Kruppstahl

Am I the only one who thinks Ottawa is not playing with the amount of desperation you would expect at this moment?

For dinner tonight I had salmon filet with red bell pepper slices, snow peas, and asparagus with garlic, pepper, salt, and dill wrapped up and baked in tin foil with just a slight drizzle of my beloved Frantoia EVOO from Sicily. Brown rice on side. Great, simple, easy meal. Currently sipping a dram of Highland Park 12 and watching Montreal/Ottawa.

I would like to see Ottawa pull this one out, not only to continue the series, but because I hate Montreal.

Slightly off topic, but the run and gun Battles of Alberta of the 1980s were some of the most exciting hockey I have ever seen. The last real Battle of Alberta (1991 playoffs) remains the single greatest playoff series I have ever seen. Hitting, fighting, goaltending, end to end rushing, great goals, great passes, unbelievable intensity and hatred among the players. It had everything you could ever ask for. The game NHL hockey has devolved into since is, on most regular season nights, unwatchable for me. It's just freaking boring, and that's what baseball is for. If McDavid can help bring Edmonton back to the top, great! They were always my "no. 2" team. Thank God he isn't in Phoenix.

You mean Backstrom?

Stamkos is doing a magic disappearing act; lots of fans in TB aren't happy with him. Well said; I agree with everything you wrote. Looks like NYI and Caps headed for OT. Love OT in the playoffs.

Who is watching DE-TROY-IT and TB? Good game.

The date that stands out for me is January 16, 2012. That's "rock bottom" for me. We played in Detroit and got smoked 5-0. The Sabres were completely out-classed and lifeless. Detroit took their foot off the gas pedal in the 3rd period out of mercy. After that game, everyone around the league was wondering what was going on in Buffalo and why the coach or the GM or both were not fired, as our problems had been ongoing for a long time at that point. It has been pretty obvious this franchise needed a complete gutting and enema for quite a long time now. I wish Pegula had cleaned house the day after his new ownership press conference, but what is done is done. Thank God most of that crap is well behind us now.

I didn't say anyone thinks he is deficient. My point is that when you have a #2 attached to your name for months it becomes a bit of a scarlet letter, but it shouldn't be. Do not think of us losing the lottery. Think of us as winning it, because that is what Eichel represents in any almost any draft year in at least the last decade. Eichel is better than anyone Edmonton has gotten thus far with their recent four #1 draft picks, or our own Samson Reinhart for that matter, who was effectively the best forward in the world a year ago. (In terms of draft participants).

Unfortunately, Eichel has always been the "#2" in the "McEichel" conversation. This leads one to believe he is somehow deficient. It is important to remember he is a big, strong, great skater with tons of talent, tons of hockey IQ, a wicked shot, and he is said to be a pretty fierce competitor who hates to lose. You can win Cups with guys like that. Eichel, Kane, Zemgod Googlezins, Samson, Risto, and Big Z represent the makings of a solid core that could beat a lot of teams in the playoffs. Throw in Ennis as some tasty spice and let's not forget Pysyk either! Plus mucho high ranking draft picks not yet picked, free agents not yet acquired, and trades not yet done. My expectation is to see the best lineup in Sabres history, shortly.

That was totally cool. Haven't seen anything like that since my last visit to Punkin' Chunkin'.

LOL! Great one. :w00t: I'm sure not! He's huge, a great skater, good hockey IQ, and has a taste for cutting people in half. Or at least trying to. He's going through some maturing pains right now. His upside is not Risto good, but it's close. Yes. It's going to be interesting to keep an eye on this.

What is everyone's favorite series so far? What is your "must see" series now?

It's way too early to make a fair comparison of what these two teams will look like when they compete with one another for the Cup, should that happen. I think Edmonton will trade some of its forward talent soon in favor of defensive talent. The Sabres are not nearly done forming the core of what will hopefully become "the team" that competes for Cups. For example, my gut tells me COHO and Grigorenko will be gone, sooner than later, and we still have a whole bunch of top draft picks coming our way. I certainly hope Edmonton doesn't "out talent" us though!

Hey I think I read somewhere that #99 is retired league wide. :P I don't care what number Eichel takes or any other player for that matter. It's not the number that counts, it's the man that wears the number. I doubt #99 would be nearly as famous, or retired league-wide, had it been worn by Dave Snuggerud and not Gretzky. :w00t:

Stop it! Just stop it! Eichel isn't going back to the NCAA. He'll be our 1C next year on opening day. Bank on it!

Who cares about the damned league!? What they have done to my game is beyond atrocious. The league is now massively over-expanded and most regular season games are not worth watching. The only people who benefit from a growing, expanded league are the millionaire players and the billionaire owners. At least McDavid will play in front of real hockey fans who can appreciate what he has to offer. Can you imagine if he ended up in any one of the 10 or so markets that have no business whatsoever with an NHL hockey team?! That would be a disgrace.

For the record: There is not a chance in hell that Tim Murray throws away all our assets to go from Eichel to McDavid. And even more so, there is not a chance in hell that Edmonton gives away the No.1 pick and Connor McDavid. This is just a total nothing proposition. To the OP: stop worrying about nonsense and enjoy the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Murray is a no-nonsense guy and he hates the theatre associated with how the NHL does the lottery thing. That's all this is. I did think his answer about moving up to No.1 was interesting. He certainly didn't give an emphatic "NO". In fact, he said "We will regroup and discuss that tomorrow" or words to that effect. I don't see Edmonton giving up the No.1 pick though, so Eichel it is. I think Murray is huge on Eichel and will be happy to get him.

I don't see Edmonton trading the #1 pick. So then there isn't much left to talk about. Eichel it is. That's OK; he's a hell of a hockey player.

We will know the tank was a success when we have built up a team that any knowledgable hockey fan would consider the most likely or second most likely team to come out of the East and win the Cup, for a long time. Like 7 years or more. A team that any other team in the East fears playing in the playoffs. A team that other teams structure their lineup around knowing they will have to go through us to win the Cup, or compete for the Cup in the Finals.

"Sabres management" includes Murray. He didn't skip him, though he didn't mention him by name either.

A 20% chance isn't THAT BAD, is it? I mean, if I had a 1 in 5 chance of being killed every time I hopped in a car, I probably wouldn't drive.

Whether anyone loves or hates Tim Murray, we all have to agree that he is already proving to be a pretty big risk taker. Of course, that can cut both ways. Huge successes and huge failures. We have to wait and see how things play out before Murray can accurately be judged.

I glanced at the match ups today and concluded there are maybe three first round series which interest me on paper. Caps/NYI intrigues me; Tampa/Detroit intrigues me; and Nashville/Hawks Which series is everyone anticipating the most?