ska-T Palmtown

For the sake of conversation (slow day at work) - any thoughts on GMKA hesitating to make trades out of fear of not being able to resign players? I have no real reason to suspect this. Just looking at his cautious approach to things and thinking maybe he thinks "gosh if I give up Rosen, then can't resign the guy I get back, that would be bad". Obviously NOT defending it, if that is the case - but curious for opinions.

It seems like there is a Skinner or VO on just about every playoff team. The difference is that those teams seem to "magically" figure out how to maximize their good and minimize their bad. I think we'll see that VO's defense is not SO BAD that he should never see the ice in Vegas. It just means we did not have the talent and/or system to be able to put him in a position to succeed. I understand the importance of team chemistry - but if/when Skinner is not deemed to be a "locker room cancer" or "bad example" in EDM, the Sabres should take a pause and try to figure out if that is just a fairy tale we tell ourselves to help cover up something else.

I really want to be snarky about how, according to the comments I have read, it won't matter because the Sabres don't even know which end of the stick to use, they have not hit anyone in at least 3 seasons, our goalies can't stop a beachball, and all our players are 4th liners at best ... But - I dunno - home opener, that beauty new mega-jumbo tron ... New Sabres, who dis? I am hoping to see a win!

Not directed at the Honorable Archie Lee - just quoting the last point on this topic.' Channeling my inner @Thorner and extrapolating one of his more favored points - we don't have to have the best 2nd line in hockey ... if all of our lines are around the 8th best in the Eastern Conference - we should make the playoffs. 8th. 8 out of 16. I don't know if we are there yet, on average ... but it seems like such an achievable goal (here comes the real Thorner good stuff) that to not have ACCIDENTALLY achieved this combined with plain old average tendies in the last thirteen years is hilariously improbable ... but here we are. 🤷‍♂️

lol - careful or someone will get upset at all the bRuInS talk 😉 I think that was sorta my point. Malenstyn is likely a serviceable 4th liner, by NHL standards ... wait for it ... in a good system, which to date, we do not have. I thought the fourth line looked much improved over last year, but that is a low bar and maybe I am still high on hopium?

I dunno, Boston's 4th goal looked A LOT like they were playing against the Sabres' defense 🤣

are there 64 better 4th line wingers in the NHL? I only mean that half-sarcastically. I suspect way more teams than just the Sabres have a bunch of JAGs hanging out on line 4. He was not even close to the worst Sabre on the ice at any given time in those 2 games.

They played together on saturday. I forget the article I saw, but they were essentially the worst three forwards for the game. Edit: this site: https://buffalohockeynow.com/2024/10/05/sabres-struggle-yet-again-as-thompson-tuch-levi-only-bright-spots-kulich-quinn-cozens-buffalo-new-jersey-devils/ So, maybe not the most reputable (apologies) and certainly an internet trash bin of ads (double apology), but I watched most of the game and that line was not good.

I think of it this way, from another sport to help detach a little emotion from the situation (while begrudgingly acknowledging that for fans, sports is almost pure emotion) - If a "playoff hopeful" team in football were to play a team favored to make a deep playoff run in week one and get handled fairly easily - the playoff hopeful football team would not be that down. As I said in another thread and others have mentioned - this is not last year's NJ team - this is far far far closer to the 112 point team from 2 years ago ... with better tendies. It sucks we lost, but it does not really matter for our playoff hopes other than the lost 4 points.

@bob_sauve28 - it was more just the gray tones vs the actual look. I skim the avatars for the posters I like to read and not seeing your trademark blue hockey guys was throwing me off! I would be like "wow, bob sounds a lot like ... d'oh! it IS Thorner!"

First, thank you for changing back to the blue hockey guy as your avatar - out of the corner of my eye I thought the other one was that walrus guy at least half the time. I agree with @#freejame about hoping vs really thinking, but I have not lost my optimism. It is the only thing that will get me through these oddly warm fall evenings!

I think it is safe to say that this year's NJ team will be far more like the one from two years ago and while it puts us in a really difficult spot to lose the first two games like that - not being able to hang with the NJ of two years ago does not really factor into our ability to make the playoffs. We take care of the easily winnable games (a hallmark of the past 13 years is getting blown out by fellow bottom feeders), win half of the toss-up games, and steal game or two from the top guys ... boom. playoffs.

lol - actually, yes. They got some injuries back and signed some actual effective FA d-men. That said - I don't disagree that Buffalo's forwards have looked like doo-doo. Heck POWER has looked like are best F at times, hahaha.

from all the other regular season games NJ has played this season? 🤦‍♂️

REMEMBER TO CANCEL!!!!!

Don't ever change, Thorner. (except for that time you did change your name) Stick to your guns, aim for the stars, be the Thorner you can be!

I just came here to make some mention of this, but you did a much better job than my lazy a$$ would have done!

I am an optimistic person by nature - even after being buffalo sports fan for over 40 yrs. I am sure my shrink would call it a "coping mechanism" 🙂 That said, I have seen nothing from the team that makes me feel pessimistic, so I rolled with it. 🎵Rollin' with my hooo-ooomies

If you have gmail you can just keep adding a "." at various points of your email address (gmail treats them all the same, but many systems are set up to think they are different!) to keep getting Fubo trials 🙂 That will take care of NHLN and TNT games. Just make sure to cancel because you have to opt for the "pay quarterly" package to get NHLN which could cost you like $300 if you forget! Beware of ESPN+, they are very good at detecting VPN and not allowing you to watch.

I want to jump in and ask if a player can sign their ELC during a season ... but I am afraid of getting hit in the crossfire. I hate it when dad and dad fight!

Go bold or go home? 🤷‍♂️

a free trial of fubo with a well placed "." in my gmail account and we are streaming, baby! Now, I just have to remember to cancel before the $300 quarterly fee kicks in 😬

I see you are one of those "details matters" guys 🙂 🧐🕵️‍♂️ I did say "overall" 😉

To expand this ... the constant "our guy won a SC" drivel is really getting tiresome. When I looked, less than a quarter of the players on Florida were drafted by Florida. Tkachuk was way more important to their overall success than Sam AND Kyle combined. The most pressing need for Sabres success is so the fanbase can stop this senseless self-flatulating and "whoa are we" moping about. (Is it "woe"? "Whoa" does not seem right)

lol, right? "You guys aren't going to like me?" What kind of neanderthal shiznit is that? 🤣 He's been with these guys for years, and they have already been around each other for over a week straight, but he gets some extra fabric on his sweater and NOW he changes? Fastest way to alienate people, in my opinion. To me, he earned it when he was blocking empty net shot attempts in meaningless games because he is so sick and tired of losing.