nfreeman

I loved Miller, but I gotta say that this recent losing streak has taken the wind out of my sails. Come on boys. Show up and play with passion.

This is a pretty complex issue. Ultimately I think @That Aud Smell has valid concerns that are ultimately trumped by the cold realities of supply and demand. I would guess that there is no such thing as an ironclad lease for an NFL team -- i.e. any NFL team negotiating for a new stadium in any city will have a buyout right that allows the team to leave, and that the buyout price will decline after some period of years. If the city doesn't want to grant the buyout right in the lease? Then the team won't sign and will find another city that will give the team what it wants. Given that set of facts, it's still not unreasonable for WNY taxpayers to say "If the team can bail on us after 15 years, I'd at least like to know something about the current owners' health, so I can evaluate the risk of them not being around in 15 years and the team being sold to Jon Bon Jovi/other out of town grifter who would move the team" -- which I think is what @That Aud Smell and the writer of that article are saying. But it's also not unreasonable for the Pegulas to say, in response, "we are going to have the buyout right either way, and no one knows what will happen over the next 15 years, and the buyout right is there to allow for the possibility of moving the team if that is what is best for the Pegula family in 15 or 20 years, either as continuing owners or as sellers, and that is the deal we are willing to agree to, which is pretty much the same as what every other NFL team would agree to, and those facts aren't changed by Kim's health status, and her status is a private matter, and we aren't going to disclose it, and WNY taxpayers can take it or leave it." So I guess I think that if we want to keep the team, we have to write them a huge check for the stadium and hope that they don't want to leave in 15-20 years, and there's no way around it, and pushing for info on Kim's health is ultimately pointless.

I think it's the way the team plays, which is lousy, not the number of butts in the seats.

Indeed. I was assuming that UPL would start tomorrow, but it's quite possible that one of the other guys will go.

So one of the waiver-exempt guys will need to be "sent down" again before the game tomorrow, right? (Unless they want to waive someone like Vinnie.) And that will most likely be Krebs again, since Quinn and JJP looked pretty good yesterday?

Thanks gents. Can't say I'm surprised -- Krebs' game seemed to slip a bit this week (along with others' games, TBF, but still). I saw a number of not-strong-on-the-puck plays in the offensive zone from him.

...by the team that won the President's trophy last season! Sabres stink might just be starting to morph into Sabres glow.

So, do we know whether Krebs' paper demotion means a healthy scratch tonight?

OK boys. We were feeling great a week ago, when our guys had won 6 in a row to get to 3 over Deluca .500 and the rest of the East was starting to get scared. Now they've lost 3 in a row, all at home, the world-wrecking offense is sputtering and the goaltending is still shaky. The good news: - Even with this losing streak, they are still at Deluca .500, so if they rip off a few wins in a row now they will be right back in the playoff picture. - The VO-Jost-Mitts line has, shockingly, figured out the forecheck/puck possession game and now seems to get the better of the play on most of their shifts. - The top line is still a major force. - They are reasonably healthy. - They aren't going to quit. Nashville is 19-6-6 overall and 9-6-3 at home. They've lost their last 2 but went 5-0-1 in the 6 games before that. It looks like Zemgus is out tonight. Maybe Quinn and JJP return to Cozens' line and Aspy dresses instead of Zemgus? Let's get a W. Go Sabres.

You're not going anywhere. And when I checked the board, you had the latest post in the top 6 threads. Well played.

So Clague is officially ahead of Bryson. Good for him.

I do not agree that Mitts has been playing well for a while now. His line has still been getting dominated in most of the recent games. Having said that, his line was terrific vs Minny, he made a number of very nice plays and skated much more purposefully and effectively in the O-zone. As others have noted, the next few weeks will be busy and we’ll learn more about Mitts’ progress. If his line can replicate its play vs Minny, we might not lose any more games. And holy mackerel that was a great win.

Awesome.

Long-term house guests finally gone!

Fantastic.

This is another thing you keep saying to support a narrative that isn’t grounded in fact. DG said, one time and several weeks ago, in response to a question about Mitts’ undeniable and obviously terrible play, that his line frequently plays with the 3rd-pairing D. DG was clearly trying to help a struggling player by being supportive in the media. If you’ve got any data to support this particular excuse for Mitts’ breathtaking 5-on-5 suckitude, please post it. In the meantime, here’s some data: Mitts’ line gets by far the most O-zone faceoffs, at nearly 72%.

That was an excellent article about Power IMHO. I read it last week and since then have been watching the way Power moves to create space and passing lanes and generally "bend the ice" in the Sabres' favor. He's terrific at doing so and the article does an great job describing it.

You're 100% right that the first question is a much more relevant and realistic question as far as what could conceivably happen in the NHL. The "one playoff run" question is pure message board theorizing. Still interesting conversation, IMHO. Well, that game last night was pretty close, innit?

I don't think this is the most common critique of Mitts, or even a common one at all. I think the most common critique is that he is soft on the puck and that his line consistently gets dominated in terms of not gaining or keeping possession, being highly ineffective on the forecheck, and being pinned down in the D-zone by the opposition. And the stats bear that out. Mitts has 8 ES points this year in 36 games. That's 13th on the team -- same as Krebs (who has played 30 games), and 1 more than Jost, Bryson, Asplund and Vinnie. His line is by far the worst of the 4 lines in XGF% and HDCF%, despite getting by far the highest percentage of O-zone faceoffs. As I've said before, I think the fundamental issue with him is a deficient hockey IQ, coupled with a lack of intensity. He stinks at 5-on-5.

I really think that the "who would you trade him for" standard is fundamentally different from the "one playoff run" standard. The "who would you trade him for" standard is pretty much the same as "starting a team for the next 7 years" standard, and necessarily has to take into consideration age and contract -- and those factors put TT in the top 5, IMHO. But the "one playoff run" standard eliminates contract, and more or less eliminates age, although it's fair to consider whether an older player might run out of gas by the conf. finals or cup finals. Under this standard, I'd have to put Crosby and Marchand over TT, whereas I wouldn't do so under the trade value standard. Some of the younger/mid-career guys are very tough calls under either standard: Mathews Marner M. Tkachuk Pastrnak Kaprizov Makar Dahlin

Submitted for the board's consideration: - TT is 2nd in the NHL in goals this season with 30 in 36 games. McD is #1 with 33 goals in 39 games. - TT is tied for 3rd in the NHL in points this season with 55 pts. McD is #1 with 73. - In TT's last 80 games, i.e. going back to 1/15/22, he is 2nd in the NHL in goals with 56 and 13th in the NHL in points with 100. McD has 58 goals since 1/15/22, but only 56 in his last 80 games. - My list of the 20 elite players in the league right now would include the following 20 guys, not including TT or goalies: McD Draisaitl MacKinnon Rantanen Crosby Robertson M. Tkachuk Pastrnak Marchand Mathews Marner Kucherov Kiprizov Panarin Ovechkin Morrissey Fox Makar Dahlin Josi If the question is "who would you take if you were building your team for the next 7 years" -- I think TT is top 5 due to age and contract. What if the question is "who would you take for a single playoff run" though? It's tougher, but I think there is still a very good argument that TT is top 10. Discuss.

Well, after going a long stretch without beating any good teams, they’ve now beaten Vegas, Colorado, Boston and the Caps in the last couple of weeks, and have won 7 out of 8. Separately, I was mentally composing another “Mitts stinks” post last night, as I thought his line got caved in on every shift yet again, and then he made a nice play on the GTG with 8 or 9 min left. I still think DG needs to separate Mitts and VO though. Also, I’m sure it’s happened, but I can’t recall the last time a Sabre was as hot as TT is right now.

It's kinda hard to get excited about this game in light of the situation with Hamlin. I suspect many if not most of the the guys on the team feel the same way, so I don't expect too much from them tonight. I hope I'm wrong about that but I just don't care that much. What I really hope is that we get some good news about Damar. God bless Damar and his family.

It will pretty hard to avoid a letdown after that incredible comeback win yesterday, and it being the 3rd game in 4 nights — but if they want to make the playoffs, this is the kind of game that they need to show up for and grind out the W.