LastPommerFan

Well, he's either going to play very very well tonight, or we are going to get killed. We will know in 36 minutes I guess!

Technically not through 1/5th of the season yet, if you want to split hairs.

remember back when we beat Boston and the board was super busy and interesting for the next game.... ...I miss those times...good times...

Exactly, streaks are streaks and usually regress toward the mean. The defense will get better, just like Vanek will stop scoring 2.5 ppg.

No. It's not, but here: 2010-2011 (the season before the contract was signed) he finished 7th among d-men with more than 60 games in Relative Corsi. He's a great defenseman having a terrible month.

Foligno Ennis Stafford to be reunited

The deal puts him as the 18th highest paid defenseman right now, that number will go down as more guys sign new contracts. It's a good deal, he's playing poorly right now, but he'll get out of it.

I want one blowout win, they need to offset the Montreal game. we played close against Ottawa last year (3-1-2, 4 OT/SO games) year be for that 5 of six were decided by 1 goal or 2 with an empty netter at the end. So I don't think I'll get my blowout win tonight.

I know it's only a half measure, but I am HUGELY in favor of this move.

It happened to half the eighth place teams in the last 12 months.

3 games? Wha'Happened?

He has won at least one playoff game every year since '08.

Or worse....Roy....

Much better analogy... kudos.

This is what I see, outside of the top line, something is wrong, and it feels different than last year. Multiple good or decent players are playing well below even the low end of their ability.

I agree, but they're not going to bottom out on purpose. The question is, are the problems with this team significant enough that they won't recover and make a run in the final 30 games?

Can it get better in time for a late season run...again? or is it something different this year?

At then end of the day, if he never plays another game and then gets bought out, it was a gamble with no downside.

Except they always do this to us, It's almost easier to assume this will go on for a while longer, then they'll become world beaters again.

He'd have to stay injured through the summer of 2014.

Please be Hecht twice.

Seriously, The right move, right now, is to line up a suitable replacement, then fire everyone from Regier to Rip who has day to day interaction with the players. Not for anything they've done wrong, but because there aren't 20 NHL players available to fill the roster and the CBA prevents the team from getting rid of everyone anyway. The purpose is to wake them up. Mid Season replacements serve this purpose. It works some times (NJ, '99-'00, LA '11-'12, Pittsburgh '09-'10) And it fails some times (EVERY OTHER TIME OUTSIDE OF THE THREE LISTED ABOVE) Despite the long odds of it working, something needs to change before a new generation of Sabres Players learn how to lose games.

That works

Is there something wrong with our top line? The roster has had a massive overhaul in the last 4 years. About 2/3rds of it is new.

Ah, it's not good enough to bring guys in through the draft, they have to have been drafted by someone else. I get it.