Sabrestrike
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Posts posted by Sabrestrike
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It must be so awesome to be an Arizona Coyotes fan now.
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So Strome or Marner?
This franchise, man. They can find a way to break our hearts in a different way every f###ing season.
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I am only listening on radio, therefore not a great feel... But buffalo sounds like they're on fire on WGR. A loss here to Chicago would really shorten the ledge for most of SS and the community
If we win tonight and Arizona loses, as expected, the panic will be justified. It's all over but the crying at that point.
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If we're outshooting and essentially outplaying Chicago, I think we have to face facts--this team has really improved. Without some lucky Arizona wins, the Shart is in serious trouble.
And I say this knowing there's every chance we actually do lose this game.
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We may very well still be CHL contenders next year, just not on purpose.
We will definitely be contenders, especially if we don't get McEichel. I'm optimistic we won't be the favorites, but we'll be in the conversation. A member of the "Septic 6," almost certainly.
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A NHL win tonight and the Shart is dead. C'mon, Buffalo. We got this. Tank on.
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I'm not sure even McEichel will make that big of an impact in their first season. Not elite right away, I mean.
There's certainly no guarantee, but both do profile as instant impact guys. McDavid would almost certainly be centering Kane from Day 1. Eichel, maybe not top line, but he'd be a Top 6 player and I'd expect him to chip in 15 goals and 25 - 30 assists. For us, that would be huge.
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If we don't land McEichel, I think we'll be in contention for Austin Matthews next year. Maybe not the favorite, like this year, but we'll be in the conversation. I can see us making some adds along the lines of Gionta and Gorges, but we need a Top 6 forward (along with Kane) to push the envelope forward. I don't think we'll be able to get a guy like that unless we draft him, and I don't think Strome, Reinhart or Marner will be ready for prime time yet.
We won't be tanking, but without an elite guys--even a rookie--I can't see us anywhere but 25th place or worse.
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So the song cranking in the Sabres locker room last night was Drakes, "We Started From The Bottom" (now we're here). Brilliant you ###### idiots....you're still at the bottom. Do the players wanna ###### the fans that bad or are these players that stupid?
That is vaguely pathetic (since they have not gotten anywhere other than 2 points from not being the worst team in the league), and annoying because it conflicts with what we want, and shortsighted because many of them benefit if we land McEichel...but in the end they are players, and they want to win, and however they choose to motivate themselves, I suppose we have to live with it.
In an inverted, sick way, this is like Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals, and you're up one game. Nothing is guaranteed. All the franchise can do is put itself in a position to win the Shart, and it did that. Now we hope.
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@BuffNewsVogl: Just got interesting email from fired-up Sabres season-ticket holder. Excerpt to follow:
@BuffNewsVogl: "For two years we were polite, did not boo, etc. because we realized we could get some great talent in the draft to move forward .." (1)
@BuffNewsVogl: "Now Nolan and these players are acting like they are in the Stanley Cup Finals (one down six more wins to go -- REALLY?)." (2)
@BuffNewsVogl: "They are kicking the fans in the groin. If they blow this opportunity for McDavid or Eichel, the fans will not forget and will not forgive"
Fans will forgive the team when they start winning next year, but this group is really pushing their luck with this "goal" of ruining the tank. 6 wins does absolutely nothing but hurt this franchise. Whether you are pro-tank or anti, that's the absolute truth. It's also a giant F you to the fan base. Try to win because you are a professional, not to screw over Pegula, Murray and your fans.
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I say "thanks for nothing." If players want to "screw" the team by costing them 30th out of spite, then that's a real slap in the face to the fans that have come out and cheered them for the last two miserable years. I'll say it again, if they are so full of pride then why not play like it earlier? When the Sabres went on their midseason tear I was ready to root for the playoffs. But now with 6 games to go, what are they proving by winning meaningless games? That they want to stick it to the man?
This is the first time I've been upset with the players. You can't blame them for the crap product on the ice, because I think Nolan has squeezed all the effort out of them. And I get that they want to win, because they are professional athletes. That is what they do. But to be motivated by the purpose of shafting the fans, the franchise, and even themselves (who does not want to play with McEichel?) is absurd. If that is what pushes this team out of last place, I will be beyond frustrated.
Finishing anything other than 30th could set this franchise back at least 2-3 years. There are only two kids in this draft who look to be difference makers from Day 1. I'm sure others will emerge, but who knows who those guys will be?
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No way Hanifin makes the jump to the NHL, he's heading back to school fo sho. I like him though, he's a stud. With Hot Mez filling the net, plus Risto, Zadorov, and Hanifin in 2016 we won't need our forwards to contribute much of anything... maybe that's the plan?
I digress, no way in hell BUF misses out on McEichel. One of five things will happen, guaranteed.
1 - Sabres finish 30th win the lottery, all our dreams come true.
2 - Sabres finish 30th lose the lottery, generational consolation prize.
3 - Sabres finish 29th win the lottery, GMTM faints on stage as McDavid pulls on a Sabres sweater.
4 - Sabres finish 29th and 30th place ARI wins the lottery, see #2.
5 - Sabres finish 29th, neither BUF nor ARI win the lottery and BUF picks 3rd.
That said, if the hockey Gods punish us for our sins and we end up with #5, I don't there's any price GMTM wouldn't pay to move up from #3 to #2. I don't see him being able to move from #3 to #1, but a move from #3 to #2 would be possible and here's why....
ARI will be the team picking #2 (do the math, duh). ARI needs help all over the ###### place, while they already have OEL, they may jump at a deal that involves both BUF 1st rounders in 2015 and BUF 2016 first rounder. The 2016 1st rounder is key here as next year is the Auston Matthews draft. Auston Matthews is from... you guessed it, Scottsdale, AZ, and he's putting up better numbers than Eichel did at his age in the same program. He's slightly bigger than Eichel as well. Imagine the fanfare in ARI with Austom Matthews leading that team for the next decade or so... wow. Of course, the deal would also need to include somebody like Girgensons and Ennis, which I'd be OK with...
So it's not all gloom and doom if BUF ends up picking 3rd. If GMTM makes Eichel the target, I have no doubt he can pull it off considering his recent trade history and the pieces at his disposal.
If next year becomes "Tank for Auston Mathews," my brain will explode. The tank conversation is just so dead to me.
I'll also bet you a beverage that Murray fails to put together a deal for McEichel if we finish 3rd. Can't see anyone trading those two prospects.
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Looks like some of the heavy duty tankers are ready to abandon the tank, or are thinking that it is futile.
Most of you would have gladly taken a split with the arch rival Coyotes, at least that is what I remember reading in this thread. The Sabres are exactly where they were before the pivotal 2 game series with the Coyotes, but with fewer games left to be played.
When the biggest fancy stat guy (I say that with the utmost respect) around here says that this thing is virtually in the bag I would think that you guys would / should listen to him.
I'm not pessimistic or optimistic, just nervous. But I really disagree with the "this is the same Sabres team that has only 50 points all season" argument. They look much better to me than they did last month. Great effort, outshooting opponents, etc. If not for a health dose of bad luck against Colorado and Dallas, we'd be tied with the Yotes right now.
I really think the Sabres are better than Arizona, and they have a softer schedule. I'm not giving up by any stretch, but this isn't the same team it was, especially not when taking into account the balance of their schedule.
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This is more fun than going for the Presidents trophy! 6 games left, so much on the line. I never thought that being the best team in the league could lead to such great games at the end of the season.
Do not SHART till you see the whites of their eyes!!
I know you are joking, and I'm not saying this is "fun"...but if we lose out on McEichel, I think I will take it worse than I did when the Sabres lost the Cup in 1999. Now, the Cup would have been far more meaningful to me than any single player could be, but this McEichel process has been two years in the making. They are the only two people who make the last two years--being the worst team in the NHL over that span, without equivocation--remotely tolerable. They have been the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Not getting them would be like being one step from heaven and then having to take the elevator downstairs to spend eternity with the Devil (and Brett Hull).
If we suffered for these two years and don't get Eichel, I will be...well, it just won't be pretty. It's a sad statement on the Sabres' present condition, obviously, but if we end up drafting Straume or Marner I will be sick. No offense to those kids, of course.
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I'm not too panicky, only because I think Arizona will find a way to win one more game--probably one of the back to back San Jose games. If Arizona does lose out, I think they take the shart at the wire (I assume the Sabres will beat Toronto, and with that momentum, will beat Columbus and Carolina as well.)
Our collectives buttholes will seriously tighten if we upset Chicago on Friday, though. Don't want to think about that.
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Personally, I have been talking about Eichel more, even calling it a race for Eichel with a bonus shot at McDavid. I am absolutely assuming that McDavid will not be a Sabres; it's beyond wishful thinking (counting on beating at best a 1 in 5 chance) to do otherwise. If he comes here, that's great, but it won't be weird to see him in another uniform. If we hold on to 30th and end up with Eichel, I'm expecting a bunch of idiots to laugh about how our tank didn't work, to which I will reply, "it worked exactly as expected."
I think a lot of knowledgeable fans have been talking about the two of them, but the national media will nonetheless laugh at us if we finish last and "only" get Eichel. I have to assume that despite his infatuation with McDavid, Murray is also operating under the assumption that Eichel will be ours, not McDavid. Unless the unthinkable happens and we blow this 6 point "lead."
For my part, I will be thrilled if we get McDavid, but even so, a little sad that we didn't get Eichel--because I've been so focused on him, and have mostly avoided getting sucked into the McDavid hype. Too bad my dream of the Islanders winning the lottery appears out of reach.
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There really has been way too much talk about McDavid from Buffalo's perspective. I remember Sidney Crosby making fun of Buffalo reporters, reminding them that we don't have McDavid yet. The absolute best case scenario is that we have a 20% chance of McDavid. It's almost going to be strange to see him in another team's sweater next year, so long have people around here been talking about him.
But Murray's quote doesn't get me all riled up. He's obviously picking Eichel #2 if necessary, and Eichel is a great prospect too. Not like he's going to stop trying because the Buffalo GM liked McDavid more. Every team likes McDavid more.
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I feel better about it, but we're not out of the woods yet. ARI (and EDM) have difficult schedules down the stretch while BUF plays ARI, CBJ, TOR and CAR. I could see BUF getting at most another 10 NHL points, unlikely, but possible if a goalie heats up?
The second ARI game is just as important as the first was. Ennis' status is also a huge deal. I love the guy and don't want him hurt, but it will help if he misses the next 2 games.
I agree we're not out of the woods, and I was definitely worried about strength of schedule a few weeks ago too. But look at what has happened since: San Jose is basically out of the playoffs; they will have nothing to play for and could be in a major slide by the time Arizona plays them. Arizona finishes the season with Anaheim, which could well have clinched by then. Calgary is good but beatable; Vancouver, same thing, and Arizona has played them tough all year. Arizona could win any of their remaining games.
They would probably have to lose the rest of their games to win the Shart, and I don't think that is too likely, the way they are playing all of a sudden. As long as Buffalo avoids a winning streak, we should be in good shape for the Shart.
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Nick Kypreos joking on Hockey Central that the Leafs, now only 5 points ahead of the Oiler's will fall to 3rd worst in the league and win McDavid :sick:
I refuse to get concerned about losing the lottery, even to the Leafs. It would suck to have McDavid playing for an arch rival, but that's a possibility whether they finish 3rd from the bottom or better. Heck, the Bruins could end up with him. I'm focused on who the Sabres do get, and Eichel is capable of going head to head with McDavid, IMO, over the next 10 - 15 years. Would be really fun to watch, actually.
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Is everyone safely backing off the ledge now? It's amazing how one win from the Coyotes changes everyone's tune. I have been saying all along that the randomness inherent in sports/hockey, coupled with the Sabres statistics demonstrating that they are the worst team, would mean it will be very difficult for the Coyotes to make up the gap with so few games left.
There was very little chance IMO that the Coyotes would finish the season undefeated (CHL), just because hockey is so fluid and unpredictable.
I'm still very much on the ledge, just looking over carefully, not screaming like a mad person ready to jump. A CHL win on Thursday and we're right back at that level of insanity, though. Lots of games left.
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There's no f'n way the Yotes beat us even once. Resign yourselves to that Biatches.
I'm extremely resigned to it. We're actually a decent squad right now. Arizona is hopeless.
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Well, since we don't have the guts to match Arizona in the strategy department, I'm praying we or they win the lottery. At least that will still ensure one of the top two picks if we finish 29th.
GO SABRES!!!
That just feels decidedly "unBuffalo," but our luck has to change eventually, right? Right???
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I wish I could still be in Bahamas with no tv for this Zona series. It's gonna be torture and frustration non-stop....
We will literally watch McEichel slip through our fingers. In their current form, the Sabres might win 2 or 3 to zip. But it's hockey, anything can happen...
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Lindback with another .963 save % through two. I'm going to go research how good Strome and Marner are now. I am weak-hearted tanker, obviously.
GDT: Chicago @ Buffalo; 7:00 pm EST
in The Aud Club
Posted
I understand why the players are working hard. I respect that. I'm almost happy for them. I just don't get why a single fan can be happy about this. This is like trading a franchise player so we can finish second from last instead of last. Would you have traded Lafontaine for the chance to improve from 30th place to 29th? Perreault? Briere and Drury?