Just Got Back From The Leafs Game

[PTS]

Just got back to my hotel. The future Mrs. PTS and I are staying in Toronto this weekend and we went to the game. Two things before my post...

 

1. The belief that it is impossible to get tickets to a Leaf game is SOOOO not true. As a way to give more fans a chance to catch a game, the Leafs release tickets throughout gamedays and then usually when the box office opens an hour and a half before the game. I walked to the box office and scalpers were offering me the worst seats for $150 CAD per ticket. I went to the box office and I guess got a bit lucky. I waited in line of about 10 people and they grabbed all of us and said they had tickets for us to purchase. I sat first row of the purples for $42 CAD each. Good seats, BAD game.

 

2. The Leaf fans in Toronto are actually nice. Everyone was very pleasant and helpful.

 

3. The actually call the Sabres their "arch-rivals".

 

Now my post...

 

There is something incredibly wrong with this team and it all starts with goaltending. Miller has complete fallen apart and Marty is being the Marty we've all come to know. They need to address this problem quickly. I hope this is simply a case of coasting because they are pretty much locked in at 4th, but this is starting to look really scary. I'm definitely panicing now.

[SDS]

Now my post...

 

There is something incredibly wrong with this team and it all starts with goaltending. Miller has complete fallen apart and Marty is being the Marty we've all come to know. They need to address this problem quickly. I hope this is simply a case of coasting because they are pretty much locked in at 4th, but this is starting to look really scary. I'm definitely panicing now.

 

I hope you got to your seats early as I heard it was over at 7:15.

[Stoner]

Does the future Mrs. PTS know what she is getting herself into? Not you. I mean the team she will be marrying? :)

 

I am panicky too. This is one of those "touchstone" games where you can take the temperature of a team. Losing to Atlanta is one thing. Getting routed by Toronto is an incredibly bad sign.

[Rabbit151]

I've given up. I said all along that the goaltending is simply not good enough. I just remind myself that we didn't expect them to even get into the playoffs.

 

You know, they will play Philly in the 1st round. They have equally bad goalies. The Sabres may get past the 1st round and then it's all about who's hot. The Sabre goalies have at least shown they can get hot for stretches.

 

If Trent Dilfer can win the Superbowl, why can't Marty Biron win the Stanley Cup?

 

Maybe I haven't given up hope after all....!!!

[fushetti]

OK, its time to bring in someone to brainwash Miller so he can feel slighted again by not being selected to the Olympics. Maybe zonk him out to feel like its before the Olympic Break.

 

I'll be honest, when it was 3-0 5 minutes in, I changed the channel and didn't look back. Our defense has been God awful, our goaltending suspect, and our offense incredibly shaken after that Ottawa game. I keep telling myself that it'll be fine.. it'll be fine. But you NEVER lose 7-0 against a #%^$#! team like the Leafs or 5-0 to the effing Thrashers. I'm sorry. For all that talk about chemistry around the trade deadline, I don't see an ounce of it now. The way things look, if they don't turn it around fast, they could conceivably lose 6 of their next 8. This is assuming they beat the Leafs tomorrow and the Leafs at home on Easter Sunday. They have Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal twice, Philly and Carolina to end the season. No easy games there. Montreal, with Huet, scares the crap out of me.

 

If I sound inarticulate, its because a car alarm woke me up at 5am (er 6am. eff you time change)

[Stoner]

#%^$#!

 

Not inarticulate at all.

[PromoTheRobot]

I listen to Brad Riter on 'GR for the post-game show. He was of the opinion that all this was is the Sabres having nothing to play for. That they'll turn it back on for the playoffs. I don't agree. Maybe a 4-5 games, but not 9-10! Something is very wrong. Is Ruff and the team distracted by Madeline's surgery? Are the Sabres tired and fatigued? Have both Miller and Biron have a mental issue?

 

I've played hockey my whole life, and I know there are times that the puck is not bouncing your way, and the other team seems to get every break. The solution is to play harder until you beat the jinx. 10 games in and the Sabres have not only not outplayed it, they are playing worse!

 

Lindy, please don't let this season turn into the biggest practical joke in team history.

 

PTR

[GGM]

I listen to Brad Riter on 'GR for the post-game show. He was of the opinion that all this was is the Sabres having nothing to play for. That they'll turn it back on for the playoffs. I don't agree. Maybe a 4-5 games, but not 9-10! Something is very wrong. Is Ruff and the team distracted by Madeline's surgery? Are the Sabres tired and fatigued? Have both Miller and Biron have a mental issue?

 

I've played hockey my whole life, and I know there are times that the puck is not bouncing your way, and the other team seems to get every break. The solution is to play harder until you beat the jinx. 10 games in and the Sabres have not only not outplayed it, they are playing worse!

 

Lindy, please don't let this season turn into the biggest practical joke in team history.

 

PTR

 

I agree, PTR. I listened to Riter last night and thougnt that he was in some serious denial (or is just towing the company line, which is something I don't expect from him). Even if we concede that the Sabres have zero to play for, (which I think is absolutely false,) it wouldn't explain how terrible they have looked in the last 9 games. Add itionally, the post game comments from the Sabres sure don't sound like they are coming from a team that doesn't care that they are getting owned pretty much every night,

 

I can buy a lot of theories about the Sabres' slump, but I can't buy that one.

[BradRiter]

The Sabres were in 4th place in the conference, then lost 8 of 9 games.

 

Where are they in the standings now? 4th place in the conference.

 

My point is not "they'll be fine because I know they can turn it back on" since I have no idea if they can or can't. It's simply an explanation as to why they've turned it off.

 

Other teams want these games more because they need them more. That's what happens at this time of year. When everyone on the ice is a professional athlete, the edge on any given night has to come from somewhere. You can't fake "playoff intensity" when you know deep down that it just doesn't matter.

 

It's the reason that the Sabres, while scrambling for the 8th spot in seasons past, have turned into a wrecking ball, running over everything in their path down the stretch. It's the reason Atlanta ran over Carolina last night, the reason Washington beat Ottawa, and the reason that after allowing a soft goal to O'Neill and then 2 more goofy ones in the first 5 minutes or so, the Sabres find themselves taking the rest of the night off rather than clawing for every inch of the ice.

[Eleven]

The Sabres were in 4th place in the conference, then lost 8 of 9 games.

 

Where are they in the standings now? 4th place in the conference.

 

My point is not "they'll be fine because I know they can turn it back on" since I have no idea if they can or can't. It's simply an explanation as to why they've turned it off.

 

Other teams want these games more because they need them more. That's what happens at this time of year. When everyone on the ice is a professional athlete, the edge on any given night has to come from somewhere. You can't fake "playoff intensity" when you know deep down that it just doesn't matter.

 

It's the reason that the Sabres, while scrambling for the 8th spot in seasons past, have turned into a wrecking ball, running over everything in their path down the stretch. It's the reason Atlanta ran over Carolina last night, the reason Washington beat Ottawa, and the reason that after allowing a soft goal to O'Neill and then 2 more goofy ones in the first 5 minutes or so, the Sabres find themselves taking the rest of the night off rather than clawing for every inch of the ice.

 

I see where you're coming from, generally. But three of those eight Sabres losses have come to two of those losing teams you mentioned--Carolina and Ottawa--and your implication is that those teams also have nothing to play for. They're battling it out for first place in the conference, though. And while Atlanta has a reason to fight, where exactly did Washington's "edge" come from last night? I hope we're not going to drag out the old "players fighting for their jobs" theory.

 

Any details regarding what Daniel Briere said after the 3/18 loss at Ottawa (that there were problems in the dressing room)?

[GGM]

The Sabres were in 4th place in the conference, then lost 8 of 9 games.

 

Where are they in the standings now? 4th place in the conference.

 

My point is not "they'll be fine because I know they can turn it back on" since I have no idea if they can or can't. It's simply an explanation as to why they've turned it off.

 

Other teams want these games more because they need them more. That's what happens at this time of year. When everyone on the ice is a professional athlete, the edge on any given night has to come from somewhere. You can't fake "playoff intensity" when you know deep down that it just doesn't matter.

 

It's the reason that the Sabres, while scrambling for the 8th spot in seasons past, have turned into a wrecking ball, running over everything in their path down the stretch. It's the reason Atlanta ran over Carolina last night, the reason Washington beat Ottawa, and the reason that after allowing a soft goal to O'Neill and then 2 more goofy ones in the first 5 minutes or so, the Sabres find themselves taking the rest of the night off rather than clawing for every inch of the ice.

 

I respect what you are saying and to be quite honest with you, I wish I believed it. I WANT to believe it. The problem that I see is that the Sabres haven't just lost to teams trying to sneak into the playoffs. They looked like they didn't belong on the ice with Ottawa twice, they fell behind 4-0 against a Carolina team with little more to play for then the Sabres (at home) before showing some life while the Canes went into a shell. They BARELY managed a split with a Bruins team that was already out of the running. And let us not forget just how bad they've looked during this stretch. In comparison, Ottawa had 46 shots last night and gave up 1 goal. Yes, they did lose (to Washington). If the Sabres were losing that way, I wouldn't bat an eye. Carolina, starting with last night's game, REALLY has nothing to play for. Their division is wrapped up and they're not catching the Sens.

 

I know there is a tendency in hockey to discount home ice advantage, but even if it is only slightly better than the alternative, then Buffalo still has something to play for. They may step it up for the Philly game as you mentioned, but why put yourselves in the position of having to win that game at all?

 

Like I said, I want to believe something, ANYTHING, that will explain away this stretch. I'm hanging my hat on the return of this team's full lineup, (though they were still giving up 3-5 goals per game during the short period they had the full roster healthy,) and the fact that the schedule has "kept their heads under water", perhaps not allowing them to catch their collective breaths and put this slump behind them.

 

Brad, you are by far my favorite WGR personality. I believe you to be a fan as well as a knowledgable and level-headed hockey guy. I just happen to disagree with you on this issue. And for the final time, I really hope that you are right and I am wrong.

 

Regardless, keep up the good work.

[Stoner]

The "nothing to play for" theory doesn't really stand up, IMHO. As GGM points out, they ARE playing for home ice, which should be a motivating factor, unless the players, like me, are convinced it means jack squat. And the Sabres had everything to play for in Ottawa that night, and on subsequent nights when the division was still within reach. Unless the players, like me, are convinced winning the division means jack squat. :)

 

As the losses have mounted and the division has drained away, and as their lead over Philly hasn't really dissipated, the "nothing to play for" theory has gained ground. But with the fans grumbling and some questioning whether this team was a fluke, you would think the "something" to play for would have been just shutting everyone up, making a point. Or not piling another problem onto Lindy's already complicated life.

 

I really think other factors better explain the tailspin. Briere's quote is mystifying. Eleven, he didn't say there were problems in the lockerroom. He said there were "issues" that had to be resolved before playoff time. I'm pretty sure one of the printed versions of the quote read "issues in the lockerroom," although I can't find it. Maybe I dreamed that up. Even if the "issues" are merely related to play on the ice, it was still a glaring comment to make on a night your eight-game winning streak comes to an end with only your eighth regulation loss or so in four months!

 

Give him credit. Briere was a Sabresoothsayer that night. Danny needs a new nickname. Nostradannus maybe.

[Eleven]

The "nothing to play for" theory doesn't really stand up, IMHO. As GGM points out, they ARE playing for home ice, which should be a motivating factor, unless the players, like me, are convinced it means jack squat. And the Sabres had everything to play for in Ottawa that night, and on subsequent nights when the division was still within reach. Unless the players, like me, are convinced winning the division means jack squat. :)

 

As the losses have mounted and the division has drained away, and as their lead over Philly hasn't really dissipated, the "nothing to play for" theory has gained ground. But with the fans grumbling and some questioning whether this team was a fluke, you would think the "something" to play for would have been just shutting everyone up, making a point. Or not piling another problem onto Lindy's already complicated life.

 

I really think other factors better explain the tailspin. Briere's quote is mystifying. Eleven, he didn't say there were problems in the lockerroom. He said there were "issues" that had to be resolved before playoff time. I'm pretty sure one of the printed versions of the quote read "issues in the lockerroom," although I can't find it. Maybe I dreamed that up. Even if the "issues" are merely related to play on the ice, it was still a glaring comment to make on a night your eight-game winning streak comes to an end with only your eighth regulation loss or so in four months!

 

Give him credit. Briere was a Sabresoothsayer that night. Danny needs a new nickname. Nostradannus maybe.

 

This is where I first heard about it: Post 17903 Actually, I never read it anywhere but on this board and never heard his interview on the radio. Certainly you're right that the timing was odd. I guess those are the reasons why I'm so curious as to what was said & in what context.

[Rock DJ]

This is where I first heard about it: Post 17903 Actually, I never read it anywhere but on this board and never heard his interview on the radio. Certainly you're right that the timing was odd. I guess those are the reasons why I'm so curious as to what was said & in what context.

 

I don't believe the timing was odd at all. You could see the breakdowns occurring during the win streak, just nobody said anything cause they were winning.