Taro T

If YOU had to talk about these bums every weekday from the beginning of October through into early May and again in the evening 75 or so times; you'd want to get hammered once in a while too. 😉 That's what we thought last night too. 😉

Yes, but so is the precipitate. Guess which the Sabres are. 😉

Well, considering how bad the season started and how bad its gotten back to, would HOPE that's the case. And if this team wasn't so dysfunctional would EXPECT that to be the case. Alas, this team IS dysfunctional and hasn't made major moves that have seemed necessary for at least a couple of years if not significantly longer yet so won't expect any transition until its actually been announced.

So, apparently nobody was THAT injured last night. Just their pride.

Personally want him gone and agree that the sooner the better. But the only way he's gone come Monday is if the team quits (intentionally or effectively) both tonight and Saturday night. And don't want to see the team quit. So, in a roundabout way, want him still here on Monday. He should've already been gone. Such a frustrating season.

Not if he's in because somebody was banged up last night and can't go tonight. Just hoping they don't end up dressing him as the 6th D (with Jones as the 5) and Ellis as the 12th F.

He's looking to see if Travaling or Holland are interested in hiring an AGM that's been running a 2nd round of expansion team with a long history of success (though no ULTIMATE success, though we're still waiting for the finish of the '99 season, so maybe) that ended about 1 decade before he took over or if they'd be interested in buying a slightly used skate sharpener or a used Zamboni with lasers on its underside.

As much as many here might derive some perverse satisfaction from watching the team implode as UPL implodes behind them tonight, Ruff is actually TRYING to win games. He's doing it right now with 2 hands tied behind his back (his ACs behind the bench with him and 6 or so starters out of the lineup for various reasons); but he ISN'T going to let UPL get put between the pipes in a game he'd have almost no chance whatsoever of being successful in. We can disagree with a lot of his choices (and literally mean a LOT of his choices), but he isn't intentionally tanking and there's no way he'd start UPL on the road with a depleted lineup against one of the best teams in the league. There is ONE way this game ends up competitive - Lyon stands on his head even better than he has in any of his other starts this year. Personally would have them use Ruff's late 90's playbook - hunker down, limit chances, look for odd-man rushes, treat the PP like the golden chance it is in a game like this (meaning somehow keep Appert completely out of the loop on running it), and don't be afraid of giving up a lot of shots provided they're nearly all from the outside, and then make sure you get to any rebounds Lyon gives up. IF they can do all that, and get a little bit of luck, maybe they can win one they shouldn't have any chance in. (Wouldn't have any money on the Sabres though.)

Personally would turn the reins over to Kekalainen and let him determine the disposition of the FO/scouts. Hopefully he'd lean towards more culling than keeping and fairly or not, want Forton gone but the rest would leave up to Jarmo. The coaching staff - punt them all but let Ruff take on some "advisory" role if you want to spare having fired him a 2nd time. And if somebody that seems to be clearly better than Jarmo gets cut free in the interim, grab him and thank Jarmo for his service.

Is the correct answer the Pegula kid that designed the BS hat? Seems on brand.

Michigan or Michigan State? State is ranked 1 in the country and just beat PSU (at the time #3) 2 in a row in the past week.

So he's a fast Mittelstadt?

Would expect that if they were healthy they'd be sitting at a playoff spot but without fixing the PP (which essentially means canning Appert, which wouldn't be happening if they were on a 0.600 playoff pace) they'd almost definitely fall out of the playoffs when other teams get serious come January and when the inevitable injury bug were to then strike.

They might've. At any rate he seems to be significantly better than Appert. (Not that that's saying much.)

THIS particular version that lined up against the Utes - lacking their top D-man, 2 players the coach has been lining up on the top line, their steadiest vet F, and a solid 4th liner (not to mention the guy that never plays a full season that they inked into their 1C role, who they can't actually PLAN on having available on any given night) and playing in their top 6 with their best D-man out a guy that they have at least 2 guys that are better than him; not a whole lot. Short answer of why they could be a playoff team: But the version that had most of Dahlin, Benson, Zucker, and Kulich in the lineup; saw a team that pressured their opponents at 5v5, played extremely well at 4v5, was getting excellent GTing, and was playing very close games even though they only had a functional PP for 1-1/2 games. They couldn't win in OT to save their lives. But dump the idiot that ran the PP and the OT and they get more points in the standings. Even with the idiot running the PP, they'd been right on the cusp of a playoff spot. Again, fix the coaching, and this team is a borderline playoff team. Make a couple of good moves and it becomes a solid playoff team. Most teams in the league are flawed. Making the playoffs, believe it or not, isn't a major accomplishment. It seems like one because the Sabres are the NHL's version of the NY Football J-E-S-T jest Jest JEST; but it really isn't all that impossible.

Well, in fairness, except for Helenius and a couple of D, ALL the really good Amerks are up in Buffalo with Benson, Zucker, Dahlin, Kulich, & Danforth all currently out. (Note, did not include Norris on that list. At this point there's no reason to ever expect him to play more than 40-50 games in any particular season.)

Post-tank, they keep finding ways to blame the failure on their best players. They never should've sent O'Reilly packing. Totally get how with the world shutting down they didn't want to give Reinhart and Ullmark multiyear extensions, but if they risk LT deals there, they still have both of them plus Eichel and very possibly Montour too. How much better could things be NOW if they'd've just had some patience when they had one of the best 2 way F's in the league and some extremely talented youngsters? They never even let O'Reilly play 1 single game wth Dahlin. This is so frustrating.

And get Peca back into the fold next year as well. Either as the Amerks coach with Prospal getting the promotion or as the guy running the STs and F's with Prospal running the Amerks.

Fix the coaching and this team is borderline a playoff squad. Make a couple other upgrades and it is a legit playoff team. But they need to make an upgrade at GM before either of those other moves get made.

Nah, Ruff has to see that Ellis is the major reason this team had a chance to pull off the upset. Yes, he should've had the 3rd goal. But he could easily have given up 6 before that one.

Expect that was more to be able to break up the 4th line and to get McLeod's defensive play on what had been the Doan line. Neither of those 2 lines (Thompson nor Doan lines) had looked good tonight. And that change did NOT work.

Interesting, moving Kozak onto the line with Thompson and Tuch. Trying to switch up the lines to keep from letting the Mammoth outmatchup the Sabres.

The Kid Line has been playing well, although they had their own issues towards the end of the 2nd. But, yeah, Ellis was the reason they had a lead heading into the 3rd.

2 guys on Peterka and neither bothers to actually skate with him. ####!!!!!!!!

There were a lot of line mix ups back then. Roy probably played with Drury and Grier almost as much as he centered the RAV line.