nfreeman

They don’t make the end of the game stress-free, innit?

MJD -- obviously, you must be "biased"! (Which I think means "having an opinion that differs from mine.")

Is Zemgus banged up? Hopefully not, and this is just internal competition to keep everyone focused and hungry (which I think is the case with Nelson coming in for Beaulieu).

I just watched it again and I think this is exactly what happened. Awesome.

I have been pretty pleased with TT-Sobotka-Reino in the past couple of games. I think it has emerged as a nice 2ndary scoring line that creates a good number of chances, and Reino deserves much of the credit for that. I like the way Howie keeps Reino as a "break glass in case of emergency" option for juicing Eichel's line when needed. I do not agree that Reino is the best on the team, or even among the best, at the chip-and-retrieve. I think he's quite good on entries and solid but not outstanding on exits (that Athletic piece was based on a pretty limited sample size). I think the GF/GA metric is pretty much irrelevant for a guy who plays on PP1 but doesn't kill penalties. OTOH, I think TT-Sobotka-Reino is better in the D zone than Eichel's line (although, to be fair, Eichel's line usually is playing against stronger opposition than Reino's line). I think we can pretend all we want that Reino isn't a lousy skater, or that whatever skating deficiencies he has don't matter, but I think he is, and they do. There is simply no comparison between his ability to get quickly from the slot to the corner to battle for pucks as opposed to guys like Skinner and Sheary (and for that matter KO and TT). It is a testament to Reino's talents that he can still be an effective NHL player despite his skating. I think before we start agitating to give Reino a fat contract, it's important to remember that he has 3 goals in 23 games this year, and 11 ES pts in 23 games. It's also important to consider that if the Sabres keep Skinner, there isn't going to be much cap room left, and some tough decisions will lie ahead.

Dude — this and several of your other posts in this thread are highly obnoxious. This is not how we communicate here.

20 oz of iced coffee with milk and sweet ‘n’low around an hour after I get to work. Peet’s is my favorite as well. I also like Gevalia.

As for concerts: the great Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Springsteen, Rush, the Police and Journey come to mind. The Aud was included on just about every big rock tour. I don’t know how good or lousy its acoustics were, but it was just as small and packed in for concerts as it was for sports. I sat 3 rows from the roof for Springsteen and it was great. All of the concerts were awesome experiences.

We’ll, he’s sure off to a good start in his contract year.

I saw “Widows” last night with my wife and sister-in-law. Pretty disappointing. C-plus or, if you’re being generous, B-minus.

It’s steep but miles further away.

Awesome thread. My dad had a share of tickets for a while in the blues — we could see the ice under the overhang but not the scoreboard. Then we moved down to the golds in the corners about 5 rows up from the ice, which were not built in and always kinda rickety. You couldn’t see much when the puck was in the other end, but it was an incredible view of the action in the end that we were in. My memories are not so much of specific games but rather the sensations — the cold, slushy walk from the car to the game and vice-versa, the crowded hallways, the sounds of the skates and the sticks on the ice, the intensity of the crowd, the feeling that everyone was in tight on top of each other and on top of the game, Milt Ellis on the PA, the tension of the PK, the explosion when the Sabres scored, how bright and clear everything looked compared to seeing it on TV, the countdown of the last few seconds of a win, the 3 stars afterwards, and the freezing walk back to the freezing car. And the players — The French Connection, Luce-Ramsay-Gare, Schony, Korab, Playfair, van Boxmeer, Ramsey, Virta, Tucker, Cyr, Andreychuk, Edwards, Sauve, Lindy, Seiling, Foligno, Barrasso, Howie... The new buildings are more comfortable, but the older ones were better.

I agree that there is a good likelihood that they don't re-sign Scandy or Bogo (or both). However, IMHO that is a decision for 2 summers from now, not next summer. I suppose they might trade one or both at the deadline in 2020 if they don't plan to re-sign him/them, but I think it's more likely that they keep both for a 2nd deep playoff run.

Why do you think this? I don't agree at all. He's a solid NHL defenseman, which is a valuable commodity.

Well, if we're gonna post Briere's 2OT winner, we need to have it with RJ's immortal call:

One other note about Miller that year: he won a 3-way competition for the starting job in camp with Biron and Mika Noronen, who had a pretty good pedigree and acquitted himself well IIRC. Miller won it out of camp, but he certainly could’ve lost it if he faltered once the season started. He played very well out of the gate though and didn’t look back.

PA may or may not want us to read his love letter to TP, and either way there’s no need to be grouchy about it, but we for dam sure want to read it.

This right here was a turning point in that unforgettable year. Ottawa was soooooo loaded that year, with all-stars at forward and D and a guy named Dominik in net. They had crushed the Sabres 3 times before this game -- 5-0, 10-4 and 6-1. This time it was taut, hard-fought and evenly played. 1-1 after regulation, and no scoring in OT. Miller stopped Alfie and Heatley, and Vanek then had a chance to win it. Here he comes:

This team is somewhat like the 2005-06 team in that both teams never quit and frequently overcame deficits in thrilling fashion. However, most of the mainstays on the 2005-06 teams were pickups and castoffs from other teams with a bit more experience, while most of the current team's mainstays are homegrown and younger. Also, as @Marions Piazza points out, the 2005-06 team had tons of scoring up and down the lineup. The Vanek-Roy-Max line was their 3rd line and was highly productive -- Vanek had I think 36 goals but was still healthy-scratched in the playoffs! -- and created major matchup difficulties for the opponents.

Here's something else: I posted in a recent GDT that Howie has started putting the checking line out for the shift following a goal by the Sabres, and that this has been pretty effective. Last night, after Casey tied it in the 3rd, Howie put Jack's line out and they got dominated, giving Pitt several scoring chances. Fortunately, Hutton was able to freeze the puck and Howie then put the checking line out. I really would like to see the checking line out there after every single Sabres goal. As a related point, Ryan Stimson has a good piece in the Athletic today in which he digs into the Sabres' chances of making the playoffs. He's not as optimistic as we are on this board, primarily because the Sabres' shot share is below 50%. In particular, he notes that the Sabres have only a 43% shot share when Skinner-Eichel-Reino play. This jibes with my general impression that Jack's line, as dangerous as it is, has a hard time in the D zone -- including when Pommer is the RW.

I've been a McCabe fan for a while, was pretty confident that he'd bounce back from an injury-marred last season and am very happy that he's doing so. He's become a pretty important part of this team. He's not a star, but he's solid at both ends and is responding well to both Howie and to the opportunity to get top-pair minutes with Risto. As @dudacek notes, his long-term role is probably 2nd-pair. I think he can fill that role pretty capably for a long time. And defensemen like that don't grow on trees. I'd be happy with a 5-year extension. Not sure what the right average $$ per year is -- maybe $3MM - $3.5MM?

But a lousy team looking to sell off a good roster player probably wants picks and/or prospects, innit? And if the Sabres make that kind of trade -- like, say, a low #1 for Panarin or KO, Nylander, Guhle and a low #1 for Kane -- doesn't that make them a contender this season? I think you're right about this -- I would guess that he is a pretty good leader and is well-respected in the room. Maybe it's just me, but I haven't liked KO's game for the past few games. Nice assist to Casey last night though, to be sure.

Awesome.

I would trade KO in a heartbeat, and pay someone a lesser pick or prospect as a sweetener, if JBott could find someone to take KO's contract. Hoss can certainly speak for himself, but I think he meant that any trades he'd be interested would involve the Sabres parting with picks and/or prospects -- not roster players (or at least not roster players with big roles).

I’ll also add that IMHO the “getting dominated in the first half of the game” factor wasn’t as bad as in the prior few games, but it was still absolutely there, and without outstanding goaltending, the Sabres would’ve gotten smoked. But still: another awesome comeback win! I’d like to see them treat the home fans to a strong and exciting win tomorrow and start to rebuild a home ice advantage.