Pimlach

Pull yourself together. Florida came in rested and with the hot goalie, and they took a 3-0 lead. Stop blaming the refs and let this play out. If Florida wins it will be capping off a great run that started with a Presidents trophy two years ago, an unsuccessful SC final last year, and maybe a Cup this year. Great for them. If Edmonton wins it will be historic. The fact that they never gave up is a great story. McDavid is the best player in the NHL right now. There is not one GM/POHO that would disagree with that. If he leads his team to victory, while possibly setting up a playoff scoring record, then I see no reason not to enjoy the accomplishment. I want this to go 7 games. This is great for NHL hockey.

While I agree with paying teachers more money to attract and retain better teachers, when I reflect on my school days, many of my favorite and more influential teachers were indeed the youngers ones. Not all of them, but certainly a lot of them stand out as I look back in time. These younger teachers were also the lower paid ones given the salary structure of NYS public schools, which favors time in the job and tenure. Public school teacher's pay is largely driven by time in the job, and not necessarily by their in class performance, or the standardized testing of their students. In the classroom the teachers energy, and passion for the subject, and their ability to stay current, is critical to good performance. I don't know if any of the later is measured and evaluated.

Culture is not putting on a black tie and going to museums. Ugh. Don't confuse sight seeing for culture. Culture is about the People, their land and the traditions and way of life that come from it.

I don't know about that. I see the opposite. Edmonton has been getting some level of scoring from all their lines. Two games ago we were looking at a sweep and the Talking Heads of Hockey were saying that the big names in Edmonton have to step up and that their role players were doing their part. Edmonton has impressed me with with their physical play against a team everyone thought could bully them. The injury to Barkov seems to have shaken the Panthers who are playing soft right now and letting the Oiler's come to them. Tkachuk is not himself either and Reinhart has had scoring chances and not cashed in. What we are seeing is the top players on Edmonton taking over and the top players on Florida folding up a bit. That could change again. This could come down to getting Barkov back or someone on Florida filling that void. Meanwhile McDavid is making a name for himself. If this goes 7 games McDavid could lead them to the greatest modern day comeback in SC History. I am enjoying this. As for who wins. I have no problem with Edmonton getting another Cup, a Canadian team winning is fine with me. Florida can remain in the group of teams that has never won it, along with Buffalo and Vancouver, two die hard NHL cities that are more deserving IMO.

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E-Rod answers

Oil get a PPG to go with the shortie.

Oilers are playing a physical series.

She missed some words at the end of the Anthem.

You know there is much more to it. But toughness is one important part. We saw that Lindy did a very good job with the Devils, he didn't get fired because the game has not passed him by. He has to have enough left in his tank to elevate both the game and the mindset of the players that we committed to. The team could use a few tough players but they themselves have to be tougher too. Watching the Cup final, you can see that toughness is still a part of the game. We all know that Florida has a physical team, but I have never seen Edmonton play as physical as they have in this series. They may be losing but is not because they are intimidated.

Yes indeed. It is nice when taxes actually lead to good services and help keep a community and its citizens in good shape. My wife has a family member that left Buffalo for greener pastures in Houston. Big mistake. He could not have picked a worse city at a worse time, and I will leave it at that. He is finding out that Erie County and NYS have much more to offer than he ever realized.

The Staler was one, as in the tall Bank Building that was once the M&T bank. Go inside and tour it, have a drink at one of their bars, go to the top and see the city from a unique birds-eye view, etc.

Buffalo housing is still “affordable “ compared to most medium to large US cities. The entire country has seen housing price increases. Supply, demand, interest rates, taxes, social factors, the cost to build new, are all in play here.

Saranac has great memories for me. A long time ago. Lake Placid and Tupper Lake as well.

The Cats had some bad luck, and they made mistakes (Montour played that goal all wrong), and they got swept up by the emption of the crowd. Oiler's avoided the sweep by finally finishing on some plays and getting some good fortune too. Panthers will need to play more physical at home to turn this around and finish them off. The Oilers are getting away with some borderline hits. I am surprised by the Oilers, they are much more physical than I thought.

The Oil are cooking right now. Florida needs the next one. I did not expect Edmonton to be this chippy. They have been fortunate with non calls on their dirty (by todays standards) hits.

Probably not. What is their commitment to doing that, beside making a few bucks and padding some stats? We tried Stahl, Hall, Johnson, etc. We need our coaches and core players to own it and stop the losing culture. Playoff moves - bring in vets with tread their tires that bring in what is missing. 1. Make a big multi player trade for a Center (1C/2C) that can take a big load off of Tage and Cozens. On the block, any of 11OA, Joker, Skinner, Krebs, and certain prospects. 2. Add veteran toughness and veteran skill at wing, sign UFA's Joshua and Teravainen. 3. Get a steady solid vet RHD for 2nd pair. 4. If Girgs leaves sign a guy like Carrier. Same game, and Carrier will drop them. 5. Sign a #2G and do not rush Levi.

Lots of good discussion here. Lots of the same worries and one common concern is, "vets will be better players for other teams than for Buffalo". It certainly has happened quite a bit in the past 15 years or so, and it will continue until we get better coaches, a better line up filled with NHL players and legitimate NHL spare pieces, and a winning culture. Avoid players coming here to make the most money they can. That should be a red flag from the past. We need to make this team more experienced, grittier, and mentally tougher this off season. Lindy needs the freedom to bench a struggling or lazy player and plug in someone that actually belongs in the league. I think playing the numbers game this off season gives a good chance to turn this around. Bring in a few low-mid priced players (not NHL minimum JAGS) that have potential to reach their best level ever in Buffalo (like a Briere), and bring in a few that are reliable and consistent vets (like a Teppo). Don't break the bank on one Lindholm for $9M this off season because that could turn into a Erhard or a Taylor Hall if things go awry. If you are going to spend $9M on a outside player then go make a big trade and get Brady Tkachuk or someone of that ilk. I still remember when the opposite was true, when we picked up players and they played their best hockey for Buffalo. That was of course many decades ago when management hired the best GMs they could get, and when players felt they were joining a team with a real chance to win. To turn the tide this season, sign players for lower contracts/term and hit a few of them hit.

So we add forwards, all with grit, and one defender with lots of grit.

The Oil is percolating.

Terrible call on that hooking. They put away the whistle, until they don’t. Home cooking with oil.

Ekblad was a beast clearing out the front of his net. The guy is a defensive defenseman at its finest.

Oh my, Florida is kicking Azz. Barkov gets one. 4-1.

Is he a good 4th line player for us? Sometimes, he is. He is one of the few grown ups on the team, and one of the few with a physical game. He style of play is suitable for 4th line - yes it us, for sure. My problem is the ten years and no winning thing. Its not his fault, but maybe we need to flush out the last remaining piece of the Ron Rolston era? If we keep him then no big deal, but I think we can improve upon him and maybe for a bit less money too.

So many great lakes within NY State. Such a lovely state and luckily, most of the rest of the country is still unaware of it.