Buffalo Sabres and NHL 2024-2025

[Greg S]

[US Egg]

Can’t say I don’t know how Leaf fans feel, at least it wasn’t for the Cup itself. Now that’s heartbreak.

[ExiledInIllinois]

To be fair, the Panthers are dirty as *****!  Juicers & Goons.

[BillsFan4]

10 hours ago, US Egg said:

Can’t say I don’t know how Leaf fans feel, at least it wasn’t for the Cup itself. Now that’s heartbreak.

Yeah, it’s funny. After 14 years of Sabres irrelevance, the rivalry with the leafs is long gone and I almost find myself empathizing with leafs fans (almost… lol) due to the struggle the Bills have faced getting over the hump in the playoffs. lol

 

The leafs couldn’t get past Boston, and now Florida.

It feels similar to the Bills against Kansas City (and Cincy to a lesser extent).

 

I’m starting to worry that enjoying these Toronto losses is bad karma for the Bills 😂 (not really though. I know one has nothing to do with the other)

[Jauronimo]

 

The Leafs totally folded last night.  They stayed on the ice to salute the fans after the handshake and were booed.  Some Marner and Matthews jerseys hit the ice in the waning minutes.

[BillsFan4]

5 minutes ago, Jauronimo said:

 

The Leafs totally folded last night.  They stayed on the ice to salute the fans after the handshake and were booed.  Some Marner and Matthews jerseys hit the ice in the waning minutes.

it’s kind of wild seeing so many leafs fans who are happy they are (likely) about to lose two of their best players for zero in return (Marner & Tavares to free agency).

But I also get it. They desperately want change to the core and view the cap space + potential additions as more valuable. I’m not sure I agree with them, but I get it.

 

I would think Brenden Shanahan is gone too. I’d take him as the Sabres PoHO in a second. I’d take Marner and/or Tavares as well. lol

Edited 11 hours ago by BillsFan4

[Jauronimo]

1 minute ago, BillsFan4 said:

it’s kind of wild seeing so many leafs fans who are happy they are (likely) about to lose two of their best players for zero in return (Marner & Tavares to free agency).

But I also get it. They desperately want change to the core and view the cap space + potential additions as more valuable. I’m not sure I agree with them, but I get it.

 

I would think Brenden Shanahan is gone too. I’d take him as the Sabres PoHO in a second. I’d take Marner and/or Tavares as well. lol

Thats the nature of sports fans it seems.  How many people here want to blow up the team except for Allen and go for broke with a new head coach and GM? But there is a special kind of frustration when are forced to accept that your best players disappear on the biggest stages and the team is fatally flawed.  Much has been made of Marner's no show but Matthews was not noticeable this playoffs either.  

[BillsFan4]

 

oof.

[May Day 10]

I think the Leafs are just fine to be honest.  They are probably the 2nd or 3rd best team in the NHL.  They have just been stuck in a brutal Division with Boston, Tampa, and now Florida.  Florida is a wagon.  

 

I believe hiring Berube put them a step or 3 closer to being a cup-winning team.  I had thought this might be the year.  

[US Egg]

46 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

Yeah, it’s funny. After 14 years of Sabres irrelevance, the rivalry with the leafs is long gone and I almost find myself empathizing

Sabres/Leafs games were the best, rowdy crowd, felt like a playoff game. Was my favorite game to go to. Now, nah.

[Gregg]

[Jauronimo]

2 hours ago, May Day 10 said:

I think the Leafs are just fine to be honest.  They are probably the 2nd or 3rd best team in the NHL.  They have just been stuck in a brutal Division with Boston, Tampa, and now Florida.  Florida is a wagon.  

 

I believe hiring Berube put them a step or 3 closer to being a cup-winning team.  I had thought this might be the year.  

I don't know if they're top 5 in the West.  I think the Oilers, Stars, Avs, Vegas, and Jets would all drop Toronto in a best of 7.  Would Toronto beat Carolina or Tampa?  The 8 seed in the east took them 7 games. 

[PromoTheRobot]

5 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

 

oof.

 

I think pressure gets to them. The combo of the playoff losing streak and being Toronto, it has got to get inside everyone's heads. That little voice. I think the Sabres deal with that too with the prolonged drought.

[Draconator]

I bought a Maple Leafs sheet and comforter set. Now I can't score at home. 

[BillsFan4]

44 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

I think pressure gets to them. The combo of the playoff losing streak and being Toronto, it has got to get inside everyone's heads. That little voice. I think the Sabres deal with that too with the prolonged drought.

Totally agree. They have the talent, and I thought they made big strides the past couple years in their style of play in the playoffs. They just seem to get in their own heads though.

 

They very much remind me of the Sabres when they face pressure to win, and don’t seem to handle the ups and downs in a game well.

 

You could almost see it happen last night after the panthers second goal (and definitely after their 3rd goal). It was like the whole collective team went “oh no, here we go again” and it was over from that point on. They had that tiny sign of life with the Domi goal to make it 3-1 but then immediately allowed the panthers to make it a 3 goal game again a minute later or whatever it was.

 

I think the fan and media pressure get to them too, similar to here in Buffalo. But it’s just amplified x100 in Toronto.