z-man

I have to watch the Caps broadcast due to blackout rules…so much better than Dunleavy. Feel like Dahlin should pretend to be an NBA shooting guard and just take it in to the net himself every so often.

I'm excited about what we got back in the deal, and glad it's all over. I think my only somewhat productive comment I could add to this discussion is something I think about all the time with the Bills and where they are at now: good teams don't necessarily start with big names, and big names don't make good teams. For years the Bills signed free agents who wound up underperforming when they got to Buffalo. The Sabres have done the same. When you focus on building a team and culture up and down the roster (and pipeline in the case of Hockey) rather than fitting a collection of talents into a "system," you wind up with guys that will play better than they might go on to do elsewhere if they were to leave...in essence, a lot of your team winds up becoming the very big names you once sought, as a product of their environment. Inevitably, some may leave in free agency, and go on to underperform elsewhere. Obviously, you need good hockey players -- you can't make something out of nothing. And we've certainly got some promising talent in the system. We're probably not going to have another player of Eichel's "no-doubt" elite talent just fall into our lap, but who knows what happens if we take some swings on high upside but less certain prospects and put them into the right environment to grow. How many guys did we pass up in drafts who are now top 20 players in the league?

Derrick Henry is incredible...don't want to face him in the playoffs but love to watch him play in general. I can't recall a more physically dominant RB in recent times -- brings to mind Jerome Bettis. There are guys that run hard (e.g. Marshawn Lynch), but they weren't also HUGE.

NHL.com already has us 14 in their power rankings 👀

I like the way Foligno is responding to the increase in ice time this year. I feel that if this continues, he will learn to stop making as many bonehead plays. He brings a lot to the table for a guy with such hands, and I like that he can be an energy guy without resorting to sandpaper tactics. Ennis just doesn't have it. He was a bright spot in the tank, but his flashy individual plays don't work if he can't create plays with his teammates. I am loving watching Reinhart's development.

Deluca, I think I'm going to pass this year. My team name is Tokyo Katanas. Thanks for running things.

While it seems a little arrogant on some level, I don't think we have a Brendan Lemieux on our hands. He legitimately does have the choice of many teams, and nothing he's said is at all out of the ordinary for someone in that position. If we get him, which we probably have an good shot at doing, great.

I'm a happy camper. I think a poster here once summed up his game perfectly: "Okposo is a man." If you watch him play, you can see his stats are not a byproduct of playing with Tavares at all (did they even play together all the time?). He's heavy, he's got skill, and he plays with energy.

I was just thinking about this, and thought it might be an interesting game. Fill in the blanks with your best 5, the wild card 6th man, the winning shooter, and the RJ Call. ----------------- The Sabres, after an up and down start in 2015, came roaring to life in the second half of the season, and made an improbable playoff run, culminating in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Sabres went down 1-0 in the first period, and gave up two more goals in the second. But ten minutes into the third, refusing to give up, they rallied back, scoring two goals within 6 minutes. Down one goal, with momentum on their side, and thousands of fans on their feet, they pull the goalie with two minutes to go. The crowd is going wild! But wait...a missed pass and icing is called. The puck comes back into the Sabres zone with just a minute to play, as the crowd catches it's breath momentarily. The atmosphere is elecric! Rick Jeanneret is screaming into the mic! The goalie goes back in to the net, and Dan Bylsma sends out his best 5...the true blood and guts of the team...the 5 guys you can count on: ___________, _____________, _____________, ____________, and _____________. The Sabres win the faceoff!!! The goalie sprints to the bench, and Dan sends out one more man, _____________. [Cuts to RJ's call] He shoots, HE STOPPED IT!!!!! ROBBED!!!!!...HE GETS THE REBOUND....SENDS IT RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE CREASE!!!!!! 10 SECONDS LEFT...HE PASSES IT TO ______________________...HE SHOOTS...SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRREEEEESSSSS!!!!!!! ______________________[insert RJ's Call]_______________________

I've been going the cheaper route recently, and have actually been enjoying Famous Grouse and Black Grouse. I think they are basically the bare minimum in quality required to drink neat, at least for me. Not too much going on, but pretty nice flavor and smooth. But still a step down from Johnnie Black. Perfect for scotch and soda. I also got a bottle of Tullamore Dew for the first time, it's actually not bad. It completely disappears in a whiskey ginger (moreso than Jameson), but on it's own it's surprisingly smooth and balanced. I'm not sure if I like it more than the base offerings from Jameson and Bushmill's, but it's not bad at all.

I can't put my finger on why, but I just don't like him.

The WJC/USA Hockey guy they interviewed during the intermission, when asked why they chose Buffalo, among his answers specifically mentioned "especially since Russ Brandon has taken over, he had a lot of enthusiasm..." the implication is that this guy did not like Ted Black.

Why is Babcock considered to be such a great coach? He won one cup with a good team. So did many others (including Bylsma, Torts, and others who were available last offseason). The wings still have the second best record in the NHL without him. The Leafs suck even worse with him. I don't get why he keeps getting cited for the Olympic Gold...I could coach the Canadians to a gold while blind drunk. Maybe I'm just saying this because he's arrogant, but I'm just not seeing it.

This would be my choice. Sure there are a few player upgrades, but by and large EVERYONE is playing better under Bylsma. I'm very surprised.

With a great play by play guy, you should be able to tell what the puck is doing based solely on the tone of his voice. With great announcers, sometimes you can be taking a nap on the couch and they will wake you up just in time to see a goal.

While it would probably be a pain for them to change over the color with all the branding changing in the First Niagara Center, I could actually see this happening, just because the Bills also use royal blue and it could bring them together in a One Buffalo marketing sort of way. I'm pretty sure my "vintage" themed Sabres hats and my Bills hats are the same exact color. On another note, I'd like to see some sweet red and black third jerseys.

I thought Ullmark looked pretty good. I don't know much about the mechanics of being a goalie, but to me Chad Johnson, even on his good nights, looks like he could let in any shot at any time, and seems to cough up the worst rebounds on every other shot. This kid just seems a little more confidence inspiring.

So I love this team...a few thoughts: Girgensons is awesome. He may not show up on the score sheet that often, but every time he is on the ice, even someone who doesn't watch hockey will know that "this guy is making a difference." I like Reinhart more and more each game. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's his attitude (outside of his more frequent nice plays). He seems moderately physical for a teenager, but what impresses me with his physicality is that he never gets upset/angry or looks rattled when he gets hit or shoved. It's like his focus is always on the next hockey play. I guess I would say he appears to play without an ego, and just goes to work every shift and doesn't let anything bother him. Gorges...it's early and he was injured for a time, but I honestly am not sure how he got an "A." During a lot of the game yesterday, he did not stand out at all and in fact looked bad at times. There were several moments I believe in the first period where he looked out of position in the O-zone and he even looked like he got caught daydreaming once or twice. Is it just me? Loving Foligno. I'm biased since I bought his jersey two seasons ago so I want him to succeed (haha), but I've always liked him and it's nice to see him really contributing and making plays. It seems that Ted Nolan just told him to "use that big frame" and "throw his body around" as you would hear him say in interviews last year. Not sure what Dan Bylsma is telling him now but it's working. Deslauriers is a gem...a guy that plays that heavy, can fight with anyone, and who actually has the skill to close and have a few legit scoring chances a game is quite valuable in today's NHL where guys like Scott/Orr/etc. are becoming a liability.

I can't believe the local media are still harping on Whaley for getting rid of Cassell. He's the third string QB! Whaley can snap his fingers and ten agents will appear trying to get him to sign their guy for league minimum who is also capable of handing the ball off and throwing checkdowns like Cassell.

I just saw that the most frequently used line combination by the Sabres this season so far is actually Eichel, Kane, and...Foligno. I'm sure his play has a lot to do with it, but that's also a nice pair of bodyguards for Jack.

Watching the game, it's amazing the difference that just a couple good players makes. I couldn't help but think yesterday that, as much as I like him, Ted Nolan may have been the chief tank commander.

I wonder if that's developmental for dunleavy.

I hope he becomes the player he seems capable of being. The pedigree is certainly there with his brother and father, and he certainly has the tools.

I hope this is a chippy one, carrying over from last year. Could help the Sabres rally together against a soft, whiney team.

For some reason I doubt Murray trades for a goaltender to start for a month or two. If he didn't believe Chad Johnson could start for a month and play competently, he wouldn't have him on the roster.