Pimlach

OR They rally, they hang in there, and stay in the race. It would be nice to get healthy and still be in the race. It would be nice to cheer for something for an entire season. They need new hero's every night. It is team game and they need to hang in there together.

Love this video and the way they fold the Van Morrison song into it. Welcome Zac Brown, uh, er Jones.

lets unpack this before I speak. You say that: 1. He knows the team is not progressing 2. He is going home for “soul searching” 3. He will come back with an ultimatum How about this: 1. He now knows the team, any team, is not the most important part of his life. 2. He wants to be home to check on her, be with her, and let her know his true feelings, all of which will help both of them. 3. He will come back when he feels he can’t do any more, and he will be grateful for the support from the Sabres Team and organization.

He is not a playmaker at all. He is a finisher. He could be a 50+ goal player but he will never be the catalyst that consistently drives the play. He is a piece of the puzzle but not the solution to the problem.

I assume humor was intended. Benson is listed at 5'10" and 180, and still only 20. He is actually bigger right now than Danny Gare was. He is an inch shorter but already the same weight that Mike Peca was. Benson will add another 8 to 10 pounds in the next few years. His shot is the only area that really needs improvement. He can work on this and getting stronger will help.

I was ok with the recent string of losses and/or OTLs but the events leading up to the Blues game should have got the Sabres attention that this game was going to be a battle. The performance from all of them tells us a lot. It was not just a bad night. Unprepared. Out coached. Out worked. All of it.

I think we know that Lyon is better. And I think we know that Lyon is not the long tern answer if he is expected to play 50-55 games. Ellis played one game and was better than UPL. He kept the team in the game. They rallied around him. He needs to play more. After that we just pray that Levi is an NHL goalie someday. As for Quinn, he had a few good games on wing but his two way game is still suspect. People complained about Peterka's two way game, why does Quinn get a pass? Quinn does not belong on the point on the PP. He just cannot be trusted in that role. I would use Dahlin, Power, Byram, or Kesselring and keep it simple. Get bodies to the net and fire away.

To be fair the lines have been unsettled all year starting with the injury to Norris. The one exception for a few games was when Tuch - McLoed - Doan were clicking, but injuries are a big part of the problem. The AHL guys show flashes but they are not ready for prime time.

100% True. But I feel they took this game lightly. I know how weak this club is emotionally and I know that they can be lazy group. Hence trap game.

Thanks for reminding me about the UPL tripping penalty, which killed any chance of a comeback since we played 2 of the last 3.5 minutes in our end killing that penalty. That was dumb and dirty. It was childish and selfish. The Blues are a bad team and yet they knew how to finish a road game and preserve a shutout. Coaching matters. I just want to see if Colton Ellis can play in the NHL. Give him some games then decide on a #2. Why is this so hard?

Get your steps in and suck up leaves. Retired guys can relate.

Oh, I thought it was last night. Felt bad for you guys to have to watch that game last night.

Yes. Trap game. The Blues were playing bad, they were embarrassed the night before, so their coach took action. Montgomery said his players should be breaking other players legs to get to the puck first. He did not rest them, he skated them. Remember when Terry flew to Montreal, give his inspirational speech, cancelled the practice, and fly back to the big boat only to have his charges lose 5-1 to the Canadians? As I recall the Sabres cancelled at least two practices during that winless streak of 13 game (11 loses and 2 OTLs). Instead Montgomery skated his team in between a back to back. They worked on fundamentals, and then he benched two significant players. Put good ol' Joe Hofer in net, who knew he had a SV of 1.000 versus Buffalo, and who knew he would pitch a shutout? I did predict the Blues would try hard to slow the Sabres down, limit their scoring chances, control the neutral zone, and wait for the Sabres to leak. Looking at the Sabres depleted roster and all the factors leading up to this game, a Sabres let up was exactly what I expected from this group. The Sabres coaching staff was completely outmatched putting out a jumbled mess of forward lines and another night with a totally impotent PP. Remember that recent game on TNT? The praise that Ellis got, the positive vibes the Sabres created for one night with the National media. Fast forward to now. Since that night the Sabres have a bunch of "celebratory" OTL's that are keeping them alive for now. That Ellis kid has not played another minute since that night either. UPL is back and he is making a lot more clams than both Colton Ellis and good ol' Joe Hofer. That's the way it works in Sabreland.

So how was the meet up, the pub, the food, the talk? Never mind on the game.

I can still golf, weather matters.

It’s too early in the season to overreact to how a single game or two impacts the standings. They simply have to avoid two losses in a row and they need wins, not OTLs. They can’t fall into the same old bad habit of accepting losses or this will unravel quickly This team takes periods off, sometimes entire games off. They lose to teams they should beat. The outcome of the Blues game was predictable. All the signs of a trap game were there The Sabres are poorly coached. They start slow, they finish slow. The top 6 is a shambles right now, but even without the injuries it is not that good. The center spine is a weak. Josh Norris was a big and stupid gamble that a GM with 5 straight losing seasons should not have made. Thompson and Dahlin are not doing enough. I fear more inner turmoil is brewing Goaltending will be the key. History says Lyon will not hold up. History says UPL is not good enough. We have seen Ellis once and he stole a win yet he can’t get back on the ice.

Explain this please.

Yes. And do not forget that the Blues coach benched Kyrou and Sunquist on top of that.

There were SEVERAL veteran coaches out there when Lindy was hired. NONE OF THEM WERE FORMALLY INTERVIEWED.

The coaching is terrible. The lines were terrible. There was no effort to counter the simple game that the Blues were playing. The decision to play UPL, the power play, etc.

Quinn doesn’t surprise me, but the other two do. Doan should be parked in front of the blue paint on the PP.

Executive Hair?

Now the Blues will never trade us Kyrou for UPL.

Ellis playing tonight might have revved up the Sabres. The Blues were certainly playing for pride. Past culture responds, if only temporarily.

They tend to play better on the road when they are done sucking at home.