K-9

Quick question: how can anyone tell when Vanek is in pain? GO SABRES!!!

Anybody else tired of lousy hockey? These games are hard to watch. GO SABRES!!!

Thanks, wjag. GO SABRES!!!

Well so far this (pre) season, the Sabres look like the same group that just doesn't have enough to compete with the big boys in the league. It's not that I'm writing them off, but I just don't see the improvement required to be a contender. GO SABRES!!!

All Center Ice channels not working. Bruins/Isles and Caps/Devils are able to be seen via other feeds. Still have zilch on Center Ice. GO SABRES!!!

Not physically at least. Agree he needs seasoning but so do every other teenaged rookies not named Crosby. Best place to get it and learn is right where he is. All of which means he'll be sent back to juniors next week simply because I think he should stay with the Sabres. GO SABRES!!!

Myers doesn't look like he's in game shape at all. Same can probably be said for half the guys in the locker rooms around the league. But even when he was in shape last year he was displaying some piss poor play on the ice. He scares me, too. GO SABRES!!!

4th pre-season game tonight. Let me know when the regular season starts. GO SABRES!!!

But it's more than just the 9 minutes a game. It's the entire experience of learning the pro game, much of which occurs off the ice in practices, film study, training, etc. I also think this idea of ruining confidence is over-played. There's a fine line between having his confidence tested and working through that and becoming a better player as a result and being so shattered when things don't come as easily as they did when you played against inferior competition. If the kid's gonna crumble because his confidence is so fragile, he's not someone you can hang your hat on anyway. He was far from the worst player on the ice last night. And while I haven't seen enough puck possession by his line for him to impress offensively with any consistency to this point, I have been impressed with his dedication to his D-zone responsibilities and his movement on the ice. He's a big, physical specimen who can withstand the rigors. I'd like to see him with Leino and Ott together, two guys that can buy him some space out there and then let's see what we got. Hecht and Gerbe aren't the wingers you want for him at this point. GO SABRES!!!

He's got absolutely nothing to gain by going back to a league that's too easy for him only to return and have to learn Ruff's difficult "system" later on. Let the kid stay, take his lumps, and find his game at this level. I'd like to see the kid and his linemates actually possess the puck as there just haven't been many opportunities the first three games. Last night, his turnover aside, he looked like he was playing better than his teammates who were flat and out of position most of the night, especially the D. If he didn't have the physical maturity to compete, I'd feel differently. But he does and he needs to develop at the NHL level. GO SABRES!!!

T'eo.

Myers needs to sit for a very long time. Weber, Brennan, whomever. He is a phucking 6' 8" liability on the ice. Hard to watch. GO SABRES!!!

Sick pass by Vanek. Gotta get another here. GO SABRES!!!

I'm ready to sit Myers. GO SABRES!!!

Hodgson with two gifts for Skinner and just like that we're down 2 again. GO SABRES!!!

Gotta tip your cap to that tip by the cap. GO SABRES!!!

CoHo mojo with the Koho. GO SABRES!!!

Shades of November, 2011. GO SABRES!!!

I just think it's gonna more resemble pre-season for a few more games. Fugly is too nice a word for this type of hockey. GO SABRES!!!

I like this new Stafford. He's more than just a garnish now it seems. Hmm. GO SABRES!!!

Pancake flat. Wake up, boys! GO SABRES!!!

^This. 'Nuff said. It took a young promising player to land another promising player at a position of greater need. Foligno has played more like what we wanted out of Kassian to this point anyway. Good luck to Zack in Vancouver. That's all I got to say about it. I just don't see the point in comparing them after every game. GO SABRES!!!

Landry was let go a couple months before the 1989 draft. By then, the team had been sold to Jerrah, Jimmy was hired, and they made Aikman their first pick ever. It's a good bet that Landry and Schramm would have taken Aikman anyway, though. GO SABRES!!!

Of course not. And he won't be. But as a rookie, especially for a young rookie playing in Ruff's system, he must show a commitment to the defensive zone and all that entails. Everyone knows he's gifted offensively and we should all be encouraged by his willingness to pay attention to his D-zone responsibilities. And with Leino and Ott as his wings, he's gonna flourish offensively against lesser talented third line opponents. Much like Roy, Vanek, and Afinogenov did back in '06. Unless he falls apart completely in the next three games, I think he's a lock to make the big club. GO SABRES!!!

Have an OReO. GO SABRES!!!