pi2000

A few memories from the Aud... Getting a root beer at The Aud Club with my Dad and his work buddies Walking a half-mile or so under the skyway during blizzard conditions Running the hallway ramps up to the blues The feeling of sitting in the cushioned reds after moving down from the blues/oranges Catching/picking up pucks behind the net during warmups The Earl of Bud The dangling cylinders from the ceiling Hearing the goal horn going off repeatedly while exiting the arena during a 13 or 15 goal blowout against the Leafs I think Watching Perrault score his 500th (still have the 500g banner they were handing out) The rectangle shapped red and white popcorn boxes, trying to dig the last few kernels out of the bottom of the box LaFontaine saluting the crowd during the Aud's farwell game ...and so many others.

Historically, for DTV Center Ice, the channel lineup normally isn't populated until game day... or just hours before the first game.

They should just make open-ice hitting illegal if they're going to give that hit 20 games.

It will be interesting to watch how his body language changes on the ice, particularly when things aren't going well, line changes, etc... Little things that he needs to clean up to properly lead this team. I have full confidence that he can correct those things and I expect to see an immediate improvement.

Any chance they're burying Nylander and Co. in Rochester to protect them from the expansion draft?

The season hasn't even started yet and they get a break? Fine. You want to skip a practice 2 days before the season? Fine. Then I expect them to look like a well oiled machine on Thursday night. If they look ragged and unorganized... if special teams fail... if they can't break the puck out, or enter the zone... then they should've spent more time practicing. I find it extremely difficult to believe they have it all figured out at this point of the season.. but maybe they do. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one and leave it at that.

And likely in the press box. They likely waive him once Larsson is healthy.

I CAN"T BELIEVE NOONSE ELSE IS UPSET ABOUT THIS

The Sabres are bad because they get outplayed at even strength. Their takeaway/giveaway ratio is terrible.... they spend more time trying to get the puck back (and out of their zone), than they do on the attack.... and I don't believe their improved Corsi% last season accurately reflects better d-zone play. Their improved Corsi% is a result of taking more shots, from everywhere, as per Housley's system, throw a bunch of pucks at the net and hope for deflections/rebounds. Maybe Steve Smith can clean up the d-zone, we can only hope. That said, if they can clean up their own zone, defend better and win more pucks back... they should have more success as a team. However, I'm not sure the line combination of Skinner/Eichel/Reinhart will help in this area.

You can't score at even strength if you're stuck in your own end the entire shift. Regardless, let's see how it plays out. My money is one them not scoring enough at even strength o offset their goals against.

Those are arguably the top 4 teams in the league.... understandable that they can afford to goof off for a bit before the season. IMO, Buffalo isn't at that point yet where they can afford to skip practice time.

A minus 193 might mean..... something? My point is that maybe part of the reason Ward and Lehner have been so bad is because of guys like Skinner/Eichel/Reinhart not having a clue what to do in their own end.

It's one thing if I started a thread that said "PRACTICE CANCELLED FIRE HOUSLEY IMMEDIATELY"... but I didn't start this thread, I don't think Housley should be fired (yet, haha)... I'm simply sharing my opinion on him cancelling practice two days before the season for a young team with new faces that finished DFL last year. Frankly, I'm shocked more folks aren't more alarmed by this. A playoff team with solid core and history of success, sure give them a day off to have some fun.... a last place young team with new faces, not a good idea IMO... and a microcosm of why this team is so bad year after year.

not a chance in hell

Their site shows Sparks and Pickard on the Marlies roster... http://marlies.ca/roster/335/60 ..and some rookie Ian Scott.

Team speed is definitely improved. ROR is not fast, and he played a ton of minutes... switching him with a faster player will be noticeable.

I don't get it. How is it trolling? A young team that finished DFL last season and 3 of the last 5 years, with a bunch of new faces, should be practicing twice a day until the season starts. What is sooooo unreasonable about that take? I'm a fan, I want to see the best product possible on the ice... cancelling practice to goof off 2 days before the season? COME ON!

Correlation does not mean causation. If Housley were smart, he'd keep Risto/Scandella out there with them... those 3 with Dahlin/McCabe on the back-end would be potentially disastrous... that said, I'm not sure the defensive abilities of Risto/Scandella are strong enough to overcome this... but it's all they have. If I'm an opposing team top line, I'm licking my chops waiting to get out on the ice against those guys.

They should score a bunch. That said, collectively, those 3 are a career minus 193... -193! What could possibly go wrong?!

Remember after the lockout when they clamped down on clutch and grab hockey, smaller faster teams excelled.... then LA/CHI came along, playing a heavy game they won 5 Cups. IMO the league is about to go back to a heavy game as teams are focusing too much on speed vs strength. It's a cycle, and IMO we're near the end of the speed cycle and it will go back to a big heavy game in the next 2-3 years.

just because its different....

^this^ They're not allowed to tackle anymore, so yeah of course, scoring is up. It's part of the plan.

Need more players like this. That said, Zemgus is a tank team top 6 now trying to fit in on the bottom 6 where a guy like Elie would be a better fit IMO.

So who are the Marlies' tendies now? Sparks?

1) It's 1 less practice immediately before the home opener. You don't think guys like Sheary, Skinner, Berglund, Sobotka, Dahlin, etc... could've benefitted from more system reps? 2) I do agree that NHL players spend too much time on the ice during the season... game day skates IMO are largely unnecessary IMO.. and guys would benefit long term by skipping them. That said, they need to prepare for the season. Skipping practice 2 days before the season opener is irresponsible and sends the wrong message. It tells the players "we're good enough", giving them a built in excuse. Not a good message to send to a young team IMO. If this team was largely composed of grizzled vets who've been in the system for years and had success, then yeah, by all means cancel the practice. But we're talking about a last place team, with a bunch of new faces, and young players up and down the lineup. They need as much practice time as possible at this point in the season.