Taro T

Oh yeah, it all feeds on itself. But even going back to that 91 point season that seems a lifetime ago even though it was only 3 years ago, they weren't good on the cycle. They scored on rushes and for about 6-7 weeks they also scored when Tage dropped bombs on the PP. But that got figured out by other teams and so down the stretch they were back to just scoring on the rush. They didn't do a good job on the cycle even in that season that Granato had them focusing primarily on offense figuring he'd teach them defense later. Well, when looking back on it, it wasn't just D he didn't teach them; he didn't teach them much offensively either, and the same guys that were here back then (except Ellis who's still a coach, just not on the bench) are still here trying to finally figure out how to teach them to play defense and how to work a functional cycle. Do realize that for whatever reason ownership doesn't want to punt the failed coaches (at least not unless a golden child is available to replace any of them; and how a golden child is defined is anyones guess) but how much money is getting thrown away in lost ticket sales, lost merchandise sales, lost concession sales, and lost playoff revenue. That has to dwarf whatever these guys still have left to earn this last year of their deals. And agree, they've been very bad against the rush in the past; and if the last non-ENG of last night is any indication, they're still going to be bad against it. EDIT: Sorry @dudacek, didn't mean to go negative in the Hopium thread.

For those that are gluttons for punishment, Friday's rematch game will be on MSG local, so it should be on ESPN+ for the out of towners.

Ftfy. 😉

Juuuuussssst like Appert drew it up. 🙄

Q not directed at you, BUT when it is so obvious he's bad at his job, WHY was there ONLY ONE choice to replace him? He (and not just he) should've been canned on locker clean out day and then they would've HAD to make moves. Another game where they're winning 5v5 but losing STs and losing the game overall because of it. Seen this movie before, it pretty much always ends with the hero losing the girl and having to put his dog down. But maybe this time it'll be different.

Soooo, based on the moves this off-season, the reason last year was dog doo doo was because of the S&C coach. Let's look at where we are with 1 PS game to play 8 days prior to the start of the RS. 1 broken goalie 4 broken D-men 1 (or is it 2, no data on why Benson didn't play today) broken F. CLEARLY last year was on the S&C coach. 😒 STs had absolutely nothing to do with it; very glad they kept Wilford and Appert; one of these years that'll work; just not sure any of us will still be alive when that does work.

Yeah, Bryson didn't play it overly well, but he had his man tied up. (After being in no man's land for the initial shot.) His guy gets his stick on it to keep it from going into the corner, but he couldn't do anything else with it. It was the other Pen getting there before a F could get back that finished it. And if Georgiev moves back across the crease at all, he might be able to keep it out of the net. A case could be made that after that 1st shot was taken, Bryson shouldn't have still been going for that man at the side of the net who took the initial shot; but once he started scrambling, that was likely his best option. The other D was caught on the other side of the net because the rebound could've gone that way and it would've been a tap in; but the F's didn't help much there either. And, no, Bryson shouldn't have been so high before that final shot sequence started (would have to watch it again to see why he was up there; MAYBE it made sense for him to have been higher in the diamond), but once that began he didn't play it horribly. No ####### clue. Ditto for Appert. @PromoTheRobot, still think the PP is looking good this preseason?

Makes sense. It's on MSG in the Sabres normal market. (Buf, Roc, Syr, and ???)

Peterka's backchecking was adequate. Nothing to write home about but it wasn't exactly costing the team multiples of games either. They'll definitely miss him. But IF they can now cycle like an actual NHL team with other guys; they might net out better off. Though have said it before and will continue to say it; really hate that they didn't replace the spending they'd've had to have had he still been a Sabre. Another $4MM F would help solidify this lineup and depending on who it was might be able to solidify the 2nd line allowing Zucker to be the gristled vet that still can score on an otherwise kid-centric 3rd scoring line. Doan, Kesselring, AND a $4MM guy would make Peterka's departure much more palatable.

It's really one of the major questions about this team. Last year, with Peterka, they were one of the best teams in the league at scoring off the rush but much worse at scoring off sustained pressure. Now that they don't have Peterka, who's bread and butter was scoring off the rush (either directly or setting a teammate up) but have guys like Doan and guys like Benson in an elevated role, how much will the rush scoring diminish and can they offset it with scoring off the cycle and being better at cycling overall. If they can be better at cycling, it could take a lot of pressure off the D as if the puck is in the other team's end they don't have to bust their arses defending. Between that and goaltending, it might spell the difference between making the playoffs or not even if the PP and the defensive zone coverage isn't significantly improved.

Darth nailed it. If Crosby is only going to play 1/2 of the preseason games, they aren't going to waste him on the road only to have people that actually showed up to the game a day or 2 later in the 'Burgh to be griping about not seeing their star. Same with the Sabres and Thompson and Dahlin. They aren't playing in C-Bus. Right or wrong, it's reality. And teams do tend to have their better checking line going on the road, so the home team's top guys aren't primarily skating against AHLers usually.

If he doesn't play in at least 10 NHL games, the contract can slide in his 18 yo and 19 yo seasons regardless of where else he plays. In a player's 20 yo season, the contract no longer slides.

Well, it's your fault the argument started. You said explicitly and clearly that every single prospect the Sabres have ever had in the Pegula era has been rushed to the big team. Wait, that's NOT what you said? Well, gosh durn it, we'll still have to run with that being what you said because otherwise this might get silly. 😜

It's kinda hilarious that the "Mrtka must go to Seattle" crowd is the same as "Novikov is gonna get the sads and run back to Russia if he isn't in the lineup against the Rags" crowd. 😉 See how silly hyperbolizing peoples positions come off? "(y)ou all think we rush EVERYBODY." (emphasis added) No, nobody has said that. And it's disingenuous to make that claim. To the bolded, the people that aren't overly concerned that Novikov isn't getting his chance NOW have the EXACT SAME POSITION you have on this issue. He should get a look this year. And, he WILL get a look this year. Likely an extended look as his game is exactly what the guy that seemingly is always broken for ~40 games per year is supposed to be. When he's in his prime, he slots perfectly into the concept of Samuelsson or what Muel is supposed to be.

14 years in the desert and 4 or so "non-blocking" years have skewed our perspectives. (The Peterka kerfuffle doesn't help matters either.) He'll be fine starting in Ra-cha-cha and will get a legit look before this season is over. His playing the same side and role Samuelsson is supposed to play will almost guarantee it. We're really close to seeing only 1-2 rookies starting the year in Buffalo As they finally have a full lineup of NHL caliber players with only 1-2 teens on the roster, they don't have to rush players up. Though w/ 3 D injured, Mrtka might still end up being rushed up. Hopefully he's the last of the guys rushed up.

Yes. They wore silver & blue that 1st season. But, IMHO, that ice jersey evokes Dallas' threads more than Detroit's. (Thus calling them Lions/Cowboys.)

1 thing to remember is, if they send him back to Ra-cha-cha rather than Juniors before his 9 games is up, he can still get brought up again and also if he cumulatively doesn't get a 10th game this year won't burn a year of his ELC. This is unlike loaning him back to Seattle which if they do that, he could only be brought back on an emergency basis or after their season is done. So, if he's Ra-cha-cha bound, he might be the 1st guy sent down when somebody gets healthy enough to play after the season starts to save some of those 9 games for later in the year. If he's Seattle bound, expect him to get all 9 games before going back.

Jones over Bryson. Heck, there's people that would prefer Metsa over Bryson. 😉

That's not a ####ing goat, you hoser. 😉

FTFY. 😉

I L Well, if the crowd at the Fishies game was any indication, they've already sold a #### ton of the Lions/Cowboys Bills jerseys.

And why presume, if they don't pay Tuch, that they'll pay ANYBODY the money that he would've been getting? Wouldn't have minded the Peterka trade as much had they been sitting at $1MM in cap space now rather than $5.1MM. Trading Tuch (because he'll be the best player in the trade going either way) or letting him walk is the proverbial "canary in the coal mine." Still have time to sign him; but have little faith that Adams will be able to adjust capably to the Kaprisov signing and what it implies for new contracts moving forward.

The proposal was SPECIFICALLY for setting up that full concierge service between the blue lines at ice level. Know this one for a fact.

They probably did. And if they did, it would be because they're dumb. The players collectively get exactly 50% of HRR. Not a penny more or a penny less. If Crosby on paper is getting $12MM / rather than $8.7MM/ then the denominator that everyones salary gets parsed by is $3.3MM larger. Wgaf what you earn on paper when what matters is what you actually have in your pocket at the end of the day. This ISN'T Gordie Howe artificially lowering everybody's salary by accepting a $1k raise each year and a new varsity jacket. (As the legend goes.) Crosby is actually RAISING everybody else's salary by a few bucks by taking the deal that makes him happy.

Haven't seen any of them officially put in place yet. Not saying they haven't been, but haven't seen any reports of them actually getting enacted on an expedited schedule. And, you seriously believe the N-H-friggin'-L can't change a rule interpretation mid-year? We did mention we're talking the NHL, right? This is the same league that put out a "clarification" memo on how to enforce the in the crease rule about a month before the RS ended and THEN completely ignored that guidance when it was expedient. (Note to people in the Keystone State, not taking your bait from anyone when you respond to this post.) This league also decided in late '06 that it wouldn't let players play in the playoffs if they had been on IR all year; a position the league has since done a 180 on. But, teams have been told that it's very likely the new rules will be in place for the playoffs this year. As long as they're up front about it and everybody gets the same info at the same time; of course they can change the rules. You can argue all day as to whether they should or shouldn't; but it's not a should/shouldn't thing. It's a will they won't they one; and they absolutely can so they likely will.