JohnC

They are quicker, faster and more tenacious.

Your infatuation with non-contributing goons is outdated in this era of hockey. I would rather add another Doan and Zucker like players who are tough and meaningly contribute.

Totally agree with you about the good play of Timmons. And it should be noted that Power and Samulesson (who has played less due to injuries) have also played well. And there is no question that Dahlin is our most indispensable player on this team. With respect to Byram, I haven't formed an opinion on him just yet.

I’m really eager to see how the Power/Kesserling pairing works out. And then how the Samuelsson/Timmons pairing benefits from the re-shuffle.

What’s the status on Kesserling? What’s his timeline to get back?

If the ups are more than the downs, then you have an obligation to continue on for the benefit of the audience. 😀

If I would have made my comment about the owner pep talk when we were playing another team at a different location, then my comment would have been gratuitous and annoying. That isn’t the case and wasn’t the intention. Just continue posting with no inhibitions. It’s better that way. 🍻

What are you talking about? That was a unique situation where the team completely fell flat (humiliated) after a surprising pep talk by the owner. I’m not criticizing the owner as I am the team’s response to his uncharacteristic appearance.

If the Sabres can win in Montreal, maybe that can wash away some of the stench from last year’s Pegula pep talk game where we got trampled. I hope that I’m wrong but I don’t see us winning tonight in front of that ramped up crowd.

If that is the case he should be coerced to continue on. What’s the going rate for hiring a street enforcer?

The licking was certainly a low class act. No matter what you think of him as a player you can’t criticize him for not always playing with passion and effort. To show you that I do have some standards, if he would have French kissed another player on the ice, I would retract my positive comments about him. An affectionate rat on the ice is not something I will tolerate. 🫣

As a Sabre fan I'm not criticizing any player for being feisty and passionate. When Marchand acts out it is not an act. It's who he is as a player and why he is a winner. Benson is a tamer version of Marchand. And that is a tribute to Benson.

What was the attendance at the game? Watching the game it seemed to be a good crowd and very engaged. Just curious.

If Tuch doesn't get signed because the organization rejects the costly extension, then it sets this franchise back further than you can imagine. For a franchise that lacks credibility, what message does it send to players like Dahlin and Tage who are trying to push this franchise towards respectability? My fear is that Tuch takes the Reinhart strategy and waits for his current contract to expire. The cap is going up. So it's not a surprise that the contracts will increase. There has been a recent spate of top-tier players signing and establishing the market value. Tuch is not in the top-tier but he is in the next tier. And on this roster he is a central player for us. The market will soon be more firmly set for a Tuch caliber of player. And it will not be cheap. You either pay the market-value or you go by the wayside. When your franchise is already stuck by the wayside you are not in a position of strength. Get a deal done!

We disagree. That’s okay. We’ll see how this plays out.

Many people had the same criticisms of Power. Be more patient or you will see another traded Sabre thriving with another team.

I agree that Power again played well. His improved play reflects his added confidence. His going to the net on his goal showed him asserting himself and not playing with hesitation. I also liked the play of Samuelsson. He’s a good third pairing defenseman. Nothing wrong with that.

Many people were strenuously arguing to trading Power. They are wrong. There are many who wanted to deal off Samuelsson for peanuts. They are wrong. Be patient, Quinn will come around.

Quick thoughts for this game: Lyons gets my first star? Doan gets another. Both Power and Samuelsson played well. The team defense was excellent. They didn’t give the Panthers much room when they had the puck in our zone. I thought the Sabres were superb in getting out of their zone. The PK was superb and our PP scored twice. Doan is an excellent addition. When Benson isn’t playing this is a different team. When this team plays with a competitive team they have a chance to win. When this team is flat it loses and is a bore to watch.

The net presence in front of the opponents’ net is so much better this year. Zucker is good at hitting the pipes. He’s one of our best inside positioning players. I like Benson’s play so far.

The austerity measures that Pegula took was a reasonable response to a unique historical situation that created a challenging business environment. As you point out, there was nothing unique about the way he responded compared to most others in the sports business and business world in general. That has never been my source of criticism of him on how he has managed his hockey business. He's simply made a number of crushing bad decisions, most notably his staffing decisions, that have weighed this franchise down. He's the owner and boss. He could do whatever he wants to do. However, the measure is the record. It's not a challenge to make a determination on his performance as an owner. The owner has been repeatedly criticized for interfering with the hockey operation. I don't think that currently it is a valid criticism, or at least less so now. However, the critical staffing issue still plagues this franchise and will continue to do so until there is a change.

I don't know who is starting in goal. But if I had a choice, it would be Lyons. If we can get the caliber of goaltending that he has given us so far, I would be happy with that. I see the Sabres in a good situation to win this home game because of the reasons you cited. They are compared to Florida more rested, are at home and are less banged up. Another factor is that the Sabres should be determined not to fall too far back at this early stage of the season. So I'm predicting the Sabres will be in the win column by nightfall.

If it is inappropriate to criticize an owner of a sports franchise in a system that is designed for parity, there is a simple solution: sell the team. What do people expect? Adulation and a warm embrace for a generation of incompetency?

That’s the real issue. Everyone has stated in various forms that he does’t know what he is doing. The problem is that he hasn’t recognized that obvious fact yet. His big boat unreality has sunk this franchise in deep waters.

It isn't an issue of setting the bar too low for him. What I recognize is that his style of play doesn't rely so much on physicality as it does positioning and skating. And because of that more finesse style his play will not be as preferred by many as the more muscular style of play would be. He's a tall and lean young player who will get stronger. What I'm watching to see is steady increase in his physicality. As you noted, it was evident in the Ottawa game. But the reality that many people are reluctant to accept is that he is not going to be an imposing physical player on the ice because that is not his game. In my more optimistic eyes I see a player who is going to be an anchor defenseman for us. But for many people his contribution will be dismissed because of how he plays.