SabresFanInRochester

I'm not saying Risto or McCabe are Lucic or perhaps Wilson, where as an opposing player, you know you're going to be in the ***** if you pull something, but you remove those two, and you'll hear cries about how soft the team is.

When Sobotka was injured, it was Miller and Joki. Hmmm. And when Dahlin was injured, it was on the PP; so no other d were on the ice.

Fair point, but I don't think McCabe or Risto partner with Dahlin. Do you know who was on the ice when Sobotka was hit? Because of lines, with this roster, you're not always going to have a tough guy on the ice, but remove those two from the lineup and you'll never have one on the ice.

Do you remember Toni Lydman? EVERY game he would have a major gaffe. And beside that single play in each game, he was rock solid. In my eyes, he was a great defenseman and I loved watching him and learned to accept that one brainfart per game because of what he brought to the table. Risto -- and I can include McCabe since you mention him -- add a tenacity and grit that would dramatically shift the physicality of the team to virtually soft if you remove one or both from the lineup. Yeah, Eichel threw mitts a couple weeks ago. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about a player who is going to keep the opposing team honest. Is this all Risto and McCabe offer? No, but this one is a vital component on a team that is lacking imposing figures. Good luck in the playoffs -- where the physical nature of the game enters a whole 'nother realm -- when you lack toughness.

The team has a whipping boy every year. Risto has been it and the fans will be out with pitchforks until he is moved. Actually, I cannot say this is always the end result: It's a good thing we didn't listen to the fanbase and trade Reinhart years ago. Remember when he was out of favor?

#55

This is correct. He did not make an errant pass to Armia. He was sending the puck up to his winger, because his forechecker was taking the wall away, and the forechecker's stick hit his stick which redirected the puck.

I was on the fence. I don't want players on this team feeling the fans support a losing mentality. I am tired of accepting mediocrity. Fans are blaming the coach, and players appear to have checked out. Think back to when the Sabres were winning -- some armchair quarterbacks are going to say they realized that the team wasn't that good from the analytics, but the fact remains, Buffalo was the #1 team in the NHL (for a day.) When they were winning, the naysayers were quiet. Playoff exuberance filled the airwaves and social media. Winning fixes everything. And now, here we are: This morning, I visited nhlnumbers.com for the first time EVER. After finding the draft simulator, the results were Buffalo with the number one pick. After what I have seen this season, I would absolutely accept that. I see there is hope. I see that we need some forward depth. Recipe calls for a little more seasoning and then a little more time on the grill. The higher that pick, the quicker we're ready. Let the chips fall where they may.

Petersen just recorded a shutout, and although I am loving a Sabres victory this evening, it got me thinking... Who do you dislike more? Vesey or Petersen? Is it wrong to root against them? It's a little easier to move on from Petersen, IMO, because we have a solid goalie in Hutton right now. But to me, Petersen was our property from the beginning and pulled a bigger dick move. Whereas Vesey refused to just admit Buffalo wasn't in the cards, he only played us for a couple months. What's your opinion of the two?

You're picking one player off a list of 12+ and even then your case is weak. Florida was going to claim Pominville but didn't because they didn't want to tarnish their new relationship with the Sabres, which was when both teams shared the Amerks. Florida saw Pominville and wanted him. Other teams may have dismissed him because he wasn't a glorified 1st rounder. I can only speculate for the other teams. To call non-first rounders is rubbish. That would make both Miller and Hasek garbage, right?

I think this type of stuff motivates Jack. Just a hunch. Those are some good players on the list. As much as I'd like to watch more hockey, my observations of these players are when they play against Buffalo. That said, I don't usually come out of a game thinking Jack was outplayed by any of the mentioned names. I'm not saying Jack deserves to be first, but Jack has his flashes and I am thrilled he's a Sabre.

Wasn't that the same concern with Kane and Eichel? I thought they did fine together based on the makeup of the team.

Atlantic Division Winner: TampaMetropolitan Division Winner: Washington Central Division Winner: St. Louis Pacific Division Winner: San JosePresident's Trophy: TampaStanley Cup Champion: St. Louis Stanley Cup runner-up: ColumbusConn Smythe: Tarasenko Hart: McDavid Art Ross: McDavid Norris: Hedman Vezina: Bobrovsky Selke: Bergeron Calder: Middlestadt Jack Adams: Phil Housley(You can add the other awards, these are the ones I care about)Biggest surprise (team): Sabres (yeah, I'm a homer) Biggest surprise (player): Middlestadt Biggest disappointment (team): Chicago Biggest disappointment (player): Matt Murray Biggest name traded during season: Seguin First coach fired: Todd McLellan Bottom 3 teams: Ottawa, Detroit, NY Rangers

I have to call you on this -- "Eichel who is not a speed demon" -- Just wrong.

I am with you on this. Tampa will look good until the playoffs start. Then they'll start banging against bigger bodies, and getting worn down or injured. And then factor in the refs letting more clutching and grabbing go in the playoffs. It will be a balanced team that wins it all.

Nice analysis. There is definitely a winning culture in Rochester this season and the Sabres brass doesn't want to tinker with pulling prospects out of that to be part of a losing culture. Why Baptiste is the exception, I don't know. But, it looks pretty obvious they want to keep the Amerks together to win. I think that impacts some of the guys you mention like Fasching and Bailey. I find it humorous that you call it a do-or-die year for Nylander... who just turned 20 -- literally 45 minutes ago. Way too young to write off someone with that much talent.

As stated in this thread, the best teams in the league right now are also the fastest. Well, our slow team just took two from Tampa and two from Boston. So, we need to change everything just to be fast. Yes, those games meant nothing. Maybe the other team was looking past the Sabres and were surprised. But for Tampa being fast, Buffalo outplayed them and Buffalo's "slow" speed was shooting gaps through the Tampa D all night. When a player starts playing with confidence, the speed will pick up. I think that's what we are witnessing with Reinhart. Just happy the armchair quarterbacks on SS aren't managing the team because he'd be wearing a different jersey by now.

:thumbsup: I should have read the very next thread as I almost copied it verbatim. In that case, well said!

I did not single you out -- it was purely coincidence. Take pleasure in knowing that I did not highlight some of the other threads you started like "Antipin kicked my dog when he was down" or "Which Sabres forward pissed in my Cheerios?" I believe it is a tweak. They need speed and that will come with Guhle and MIddlestadt. That will still leave some slow players on the team but they'll (no pun intended) slowly be phased out. I firmly believe just like with the Bills last year, if the culture is right, the team will buy in and you will see results. They won't be contenders, but they'll be in the mix; similar to your Colorado reference. Maybe I missed it, but did Colorado really do that much in the off season? And I'm not so worried about their team stats. They were horrible for more than half the season: It's going to take a lot to move the needle. I know GF/GA serve as an indication as to where the team is versus their peers, but give the GF a small boost of only .5 and they're in the top half of the league. I am not thrilled with their goaltending this year as it's been too inconsistent. That's something that should be fixed in the off season with one simple call-up. I like that you believe in the youngsters. I hear too many people complain that the cupboard is empty. I think since Christmas, O'Reilly and Reinhart have both shown that they contribute just fine without blazing speed. O'Reilly does too many other things to just say, he's slow, move on. And Reinhart isn't going to win contests, but I think he gets unfairly lumped into that category. I recognize that the overall roster is slow and as a result, the likes of Okposo and Pomminstein jerseys will be had for a significant discount in the near future.

I might start a message board just for the optimists because I feel we're in the minority, and it is so damn depressing listening to the other mentality 24x7. Either that or I will keep doing what I am doing, but add a little sativa to my daily regimen.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/The-Sabres-are-Going-to-be-VERY-Good-Barzals-Brilliance-New-Standings/1/91382 I know Ek doesn't earn respect for his ridiculous rumor site. Understandable. But, before he said it, my thoughts were that we have a team that without their most talented players (Eichel, and now Eichel and Kane) is beating the best in the league. They have been playing better hockey; just inconsistent. Powerplay is clicking. Maybe it just wasn't because we let the coach slip away to Minnesota. This team will be strong, and the roster does not need to be blown up. Yes, tweaks need to be made, but this team is closer than many (including most of the stuff I read on SS) believe. I have suffered through reading topics dedicated to: Fire Phil Fan Club O'Reilly "very likely I'll be traded" JBot Do Something Already 1, 2, and 3 Can this Franchise be saved? Not to mention the themes that carries over from topic to topic: Reinhart was a mistake and we should have taken ... Bogosian sucks and is only interested in cocaine The team is too slow Everyone needs to be blown up and we start fresh And if you're not depressed enough, have you ever listened to Schopp and the Bulldog, or any of the callers??? I say, F you Joe-bu. I do it my way. I will stay the course. I will keep my season tickets for another year. This team is getting there, and I cannot wait to see them with Jack, Guhle and Middlestadt next year. That's enough speed injected into a team that is already competing with the big dogs.

How many former Sabres are playing on Olympic hockey teams? Gionta, Roy, Enroth, Grigorenko, Ehrhoff, Gragnani. I watched for about 30 minutes this morning and all these names came up. For Buffalo to field a horrible team over the past half dozen years, they do okay sending players on to the Olympics.

There's going to be a mutiny here if you keep talking like that. Way too many "Sam should have been gone months ago," "Ship everybody out! We need turnover," and "There needs to be change. Get rid of Housley." people here. I know there's been a playoff drought -- I get it. And season tickets keep increasing in price. But, my God, take a chill pill people.

Glad you're not, or no longer, in the club. People are too impatient.

I see (from Paul Hamilton's tweet) that Okposo is not on the ice today. Not to speculate, but perhaps Okposo has the flu and is not making the West Coast trip.