If Max is in, who will be out?

Partly because there's a heavy schedule of four games in six nights coming up and perhaps to change his team's losing karma, Lindy Ruff took the unusual step of having the team take a day off Tuesday, a rarity on the day before a game (Wednesday's visit by Boston to HSBC Arena).

Ruff said Monday he expects twice-scratched Maxim Afinogenov and Henrik Tallinder to be back in the lineup. Tallinder almost certainly takes the place of Nathan Paetsch. But it will be interesting to see who sits to make room for one-goal Max.

It won't be Mark Mancari, who was the team's best forward in the two games last weekend after getting off the plane from Portland and taking Max's spot. Playing the physical Bruins, you wouldn't think it would be Andrew Peters or Patrick Kaleta but you never really know what Ruff will do.

How about a press box seat for two-goal Drew Stafford? Ruff seems quick on the trigger with Daniel Paille (another two-goaler), but he seemed to work well with Mancari and Paul Gaustad.

Make your pick here and be sure to leave some more thoughts in the comments section.

---Mike Harrington

Online Surveys & Market Research

Comments

[Buffalo Excuses]

Goal,

In the spirit of The Holiday, I will agree that they are not playing "that bad".

What concerns me most is that Ruff called out his team and they responded with a better effort, but still lost 2 games. Maybe this is the dark lining on the silver cloud of the season. I audaciously HOPE so.

Cheers!

[goal10der44]

I'm not a Max fan at all, but he is 5th on the team in assists and he does create some offense, though his turnovers generally negate that. I say let him get himself straight, then trade him for a 4/5/6 rd pick, thats all he'll ever be worth.

Here's my take, what about adding MacArthur to this list? He started out great, but has severly cooled off. He and Stafford are both -6, with 1 assist in their last 8 games. Those numbers sound like a trip to press box to me. He also only has 32 shots in 20 games, that's just not enough. Even Max has 38 in less games. Mancari had 12 in 2 games!! You can't score if you don't shoot the puck.

Really, you could make a case for Roy being scratched, -9, but with 7 pts, in his last 8 games. -9!!!

Kaleta - 1g, 1a & +1 in his last 8 games, and people want to sit him?

I'm going to say something that most people won't like: the Sabres are not playing as bad as everyone thinks they are. Offensively, they've outshot 4 of their last 5 opponents, and 3 of those 4 have been by more than 10 shots. Their just not finishing. The defense and goaltending have been way less than average for the limited amount of shots they're allowing though, roughly 25/game. If they clean that up and start putting some pucks to the back of the net instead of the crest on the goalies uniform, they'll come out of this funk and before you know, we'll all be singing their praises again...well, maybe not for Max.

Lastly, on this Thanksgiving eve, I'm thankful we even have a team to discuss and for the Center Ice package so I can watch them from so far away.

[PGR88]

I am seeing no production from Stafford (-4), Mair (-3) or Gaustad (-2). Mair is nearly 30 years old, and is still looking for a role. Stafford has had his shot at the NHL. Gaustad has size, but needs to use it.

[Steve in Wheatfield]

Sit Max...for the rest of the season. Maybe the Sabres could "accidentally" send him down to Roche...I mean Portland so that someone else could grab him off waivers.

[SabresFan in DC]

There's a good article on "thehockeynews.com" called "AHL prospects ready to make the jump". They mention Gerbe and Kennedy (they also mention Justin Abdelkater who was Kennedy's linemate at Michigan State). Hopefully Gerbe and Kennedy will get to Buffalo someday soon.

Oh yeah. Sit Stafford.

[Don H]

We are probably going to lose regardless of who sits. Might as well get something to keep us awake, so leave Peters in there to fight and Kaleta to body block.

[Jerry's Tweed Jacket]

SLH,

Speaking for the idiots who know nothing about hockey, are you kidding me on Max? He is in his NINTH NHL season and he is still putting himself in the press box? How much more of this garbage do you need to see. Create chances? That train left the station years ago.

[Burgandy]

Sit Peters. He is a joke. If Gaustad, Stafford, Paille Rivet would throw their weight around like they are suppose too you wouldn't need Peters. Great I'm going to the game tonight and Max is playing. I'm still a big Max fan. It's to bad so many fans scapegoat this guy. He has not played that bad this year. There are so many dumb fans who generate their opinions from the media and not from what they see on the ice.

[ol'Mace]

Ok so someone mock me.

What is so different this year ?

[Beavis]

This is getting depressing. Why would we turn back to Max, Stafford, Connolly, Tallinder, etc. when they're the ones who helped get us in this mess?

The Sabres NEVER do anything (personnel wise) during the season. I don't get it. Forget benching people to send a message. That's not going to work if they're back on the ice after two days in the press box. Rather, let's start WAIVING players outright. The hell with it, dump Max, Tallinder and Connolly outright. I would explore trade options for Kotalik, Stafford and Numminen. Then I would call up the other "kids" - Kennedy, Gerbe, Weber and Butler.

They can't be any worse than what we've been seeing for the past month, can they?

And what does the team have to lose? We're currently in ninth place in the standings and are only two or three points out of 13th place. If we're going to be hanging with the dregs of the league for this season, we might as well get these guys some NHL experience now.

Blow it up!!!

[Derek]

I'd much rather see The Peters and Kaleta show rather than Drew using his big frame to not go to the net and not hit people.

[Buffalo Excuses]

Sit Staff is my vote. A little humility will do "Hizzoner" good.

Mouse potatoes this rat boy.

Sad part is the list is long. Afino, Paille, Staff.

Wouldn't sit Peters or Kaleta hockey genius. If we are going to lose the game anyway, you might as well go down swinging. This team needs a wake up call in the form of a swift kick in the arse. Peters can deliver that spark by kicking someone elses. If we go down a goal and THEN get pushed around...Well, it will get depresssing.

Lack of heart kills this team more often than not.

[Anne]

I like Paille's two way play, he definitely seems to commit himself more to the game every shift. He never takes a shift off. Now, he doesn't always produce points on those shifts but he's always battling in the corners and finishing his checks. The same cannot be said for Peters and Stafford. Sit one of them. Mancari had (I believe) 12 shots on goal this weekend. That's incredible. No way he sits.

[Anne]

I like Paille's two way play, he definitely seems to commit himself more to the game every shift. He never takes a shift off. Now, he doesn't always produce points on those shifts but he's always battling in the corners and finishing his checks. The same cannot be said for Peters and Stafford. Sit one of them. Mancari had (I believe) 12 shots on goal this weekend. That's incredible. No way he sits.

[Buffalo Excuses]

Was "Staff" the inventor of the "mouse potatoes" comment?

If so, way to go Dork boy. Alienate fans who pay the bills. You seriously want to chat with the agent on that one...Isn't this RFA for you???

[Jeff]

I can barely remember even seeing Stafford on the ice at all this season.

Just that one play against Boston where Chara shoulda Connolly'd him.

[Dave]

I'd say keep sitting Max, I'm sick and tired of him. I'm sick of his inability to finish, I'm sick of his drawing his teammates offsides, I'm sick of watching him fly into the opponent's end only to lose the puck or dump it back out over the blue line. I've had it. We should just put the guy on waivers or buy him out completely if that doesn't work. He can go play in the KHL then.

That being said, I know for some odd reason, he'll wind up back in the line up. So I say sit Stafford.

[SLH]

You people are idiots who know nothing about hockey. Sit Peters and put in max to create chances.

[mark]

Darcy needs to get max out of here asap for whatever he can get even if it is only a low round draft pick. It would be addition by subtraction.

[Jerry's Tweed Jacket]

How many Max Afinogenov experiments do we need to see? Put him in Sabretooth's costume or let him sell popcorn but keep him off the ice. His get the puck in the zone and circle back act has rubbed off on Derek Roy as well. Mancari showed a spark - sit Stafford and get Gerbe or Kennedy here for a short stint. Can't do worse than the horror show we have been watching the last nearly dozen games.

[Morning Joe]

Sit Drew Stafford's premature prima donna a ss. He can use the time to think about his game, but it's more likely he'll just whine about "mouse potatoes" critique his game, oblivious to the fact that they're right, and he's in the press box where he belongs.