smokinandjokin

I was AT Game 1 against Philly. The score would've been 6-1 if Grier had an ounce of touch. You're right, he was all over the place, and got himself into position for three slam dunk scoring chances. Guess what? He could've been the best player on the ice with a hat trick instead the best player without a goal. Can we stop sweating the guy? Darin mentioned above, he was good at what he did, but he is far from irreplaceable. I think collectively they have filled the void left by Grier's departure, and individually, someone will step up and be that guy in the playoffs, I have no doubt.

Dangle Biron, or no? He would clear $2M+ of cap space. I'm not sure what to do there...The team obviously has the talent to win the Cup, but you'd hate to trade Biron and have an injury to Miller derail everything (a la the Sens sticking with Emery last season.) As a starter-caliber goalie, he SHOULD garner more than a grinder....But the Sabres also have zero leverage because he IS their backup. I think they're 2-5 in their last 7 at the HSBC vs. the Northeast division. Not crippling, because the Sabres are such a good road team, but you always want to take care of the home turf.

They are soft.

Agree on all accounts. Thank you! Somehow between June of last year and now, Mike Grier became a Hall of Famer on this board...

Jacksonville as well, no?

You don't need responses, you're doing just fine talking to yourself...

Pronger for 4-time All Star Ripper Simonek, and Lydman

Can you get me a handicapped parking permit?

Might I add that the Sabres are dangerous because they have three lines that score. Only five other teams have two 20-goal scorers. The Sabres are the only team with three, and they also have Pominville sitting on 19. Leading scorer Briere has 16, and Kotalik and Hecht are in double digits at 12 and 11. This team is dangerous because of that. You'd be sacrificing that balance by simply giving skilled players away for a grinder. Other teams have one good defensive line, and one good pair of defensmen who like to bang. People are making it sound like the Sabres can just be manhandled. Well, which line do you manhandle? I like what Grier brought, but you can't say he's missed. It's just not proven to be true. Maybe in certain people's opinion, they miss him. The team certainly don't miss him in the standings. On a 4th line, I'd rather have Novotny and Mair than Grier and Pyatt.

No doubt. I'm not sure what I'm missing here either. Mair, Gaustad, Peters will fight in the parking lot if they need to. When another team says they need more 'grit,' I'm willing to bet my house that the following sentence is, "You know, a Chris Drury-type player." When a puck is dumped in, 9 out of 10 times Kotalik puts the defensman hard into the wall. Nobody drives harder to the net than Briere and Max. Vanek, for all his skill, scores 80% of his goals battling in front. The D is on the soft side, overall, but certainly capable. I'm not worried either, tater...Ruff knows how to light the fire come spring-time!

Not that he'd rise to the occasion...Just that Ruff was able to hammer home the importance of grinding in the playoffs, so much so that even guys like Miro Satan were finishing checks. From everything I've heard and read, if Connolly does not come back this season, his salary does not count against the cap. That created about $2M worth of cushion... However, with all the players they've had to call up, who are billed against the cap at a flat "minor league rate" of $5000 or $10,000 per day that they were with the team, the Sabres have eaten up that cushion, and have less than $100,000 to spare. (I said above that Paetsch counts as a minor leaguer, but I think that's wrong...He was kept on the active roster as the 7th defensman, so his contract is already factored in...) So...If Connolly comes back, the Sabres are roughly $1.9M over the cap, and need to make some moves. Obviously, it's likely that we would have to trade Kalinin/Kotalik/Hecht/whoever for draft picks or prospects to get under the cap. If Connolly doesn't come back, we could trade (for example) Kotalik for a Grier-type player who makes the same $$ or less, and it would work within the cap. Obviously, I think Connolly returning would be welcomed by everyone...But then somebody has to go, with little immediate help in return...And Connolly is not exactly bringing toughness....

Agreed, and you better believe the box will be even more fortified than usual. Belichick will make sure Rivers is forced to make 2 or 3 big plays to win the game.

While I find it hard to believe that they were better than Rosie and Berta at the home opener in Orchard Park, the Leafs do usually bring some premium trim down the Quewy with them.

Would you bet against them? Would you take the Chargers, with Rivers & Schottenheimer, and give five points to the Pats, Brady, & Belichick? I want the Chargers to win also, but I can't see how you lay the points. I know LDT is the X-factor...It's going to be a good game, a little late afternoon SoCal sunshine blasting into our cold living rooms...I'll probably bet the Pats and hope for a 24-20 Chargers win!

This is bullschit. It should be the NYG playing a home game in Europe, to make up for that "away" game they played at Giants Stadium against the Saints in '05!!!

But that's the point...When you're playing an 82-game season, and planning for 20+ more in the playoffs, it's absolutely impossible to bring your A-game every night, and be physical every night. Lindy can preach it all he wants, but why would the team take a physical punishment on a Wednesday night in January on Long Island, when 8 out of 10 times, they can win without bruising? Why dump into the corner and chase, and take a big hit, when you don't need to? I agree, it may not be the right way, but until you start losing, regardless of what the coach says, why would you (as a player) change? I don't worry about the playoffs. Coach Ruff has a long history of players rising up and playing out of character in the playoffs. Miro Satan used to lay body checks in May!!! Don't discount the fact that the Sabres were an easy team to look past, even just last year. Now they are the #1 squad, and are the hunted. They are Notre Dame or the Yankees right now- whether they are ready or not, they are going to take their opponent's best shot every night. You may have watched every game, but you certainly don't understand their situation. The team that went into the playoffs last year was picked to finish 14th in the Eastern Conference. They had a chip on their shoulder. They had a lot of good young players who were making young-player money. The players on that team earned their raises, and now the team is up against the cap. Who do you keep? McKee at $4M? Grier at $1.3M? Dumont at $3M? Sure, they would've all been nice, but it was impossible. When teams make a playoff run, it's likely that the players on the ice had a huge impact, and other teams notice that, so the value of those players goes up. If Connolly comes back, the Sabres are going to have to trade at least one, and probably two players away for minor leaguers or draft picks, just to get under the cap. They have Connolly's salary (~$2M) as a 'cap exception' right now, because he's on long-term disability. However, if he returns, that $2M is charged back against the cap. For a team that has about $40,000 to spare because of Paestch and Stafford and other call-ups filling in this year and counting against the cap, they don't have much wiggle room. So these gritty players you expect to pick up- who are they? How do the Sabres get them, fit them under the cap, and then work them into the locker room and the lineup? This is their team. Get used to it. If Connolly comes back, it's likely that Kalinin or Hecht or Kotalik or someone like that needs to be dealt, with no help for this year coming in return. Nobody was questioning this team's grit when they were coming back from two or three goals down in the 3rd period and then winning in OT. Back then, in November, the Eastern Conference was a breeze, and winning the Cup was a sure thing. Now, perhaps some doubt has started to creep in, and people realize that winning the Stanley Cup is NEVER a sure thing. It's one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports, and it takes incredible skill, talent, goaltending, coaching, hard work, and luck. While luck comes and goes, the Sabres have all of the other ingredients. You can't find one team in the NHL who wouldn't trade their organization straight up for the Sabres, yesterday, today, or the day before the playoffs start.

So they should punish teams physically, but lose? It's the NHL. They're barely halfway through the season, and if you count the 20+ playoff games they hope to play, they're nowhere near the halfway point. These are the dog days, and you if you expect the Sabres to bring it every night, you're in for a surprise. There's not a team in the league that can do that. They didn't lose tonight because the Leafs were more physical...They lost because they started a game tonight 20 hours after they finished their game yesterday in a different time zone, all while the Leafs rested. If this lack of toughness is such an issue, how are they winning 75% of their games? 75% of the time, other teams just choose not to get physical with them?

Wowie, that sucks, didn't hear about the deaths. My experience with the security was pretty much determined by the show...Mediocre band, the yellow shirts wouldn't even turn their head at people jumping the fence. A hot ticket, and they were buzzing all over the place. Nothing like outrunning those meatballs and getting yourself lost in the crowd... That sucks about your buddy and the shrooms...I know from first-hand experience that handcuffs and a jailcell seem to be a real buzzkill.

31 wins in 43 games...Seems like this physical domination other teams are handing out is really hurting the Sabres... Let's not forget that the Sabres started a game in Chicago at 8pm last night, finished at 11pm, showered, did some press, went to the airport, flew to Buffalo, drove home, and probably got to bed sometime around 3am. The Leafs, on the other hand, took a leisurely drive down the Quewy yesterday morning, had a light practice at HSBC in the early afternoon, probably had a very nice team dinner, and relaxed in their beds at the hotel all night. It's a little easier to physically dominate when you can actually move your legs. This is the second game in a row, by the way...The Sabres beat the Leafs in TO last Saturday after playing Friday night, while the Leafs had Friday off...

Very nice. That's sweet he just loaded it up and didn't try to figure out the problem, but I guess he's a tow truck driver, not a mechanic. And that's even sweeter that he let you guys ride in there on the bed. I have a feeling that may not be entirely legal. You're from 'toga, right? I've hopped the fence for concerts at SPAC many, many times in my day.

Hmmm, I don't know. I can't say I have a firm grasp of all of the defensmen in the Eastern Conference, but I'm wondering who should be there if Campbell isn't. Who would you place there? Certainly Souray...And the best defensman from the team who's led the conference all year is left off? Not arguing, just wondering who's been better. You said you're going to the game, so you've obviously watched Campbell all year. You haven't been completely impressed? I have. If it weren't for fan voting, Campbell may not be starting, but he'd WITHOUT A DOUBT would be an All Star. He's played that well. Anyways, the fan voting is great. It seems fair that the fans get to pick 6 of the 22 players who will be on each squad. It doesn't matter much...It's the same thing that I crack up about in the arena before each game when they announce the starting lineups..."Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, here are tonight's STARTING LINEUPS!!!! Stand up and put your hands together for the guys who will play the first 40 seconds of the game!!!"

Exactly. He mentions Kaberle and McCabe, followed by "Sure, they're minus players, but..." Just funny. They rack up points on the PP and then get shelled in 5-v-5. Souray is excellent, by the way.

He's not? I would agree that Tallinder is their best defensman, but how's he been this year? Campbell is plus-17 as an offensive defensman. He lays hits. He's been the team's most consistent defensive player since January of 2006. His points are down this year, mainly because of the struggling PP, but he's still probably more gifted offensively then the others. There were stretches where he was logging over 30 minutes of ice time per game this year. His team has the most wins in the league. He doesn't deserve to start? Who does?

They are definitely pricey! I almost got busted in college stealing blades. I was grocery shopping, and grabbed some blades, and was like "$18 bucks!!! Goddam these things are expensive." Then I slipped them into my jacket pocket. As I finished my shopping and was walking toward the register, my conscience got the better of me and I said, "What am I doing? This is stupid, I'm not stealing razors." So I took them out of my pocket and threw them in my cart. I went through the line, paid, and as everything was bagged up and I was ready to push the cart out, there's two guys walking right at me and say, "Can we have a word with you please?" They told me to leave my cart, and one walks in front of me, one behind, and they take me into a back room, with all of the video screens from the cameras in the store. They have me zoomed in on camera sliding the razors into my pocket, and then they said "Please empty your pockets." I said I did do that, and I was going to steal them, but I thought better of it. I emptied my pockets, showed them the receipt, and they said I made a good move. Would've been a $100 fine and banishment from the store, plus no razors!

I went to the park about two years ago with my bro, sis, and her husband who were all in from out of town. I had a REALLY good time. The coasters were good fun. It's not Cedar Point or Busch Gardens, or even one of the better Six Flags, but on a nice sunny summer day, it was nice. Been to more than my share of concerts there...Used to be drunk (among other things) in the lot and then go sneak in through a little hole in the fence...Now I'm older and am employed, I still get drunk in the lot, but now I buy a ticket and stand there like a dweeb wearing my Dockers and golf shirt... One time after a concert, me and three friends are walking through the lot to head back to our car and then WOAH!!! There's a girl in the backseat of a car with her legs up on each front seat, and a dude is piercing her clit! So we stop to look, and we know the girl!!! We went to high school with her! Every time I see her, I still ask her about it...In fact, I just saw her about a week ago and she asked me why I always bring it up...Uuummmm, because I saw you getting your cootchie pierced in a car in the parking lot of an Allman Brothers concert, THAT'S WHY!