LTS

Pilut & Fitzgerald were -3 last night. They seem to always be on the ice when even strength goals are being scored against the Sabres. You can't afford that big of a drop when you lose a few D players. It's that simple. Tonight could be more of the same.. one of them needs to leave the lineup and I'd start with Pilut who doesn't appear to add any value. At least Fitzgerald will hit someone.. except last night. Oh well.. I'll still be watching and hoping for a better outcome.

Awesome. Dog behavior fascinates me. My two dogs entertain me to no end with their personalities. Yours sounds like it will be an absolute treat! 🙂

I could see that. Brunette got straight shafted in Florida. I think he's going to be a decent coach.

This team has proven it can compete. This team has proven that even when losing they are not going to collapse unlike years past. For example, Pittsburgh in years past I would have seen as going against the Sabres 5 or 6 to 1 because they would have given up. This team excites me and has potential. The reason I am not overboard about them yet is that they've not survived the length of a season yet. 30 games last year is a good indicator, but young players usually need to adapt to the grind of the NHL. The Sabres, while facing SOME injuries, have not faced injuries to some top players. We know the team is not deep, even at forward. They have a potentially deep lineup at forward but look at the conversations on Mitts, Quinn, Krebs. That's 3 starters who get elevated should Tuch, Thompson, Skinner, Cozens, etc. get injured. If they aren't performing now, they're unlikely to perform in an elevated role. So, when the lineup goes deep in scoring and they've continued through the grind of the season and keep their pace (or even close to it) then I am all in. But, I'd say they are legit. I am certainly going to enjoy the ride, because they are entertaining and their style of play and passion draw me in to the game unlike teams in the past 10 years.

I believe there were a total of 12 non-MSG games. 8 were ESPN/ESPN+ and 4 were TNT. Tonight's game is not on MSG to the best of my knowledge so the thread title might need a change. If you have VZW phones you should be able to get Disney+ for free. This includes your ESPN+ coverage. (This promo once existed, not sure if it still does as I do not have a VZW phone). As far as coverage goes, a reminder that if you tune into the Canes broadcast coverage their Play by Play guy grew up in Buffalo.

Right, sorry, I should have been more clear. Hulu Live has TNT, so you'd get the game. Hulu itself is just the non-linear streaming service and so when you see those games they are cross-promoting them. It makes Hulu seem more valuable and drives value of the ESPN+ investment. I like that they do that. You also get Disney+ Bundle included if you have Hulu Live. If Hulu Live had MSG I would be using them in a heartbeat. Of course I give credit to their advertising. "No Regional Sports Fees" it's because they don't have regional sports... at least not that I could see. 🙂

When you see a game on Hulu it's because it's being "cross-posted" from the ESPN+ catalog. ESPN+ does not have games that are broadcast on National TV (aka TNT). So you needed a provider who carried TNT. Sucked that I had to miss last night, but the only providers who have TNT AND MSG are DirecTV Stream and Spectrum. Both are not options I want to pursue.

Let him have the Border Collie brains the the Pyrenees size.... well perhaps not ALL the size. 🙂 Congrats on the doggo. I love dogs..

Scored that goal and then was traded to the Kings.

Right now the good will is on the players, the coach, and the GM. The owner has not been forgiven but should not be lauded for what's happened. One could easily argue that the Pegula ownership simply lucked into the right situation in one sport and then decided that might be a good idea in the other sport. When they learned how to step back and let people lead. I will give them credit when they have steered the organization(s) through the next crisis of a coach or GM leaving. When they have to do their jobs as owners again. Right now they can sit back and collect on the situations at hand. Nothing they've done absolves them from what happened before. I never had the vitriol others had for them but they definitely made some boneheaded decisions and at times certainly demonstrated how tone deaf they were to the fan base. They certainly presided over a long reign of losing. While having a sports team that is "local" can be nice, it is also a tax burden (as demonstrated by the Bills new stadium). I don't know if I would care if they relocated. It certainly wouldn't feel like the "home" team any longer but there are millions of fans of teams who don't live in the home city of where a team plays. They manage to still be fans. The one thing I would never be is held hostage by some threat of relocation or the thought that I NEED to spend my money on a professional sports franchise.

I believe he's from Potsdam. I know a few people who played with/know him. I did not expect this result against the Wings. The Sabres had struggled against them. The goals against were unfortunate but the team played really well and when it mattered they stepped up. The Red Wings seem to not have their stuff together. The Sabres were most assuredly buzzing tonight and Thompson's 3rd goal was a thing of beauty. I'll hang up and listen. 😉

well... no. but if they were REAL fans.. 🙂

Dahlin is almost worth the price of admission at this point. It's great to see his emergence under Granato and having the confidence in his game to go out and do what he wants when he wants. His control of the puck has players backing off him so they don't get burned. Eichel had that same effect. Players knew they would flat out walk you if you pressured them too hard so the mindset is to contain and not attack. It provides Dahlin time and space to make the great plays he's making.

Priorities... you put a sign on the door that says "No candy for non-Sabres fans. Because you are here, I assume you are not a fan as there is a game on."

Nah, that's the internet way. You are allowed to come across all brash and like a DB but if others return the action you get to tell them to chill. It's classic. :eyeroll:

Yeah, maybe I'm just crazy and imagined Comrie winning two games where the team gave up over 40 shots. Florida? 37 shots. The Kraken only had 24 and the Sabres let up 5 because of their D zone coverage among other things. From what I've seen, in 6 of their 8 games so far they've demonstrated issues in their defensive zone. The biggest difference in the Calgary and Edmonton games was that they could get out of their zone easier because neither team was playing a shutdown game. And the loss of Samuelsson is big. But the players on the ice still need to be better. It's unfortunate you think I am being disingenuous. I guess I'll stop attempting to have a conversation and provide supporting information for what I am saying. Perhaps you are the sunshine and sparkles crowd that was referred to.

I can speak for myself. If you want to know how I'd be, you can ask. This team has been lost in its defensive zone all season and continues to be lost. If they cannot get the clean breakout they get trapped and then they are hosed. As was said, the "bounce' doesn't happen if you clear the zone. This "domination" doesn't matter much if the opposing team can capitalize on the fewer changes they get while the Sabres cannot score while dominating. Hey you know what? The won, so I'll take it. But they continue to do the same stupid crap and get themselves trapped in their own end because teams are camping on their stretch passes and once they lose the puck they lose their man in the zone and boom. In this case, they just wouldn't clear the crease either. They are playing soft. They finally got into the crease in the Chicago end and look what happened. This team is trying to play a finesse game against teams that are clogging up their speed and they're not adapting very well. Even their sustained offensive zone pressure is usually at the perimeter. If that's what you consider my sunshine then you probably won't need sunscreen. What kind of comment even is this? Are you trying to be snarky? It failed. You're like the NFL player that jumps into a fumble scramble 5 seconds after everyone else already has. Looking for an opportunity to pile on and punch someone in the nuts. Also congratulations, you'll save money because you won't have to take your kids to any games!

Love your dismissive response. Caved in? Amazing given that they lost. I think the teams had similar analytics other than shots. Although I am not sure the Sabres had better quality shots overall. My reference is the ability of the Canadiens, in many instances, to force the Sabres D into turnovers in the zone by cutting off the stretch breakout. This was done mostly by the speed of the forecheck as well as the Canadiens sitting back on the breakout players. They got the Sabres out of sorts and tired and the puck was in the net. The Sabres often ended up with odd-man chances against because the forwards were playing too high on the breakout and when the turnover occurred the Canadiens were able to get numbers and into open ice positions. For what it's worth, your response could be so much better. You know a ton about this stuff, if you disagree with my assessment I'm certainly open to your point of view, but I fail to see how your response aids in the conversation. Why not just skip over what I said if that's the extent of your contribution?

It should also be noted that if you have VZW for your cellular provider they offer Disney+ free as part of some of their plans. Similar to T-Mo offering Netflix.

Nor should they. They should want the lower bowl filled so that it looks like the attendance is higher. This creates the perception to people watching on TV that the arena is more full and that they are missing out on a great experience. Paying for a 300 level ticket and being able to move into the 100s is a clear sign to the Sabres that their pricing is out line and that fans see the value in the 300 level price but not the 100 level price. Letting people move down will increase that value of the 300 level ticket... so much so to the point that 300 level tickets will be sold out and then people will pay for the 100 level because they really want to go. The Sabres goal should be to maximize arena capacity so they can make money on the concessions. They should go so far as to sell the tickets for $10 at the door at the time of the game if they are available. I say $10 because there is an inherent cost of cleaning and maintenance that has to be accounted for.

I've not been to any of those places for a game. I've been around Verizon Center before and I thought there was some reasonably interesting surroundings, but I could be wrong as its been quite a long time since I was there (10+ years). MSG is MSG though. It's a destination unto itself. It matters little what is around it. Toronto will never have an issue simply because they are hockey crazed. I would imagine that if you put KeyBank Center in Toronto it would be full every night. They are a population that goes to a hockey game.. for the game and pay even more to do so. I definitely want to go to other arenas to check out some games. That said, our arena is trash. You point out the individualism of Buffalo. I don't know if I grasp that. Granted I grew up but moved out in 1996.. which was around the time the city began changing for the better (certainly compared to Rochester). I just think Buffalo needs to undergo some additional changes in that area. It would have been ideal to use the Bills stadium as the cornerstone to those changes. Also, can we really get on the name changes? The arena has been under the same sponsorship agreement that was signed when it opened. The name changes have occurred due to corporate acquisitions. It's not like they've been out changing sponsors all this time.

Not good for Pilut. But then no reason to have him in the lineup either. I like splitting up Dahlin and Power, but I think the Power-Fitzgerald pair will struggle. Power isn't good enough yet to overcome a D partner who also lacks experience. I would prefer him with Boosh. It would be nice if they'd go get another veteran, non-flashy defender to add to the depth. Right now your "experienced" D is Dahlin and Boosh. Sigh.

Aren't two of those ENG? Olofsson and Mitts are both filling the roster right now until there's a replacement. But it wouldn't take much to go get a replacement if the Sabres wanted it. Of course they don't right now, but I don't see either of them being around hear past their current contracts. This guy? 🙂

The arena does suck and it makes a difference. The whole area sucks and that adds to the problem. The area lacks any character at all. There are a large contingent of people, like me, who will go to a game because it's a hockey game. There are far more people who are looking for an experience. What's the experience around the arena or in it? Hockey is entertainment but the arena isn't in an entertainment district. It's in an corporate/industrial area. There are things like the casino that have been built up but they are multiple blocks away, which is a hell of walk in the Buffalo winter. So people aren't going to get enough "extra" experience for the investment of going to the game. It's easy enough to avoid paying for food/beverages in the arena, but that usually means you're looking for somewhere to go before or after the game. As for the in-arena experience. You talk about the crappy music that every arena plays, does that include the ones that have fans butts in seats? It seems those aren't being hampered by the music. Everything about the in-game experience for the Sabres is absolute trash. You have to really love hockey to be there because there's absolutely nothing else to add value to the cost of your ticket. I used to be more forgiving but I went to the Sabres game in Nashville last year and it completely reset my expectations of what a hockey experience should be. Also, the team has sucked, and that has had a lot to do with things. Football has an impact to be certain, but the economy being crap and people having to choose where to spend their money also has an impact. The cost of the ticket keeps rising, they charge what, $15 for the Southern Tier 2X IPA, 19.2oz can? The same that I can pull off the shelves at Wegmans for $3? Granted, if you had lower beer costs you'd have even more drunken fan problems but that price gouging has to go. Since the area, the arena, the in-game experience, and the cost are all not contributing to drawing fans in the only thing left is the team. A team that has been absolute trash for too long and has a long way to go to drawing a capacity crowd on a routine basis.

If the Hawks are able to play the same defensive style as the Kraken and Habs the Sabres won't win. The Sabres have not adapted over the past 2 games to teams that take away the stretch plays and have the speed to forecheck effectively at the same time. No idea what to expect because the Hawks aren't supposed to be good... but if they are fast it will be a problem for the Sabres. I was considering going to this game, but woke up feeling like crap and sadly it wasn't from a great Friday night.