Michael Pachla: Sabres hit their long Christmas break with shootout loss to Chicago

have a Merry Christmas everyone!!!! By the way Star Wars was the best movie I've ever seen in my life it was absolutely epic!! Cya next year

have a Merry Christmas everyone!!!! By the way Star Wars was the best movie I've ever seen in my life it was absolutely epic!! Cya next year
- gerbe75pts

I just got home from seeing it!
It was pretty awesome
And I REALLY like how they wrote it.
Sets us up for one heck of a trilogy

have a Merry Christmas everyone!!!! By the way Star Wars was the best movie I've ever seen in my life it was absolutely epic!! Cya next year
- gerbe75pts

How does it end?

Still grumpy about the loss - not the refs; not the team. I'm pissed we didn't win.

Still grumpy about the loss - not the refs; not the team. I'm pissed we didn't win.
- Der Kaiser

So we get a top winger in the draft. Not like were making the playoffs. Were a competitive team but we have tons of holes.

So we get a top winger in the draft. Not like were making the playoffs. Were a competitive team but we have tons of holes.
- joshs

No we don't.

That game just proved it.

No we don't.

That game just proved it.
- Der Kaiser

Huh? We lose mcginn and gorges this offseason. Moulson and gio are just not good enough and bylsma has no clue how to use girgenson. How dont we have holes?

have a Merry Christmas everyone!!!! By the way Star Wars was the best movie I've ever seen in my life it was absolutely epic!! Cya next year
- gerbe75pts

it was good...

Huh? We lose mcginn and gorges this offseason. Moulson and gio are just not good enough and bylsma has no clue how to use girgenson. How dont we have holes?
- joshs

I want to preface this by saying I'm a huge Girgensons fan.

He using him exactly where he wants to. As a checking center. Is he more talented than that? Absolutely. Are the two guys in front of him better? Yes, although some on this board think Eichel sucks and is the laziest player since Ville Leino, but that's another argument altogether. Is he having a bad year? Offensively, yes. He can't seem to find any chemistry with anyone. The experiment with him on the wing failed even if he showed some flashes with Eichel and Kane, but too often you'd see him drifting out of position to center ice opening lanes for the opposition. Maybe it'd take more time, but I think he has too much speed to be wasted on the wing. Like O'Reilly, he's at his best at center as a roamer tear assing up and down the ice; not confined to half/a third of the ice. Ultimately I don't think he'd be bad in a top 6 RW role, but he's just better at being a defensive center. Last year was probably a little inflated for him. He was playing in a very "do whatever you want" system which worked for him, but I think most importantly he had an entire country on his shoulders and that jacked him up and he played out of his mind. I also think we can't discount the broken leg too much. Depending on where the break was it can have lasting effects forever. Look at Stamkos. Ultimately you have to look at how he's being utilized as a positive for the team as a whole. He'd be a 2C on almost any team in the league, but is playing below that now due to the talent we have up the middle.

I'll end the rant on the fact that not every system is suited to every player. Gaborik in Minnesota, Kovalchuk in NJ, and just look at the Bills defense this year. Same players, different system, much worse results.

Hat, Why don't you just tell us how you really feel, and stop being coy?

I'm more upset about Gorges stupid penalty with 2.5 minutes left. Didn't even see Risto's, but coinciding minors from your best d pair near the end of a one-goal game is harder to take than Jack having a couple pp turnovers.

mmmm turnovers. I'm hungry.

are we good yet?

Broke down and bought a shepherd pup yesterday.
Named him Caesar

have a Merry Christmas everyone!!!! By the way Star Wars was the best movie I've ever seen in my life it was absolutely epic!! Cya next year
- gerbe75pts

plot was very good
special effects were very good


I was not impressed with the new characters

I want to preface this by saying I'm a huge Girgensons fan.

He using him exactly where he wants to. As a checking center. Is he more talented than that? Absolutely. Are the two guys in front of him better? Yes, although some on this board think Eichel sucks and is the laziest player since Ville Leino, but that's another argument altogether. Is he having a bad year? Offensively, yes. He can't seem to find any chemistry with anyone. The experiment with him on the wing failed even if he showed some flashes with Eichel and Kane, but too often you'd see him drifting out of position to center ice opening lanes for the opposition. Maybe it'd take more time, but I think he has too much speed to be wasted on the wing. Like O'Reilly, he's at his best at center as a roamer tear assing up and down the ice; not confined to half/a third of the ice. Ultimately I don't think he'd be bad in a top 6 RW role, but he's just better at being a defensive center. Last year was probably a little inflated for him. He was playing in a very "do whatever you want" system which worked for him, but I think most importantly he had an entire country on his shoulders and that jacked him up and he played out of his mind. I also think we can't discount the broken leg too much. Depending on where the break was it can have lasting effects forever. Look at Stamkos. Ultimately you have to look at how he's being utilized as a positive for the team as a whole. He'd be a 2C on almost any team in the league, but is playing below that now due to the talent we have up the middle.

I'll end the rant on the fact that not every system is suited to every player. Gaborik in Minnesota, Kovalchuk in NJ, and just look at the Bills defense this year. Same players, different system, much worse results.
- Wetbandit1

i'm with ya, bandito...but i'll add, don't underestimate his capacity to learn and adapt...

it took him most of the year in Rochester to acclimate himself to the pro game as the youngest player in the league...it took him a year to adapt to the nhl as a 19 year old...and as a 21 yr. old this season he'd already skated through 131 games of the turmoil that was the rebuild and now he's adapting to a new system and a different role.

are we good yet?
- homiedclown

better

Huh? We lose mcginn and gorges this offseason. Moulson and gio are just not good enough and bylsma has no clue how to use girgenson. How dont we have holes?
- joshs

we have gorges for 2 more years

Broke down and bought a shepherd pup yesterday.
Named him Caesar


- homiedclown

Good for you man.

we have gorges for 2 more years
- homiedclown

why are we getting rid of McGinn?

nice pup, btw

Huh? We lose mcginn and gorges this offseason. Moulson and gio are just not good enough and bylsma has no clue how to use girgenson. How dont we have holes?
- joshs

We'll re-sign McGinn, trade Uggie at the deadline.

why are we getting rid of McGinn?

nice pup, btw
- Michael Pachla

No idea, love McGinn's game. I read somewhere that Murray wanted McGinn as part of the ROR deal. He stays imo.

Good for you man.
- mhp

his dad is black, stocky, bout 100 lbs

his mom is a sable female, tall and around 90 lbs

I expect Caesar to break the 100 lb mark, his paws are huge

No idea, love McGinn's game. I read somewhere that Murray wanted McGinn as part of the ROR deal. He stays imo.
- mhp

that's what I'm thinking