R_Dudley

Yeah he stayed out the whole time. Thats how you move a puck with precision passing and movement..

I also went through this with my wife in mid 90's BC(before children). My sympathies go out to him and especially his wife. Thankfully we've been blessed with 3 after that..

Sad but likely true. Of course since I now live here in Pgh. and will be barraged by my friends here I need to watch. The Pens are doing what good playoffs teams do ramping up for the post season. Center Ice allows me to see all the good hard playing hockey teams right now which really drives home whats missing from the Sabres. Yeah talent is still needed but a plan that put everybody in the best position to succeed with some heart and desire across the board would've gone a long way to making these games more entertaining.

My votes; 1. No 2. No 3. Yes, because based on the moves TM had done at that point it was obvious we were set up to fail so why not try and get a number 1. Being Ok with a losing is not something I endorse. Now you do have to accept it does happen and not go bat sh!t crazy over it but I would hope every professional player wouldn't be Ok with it although they know it does happen even when you've played hard and or well. As long as effort and opportunity happened then you look forward for the next game to take the sting out of it. I also agree that the early season games were entertaining up till late November. Because they were playing well as a team and you could see the effort game in and game out especially during the 10 game streak. And if they hadn't won some of those I would have been fine because the efforts and smart team play appeared to be there and getting better. The last 3 months I have not seen close to the same level of entertainment and worse the same efforts or team play. I have noticed players who have improved but I am not convinced that's because of any coaching that's happening and not just experience and talent running its natural course. What I also see overall is less well coordinated/orchestrated team execution and effort. That's my disappointment playoffs or not. It sounds like a bunch of other fans here feel this way as well. I find it a bit odd try and tell others how they should feel because they do not feel entertained or they are concerned or don't think we still have the right coach and have questions about the decision(s) that put us here again. Aren't these boards for that type of discussion?

They were the best their country had to offer so only seems fair should be all stars.

Well having watched some of those games that's sometimes what it did look like... Knowing that I agree today's players would have a distinct advantage and should win 9 out of 10 times. However lets not forget the occasional miracle on ice that happens every now and then. So how about another twist would today's college players beat the Soviet Red army team that was doing all the latest rage training in that same 1975 era?

Listen sure, most of have heard this story for years. Heck its even easy to understand its a solid approach and the right path. But not so easy after so long to trust its all the right people making the right choices and will produce the perennial playoff juggernaut Hockey Heaven promised so long ago. Nothing wrong with some here that would be happy with a perennial hard working, smart playing Hockey Purgatory playoff team. That's a lot closer to heaven then we have been..

Yep and followed watching them Seals in Cleveland for a couple years. We had a solid core and playoffs were an annual expectation. Hard to follow now after years of very limited expectations.

Love it shades of Hacksaw Billy Smith. That's what i would expect and do myself since his own D corp does not regularly clear the crease. I am curious though if this is after Marleau bumped him at the top of the crease and that goal squeaked through?

Now thats how you do a one timer something the Sabres don't seem capable of mastering.

Just a matter of time with the game they have played. Hunwick weak link.

Ok lets really make ullmark try and save this

Yep, i was circling the calendar 6 weeks ago thinking of driving up and getting tics because we would be battling the Pens for one of the wild card spots.. Since then our Sabres totally drained that enthusiasm into indifference and I am not even sure if I will watch.

Yep. Fully expect them to embarrass me with all my buddies here that are Penguins fans. If they just played hard and smarter most games and let the chips fall where they may I would feel better about it. Fell as fast as we climbed. From so much hope and promise back to so much horse manure. Don't know how these players can be happy over the last several months looking like they play one out of four games as a team with enthusiasm and maximum effort. Where's a Lindy when you need someone sending the guys out saying "Go run em"... Lets go Buffalo, show some life for your fans.

It looks like this team is falling no matter what I think. I am so disappointed with this team from too many post game interviews where I heard one of our players say something, something , we weren't ready to play, ... they came out with more desperation, etc. If that's just press speak then find something else to say because that tells me your not a team playing for each other. Yes we have some talent but still lack a lot of heart and compete. Effort can exceed talent when talent plays w/o effort, and the efforts of a group/team playing together exceeds the efforts of few with or w/o talent.

Skinner-Eichel-Wilson Sheary-Rodrigues-Reinhart Okposo-Mittelstadt-Thompson Girgensons-Larsson-Pominville I might actually like them to try this combination above as a whole I don't think its been done. I really don't understand what Phil see's and is trying to do with his line combo's when the biggest issue i continually see and hear isn't the combos', Its the "we weren't ready to play, they had more desperation, excuses being trotted out.

Note to self ! Make sure I know my facts before I make any definitive claims or statements or ?. ?

Dam it , PP gives up too many SH chances...

Minus the points...

The team has said it and then so will I. Must win ! This is the division rivalry team to beat. Since the Tampa game the team is playing with Confidence. I would like to see someone punk Mr. Marleau for that boarding he did to Jack previous game. Oh yeah i haven't forgot and and I think that might be the base injury that jack has been playing though since. Paging the raging Mr. Bogosian, please report as the disciplinarian, tonight. So does anyone have a hat trick in him tonight? Doesn't matter to me as long as the good guys win.. Lets Go Buffalo. Win one on the road.

Ahh too late. Need more notice time to make it work.. i would have liked to try. i actually think we started this awhile back with Tom at the bar on Broadway he was part of. How many years back now ? SDS was there as well. All good.

By this point in the season the rental players $$ cost is prorated and/or negotiated in the trade and IMHO not a significant factor. Now what you have to give up in trade is where the real cost lies. I agree with all here who said it is situational based on teams needs. Lets face it playoff hockey changes where a lot more is let go and tight checking, pics, interference is the new norm although that has also crept a bit too much into the regular season for my liking as well. The fancy stats guys could if data is available run these trends for us but i'm pretty sure special teams, face offs, goal tending and and 2ndary scoring(3rd and 4th lines) are often the difference in many games. So for all the reasons already said in the thread around, 1 more better player than the other team, covering gaps/deficiencies or getting that first taste of experience is why teams do it hoping for that lighting in the bottle. Oh and one last thought on that new guy upsetting the chemistry, what about that new guy messing up the analytics and scouting all teams do about tendencies and changing the chemistry in a positive way...

True but they have been sitting extra bodies for awhile.

All righty then any chance this means someone is being traded?

Wow this is a thread that has really plumbed the heights and depths of fandom and that perception does drive a lot of realities. I also think its a interesting question and voted Jury still out. I didn't know what to expect for a generational D-man and needed to see these historical facts to really put into perspective how he is playing vs. what I was seeing and expected. I had hoped for a stronger shot and more silky, sneaky just dirty plays but maybe I'm confusing that with my fantasies...