PASabreFan

Any "shouting down" of the poster was pushback against the idea that only age and inexperience makes the Sabres a development squad. It's also a GM who won't try and make the playoffs and a coach who won't pull the goalie because... Why? Because it'll be good for the kids to try and tie the game at even strength? Until shown otherwise, the vaunted culture in Buffalo still has nothing to do with winning. Going with a rookie goalie is Exhibit Y. Don't gaslight me. What's changed since 2014? The Sabres have gone from trying derive some future advantage by losing to trying to derive some future advantage by not trying to win. I'm over it... And yes the posts. But I'm not going to quit. I did quit on the Bills and certainly regret it.

Novikov eh? Awesome.

Either it's about winning or it's not.

The rents went out of town. Too bad about Aunt Cheryl.

And that's why I say that if the Sabres miss the playoffs, there won't be much static from the fans. There will always be reasons they missed despite KA's heroic efforts.

And we loved it. Until we didn't.

You vowed to be the first expansion team to win a Cup. I don't understand the slow roll thinking. It's not a predictable straight line at a 45 degree angle. No reason the Sabres couldn't make a run next spring. I'll say it again... It's sports! You gotta live it! Or love it

And they did not lead the team into the playoffs.

I give you April 3, 2007. --- The Sabres' Turn Crosby Era coming, but this moment belongs to Buffalo April 3, 2007 PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby struck iron. So did Dmitri Kalinin. But Kalinin's shot hit the right post and went in. Crosby's deflected off the crossbar and bounded away like the Easter Bunny. Sidney Crosby grimaced on the bench. So did Thomas Vanek. But Vanek's scowl, the result of painful back spasms, was at least part smile, coming minutes after his 40th goal. Crosby's, the result of a tweaked ankle, was all Advil. Sidney Crosby lost his helmet. So did Ryan Miller. But Miller's lost lid came seconds after stealing a goal off the stick of Crosby, a defining moment in the game. Crosby's doff came during an early squirmish with Derek Roy, a frustrating moment of many for The Precocious One. Those are the thumbnail photos of the Sabres' 4-1 victory in the Igloo on Tuesday night. The poster-sized enlargement of the state of the Eastern Conference can be illustrated by two more images: Miller's face sprouting a playoff beard. Crosby's as smooth as a baby's bottom. With the regular season all but over, it should have been apparent to most who watched Tuesday night's game — well, maybe not those Versus announcers — that although The Crosby Era in the NHL will arrive soon enough, The Buffalo Era is dawning first. The Penguins might be this season's version of the 2005-06 Sabres, but the Sabres are Version 2.0. Prevailing at the site of the franchise's first big win — in their first game in the NHL back in 1970 — the Sabres clinched both the Northeast Division championship and the regular-season Eastern Conference title. To accomplish two of their preseason goals, they had to beat back a team of young guns, like themselves, who were trying to cut to the front of the line. The Sabres said not so fast. It took clutch goaltending, balanced scoring, stout defensive play and extraordinary penalty killing to do it. It took a playoff effort. The balanced scoring came from a defenseman and three different forwards, while the penalty killers, led by Chris Drury, negated all eight chances for the fifth-ranked Pens power play. But Miller vs. Crosby was the most intriguing matchup. Crosby was all alone at the right post on a first-period power play, but Miller played shortstop and gloved down a pass before it landed on Sid's stick in shallow left field. A little later, Crosby worked himself into that same open space but lifted the puck over the Buffalo goaltender and off the crossbar. Crosby's misery was just beginning. Actually, after taking a bad penalty in the first period and failing to knock Dainius Zubrus into the Pittsburgh Hills in the second, Crosby was quiet until the first minute of the third period. The Sabres led only 2-1 at the time, and Crosby tested Miller twice in a matter of just a few seconds. On his way to his 38th win of the season, Miller passed the test, then aced it at midperiod when Crosby, his team by then trailing 4-1, had designs on getting the Penguins back in the game. Crosby teed one up from the right circle, just 20 feet out, but Miller got his glove up while going down into a reverse snow angel, snaring the last of six shots on goal for Crosby. Miller wasn't busy — the Sabres allowed only 17 shots before taking a 4-1 lead — but he made the timely big save, including a flashing right pad stop on Jordan Staal not long after Pittsburgh had tied the game at 1 in the first period. Pittsburgh, with everything to play for, took its run at Buffalo. With a swagger and a stutter-step, the Sabres did what Zubrus did when Crosby tried to make him a permanent part of the Penguin bench. They stepped aside. Crosby came up empty again, and so did the Penguins. Vanek stepped aside, too, sending two Pens into a hilarious Keystone Kops collision, on Derek Roy's goal. Lindy Ruff ducked a puck sent into the bench in the opening moments of the game and with equally perfect comedic timing taunted the shooter. This was a fun game to watch. Unless you were standing behind the Pittsburgh bench. Pens' coach Michel Therrien said that his team had a bad day, insisted "these things happen." The Versus crew thought Pittsburgh was "flat." That's a coach protecting his team and the league's broadcaster protecting The Franchise. A "thing" didn't happen to the Penguins — a more experienced, more balanced and flat out better team did. Mark Recchi, who scored a disputed goal in the first period, making the win that much more satisfying to paranoid Sabre fans, took a different tack, calling the loss a "wakeup call." While the Penguins are looking to kick off the blankets, the Sabres are already on their happy feet, snooze buttons hit for the last time. They're in the bathroom, taking one last look in the mirror, seeing absolutely no reason to shave. The Buffalo Sabres are getting ready. This is their time.

I'm kinda surprised we haven't had more discussions (or any?) about the value of individual players improving year to year vs. the value of collective (team) growth. In my mind one playoff round trumps one year of development during a regular season. WHEN the Sabres make the playoffs, you know what the major storyline is going to be: do these guys know how to play in the postseason. That's really why I think if I'm KA I risk losing some trades, giving up some of the future to get this team into the postseason next spring.

POTY

Are they being optimistic? I think I want an analyst to deal in realism. Probably splitting hairs. I can deal with optimism. I actually am still optimistic that this franchise is destined to win a Cup. The short term makes me very skeptical though. Dudacek's 2027 lineup haunts my dreams. Gaslighting is my biggest issue. Please don't tell me how successful Adams has been. Not yet anyway.

It took two seconds for a puzzled Sabres fan to say you're doing it wrong. Someone flip KA out of his hammock.

POTY. It's human nature. He knows he's lucky to be a GM and he sees he's fallen softly into a lovely meadow of tall grass and wildflowers. He's got runway and he's gonn use it. Before I throw in another metaphor, yes I'm sure he also believes what he's doing is justifiable and Dudacek's fantasy lineup in 2027 could be good.

You won't get that agreement. If you get it, it won't be honored next March.

That's over the line. You don't even know Crusader.

Are we really hanging our hat on the buzzword of culture? There was a headline in the local paper last fall that our high school football team was seeking to change its culture. I chuckled. Give me toothless, divorced, boozehounding, tax evading and ... Wait for it... bald grownass men who can play. LET'S ***** GO!

Of course they'll be fine with it. That's the nature of fans and sycophants. My big beef is Adams not even trying to push the team over thr top last season and continuing to slow roll things this summer. He's taking advantage of a situation.

This is professional sports. I'm over being a development team. I honestly think most fans are.

Variation on a theme. How far ahead of ourselves can we get? It shouldn't even be a question. Who will turn out to be the franchise's best goalie, Dom or Devon? I can't wrap my mind around this stuff.

You said, Don't tase me, bro.

Not to double team you with Swamp, but whether this has been the right way will be judged by history. Or the way that worked or didn't work. Also can't another version of the right way lead to short term success, which can in turn seed longer term success? Nothing would mean more to the franchise than making the playoffs. KA IMHO continues to play a dangerous game of not trying to make it happen.

Well at least it was coherent for once.

Truth. For some reason it harkens me back this:

There's been no success. There's been no competence shown, not in a league where half the teams make the playoffs. Period. As my dear friend SDS likes to say, stop trying to make fetch happen.