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Fans, Media, Players Need to Relax
I have pledged to stop watching the Sabres until they straighten themselves out. They are pretty awful right now, its not the pre lock out awful. Its awful in the sense that you know they are capable of so much more.
I have been listening to the media, fans and players and all I hear makes me feel like everyone just needs to shut up and relax. Yes, me the biggest critic of this team. Just relax.
1. The fans/media: I have heard so much nonsense from the fans and media over the last few days its enough to make you just wonder if the fans you hear actually watch the game and the media is just leading most of the ignorant fans by the nose.
Enough already with the "fire Lindy" and "trade Miller or Roy or insert other scapegoat".
First, Lindy should go no where. They have in Lindy possibly one of the top 3 coaches in the NHL. Regardless of their current record, he is. You don't stay around for 13 years without being good. Lindy is well respected and over the 13 years he has had bad teams and great teams and everything in between and if anything he has shown that its not him. If they play his system, if they play the game he wants this team is good, if not great. If they don't then they are what they are now.
Second, who are you going to trade? Ryan Milller? He had a concussion and I believe he has not fully recovered from it. Why he is still playing I have no idea but he is and they are suffering the consequences, but you can't trade him. He is a great goalie when hes right and right now hes going through his first really bad stretch and besides that, name one team that wants him the way he is playing?
Roy? no one wants him
Stafford? Inconsistent and non one wants him.
Leino...we just got him, and after watching him play, no one wants him.
The players teams would want I don't want to trade. Maybe is Roy/Stafford start showing a little life you can trade them for draft picks at the dead line to clear salary for the offseason.
2. The players need to relax, they are uptight because of the media and fans and some due to ownership and their Stanley Cup pledge. Look, as bad as it is, this team isn't this bad. Maybe they aren't a cup contender, but they are not as bad as they have been recently either. I think at this point they are a deflated team that can't catch a break. They need to loosen up, and just play hockey. Do what they do best, relax, go out and just let it happen. Don't listen to the media, don't listen to the fans. Lindy needs to tell them to just go out and let it fly, who cares right now, just play hockey, it can't get any worse than what its been.
Will they make the playoffs this year? Probably not at this point. But hey you never know. They pulled it off last year. At this point they have been so bitten by the injury bug I think its time to sit Miller until they know he is 100% and get the rest of this team healthy and see what happens. At the deadline Roy and Stafford might get you 2nd or 3rd rounders, you take them. Jochen Hecht is done here after the season and Sekera might be trade bait as well. Go out, sign someone to lead your offense. They have enough on the blueline, but not up front.
In the mean time, relax. Lindy and Miller are staying put, no one is getting fired or traded. This is a good team that simply needs to relax, and it needs to start by not listening to fans or the media.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
Not A Playoff Team
As of yesterday before their total collapse against the Pittsburgh Penguins the Sabres were an equal number of points out of third in the Eastern Conference as they were out of 13th place. After last night they might as well be in last because all signs point to this team not being a playoff team.
You can throw all the excuses you want at it and I have heard all the excuses but, here we are in mid, going on late December and this team is coughing up one, two and even three goal leads at home on a regular basis despte investing in a $10 million a year defenseman who is barely earning a quarter of that with his play, a trade for a hard nosed defenseman from Calgary who also is barely paying dividends and a $6 million forward who was starting to turn things around from a horrid start who is currently going to be out for a while.
Add to that that they are piling up injuries and playing with close to a third of their on ice team as rookies and average goaltending at best and you get a team that is already in trouble. Ted Black can preach patience all he wants but I am starting to believe that until the coach and GM change, this thing is going to continue to crash. What else does Lindy Ruff have left to do to stimulate this team? He changed goalies last night three times, whats next? No goalie? Maybe try a third goalie on the bench so that way we don't have to go back to Miller or Enroth...granted Im not pinning all of their woes on Lindy Ruff or the goal tending, any hockey fan watching can see the defensive lapses and mental breakdowns that leave these goalies and their coach hung out to dry.
After last night they are a .500 team 16-16. Sorry folks I count that third column as nothing more than a loss, the NHL chooses to give pity points for losing, I don't. That makes this team one loss away from being a sub .500 team. Add to that their goal differential (goals for vs. goals against) is now a -5. They have scores 5 fewer goals than they have allowed, That is a big sign of a non playoff team.
Ultimately, I hold Darcy Regier accountable he spent the money and brought these new players in who have not paid off. $10 million on a defenseman whose name isn't Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, Ray Bourque or Niklas Lidstrom is unacceptable. They could have gotten two solid defenseman or forwards for what they paid for Erhoff who may have some offensive upside but defensively he isn't exactly an elite defenseman yet he is the highest paid player in the league this year and next.
Of course, Darcy Regier can fix it, he has the power to make trades and lets not forget the good trades he has made....Mike Wilson turned into Rhett Warrener, he nabbed Mike Peca out of Vancouver and Chris Gratton became Daniel Briere.....given the resources he has, and the position this team is in, in need of a serious wake up call maybe its time for an uncharacteristic mid season trade to shake things up.
Derek Roy, Drew Stafford, Brad Boyes, name your defensive prospect, hell even throw Ryan Miller's or Enroth's name around and see what you get. You might be surprised if you include a draft pick or a prospect with one of those above mentioned players and it might even help shake up and improve the team chemistry a little.
Its Mid-December and they are a .500 team, its time to worry, not panic, but its definitely worry time if this doesn't get righted and righted soon. January usually starts to signal its time to start making the playoff push, if this thing isn't going well by then, it will be panic time. They can start by winning two games in a row at HOME.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
The Worst 6-4 Team In The League
This team may be 6-4 but tonight they might as well have been 4-6 or worse. I have heard it more than enough to make me sick over the last few days....oh they need time to "gel", they are still finding the right "chemistry" or my favorite line "its early".......every one of those cliches makes me sick.
Has the Washington Capitals needed time to "gel", is it too early for the Dallas Stars to work a little, Pittsburgh seems like they are clicking without Sydney Crosby. Most of these guys have been working out and skating with each other since August, most have been playing for Lindy Ruff for years, so spare me the "geling" excuse. And I would hope that they learned their lesson about slow starts or it being "early" still from last year. Forgive me for being critical but this team is not playing well.
Yeah sure, they beat Columbus the other night, but guess what, if they don't beat Columbus then they are really not good because Columbus sucks. They should beat Columbus and they did.....but other than that name one game where this team has really played a full 60 minutes?
Tonight was pretty lack luster from the beginning and at the end, well they deserved to lose. This team has issues and yes its early, but what have we learned over the last few years? You can lose seasons very early, last year it took the best record in the league after December to get this team into the playoffs after a terrible start.
The previous two seasons they didn't make the playoffs because they had piss poor starts. They may be 6-4 but if they don't start working and finding a little heart in their game they are going to find themselves at .500 or worse in a hurry. And the schedule doesn't get easier over the next few weeks, Florida and Columbus at home are games you have to win especially when you are playing with a one goal lead with six minutes to go.
Nathan Gerbes garbage in the third was total lack of discipline, yes the penalty stunk, but keep your mouth shut and skate to the penalty box and they still have a power play after the initial penalty, but he had to skate to the ref, bump him and show him up. Ruff needs to bench Gerbe for a game for that because that is inexcusable.
18 shots allowed in the third period is also inexcusable, Roy, Leino and a few others disappearing so far this season is inexcusable. Knowing you have the talent but not working is also inexcusable which is what makes this team right now the worst 6-4 team in the NHL.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
BORRRRRRRRINGGGGG
Horrible, that was the only way to describe last nights game between the Buffalo Sabres and Tampa Bay Lightning. I don't know if its Lindy Ruff or just the system employed by so many teams in the league but for some reason the Sabres are not capable of beating the neutral zone trap and that is exactly what Tampa Bay did last night.
Why? When you have a team like Tampa who has Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis, and Vincent Lecavalier why do you need the trap. Play offense, that is why your fans are in the seats, to see those players do what they do best, not sit back, clog up the neutral zone and wait for their opponents to make a mistake.
The Sabres are more often than not beaten by these trap systems like New Jersey has employed for years too, and the Sabres last night made two mistakes, we won't count the third goal that was an empty netter.
My problem with the trap is that it is boring, Id rather watch my grass grow in January than watch that crap. Lindy at least sticks to if not trys to stick to his system which is certainly not the trap, his defensemen pinch and try to keep the offensive plays going, which gets them in trouble in those trapping systems.
I know this has been beaten over the head for years but somehow, someway the NHL needs to figure out a way to ban the trap. It is not what fans want. Fans want scoring, not snooze fest. Hockey is supposed to be fast, exciting especially when you have players like Stamkos and St. Louis on the ice, it should be exciting. Instead it had me checking out what was on the shopping networks.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
Leino is a Nice Problem
I say that this whole "demotion" is a good sign for this hockey club. How many teams in the NHL right now can say they have a forward worth $6 million a year playing on their 4th line? Add to the fact that this team is 5-1 and on top of the Northeast Division with the hottest goaltender in the league and Jochen Hecht waiting in the wings if need be and I'd say its a nice problem to have.
Ville Leino will come out of his funk, its early, they are winning and as long as they are winning, they can tinker with what they have. October through March is the time to play around and get it right. If it ain't right by March, pull the trigger on a trade to make it right. Which brings us to the other nice problem, if Leino doesn't work, they have prospects and excess players to trade and get that number one center.
Of course, what is doing this to Leino is the fact that Luke Adam has stepped up and become this teams number one center early on. Adam is a Calder candidate right now, whether he keeps that up is debatable but for now it provides the Sabres with some good problems to have.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
Same Old Crap
Um ......NO
HELL NO!
Sabres fans, its the same old crap. Drew Stafford may well be the big signing of the offseason, why? I have no clue. Yeah he had 31 goals during the regular season then obviously forgot to show up for the playoffs because he didn't have nary a goal in the playoffs. So why they would throw the money they did at him is beyond me. Is the free agent crop that thin? Save the money and invest in a 10 year deal for Tyler Myers.
Add to that the possibility, to even think that Chris Drury A) may be bought out by the New York Rangers and B) the Sabres may consider bringing him back and C) Tim Connolly may be brought back under the right circumstances and it looks like the same lame offseason crap. Empty promises from management and ownership.
Drury and Connolly are both shot, they have had way too many miles put on their fragile bodies either via injury or in Drury's case just being a small player getting pounded on a nightly basis. Neither of these moves makes sense. Sure there will be fans who want to bring Drury back for nostalgic purposes but that will be the only reason because he isn't the same player he was four years ago. He has had a rough go of it in New York and last year only played 24 games due to injuries. If the Rangers are buying him out, there is something very, very rotten.
Connolly has been shot since his last concussion. He has never become what we hoped he would and offensively we will never see what he could have been. He plays scared of getting hit in the offensive zone and this past year coughed up more pucks than any forward in the league, he is a very good penalty killer I will give him that but thats about it.
Its time to move on with Connolly and we moved on without Drury four years ago. Id rather have Rob Neidermayer another year if you want that veteran guy on your third or fourth line.
If they do sign either Connolly or Drury I have to question the motives of this new ownership, I thought we were going to invest the money to bring in the best free agents and establish a cup contender. If thats the case then go out and go after Brad Richard's, don't go half ass and sign two guys who aren't going to lead you to the regular season much less the playoffs or a Stanley Cup.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
They Just Weren't Ready
They fought hard, since January, they battled and battled and took a second seeded team in the first round of the playoffs to seven games. Not bad. New life was given to this team by a new owner and what started as a new year and the team playing better evolved into a bonified comeback from the depths of the Eastern Conference.
Back in December when Derek Roy went down with a torn quadricep this team was fighting to stay out of dead last never mind a playoff spot. They literally had to be the best team in the league for the rest of the season for them to make the playoffs and that is pretty much what they were.
Inspired by a new owner and renewed sense of identity, the Sabres players and fans connected again this year because of a new vision from the new owner and yeah they lost today but it was the first battle in the war to win a Stanley Cup.
So after the loss tonight I wasn't as upset as I have been in previous years. I am actually hopeful. Im hopeful that the new ownership will allow the ideas of the hockey department to actually happen this year and actually be a part of the decision making. Terry Pegula is already committed to spending the money so no worries. This season though another bitter pill to swallow was okay.
I think we tended to forget how young this team was. Nathan Gerbe, Tyler Ennis, Luke Adam, Marc Andre Grangani, Jhonas Enroth, all rookies, barely 20 somethings. Tyler Myers 20-21 years old in just his second season all being asked to fill huge voids left open by extended injuries throughout the season to Jason Pominville, Derek Roy, Andrej Sekera, and Jochen Hecht. All of them played huge roles in why this team pushed forward and secured not just a playoff spot but lets face it, they put pressure on the Montreal Canadiens for 6th place in the conference.
So, looking forward? Not now, Im going to enjoy baseball season now. No one seems to want to take off with the AL East so though my Jays are under .500, Jose Bautista is proving he was no fluke and the pitching staff is starting to get it together.
Over the next few weeks and leading up to free agency Ill come up with a wish list and who should go/who should stay list for the Sabres. Right now, catch the breath and enjoy a little quiet spring/summer. They will be back soon enough.
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
The Hit Was Dirty
I was at the game and watched this hit up close, it looked dirty then and it still looks dirty the more I watch it. The sad thing is the NHL says they want dirty, head shots out of the game yet they do nothing about this lack of respect for another player.
Its not the fact that Richards hits Connolly, its how and where he hits him. His hands are clearly shoving Connolly in the upper torso insuring that Connolly went into the boards head first. Im not saying it was intent to injure, but if it wasn't it sure was suspicious. But the NHL acted how it always will, like a bunch of politicians. Richards is the Philly captain and suspending the captain is unheard of during the playoffs. If this hit was Kaleta or even Gaustad doing the exact same thing to Briere Philly would be screaming murder and I guarantee the NHL would pull the trigger on a suspension. Once again the NHL proves that they are full of shit, they aren't serious about getting rid of head injuries, as usual when one of its "stars" is involved in questionable play its turn the other cheek. Exactly why the NHL is and always will be a second rate league and I have lost all respect I ever could muster up for Richards.Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
Help Us Knock The Habs Out of 6th
Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey | Hockey | Sports | Toronto Maple Leafs
Tonight....We Clinch
Tonight...we will clinch a playoff spot against the Philadelphia Flyers, tonight we make the playoffs and begin what I think is going to be a long run through the playoffs, Im not saying the two words begining with S and C but I am saying we will win at least two rounds.
I think this team has a chip on their shoulder from getting bounced last year. They have been the best in the league since January and I don't think anyone in the Eastern Conference wants to play the Buffalo Sabres right now.
Tonight we have 80 alumni attending for fan appreciation night, however its going to turn into Sabres appreciation night because tonight we clinch.
To get inspired, as if we need it:Category: Buffalo Sabres Hockey
