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"I'll rap you with my cane; you pencil necked geek!!"

-Bowler, imitating Freddy Blassie, at the very first M & G.

You contradicted yourself, you can't be good every game no matter how hard you try, sometimes you are just downright terrible even if you're trying or being lazy. I didn't see the game but as it sounds, it could just be one of those games where he was just terrible and it showed. Or he is hiding simple injury.

This 5 day break will be good for all of our players. Get those preseason injuries out.

and also, it is one game still, we got one point out of it. If Vanek has zero goals and zero points after 5-10 games, then be worried about him and the team.

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No. A 5 day break right after the season starts? That sucks.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

What Caro said. Way to disrupt all the in-the-grooveness the boys would have had going for them.

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mechaphil

Oh skyline it wasn't about being good or bad. That I understand.

I think most can agree, he didn't even try. He stood near the blue line nearly the entire game. When he did have the puck, he kept his head down and just gave it to the hab's defense.

Clean slate now. Come on Vanek, deliver on what you said about using your body and getting into defensive plays.

This is the only game which it may be fair to say "it's only one game"

ridiculous.........one game.......Just

Bollocks to that!
Bugger it!
Fuck it all!
Fuck it!
Screw it!
Screw that!
Sod that!
To hell with it!

Oida drauf gschissen, wen interessierts.........schau ma am DO!!!!!!

Scheiß elendige Suderanten........verkriachts eich in aner ecken und rerts!

STOP GROUCHING!

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Einmal LASKler, immer LASKler! FAN since my first breath.
Einmal ein Sabres, immer ein Sabres! FAN since 2005.

RJ............I love him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just because your boy doesn't show up doesn't mean you have to whine when someone points it out.

Leave it alone, he "played" a terrible game, and everyone knows that. It's done.

Hope he doesn't just wait on the blue line on Thursday.

HEY!! I'M A VANEK JERSEY-WEARIN' FAN!

But you're right...he was playing a little slushy. He'll kick in...its only the first game. And now look what you've done...you've pissed off the Austrian and now he's speaking German.

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Its NNYFAN, but you can just call me Kris.

He looked Lazy in the AHL, he looked lazy every year in the NHL, for 50 million I wish we were getting more of a complete player. He talks a big game in the paper(about becoming a superstar) but when he hits the ice he looks sleepy and tired. Maybe he has a tape worm that eats his food and zaps his energy? If he scores 40 goals every year and is a plus player I guess he will be worth the money but I'm not sure if that will led us to a cup run. Lindy needs to give him as much pp time as he can handle, at least he can do that well.

My thoughts after the game were, did he even play. Didn't even hear RJ mention him, but it's only one game.

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"I don't feel like Satan, but I am to them"
Neil Young

***whatever***

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

Jay, you really swung and missed on that post. Kaleta had an outstanding game hitting and skating, as did Grier. Stafford played well on the 4th line and hustled. You say half the team showed up? Really? You must have been watching a different game, because the one I saw had the Sabres dominating from beginning to end and losing on a couple fluke goals.

Regarding Vanek, if you are willing to praise him when he has a big game you should also be willing to call him out when he pulls a no-show like he did opening night.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

I have no problem calling him out, I think we all established he had a bad game. It happens. I just think it becomes more of an annoyance that certain members have a vendetta against certain players, and allow others to have a free pass. And then there are others that can do no wrong, no matter what. Going back and thinking about the game, I can't remember Stafford doing much of anything, 2 or 3 shots, nothing special, no great chances. Grier gets burned on the Moen short hander because he tries to make an aggressive poke check instead of retreating and riding him into the boards. Kaleta is Kaleta, he can't do any wrong...so I mean, I guess it's 6 pounds of one, half dozen in the other.

http://canadiens.nhl.tv/team/console.js ... 5&fr=false

thats the Grier video, it's just a bad play by him, and as much as I hate that Sekera is burned, Grier makes a pretty dumb mistake there.

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

I hate to disagree, but I'm going to have to, Jay. Grier was flat footed and could not have retreated, while Sekera backs off allowing Moen a direct angle at Miller. A more agressive angle by Sekera cuts off Moen and pushes the play away from the net. Grier was not at fault.

Now, as far as Kaleta, what more would you like him to do? He hit, killed penalties, skated hard and his line dominated play every time on the ice.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

It's not even that he had a bad game, it is that he had NO game.

He was waiting on the blue line looking to pad his stats.

In other sports, big contract guys don't get free passes, why should this guy? Everytime he waits on the other blue line, that image of 7 mil a year has to burn into the back of your head.

He is now considered one of the "veterans" of the team compared to the younger guys.

Imagine Vanek skill with Kennedy heart. That kid played a great game, not because he was amazing with the puck, but because he busted his ass.

And i'm not hating on him, i'm simply saying CHEERS to him having a MUCH better game on Thursday. Time to turn it up. Let's go BUFFALO!

I guess I just expect more out of a veteran like Grier. The puck hits him in the back, and he chases it like a pee-wee player, rather than just looking up, and realizing that Sekera isn't in position, so he should make the heads up read, and retreat to the blue line, while turning and finding the puck. I mean it isn't his fault completely, because Sekera does have the reaction time of me at a meet and greet...but at the same time; if you're paying a guy like grier 1.7M he's got to make the smart plays on the PK, as thats what we pay him for. Just like we expect Vanek to score 80-100 points a season, because thats what he's being paid for.

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

Jay, did you see the game? We were on the powerplay, and it was a SHG.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

It's actually a 4 v 4 until Moen is crossing the blue line, which yes, I understand what you're saying. SHG, 4v4 is different from PK...I misspoke. I mean, it is whatever. I'm not changing anyone's mind, so I'm just gonna drop it. I really should be studying for my philosophy test anyway.

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

You realize the only goal we got came from a PP Kaleta drew? That Kaleta outworked and outhustled the Habs every shift? I have trouble understanding why you are calling out Kaleta after this game, unless you simply don't like him for other personal reasons I'm not aware of.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.