PerreaultForever

Not true. Yes, he made a mistake in the OT. Puck bounced a little and there was a small miscommunication so it's an error, it's on him, and that's how OT goes but in the series, as a whole, he's made some big saves and kept them in the game during slow starts (almost every game has been a slow start for them). Bruins are having trouble dealing with the aggressive forecheck and they are making mistakes under pressure, especially at home, but it's definitely not Ullmark's fault.

Let's go one step at a time. This Adams rhetoric about building for long term success is just marketing bs. If you still don't make the playoffs next year you're not building anything, you're failing.

He might. He might not. Portillo, Johnson (probably) it's recent and I don't want to risk it on a high pick at this point. I'd rather sign some prairie boy who considers Western New York as a geographical upgrade or some northerner from the Yukon or outer Siberia even. Somebody who either has little choice but to sign with this CBA or genuinely would want to be here like Power, coming from Mississauga. I guess I'm just saying if you put two options in front of me and one is a college guy who might not sign later, I'm going with the other option.

Interesting player. I'd be afraid of him becoming another doesn't sign guy that holds out to play in some other city.

Well I don't think the guys like Clague matter because they're not really starting roster players anyway. Bryson's arguably out as well. So you move on from VO, doubt you get much disagreement there, and then I personally want the entire bottom of the roster redone so I do want to move on from Girgs and Kyle. My preference is also upgrading to make Jokiharju no longer relevant but I doubt that happens. Anderson as a new goalie coach? idk, but I'm not sure the one we have is getting it done.

I agree that ESPN puts too much crap on screen but here's something I do sometimes you can give a try. Get set up for the game, turn the sound OFF and put some of your favourite tunes on. Sit back and watch the game. Thing is you really have to focus and watch the game. You don't get to look out the window or around the house/apartment you have to pay attention and watch everything. It actually makes for a very intense and immersed experience, and your music is going to make you happier than their voices.

Exactly. It's a war, and depth, endurance and wearing down the opposition is part of it. In part, survival is how you move on. They're not wrong when they say it's the hardest team trophy to win in pro sports. With the number of teams the league has (and maybe more coming) I wouldn't shorten the playoffs in any way. imo if someone is already "tired of round one" they're either not that big of a hockey fan or just jealous that their Sabres aren't involved. Personally I'd prefer mixing things up more and a 1-16 seeding league wide. Team rivalries are good and all that but variation in the match ups is more fun too. Maybe the wildcards should be league wide too. idk, I just love hockey playoffs. Even with the crap refs. (Makar 2 min Foligno 5 min bs and more)

Florida has a pretty aggressive forecheck so they do break up a lot of plays and have a way of causing mayhem (especially Tkachuk) but overall I'd say the Bruins are pretty much in control of this series. Leafs series will be a different story. Hate the Leafs, but they have more talent and (dare I say it) ROR. Goaltending might be the difference there.

I know as a typical Sabres fan you want this to be true, and I get that, but what about them so far makes you say that? They are currently winning without either Bergeron or Krejci in the line up. Bertuzzi looks like he was made for the playoffs. Marchand is scoring again. DeBrusk is scoring. the big question mark going in was about Ullmark. Would he be a "playoff goalie" and so far the answer is a resounding yes. Made some incredible saves at key moments. I mean anything can happen to anyone and the refs can help the Leafs even more and there's always luck but I don't see a weakness right now.

"don't deserve" now that's an interesting way of looking at it, "deserve". I would say their management made a lot of good decisions and brought in some solid players. Some of those moves could have been made by the Sabres, who what? "deserve" to be in just, because? Sabres fans definitely deserve better, but the Sabres? management and ownership deserve exactly what they've blundered into all these years. I know there are many ways to say it's not comparable, but last year's Kraken roster and the Sabres roster were even in many ways. They took a step up and they are not going away. Would the Sabres have made the playoffs if they were in their division? Maybe. Those things don't matter though. Playoff success does. Kraken are fun to watch. Makar should have gotten 2-3 imo, but I guess no history and a star so 1 game. Still weird to watch E-Rod getting big minutes. Colorado likely still beats the Kraken, but they do not look deep enough to get back to the final. Wouldn't be surprised if they went out to the winner of Dallas/Minnesota.

The statement could be true but still means nothing. A lot of young kids come in full of themselves with high expectations of instant success and then they get knocked down to reality and how they deal with that partly determines their future. Clearly, Tage took some time adjusting to the game in the NHL, learning what he could and couldn't do, growing into his body. If there was some mental stuff in there too so what? He clearly put it all into place and has matured into a solid star player. What he does now matters, not what he did at 18. Berglund, on the other hand, as a fully developed man, had a hissy fit over being demoted for his crap play and rather than work to earn a higher spot quit and took his toys and went home to end his career. Now that's a legacy.

Kraken with their first ever home ice playoff win ties the series 2-2. That was an exciting game.

30 years. Those were the days. and this was the #1 song at the time.

Rumors are just rumors, until they are not. The reality is simple. Many Euro players come over for the chance of the big NHL money. If they are in the AHL they sometimes get less inspired by the whole experience. Many of them prefer the European lifestyle they left so if they aren't in the NHL making the big bucks and enjoying all the other perks and fame they consider going back to the lifestyle they left (and friends and family). It's really that simple. Whether Rousek wants to go back or is willing to stick it out and keep trying for the NHL at this point, is just a rumor. Until it's not.

But not Reinhart. 🙂

Thing I have for Thompson is he's really a gentle giant. He might endure some of it, but he'd be better off to initiate more of it. Dahlin's learned that to some extent. As a constant target he's learned it's better to hit than be hit, even if it leads to a scrum. Power's still a kid. Let him grow into it. I'm not saying he will become a tank like McAvoy seems to be but he might become more than physical enough. Best to pair him with somebody to take on more of that.

It is. Looked like the refs wanted it to be 2-2 though. I suspect it goes 7 .

Careful with guarantees, but I hope you are right.

cause that's not who they are or how they play. There's a few players who would maybe hit more, but as a whole the team we currently have would not withstand this stuff. We'd fall fast against physicality the same way Tampa did before they beefed up with Maroon etc.

Thompson fought Chara? I don't remember that. He took on Miller once which was brave. Maybe I'd consider the Sabres tough if they still had Ullmark 🙂 (if you weren't watching Ullmark ready to take on Tkachuk end of the Bruins game only stopped by the refs who then made a bizarre call favoring Florida but Ullmark has big ones)

That's not the point though. The point is would this Sabres team be able to withstand this sort of hockey? I say no.

Oh nobody's collecting sticks. Not that extreme. But I think you get the point. The original comment I was responding to was claiming our leaders would be all in and although we sometimes push and shove back we aren't exactly physical. I don't think we are totally soft any more, but we're definitely not tough enough for this type of hockey.

Just as a point to that I googled and we averaged 14 hits per game. Tampa and Toronto are throwing around 40 plus to 50 per game.