I could see playing those two so much if they are showcasing for a trade.
With the play on ice, they need to stop playing them together and for so many minutes as it is backfiring on them tremendously.
Scouts have to walk out shaking their heads most niights.
- IonSabres

The sooner they realize that playing two defenseman together who are not puck movers, the better.

The reason Scandella works well with Jokiharju is Scandella passes to him and let's him handle the breakout pass most of the time.

I think that's the reason Pilut worked well with Ristolainen last year.

Put McCabe with Miller on the 3rd pair, let Miller handle the outlet pass, and McCabe would likely look better than he does now.

Counterpoints:

The game against the Bruins was the first quality game they've played in...weeks?

How long has Botterill been closing on a move? Months?
- kingcong39

The Sabres also played actually really well for the first 6 games. Played really well last game.

Last season they were never actually good.

Hockey is weird. The Blues were 30th in January.

It’s 25-% of the season. We’re still in the mix

3 points out of the playoffs. Just got done being the better team against the Bruins, while missing Johansson.

He needs to make a move, and by all indications is closing in on making at least one.

The sky isn’t falling
- sbroads24

Lost 9 of the last 10...

Only reason they are only 3 points out of the playoffs is because they beat a bunch of teams that don't have a winning record early in the season

Lost 9 of the last 10...

Only reason they are only 3 points out of the playoffs is because they beat a bunch of teams that don't have a winning record early in the season
- Stripes77

Sounds like another Buffalo sports team.

Lost 9 of the last 10...

Only reason they are only 3 points out of the playoffs is because they beat a bunch of teams that don't have a winning record early in the season
- Stripes77

Like Montreal? Like Dallas who’s 3rd in their division?

We’re also the only team in the last 7 games that Ottawa has lost to.

Like Montreal? Like Dallas who’s 3rd in their division?

We’re also the only team in the last 7 games that Ottawa has lost to.
- sbroads24

So you're just going to leave out the rest of the teams they beat?

Got it

The Sabres needed to change the lines a bit and start to play better.

They tweaked the lines and were better than the Bruins for 75% of that game, and the only difference was Rask robbed Erod on the PP and robbed Sheary early.

I have faith that Connor Sheary, Erod, Skinner, Mittelstadt aren’t going to go 0-for the remainder of the season, and if Dahlin plays like this we’re in for some good hockey

So you're just going to leave out the rest of the teams they beat?

Got it
- Stripes77

So what?

I never got this mentality.

Would you have preferred they lost to those teams?

So you're just going to leave out the rest of the teams they beat?

Got it
- Stripes77

Ah, like San Jose and Pittsburgh?

So what?

I never got this mentality.

Would you have preferred they lost to those teams?
- Powerslave

The point is and has been for the last decade is they don't beat the good teams, the teams they need to beat to be a playoff team

Ah, like San Jose and Pittsburgh?
- sbroads24

Pittsburgh was a mess when they played

San Jose is playing .500 hockey

We took Carolina to OT and lost on a miscommunication

The Isles got a fluke behind the net goal, we hit 2 posts and lost 1-0

We in reality had 4-5 actually bad games

LA, Minny, Chicago, first San Jose game, Anaheim and the Tamps series.

It’s an 82 game season and the Sabres have a new coach and a weird schedule to start.

But choose to be miserable

Edit - Rangers game was bad

It is the last week of November and this season is headed like last years did.

If Botts doesn't make a trade to attempt to shake this roster up he won't be a GM after this season
- Stripes77

What if botts working with the pegula's?
Following their direction/time line?

He is not getting fired anytime soon.

We took Carolina to OT and lost on a miscommunication

The Isles got a fluke behind the net goal, we hit 2 posts and lost 1-0

We in reality had 4-5 actually bad games

LA, Minny, Chicago, first San Jose game, Anaheim and the Tamps series.

It’s an 82 game season and the Sabres have a new coach and a weird schedule to start.

But choose to be miserable
- sbroads24

This coming from you is ironic

I don't see how you of all people can look at this roster and the way they have been playing and not see this is a cluster of a roster that is nowhere near good enough top to bottom to be a legit playoff team

Pittsburgh was a mess when they played

San Jose is playing .500 hockey
- Stripes77

They looked bad for 8 minutes against Washington and then out played them for 45 minutes.

The Sabres have shown they can be the better team, against other good teams.

This is what’s different to last year. Last year everything had to go right for us to win

Do the Pegulas pay attention until after football season anymore?

What if botts working with the pegula's?
Following their direction/time line?

He is not getting fired anytime soon.
- Boss34

Then things are way worse for Buffalo sports fans than we thought.

If the owner is dictating the direction of the team and the time line we are all screwed

This coming from you is ironic

I don't see how you of all people can look at this roster and the way they have been playing and not see this is a cluster of a roster that is nowhere near good enough top to bottom to be a legit playoff team
- Stripes77

I don’t like some of the roster.

This can be said for 100% of NHL roster since the beginning of time.

I don’t like some of the roster.

This can be said for 100% of NHL roster since the beginning of time.
- sbroads24

The middle 6 has been a huge issue with this team for years and it's still a problem

Yes losing Johansson hurt but really before his injury this was a 4 guy team

Eichel Skinner Johansson and Reinhart carried play

Oloffson scored on the PP and that was basically it

This goes back to qualifying Girgensons and Larsson, keeping dead weight around prevents other moves from being able to be made.

That and having 19 defensemen

This coming from you is ironic

I don't see how you of all people can look at this roster and the way they have been playing and not see this is a cluster of a roster that is nowhere near good enough top to bottom to be a legit playoff team
- Stripes77

I don't recall anyone saying this roster is good enough.

Point to where any one of us said that.

He looked great last year. Numbers don’t look good so far this year but he was a noteworthy prospect in the Bruins pipeline that pumps players out like nobody’s business. The entire Wild organization has been a tire fire this year.

He had 16 points in 22 games last year in Minny has 37 points in 88 career games playing mostly bottom 6 minutes. That is quite good if you ask me for a 23 year old making peanuts.
- Pegullaville

Wow

The middle 6 has been a huge issue with this team for years and it's still a problem

Yes losing Johansson hurt but really before his injury this was a 4 guy team

Eichel Skinner Johansson and Reinhart carried play

Oloffson scored on the PP and that was basically it

This goes back to qualifying Girgensons and Larsson, keeping dead weight around prevents other moves from being able to be made.

That and having 19 defensemen
- Stripes77

It’s definitely an issue. I agree.

Mittelstadt put up a few good games early and we won

I think they need an add there.

But 37,43,13,71 etc aren’t going 0-for the rest of the year.

We aren’t as good as 8-1-1. But also not as bad as 2-9-2.

Dahlin breaking out will be absolutely huge for the offense too

It’s definitely an issue. I agree.

Mittelstadt put up a few good games early and we won

I think they need an add there.

But 37,43,13,71 etc aren’t going 0-for the rest of the year.

We aren’t as good as 8-1-1. But also not as bad as 2-9-2.

Dahlin breaking out will be absolutely huge for the offense too
- sbroads24

Yeah pretty much

We are a .500 team that won't make the playoffs unless there is pretty substantial move made

See this is why we don’t deserve good things. All summer around here it was Erod and Nelson buzz. Now we are freaking out about John Gilmour who is a fringe NHL player at best.

Whichever team claimed Gilmour would have had to of kept him on their NHL roster for a minimum of 30 days. Sabres would of had first claim on him otherwise if the team who claimed him then sent him down.

There was a small chance he would of gotten claimed.
- Pegullaville

Amazing

It’s definitely an issue. I agree.

Mittelstadt put up a few good games early and we won

I think they need an add there.

But 37,43,13,71 etc aren’t going 0-for the rest of the year.

We aren’t as good as 8-1-1. But also not as bad as 2-9-2.

Dahlin breaking out will be absolutely huge for the offense too
- sbroads24

skinner-eichel-someone
casey-someone-reinhart
olofsson-asplund-sheary
vesey-erod-lazar


shame tage only got 7 minutes