Carmel Corn

Exception - Bylsma's team had the #1 PP in the league before Housley ruined it. We have the talent to be highly effective.

I feel like the PP almost stifles any momentum we have. The coaching staff has no answers. It's so bad, I say don't even treat it as a PP special team, but rather just play on your normal 5 man units and see what happens.

RE: Dahlin's check on Oshie.....I just love pancakes on Saturday!

Ted Nolan maybe? He might need a change of scenery.

Phantom tripping call on Sobotka

Someone else mentioned this to me today....was never on my radar screen. Where did you learn about this?

I very much wish this would be the case. However, I am inclined to think they would run immediately to the referee and complain instead.

I wouldn't care if he looked like the second coming of Bib the Michelin man as long as he can still move well and take care of business in front of our net. :)

You're not alone...I wish they had actually sent him back down sooner than this. He got a good taste of the life with the big boys and showed some skills. He really needs to put on some weight though in order to compete at a higher level.

I may be very wrong on this, but for some reason I think Nylander will perform BETTER as an NHL player vs. AHL. No basis or proof in any way, just merely a hunch. Again, I may be ridiculously wrong on this.

Optics matter. Small dogs can put up a fierce front even if they are overmatched. In the Sabres case, they're more like Possums and hope the other teams will not attack them out of pity.

Seems to me that their superstars like Point and Kucherov do play with an edge...last night Point went after Skinner. Did you miss how Kucherov went after Risto as well? I think they have BOTH toughness and scoring vs. Buffalo. Can you see Eichel or Reinhart reacting like Point and Kucherov?

So this tells me Panarin is staying put and that Columbus is "all-in" for winning this year. If Columbus resigns him, it will cost an extra R1 pick....steep price. So if GMJB could get an offer of two R1 picks for Jeff Skinner, does he take it and hope we resign him in the summer?

Aside from a Skinner deal, I would guess that GMJB would not want to fall into trap of another Kyle Okposo FA signing scenario with a long term commitment. So don't expect a big name FA rental signing on Monday. If he were to make such a move, it would not be until after the next CBA, where ownership is hoping to cap the length of term to something much more reasonable (ex. maybe 5 years vs. 8 years).

Good showing last night...definitely some positives. That being said, what I'd like to see is a consistent continuation of last night going forward. Too much "two steps forward, one step back" lately. The Florida game was almost 3 games in one....first period was pure lack of interest and fire. Second period was fantastic...even had a lead going into the third. Third period was a complete collapse. Last night was strong game (except maybe the 3-on-3 part). The question is whether this team can avoid the Jekyll and Hyde personality.

I've wondered this before....but it seems like the Sabres never practice 3 on 3 hockey.

Thanks and I sincerely appreciate your checking back. We are definitely good to go....ready for the next topic :) I remember watching the 2012 draft...In all fairness to management, the draft "experts" all seemed to think Grigorenko was a slam dunk....big, skilled and a perfect fit for a team like Buffalo needing centers at the time. People would have been shocked if we did not take him. Soon afterwards, along came Girgensons. My recollection there was that those same experts thought of Zemgus as a real 'warrior' who would play hurt and still give max effort. Every year optimism is high after the draft that we have some real gems that will blossom into future studs. Unfortunately, that optimism fades and here we are again talking about players we should have taken....ah yes, hindsight is 20-20 vision!

That wasn't me claiming that :)

I really don't get your point. The point I am trying to make is fairly simple....our draft history has not produced an abundance of successful/impactful players (whatever rounds). If you want to defend the Sabres 'stellar' draft effectiveness by saying we are no worse than other teams, then be my guest and good luck with that! IMHO we are living with the result of being too cheap with our scouting resources and relying too much on video, etc.

Anybody interested in a scenario where they do a surprise trade (rental) to get more picks/prospects and then resign him in the summer? They may lose the ability for an 8 year deal though. Lot of risk with this, but then again how much leverage do we really have if we don't move him....we may still lose him anyway.

Beaulieu will be gone. I would have liked to have seen more of him this year....felt like he was part of the solution vs. part of the problem. Otherwise....they'll "stay the course"

You make a good "Point" there! (Sorry)

Risto is the closest thing we have to spine on this team. Everybody else avoids from it to the point they'll pull a muscle just to miss having any contact.

That was a butt-ugly game....more 'bricks' than the great wall of China last night.

Ha! One might be able to argue that the league should have put up the safety netting behind the zones a few years earlier than they did.....due to Z's tendency to shoot just a little bit high. Come to think of it, he could have been the prototype for a hockey "launch angle" analysis like they do in golf.