JohnC

I respectfully but strenuously disagree. This season isn't lost from a playoff standpoint. Granted, odds are challenging to make the playoffs. But they also existed last year until we finished with a flourish. For me, the issue is simple: Which player is better and will help you more in a playoff run. For me, easily it is Levi over Comrie. I think you are making a mistake in throwing in the towel so soon. There's still time although the margin of error is small.

No. Even if Levi is surpassed by UPL for the 1A job, I would rather keep Levi on the roster as the backup than Comrie. The issue is simple: Who is the better goalie right now, Levi or Comrie? Levi is. Stay the course.

The Sabres played soundly. Good effort against a bad team. UPL played really well. Made excellent stops and gave up few rebounds. That's the most important takeaway from this game. The big goalie is starting to string a series of good games together. Right now he is our 1A goalie.

Easy call: UPL gets the first star. Sometimes, when you play a bad team it is difficult to assess your own play. From a standings standpoint, San Jose has little to play for. So, they are playing relaxed and with little stress. The Sabres played it right by simply playing their game and not forcing the issue. Overall, I thought they played hard and were responsible in their own end. I thought Mitts played well and so did Tuch. Tuch may be our best end to end player. (Not saying he is our best player. But he plays hard on both ends of the ice.) Greenway had a good game. No flash and sizzle to his game. But he is solid. He's a big and tall player who uses his physical assets. DG pushed the GM to get him when he was being shopped by the Wild. This was a good pickup for a reasonable price, 2nd round pick that was acquired in the Jack trade. Joki was active offensively, constantly shooting the puck. It was disappointing to not get wins or earn points in the losses to Seattle and Vancouver. But if you count this game you can see the Sabres playing a more consistent two-way game. When the Sabres get good goaltending, they can match up with any team. (Not saying that they are an upper echelon team. But they are a lower rung caliber playoff team.) A win is a win. Just finish this homestand strong and don't take any team for granted.

Buffalo residents are not as familiar with hurricanes as you are. 😁

It's amazing how perceptions vary with people watching the same game. Of course, I'm disappointed that the Sabres didn't win, or at least get a loser point out of this hard-fought game. But from an overall standpoint, I thought this was one of our best games of the season for a variety of reasons. The effort was at a high level for most of the game. There were few interludes of lackluster play. The intensity was there from the start to the finish. We had excellent goalie play by UPL. Vancouver's goalie was even better. His stop on Mitts's shot from the side of the net was tremendous. I thought our two-way play was as good as it has been all seasons. One player who stood out to me was Girgs. He played hard and fast. He even gave a credible effort as a defenseman when Dahlin was being examined for a head hit. Should a penalty have been called on that hit? I would say yes. However, the elbow hit to the head on Samuelsson should have been called. No penalty was called on that play. The more I see of Ryan Johnson, the more I am impressed. The major complaint about our play that I see is the same valid and obvious complaint than many others are citing, i.e. not enough net presence in our offensive zone. Their goalie always seemed to have an unobstructed view when we shot. This was a tightly fought game where the defenders got on the shooters. However, we had enough scoring opportunities to win. We simply missed on our shots when those opportunities existed. If the Sabres played like they did in this game for most of the season, the Sabres would have at least 3-5 more games. (My opinion.) This was a good game to watch between two teams that in my opinion played an even game. I'm certainly disappointed with the outcome but not with the play.

This is a wonderful and heartwarming post. You have a big warm heart. 💙

I haven't given up on this team. However, so far, they have been a disappointment. They haven't come close to matching expectations. What's been most exasperating about this team is that there have been too many lulls in their play. This is a critical home stand where they have to start stacking points. They have to show more urgency because although only at the half point, this season is slipping away. There are so many teams that they haven't to pass to get into the playoffs.

Why would you expect many fans in the arena cheering for Vancouver? I can understand a large contingent of fans in our arena cheering for Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, NY and Boston due to proximity, students from respective areas and transplants. But why Vancouver? It's inarguable that much more was expected from this team causing so much hostility and resentment. As you seem to be alluding to: this has not become a pleasant place to visit. That's sad and disappointing.

You can play semantical gymnastics all you want. UPL and Levi are in fact the goalies, and that is the point. .

It's a point that you haven't been willing to accept. It's unlikely that KA is going to make a deal this year for another goalie for this team. If you think otherwise, you are betting on a humongous long-shot.

It's an unlikely option. UPL and Levi are our goalies. If Levi were to be sent down to Rochester, Comrie would move up.

His passing this year has been good. In fact, I would go so far as saying that he has been over-passing. Over the past season or so he has worked hard to better round out his game. And from what I have seen, he has done so. There is no question that he is not a top tier two-way player. But he has worked hard on improving that aspect of his game.

Every time Ryan Johnson plays it becomes evident that he should be a regular on one of the pairings. There is a maturity to his game that belies his inexperience. He's not your typical rookie player who is feeling his way in the big league. He simply belongs. And it is evident that Clifton has steadied his game after his early season uneven play. He seems to have gotten comfortable with his teammates and his role.

It seemed that after being dropped to a lower line in the previous game, Tage got the message on how the coach wants him to play. There was less dangling and cute play and more direct and simpler play. The coach said that he had conversations with Tage about his play. Tage was a receptive listener and showed that he is very coachable.

Are you vying to become the Curmudgeon of the year? You get my vote.

I'm impressed with Robinson's speed. Our fourth line has been playing its role very well recently.

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