Buftex Posted November 28, 2006 Share Posted November 28, 2006 Nice article from ESPN on the Sabres! http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2678499&type=story But that's down the road. Right now? The Sabres are the better team, if only by the slimmest of margins. It's not just because they've achieved the same number of points in one fewer game, two fewer after the Ducks play the Oilers on Tuesday night. It's not because the Ducks haven't beaten the Sabres this millennium. It's because the Sabres look willing to play that extra-risky, cojones-to-the-wall style that just might put them over the top if Miller can stand his ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oneonta Buffalo Fan Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Well they should. The Sabres are better than the Bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drnykterstein Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Uhm... the NE division is way better than the Pacific division. I'd love to play Peonix 8 times per year. Our division has been the best in Hockey the last 3 years, and its not getting any easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 The author of that article is a contributor to ESPN, but writes regularly for the Toronto Sun. Nice respect piece from a member of the rival's media, but also, I would expect him to favor Buffalo just because of familiarity and divisional pride. And I happen to agree with pretty much everything he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loadofmularkey Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 Uhm... the NE division is way better than the Pacific division. I'd love to play Peonix 8 times per year. Our division has been the best in Hockey the last 3 years, and its not getting any easier. 851223[/snapback] That's a close call. Phoenix is brutal and definitely brings that division down. But three of the top five teams in the league (Anaheim, Dallas, SJ) are all in the Pacific. Imagine being a team like the Sharks and having to play 16 games total against the Stars and Ducks? No thanks. That said, the NE division is a little more balanced, top to bottom. Any game Buffalo has against a divisional foe is not a gimmie by any means and I think that could be said for any Northeast team. After slow starts, Ottawa and Boston are starting to come on (Bruins have beat the Leafs twice in four days). The Habs look like they could be for real and Toronto is...well, Toronto. If the Bruins continue to improve as they have over the last three weeks or so, there's a shot that all five teams could wind up in the playoffs. Not likely of course, but they could all be in contention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elcrusho Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Ok what about this.... "What if we put the Buffalo Sabres in the Indy 500, in a bus or something...." "Would Ruff be driving the Bus?" "sure would" Then I gotta Take Da Sabres! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Interestingly, Anaheim's power play has performed better this season, a counterintuitive result given Buffalo's snipers. The Ducks are also better at killing penalties and at staying out of the box, as the Sabres have surrendered more power-play opportunities. From the article, this is the only thing that has me a bit concerned about the Sabres. I know I may be nitpicking here, but, IMHO, it is indicative of sloppy play. Our special teams are down, a lot, from where they were last year. Our overall D has also suffered. Our offense is just that much better, which makes up for a lot. But I really think we need to tighten up come playoff time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 From the article, this is the only thing that has me a bit concerned about the Sabres. I know I may be nitpicking here, but, IMHO, it is indicative of sloppy play. Our special teams are down, a lot, from where they were last year. Our overall D has also suffered. Our offense is just that much better, which makes up for a lot. But I really think we need to tighten up come playoff time. 852252[/snapback] I think it's the injuries on defense. Tallinder and Lydman are the #1 tandem, and would typically play more than half of every penalty kill, but don't play on PP's. In their absence, Spacek and Campbell, who also anchor the power play, have had to go out short handed. Not only are they missing their top D pair, but two of the important 'point guards' on the power play are not as fresh as they're used to being. Combine that with some rooks seeing time (Stafford and Ryan on the PP, and Paetsch and Paille on the PK) and the numbers figure to be down. I expect both percentages will move in the right direction when they are fully healthy. In the meantime, with Tallinder out, Campbell may have become the best player on the team right before our eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted November 30, 2006 Author Share Posted November 30, 2006 From the article, this is the only thing that has me a bit concerned about the Sabres. I know I may be nitpicking here, but, IMHO, it is indicative of sloppy play. Our special teams are down, a lot, from where they were last year. Our overall D has also suffered. Our offense is just that much better, which makes up for a lot. But I really think we need to tighten up come playoff time. 852252[/snapback] Yeah, I have found that to be a little concerning too. But, IIRC, the Sabres special teams were not all that great the early part of last season either. I contribute some of this erratic play to the many little injuries the Sabres have had this year. I would definitely like to see them cut the penalties down though. It seems there were a few games this year, that the team would spend almost the entire third period killing penalties...they would dominate the little they were at full strength. Even more annoying to me, is when the Sabres get on the power play, and then only seconds into it, get whistled for something unnecessary. But, hey, I am not complaining....I am just bummed that the Sabres aren't playing tonight. A rare chance I could watch the game live. It has only been three days, but it seems like weeks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dean Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 I haven't seen many Swords games so far this year. I like what I've seen, though. I do have a concern, but as I'm not really up to speed you should consider this a feeling wrapped in a question inside a fact free opinion: Is anyone playing the Greer role? I'm a little concerned they don't have someone (with talent) who will do the non-stop physical work as the season wears on. What make me really optimistic (and, therefore, nervous) is they've already got some of the Ro-town guys involved. This should be a good thing when they come back up later in the season, methinks. methinks? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted November 30, 2006 Author Share Posted November 30, 2006 I haven't seen many Swords games so far this year. I like what I've seen, though. I do have a concern, but as I'm not really up to speed you should consider this a feeling wrapped in a question inside a fact free opinion: Is anyone playing the Greer role? I'm a little concerned they don't have someone (with talent) who will do the non-stop physical work as the season wears on. What make me really optimistic (and, therefore, nervous) is they've already got some of the Ro-town guys involved. This should be a good thing when they come back up later in the season, methinks. methinks? 852361[/snapback] A nunumber of guys have really stood out in this area...Gaustad, Vanek,Roy, Mair, and even Maxim have really been playing hard, tough, physical hockey. And then, of course, there is Drury. To me, Afinagenov looks to have really stepped up his game to a level I wasn't sure he would ever reach. Not only is the guy hustling on each end of the ice, he is becoming the "finisher" that his critics have claimed he couldn't be. I think it is still a little early to tell how much losing Grier will hurt. It hasn't been a problem so far (see the standings), but to me, where Grier really earned his money, in Buffalo, was in the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Of all the losses I would say I miss Mike Grier and J.P. Dumont the most. If the opponent had the puck, it was routine for Grier to be chasing them down. He has this relentless hustle that was especially useful when forechecking deep in the offensive zone. I miss J.P. on the first line and the power play. J.P. is still young and only was going to get better. However, as we know they couldn't resign them all. I think management signed who they could, especially the big names like Afinogenov and Miller. As for roster losses, Carolina lost much more than the Sabres. Which is good! The special teams have been hard to watch. Last year when the Sabres were more of a secret, they had a greater margin of error when it came to moving the puck around. That flexibility showed signs of cracking aginst Carolina in the playoffs. Teams have seen how the Sabres play from video and gametime and they have adjusted to the Sabres tendencies. The Sabres have less time than they used to for setting up and shooting. At times, the Sabres breakouts seem to be prone to a paralysis even with an even amount of skaters. However, don't doubt that the Sabres are facing most team's A-Game on most nights. Except of course that 9 -1 gem against the Flyers! Expect the injuries to continue. I am concerned about burnout. Keep Miller fresh with more Biron. Let these AHL guys get experience because come playoff time a number of them will be on the ice. As for which team is better Sabres or the Ducks, who knows? It may be that some other team is better than both. In the NHL an eight seed (Edmonton) can make it to the finals and almost win. Hot goalies and peaking chemistry on low seeds cast a shadow over slumping teams. I do not like the cost saving move of playing more divisional rivals as opposed to playing home and home matchups against all teams. Right now, the Sabres are having the most trouble with their divisional rivals having lost to Ottawa (twice), Montreal and Toronto. Atlanta concerned me last year, they are for real. A real pleasant reality check is that the season before the lockout the fans didn't even broach such issues. The bottom line is the Sabres are doing incredible. More of the same Sabres! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Of all the losses I would say I miss Mike Grier and J.P. Dumont the most. If the opponent had the puck, it was routine for Grier to be chasing them down. He has this relentless hustle that was especially useful when forechecking deep in the offensive zone. I miss J.P. on the first line and the power play. J.P. is still young and only was going to get better. However, as we know they couldn't resign them all. I think management signed who they could, especially the big names like Afinogenov and Miller. As for roster losses, Carolina lost much more than the Sabres. Which is good! 852585[/snapback] I don't miss Grier at all. The locker room seems in good hands, and there is no lack of 'grit' on this team, which is about all Grier brought to the table. He got the most out of his talent, and the hustle was always there, but I'd much rather give a young guy like Paille a chance. Grier's stone hands and missed chances got old. Also, piss on Grier for taking the same $1.3M from San Jose that the Sabres offered him, and then badmouthing the organization on his way out of town. He said he didn't like the direction, and didn't think they'd pay anybody. Well, they clearly made Grier a fair offer, as that's what he's currently making. And they have about $70,000 of Bettman dollars to play with, so they paid just about everyone else. Grier is dead to me. But maybe his comments spurred Darcy and Tommy G into action, so for that we can be thankful. As for the others, good riddance to Taylor Quiet and Rory Fitz. JP and McKee would be nice luxuries to have, but not practical. Both got paid and I'm happy for them. Taylor Quiet was paired up with the Sedin bros in Vancouver and actually started fairly hot, scoring 6 goals in 9 games at one point in Oct. He has 8G 3A on the season and is a -4. He has cooled off recently, November was a bad month for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted December 1, 2006 Author Share Posted December 1, 2006 I don't miss Grier at all. The locker room seems in good hands, and there is no lack of 'grit' on this team, which is about all Grier brought to the table. He got the most out of his talent, and the hustle was always there, but I'd much rather give a young guy like Paille a chance. Grier's stone hands and missed chances got old. Also, piss on Grier for taking the same $1.3M from San Jose that the Sabres offered him, and then badmouthing the organization on his way out of town. He said he didn't like the direction, and didn't think they'd pay anybody. Well, they clearly made Grier a fair offer, as that's what he's currently making. And they have about $70,000 of Bettman dollars to play with, so they paid just about everyone else. Grier is dead to me. But maybe his comments spurred Darcy and Tommy G into action, so for that we can be thankful. 852615[/snapback] Personally, I think the Sabres are fine without Pyatt, Dumont and McKee. The Sabres have players of similar talent, or better upside than all of these guys. Honestly, I always thought Sabres fans overrated McKee a bit, and Pyatt was kind of floundering. I liked Dumont a lot, but I think the Sabres could afford losing him, given all of the talented forwards they have. As I said earlier, I don't think the Sabres will miss Grier so much in the regular season, but he was tremendous in the playoffs last year. We still don't know for sure if we have anyone who can bring what he did, to the table, during the playoffs. I think we do, but you never know. I wouldn't hold his departing words about the Sabres against him too much. If I recall, he was the first of our free agents to sign elsewhere. At the time, you really couldn't blame him. Darcy Tucker had said publicly, that the Sabres were going to lose players, and had said more than once that the Sabres wouldn't be paying out more than the organization could afford (even if it meant being well below the cap)...a lot of players (McKee, Briere come to mind) were openly questiong the direction of the team. Grier must have known that he wasn't going to be the priority, and there was a sense, at the time, that a lot of guys would be leaving. A lot of Sabres fans were panicking too. Put your self in Griers' place. In the end, things worked out very well for the Sabres, but they kind of gambled and won. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 Personally, I think the Sabres are fine without Pyatt, Dumont and McKee. The Sabres have players of similar talent, or better upside than all of these guys. Honestly, I always thought Sabres fans overrated McKee a bit, and Pyatt was kind of floundering. I liked Dumont a lot, but I think the Sabres could afford losing him, given all of the talented forwards they have. As I said earlier, I don't think the Sabres will miss Grier so much in the regular season, but he was tremendous in the playoffs last year. We still don't know for sure if we have anyone who can bring what he did, to the table, during the playoffs. I think we do, but you never know. I wouldn't hold his departing words about the Sabres against him too much. If I recall, he was the first of our free agents to sign elsewhere. At the time, you really couldn't blame him. Darcy Tucker had said publicly, that the Sabres were going to lose players, and had said more than once that the Sabres wouldn't be paying out more than the organization could afford (even if it meant being well below the cap)...a lot of players (McKee, Briere come to mind) were openly questiong the direction of the team. Grier must have known that he wasn't going to be the priority, and there was a sense, at the time, that a lot of guys would be leaving. A lot of Sabres fans were panicking too. Put your self in Griers' place. In the end, things worked out very well for the Sabres, but they kind of gambled and won. 853354[/snapback] Grier wanted to go to California for family reasons, I seem to recall. Nothing against the Sabres. We will miss him in the playoffs, but you can't sign everyone. That said, they had better sign both Briere and Drury for next year, take the Biron $$, subtract the 1 mil for a backup G, and give the rest to Drury and Briere. $10 mil should get both signed. I hope you are right and that once the injuries heal, our special teams % and goals allowed will revert to last year's form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 What did Grier bring in the playoffs that will be so hard to replace? He skated his ass off, and finished every check, but every Lindy-team has always done that in the playoffs. Hell, Miro used to skate hard and hit when they got to the playoffs. Grier was good at what he was good at (if that makes any sense) but if losing him is the missing cog, then this team isn't Stanley Cup caliber anyways. His time here was well spent, but I think there's probably 40 guys in the league and 2 or 3 on the Sabres who can bring what Grier brought, and more. A 2nd-year Paul Gaustad comes to mind immediately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 The author of that article is a contributor to ESPN, but writes regularly for the Toronto Sun. Nice respect piece from a member of the rival's media, but also, I would expect him to favor Buffalo just because of familiarity and divisional pride. And I happen to agree with pretty much everything he said. 851227[/snapback] Toronto Sun and its online outlet,Slam have by far the best hockey writers around. Much of it focus's on Canadian teams but certainly not entirely so. If ever I want to read the best perspective on the NHL, no matter what team it concerns, I turn there first. Al Strachan is probably the premier hockey writer in North America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted December 1, 2006 Share Posted December 1, 2006 What did Grier bring in the playoffs that will be so hard to replace? He skated his ass off, and finished every check, but every Lindy-team has always done that in the playoffs. Hell, Miro used to skate hard and hit when they got to the playoffs. Grier was good at what he was good at (if that makes any sense) but if losing him is the missing cog, then this team isn't Stanley Cup caliber anyways. His time here was well spent, but I think there's probably 40 guys in the league and 2 or 3 on the Sabres who can bring what Grier brought, and more. A 2nd-year Paul Gaustad comes to mind immediately. 853621[/snapback] Grier really stood out in the playoffs last season. I gained a ton of respect for him for that. I was overjoyed when the Sharks picked him up. I like his grit its not like he has hands of stone either. He is on the 1st penatly killing line for the Sharks as well. No doubt the Sabres will not hurt offensively without him. I am a little concerned for the Sabres if they were to run into a ahole cheap shot team like the Oilers in the playoffs. Sabres, being a fast skilled team will probably will have to deal with schmucks like Pisani or Torres running guys like Briere or Maxim. If that happens do they have a guy that can respond in kind? Believe me you need a guy or two like that on your squad and personally, I havent seen anything like that on the Sabres. Not now, during the regular season, but in the playoffs when teams start playing for real. I know Grier is one of those guys and for that im especially glad we have him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sullim4 Posted December 2, 2006 Share Posted December 2, 2006 I am a little concerned for the Sabres if they were to run into a ahole cheap shot team like the Oilers in the playoffs. Sabres, being a fast skilled team will probably will have to deal with schmucks like Pisani or Torres running guys like Briere or Maxim. If that happens do they have a guy that can respond in kind? Believe me you need a guy or two like that on your squad and personally, I havent seen anything like that on the Sabres. Not now, during the regular season, but in the playoffs when teams start playing for real. I know Grier is one of those guys and for that im especially glad we have him. 853747[/snapback] Andrew Peters is the Sabres' enforcer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted December 4, 2006 Author Share Posted December 4, 2006 Andrew Peters is the Sabres' enforcer. 854180[/snapback] Grier was more than just a goon enforcer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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