotten to that point. It’s a crossroads. The incompetence cannot be denied, but that’s been so for a long time. What cannot be denied, now, is that the organization’s goal is not to win 

A true crossroads as a fan. You either realize our anger has to be relatively worthy of their betrayal, increasing exponentially as their failures do, or you realize you have to stop caring because it’s hurting you, personally, too much, and you just can’t take it anymore 

i care too much for the crest. And for the fanbase, to lower myself to that. I will never follow this team apathetically, because I am too afraid to expect better. What a disastrous, disservice to the fine folks of the fandom that would be

no, they’ll get my anger, and then they’ll get nothing 

Edited Friday at 10:24 PM by Thorner

[Taro T]

Can't and won't speak for anyone else, but after Quinn got Peterka's 2nd goal called back for goalie interference and then Tuch got called for the trip with ~2:26 to go that the game was going to be a complete microcosm of the Sabres season.  Came out of the gate much better than the opponent.  Got kinda lulled to sleep in the 2nd period after building up a 4-1 lead in a game the opponent was ready to just quit especially had the Sabres scored on the PP to make it a 5-1 game; but instead they gave up about 4 glorious chances on their own PP and eventually gave up a shortie on it and then let Filly score right off the opening faceoff in the 3rd to make it a game.

REALLY expected Filly to tie in, especially when the puck bounced to Michkov (sp?) in front of Reimer in the last minute; and then to lose in OT.  But they hung on and Alex Tuch's special night didn't get ruined.  (And, turns out Ruff got the 900th win of his career.  Should've happend against the Loafs, but that night their goalie stood on his head when the Sabres weren't fumbling away chances that he'd've had no humanly possible chance to stop.  Hoping THAT's all out of his system; the Loafs going on a deep run would really stink.  F them AND ESPECIALLY their fans.)

Cheered them on; but really hope some major changes to the coaching staff happen this off-season; a defensive minded / 2 way D-man is brought in to partner w/ Power should he get back healthy from the leg; a veteran top 6 guy come in (ala Zucker); a veteran middle 6 guy (ala Greenway) come in; and they bring somebody in to be the pencilled in starter.  They can't go into next season with any of the 3 they have now just given the reins.  (Hoping now that Miller seems to have more ties to the team/organization again that he gives UPL the number of his sports psychologist, couldn't hurt any.)  AND that they figure out a legit plan for handling 1C when Norris is out the 30 or so games he's going to miss.  Kulich showed this week that he simply can't be that guy at this point in his career against legit true NHL #1 lines.

[LTS]

9 hours ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

When the team is good and there is something on the line, I always found a way to watch the games. 

With them being this bad, I still sometimes put the game on, if convenient, but they haven't really had me WANTING to find that TV while I'm on vacation or that illegal stream lol. 

I miss that, I used to try and work my hospital schedules around some game nights so I could watch with friends or even attend, but that's gone. 

I the refs have been Meh at best in some of these latter games, but I haven't gotten as angry or annoyed, I remember whole radio segments the next day about a missed call in a game. 

I hope one day it can come back. 

Yeah, but unlike the rest of us you can still look in the mirror and rock that incredible flow.  🙂

7 hours ago, Stoner said:

Adams said on GR he is not concerned about Power missing time. The decision now is surgery vs. rehab. Power was to go to NYC for second opinion.

Is this Eichel 2.0? Ruh roh?

3 hours ago, jad1 said:

It's becoming a micro-aggression to admit that you want the team to compete for, and hopefully, win the Stanley Cup.

 

It's not a micro-aggression at all.  The micro-aggression is insulting other people's children or other people for their views. I, too, want the Sabres to compete for, and hopefully, win the Stanley Cup. 

We all approach it differently. We'd all be much happier if the Sabres were a playoff team and competing for the Cup. Just because some of us can find value in some aspects of the club doesn't mean we should be attacked for it. We don't all have to join the Sabres Despair Club.

[Wyldnwoody44]

10 hours ago, LTS said:

Yeah, but unlike the rest of us you can still look in the mirror and rock that incredible flow.  🙂

😎😂 If only it was this easy lol. 

Who woulda thunk that in Sweden this would have continued eh!?