Tickets for the watch party cost $5 and are on sale now. All ticket proceeds will benefit the Buffalo Sabres Foundation. Seating will be general admission (must have ticket to attend).

Free parking will be available in the KeyBank Center ramp and surface lots (while space lasts).

The tailgate is going to be LIT.  
 

Ticket link: https://am.ticketmaster.com/buffalo/watch

Let the fun begia.

The person that was supposed to take my spare pair of tix for game 5 Thursday night is now unable to go. So I have a pair of tix available to that game. The tickets are in section 306 which is center ice up high and are in the 1st row. Sabres were asking $360/seat for the seats one row back.

I am asking for $400 for the pair.

Send a PM if interested.

Would like to know a Sabre fan is getting the tix, but will list them on TicketMaster for quite a bit more if they haven't been spoken for by early afternoon.

The career year in 23-24 and then regression last year after signing his extension. If at the end of last year you told me UPL would be the game one starter for the playoffs in 2026, I would have been in panic mode. Add the rough start to this season. My receipts will show I was not a UPL believer.

But here I am stating with confidence that UPL is ready for the moment. He’s earned it. Credit to Alex Lyon for sharing the load for a while. That’s has helped a TON. But it is Luukkonen’s crease and the Sabres will go as far as he can take them. 
 

All aboard the Luukkonen Express!

The Sabres were the higher seed against the Ottawa Senators. They hadn’t won a playoff series in five years, but they were a team in the rise.
 

Buffalo split games one and two with Ottawa at home.  In game three, Hasek gets injured and Steve Shields pinch hit and was good enough to win game three.  But we just lost our best player for the series.
Ottawa wins a super tight game four in OT and beat the doors off of Buffalo in a game five loss, 4-1. Shields was yanked after giving up four for Andrei fricken Trefilov. Our top line and top pair were all a -2 that night.

All felt lost. It was a formality. We go to Ottawa for game six and our season will soon be over. 
 

But a funny thing happened. Shields had a great night in game six. The Sabres were outshot 31-21, but Buffalo got some bounces, Ottawa looked nervous, and Buffalo outworked the Sens. From dead to alive. Still missing our MVP, but back to Buffalo we go for game seven. 
 

Game seven. Barnaby imploring the home fans to get loud before some of his shifts when lining up for a face-off. The Sabres trailed twice 1-0 & 2-1, but found an answer. Even got a lucky face-off deflection goal to tie the game.
And for people my age or older, Derek Plante made a memory that not one of us will ever forget. The building shook for the first time when Tugnutt watched a rolling puck go off his glove and in the net. Golden goal to Buffalo. They did it.  
 

What happened almost 30 years ago has zero impact on what will happen tomorrow. But it was very bleak, it was “over” after game five, and yet the Sabres found a way. 

In game six in 1997, Shields (Lyon) had a great night. Brian Holzinger (Norris) got the party started. Zhitnik (Dahlin) got an insurance goal. Jason Dawes (Quinn) cashed in and it was 3-0 after the first period.  A hostile Canadian environment was quieted and a switch was flipped. 

My whole point here is not that the Sabres will win the series in 2026. My point is that hope was lost, but Buffalo found a way. It can happen again. Go Sabres ⚔️

So let's put the cart before the horse. You're not happy, Jarmo isn't happy. Tage, Tuch, and Peyton aren't it next year.  

Do you keep Tage and his friendly contract? Or do you use it to get good value in a trade?

Do you let Tuch walk? Or do you get Tage out of the mix and give him that contract he wants?

You can't pick neither, other, or anything else. Just a straight up coin flip. 

I'm sure this thread will be very normal. 

Best need to be our best & not give MTL PP free tickets by going to the sin bin. 5 x 5 Sabres are better team. 
 

WE GOT THIS -  ROLL OUT.

Jan 1: FACT

Brian Campbell scored the loan Sabres goal as they fell 2-1, in a shootout to the Penguins on this day, January 1, 2008, in the first ever NHL Winter Classic. 

While everyone seems to think the Canes will run roughshod over the Flyers (and I think that myself), I looked at the regular season series and ALL FOUR games went to OT or a SO. Take it FWIW, and perhaps it’s worth nothing. I just found it interesting and surprising.

LET’S GO BUFFALO!!

Game 1 vs. Boston: they didn't score until 7:58 left in the third. (They made up for it.)

Game 2: 6:06 was left in the third.

Game 5: Dahlin scored 3:35 in and that was it.

Game 1 vs. Habs: They didn't score the second half of the game (stretching my point juuuust a little).

Game 2: Benson the only goal late in the second.

Game 5: You know.

15 goals in six games. Nine of them came in three bunches (was going to go with tranches, but I'm already a big enough douchebag).

All under contract next season, all at or near NHL ready, even as full time #2’s in a tandem. Each is going to want a spot on a team at the NHL lvl.

Who do we keep? Who do we move to give them an opportunity to flourish in the NHL somewhere?

I know Lyon is well liked, UPL is the starter. I’d prefer to keep UPL and Lyon, but that’s just my choice based on current play. What do you all think?

My gut tells me Beck is 3 years at 3, Benson is either 2 @ 4.5 or 7 @ 6.5 and Krebs 3 @ 4.25.  

Below is an excerpt from a NYT/The Athletic article that ranks each teams' broadcast. I need to know which of you is being quoted here. We need to talk.

Is there " widespread praise" for DD? I think he's trying his best but there are problems which have been well documented here. I don't know who scored until 3-5 seconds after a goal goes in. The DD-Razor banter about nonsense as the play is going on is insufferable.  I get that this topic is highly unnecessary, but I'm bored.

The Results: In his second full season as Sabres play-by-play broadcaster, Dunleavy continues to earn widespread praise from Sabres fans. That’s impressive, given the impossible task he was thrust into of replacing the late, great Rick Jeanneret.

“Dunleavy had big shoes to fill but has done it well,” wrote one Sabres fan.

“Dan Dunleavy is among the best play-by-play guys in hockey today, and in a market where everyone grew up with Rick Jeanneret, it’s all the more impressive that he earned the respect of the fans and has been accepted as the new voice of the Sabres,” wrote another.

Combine coming up soon.  Draft "experts" will be throwing out names ad nauseam. 

UFA time. 

Tight cap. 

Redo some deals.

New coach. Many new staff members.

New stadium.

Go Bills. 

Will look at everything come camp time. So much will change from now until then. 

I'm going with poutine again. It worked for game 1.

You need more out of your forwards than you are getting. 

(Under anesthesia or local.)

So this year the kid is already begging me to go to a concert with him, and frankly, I was looking forward to the Summer's concert schedule for my own enjoyment. Looks like a pretty fair concert season coming. This is my concert plan for the coming year;

June 29 Buffalo Place- Grace Potter and the Nocturnals This band puts on a great show. They have a fantastic old school rock vibe to them. And Grace Potter is darned nice to look at too. If you are not familiar, look them up on youtube. Fantastic rock performers.

Darien Lake- Allman Brothers and Carlos Santana Taking the wife to see this one. Two of my favorites from the bluesy end of rock.

Darien Lake- Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper Re-living my junior year in high school. LOL Actually, I won't be buying tix to this show. I'll be a volunteer. I am involved with one of the not-for-profits that man the beer kiosks at the venue. I'm already signed up to dish out $12 Bud Lights to the head banging masses. I won't get a look at the stage most likely but I'll be able to listen to the show. \nn/

Darien Lake- Slipknot/Slayer/Motorhead/Anthrax This is the show my kid is bugging me about. Yeah, we're gonna go. I've never seen Motorhead or Slayer in concert so I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure my ears will be bleeding by the time the show ends. And 3 out of 4 of those bands are up my alley.

First Niagara Center- Rush Now this one *will* have me re-living my junior year in high school. Going with a longtime friend. I can't wait until October.

Anyone else ready for Summer concert season?

Adrian Kempe seems to be the target most are looking at, so here is the question....

If Tuch and his agent were looking for a deal like Kempe (8 years $85m, $10.625 million per year through age 37) what would you do?

1.) sign him to that deal asap

2.) trade him for the best offer at the deadline

3.) let him play out the year here, and in the offseason compete with everyone else to re-sign him (maybe to a 6 year deal)?

Of course vote for your favorite of those options, but if you have any other thoughs, or if you want to add which would be your 2nd choice besides what you voted for, post away.

Carrion.

This is the pinnacle of sports fandom.

Against all odds, an Angels in the Outfield like comeback to win the division out of nowhere. Totally capable of winning the second round and getting to the Conference Champs.

Look at the Bills or Hurricanes. Every loss is a disaster. Every win isn't good enough. You enter the season as Stanley Cup or Super Bowl.

Being a fan of a team rarely gets better than this Sabres run.

Going into next year the expectations will be, win the division, make the conference final, push for a cup. The losses won't be the same and the wins won't be as sweet.

Soak it in.

This is the very best sports fandom gets for the fans.

Who helps you enjoy it?

I sometimes don't stray far from this board. The serious analysis here abuses the traditional media like it's Montreal PP vs. the forces of nature. Paul's big take now is: if the Sabres win Game 4, the series is tied. Great.

When I do stray of course I still love a Harrington piece. Acquired taste, whatever.

There's also a very odd Crossing Swords podcast I like with a young fella who has that joie de sabre but also keeps it real as the kids say.

I'll sleep listen to Schopp and the Bulldog.

Adam Benigni and Sal Maiorana do a good job with Bleav in Sabres. Two fairly serious, aging, crotchety dudes who've seen a lot.

Any cinema verité clip of Canalside, coming down the escalators, goals recorded from a random seat will get me to unsheath my sword.

How about you?

Could there be anything to my thought that Buffalo's wing popularity has gone to its head... at least to a degree?

Back when I was a kid, we used to cross the border and hit the dive pizza places in Niagara Falls to get get pizza and wings (and maybe a Press Box salad). We ordered them hot, and they were universally awesome. Big, jumbo, and crispy with plenty of sauce, served in a basket with one of those wood looking bowls for your bones. It was far from fancy... just great wings straight out of the fryer to your table with that spicy vinegar steam that burned your nose in a good way.  

Maybe it's a Niagara Falls vs Buffalo thing, but it seems now the whole wing scene might be a bit over the top. I see all these uppity looking presentations with sauce painted on (instead of shook on), arranged one by one in a symmetrical pattern. And then everyone is trying to get the one up on going to the cool new wing joint with all the prices and lineups to boot.

Call me crazy, but I think the old bucket of wing days were better than the scene now. I realize those old places exist, but the cool wing scene just kinda irritates me. I know I'm just becoming a crotchety old guy, but I just wanted to see if anyone else sees it the same given there's more than a few other crotchety old guys here (again, I'm happy to be told to shut up too !!! 🙂 ).

Let's go Buffalo!!!

I find this borderline shocking. If true, what a massive failure of leadership.

I guess my initial rave would be:

Fridays, for many of us, are the end of the work week - which is great! For others, Friday is also payday!

Of the D-men for the teams left in the playoffs, here is where our top-4 are in time-on ice per game:

14th: Dahlin, 23:30 per game

20th: Byram, 22:16 per game

22nd: Samuelsson, 21:07 per game

26th: Power, 20:16 per game

Again, that's of the 7 teams left in the playoffs.  For the entire playoffs, Power is not in the top 50 for time on ice per game.  

We haven't played a lot of OT hockey, so that is a factor. There could also be injuries that we don't know about.

But why is Mike Matheson playing 2 more minutes a night on average in this series, than Dahlin?  Quinn Hughes played 34 minutes last night and is averaging over 30 per game.  Faber is averaging near 30.  Jackson Lacombe is playing 26 minutes a night. Jacob Trouba, 24 minutes.  Brett Kulak is averaging more time on ice per game than Power.  

Our turnaround this year coincided with the injury to Timmins.  That combined with Kesselring's injuries and struggles, forced the Sabres to play our top-4 big minutes.  That's not a slight against Timmins, Kesselring, Metsa, or the new guy, Stanley. All are quite capable bottom pairing D-men on a 100 point NHL team. But our top 4 became our identity.    These guys need to play 25, 26, 27, 28 minutes a night, starting tonight.  Otherwise, why have we built our team this way?   Goodness, what are we saving them for? 

It appears the Sabres will need a new team