GASabresIUFAN

I don’t. I had just turned 1.

I apologize to Sabrespace for accurately predicting tonight's score. At least I won all three games in my bowling tournament.

Wow. What an embarrassment. It’s amazing what competent management can do.

I’m glad at I’m at bowling tourney so I don’t have to watch. 2 goals on 7 shots. Awesome!

Det 5 Sabres 3. Sorry!

Dahlin certainly. He and maybe Ryan Johnson from the defense. I am not a fan of Power so far. I don’t think he is aggressive enough or uses his size enough to his advantage. I also think he has more offense to give. Maybe that will come over time, but we are going to be paying him like a top 20 D next season and he isn’t even close to that caliber of player. None of goalies. I fully acknowledge that Levi isn’t going anywhere, but I’m wouldn’t be afraid to put a real goalie ahead of him and let him earn the net like Boston did with Ullmark. (PS, I think Boston trades Ullmark this coming off-season.) At forward, I have Tuch, Mitts, Cozens, and JJP. I haven’t seen enough of Benson or Quinn to form a full opinion. Skinner and TNT’s lack of back checking downgrades them imho, although we don’t have a center to replace TNT if traded. I think we can replace Skinner.

KA failed this off-season. Clifton's been terrible. The decision to go with the same 3 goalies is a fail. Bringing back the bottom half of the forward group has also been a huge problem. If you were an objective observer of the Sabres, which players, regardless of contract, do you believe can be part of a championship hockey team?

Saw a photo of Anderson in his equipment today. Is Anderson going to comeback to help the team? Obviously if this happens, it’s just another bandaid repair from KA. How do we feel about this? Will it make the team better? Certainly he can’t be worse than Comrie and Levi.

I finally figured out what “wants to be here” really means. On the Sabres it means players who want get along, like to hang out together and who don’t care about losing as long as their huge checks clear.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/sabres-star-tage-thompson-could-return-as-soon-as-thursday/ “Buffalo Sabres centre Tage Thompson confirmed that he will make his return the lineup on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings.”

Roswell Park conducts the promotion during that game. I’m not sure if a donation today would still get an autograph.

It's for a good cause, the helmet is a bonus.

Just received my mini helmet. Eric Johnson I believe. I think it's an E J 6. There was nothing in the box to indicate who this is except a "6" written on the bottom.

Those are the two prospects that weren't rushed. Mitts, Levi, even Cozens and Benson, you can make an argument that they were rushed to the NHL. However, JJP and Quinn dominated the AHL, especially given their ages, and then acquitted themselves very well as rookies in the NHL. They were ready. On the hand, Rosen and Kulich are proving they aren't ready. Kulich was sent down and Rosen will follow when we get a healthy body or two back. A fair question. Don't you miss Ullmark level goaltending? 🙂

May I suggest getting a new pair of glasses? While the stats never tell the whole story, given a 25 game sample size, the trends are pretty clear. The Sabres goaltending remains below average again this season. The Sabres are 27th in GA. The are 24th in GA/gp at 3.40. The Sabres have allowed 4 or more goals 12 of 25 games. Their record is 2-9-1 in those games. They have allowed 2 or less in only 9 games. The record in those games is 8-1. (We are 0-3-1 in games where we allow 3 goals). Comrie and Levi have given us only three (3) .900 or better save % starts. Overall the team has only 10 starts where the goaltenders gave us a .900 or better save %. Is it any wonder we only have 10 wins? 10 .900 games of 25 is below average or worse goaltending. UPL has been decent this season. He has given us .900 or better save % in 7 of 12 starts, but he has also given us 2 games with a save % in the 700s. Furthermore, UPL gave us a similar run last year in his first 20 games and then the wheels came off. I'm not ready to anoint him the savior in the net when he isn't consistent and has gone into the tank after a similar start last year. By the way, UPL's save% in his first 20 starts last year was .900 and it's .903 through his first 12 starts this season (.905 if you include his 1 relief appearance).

People keep saying the goaltending has been decent. That simply isn’t supported by the stats. UPL has been ok, but has had 3 horrific games. Overall the goaltending has not been good. Sabres 5 on 5 save % is .904 - league average .919. Sabres overall save % is .886 - league average . 899. We are clearly receiving significantly below average goaltending most nights. In fact, Comrie and Levi have been two of the top 5 worst goalies in the NHL this season. Comrie’s GAA is 3.99 and Save % .864. These are terrible numbers. Of goalies with 5 or more games this season Comrie’s save % is 64th of 65, and his GAA is 63rd of 65. Levi’s GAA is 3.73 and Save % .876. These are also terrible. He ranks 60th in GAA and 61st in save%. Let’s not celebrate UPL either. His .907 save % is 27th of 65 and his 2.81 GAA is 23rd. That’s makes him a below average No.1 goalie.

I doubt CBJ would trade their Capt, but I’d love to have him.

I think that KA thought Tuch might be that guy and it’s hard to fault his effort, but for some reason the team doesn’t give the same effort he does. He obviously doesn’t hold his teammates accountable.

This team needs a real leader. A Chris Drury type player willing to hold the team up to a winning standard. Drury plastered a poster of the Stanley Cup in the locker room when he arrived tells his teammates that was now the standard in Buffalo. Since he left we have had no one, no player, no coach, no GM no owner holding anyone to that standard and that is why we are where we are.

An embarrassment. They lack drive or heart. They are just skating around playing pond hockey and hoping something good happens.

Sadly I think there is some lack of accountability and lack of a willingness to put winning first.

I left coach on my list because TP isn't going to allow KA to fire DG in season. We also know that this team can play winning hockey under DG as they showed against the Rags. If KA can get some goaltending and at least one decent forward, this team still has time to turn things around.

Issues: 1) Continued bad goaltending - 12 goals allowed in the last two games. The combo of Comrie and Levi allowed 7 goals 4 games ago against NJ helping Levi earn his demotion to the AHL. 2) Failing forward group - Yes there are a couple of injuries, but only one relevant one and that's to TNT. The truth is the group with few exceptions (Mitts and Tuch) don't back check. The team, outside of the Rangers game, isn't attacking with speed like they did last year. This team's forward depth is also a problem. The effective 4th line from last year has been awful all year. Jost adds nothing. VO has had 4 good games, the rest not to much. Greenway looks distracted and uninterested. All this has sent the forward depth into the crapper. Adding an undersized and physically lacking 18 year old is not adding quality depth at this point even if he occasionally makes a spectacular play. 3) Coaching - The message has been lost on the players since they aren't executing what they did well last year (Scoring and PP) and aren't improving on what they did poorly last year (Back checking). How do you start to fix this mess? It's going to take at least 3 acquisitions 1) Go get a legit 2 way 3rd line center. 2) Get another physical forward for the energy line 3) Get a real goalie While the goalie need is obvious, the center need is less apparent. TNT and Mitts are the top 2 centers. Cozens is having a terrible time recovering his game after his injury and has become a liability in the middle. Get a center who can win a draw, contribute some offense and allow Cozens to move to wing and we'll be much better off. The lineup could eventually look like with Skinner TNT Quinn JJP Mitts Tuch Benson ???? Cozens Greenway Krebs ???? (KO) Two center ideas - Adam Henrique and Sean Monahan - both are pending UFAs, both are vets, both are good in the PF circle and both can still add some O. Ana would have to eat 40% of Henrique's contract. I also think some like Cal Clutterbuck would be a good depth option. The only goalie options I see aren't great in Reimar and Allen, and both are in division.

So what now? Find a goalie. Bench some forwards who aren't working hard enough. Fire Ellis. Bring in a faceoff and PP coach. Trade for forward help. Or take the KA approach, fake that you are interested in adding any kind of help now. Call this another development season, alienate your fans some more, trade away what you can at the deadline, and add whatever junk is on the waiver wire.

Why limit to 1st rd picks? There have been plenty of 2nd and 3rd rd picks who were just as ready. Why force them to stay? The CHL is unlikely to want to change the rules when the deal with the NHL expires. I think the only workable solution is an exceptional status designation by NHL teams for a limited number of prospects over a period of years; say 2 players over 5 years. Now that NIL has hit the college ranks and the myth of amateur college athletes is gone maybe, it's time for CHL players to be able to move to the NCAA.