mjd1001

If you look at the PK earlier in the year, the preferred unit out there was Johnson and Sameulsson on D, and Thompson and Greenway up front. What does that have in common? 4 of the tallest guys with the best reach on the team. For being good at PK, on the surface I think it is a good coaching decision, here is why: When you watch the Sabres allowing chances on the PK or getting scored on, it is MOSTLY due to guys getting out of position. The PK 4 man 'box' often becomes less of a box and they leave their spot...it becomes a rhombus...a trapezoid...then eventually a triangle or even a straight line. when guys get that far out of position, that is when the opposing team gets open shots and good looks and scores.... BUT, take a look at when you had Johnson and Samuelson on D and Thompson and Greenway on forward....Between their height/reach and the length of the stick they use, they cover a LOT of territory by just holding their position. They don't have to chase...they can stay in their zone and close of passing lanes and even tip passes and clear the zone. They are more likely to maintain that 4 man PK box.....they DID do that...and they ARE/Were effective penalty killers. To get those guys out there (or other guys with a long reach/discipline) is much more effective than guys who chase the puck. Of course as you said, Thompson on the PK though brings other issues...he is getting ice time/getting tired when he isn't using that to provide offense (although he DOES have 2 shorthanded goals I think). And he is exposing himself to shots from the point that can hit him.

In terms of point percentage, right now Jersey has the 8th spot in the conference with 59% of available points. That is a 97 point pace. Sabres, want to make the playoffs, right how shoot for 98 points. 50 games left, that means you need to aim for 69 points. Simply, 69% of available points. To get the 8th spot. Last year, Carolina was close, but do you know how many teams got 69% of available points (or more) for the Season? ONE, Boston. The year before that, 4 teams did. So basically, starting tomorrow, Buffalo has to play like a top 5 team in the NHL, every game, till the end of the year, to give them a good shot at a wildcard. Its VERY hard to get behind this team or show much interest when we are less than half way, only about 2 months into the season and at this point already. Maybe we can HOPE for playoffs in 2025? But hey, Ottawa has been thought of to be the 'next big team' on the rise, and we finished ahead of them last year and are still ahead of them this year.

I'm not one at all for making change 'just because' or 'to see what happens'. But I'm starting to go to the point of swinging on a big trade. Like a BIG trade. I'm not sure who would be avaiable, but a forward in their prime (24-28 years old) who is known as a hard worker, puts up consistenly 25+ goals per year, and has been on a winning team (preferably one where the forward play good Defense). If you have to trade a Roster guy AND 2 of your top prospects, so be it. Savoi, Kulich, and Mitts or even Cozens? go ahead. Why? I am more and more convinced, despite the shutout last night, that this team doesn't know how to play team defense and NO coaching staff is going to get it through their heads. Vet guys like Okposo and Girgensons? Honestly, they never were on a team where THEY were even taught how to play team defense. Maybe you don't even need to pay that much, but how about Nazim Kadri or Lindholm from Calgary? Both of them?

Not really. I can watch the highlights this morning. The fun of watching hockey for me is not just the end result, but looking forward to the game before it starts. I don't have that anymore.

I think 1 goal in 27 games is really bad. I'm not sure who they have as far as young guys, but at this point, they might be thinking any young guy that will take his place (and his 11 minutes per game ice time...virtually no pp or pk role) might be an upgrade. The question is...why was seattle interested?

Tonights game is a good example....if this team was in playoff position, or very close, there would be no way I'd miss tonights game. But with where they are, and how they are playing..there is no way I'm staying up late to watch it.

The bad part is....IF they did go 15-5 in the next 20 games, they would be at 57 points through 50 games....or 57% of available points. That STILL would likely have them on the outside looking up at the playoffs...8th best team in the conference now is Detroit with 58.6% of available points.

I agree on the PP, but if Tage and Cozens would simply pick up the pace, there is the difference in PP between this year and last year. Thompson at this point last year had 11 PP goals, and 24 goals overall. Cozens at this point last year had 11 overall goals. This year, Thompson is at 11 overall with only 1 on the PP, and Cozens is at 4. You "fix" Thompson and Cozens simply getting them to match last years production, and you have a top 10 PP in the league at this point. I didn't realize it was this bad, but how many players on the Sabres have more than 1 PP goal this entire season? Skinner, and Dahline (who has 2). Thats it.

1.) Above average goaltending. Doesn't have to be great, but all goalies have to play close to thier best. 2.) Injuries have to stop. This team needs to be close to full strength. 3.) Tage has to start scoring at the rate he did the last 2 years. 4.) Whatever demon is possessing Cozens needs to be exorcised. OR, if this is what Cozens is...then we need the deal he made with the devil that turned him into a 30+ goal scorer to be extended to this season. Thats it. Not that complicated. Better goaltending than last year, a fully healthy roster and everyone who has taken a step back to get back to where they were last year. If that were to start now, they would still have a chance. (that is basically what they had last year and got to the mid 90's in points with below average goaltending). Do I think we are going to get all that? of course not.

A lot of things can determine your odds for making/missing the playoffs. For example, the Bills drought...much of it was contributed to by Brady being in the division, but in Hockey its different. Statistically, you can say you have a 50% chance of making or missing the playoffs in a given year. For any time, after 2 years, the 'odds' are 25% you miss both years, 25% you make it both years, and 50% chance you miss one year and make it the next...and so on and so on. So, what are the pure statistical odds that any hockey team would take a 12 year period and not make the playoffs even once? 0.018% chance. Or, in other words, a 1 in 5,531 chance that, over the last 12 years, any team in the Sabres division/conference would not make the playoffs one time. If you 'simulated' an average team through 12 seasons, 5,531 times, only ONE of those times, on average, would a team miss 12 years in a row. If the Sabres miss this year, with half the conference making the playoffs again, the odds of missing 13 years in a row would be 1 in 11,062. So yes, they made the decision to tank, but again, those are the numbers for ANY team with a few years of 8 out of 15 teams making the playoffs and most other years 8 or 16 making it. Hockey Heaven? The sole reason for them existing is to win the Stanley cup? You would think that even if you TRIED to be that bad it would be hard to do so. That can't be all bad luck..or it can't be a new owner 'learning curve', there has to be a whole lot of ineptitude in there.

Many will say the Arena doesn't matter, but it does. I have had the opportunity in the past few years to visit a few other arenas and its pretty bad here. If you say it shouldn't matter, the game is what matters, well, I can watch the game, replays, different angles a LOT better at home now than I can at the Arena. I go there for the things beyond the game, and in Buffalo, its not even close to many other places.

Its not the one game, it is where they are cumulatively. it is just much easier to speak up about how many feel after a bad loss. Many of us feel the 'despair' but its a lot easier to post about it after a multi-goal loss rather than a multi-goal win.

I think its an age thing, and hockey players are in that age where it matters. As A kid I liked living in a colder climate..and an adult in my late 40's, I like living in a colder climate with all 4 seasons....BUT, when I was in my early 20's, I wanted to get someplace south/warmer with things to do year round, the beach, nightlife, etc. I lived in Florida (twice) for a few years, but by the time I got in my late 20's, I was like...why am I here? I actually WANTED a cloudy day in the spring or summer, a cooler day. Not all of us, but many of us get to the point where we had enough of it by the time we are close to 30....but the draw of it exists from your late teens to your late 20's....the same age that a lot of these players are (and ones that have a lot of disposable cash). Its why I think you find a lot of players LOVING the warm weather cities during their playing career, but many 'settle back down' in northern areas later in their career and often retire up north. Again, there are exceptions to this, but I really think it matters for guys/players in their early to mid 20's.

Some could make the point that the success with the Bills really is just luck. They FINALLY lucked into a great QB. Then they spent to the cap (and beyond by how many restructures) to push it to the limit, and they are without a SB appearance even and barely holding on this year...with arguably a top 5 QB in the league. You draft high enough and take enough shots and eventually you are likely to get a good QB. After many, many tries and fails (some with Pegula as the owner), the Bills got that, but what are they doing with it? As has been posted here many times, NO QB/Head coach combo has ever been together this long without winning a SB that will eventually get one.

I know what you mean, but I think, at the current moment, Mediocrity is being generous to them. -In the league they are 7th worst in terms of point percentage -They are 1 of 2 teams that only has ONE single 2 game win streak and nothing better than that. -They are bottom 10 in goals scored per game, AND goals allowed per game. -They have no one in the top 30 in the league in goals. No one in the top 50 in points. -Their BEST Statistical goalie is UPL, and he is ranked about 30th in both GAA and Save percentage. -Right now the last playoff spot in the east is actually projected at 97 points (8th place team in the conference projected pace). Sabres are on pace for 74 points. They are effectively 8-9 points out of a spot now (when considering games in hand) AND would have 7 teams to jump over to get there. They now have to play the rest of the season at a 110 point pace. Even when fully healthy, does this team have a 110 point pace in them for more than half a season?

I still care a lot. For some reason I care more about the Sabres than the Bills (when I used to be a bigger Bills fan). But it is becoming a lot easier to just do something else instead of watching a game. Going to a game, forget it. I cannot fathom paying that much money to see a product that just doesn't perform well.

Websites that are legitimate businesses that have delayed pop ups, either ads or 'how can we help you' windows. This morning I was on Best Buy's website and it loaded, waited a second or two...started typing in the search bar and then a few characters into it a pop up on in the lower corner showed up and stopped me from typing what I was halfway through. Their own 'customer service/how may I help you' pop up window is actually preventing me from doing what i want to do and I know how to do. Other sites will look like they are 'mostly' loaded and there search bar is there at the top of the page, but when you go to click on it, you realize that Ads are loading on the page still and the search bar seems to just 'jump around' and move slightly as the ads are loaded, only to make you click on one of the ads when you were just trying to click on the search. And this is becoming my new favorite....legit websites for news or technology stories....close to half of the page is now covered by ads and when you read their story, a pop up comes up. You clear the pop up but as soon as you scroll down another pop up shows up 20 seconds later. Clear that and then another ad shows up that isn't a traditional pop-up...but it takes up the bottom 40% of the screen. So now with that ad on the bottom, and the ad on the top, and the ads on the side, you are trying to read an article on just about 20% of your screen and its almost not worth it.

I know I bring this up quite a bit on the forums, but he is responsible for a LOT of goals and a LOT of chances against in his own zone because he just leaves the center of the ice open, he obviously wants to go to the boards, he wants to chase the puck and battle along the boards. I have posted time and time again replays or screenshots of goals against where he does that, and he is not changing or learning at all. So it just seems to me, that tendency he has, or that skill, the desire to do that...is a huge negative as a center but it can be a positive as a winger.

You're right and I go back and forth with that. He has a lot of experience and a lot of gameplay for his age, but yet he still is young and a lot of forwards don't reach their peak until they're in their mid-20s. I still watch his style of play... And I can't help but think.... That's what I want out of a winger... Not my centers so I don't know. My comment about him being a better winger is just his style and what he likes to do.

I agree for the most part that they're good with the top three. As you mentioned, Cozens may be better suited as the third guy out. He just may not have the touch to be that productive. He skates hard, but I think Mitts is a little bit more creative and a little bit more of a magician in the offensive zone. If Cozens doesn't put the puck in the net, he's not as good in the center of the ice in the offensive zone. Hopefully he picks up his scoring a little bit. If you could consistently get 20 goals a year out of him or a little bit more, that would be great for the third center out. I still can't help the think if Cozens might not be better as a winger because of his skill set. He likes to go digging into the corners. He likes to be aggressive. He likes to hit. But his touch with the puck isn't the greatest and he has trouble maintaining his position for defensive responsibilities. He would much rather go chasing the puck or hitting someone then to just have the discipline to sit and play "zone defense" in the center of the ice. To me, that sounds like a much better winger than a center.

Honestly, this doesn't bother me that much. I think last year the team gave up a lot of odd man rushes but they had a lot. This year, They're giving up more than they get, but I think that might be due to injuries in a lot of new people in the lineup. It's not good, but it doesn't bother me. The bigger issue to me is how they play when the opposing team has possession in the Sabres zone. The Sabres d-men as a unit are OK in the defensive zone....but the forwards are just awful. When other teams play the Sabres they get so many more easy goals than the Sabres get, while Buffalo seemingly has to work to find open areas more. I'm okay with giving up more odd man rushes if it means you get more odd man rushes. That's exciting hockey to watch. This team needs their 12 forwards to become much much better at helping out their defense in the own zone.

I was trying to look at it in a positive point of view, but you might be correct. I've had discussions on here before with many people, and my view on him is that he is awful in his own zone, and he can't just "look good" or "get chances" in the offensive zone to make up for that. He needs to produce. My fear is 30 goal seasons from him are going to be the exception, not the norm.

I think 18-20 is closer to the middle....The reason I figured on less goals is I think 230 to 250 is way too high for him. For his career, he averages 180 shots per 82 games. Last year (his best year) he got 211 shots This year he is shooting at a 203 shot pace per 82 (and will likely ony be about 180-190 because of missed already). He hasn't really shown anything to think he will be anything more than a 200, MAYBE 220 shot per year guy.

As mentioned, he is starting to get opportunities so you HOPE they start going in....but if he simply isn't as good of a finisher as we all hope, thats the problem. He won't "finish" as many of those oportunites as needed. I'm not too good with the fancy stats, but as per the other thread, every year of his career he was 6-8% shooting percentage, his career numbers besides last year of course then average out in that area....and that is what he is doing this year. Was last year the exception when he almost doubled it? Is he really a 6-8% shooter? (I remember befor last year several other posters saying he just wasn't a finisher). Or can you expect him to get in the mid teens like he did last year? or is the truth someplace in between. If the truth is someplace in between, then he's not a 30+ goal scorer, he's more like an 18-20 goal guy. Of course we all want him to get back to last year's level and be a 30 goal guy. Worst case scenario? Hes is what he was his rookie year, his 2nd hear, and this year...which means he probably can only be counted on for goals in the teens. DG mentioned in a press conference and again on WGR that when this team is fully healthy, Cozens faces the 2nd and 3rd lines of the other team, and more bottom pair or at least 2nd pair defensement. Against 'lesser' matchups he may do better. This year with the injuries, he has been facing some better guys on the other team, maybe that is part of what the issue is.

And this, I think this is the reason I am much less of a sports fan than I used to be. I can't identify with that behavior and I do not want people to think of me as even 1/4 of that. Yeah, I get it, people get emotional about a lot of things. There are Bills fans like that too, and everyone can invest as much as they want into anything they want as long as they aren't doing harm to anyone else. But...wow. If that is real its pretty bad. If that is a fake/staged video, its just as bad for slightly different reasons (that someone would care enough to do that).