MattPie

They're possessed.

I am prophetic.

I'm not sure anyone is "fighting" for anything. ? In the end, good teams make the playoffs, bad teams don't. I have no problem with 3-v-3 or the shootout as a way to finish off a tie game. The game is what the rules define it as. The real game is 60 minutes of regulation, followed by 5 minutes of 3-v-3, and then a shootout. Teams need to build to optimize their results using that structure. Ignoring the OT format is shooting yourself in the foot, just like ignoring powerplays would be. Plus, it's nice that the OT format rewards fast, skilled play as it keeps more of those players on the team.

FWIW, I punched their numbers into my sheet, and they need to play the rest of the season at a 99-point-pace, or go on a 5-game winning streak to get back to the playoff bubble. So essentially, they're only slightly worse off than the Sabres were 5 games ago.

A note on the "it's too early to seriously have this discussion" front: 5 games ago, the Sabres were on a solidly not making the playoffs pace of 88 points. They're only a 3-game skid away from being on outside looking in again (92 points). Let's hold our horses until they get to a point where they didn't need to reel off 5 straight wins to get to a place where a couple losses doesn't drop them out of the wildcard.

I thought it was the Sabrepede

The ROW column came in after the first season of the Shootout, I believe. The dinosaurs whined and whined that some team had a bunch of SO wins and got into the playoffs over another team that have one more ROW. I say tough cookies, everyone plays by the same rules; team #2 should have been better at the shootout. FWIW, I'd prefer a 3 point system to make each game worth a consistent number of points.

To expand this out a little: - Win in regulation: 2, loss in regulation: 0 (same as now) - 5 minute 5-v-5 OT: Win: 2, Loss: 0 (changed 2005) - Tied after OT: both teams: 1 (changed 2005) Net result: both teams alternated dumping the puck into the opposing zone and playing the trap to "preserve" their one point. It was terrible. "Loser Point" effect: teams having nothing to lose in OT, so they go nuts. Better hockey.

I've been to all of them. More to the point, it's short drive from Bird-in-hand to Intercourse and then on to Paradise, but if you make a wrong turn, you end up in Blue Ball. There's a townie bar named the "Virginville Hotel"; there's a song or limerick begging to be written there.

I always wondered about that with Lindy; there's a certain logic to having everyone at least somewhat familiar playing with everyone else.

It's name is deceptive, although if anyone could pull some Amish ladies, I'm sure it's you. It's maybe 20 minutes from my house, and mostly a tourist Amish place. Lots of people enjoy gawking at people with the audacity to not have electricity.

It's pretty the same, but they paid a design student to make in not ugly.

The dinosaurs would flip out. I can't remember, did people call ties losses before Lockout I?

27-10-45 is a solid playoff season.

The season pace over the last bunch of games has smoothed out to right around the 94-point bubble, so any ranking between 18-14 seems about right, maybe slightly higher if you believe "the team is coming together after a slow start due to all the new faces". They've just climbed above playoff pace with the last win, but they were below it for a bit before that.

NBCSN game, hoo boy do I hope it's Doc Emerick. Go! Up to the minute news on this game, best link:

I was thinking something similar. Taken to an extreme, alternate Pommer and Thompson (or similar) as scratches. I wonder if Pommer would be primed for the playoffs playing 41 games rather than 80+. Of course, this probably doesn't work in the room or for Pommer...

Now you've done it, if they don't score a goal in the next 6 games I know who to come for.

My math has them at 92 points this season at this pace. Probably not going to cut it, they need more. Great win, though, keep them coming.

Nice win, need to win the next one too to get back onto pace.

We watched Darjeeling Express recently (over the course or 2-3 nights; that's what being a parent does), it's worth a watch.

So you're saying the Bills have a chance to roar back to 6-10?

How strange, I used to have a HK amp, Sony CD Changer, and Paradigm 7" towers.

What's the point if the current HC and GM are calling the shots? They have an equal chance of screwing up picks 1-3 as 7-9.