Skibum

After three shutouts in a row, there is nothing left to do but tank the rest of the season. All confidence is gone at this point - I don't think going on a late season win streak would make any difference in team morale. I also don't think it's possible for this group to pull it off. A better draft pick would certainly be nice, but there is also the issue with the head coach. It has come to pass that Phil Housley doesn't have the answers, and it would be great if they could just move on from him with no ambiguity.

Congrats.

Depth helps, too. If bringing in one or two guys with legitimate NHL experience means one or two fewer AHL call-ups in critical playoff games, it's probably worth it.

Nice kneauwing yieu.

This season is a lost cause, but the FO seems to think things are on the right track for the future. If anything, I would see the Sabres as buyers rather than sellers, but I doubt they land anyone good. They certainly should not be trading assets for rentals at this point. Contenders would be interested in Pominville and some might try to make a move on Skinner, but I hope the FO doesn't do that. I could also see interest in Bogosian and maybe Sheary, since he's got a lot of deep playoff experience for a young guy. Otherwise, there's not much to see here.

Look at last year's record and that should tell you what you want to know.

The reality is that none of the underperforming players are going anywhere until the season's over. Teams that are buying at the deadline aren't shopping for dead weight, they want impact players. Now, if the Sabres somehow find themselves in a position to buy, they will probably ship out packages of solid prospects and younger Sabres who show flashes but aren't putting up big numbers yet - like Thompson, Rodrigues, Mittlestadt, Pilut, and McCabe - guys that give losing teams' GMs hope for the future in exchange for their stars of today. We all want to believe those guys will blossom into the Sabres core of the future, but today they are merely the most realistic bargaining chips. Aside from them, there are guys who are either too important to the franchise, or have no market value. There are not a lot of players in between. And if the Sabres are out of contention at the deadline, it's likely that nothing happens at all. It's not like they are going to dive back into rebuild mode.

I think he's earned a shot at playing on Eichel's line. They were linemates in college, so why not try it out for a game and see what happens? Things need shaking up, and this could free up Reinhart or Skinner to help beef up line #2.

Sorry it didn't work out. It's possible that you were in the lead, then some rock star candidate came in late and really blew their hair back. It happens.

Can someone with NHL contract knowledge explain how the Sabres were able to simply void Berglund's contract, and why they were not able to do the same with Moulson, Leino, or any of the other overpaid players they have been saddled with recently?

Don't know what happened here, don't really care. It's a big win for the front office, a roster spot for some hungry young guy, and now there's no excuse not to make every effort to extend Skinner.

That's almost as unreal as Thomas Vanek to Edmonton for four 1st round picks.

This seems like a fairly normal (or even light) injury situation, especially when you consider none of the 'star' players are hurt. I would argue that overall, the injury Gods have been pretty kind to us this season.

Of course Laine scores FIVE goals to move past Skinner for the league lead tonight...

Most definitely! I thought there would be some improvement, but I wasn't convinced it would be really amazing. I have not been able to watch the Sabres much during this win streak, but I just watched the first period of the Detroit game, and I can't believe what I'm seeing! These guys are CRUSHING IT. They look like a very, very good team on so many fronts I don't even have time to comment on all of it. They haven't played anything like this in years, not even for a few minutes here and there. It's only one period, but again, this kind of thing simply was not part of the program, ever, in the last five years.

Relax, everybody - it's early yet! Remember when Drew Stafford had runs like this and we all thought he was the next big thing?

Found a new favorite recently - David Nicholson Reserve. There are two versions of David Nicholson, "Reserve" being more rye-oriented, and "1843" being wheated like Makers Mark. I have not tried the 1843, but I hear good things. I first found it in downtown Chicago for $28/fifth. I guess it's not widely distributed (mostly midwestern states), but I have also recently found it at the NH State Liquor Store in Portsmouth for $35. For the price, I've never had anything better. The only thing I've ever liked more is Blanton's, which is out of my price range. Very, very smooth at 100 proof. I'm not an expert at describing flavor profiles, but there's definitely some vanilla going on in there. It's like bourbon crossed with a high quality Canadian. Looking forward to someday sampling the 1843.

Perhaps folks are reading a little more into this than is necessary? A little context would be helpful. Just because Mr. Lehner thinks the Isles are a real team, does not mean he is throwing shade on the Sabres. But if he was, could you blame him?

I actually didn't think it was that bad. Individually, they seemed like much more confident and competent players than what we saw last year. Unfortunately, they have not been playing together for very long, and many of them are quite young. They were playing a veteran team, and their lack of established team chemistry showed through. The only player who was really disappointing to my eye was Eichel, with all his non-shots and drop passes to nowhere. I think it's going to be pretty rough through the All-Star break, but I saw a much improved skill level all around. There's no question in my mind that this is a better group of players - they just aren't a team yet. But I saw far more potential last night than I have in the past few years, when they looked lost and hopeless from top to bottom.

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This is how I will always remember Ray Emery. Sabres-Senators was such a great rivalry at that time, and this donnybrook was up there with the 'Scary Good' goal as one of the top highlights of the era. Great theater for sure, and also one of RJ's finest calls. I still watch that video once in a while to remember the better times. RIP Ray Emery. He was a gamer.

I hope he uses one or two of them to engineer a trade for an impact player. They still don't have a hands-down #1 goaltender. Maybe that's an option?

"Number 2" seems to accurately describe the outlook for next year.

Of all those things, I think the goal song is the one that absolutely must change. "Let Me Clear My Throat" has become the soundtrack to failure, although with the current offense at least we don't have to hear it that often.

These guys all say the same things about mindset. If they are all so mindful of the mindset, why is it still a problem?