My MVPs in green and my LVPs in red along with good and bad figures in the appropriate color.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Gaustad did not get it done in the defensive zone in the series, and of course the Flyers first goal was off of a face-off win that Gaustad lost. That's when it matters most, I don't GAF about how many draws he wins outside of the d-zone.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

Wow... Vanek gets 5 goals and finishes a -7??? That is absolutely awful in every way.

So, how fucking awesome did Gragnani play?! He looked WAY too calm out there, he played like a 10 year NHL veteran

holy shit toews lol

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

Vanek had a tough time defensively this series.

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Wheelhouse

I had noticed this too alot about Gragnani he looked pretty darn good out there. I just knew Buffalo wasn't going to win game 7 tonight. When you have a chance to bury a team on your home ice to close out the series and you blow 2 two goal leads and then lose in overtime you deserve to lose the series. I know I will hear shit about it but it's true. Good teams find away to win games. They took way too many shitty penalty's all series long.

I agree but it also looked like Vanek wasn't moving that fast at all this series. I wish the guy had another gear. With his scoring touch and an extra gear he would be super dangerous.

I don't know, I had a good feeling about Game 7. I kept thinking that neither team could win 2 in a row and both teams were winning more on the road, it seemed like it was the Sabres turn to win one. And with the emotion level of a few injured players returning, and with TC being hurt and the league not caring, I thought the Sabres would come out with more emotion and bring the play to the Flyers. But the Flyers played great. It was the only game the Sabres didn't win or be in. They got taken to task by a much more experienced team.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

Here is one issue I had in this series. They didn't play Briere physical enough at all down low. He should have been hit every chance they got. At time's they played tough in both games that Miller shut Philly out and the other games they disappeared.

As I mentioned somewhere before, they actually out hit the FLyers in the series! Which is still kind of shocking to me, how they could out hit a team like that. But that may speak more too how little we had the puck.

As for Briere, I don't know if hitting him would have slowed him down, but I do think they could have been more aware of him and played him tougher. But you don't get a point per game in the playoffs by accident, he knows where to be and when to be there. There's a lot going on between his ears in the playoffs, very smart player.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

I totally agree that Briere is a smart player and I agree this team should have been more aware of him. They needed Briere to be aware of if he's getting the puck down low that he was going to pay the price . They didn't lay the lumber on him enough and body him enough. That's all I'm saying. Most teams know he operates down low and they should have buried him every chance they got.

He amazes me how often he just walks right out from the side of the net to the front of the net. It's not just the Sabres who failed to pick up on that, all last season everybody let him do that. And credit his linemates too, they have very consistent results and chemistry. Pretty much the exact same team went to the Finals last season, and the Sabres took them to 7 games and for all intents and purposes were just 20 minutes away from eliminating them.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

I will blame the NHL and referees for failing to hand out penalties and suspensions to James van Riemsdyk and Mike Richards for intentionally injuring Pominville and Connolly. IF you are going to bias with a team to win a series by injuring players, you are going to have issues.

I pray the Bruins win their series. Chara and Boychuk can use Briere, Pronger, Richards, and van Riemsdyk as punching bags.

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Let's go Buffalo!

i agree with richards, but i don't think jvr injured pommer on purpose, i think it was incidental

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FIGHTER OF THE NIGHTMAN

"on the ice now for buffalo, looking for the pass, and gets it, afinogenov, couldnt get the shot away, now HE DOES, HE SCORES!!!! HOLY MACKEREL ROLE THE HIGH LIGHT FILM, MAXIM AFINOGENOV, WHAT A MOVE!!!!.... thats not fair... that was unbelievable"
-R.J. and Lorenz

The injury to Pom's was a freak accident. No player could be suspended for that. Now Richards on the other hand!!!!!

We may have "out hit" them but that doesnt mean shit when you are pussies going into the corners and dont even want to go into the boards. Every time Philly dumped the puck in they charged after the puck and the Sabres retriever 100mph and we fumbled around like we were shocked at a new invention called forechecking. When we dumped the puck in the Flyer zone we didnt take the body, they tried toa void taknig the body and go right for the puck but by time they get around the Philly player they already have the puck and theres no way we are going to get it back.

Now I have missed a few games so if I make a universally incorrect call then feel free to crucify me but the only ones i saw going into the corners as hard as they were are Gerbe and Ennis who sometimes try to take the body but do better squeaking underneath their arms. Sure Kaleta and some others go crashing into the boards but what we need is guys like Vanek and Pominville to but they never do. Vanek has a very reasonable size, not too big to be quick and nimble but not too small so that he would be able to go into the corner and come out with the puck. but every time he and most of the team go into the corner they let the other team crash into the boards while they follow behind allowing them to gain possession of the puck.

now i dont know if this is part of a system that they were taught how to play or not but I find it hard to believe that almost the entire team of hockey players, who have had to forechecked somewhere along in their career, completely negate it as a whole. I dont know if this is a coaching decision or what but it isnt working. We can throw random hit after they already passed the puck off, create as many scrums after the whistle, and t-bag them all we want but until we start playing hockey we arent going to go anywhere. usually this is something that the Vets are supposed to know (Vanek, Pommers, Connolly, Roy, Gaustad) but it isnt translating to them or the others.

Vanek Boyes and Montador all had eye opening bad games during the series. Like the above post pointed out, rarely were the vets willing to pay the price in the corners and dig out a puck or two.

Montador looked like a puck was foreign to him. Boyes was completely invisible. Vanek was one of the few players that did not get physical at any point in the series.

They had stretches of time where they were good on the walls and won puck battles, but those were few and far between.

This went 7 games because of Ryan Miller, and Philly's terrible goaltending. If Philly had even an average goalie it would have been over in 5.

Does anybody know what the blocked shot numbers were for teams? If not I guess I'll just do some unwanted math, lol.

playa00, That's a good observation, Stafford, Vanek, Boyes, Connolly always let up on the hitting. A lot Sabres forwards don't like to finish their checks on the forecheck and that is a big reason why they don't have a good forecheck.

When you hit, a lot of good things can happen. D-man falls down, rushes a pass next time, losses his stick, gets wore out, etc. McCormick and Grier could not make up the forecheck hittint for the entire team.

Especially in the playoffs, you have to finish your checks. And if you don't want to do that, you wont win the Cup.

The Sabres need to find more guys willing to skate through a wall for the Cup.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger