Kruppstahl

Of course the team will improve when the injured players return. The question, though, is how much will they improve. This team is a lot worse than some think even with a healthy Eichel. We have 4 key players in place. That's it. We are still thin throughout the roster even when everyone is healthy.

Compared to what? A horse and buggy? If you have 3 hours to spare and enjoy science, listen to/watch this:

The coaching change, *whenever* it comes, will help this team immensely. Well, assuming they hire a good one. I hope and pray to God Pegula told Murray to hire Bylsma. If that was GMTM's idea, we are in a world of hurt.

What was better? Bylsma icing our AHL line against the Kucherov line in the dying seconds of the 2nd period for a D zone start...only to promptly give up the goal... or... His decision to go to his TM 1-2-2 with like 8 minutes left in the game and down by 2 goals, thus assuring we wouldn't even sniff a quality scoring chance? :lol: The guy is a freaking mess and needs to go. I've said he won't last the year for a long time now....

Never too early too blame Trump for anything. But it's more relevant to blame Bylsma and GMTM too. The rebuild has gone sideways, and it's not just because Eichel is hurt.

Not much in the way of scoring talent on the team. Fairly simple really. Our transition game is horrible and the D to F gaps have been huge all season, which hurts the breakout. No speed as you mention through neutral ice and the attack never gets going a lot of the time. Once it does, we have very few finishers on the roster. Add in the fact that our talent level is greatly overinflated by many posters here (normal for most fan bases) and you can see why our 5 on 5 scoring is pathetic.

Kane is an idiot with about as much hockey sense as a ham sandwich. Bringing him in here was an early big mistake by Murray. We'll be better when he is moved. The problem is we are not going to get a lot for him. I renewed Center Ice as I always do, and I am already asking "why"??? Particularly with Bylsma around, this team is horribly boring to watch. I can't do it without doing something else holding the majority of my attention these days. Part of that is Bylsma trying to hang on until Eichel comes back, but this team is not going to improve nearly as much as we would all hope when he does, nor is 5 on 5 scoring going to shoot way up. This team still has some fairly major restructuring to do, and the expansion is going to mess with that to a degree. That's OK; the Rochester line has made for some of the most compelling Sabres hockey in a while. :( Of course Kane negatively impacts the team; the coach does too. Yep, he is going to have nagging back issues all season at this rate. They should sit the guy and let him heal properly. They don't want to do that, though, b/c without Eichel, a sustained ROR absence probably means no sniff at playoffs this year for sure. We are a bubble team even with these guys healthy for a full year, though, that's the real problem.

I greatly miss fighting and overall tough, physical play from the 1980s. Stick work, hitting from behind, cheap shots, etc., have all gone out of control as a result too. But it's not just about the actual fighting leaving the game. There is not nearly enough animosity among most teams on most nights, and that is in part to the makeup of players in the league now and high salaries. Watching 2 teams play something between a scrimmage and a pre-season game on most regular season nights in terms of intensity is simply not compelling viewing. Hockey used to be a hell of a lot more intense than it is now, and the product we have now is not particularly good. Don't take my word for it; have a look at TV ratings. They are abysmal.

Just "tonight" ??? :lol:

Someone slow these 2 teams down. This unexpected pace is killing me.

Serious question: Are we the worst team in the NHL? If not, who is worse?

Read this. http://buffalonews.com/2016/09/09/patrick-kaleta-nhl-definitely-dont-think-im-washed-yet/

"There's zero life on that bench right now. Everybody just looking off into the distance." -Rob Ray

I've been saying that since last year. He won't survive the full season IMO.

:thumbsup: God I miss that building!

And the team heads to the dressing room amid a chorus of boos.

Someone check the team's pulse. I think they're dead.

More or less. Franson in particular needs to be relieved of his duty.

Is there a full moon tonight or something? Or like some comet going by that occurs once every 7.2 million years? This is a weird game.

Watched the Lucic hit about 5 times. He very nicely turned just at the end to ensure solid contact...and then once the collision occurred, he never ever looked back at Okposo. That is the dead giveaway that he knew precisely what he was doing. He's trying to sell it like "Huh, what? Was there some incidental contact there? I wasn't aware!"

The goal was "shot" from our side of the red line! Talbot needs to get his body in front of those bouncers and not reach for it with his glove.

OK: her name is Tara Slone. She's clearly had a lot of plastic facial surgery, including the same nose as Michael Jackson got.

This woman on the Rogers Sportsnet broadcast looks shockingly like Michael Jackson. :w00t:

My point was simply that these sweaters are nothing we didn't see 40+ years ago (counting the WHA days).

Kulikov on the brink of being shipped back to a public housing block in his native Don river basin if he continues to play like this. :thumbdown: