11/5: This team VERY unlikely to make playoffs

[JujuFish]

These are what each team is on pace for, rounded:

 

WAS - 123

PHI - 118

MON - 111

BOS - 104

NYR - 96

TBL - 87

OTT - 87

PIT - 86

---------

ATL - 77

CAR - 77

FLA - 77

BUF - 73

TOR - 67

NJD - 56

NYI - 53

[Meathead]

just remember right now youre grading them at the end of a five of six streak, all ot. idc how they win but they havent exactly taken control of any of these games

 

im not a typical complainer. ive watched hockey forever, played it a long time, usally im optimistic about the sabres, maybe too much so

 

they simply havent shown me they can play at the level they need to comfortably make the postseason, which is quite disconcerting considering the expectations i had going into the season

 

in fact, on average i think theyve looked more like a team id expect to be hovering around the playoff fringe all season, just another tampa / florida / carolina / atlanta

 

ive always said that idc what position you make the playoffs in, anybody can win it after that. but this team gives me the impression theyve regressed to 07/08 form where we were sweating out the last spot - and since the last two times weve come up just a breath short forgive me for being a little panicky

 

would it really surprise you if they went right back to a two-of-five streak and yo-yo around like that all season?

 

the only games i thought they looked like last years team was the opener and against the caps. most of the rest of the time their effort and focus was spotty and fleeting.

 

i sure hope they start tearing it up. but if they dont start looking more like last years team we are just going to be up against another last three games of the season coinflip to see if they play in late april

[Meathead]

We played some of our best hockey early on last season. My hopes are the Sabres will continue to gain momentum and finish strong when it really counts.

me too

 

meee toooo

[TheChimp]

Knowing chimp from other forums I think I can safely say that "The basic makeup of the team, though, is exactly the same" is the point chimp was making. What is it exactly the same as? It is exactly the same as all the other Sabres teams that have flirted with some success but never really was a serious contender for real glory.

 

Some folks are tired of watching other teams win the big prizes all the time while watching their favorite team judge success or failure against a lower benchmark. I am pretty much with chimp on this one.

My point was actually that some people mark the Sabres' success by whether they make the playoffs, and I'm personally growing tired with it, is all. They think I'm a troll, I think they are high on helium. And the band played on. ;)

[Tyrannustyrannus]

You beat me to the quote. Some ppl must have pretty depressing lives if their favourite hockey team can go 4-0-1 over the past five and they still have something negative to say. Unless there are alot of trolls on this message board....

 

The fan's lack of heart is worse than the team's right now. I can't take the negativity!

[spndnchz]

The fan's lack of heart is worse than the team's right now. I can't take the negativity!

 

Me thinks both right now have huge heart.

[Stoner]

COOL site! http://www.shrpsports.com/nhl/stand.htm

 

"Snapshot" of NHL standings by date, pick a date, any date.

 

No playoff team a year ago was 2 games or more below .500 on November 17.

[BetweenThePipes00]

COOL site! http://www.shrpsport...m/nhl/stand.htm

 

"Snapshot" of NHL standings by date, pick a date, any date.

 

No playoff team a year ago was 2 games or more below .500 on November 17.

 

Well yeah but the year before St. Louis made it from that situation and the year before that Pittsburgh, Washington and New Jersey all did it and the year before that Ottawa made it ... no one did it in 05-06 ... so it happens but not that often (given that every year there are 8- 10 teams or so in that situation, the odds are still against you even if it happened every year.)

 

Who knows? The 1997-98 Sabres were 5-10-4 and made the conference final. No way this team does that as it is currently constructed, IMO, but just making the playoffs is certainly still in play.

[Meathead]

id like to say im happy to take credit for the sabres recent turn around

 

since my original post barely hours later that very next day the sabres started a run that has seen them go 5-1-1

 

coincidence? i think not

 

clearly it was my exhaustive statistical analysis and keen observations that was the catalyst that unleashed these very chain of events

 

thusly i would like to say ... youre welcome

 

i promise to remain a self righteous and stand up citizen and only use my powers for good

 

lmao ok now the losing streak starts

[bunomatic]

Knowing chimp from other forums I think I can safely say that "The basic makeup of the team, though, is exactly the same" is the point chimp was making. What is it exactly the same as? It is exactly the same as all the other Sabres teams that have flirted with some success but never really was a serious contender for real glory.

 

Some folks are tired of watching other teams win the big prizes all the time while watching their favorite team judge success or failure against a lower benchmark. I am pretty much with chimp on this one.

Great post, I agree about the lower benchmark. Clearly this franchise and its fans have to raise the bar on what they consider successful. To start we need to bring in a new culture and to do that we need to replace Regier. Just my opinion but I won't waver on this point. I'll be the first to congratulate him if we win the cup but I doubt it'll happen on his watch.

[Weave]

Great post, I agree about the lower benchmark. Clearly this franchise and its fans have to raise the bar on what they consider successful. To start we need to bring in a new culture and to do that we need to replace Regier. Just my opinion but I won't waver on this point. I'll be the first to congratulate him if we win the cup but I doubt it'll happen on his watch.

 

 

Dude, check your post count. The number of the beast!! :devil:

[Meathead]

thats exactly the kind of game these sabres cant lose. they had them on the ropes, had way more scoring chances, and let it slip away

 

they dug the hole to start the season and this is the kind of thing thats gonna keep them under the playoff line. losing points this way to a team youre fighting with to get above that line is disasterous. fk

[JohnRobertEichel]

Their season is effectively over. An 8-11-3 (0.864 ppg, 4th worst in NHL) record is a dismal start that only really good teams can overcome. The post Drury/Briere Sabres, minus the 2009-10 Miller/Myers magic, have proven to everyone but Darcy Regier that they are not a really good team. Oh well. Hey, at least we have the Bills!

[Stoner]

Their season is effectively over. An 8-11-3 (0.864 ppg, 4th worst in NHL) record is a dismal start that only really good teams can overcome. The post Drury/Briere Sabres, minus the 2009-10 Miller/Myers magic, have proven to everyone but Darcy Regier that they are not a really good team. Oh well. Hey, at least we have the Bills!

 

But... wait for it... they're only a point out of the playoffs!

[Meathead]

theoretically they could flip the switch at any time and still end up comfortably in the playoffs, but i just dont see that happening

 

they still just dont look like last years team. they look like another of the six or so teams that knock heads all season and compete for the last playoff spot

 

i thought this team would be significantly better than that. i dont care how they make the postseason as long as they do but if they are in that pack of teams i mentioned they are essentially less than 20% likely to make it

 

ive been hoping they just came into the season overconfident and flat. but if they dont show something more soon they probably just demonstrating that they just arent as good as i expected them to be

[R_Dudley]

 

It is exactly the same as all the other Sabres teams that have flirted with some success but never really was a serious contender for real glory.

 

Some folks are tired of watching other teams win the big prizes all the time while watching their favorite team judge success or failure against a lower benchmark. I am pretty much with chimp on this one.

+1

 

My point was actually that some people mark the Sabres' success by whether they make the playoffs, and I'm personally growing tired with it, is all. They think I'm a troll, I think they are high on helium. And the band played on. ;)

+2

 

Great post, I agree about the lower benchmark. Clearly this franchise and its fans have to raise the bar on what they consider successful. To start we need to bring in a new culture and to do that we need to replace Regier. Just my opinion but I won't waver on this point. I'll be the first to congratulate him if we win the cup but I doubt it'll happen on his watch.

 

+3

 

After watching this team for oh so many years I agree.

 

PA said it best with lather rinse repeat analogy of Lindy Ruff teams. Last night looked like so many other times and Sabres teams I have seen fail to step up and make something happen.

 

I need more than that to get emotionally invested in this team again.

[Eleven]

But... wait for it... they're only a point out of the playoffs!

 

Exactly. It is really good to see optimism out of you.

[Stoner]

Exactly. It is really good to see optimism out of you.

 

Not optimism. Just the facts, ma'am.

[TheChimp]

theoretically they could flip the switch at any time and still end up comfortably in the playoffs, but i just dont see that happening

 

they still just dont look like last years team. they look like another of the six or so teams that knock heads all season and compete for the last playoff spot

 

i thought this team would be significantly better than that. i dont care how they make the postseason as long as they do but if they are in that pack of teams i mentioned they are essentially less than 20% likely to make it

 

ive been hoping they just came into the season overconfident and flat. but if they dont show something more soon they probably just demonstrating that they just arent as good as i expected them to be

Not a whole bunch of switch flippers on this club.

[X. Benedict]

COOL site! http://www.shrpsports.com/nhl/stand.htm

 

"Snapshot" of NHL standings by date, pick a date, any date.

 

No playoff team a year ago was 2 games or more below .500 on November 17.

 

neat site.

 

Interestingly enough, Buffalo was in last place in the Division in mid-November 2005.

[Weave]

neat site.

 

Interestingly enough, Buffalo was in last place in the Division in mid-November 2005.

 

 

They were also playing .500 hockey without their starting goaltender.

[Eleven]

They were also playing .500 hockey without their starting goaltender.

 

The similarities are striking.

[X. Benedict]

The similarities are striking.

 

A bad start is sometimes a good cure for bad habits.

 

If they make the playoffs at all, one would hope they are playing good hockey at the time.

[Weave]

The similarities are striking.

 

LOL

 

The current 2-5-1 record with a backup in net tells alot about the difference in makeup between the '05 team and today's team. This team is a mediocre team with an injured star in net. That team was a very good team with a goaltender soon to be recognized as a star. The '05 team played .629 hockey with their backups and .638 hockey with Miller in net. Not much difference in performance regardless of who was in net.

 

Lots of similarities between those two teams. :blink:

[X. Benedict]

LOL

 

The current 2-5-1 record with a backup in net tells alot about the difference in makeup between the '05 team and today's team. This team is a mediocre team with an injured star in net. That team was a very good team with a goaltender soon to be recognized as a star. The '05 team played .629 hockey with their backups and .638 hockey with Miller in net. Not much difference in performance regardless of who was in net.

 

Lots of similarities between those two teams. :blink:

 

I dunno, mediocre starts are pretty democratic. The Sabres were drawing 12,000 that November. I think the place was half empty the night they retired 18.

 

They let Ottawa score 10 one game before they caught fire.