ska-T Palmtown

I will make the bold choice of answering for everyone else 😉 I just hate Boston. Bruins, Sox, Pats, Celts ... bleh, bleh, bleh! I actually get a lot out of the posts because (cringe!) they are a really well run organization that has standards and players that embody that. I do empathize with Ruff, in that after any given period, he could bench half his team. I don't remember who mentioned it, but the idea stuck in my tiny brain that maybe this is the first time some of the younger guys have been asked to play in a real system with real responsibilities and their heads hurt. Ruff can't (we want him to, but I think we all know he really can't) just come out and say "JFC ... I don't think any of these guys have ever played in a real system ... I am gonna need a few more weeks." - but it might be the truth? As much as I hate the little rat - if a player plays with Marchand and he tells you what the expectations for effort and performance are - you do it. And so does he. I know we don't have anyone like that. Sigh.

See, this is the reason why I can still come here. While we are all our own unique snowflakes, many of our feelings of intense disappointment will overlap in some way with someone else's. We are social creatures and we need that. I take some breaks from reading the "burn it all down" threads, but with the way things are going sometimes is is cathartic. I suspect most people, similar to myself, are frustrated because we want to be able to say that following Sabres hockey brings us joy and on most nights in memory, it doesn't. The mood was much more electric even when they had that slight chance two years ago. I get more "Can't you just give me something to cheer for?" energy than I do "fire all those bums" energy most of the time. The recent influx of "you can't feel that way" energy is sorta new and disturbing. Everyone has the right to feel how they feel - like it or not. My feelings of rage, sadness, apathy, and momentary joy are just as valid as anyone else's - so for community members to try to take any of that away from each other, to me - crosses a line. And to @Pimlach's point - it drives away the folks who just want to have a good hockey conversation without personal attacks on their "fan-rating" or "commitment to the team" or whatever else we are using to insult each other these days. Take that crap to Reddit or Twitter. I get a little frustrated with the negativity - but that is my problem, not the people who are being what I deem negative. It can suck when you want to find someone to have a "rally the troops, things gotta get better" conversation and no one is really buying ... but that is not the fault of the other posters. *Disclaimer - NONE of this is meant to be directed at @Porous Five Hole - it was actually a good post and I just wanted to vibe off of it, especially the bold. ❤️

GOOD!

I have NO love for A-a-ron ... but if the Texans had played like THAT when the Bills played them ... I will just refer you to the Seattle game for the likely outcome. Texans looked like a 2-15 team in that game.

did anyone see this? LMAO!!

Context matters. This is in response to someone saying October win streaks matter "A TON" with an astonishing air of absolute certainty. 🙂 I honestly did not even disagree too strongly with the ideas - but the tone-deaf attempt at gate-keeping Sabres history because they had been around the team since "the first time lindy was the coach" is astonishingly off-putting and laughable.

No. I was informed it takes 10 GAMES to figure out if you have 'the guys' ... we will know FOR SURE after the next game. No take-backsies.

lol - Noob. Also, telling someone with, I dunno, 17k+ posts that they 'obviously' don't understand how important winning streaks are makes you look like a pompous arse.

He looked just fine last year when he came back. I think someone posted in another thread that his speed last year (via the thingy that tracks top speeds) was nearly the same when he came back last year. Maybe Quinner was lurking on Sabrespace last spring, saw everyone telling him to bulk up and now, while prison swoll, is too heavy to skate properly? lol

Can I be "that guy" and ask that we change the possessive in the title so it does not appear one kid has multiple lives?

I don't think he shies away from hits. He does not often seek out hitting another player, true. But, if you watch him behind his own net or along the boards, I think he does a pretty good job of using his massive frame to brace for hits, absorb the hit while shielding the puck, then get the puck the phuck outta there. We saw a nearly polar opposite playing in Risto - he would hit his own mother into the boards, but MAN did it take him out of position A LOT. The other team would attack him, he'd over compensate and they would just scoop the puck right up. Power has a great stick check, top end skating, good body control along the boards, and can generally absorb a hit while maintaining position. Sounds pretty good to me.

Wasn't it zone exit passing or something like that?

yeah, without question he can improve, but to me the cool part is that he is a young highly talented big guy who can learn those things ... will he? Who knows.

No, you are right - he was just the young prospect coming back ... so that actually enhances my point - we have seen it over and over; sabrespace (in general, not you two) craps on a player without giving them credit for playing the role that they do. Sometimes it feels like some folks think other teams are nothing but 12 Stamkos-like players and forget the Zemgus is now a serviceable player on TB's 4th line. I am actually generally happy with most of what I have seen out of Krebsie this year.

lol - you don't have to wait for a loss ... take a quick scroll through this thread and you will see that we were up 2-0 and really taking it to a superior team and there were some "this guys sucks!" remarks after one bad (or not even that bad) play. It is like some people forget that the other teams are also full of very highly skilled professional athletes being paid to try to win. I remember in the Kings game last year, Doughty sailed a pass right across the crease that was picked off by the Sabres and went right to the back of the net - he must suck! Pronger, Stevens, and Chara have all gotten knocked down in the corners - what marshmallows!!! Far too ... affable? Was that on someone's word-a-day calendar?

You could probably identify a player equal to or worse on nearly every team's roster. Had we gotten him for a 3rd instead of the "center piece" of the Eichel trade, I think he would get complained about far less often.

two straight plays where Power just used his stick to defeat so many players!

that backcheck by Kulich on the 3-on-1 was HAWT!

Marty is drooling over Kulich and JJ's big muscles in the intermission report, lol

If they could play that way for three periods, they might be in business...

Can we just get a pinned thread that explains the rules that Benson CANNOT go to Rochester. His is too young, Sabres would have to send him juniors. No way that happens. This has been discussed many many many times in so many threads. Chicken head guy gets it ...

I mean ... would you? lol We tried to bring in vets ... E Johnson with his stanley cup pedigree ... all the way back to Gionta. Something just ain't right ...

Sabrespace: "Look! only one point out! and we're behind Team A and Team B, so when we remember how to hockey, it is playoff city!" TeamA-space: "Panic! we are only 1 point ahead of the sabres! Oh, but they super suck, so we'll leave them in the dust once we figure it out" Thirteen years of empirical evidence suggests TeamA-space is far more likely to be correct.

Probably won't watch since the game is in Chicago and I could not even convince a few 'Hawks fan buddies of mine to go, my treat, to see the shizznit show ... ESPN+ seems to be able to detect my VPN and so far this team has not been worth the effort to try to see if I can fudge around it. Oh well. Go Sabres?

Literally to the bold - lol It seems to be on par with the Sabres from 2 years ago ... or early last year. Just my take - but this might be bigger than the HC. I know pretty much everyone has said that ... so I guess I am just here for the " (NJ) Devil's advocate" bit ...