That Aud Smell

yep. same.

I saw them play 3 games live. I could not put my finger on it, but, man, it was just a feeling I had with him. He looked sort of ... absent. Vacant? (My take: The fact that he's a world class talent meant that he could still play passably well.)

Aye yi yi. 💔 It's cliche but still very true: Some things are bigger than [hockey.]** My earnest prayers go with you to Sweden, Rasmus. ** Insert any number of things here.

In order to be something other than what they've been, in order to be different, this Sabres team needs to start stacking some wins. Two of three, here. Two of three, there. This game is one they need to have, one they must have. Let's Go, Buffalo!

Everyone hoping for a big-name WR. And we all know they're bringing in a journeyman+ D-Lineman. With Oliver and now Hoecht gone, it's a foregone conclusion.

I'm referring to his play generally. And, yes, I'm aware that goalies have to give up rebounds as part of their play. (And, bro, seriously - that's a condescending thing to say to a regular on this board.) I don't have one of those photographic memories where I can recount in detail the shots that made me wince or clench my tush. It's a feeling I took away from the game. I didn't like his play at all in the 1st and 2nd. If the Caps had been playing a harder, more aggressive game, I think they would have been up by a bunch. I think this is not unfair. He was better in the third. And certainly in OT and the SO he was good. I just don't believe in him.

but since you asked: 1st goal, wristed muffin from the point with some net front presence, UPL graciously directs the puck into the slot and fails to put himself in a position to make a play on the follow-up shot. the skatersdidn't help their goal. UPL didn't help them either. 2nd goal, 2 on 0 madness. not blaming him there, obviously.

I'm not even talking about the goals, really. I'd have to go back and watch. My sense, in general, from watching him is that he was fighting the puck, putting himself out of position, and exhibiting poor control over rebounds.

Yep - this was my third game. The building is livelier, for sure. That's all this home crowd needs, by the way -- a competitive team giving an honest effort. And if'n when this team gets good? The building will be back to roaring. Man, I appreciate this perspective. The local beat reporters, as far as I saw, were all just like "UPL was stellar - 33 shots, 30 saves," or words to that effect (not sure of the precise SOG number). We were at the game and found UPL to be an absolute horror show for the first 2 periods. If the Caps had been playing better (stronger to the net), they might have scored 6 or 7.

Yeah, I misspoke. I said "loser point" because I was typing Bettman's name. Like some (many?), I just hate that some NHL games yield 2 points and some yield 3. But I also understand that that's a feature, not a bug.

A guy who knows puck. And loves the Sabres.

Ehhh. Disagree. We’re missing those all world flourishes, for one. Seems that way. Great crowd last night, for sure. That’s not a “no” though, is it? 🤣

lol - i see a robust “what is .500” debate ensued upthread. i look only at true .500 as a threshold for being good because, if you ain’t there, you need the stars to align to make the playoffs. plus, i won’t toe the line for gary bettman’s loser point parity project.

East looks wide open and fairly mediocre this season. Claw back to true .500 and go from there (5-7 currently). It’s probably been posted upthread (I was in the arena and didn’t post or follow), but Dahlin looks like a shell of himself.

FAAAAAHHHHHKKKKKKKK

I'm giving stick taps to all the posters who brought the scheme-perspective to the Worthy/Coleman discussion. I've seen it posted to Twitter several times over the past couple years: "If there was one Bills drought player whom you could bring back in their prime to help this team, who would it be?" The answer seems like it has to be Eric Moulds. I'd love to see Cook get 20 touches/targets and a score on Sunday. I think he's the key to beating the Chiefs.

Let's stomp these effin' beantown bums. Good start, strong finish. 4-2 win with an EN. Let's Go Buffalo!

Agreed with this. When I've seen him, he's mostly looked over-matched and a half step behind the play. I don't fault his effort, though -- he seems to have been working hard.

Like - why can't we do cool sh1t too? "Copycat league" is what I always hear.

And this post of mine here 👆 is one that is informed and modified by the post upthread from @jad1. And this is where there's a conversation to be had, I think.

I chose a festive "thinking" gif. I genuinely appreciate this perspective and insight. I think it's spot on. The trick (not the treat), of course, is that big-bodied WR's who can separate go at the tippy top of the draft. And the Bills ain't sniffing that tier anytime soon. As for the approach being debatable, it makes me think a couple of things: (1) The weather in KC can get pretty rough as well (although perhaps not as reliably bad as it gets here); (2) I wish Terry would've put a roof on the new stadium.

Let's Go, Buffalo! When's the last time this team was @deluca67 .500? Been a long time. I don't think they ever were last season. (For those who don't know: @deluca67 .500 is sort of a "true" .500 measurement -- e.g., a record of 4-4-1 is actually a record of 4-5 and is therefore not "true" .500.)

I don't know what his basic analytics were in that Detroit game, but I was so impressed that Ruff kept sending him out there against Larkin. He's a really nice role player. And I love how he scored that goal against Detroit -- charging toward the net.

Gabe Davis was a 4th rounder. Beane deserves credit for going out and getting Diggs. I basically view Diggs as a high draft pick, since that's what they gave up to get him. Someone here posted that 2026 is going to be a good WR draft class. I read elsewhere that it's a deep class, but not a class with multiple elite prospects. And apparently 2027 is projecting to be a WR class with lots of top-end talents.