The Skill could be returning this week!!!!!

[darksabre]

Is it? Why? Fans wonder if Connolly will make it to the next game. I would bet the players wonder if he can make it to the next shift.

 

I doubt the players care if he makes it to the next shift. I doubt this team is looking to Timmy as a reliable addition to the roster. Do you think they care if Max makes it to the next shift either? If Timmy goes down during a game it'll be no different than Ruff sticking Max to the bench. It would seem you are implying that the team wont play well with the aura of doubt surrounding Connolly. But if Ruff is true to his word, he'll continue rewarding the hardest working players with ice time. So if anyone feels like not playing hard just because they aren't happy Connolly is back, well they can sit on the bench.

[tom webster]

#19 takes a lot of nasty shots. there is no doubt that he has been injured -- and anyone would be injured if they took those shots. with that said, and like i said before, he puts himself in bad positions. on the mike fisher concussion hit, he should have known that was coming once he crossed the nuetral zone where fisher had been tagging guys along the boards all series long. fisher was marking guys and tracking them down everyshift. Connoly ignored that threeat. in the scott nichols cheap shot hit -- TIM may have been well advised to know that Nichol was a cheap shot artist --- and that he better watch after plays and passes leave his stick -- as Nichols preys on those situations. Everyone in the NHL knows that nichols is a cheap rat bastard. Connoly gets on the ice and ignores that.

 

In general, Connolly simply drifts into high traffic areas without thinking about the consequences. those types of players usually have short career. the guys who 'bow' up after every whistle and have their heads' on a shivel and fear their own shaddows' (gerrard gallant, doug gilmour, dino cicarrelli, derek roy, rick vaive, etc) usually have 15-20 year careers.

 

 

It was Peter Schaefer and all series long amounted to one game as TC was crushed on his first shift of the second game.

[Lethbridge Broncos]

Yea, thanks it was schaefer. He and Fisher were pounding guys. That series was the semifinals --- and everyone knew those two were pounding guys in the other series they played. In game 1 vs. the sabres -- they were thumping guys too. As such, TC should have been prepared in game 2 as he drifted through the neutral zone with his head down. not too harsh on TC.

 

 

 

 

 

It was Peter Schaefer and all series long amounted to one game as TC was crushed on his first shift of the second game.

[gregkash]

Connolly is a great way to motivate people like Paille and McArthur

[Bmwolf21]

Connolly is a great way to motivate people like Paille and McArthur

How's that?

[nfreeman]

If Butler sits for anyone at this point in time, I honestly think I'll lose it completely.

 

When was the last time a call-up blueliner looked this good right off the bat?

surely you haven't forgotten the Weber hysteria that gripped certain members of this board last spring and remained until his uneventful callup this year?

 

And there is no chance Teppo sits before Butler. But MAYBE, if we're lucky, Tallinder gets traded in the next 6 weeks and Butler gets his spot.

 

Yea, thanks it was schaefer. He and Fisher were pounding guys. That series was the semifinals --- and everyone knew those two were pounding guys in the other series they played. In game 1 vs. the sabres -- they were thumping guys too. As such, TC should have been prepared in game 2 as he drifted through the neutral zone with his head down. not too harsh on TC.

while I generally agree with you about Connolly and his inability to stay out of harm's way, I think you're a bit hazy on the Ottawa series. It was the 2nd round, not the semis (unless you meant the conference semis), and game 1 wasn't physical, it was the legendary 7-6 track meet.

[...]

If Butler sits for anyone at this point in time, I honestly think I'll lose it completely.

 

When was the last time a call-up blueliner looked this good right off the bat?

 

Agreed. I really like Butler's game - very natural. I don't know who on D you'd sit other than Numminen. Maybe Tallinder. I haven't liked Teppo's game much at all lately.

 

And, it can't be said enough the past week or so, but if they sit Ellis I'll piss on Lindy's shoes. That guy has worked harder than just about any other Sabre this season to earn an extended stay.

 

Sounds about right...we're due for another handful of games where The Skill gets everyone's hopes up by teasing us with what could be, before he takes a freak shot to the [insert new Tim Connolly injury area HERE] and misses another 20-25 games, all while we bemoan the fact that we don't have a legit no.2 center.

 

This is, unfortunately, the most likely scenario. God I hope we're all wrong and The Skill stays healthy the rest of the season, but I wouldn't bet on it if you put a gun to my head.

[Kristian]

surely you haven't forgotten the Weber hysteria that gripped certain members of this board last spring and remained until his uneventful callup this year?

 

And there is no chance Teppo sits before Butler. But MAYBE, if we're lucky, Tallinder gets traded in the next 6 weeks and Butler gets his spot.

 

No I remember the Weber hysteria alright, but I think that was more due to his physical style, on a team as soft as cotton candy.

 

Butler's not been tagging people left and right, he's just been playing sound positional all-round D, and Tallinder or Teppo should sit before he him as long as he plays the way he does.

 

That said, I did see Tallinder take a Chara hit to make a play the other night, but it's quite possible he just didn't see him coming and got pasted.

[That Aud Smell]

He fills a hole in our roster, but he also creates it every time that he goes out.

this is precisely the issue (as someone, maybe freeman, also agreed).

 

still, i'll take the chance on getting timmy back for an undetermined period of time. i don't have any love for or faith in the guy, but i can't deny that he makes us a measurably better team when he plays.

 

Butler ... When was the last time a call-up blueliner looked this good right off the bat?

i have loved this kid's game since he's been up - he's just looked rock solid. still, i can't say i'll go postal when they send him to portland for more seasoning. among other things, we should bear in mind issues such as waivers when it comes to personnel matters - i am sure the team needs to retain a measure of flexibility with its young d-men for the near-term. in any case, i feel good about having this guy in the organ-EYE-zation going forward - better than i do about having weber.

[That Aud Smell]

No I remember the Weber hysteria alright, but I think that was more due to his physical style, on a team as soft as cotton candy.

 

Butler's not been tagging people left and right, he's just been playing sound positional all-round D, and Tallinder or Teppo should sit before he him as long as he plays the way he does.

 

That said, I did see Tallinder take a Chara hit to make a play the other night, but it's quite possible he just didn't see him coming and got pasted.

this is a great point about the difference between the hopes inspired by weber and butler. all i could focus on, or now recall, about weber was the fact that he appeared to have a mean streak to his game. like many, i felt starved for that. the fact that butler has impressed is, to me, more impressive, because it's been based on a quieter, steadier game. weber had people throwing around names like schony and korab - butler's got me thinking more along the lines of, who? ... hajt and maybe mckee.

[K-9]

I'm sure Timmy's "broken rib" was serious. :lol: We all have our opinions. You chose to believe that Timmy merely has bad luck and has run into a series of major injuries. I chose to question his willingness to play with discomfort or pain.

 

Will Tiny Timmy be the cause of all three loses? Probably not. I do believe the constant in and out of the lineup hurt this team last season and will be a detriment this season. When Timmy "broke his rib" or whatever it was, that should have been the end of it and he should have been put on IR. The day of Timmy being a asset to this team is long gone. The Sabres need to eat the contract and end this fiasco.

 

Your contempt for Connolly borders on pathological. So, you question his ability to play with discomfort or pain. Let me ask, before he suffered his first major injury, how many consecutive games did he play? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was well over 200. Anyone, in any major contact sport, is going to play with some discomfort and pain over the course of 200 consecutive games. That simple.

 

You continue to pooh-pooh the severity of his injuries since. Two major concussions, a mis-aligned jaw, a severely sprained knee, cracked vertabrae, and a broken rib. And you expect him to play through these as if they were merely uncomfortable? Preposterous.

 

There's a HUGE difference between playing with pain and playing with injury. The former is done all the time and, as I said above, TC would have done that over the span of his consecutive game streak. The latter is plain stupid to try. For lots of reasons. Least of which is that you aren't helping the team by playing injured.

 

I'm looking forward to his point-a-game production once again. And hoping that his string of bad luck has run out.

 

GO SABRES!!!

[inkman]

And hoping that his string of bad luck has run out.

There is a difference between luck and what happens to The Skill.

[deluca67]

Your contempt for Connolly borders on pathological. So, you question his ability to play with discomfort or pain. Let me ask, before he suffered his first major injury, how many consecutive games did he play? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was well over 200. Anyone, in any major contact sport, is going to play with some discomfort and pain over the course of 200 consecutive games. That simple.

 

You continue to pooh-pooh the severity of his injuries since. Two major concussions, a mis-aligned jaw, a severely sprained knee, cracked vertabrae, and a broken rib. And you expect him to play through these as if they were merely uncomfortable? Preposterous.

 

There's a HUGE difference between playing with pain and playing with injury. The former is done all the time and, as I said above, TC would have done that over the span of his consecutive game streak. The latter is plain stupid to try. For lots of reasons. Least of which is that you aren't helping the team by playing injured.

 

I'm looking forward to his point-a-game production once again. And hoping that his string of bad luck has run out.

 

GO SABRES!!!

The only thing that seems "pathological" is the Sabres need to force Timmy into the lineup every time Timmy feels like playing. If Timmy is recovered from his "injury" he should be sent to Portland to work himself into game shape. If he can last a few games in Portland then maybe call him up.

 

When did Tiny Timmy suddenly become a "point-a-game player"? Timmy has never averaged a point a game in his career. He has more games missed than the number of games he has actually scored in. Not to mention he is more of a defensive liability than Briere was.

 

All of this really doesn't matter anyway. The Sabres have him under contract for 43 more games then the Tin Man era in Buffalo is over. We can all say goodbye to one of the biggest disappointments in franchise history.

[deluca67]

this is a great point about the difference between the hopes inspired by weber and butler. all i could focus on, or now recall, about weber was the fact that he appeared to have a mean streak to his game. like many, i felt starved for that. the fact that butler has impressed is, to me, more impressive, because it's been based on a quieter, steadier game. weber had people throwing around names like schony and korab - butler's got me thinking more along the lines of, who? ... hajt and maybe mckee.

Didn't Weber have a close friend die recently? I wonder if that somehow has something to do with his slow start.

[shrader]

With this talk of Teppo vs. Butler, keep in mind who is skating right next to Butler. His influence on the kid should not be ignored.

[carpandean]

Didn't Weber have a close friend die recently? I wonder if that somehow has something to do with his slow start.

His friend and Windsor Spitfire teammate, Mickey Renaud, died last February. If anything, it may have made him play harder when called up last year. This season, he's had some injury problems and has also been taking a lot of penalties, a lot of which aren't "good" penalties.

[nfreeman]

There is a difference between luck and what happens to The Skill.

Correct.

 

When did Tiny Timmy suddenly become a "point-a-game player"? Timmy has never averaged a point a game in his career. He has more games missed than the number of games he has actually scored in. Not to mention he is more of a defensive liability than Briere was.

 

All of this really doesn't matter anyway. The Sabres have him under contract for 43 more games then the Tin Man era in Buffalo is over. We can all say goodbye to one of the biggest disappointments in franchise history.

The bolded statement is nonsense. When he plays, TC is one of our top penalty-killers, and Lindy frequently has him on against the opponents' top lines. The rest is true, but hysterical overstatements will damage your credibility.

 

With this talk of Teppo vs. Butler, keep in mind who is skating right next to Butler. His influence on the kid should not be ignored.

Good call.

[inkman]

...but hysterical overstatements will damage your credibility.

Hard to damage what you don't have. (and I like Deluca)

[BuffalOhio]

Three games and the Sabres will lose all three. This is the worst time for Tiny Timmy to decide he might want to play. The team is in a tough stretch of games and to disrupt the lineup because Timmy's yeast infection has cleared up is ridiculous.

 

Why didn't they just try the Vagisil in the first place?

[BuffalOhio]

If Butler sits for anyone at this point in time, I honestly think I'll lose it completely.

 

When was the last time a call-up blueliner looked this good right off the bat?

 

Mike Weber, last season. And I think Butler looks better.

[BuffalOhio]

#19 takes a lot of nasty shots. there is no doubt that he has been injured -- and anyone would be injured if they took those shots. with that said, and like i said before, he puts himself in bad positions. on the mike fisher concussion hit, he should have known that was coming once he crossed the nuetral zone where fisher had been tagging guys along the boards all series long. fisher was marking guys and tracking them down everyshift. Connoly ignored that threeat. in the scott nichols cheap shot hit -- TIM may have been well advised to know that Nichol was a cheap shot artist --- and that he better watch after plays and passes leave his stick -- as Nichols preys on those situations. Everyone in the NHL knows that nichols is a cheap rat bastard. Connoly gets on the ice and ignores that.

 

In general, Connolly simply drifts into high traffic areas without thinking about the consequences. those types of players usually have short career. the guys who 'bow' up after every whistle and have their heads' on a shivel and fear their own shaddows' (gerrard gallant, doug gilmour, dino cicarrelli, derek roy, rick vaive, etc) usually have 15-20 year careers.

 

It was Peter Schaefer on the Ottawa concussion hit. Bastard started the loss of the Cup that year....

[R_Dudley]

With this talk of Teppo vs. Butler, keep in mind who is skating right next to Butler. His influence on the kid should not be ignored.

 

Good point, I did forget that but what if we put Rivet with him as the pairing, maybe teach him some of the finer points of nasty vs. Teppo's influence...

Ya know to just round out his game a little more..... his :chris: mean game.... ;)

[Crestwood]

The only thing that seems "pathological" is the Sabres need to force Timmy into the lineup every time Timmy feels like playing. If Timmy is recovered from his "injury" he should be sent to Portland to work himself into game shape. If he can last a few games in Portland then maybe call him up.

I've always thought that, too, but aren't there still waiver issues with veteran players' rehab assignments? Maybe I've misunderstood what I've read.

[Kristian]

I've always thought that, too, but aren't there still waiver issues with veteran players' rehab assignments? Maybe I've misunderstood what I've read.

 

But even if there are, who would pick him up? And if anyone did, what do we care?

 

I can't remember though, aren't we on the hook for half his salary the rest of his contract which is 5 months?

 

Hmm... Leaves me right back at "what do we care", I have to admit.

[shrader]

Good point, I did forget that but what if we put Rivet with him as the pairing, maybe teach him some of the finer points of nasty vs. Teppo's influence...

Ya know to just round out his game a little more..... his :chris: mean game.... ;)

 

I wouldn't expect to see Butler paired up with anyone but Teppo or Rivet. Which leads me to wondering if Weber would've looked better last year if he had been around guys like Teppo and Rivet. Sekera has definitely made some great strides this season with them in the locker room. We can say whatever we want about Teppo's play, but I'm sure most won't question his positive impact on these young guys. They're at the perfect stage of their careers where they can really soak up a lot of knowledge from him.