Porous Five Hole

https://www.nhl.com/news/jeff-skinner-buffalo-injury-update week to week

Watching prices on the secondary market and lower bowl between the 20’s was $350-400/ticket on Monday. Today you can get there for $250/ticket plus tax. I’m expecting this trend to continue and to attend.

I’m in the Buffalo tv market (ROC) and carry spectrum cable for the sole purpose of watching the Sabres. I still watch every game and attend a few. I will shut it off and find something else to do if the result looks bleak. That’s new for me…my teen and 20-something fandom wouldn’t have allowed for that (I’m 44). My media and viewing habits revolve solely on sports. I haven’t missed a Bills game since I was a kid. I watch every available minute of Virginia Tech football. I regularly go to Amerks and Knighthawks games. I used to pirate Red Sox games four times a week. And bar none, I care most about the Sabres franchise above all else. I think about this team everyday and this site is one of my first stops daily. But I’ve been beaten down over time. I loved hockey so much I used to get center ice and watch the league every single night. Not anymore. It is so frustrating rooting for a perennial loser. I could never quit the Sabres or hockey, but I would also never criticize someone for doing exactly that. It has been maddening in Sabrehood for far too long.

Young ::ducks::

Ostland with an assist to make it 3-2 USA just before the period ended.

2-1 USA. Entertaining final so far!

Ok, but who is paying a one billion dollar expansion fee to house a team here? Also, Winnipeg was a relocation, so that’s different.

Will a new coach be allowed to pick his own assistants? Or will they be assigned to him like Granato did? This is important. You can't convince me that Don Granato CHOSE Matt Ellis. Kevyn Adams 100% forced Granato to take Ellis as an assistant coach because he was already in the org and super cheap. There’s no way Meatballs said “hey Kev, what do you think about grabbing that former sabre who is coaching 13u AAA for the Jr. Sabres?”

I agree with you on the roster construction…specifically in the crease. It was criminal for the GM to roll out the pod that he did for what he might have expected to be a playoff team: Comrie 47 NHL starts. UPL 45 NHL starts. Levi 7 NHL starts. No other potential NHL team rolled out three guys with that little experience. And that’s not the head coach’s fault. KA messed up.

I’m at the point that what’s the point of a new head coach? GMKA & Pegula showed you the playbook. That’s good vibes and an inexpensive staff. “Drilling another well” is completely off the table. The shine of this franchise has worn off to ownership and their priorities have changed (Bills and Kim’s health/wellbeing). I will bet you that today Terry is as hands off as he could possibly be. Look…they’ve already tried the established winner route (Bylsma & throwing dollars at Mike Babcock), the homegrown route (Housley), the expensive & unconventional route (Krueger), and now the cheap hockey lifer who everyone likes on a personal level (Meatballs). I think ownership and leadership like it this way. And they can write off the results because the team is so young. That’s our reality. Also, they’re not paying ANOTHER guy to not coach the team. The best hope is that Donny figures it out as the team ages up.

How dare they run 11-7. That’s our magic potion!

@JohnC 🤷‍♂️

Eric Robinson revenge game lol

But if Matt Ellis gets the call, who is going to talk to his wrist and who will talk to Rob Ray? That’s a job for one Matty Ellis and one Matty Ellis only.

What? It said illness. It has been a brutal cold and flu season so far. Read what’s there. Agree I hope he is alright.

What is that telling you? To me, the roles on the bench are defined and moving up Appert to take Ellis’s spot so Ellis can take Don’s spot makes less sense. Obligatory Matt Ellis is the Matt Ellis of temporary head coach candidates.

Get well soon Meatballs. Both the Amerks and Sabres play tonight, so it’ll be some firsts for both staffs. Seth in the show & Paetsch/Prospal sharing head coaching duties in the AHL. I hope it gets the boys fired up for both teams tonight!

They beat Laval at home on Nov 23 & 25th. Guess how many home games they’ve had since then? Three before last night. You’re inventing reasons to be mad. It’s almost like you enjoy it. I hear you on the trend. But they’re the reigning division champs and conference finalists. Veterans throughout the roster. This team deserves the benefit of the doubt to get things figured out. This has been the most successful 2.5 year period in Amerks hockey in a generation. But hey, guys like contempt, SabreMike and Amerks6969 flame away. Burn it all down. Everything sucks and no one is trying to win. Enjoy your echo chamber thread of negativity. I’ll leave you to it.

Y’all need to chill. Hershey is the best team in the AHL at 26-6-0. The Amerks hung tough, but they were by no means supposed to win this game nor were they the better team.

It is going to be a packed house at the Blue Cross Arena tonight. The walk up crowd should sell it out.

Uh oh

I forgot he was even here in ROC

I know the NHL TOI leaders are all 25 min a night, but I still think that’s too much. The Sabres struck out adding prior defensive depth in the offseason and here we are.

He was injured for a month and came back early. And he’s disinterested?

Personally, I stopped here. I guess you can somehow observe this and run with it… but to attack someone like Tage & his professionalism is a hard stop towards meaningful conversation.