Randall Flagg

Don't have any gripes with any of our skaters. They all did their best and were more or less who they usually are. Tampa is still the best roster I've seen since the 07-08 Red Wings or the 09-10 Blackhawks, regardless of their slow start. The schedule is being a bit unfair to our boys. Consistent creampuff schedule early, with defenses in Pittsburgh and New Jersey setting an unfair standard (they each have a case for the worst group of 6 D in the league). Dallas, Columbus, San Jose reeling already when we caught them. Zero games against a team in the top 3rd of the standings until Washington. Followed by brutal travel, good teams, and lots of games this month. Had the schedule been more uniform, we wouldn't be on such a roller coaster. That said, it's not fun that we've been getting handled and beaten in every game against said teams in top 3rd of the standings (plus Tampa who will be there in short order) since we started seeing them.

churn your legs with purpose even, or especially, when you're not the one with the puck

That was a penalty, but I'm still pissed off at the refs today for general ineptitude

They said 2/13 in this current lull? I don't think that's very crazy. That's 5% lower than a good power play

Just how it works. They'll readjust and get hot again, and then cool down again, and so on

That's the nature of leaning on the thing, nobody's power play is ever consistent over stretches of time longer than a few weeks, the swings are generally large even for good ones.

The puck was really far away when the hit happened, but the hit itself was fine. Definitely interference but nothing more

Probably our power play, like in 16-17 Probably our power play, like in 16-17

Love spending a home game at a neutral site where everyone is rooting for the other team

Was Ralph telling the refs they have eight eyes out there, in response to "we didn't see it" ? Go get em Ralphie. I wouldn't condone going after Kucherov's knees, all I'm saying is that he has them too, so I don't see why he would do that to someone.

It's definitely because of Baker. Was frustrating not getting to watch two weeks ago though. Sam Bradford no longer plays for Philly... I'm going to buy an antenna right now so I can pick these up. The thing that sucks is I've already lost the money for the service which I'm rarely using. And the BIlls are on way more this year than I ever remember them being here either of the last two years. It's just frustrating to keep opening that map and seeing little blips over me and literally nowhere else besides Buffalo and the opponent city

I finally decide to be a good citizen and pay for NFL Sunday Ticket (the student version, without directv, because god knows I can't afford that) rather than streaming Bills games in sketchy ways. They proceed to start doing ***** like this every single week. I'm ***** pissed. Almost every game gets blacked out. IN ***** OKLAHOMA. Look at that map!! THE CHIEFS ARE ON!!! WHY IS BILLS-BROWNS THE PRIORITY IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA??? Fat chance I'm ever giving the NFL or Directv money again, they're literally just stealing my money for no product whatsoever

The Bills beat the Redskins by more points than the 49ers beat the Redskins. They also beat the Redskins by more points than the Cowboys beat the Redskins. They also beat the Redskins by more points than the Vikings beat the Redskins. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The officiating was clearly in favor of Baltimore over NE tonight, for those that like to keep track. Including, most notably, the Ravens player pulling Lamar forward into the end zone. This is 10000000% illegal to do.

Trotz' teams are suffocating, so that has more to do with the lack of goals tonight than us. But it was discouraging that the Islanders had about 4 straight shifts late in the third that were exponentially more dangerous than we were with our goalie pulled. Since Dallas we are back to looking like the other team gets to play in their own zone with 7 defensive players, while we look like we have to play in ours with 4. This month is killer - at least the TB games are in such a bizarre situation that they may well be neutralized, and it's not like they've been great to start this year either. They have a bit of a mental molehill to get over, but I believe less with each passing game that there won't be an offensive zone mountain behind it. Dallas and the first week had me hopeful, but we need another good forward or two. I'm glad it sounds like Jason agrees this year.

Well, at least your spirit is a little more whole, or at least metaphorically speaking if you don't believe that kind of thing You're right, it'll at least take until December 10th ?

It took 40 games to know it last year. The only thing I'm comfortable saying I know is that they've given me no reason yet to move off of any preseason stance I had taken He's certainly not where it goes to survive This could be 15 minutes long, but I only felt like watching so many minutes of Sabres hockey after that game I included those last two because they're typical of him - even the "chances" he gets...the first one wasn't even a shot on net, he shot it wide from 3 inches in front of the goalie, and the second was remarkably feeble and a goal if any other of the 11 forwards were in that place instead. Like, I get that people get annoyed about posters ragging on guys to the point of unfairness, nonstop, with little regard for the person behind the mask. I get the desire some have to root for the whipping boys for that reason, and that Vlad in particular is the magical coach's pet project, just like he was with the last coach, and we TRUST this coach. But he IS where offense goes to die, and for as long as he's here he will be the poster boy for the Sabres' systemic inability to generate offense in today's NHL, because his identity of pragmatically eating pucks on the boards, sticking to the point men as safety valves, softly shoveling passes into opponents skates or shots into goalies' pads, and being incapable of creating sustainable amounts of high quality slot chances shift in and shift out is exactly the identity the whole team assumes as the grind of the season wears on, for the better part of a decade now. There is no more fitting player, especially considering how each coach has used him (top 4 in ice time while we free-fell offensively last season, and a top six role this year). And sure, Skinner and Mojo could score goals together while he was their third, and he hasn't been bad in his own end, just like last season. But the Sabres still have an offensive chasm to cross in this league and he's still here, and while like last season we scored a lot of goals early, there's far too much time in a hockey season for October exceptions to become 19-20 realities I'd never disagree with getting on Eichel and Sam for a game like tonight, but Eichel and Sam, here or elsewhere, will be key parts of good NHL offenses in their careers. And the reason ours died last year and is on a sharp decline already this season has been talked about here nonstop, but hasn't been fundamentally changed really, and so yes, people are going to complain about Sobotka, or Sheary, or Vesey, or Kyle, being where offense goes to die even on a night when our 100 point pace center can't score

We need a goal but can't come close to getting the puck back

Varlamov isn't good - just need to get one good chance here fellas.

What's fun about Jack is that he's basically winging it every single time - there's never any calculation that you see from guys like Bergeron or Matthews in the offensive zone. He just charges in, making stuff up as he goes, and it works because of his stupid skill level

That shift right there was example 1A of the static perimeter-to-point play that will be this team's identity until more players are capable (skilled) and confident (coached) enough to change it.

Wouldn't be sure. But if you're appealing to the sentiment that we often seem so CLOSE to scoring, and are just missing some execution, keep in mind that this is true of all teams, elite scoring ones and otherwise, and the difference is the elite ones also score more goals than everyone else. We've essentially reverted back to the point shot prioritization now that teams are tightening the screws and less space is available by sheer breakdown, which is exactly why we were a good goal scoring team last year until we weren't, and going forward it's going to get harder and harder to create offense, and we still have all the same guys that struggled with it for years for us, with only Johansson as a meaningful newcomer, who I don't think is going to be leading any charges to offensive relevancy. The hope before the season was that you'd get some unexpected growth, but while I don't think any forwards are underperforming, I can't say that any of them are going above and beyond reasonable expectations. Which is why so many didn't think the offseason would be complete without one more top six forward trade.

It's still their ES strategy too for the most part, which is why we never have the offensive zone space other teams do against us

My issue is that they still have a roster that you'd expect to have trouble scoring, relative to other teams, when teams tighten up. No matter what is going on mentally. Which is why my hopes for Ralph have never got as high as others' They're already showing all the signs of struggling immensely to create the volume of good chances other teams do night in and night out, since the first week of the season. Like last year they can do it when everything is hectic and crazy in October, but teams always baten down the hatches with this stuff

I'll take it but I thought that was a silly hold call. there was about a tenth of a second where that arm was doing anything, the rest was a stick tie-up. Not to take the draw away from Jimmy - good job going after the puck

That was really impressive by Dahlin