JohnC

To show you how obtuse I am I thought the whiner line was a about wine. If you are looking for a HOF candidate for gullibility I should be on the ballot. https://www.google.com/search?q=bottle+of+wine&oq=bottle+of+wine&aqs=chrome.0.0i131i355i433i512j46i131i433i512j0i512l8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

I agree that my descriptive word doesn't apply to last night's game. And I agree that your descriptive word, effort, applied last night. However, I am freaking mad that it has applied to too many games in this season.

I, like you, don't believe that the HC has lost the room. However, what I can say is that there isn't a HC in the league whose team entered the season with such high expectations wouldn't be in a precarious job situation. That's the way it works in this bottom-line business. If the players are upset that there were calls for their coach to be fired, it is because of their desultory play. The Sabres already are in a desperate catch-up mode because of their lackluster and up and down play. In a long season with 82 regular season games you are always going to have games that are clunkers. That's normal. But when a team has been out of the playoffs for nearly a generation it shouldn't be surprising that the abused fans would expect to see greater urgency from the players. There simply is no excuse for this hideous pattern of up and down play. I'm hoping that the Toronto game was a pivotal game for this team.

Just some quick thoughts on this game. Toronto's goaltending was one of the worst I have seen this season. The Sabres took advantage by shooting the puck on net. We didn't do that enough against Columbus. I would give Okposo the first star. Our first line with Tuch/Tompson/Skinner was terrific. Tuch did the intangibles that made this line click. This was Clifton's best game. I don't know what Mitts stats were but I thought he played well. He was nifty with the puck. Quinn seemed to move a little better with more quickness. JJP made a terrific pass to Quinn for his goal. JJP is getting better and better. This game means little if there isn't a follow-up. Elevating its play against the better teams while lowering its play against lesser teams is an exasperating flaw that has sabotaged this season. Skinner's value to this team beyond his goal scoring is that he adds a spark to the team. This team needs to string some wins together to get back into the playoff hunt. I hope it's not too late. There are so many teams that we need to jump ahead of. I know there were a lot of Toronto fans in the building. But regardless which fans are in the seats there is a tremendous amount of energy when the building is full.

If Snoop Dogg buys the team it will go up in smoke.

The decrepit reputation of this franchise has been known for more than a dozen years. You don't have to be a NHL insider to know what every casual hockey fan has known for a long time.

You identified the issue that is plaguing this team: Effort. What is exasperating and even more inexcusable is that against some of the best teams in the league this team has shown that it has the capacity to play hard and tough against throughout the game. The Colorado, Boston, Ranger and Vegas games are examples where this team has shown what it is capable of when it is determined to do so. What does these episodic examples of playing the right way mean? It means that there is a team character and roster flaw. When you can't maintain an acceptable level of effort on a regular basis, then the mix in the roster and coaching staff have to be altered. Buffalo plays Toronto tomorrow. The house will be filled with a lot of Toronto fans. I won't be surprised if the Sabres play well and win. A win tomorrow won't impress me. They have to play the right way on a consistent basis. That's the problem! For whatever reason/s they can't do that.

There is no one established grooming formula that is suitable for every player. The route that Levi and Power took in their NHL journey isn't necessarily appropriate for every prospect. Benson went to this year's training camp and demonstrated that he can play at a level that earned him an NHL roster spot. And his play so far has earned him the right to get playing time on top lines. Everyone has their own evaluations when watching the games. Speaking for myself, he has not only been one of our better players but he has also been one of the grittier players on this team. He might be one of the least physically developed players on the roster, yet he has given us as much, if not the most, net presence in the games played so far. He's good, smart and tough. He's playing where he should be and where he would want to be. Some decisions regarding prospects are difficult to make. This isn't one of them.

I don't understand your reasoning from Benson's perspective. The Benson case is an example that should be celebrated. He outperformed expectations for such a young player/prospect in camp and earned a roster spot. And as you point out he has demonstrated by his play that up to now he is actually one of our better players on this team. I doubt that if Benson was given a choice to play in the Worlds or to stay with the Sabres that he would prefer to play in the Worlds. From a developmental standpoint, it is better that he played in the NHL right now than it would be to dominate at a lower-level competition. If he were a marginal player with limited playing time, I would agree with your stance. But the reality is that he has become a positive outcome in a season that so far has been a major disappointment. In this very disappointing season I'm not going sneer or be dismissive with this pleasant and unexpected outcome.

It appears, as you suggest, that an injury is inhibiting his play. But as you astutely observe the effort is there. That's all you can ask for. When this team collectively demonstrates full effort, the results follow. Last night, was a good example of that. Tage is one of the best shooters in the league. It's noticeable that the injury to his wrist is still a lingering problem. He's not the same dynamic shooter that he was prior to the injury. But to his credit he is working through it and giving his all. That's what character and leadership is all about.

Before I go to bed just some quick thoughts about this game. Levi is the first star by far. Benson played really well. He is as good as anyone on this team to get to the right spots. For a youngster who is not fully physically developed, he plays tough and is a gritty kid. Don't be fooled by his baby face. Cozens looked good in this game. So did Mitts. I thought that Cozens and Mitts fed off of each other. Vegas is one of the best teams in the league. They are physically tough. Although Vegas dominated the play in the beginning of the game, after that sequence the Sabres went toe to toe with them. I thought the Sabres played as hard throughout this game than they have all season. I don't recall any lull in their play in this game. In order to make this win meaningful the Sabres need to win against the Coyotes.

I strenuously disagree with your take on Okposo. He's not playing out the string (your words). There is no question that he is a diminished player who is at the end of his career. Where he is as a player has nothing to do with his lack of leadership. The notion that because he is the designated captain that he is blocking someone else from assuming leadership doesn't resonate with me. Just because he wears the C doesn't mean that players such as Tuch or Dahline or Thompson or even Mitts can't be influential in the room or on the ice. Your frustration with this team is making you chase an irrelevant bogeyman. With respecting to who has the responsibility to holding players accountable for their play, it is the coaches, primarily the HC. He asserts his authority by distributing playing time and also by not suiting up players at all if that is what is required to motivate the problematic players. I'm not panicking just yet over how the season has unfolded. That is not to say that my patience with this inconsistent team isn't close to being exhausted. Something is missing with this team. It may relate more to the roster mix than to the talent in general. I just think that the issue you are focusing on regarding who wears the letters is misguided. Again, whether one wears a letter or not has little to do with who exerts leadership.

There were some other factors that made Kane prefer Detroit. He and DeBrincat had an association from their Chicago days. Kane also played in the juniors in Michigan so he had some ties to the area. Like you, I wasn't bothered by not being able to sign Kane because this team had other needs. I thought that the Robinson signing met a greater need.

I would love to see a Quinn/Cozens/JJ line.

Not getting Kane shouldn't be much of an issue assuming that Quinn can return to form in the near future. As you noted, it's clear that Buffalo isn't an appealing destination for a lot of players. That's the sad reality of that is a result of long-term franchise dysfunction and failure. Tuch should be back for the road trip and Greenway should be back soon. I'm not bothered by Kane going to Detroit. It is a good spot for him.

It's not surprising that people watch games and come away with diametrically different views. I'm not saying that your view on Casey is wrong. However, my view on Mitts is much different. Regardless what his stats are, in my mind he has been one of our better players so far. He plays as hard as anyone, and I consider him to be one of our better wall papers. One of the bonuses of having Mitts on the team is that he can be moved up and down the lines and still be a good player. I think you are undervaluing the value of his versatility. What it comes down to is: Different eyes have different views.

Last year, especially in the last third of the season, you could see him emerging. There were nuances to his game that indicated that he was more advanced as a player/prospect than JJ P was. Although he isn't the biggest player on the ice, he had a snarl to his game that showed that he was more than a perimeter player. Before he got hurt, he was one of the more intriguing players to follow this upcoming season. It's obvious that after the world tournament that JJP took a leap forward. I'm hoping that Quinn can do the same and continue on his upper trajectory that he exhibited before getting hurt. I'm hoping that by Jan 1, he will be back in rhythm and give this team a jolt for its second half of the season playoff run.

I'm not over-rating him as a player. There is no question that he is a fourth-line player. This team was in need for more tougher lower line players. His attributes as a player are what this team needs. Not a major pickup but a good pickup.

Just like with the Greenway pickup it was a good addition. More toughness and less perimeter style players. Not major additions but good pickups.

As you point out he has been more physical the past few games. He's playing with less finesse and playing a harder and more physical game. More edge to his recent games

I don't know why you have such a jaundiced eye. Robinson's a hard-nosed and straight line player. He's exactly what this team needs. He's a good fit for the Krebs/Okposo line. He's a fourth line player who also gives you some net presence. That's something this team desperately lacks.

I'm not going to comment on the game because it was simply the better team beating the inferior team. Ryan Johnson is impressive. He's just so smooth and efficient. Clifford's recent games have been better. You can see him getting more comfortable. As others have said Robinson played really well. He's a hard-nosed player who gives this team some net presence. Something that it sorely lacks. He's a straight-line player who plays hard. He has a no-frills game. His line with Okposo and Krebs played really well today. I thought that Tage passed the puck too much. Levi was good. I would give him the first star. Cozens has had some tough luck with a couple of his shots hitting the bar. But you can see him playing better. Over the past three games (Boston, Montreal and Phoenix) the Sabres have played a better two-way game and have been more consistent from start to finish.

What was the judgment on this team last year after 2/3 of the season transpired? And then what happened? The team over the last third of the season made a serious playoff run. I encourage you to wait until the half-way point before throwing in the towel.

At this point, making a declaration that this team is toast for this season is way too premature to come to such a negative conclusion. If we arrive at the half-season mark and this team is still in the doldrums, then your judgment would be considered to be more than fair. A third of the season has gone by. I'm just as disappointed as others are about how this season has transpired. But it's too soon to draw any definite conclusions, positive or negative, about how this season will turn out. As I told @Pimlach I'm going to wait to at least half the season has gone by before I make a definitive judgment about this team. I encourage you to be a little more patient before coming to any conclusion about this season.

With respect to the injury factor contributing to our struggles I don't accept that as an excuse. The reason why I'm not accepting injuries as an excuse is that although we have sustained injuries, it is at a level that most other teams have to contend with. There are three games that have stuck out for me that give me some hope. We beat the Rangers and Boston on the road and defeated Colorado at home. These are upper echelon teams. In all three games, we played a tight, disciplined game and played consistently hard for 60 minutes. That demonstrates what this team is capable of. At this point, I'm not making a declared judgment about this team and staff. By the time we reach the half-season point, we should be in a good position to draw fair conclusions about this team. As you are well aware of the margin of error between success and failure, winning games and losing games, is very small. As the season advances and too many games are squandered in the first half of the season, the opportunity to make up games in the second half of the season becomes a futile chase to a frustrating end. As with many fans here, my patience is running out.