4merper4mer

I think both count as do both Colts/Tenn games. It doesn't really matter because it doesn't get to common opponents until after the conference record tiebreaker is over. We are 2-1 with Dallas still pending. The Colts are 1-0 having beaten Atl. They still play NO, TB, and CAR. If we beat Dallas and Indy loses to NO and TB but beats CAR for example, then the common opponents thing kicks in. If we were to lose at Dallas, Indy would have to lose all 3 to beat us in the tiebreaker or lose 2 to tie us. Winning all three would screw them.

Looking back on last night now it seems even worse. Eichel showed some fire and according to Montour, it had no impact and got no response on the bench. Montour came off as a bit of a douche in his interview as he called out everyone except himself and then slyly added "including myself" almost as if he just remembered he had to say that. Maybe the team needs a bit of a douche calling them out. Eichel's interview was one in which he said all the right things and it felt like he meant it100%. The look on his face at times though was one of someone utterly defeated and hopeless. It's not a good place but it does present an opportunity. Someone, likely Pegula, needs to take him aside and tell him that he is owed more and that it will be delivered. Botterill's interview earlier in the day embodied the words clueless and pathetic in equal parts. Neither he nor anyone else is fixing this in 2019-20. He has shown no signs whatsoever that given 1000 years, that he could ever assemble a championship team. Vesey and Sheary are players he selected to man portions of lines 1 and 2. Wrap your head around that if you can. So.....if I were Pegula I would fire Botterill this morning. I'd call in Krueger and tell him we want him to stay. I'd call in Eichel and apologize for hiring Botterill to replace the disastrous Murray. I'd ask Krueger to help identify a GM target a la McD/Beane and I'd ask Eichel to be 100% frank about which players are either simply not good enough to play in the NHL or that are harming the team with attitude. The plan then would be to jettison them gradually and get something back when possible, but there would be a list and eventually not one player on it would be a Sabre. I don't view that as a complete tear down because losing players that drag down the team with inability, attitude or both is addition by subtraction. Get back what you can and add in the offseason. Lastly, someone needs to get to the bottom of why guys like ROR, Risto, and seemingly Eichel looming want out. It's epidemic and a repeating cycle. Even Montour, who just got here,was dropping hints in his interview. Why do none of these guys feel as if they can stay and be part of the solution? Actually maybe that analysis needs to be done first or at least right after Botts is cut loose.

Eichel very open, honest and articulate in his interview.

On a positive note you can get +469863920 on the money line against Boston Thursday.

Only 176 minutes between non-Eichel goals.

You mean not every GM in the league thought of Jimmy Vesey as a first line guy?

You mean the suspense whether Sheary ever scores a goal again won't be enough for people spring for tickets?

Just watched Botts interview. That was a stupid thing to do. He basically said he'd like to get a forward but likes having a lot of D. The primary theme was whining about the salary cap. Remind me again if cap management is under the GM's role. I get that Murray was likely literally the worst GM in the history of professional sports, but he has been gone for a while and we have a horrible team that is bumping against the cap. Look at all the strong teams around the league and the Sabres have a cap problem that hasn't been fixed? For the love of God. If I had a theory that the Sabres were being sabotaged by Murray and Botts and they only drafted Eichel and Dahlin because if they didn't the sabotage would be obvious .....is there one thing they've done that is evidence against this theory? I say at the end of the year when they are out of it....mid February or so....go full Veeck and start Tre White in goal at a home game.

Look at it this way: Being down 3-0 at home to a doormat means that no matter what comes next, the trajectory is up. Does Eichel's inevitable trade request come at 9:30?

Eichel gives a crap. Botts seemingly notts.

It was also the name of Greggy's band in High School. He'll tell you he was the keyboardist but mostly he just played the organ.

So, no then? Drake's equation still ends in "=0"? Fermi still has a paradox?

You should progress from year 1 to year 2, not regress. If he had more struggles in 18-19 and was making some progress in 19-20 looking like his current self, it is one thing. Going backwards is the hallmark of poor leadership. I get that regression happens. See: Levi Wallace. But nobody ever claimed Wallace was the best prospect in a generation.

Be patient. Cozens should be ready by 2025-26. Plus, the indoor golf machine at Dave and Buster's is really cool but there isn't a good signal while you're in there.

If you were going for the most racist screen cap award you missed by one pair of chopsticks. Can you explain something about the left? They seem paranoid about Russia/China but on every domestic policy they advocate moving toward, not away from, that form of centralized government control. How does that reconcile?

Any updates on this?

You know exactly when it ends.

They are laboring for air

Mexican group named "Hash" singing the anthem does little to dispel the notion of cartels running everything.

It'll all be clear on the 12th. That was a very rude name on the first one and I'm sure glad you type poorly.

Not disarray.......apathy. Not spiraling toward a catastrophe. Already a catastrophe for a decade. Where is the franchise heading? Botts has done zero to add scoring and people are painting Cozens as the solution. Come on. He is an 18 year kid who projects well. Waiting two+ years for him to be NHL ready so we can maybe have a second line capable of scoring a goal a month is not a strategy. Blow up the roster? Who knows? Give enough of a crap to actually improve it? Yes. Botts has proven he is not the man for that job. The games are not even watchable many nights. You say this team will "compete for a playoff spot" this year. Where will the scoring necessary for that come from? Mittlestadt? If Eichel got hurt the Sabres would instantly, once again, be the worst team in the league. There is simply no excuse for that in the fifth year of his career. Yes, a lot of it is on Murray and at least Botts isn't a jerk, but he has been God awful at his job. IYHO what makes Eichel immune from wanting out? ROR wanted out. Risto wants out. Human nature is to try hard but the NHL is NASCAR and Botts keeps surrounding Eichel with VW vans from the Woodstck era. That will eventually wear on even the strongest convictions. The Sabres need to seek out a high end GM with recognized credibility.

Does that article say anything about how it is normal that the 2nd year is a regression? Doubt it.

I heard that and immediately convinced myself that I hadn't.

I don't claim to know all the X's and O's when it comes to hockey but I have a basic understanding of human nature and I can usually tell when someone is bad at their job. I'll start with the good:. I think Krueger is good at his job. He schemed us and motivated us into a good start to the season. Schemes get figured out and motivation waxes and wanes when applied to people who are overmatched. Given the right ingredients, it appears to me Krueger could be a guy that wins consistently. But: The lazy Jason Botterill is currently supplying the ingredients. I understand that patience is needed in developing a team but urgency is also required. Botts clearly lacks any urgency whatsoever. An example is Kyle Okposo. He seems like a genuinely good person and once was a good hockey player. I wish him 100000% the best with is current unfortunate injury. With that said, can anyone honestly say that a GM that cared about winning would have left him on a roster this long? None of this is on Okposo, he is working for his family and I don't see a lack of effort.....just ability. It's on the GM. There are also younger players that are simply not living up to where they were picked or not developing at a reasonable pace. One of them is a SECOND line center. In addition, it is beginning to look possible that we are ruining the best defensive prospect in multiple generations. I think his talent will ultimately turn things around, but the fact that this is even a possibility is inexcusable. All of the above is bad enough but Botts' lack of grasp on reality is likely to leave him flat footed when: Human nature ultimately kicks in and Eichel asks out. This could happen sooner than we thought and once it does, it will be too late. How long should Eichel have to wait? Fans are one thing and they deserve to be frustrated. Eichel goes into work every day and on none of them, in all of this time, has he had the luxury of knowing things are moving in the right direction. This type of thing wears on people. Can anyone name one thing Botterill has done that would instill confidence in a player like Jack that a Stanley Cup winning organization is a realistic possibility during his career? He has got a long time left but he has also been here a long time already and currently Seattle looks like they are in a stronger position than Buffalo, and they literally do not exist. Botts has to go. I hope they retain Krueger, but Botts has to go.

I think Edwards-Helaire would make a nice long term combo with Singletary. Where is he expected to go? 4th?