Are the Sabres out of the running for the playoffs?

[Broken Ankles]

  On 2/20/2023 at 3:32 AM, Thorny said:

Sorry that wouldn’t load on my phone, do you have a photo reference from this century? 

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Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.  
 

Do not subject me to a Welcome Back Kotter reprise. 

[Pimlach]

  On 2/20/2023 at 3:55 AM, Two or less said:

I was watching a Bruins game on espn+ not too long ago, and they said when Ullmark arrived, the Bruins goalie coach watched film on him and then had a meeting with Ullmark, telling him if he fixes his rebound control he could potentially become one of the top goalies in the league because he liked a lot of the things he was doing, however, if he doesn't, he has no chance of surviving in Boston and will be nothing more then a journey man. The broadcast crew said Ullmark really took that to heart and worked his tail off and now in his second season the results speak for themselves.

Thought that was interesting. Sabres couldv'e done a better job developing him but also a lot of that relies on the player being willing to learn. Took a tough talk in Boston to really change his mindset.

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Meh.  First off, the broadcast crew in Boston are a couple of tools that only talk up Boston and nothing else.  Good story for them to toot their coaches horn.  Maybe Linus realized if he can't win in Boston he is not going to ever get to the next level?  

Linus had Bales in Buffalo, a damn good goalie coach.   He worked rebound control in Buffalo, every goalie does.  He worked through injuries and surgeries. He had every chance in Buffalo but he played for lousy teams most of the time,  with a revolving door of coaches/GMs, and a poor overall culture.  Boston must have seemed like hockey heaven.  

He has matured in his 8th year, and he plays behind the best defensive team in the league, and everything came together.  

Edited February 20, 2023 by Pimlach

[Spoonman]

  On 2/20/2023 at 4:27 PM, Pimlach said:

Meh.  First of, the broadcast crew in Boston are a couple of tools that only talk up Boston and nothing else.  Good story for them to toot their coaches horn.  Maybe Linus realized if he can't win in Boston he is not going to ever get to the next level?  

Linus had Bales in Buffalo, a damn good goalie coach.   He worked rebound control in Buffalo, every goalie does.  He worked through injuries and surgeries. He had every chance in Buffalo but he played for a lousy teams most of the time,  with a revolving door of coaches/GMs, and a poor overall culture.  Boston must have seems like hockey heaven.  

He has matured in his 8th year, and he plays behind the best defensive team in the league, and everything came together.  

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And this is why I love @Pimlach! 

[Spoonman]

So on WGR today, they AM crew was discussing Sabres playoff chances. They are currently on pace for 90-92 pts., and are current betting favorite for WC spot. Of course, gotta play the games, and it very much depends on who they beat (Fla more important than Tor, for example).

[Pimlach]

  On 2/20/2023 at 4:40 PM, Spoonman said:

So on WGR today, they AM crew was discussing Sabres playoff chances. They are currently on pace for 90-92 pts., and are current betting favorite for WC spot. Of course, gotta play the games, and it very much depends on who they beat (Fla more important than Tor, for example).

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Florida more important than Toronto in the standings, but Toronto is important to the psyche. 

Gotta beat the damn Leaves.   Never gonna forgive Harold Ballard ... 

[Zamboni]

  On 2/20/2023 at 4:52 PM, Pimlach said:

Florida more important than Toronto in the standings, but Toronto is important to the psyche. 

Gotta beat the damn Leaves.   Never gonna forgive Harold Ballard ... 

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I’m never gonna forgive Kessel

 

 

😬

[Pimlach]

  On 2/20/2023 at 5:06 PM, Zamboni said:

I’m never gonna forgive Kessel

 

 

😬

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[Zamboni]

  On 2/20/2023 at 5:08 PM, Pimlach said:

 

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Damn I tried finding that gif and for some reason I couldn’t find it at least I couldn’t find the proper link to put it in… But that’s the first gif that I was thinking of posting lol

Like minds 👍🏼

[Curt]

  On 2/20/2023 at 3:57 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

This was our easiest stretch of the season in many ways.  Our better record in this third is attributed to playing 5 of the 14 games against non-playoffs teams.  Our record in those 5 was 4-0-1.  Against the bubble or playoff teams are record was 4-4-2.   In those 10 games, we scored only 19 goals but gave up 30.  

We only have 5 games against non-playoff teams for the remainder of the year.  

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I’m not sure how you are doing your counting.

Sabres have 27 games remaining and 14 of them are against teams who are currently out of the playoffs by pts %.

Edited February 20, 2023 by Curt
Typo

[GASabresIUFAN]

  On 2/20/2023 at 5:37 PM, Curt said:

I’m not sure how you are doing your counting.

Sabres have 27 games remaining and 14 of them are against teams who are currently out of the playoffs by pts %.

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I divide the teams into 3 groups.  Group 1 is the 12 teams in a divisional playoffs spot.  Group 2 are bubble teams like Sabres. Teams still in the WC chase, including Wash, Pitt, NYI, Det, Fla and Ott in the East.  The last group are sub 500 teams that are out of it already such as AZ, CHI, Stl, Mon, Philly and CBJ.

[PromoTheRobot]

 

[Doohickie]

The Hockey Guy's take on the WC race in the East.  (Spoiler- he is of like mind with many of the posts in the last page or so.)

 

[Curt]

  On 2/20/2023 at 6:18 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

I divide the teams into 3 groups.  Group 1 is the 12 teams in a divisional playoffs spot.  Group 2 are bubble teams like Sabres. Teams still in the WC chase, including Wash, Pitt, NYI, Det, Fla and Ott in the East.  The last group are sub 500 teams that are out of it already such as AZ, CHI, Stl, Mon, Philly and CBJ.

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Ok. So you really meant that they play 4 games against teams that are fully out of the playoff race?

Still………The number of games they play against Group 3 teams is going to be at least 5, as they play 5 combined against Columbus, Philly, and Montreal, but it’s extremely likely that a few more will fall into this category as some teams fall out of the race later in the season.

[BMWR100RT]

That there is playoff talk in mid February and the team has had some really fun moments seems like a win. LFG!

[Spoonman]

  On 2/20/2023 at 4:52 PM, Pimlach said:

Florida more important than Toronto in the standings, but Toronto is important to the psyche. 

Gotta beat the damn Leaves.   Never gonna forgive Harold Ballard ... 

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I don’t disagree @Pimlach. My point was only how to make playoffs. 
 

As to Tor:

[inkman]

  On 2/20/2023 at 4:40 PM, Spoonman said:

So on WGR today, they AM crew was discussing Sabres playoff chances. They are currently on pace for 90-92 pts., and are current betting favorite for WC spot. Of course, gotta play the games, and it very much depends on who they beat (Fla more important than Tor, for example).

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  On 2/20/2023 at 5:37 PM, Curt said:

I’m not sure how you are doing your counting.

Sabres have 27 games remaining and 14 of them are against teams who are currently out of the playoffs by pts %.

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  On 2/20/2023 at 6:18 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

I divide the teams into 3 groups.  Group 1 is the 12 teams in a divisional playoffs spot.  Group 2 are bubble teams like Sabres. Teams still in the WC chase, including Wash, Pitt, NYI, Det, Fla and Ott in the East.  The last group are sub 500 teams that are out of it already such as AZ, CHI, Stl, Mon, Philly and CBJ.

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I’m enjoying the fact that this is even a consideration this time of year.  I’m starting to cringe at the “all they gotta do is…”’ crowd that is dominating the inter webs.  This team is going to lose a bunch more games.  It’s going to get a little hairy or frankly really disappointing sometime soon. Everyone needs to chill out. 
 

When I start hearing WGR spouting stuff like “if you go by point percentage, the Sabres are in the playoffs” nonsense that I hear every time they come back from commercial, it gets annoying.  Fans are all gettting their hopes up for a team that still is less than a coin flip to make the playoffs. 

[nfreeman]

IMHO they will make the playoffs if they improve in 2 areas:

- playing at home like heads are not lodged in rectums

- power play.

They might make it if they only improve in 1 out of 2, but fail in both and they’re out, and succeed in both and they’re in.

TT has looked more fluid and less injured to me in the last couple of games, which bodes well form the PP.

It is indeed great that it still matters.  Win 3 out of the next 4, and we’ve bought at least another 2 weeks of relevance and excitement.  

[Marvin]

  On 2/20/2023 at 9:37 PM, inkman said:

 

 

I’m enjoying the fact that this is even a consideration this time of year.  I’m starting to cringe at the “all they gotta do is…”’ crowd that is dominating the inter webs.  This team is going to lose a bunch more games.  It’s going to get a little hairy or frankly really disappointing sometime soon. Everyone needs to chill out. 
 

When I start hearing WGR spouting stuff like “if you go by point percentage, the Sabres are in the playoffs” nonsense that I hear every time they come back from commercial, it gets annoying.  Fans are all gettting their hopes up for a team that still is less than a coin flip to make the playoffs. 

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Agree on the need to chill out.

I think that WGR mentioning that we're in the playoffs by points percentage is partly a combination of novelty and disbelief.  I am still trying to get used to the fact that the Sabres are relevant to the playoffs this late in the season.  It has been a long, long time.

[Thorner]

  On 2/20/2023 at 10:05 PM, Marvin said:

Agree on the need to chill out.

I think that WGR mentioning that we're in the playoffs by points percentage is partly a combination of novelty and disbelief.  I am still trying to get used to the fact that the Sabres are relevant to the playoffs this late in the season.  It has been a long, long time.

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I’m not sure it’s much of a novelty as much as the stat is literally saying we’ve been better in the games we’ve played than the other teams fighting for 8th. What it’s saying is that the most significant reason we are not literally in 8th is simply because we’ve played less games, ie something beyond our control 

I don’t know how it can be construed as getting hopes up, it’s just a fact 

It’s not even an underlying metric 

Edited February 20, 2023 by Thorny

[inkman]

  On 2/20/2023 at 10:29 PM, Thorny said:

I’m not sure it’s much of a novelty as much as the stat is literally saying we’ve been better in the games we’ve played than the other teams fighting for 8th. What it’s saying is that the most significant reason we are not literally in 8th is simply because we’ve played less games, ie something beyond our control 

I don’t know how it can be construed as getting hopes up, it’s just a fact 

It’s not even an underlying metric 

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Sabres lose 3 of the next 4 and the conversation seems a little stupid.  Like all the draft hype for Eichel and Dahlin.  There was almost no way they could live up to the hype.  Thankfully one of them did, although it was looking pretty rough until Meatballs took over. 

[Thorner]

  On 2/20/2023 at 10:35 PM, inkman said:

Sabres lose 3 of the next 4 and the conversation seems a little stupid.  Like all the draft hype for Eichel and Dahlin.  There was almost no way they could live up to the hype.  Thankfully one of them did, although it was looking pretty rough until Meatballs took over. 

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Eichel and Dahlin draft hype?
 

Coulda woulda shoulda

[Curt]

  On 2/20/2023 at 9:37 PM, inkman said:

 

 

I’m enjoying the fact that this is even a consideration this time of year.  I’m starting to cringe at the “all they gotta do is…”’ crowd that is dominating the inter webs.  This team is going to lose a bunch more games.  It’s going to get a little hairy or frankly really disappointing sometime soon. Everyone needs to chill out. 
 

When I start hearing WGR spouting stuff like “if you go by point percentage, the Sabres are in the playoffs” nonsense that I hear every time they come back from commercial, it gets annoying.  Fans are all gettting their hopes up for a team that still is less than a coin flip to make the playoffs. 

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I hope you didn’t interpret my citing of point % as an optimistic type of thing.  I always sort the standings by point percentage.  When teams haven’t played the same number of games, it gives the best picture of how everyone is doing.

[JohnC]

  On 2/20/2023 at 10:35 PM, inkman said:

Sabres lose 3 of the next 4 and the conversation seems a little stupid.  Like all the draft hype for Eichel and Dahlin.  There was almost no way they could live up to the hype.  Thankfully one of them did, although it was looking pretty rough until Meatballs took over. 

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If the Sabres lose 3 out of the next 4 games it shouldn't have a significant impact on our playoff implications, especially, if after that sequence they then win 3 out of 4 of the next games. The playoff race that the Sabres are in is far from being a hyped situation. This team is in contention for a playoff spot. I don't know if the Sabres will make the playoffs. But it is very likely that we will be in contention up to the end of the season.  That's not hype; that's the reality of the situation.

[Pimlach]

  On 2/20/2023 at 10:01 PM, nfreeman said:

IMHO they will make the playoffs if they improve in 2 areas:

- playing at home like heads are not lodged in rectums

- power play.

They might make it if they only improve in 1 out of 2, but fail in both and they’re out, and succeed in both and they’re in.

TT has looked more fluid and less injured to me in the last couple of games, which bodes well form the PP.

It is indeed great that it still matters.  Win 3 out of the next 4, and we’ve bought at least another 2 weeks of relevance and excitement.  

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They need more commitment to team defense.  

Against SJ they were carelessly throwing the puck around in their end, good teams will bury them if they play like that.

They have a lot of skill and they tend to get too cute on breakouts and they get too cute on scoring chances.   

[JohnC]

  On 2/21/2023 at 1:10 AM, Pimlach said:

They need more commitment to team defense.  

Against SJ they were carelessly throwing the puck around in their end, good teams will bury them if they play like that.

They have a lot of skill and they tend to get too cute on breakouts and they get too cute on scoring chances.   

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Within this link there is a 9 min segment on WGR where Granato talks about the need to shoot and not get too fancy. What you said is exactly what the coach is saying and imploring. When in doubt: Shoot the dam puck!

https://www.audacy.com/wgr550/hosts/sabres-live