JohnC

As @Norcal points out the Sabres are 4 out of 6. That's a more positive take on their last half dozen games. This home stand is still very salvageable. The Sabres had three separate 8 non-winning streaks last year. That hasn't been the case this year where we seem to have a regular pattern of winning a game and then losing the next game. There are a number of members here who have thrown in the towel on this season. I'm not one of them. Although this certainly has been an exasperating season, it is far from being a lost cause. There is still plenty of time to crawl back into the playoff race.

When you get older your mind gets scrambled a little. It was Marty Biron. I have a tendency to mix up these short French Guys. With respect to how Granato and how he handled the situation: He's the coach. He sets the strategy and determines how he wants his players to play. A player wasn't responding to his directives. He quickly meted out a consequence. How do you think a coach such as Torts or Brind'Amour would have handled a player/s not following his instructions? With respect to TT being moved off of the top line and how it impacted the team: Mitts moving up to the top line didn't hurt its production. The Sabres are barely hanging on to a playoff hope. They have no chance to succeed if the players don't abide by what the coach is telling them. If the coach allows his players to be dismissive of what he is telling them, he will lose the respect of his players and be a failure as a coach.

Danny Briere talked about Tage being immediately dropped from his line on his show. He conjectured that the issue probably wasn't just about this game but also related to how players practiced. The game plan against this hot Seattle team that plays a very tough and structured/disciplined game was to play a more patient and simplified game. The coach didn't want his team to get frustrated and respond with over handling the puck against this defensively oriented team. When Tage over handled the puck and got caught up in the trap in his first couple of shifts, the coach quickly jerked him off the top line and relegated him to a lower line. The message was not only being sent to Tage (one of our best players) but it was also being sent to all the players that deviating from the game plan and from what the coach was instructing wasn't going to be tolerated. Supposedly, in practice Tage was back with the top line. I have no problem with how the HC handled the situation in last night's game.

I believe that he had a brace on his knee that recently has been removed. So, a leg issue may be hindering him. I agree with you that for a while his skating hasn't been as free flowing. But the issue that has stoked the coach's ire is his tendency to force a play by keeping the puck when passing it would be his best option. His trying to do too much has been a fault.

I won't go that far just yet. However, if he continues to be resistant to what he is being told, then he should be dispatched to the team box to get a better perspective on the game. By all accounts, Tage is a quality person and a team guy. But stubbornness has consequences.

Quickly dropping Tage, one of the team's best players, down to a lower line is holding this player accountable. And the message should also resonate to the other players that no one is immune from being held accountable.

On WGR Paul Hamilton gave his view why Tage was quickly dropped off the first line in this game. It makes the same point that you just made that instead of making the more simply play, he tried to out cute the opposition with his extended stick handling. After he did that early in the game and lost the puck, the coach immediately switched Mitts into his spot. There comes a point when a player stubbornly does what he wants to do instead of doing what the coach wants him to do, there are consequences to not listening to the coach. This team simply can't adjust to the opposition when it plays a more conservative and harder brand of game.

Before I throw in the towel on this season I want to see how this team does in this homestand. I've felt for a long time that the issue isn't so much the quantity of talent as it is the mix of talent. This team can't seem to adjust its more open game when the other team plays a conservative lock down game. Attack within this WGR link is Paul Hamilton's 12 minute segment talking about the Sabres and its problems associated with its mix and how it plays. https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/authors/jeremy-and-joe-show

Of course, KA is listening to offers, as are all GMs. That's his job. I'm sure you will agree that it is unlikely that Greenway would be moved this season. Your preferred transaction of acquiring a top 4D defenseman will be difficult to work out for cap reasons. Paying a 4D player with a commensurate contract would not make sense from a cap strategy standpoint. There are young players already on the roster who will need to be properly compensated when their first contract is up. It makes it even less sense if you consider that we already have Ryan Johnson in the system. To my pleasant surprise, after watching him play, it is reasonable to believe that he will be on the first or second pairing in the not too-distant future. My basic point is that from a cap standpoint, it would make more sense to use the cap money on a wider distribution basis.

The appeal as to why Vancouver would want Greenway is the same appeal as to why the Sabres would want to keep him. He fits in well with the Mitts line and more importantly, he is one of our best PK players. He was a good value pickup for us.

I disagree. There's still time with little margin of error. Last year, this team dug itself into a deeper whole with three separate 8 non-winning streaks. It wasn't until the last fifth of the season where it made a serious push. We ran out of time. This is a critical extended homestand. We can get into a genuine playoff mix if we come close to maximizing the points on the table. It will be a big challenge but I see it as being doable. You may not. That's okay.

In addition, the cap should be going up in the near future. The big issue relates to the length of the term than it does to the amount per year.

The critical issue isn't so much being in a playoff spot after this homestand as it is being in the playoff mix with a credible chance of getting into the playoffs after this extended home game stretch is completed. Last year, the team dug itself in a hole that was difficult to overcome. Better positioning oneself sooner rather than later gives this team a more realistic chance to make the playoffs.

You make a good point how the long-term ineptitude of the hockey operation under its current owner contributed to suppressing the fan interest of the younger generation. I'm hoping that this team can get it together and make a genuine playoff run this season and maybe generate more interest from this particular demographic. Can interest be revived with this dormant young group? Yes. That's assuming that this team can becomes a relevant team again. Winning is a big cleanser for the foolishness that has been foisted on this worthy and untapped market. This fall from hockey relevancy is so inexcusable and wasn't necessary.

Is your real name Walter?

What is HDC? You have criticized the play of our goalies for quite a while. And rightly so. In the last two games, both Levi and UPL played exceptionally well. That should be a reason to be encouraged. Does this very limited body of evidence mean much? I can't say for sure. What I can say is that Levi's play at the end of the last season offered a snippet of good quality goaltending. And it seems to me that over the past few games UPL has upped his game. What does it mean? Just maybe???? we can get adequate goaltending to help this team make a legitimate playoff run like it did last year. Did the video replays contribute to our win? Absolutely, it did. But it should be noted that the replays showed that the original calls should have been reversed. Good calls, bad calls, consistent officiating, inconsistent officiating are part of the landscape in all sports. In the end, what caused the outcome means little. It's the outcome that counts. I'll take the win and walk away with a smile.

The Sabres have a chance to get back into a credible playoff chase if they come close to maximizing their point potential in this extended homestand. If they don't seize the opportunity, the rest of the season will lose a lot of meaning. There should be no excuses. The team is relatively healthy; and the recent two games are a good starting point to build from. A big question is whether this team can get enough consistent goaltending. The last two games are encouraging and indicate that the answer is maybe.

I agree with you that both video replay calls were the right calls. The offside goal was obvious. Although the interference with the goalie call was the right call, it was a close call that frequently doesn't get called. In the hockey world, or sports world for that matter, usually in the long run the calls balance out. You have no choice but to play through them. As you pointed out in your previous post, the Sabres seemed to stabilize after the first period when they seemed to be constantly chasing the Penguins when they had the puck. Dealing with adversity and demonstrating resiliency was one of the more important takeaways in this game.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/buf-pit-girgensons-scores-goal-against-tristan-jarry-6344418313112 Our fourth line battling in front of the net. This line ended up securing the win. Over the past two games, both victories, our fourth line played like a good fourth line. They played up to their role.

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/victory-speech-6344419109112

The not being able to clear the zone was mentioned by one of the commentators. He pointed out that because they struggled to get the puck out of their zone, the unit ended being out too long. It made it even more difficult to keep up with the Pitt offense. We were very fortunate that UPL held the fort while it was under siege. As you noted, the Sabres didn't panic, even when they were being dominated. We were both fortunate to win and it was a good win. Hopefully, we can build on this win during our homestand.

Quick thoughts. Obviously, UPL was our big star. As someone else said this may be his best game ever. We were fortunate to get a win. But our guys hung in there. As previously mentioned, the video guys get a star for making the right calls. The replays showed that they were right. The Sabres struggled to get the puck out of their zone in the first period. UPL saved the bacon in that period. As with the previous game, our three pairings held strong. Our third pairing played solidly. No weak links in the defensive pairings. Clifton has been playing well. Our team demonstrated a lot of fortitude. They hung in there although on balance I thought Pittsburgh had the edge in play. Crosby is still great. The Sabres had no lapses in this game. They played hard throughout. We got good goalie play in the past two games. We won both of them. That's the difference. When the goalies elevate their play, we are much more likely to win. Two games in a row. Let's build on it and get back into the fray.

I believe that in the process of trying to emphasize defense in the offense/defense balance, the team lost its confidence. This year, the players seemed to be more hesitant and less reactive in their play instead of playing looser and with more freedom. Sometimes thinking too much about what you should be doing hinders what you are doing. There is a style of play that accentuates speed and offense that is most suitable to the way this roster is constructed. The team seems to have lost its identity and confidence. It's my opinion that constantly being stymied on the PP has contributed to some of its loss in confidence. It's time to get its mojo back.

It's not a loser mentality for fans of this particular franchise to want to make the playoffs after not doing so for nearly a generation. When you are franchise flirting with the bottom for a long time, you look for improvements in stages. This team is not a Stanley Cup contender. That would be a delusion. However, in my mind this team is a playoff caliber team. Being realistic is not something one should be ashamed for. You take one step forward and continue to look up. At least, that's how I see it.