GAME DISCUSSION THREAD

[LabattBlue]

This may be the most original way to start a GDT...

 

 

I'm still pissed off about Wednesday's game! :angry:

[deluca67]

This may be the most original way to start a GDT...

 

 

I'm still pissed off about Wednesday's game! :angry:

Hopefully the Sabres aren't too busy looking over their shoulders at the Sens.

[Kristian]

I want the DivingCanes absolutely DESTROYED tonight!

[nfreeman]

It would be nice if they didn't play scared. Gut-check time, and time for the leaders to demand a strong performance from their teammates. It will be very disappointing if they come out looking demoralized from the Ottawa game.

[CallawaySabres]

Start Lalime no matter what. Sens are not losing until April anyway....

[SwampD]

Wow, the day off after a bad loss sure goes a lot quicker than after a win. I was surprised that there was a game today. I guess all the extra activity in here keeps me busy enough to not notice that there wasn't a Sabres game on yesterday.

[ThePebble19]

This needs to be one of those 8-1 ass whoopings tonight, in favor of us.

[Kristian]

This needs to be one of those 8-1 ass whoopings tonight, in favor of us.

 

Expect Vanek to score a natural hattrick and get two assists if that happens :wallbash:

[Ohiofan]

I'm really on the edge of my seat waiting to see who is in goal tonight. Tomorrow we are driving an hour south to Columbus in a freakin' snowstorm and we'd really like to see Miller. So let it be Lalime tonight!

 

And the boys better kick some a$$. I mean it. I'm from Tiorunda, I'm loud and Italian and I'll follow them to the damn bus and kick their collective a$$es myself.

 

After Pommers signs my kids jersey of course B-)

[Stoner]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Sabres are on the verge of a more serious tailspin. I don't know where their heads are right now. The season progressed nicely from a revelation that they could be a playoff team to a revelation that they could be a division winning team to a revelation that could be a contender. The road trip and losses to Pittsburgh and Ottawa started pulling apart the contender status, and now they're losing hold of the division. What are they left with? "Hey, we're a playoff team."

 

Playing two bad teams back to back ("we should win") doesn't make me feel any better.

[R_Dudley]

I'm really on the edge of my seat waiting to see who is in goal tonight. Tomorrow we are driving an hour south to Columbus in a freakin' snowstorm and we'd really like to see Miller. So let it be Lalime tonight!

 

And the boys better kick some a$$. I mean it. I'm from Tiorunda, I'm loud and Italian and I'll follow them to the damn bus and kick their collective a$$es myself.

 

After Pommers signs my kids jersey of course B-)

NICE, what we called the projects back in the day. I knew some crazy's from there. I grew up not far from there myself Schiller park.

I hope you get your wish Sat and by the way if they don't show up and play well I suggest you do follow them to the bus and call them out, I think a women calling out their manhood at that point would be just desserts.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the Sabres are on the verge of a more serious tailspin. I don't know where their heads are right now. The season progressed nicely from a relevation that they could be a playoff team to a revelation that they could be a division winning team to a revelation that could be a contender. The road trip and losses to Pittsburgh and Ottawa started pulling apart the contender status, and now they're losing hold of the division. What are they left with? "Hey, we're a playoff team."

 

Playing two bad teams back to back ("we should win") doesn't make me feel any better.

I was so disappointed after Wednesday it took till today to even come back here to read and/or talk about it

 

That's why we need to see them play these next games to see where this team is really at and while winnning the next two "we should win" doesn't erase the pain of the reality we can't beat some other teams that are better than us, it helps their confidence level and ideally helps them to get back to playing well, staying competitive to provide some entertaining hockey.

 

Let's Go Bufffffalo. Stop the bleeding now. Get back to some solid team play and get this turned back around before the break.

[Claude_Verret]

Wednesday night was disappointing, but as a counter to the doom and gloom that seems to be setting in, I'll point out that if we assume the Sabres win the three games in hand then they are still 7 points up on the Sens. I believe that the Sens are blowing their wad early and they will regress to the mean.

 

Also, it appears the fire sale has begun with the Canes with Wallin heading to the Sharks...

[Simpson8]

Wednesday night was disappointing, but as a counter to the doom and gloom that seems to be setting in, I'll point out that if we assume the Sabres win the three games in hand then they are still 7 points up on the Sens. I believe that the Sens are blowing their wad early and they will regress to the mean.

 

Also, it appears the fire sale has begun with the Canes with Wallin heading to the Sharks...

 

Assuming Ottawa Loses to Toronto on Sat and Calgary Tuesday.

[shrader]

Wednesday night was disappointing, but as a counter to the doom and gloom that seems to be setting in, I'll point out that if we assume the Sabres win the three games in hand then they are still 7 points up on the Sens. I believe that the Sens are blowing their wad early and they will regress to the mean.

 

That's an awfully big assumption. 3 points from those 3 games is a much safer bet. Anything else is just a bonus.

[X. Benedict]

Start Lalime no matter what. Sens are not losing until April anyway....

 

Did you see the Sens game winning goal last night?

 

When the bounces are going you way they are going your way. Forward lost an edge and plowed into raycroft and the puck slid in at 2 miles an hour.

[X. Benedict]

Wednesday night was disappointing, but as a counter to the doom and gloom that seems to be setting in, I'll point out that if we assume the Sabres win the three games in hand then they are still 7 points up on the Sens. I believe that the Sens are blowing their wad early and they will regress to the mean.

 

Also, it appears the fire sale has begun with the Canes with Wallin heading to the Sharks...

Missed that, nice pick up for sharks.

[carpandean]

Assuming Ottawa Loses to Toronto on Sat and Calgary Tuesday.

Well, not really. Yes, those games add back to the games-in-hand that the Sabres have. His point was that for the number of games that the Sens have played and currently have 70 points, the Sabres would have 77. Just like right now, the Sabres have 71 points in the same number of games that the Sens had 64. The Sens have banked two points in each of their 56th, 57th and 58th games, so the Sabres will need to do likewise to maintain their seven point lead. Every point that they don't get in those games decreases their lead from seven.

 

I really wish the league schedulers would do a better job of keeping games played closer than they do. Teams should generally be within one game played of each other, maybe two for a day or so. It's tightened up recently in the East, with all teams within 3 GP of each other, but we see things like 4-6 games-in-hand frequently throughout a season.

[scottnc]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Sabres are on the verge of a more serious tailspin. I don't know where their heads are right now. The season progressed nicely from a revelation that they could be a playoff team to a revelation that they could be a division winning team to a revelation that could be a contender. The road trip and losses to Pittsburgh and Ottawa started pulling apart the contender status, and now they're losing hold of the division. What are they left with? "Hey, we're a playoff team."

 

Playing two bad teams back to back ("we should win") doesn't make me feel any better.

 

Looking for a silver lining, we have not beed badly outplayed in any of these recent losses. In fact, we have outright dominated portions of those games. We've been making key defensive mistakes that end up in the back of our net, and we have not capitalized on enough of our chances. I believe those kind of mistakes can be corrected. I believe we will pick it up again, and kicking the crap out of Carolina tonight would be a good start.

[Claude_Verret]

Missed that, nice pick up for sharks.

 

Actually it doesn't appear to be official yet. Wallin's agent working out details with no trade clause.

 

 

link

[Claude_Verret]

That's an awfully big assumption. 3 points from those 3 games is a much safer bet. Anything else is just a bonus.

 

It's absolutely a big assumption, just presenting the optimistic view vs. the doom and gloom.

[Simpson8]

Well, not really. Yes, those games add back to the games-in-hand that the Sabres have. His point was that for the number of games that the Sens have played and currently have 70 points, the Sabres would have 77. Just like right now, the Sabres have 71 points in the same number of games that the Sens had 64. The Sens have banked two points in each of their 56th, 57th and 58th games, so the Sabres will need to do likewise to maintain their seven point lead. Every point that they don't get in those games decreases their lead from seven.

 

I really wish the league schedulers would do a better job of keeping games played closer than they do. Teams should generally be within one game played of each other, maybe two for a day or so. It's tightened up recently in the East, with all teams within 3 GP of each other, but we see things like 4-6 games-in-hand frequently throughout a season.

 

Forgot that they only have played 55 games and Ottawa has played 58.

 

Still Buffalo needs to get out of this funk they are in. Poor defensive mistakes and not capitalizing on opportunities on the offensive end.

[LabattBlue]

I'm really on the edge of my seat waiting to see who is in goal tonight. Tomorrow we are driving an hour south to Columbus in a freakin' snowstorm and we'd really like to see Miller. So let it be Lalime tonight!

 

And the boys better kick some a$$. I mean it. I'm from Tiorunda, I'm loud and Italian and I'll follow them to the damn bus and kick their collective a$$es myself.

 

After Pommers signs my kids jersey of course B-)

Sorry. :(

 

http://blogs.buffalonews.com/sabres/

 

"...Meanwhile, Lindy Ruff said he'll decide on his lineup during tonight's warmup. Ryan Miller will be in goal (look for Patrick Lalime Saturday in Columbus) but no word on whether Andrej Sekera gets another game or if a forward gets scratched."

[inkman]

I'm loud and Italian

This is redundant.

[Cereal]

I believe that the Sens are blowing their wad early and they will regress to the mean.

 

Not to call you out in particular, but it boggles me that everyone sees the current situation as 'Ottawa on a hot streak and once that's over things will be back to normal'. Given how the Sabres have been playing this season, I think is awfully naive to consider the Sabres having a solid division lead to be the 'normal'.

 

Maybe I'm a cynic, or maybe I just don't like to be disappointed, but even when these Sabres had their 7-game win streak, we had to expect them to fall back down eventually. They have not proven to be in the same tier as WAS, PIT, even OTT (NJ is an exception - we've matched them well lately). The Sens are a solid team, they're not going to fall down on their faces like last season.

 

It has been great this season to see these Sabres string together some great victories, but in the back of my mind, I know that I have been grateful when they were racking up points earlier in the season, because they're going to need them now that they are beginning to finally "regress to the mean". Raking up lots of points early meant to me: Cool, a solid enough start to likely stay in a playoff spot, and maybe even grab the division.

 

 

OK... that was nice. Now, nothing better to get their heads back on the right way than to grab a few points against the lowly Canes and the CBJ's. It will be interesting to see how they deal with Wednesday's outcome going into the next games.

 

Lastly, and I don't mean to jinx them :ph34r: but we've been doing great injury-wise for awhile now. Let's hope to scoop up the points we really should get, and avoid any bad injuries heading into the Olympic break, and see if these guys can come back in March kickin' it into high gear. :beer:

 

 

Unfortunately, I need to trim a whole lot of hockey out of my diet between now and the end of March due to school, so please, Sabres, let me see that I am missing out some good hockey! :thumbsup:

[Mbossy]

I'm really on the edge of my seat waiting to see who is in goal tonight. Tomorrow we are driving an hour south to Columbus in a freakin' snowstorm and we'd really like to see Miller. So let it be Lalime tonight!

 

And the boys better kick some a$. I mean it. I'm from Tiorunda, I'm loud and Italian and I'll follow them to the damn bus and kick their collective a$es myself.

 

After Pommers signs my kids jersey of course B-)

 

Sugar bears? Kendalls? Where the drive in turned into a hockey rink?