GDT Sabres at Penguins 11/26/25 7pm MSG WGR550

[Thorny]

23 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

IMHO it stems from not owning the drought. Seriously these guys, most of them anyway, withdrew the stick salute bc of booing. Kesselring misunderstands the booing as a normal hockey market. It's the drought, dummies.

Hey I hacked your account 

[Thorny]

23 hours ago, Archie Lee said:

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/video/kevyn-adams-4-19-23-343685944

This is Adams's season ender in 2023. Start just before the 7 minute mark.  Adams makes clear that ending the drought, making the playoffs, success in the short-term, is at best a corporate stretch-target.  It was the beginning of the end for Adams. The future is on hold until there is a new GM.  

That they didn’t figure out, presumably still haven’t figured out that the Buffalo Sabres franchise specifically as it stands cannot benefit anymore from long term goals and pursuits and patience, that to fix the culture of no expectation literally the only cure is going all-in on the now, holding yourself to nothing less than winning RIGHT NOW being the standard, is mind-boggling. I opined on that 5 years ago lol. Draft picks don’t matter. Prospects don’t matter. Not for *this* franchise - not right now, not anymore.

I’m not sure what part of “historical ineptitude” they don’t understand - why they can’t grasp that being an *anomaly* means they need a drastic and a anomalific approach to fix it. It’s physics. Transactions should in totality be dialed in on mortgaging EVERY SINGLE BIT OF THE FUTURE THEY CAN in the aid of the now. Because the future they are trading is only perceived, and never to arrive, without the rescuing of the now

there only ever IS the now. No yesterday, no tomorrow. 

- - - 

they don’t want to acknowledge the reality of the drought, they don’t want to be the ones to take responsibility for the realities of it and how it must be approached and fixed, they don’t want to claim it. No one does 

what they don’t get is SOMEONE F*CKING HAS TO

besides the fans. If they continue leaving it to the fans, the fans will remain on an island, separate from the organization, separate from success. Separate from winning. 

Edited yesterday at 06:56 PM by Thorny

[RETURNTOGLORY]

2 hours ago, LTS said:

Confusing statement. Does the coach get on the ice and push them around faster?

I think a coach can help take motivated players to the next level but regardless of what is said in the locker room or on the bench the only motivation that really matters is when a player steps on the ice. Either they are going to put it all out there or they are not.

A coach does not make Timmins make a bad pass, even Herb Brooks wouldn't have prevented that.  Even if a coach does not hold a player accountable (and yes, that's on the coach) a player needs to hold themselves and their teammates accountable.

Coaches can certainly negatively impact a team, but I don't see how it negatively impacts a player's willingness to spend their own energy. Even if they don't like the coach they should be doing it to spite the coach and because they hold themselves to their own personal higher standard.

 

I get your point, but this feels like an oversimplification of coaching. No, the coach doesn’t strap on skates and make plays — but coaching absolutely affects performance. Systems, line matching, confidence, communication, bench management, and the culture set behind the scenes all shape how players perform on the ice.

You’re right that players have personal accountability, but motivation and clarity of instruction aren’t just “locker room speeches” — they’re embedded in how the team is prepared, how mistakes are addressed, and how players are positioned to succeed or fail. A bad pass may be on the player — but persistent breakdowns, morale issues, and inconsistency often trace back to coaching structure, leadership style, and trust.

Players should always compete hard, yes. But to act like coaching doesn’t directly influence execution, confidence, and discipline ignores how elite teams actually function. Coaching isn’t about shoving players around physically — it’s about shaping their decision-making and effort through strategy, trust, and accountability.

 

[PASabreFan]

27 minutes ago, Thorny said:

Hey I hacked your account 

Yeah? I've hated prospects and evaluation years at least as long as you have.

Most liked Starter Levi. How did that work out?

Edited yesterday at 07:01 PM by PASabreFan

[Thorny]

6 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Yeah? I've hated prospects and evaluation years at least as long as you have.

Most liked Starter Levi. How did that work out?

WAY longer than me you are far far older

FAR older 

[PASabreFan]

1 minute ago, Thorny said:

WAY longer than me you are far far older

FAR older 

If I could still extend my legs, I would kick your ass, sonny.

[Thorny]

14 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Yeah? I've hated prospects and evaluation years at least as long as you have.

Most liked Starter Levi. How did that work out?

 

On 10/30/2021 at 8:48 AM, Thorny said:

No he doesn’t. He’s a 7th round pick. This breakout sample size is ridiculously small 

Anyways, who’d you rather have, Reinhart to term, or Devon Levi?

As I always say, goalie prospects are nothingness until they are actually starting capably in the NHL. Their numbers are often all over the place. 

Wasn’t UPL ranked as the top goalie prospect in the world for quite a period of time? 

 

[PASabreFan]

"Newsy Lalonde? fr?"

PAVictoriasFan, circa 1904

Edited yesterday at 07:21 PM by PASabreFan

[Thorny]

On 11/24/2023 at 2:13 PM, Thorny said:

I’m just candidly exhausted by the Hasek references. Be it invoking that connotation when it comes to Levi, and the other even more annoying way: “even prime hasek doesn’t play well behind this D” 

@PASabreFan I’ve only become more like you over the course of my 10+ years here. Blame the team. Also, remember the Levi is Hasek days 

[LTS]

On 11/28/2025 at 1:56 PM, RETURNTOGLORY said:

I get your point, but this feels like an oversimplification of coaching. No, the coach doesn’t strap on skates and make plays — but coaching absolutely affects performance. Systems, line matching, confidence, communication, bench management, and the culture set behind the scenes all shape how players perform on the ice.

You’re right that players have personal accountability, but motivation and clarity of instruction aren’t just “locker room speeches” — they’re embedded in how the team is prepared, how mistakes are addressed, and how players are positioned to succeed or fail. A bad pass may be on the player — but persistent breakdowns, morale issues, and inconsistency often trace back to coaching structure, leadership style, and trust.

Players should always compete hard, yes. But to act like coaching doesn’t directly influence execution, confidence, and discipline ignores how elite teams actually function. Coaching isn’t about shoving players around physically — it’s about shaping their decision-making and effort through strategy, trust, and accountability.

 

I understand why it could feel that way but I don't think so. Coaching affects performance, certainly. But the effort a player puts in on the ice is 100% attributable to the player. I see a lot of lazy players on the ice who don't want to win puck battles, make good passes, and skate hard. Even if the system is bad the point at which a player decides to make a pass whether it's the right pass or not, that's on the player to execute. The desire to win a puck battle in the moment is on the player.

The coaching on this team is laughable. I think the players don't want to put their full effort in. They are both contributing to the problem but while the coaching won't get better the players can play better.  I see some of them still working hard. I watched McLeod swing by the net after a shot on goal the other night. You could point to coaching and say they aren't forcing the players to go to the net when the shot is on goal. You could be right, but I watched Benson go to the net. Every player is taught from the moment they begin playing, you go to the net after a shot. You don't fly by, ever.

We saw it happen in OT earlier this year. They didn't go to the net to force a whistle. The goalie put it back in play and whoever they were playing went right down the ice and scored because Buffalo was caught sleeping.