...

Hodgson, is his line Ellis and Schaller? It is "Schaller", right? I never bothered to look that up.

There are more people at that game than I expected. Is the crowd howling?

I so feel bad for Lindback.

Yeah.

Okay, I've submitted this thought before, and the answers I have received, although well-explained, have not satisfied (sorry, TBPhD). Let's take this possible line-up: Kane McEichel Ennis Moulson Girgensons ROR Foligno Reinhart Gionta Deslauriers Larsson McCormick Riso Georges Bogo Pysyk Weber (more than likely) Zadarov Goalie....mmm someone okay. How can anyone look at the roster and expect only a modest increase in position at the end of next season? Yes, I am aware that a 25 point increase from this season would be marvelous, but that works out to be in the upper 20's standings-wise. But, I look at that roster and I think that if all other things are stable (coaching, administration, injuries), a roster with that kind of talent should be able to get it together by Christmas, no? And from there, they should be able to compete for a wildcard slot their first year together, no? I mean, if they can't, then I might want to question the assembled talent.

Did the reporter offer up a box of tissues after hearing that quote?

Give dudacek's first line a half season to get cozy with one another and it could be an exceptionally fun line to watch.

It might be partly because of the dictum he's working under: teach and change the culture. So, the lines stay the same because everyone on the roster has to learn to compete. Also, Teddy is big on earning playing time, and that lesson seems to be more important to him this season rather than flat out trying to gain points. He has to remain consistent for the lesson to be effective. Indeed, it would seem that a lot of the coaching blunders this year could be explained that way. Perhaps he was told, at the beginning of the season, not to concern himself with points so much as to drill irrevocably the lessons of earning time, trying harder, and playing for your teammate. Maybe GMTM told him the results of those lessons are the prime factors in his evaluation. That's all I can think of that's not "Nolan can't coach at the NHL level".

These last 10 games have kept me glued to this board and the radio. I look forward to being released from the tank machine. Clinch tonight! Pull the goalie!

So true.

There are no guarantees, period. There is no sure-fire path to the Cup. This is the path the Sabres have chosen, though, so Bob's your uncle. I could see trading down if the Sabres wind up with third or worse, but trading up from third or worse would cost more than anyone would be willing to spend. I think tank was partially making this point; this season's tank is only part of the grand scheme where they acquire the cherry on top. The Sabres had an entire roster to turn over and they have collected a lot of those parts already. You can get stuck in a cycle of trading and acquiring, trading and acquiring, or you commit to the roster and get going.

So, you want passionate sports fans, who have had to endure several seasons of tank, who see the end of the tunnel, and who are looking forward to a championship, to sit on thier hands during a game and not express their emotions? That's cruel, ridiculous, and unrealistic.

WHY NOT? This is, apparently, the difficult concept here. It seems that the idea a team would want to lose a game purposefully is so left field, folks simply can not grasp the possibility. The idea is so...fuzzy...that the brain can't latch onto the meaning of the words that follow. My suggestion is that, if tanking is SO morally corrupt, so reprehensible, why wouldn't a team that is in a position to lose very little by so doing, why wouldn't a team try and derail the aim of a team that is tanking? The reason, as implied, would be to teach a lesson, to, in effect, send the message "this is what we think of your tank." Being that tanking is so mal-principaled, a team, or GM, or owner could perhaps get behind such an audacious act for one game, if but to wave the anti-tank flag for the world to see. Whacky, crazy, it would never happen because the annual sports narratives are set in stone, but, again, an idle thought thrown out to consider. Or not. Or, a fouled tablet upon which to excercise your inferiority complexes.

Of course I'm not making any sense. Just setting myself up for your inevitable insults. Hope you enjoyed the moment.

At this point, I have to believe you're not reading my posts on this distraction. Have a great weekend!

Because if tanking is such a principled blow to the players and/or the league, this would be their chance to affect it directly. What are a few games worth of stats when you can stick it to the poster-boy-team of NHL tanking? Besides, if the GM or coach altered the rosters to do this, the players would have no choice anyway, and they aren't intentionally throwing the game. WTF? It's just an idle thought and now I feel like I have to explain fancy stats. Why would a pro athlete EVER lose on purpose - period. Yet, here we are, talking about our tanking Sabres. How does that happen? Not by the players' doing, right? Pittsburgh or the Islanders might want to help spoil the Sabres chances at McEichel because they don't want that player in their division.

A team out of the playoffs, but too high to get anywhere near the bottom, or a team comfortably high up in the playoff rankings, might have an objection to the tank. If they have this objection, why wouldn't they want to act as a spoiler? And, acting as a spoiler, in this instance, means LOSING. So, I think there's no trying here, the strategy would be no different than Murray has had all season. Why would a team out of the playoffs want to act as a spoiler to a playoff team? What benefit is there to doing that? Yet, lots of games near the end of the season are set up that way. Anyway, I'm not saying it WILL happen, all I am saying is that it CAN happen.

I'm only suggesting that as much as a team can be a spoiler for playoff teams, teams not in the bottom 4 or 5 can be spoilers for the tanking teams.

Well, I wonder what the other teams in the league think of all of this, and if they plan on "contributing" to it. They can easily derail the tank as much as a team not in the playoffs can mess with playoff slots.

It's not done yet. I would say when the Sabres have 2 games left, if they still have a +4 lead, then you can feel content. It's not over until the fat lady sings.

I WON! I'm a WINNER!

Oh! Jeremy is now using our points as well! (16:30)

Oh! Listening to the first hour replay from the Howard Simon show, he's using our points starting from page 12 at about 12:00 in on the audio.

Short-term, principled actions always trump long-term, strategic, reasoned actions. Right? It's the American way.

I thought they've been playing hard and trying all season. You mean they have more to give?