JJFIVEOH

I see your point, but I also think they won the gold because of the talent. It was only a couple of weeks. There wasn't enough time for a team to gel and become one, it was a balls to the wall type of championship. Put in the rigors of an 82 game season, a head coach becomes more of a factor. Rolston, Bylsma, Housley......... The Sabres keep going to teachers and not motivators to lead a team. And it's just not working. I don't want to bring up the "I told you so" but people thought I was nuts when I said the Sabres should have picked up Spuddy Gallant when the Panthers left him on the curb. He picks his assistants to make his team better, he maintains the role as motivator.

I agree that Mittlestadt and Thompson have been a disaster. They need time in the AHL to improve their game. But Pominville is a great player to have around. I'm sure he knows if a team signs him it will be for much less than he's making, but this team needs a couple of aging veterans to guide this team. I know most Sabres fans are against picking up anybody over 30 because they are slow, but they bring the intangibles that helps to develop a team. I'm not against signing Pominville for 2 years at $2.5mil/year. And then maybe picking up another mid 30's veteran to anchor the 4th line.

What sucks is, if they win tonight, it means they are going to lose to the Leaves.

Yup, they've used that excuse for several years now. If they're not ready to play it's either a bad combination of a roster, or a bad head coach that can't get them motivated. I'll go with the latter. Under Nolan, they busted their ass every single game. They just didn't win because they had no talent. They need a coach that inspires dedication. Housley is an assistant coach, he's not a head coach.

Hardly. Sabres have always been my team. I followed the Panthers because they were my home team for 20+ years. I can say one thing, they may not have had the talent to win, but they have much more heart than the Sabres.

True, but he was in net for Nashville as a backup when Nashville was arguably better defensively than they are now. Personally I think Hutton isn't starter material. Our defense needs a lot of work. But, I think our defense is a lot more talented than it appears. In my opinion, Housley is much like Goober Bylsma in that he's pushing a system on the players, instead of acknowledging each players talent and building around that. Teams do better when you let the players excel where they are best instead of making them do something they might not be as good at.

My only point was Swamp said the only difference between Nashville and BFLO was goaltending, so I pointed out that we've both used the same goaltender for a good portion of the season. You're reading way too much into what I said.

What do you mean by that?

The difference is goaltending? Hutton started almost half the season last year for Nashville and was #1 in the league in save percentage.

My 1C team is kicking ass! Might be time to promote them to 1B.

Whatever.........

And yet they still can't win.

And to think, Sabres fans were talking about trading Ristolainen. Outside of him the Sabres have Bogo. That's it. There is no question the Sabres are in need of a bonafide 2C, but they also need some aging veterans who can throw people around. Oft times Sabres fans gripe about having a couple of aging vets because they are too slow. But, some physical mid 30's guys who have been around the block, who can lead, who can hit and who can play the PK are valuable. Sabres fans fans don't like them because they aren't fast. But they bring the intangibles that nobody in their 20's can bring. And most of these mid 30's veterans will do it for cheap. They don't all have to be fast, veterans know where to place themselves where they don't have to be fast to contribute to a play. Up until this year when he got hurt, 37 year old Derek MacKenzie was a PERFECT example of a captain for the Panthers. He wasn't fast, he didn't score a lot, but he busted his ass every single night and always spoke up to the young guys on how to improve their game. A great fourth liner. We've got a great fourth line, but it's not a leader type fourth line. Sorry, Girgensons and Larsson are no Derek MacKenzie.

It's frustrating that Botterill has so much confidence in Housley, because Housley should be an assistant coach. It's also frustrating that the Pegulas hired a rookie GM to be a yes man. This team has way too much talent to be where they are at this point. I've never been a fan of these gigantic contracts, but I have to admit, Eichel has matured and in the last few weeks has tried to carry the team on his shoulders. He's earning his money. It's unfortunate that the rest of the team just doesn't give a ***** and that is a reflection of the coach. I'm not going to look back, but somebody mentioned the Sabres have TEN first rounders on the ice, EIGHT of them were top 10 picks. If you put that kind of talent together, and you are 0-11 after one victory since mid-December......... that's either on the coach or the GM, or both. Before this year, only one team in NHL history has had a 10 game win streak and missed the playoffs. The Sabres are about to become the second. I didn't expect them to make the playoffs this year, but I didn't expect them to regress as the post-season nears. Hutton got yanked last game, can somebody tell me why he got the start again tonight? He had no chance on the 3rd goal, but those first two were weak. Get rid of him, he is 30+ years old and never been a starter for a reason. My 1B team (Panthers) are in the lead for picking up Bob during the offseason, but there is no reason BFLO can't be in the running.

Murray did things the way he sought fit. Kim didn't like him because he wasn't a yes man. Murray deserved more time to prove his pan worked, but Kim is power hungry. Murray is right, she probably is a *****. She has no business running any business. Similar situation in Sunrise with the Panthers. The owner, Vinny Viola, thought he could meddle in the everyday process of running a team. Spuddy didn't like it, so they tossed him to the curb to get a taxi for another flight. Vinny eventually realized he screwed up by going to GM by committee, and then taking Spuddy for granted. He then put Tallon back in charge, admitted his mistakes, and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Kim should take Vinny's approach and just sit back and watch and let the professionals run the team. I hate the fact that they hired Botterill just because he's a rookie GM and thus a yes man. His last two interviews shows how much of a wimp he is.

I think this thread needs re-visiting.

He had a great save percentage last year, but it had a lot to do with the team in front of him. He's 30+ years old and he's never been a starter for a reason.

I'm sorry, Mittlestadt should be in Rochester. He's just not ready. He should have been sent down and Botterill should have made a move to fill his spot for the time being. Maybe even somebody they could hold on to long term as well as Mittlestadt when he's ready.

Boucher? Oh God. When they pair him with Anson Carter for post game, it makes you sick to your stomach. My favorite is Marv Albert Jr.

I'm at a pub getting dinner so there is no sound. Who is calling the game?

There is none. Housley is a ***** and the team reflects that. This team is going nowhere as long as he is coach.

When is this organization going to accept the fact this Sheary experiment has been a massive failure.

I guess Botterill should have made some moves yesterday. This team is softer than soft serve ice cream that's been sitting on the counter for an hour.

Can somebody tell me how in the hell Sheary played on a line with Crosby?

Cool. I've got a cichlid tank of my own. Mostly mbunas with a bunch of tropheus as well.