zow2

It’s just crazy to me that the Sabres aren’t the most desperate team on the ice in every game. There’s plenty of games where they just look like they are going through the motions. The home wins in the back of half of the season are encouraging. They have to be solid at home before they can move on and make the playoffs eventually.

Being in the DC area i’m totally envious of the Caps situation. Year after year they are in the playoffs and the local fans/media are totally into it. It never gets old for these folks.

They came back from Europe with two regulation losses vs NJ in their luggage. Never recovered from that quite honestly. Two games in and it felt like the season was over.

This team every season gets pummeled with regulation losses by Christmas time. They just can't hold those 1 goal third period leads and at least get the games to OT.

Agree with this 100%. I think UPL could still bring back some trade value in return. He's a guy some other teams may want and realize a change of scenery could do him well. Keep Reimer, sign another vet G as insurance, hope and pray Levi turns out to be the guy at the NHL level.

UPL is an NHL goaltender. He's just a very mediocre to below average one,... and gives up too many goals on clean shots or where he's out of position.

Reimer will be a hot goalie signing for someone, we will be stuck with UPL. Who will never lead this team to the playoffs.

The winning is nice. Some people think there’s a carryover in NHL hockey from one year to the next. There’s not. There’s no momentum gained if winning and no momentum lost if losing a lot. Im pretty sure the Canadians and Sens finished last and second last in the Atlantic division last season. they both sucked and finished behind Buffalo. Now they are playoff teams. The Sabres seem to make this overly complicated.

I'm clinging to the fact that they finally figured out how to protect home ice going forward. Seeing them play well in the last third of the season while our peer teams are crumbling gives me a little hope. When it comes to signing free agents, the finish to the season may show other NHL players hesitant to sign with Buffalo that this club can make a big leap with the right D-men and goalie.

Let’s be real. the sens are where they are in the standings because they have solid goaltending. i’d argue Buffalo are just as talented as the Sens. except for goaltending. Probably defense too but i’d say 80% goalie (UPL), 20% defense

Ruff needs to go, he sucks. I didn’t like the re-hire when they did it and i hate it even more now. The UPL era needs to end here. Not all his fault but look at all the 2nd and 3rd periods this season he’s frittered away. Adam’s should go too. blow it all up. But most of all Terry is about 3 years late in selling the team.

A real vezina goalie who is having a bad game says nope in the 3rd period. shut us down. of course UPL and our D had to give one up

I would take trade calls about UPL. see if someone will overpay. Levi and whatever joe blow goalie off the streets would give just as good an effort. Plenty of Teams need a goalie and he probably could use a change of scenery,

This is more rock bottom than previous seasons. We were sold that the kids have grown up, in their prime years… goaltending was improved, they sprinkled in some gritty vets for the 4th line, brought Lindy back, etc. Im not sure how Pegs, Adams, Ruff, the players,, sleep at night? I know i couldn’t. Knowing that the franchise is a source of embarrassment and humiliation for the City of Buffalo and the good fans here. It’s really astounding. They won 11 games, and suddenly just forgot how to play to win. It’s not bad luck, they are just bad. A lot of us who have been fans for 45+ years cannot even watch the games anymore.

Maybe in these 1 goal deficits play 5 on 5 right to the end. these guys don’t have success doing the 6 on 5 thing and it’s just a gift goal for the opponents all the time.

How many years is the playoff drought? that’s exactly how many losses they will rack up in a row. Some type of symbolism from the hockey gods.

I wrote this on a different thread but it belongs here. Any other franchise would’ve fired the coach by now. It’s like benching the goalie when you’re down 4-0 in the first. It may not be entirely the goalies fault, but you pull him anyway in the hopes of changing momentum. That’s what the Sabres need to do with coach.

I didn’t love the Lindy re-hire but was definitely ready to give him a chance. It feels over though. He’s clearly not doing a good job getting these under-achievers prepared to play and he’s not making the right in game strategic changes. Maybe the guys are just tuning him out by now. I don’t know. Feels like the team should make a coaching change. it’s not working.

back when i was in my teen years mid-70’s to mid-80’s the Sabres were #1 in this town. They were everything. The Bills were great fun too but the NFL wasn’t the industry worth billions back then. The NHL fanbase has eroded with years and years of losing. Feels like there’s no way out. But i would think at some point soon Terry explores selling the team to someone who will keep it here.

Starting to miss the good ol days of Donnie meatballs.

I blame the players mostly, but if Ruff cannot stop the streak and at least play .500 hockey, I'm going to point to him and his coaching style here as not meshing. There is individual talent on the team that would probably do well in other cities. It's Ruff's job to get them to play as a team and employ a style that works.

Apparently things are terrible for the Rangers lately.. oh, except for one game in Buffalo.

Those words set a curse in motion. There’s no other explanation for what’s happened to this organization.

The players can’t possibly be frustrated with the fans. I mean which NHL fanbase would put up with this long of year after year futility? it’s astounding. Boston boos their team after 2 losses. Try 14 years! lol

Yeah i would if i were him. He didn’t sign up for this. He came back to get them over the final hump, and they are completely going the other way.