Are the Sabres out of the running for the playoffs?

[Second Line Center]

I’m not going to argue with getting a quality stay at home d man.  

But I am going to argue this team badly needs 1 more offensive defenseman to take some pressure off Dahlin and help the forwards.  
 

Dahlin 42 assists 

Power 16 assists 

24 of these assists (half) are on the PP

 

Next closest D man:

Lyubushkin 8 assists.  
 

That’s not good enough.  

Edited February 14, 2023 by Second Line Center

[LGR4GM]

5 minutes ago, Second Line Center said:

I’m not going to argue with getting a quality stay at home d man.  

But I am going to argue this team badly needs 1 more offensive defenseman to take some pressure off Dahlin and help the forwards.  
 

Dahlin 42 assists 

Power 16 assists 

24 of these assists (half) are on the PP

 

Next closest D man:

Lyubushkin 8 assists.  
 

That’s not good enough.  

Power will be better next year but the truth is laid out right here. The defense simply is not talented enough. 

[Marvin]

What I have seen the last 4 games is that the youth is getting exposed.  They do not have the experience to adjust to what veteran players have figured out from their patterns.

Example: Marty Biron had a nice clip of how LA was taking away the passes between Dahlin and Thompson on the power play, but neither of them adjusted to attack the yawning chasm between the 2 nearest guys in the diamond.  Moreover, the man in the slot should head towards the crease to pull another defender to him while the player opposite Thompson should attack the defender in front of him and the low forward should head for the back door.

Example: in the last 4 games, the wily veterans have been getting into every passing lane from the defence up to the forwards, thus stalling rushes and causing turnovers.  It has appeared that the only Sabres players who can pass the puck up ice consistently are those who know to simplify their game.

It also appears that the rookies and sophomores are tiring.  The are just a bit too slow processing the game to my eyes.

IMHO, the team can make the playoffs, but the players have to adjust to the grind and the scouting reports catching up to them.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Still ... NO !!

If they start to play better again against the Ducks and Sharks they will be back on track.  

There are ups and downs for just aboout every team in the NHL during an 82 game season.  The Sabres will be fine and will be playing meaningful hockey throughout March.  When was the last time that happened?

Edited February 14, 2023 by Sabres Fan in NS
more goodly ...

[Marvin]

8 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Still ... NO !!

If they start to play better again against the Ducks and Sharks they will be back on track.  

There are ups and downs for just aboout every team in the NHL during an 82 game season.  The Sabres will be fine and will be playing meaningful hockey throughout March.  When was the last time that happened?

2011-2, even though they just missed the playoffs.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 minute ago, Marvin said:

2011-2, even though they just missed the playoffs.

Thank you, good sir.

Crap !!  It's even worse than I thought. 

*the horror*

[Ruff Around The Edges]

Yep, they are done.

[Scottysabres]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Lol this is just a truly ridiculous take imo. I'm over explaining why at this point, if you don't understand the process and don't understand they aren't losing because "veteran leadership" why waste my time convincing you otherwise. Team stormcloud seems pretty happy right now. 

While I can appreciate your take on the current state of team, given its recent history with 2nd half of season collapses, my take is hardly "team stormcloud", it's more like "team living in reality".

As for the "process", yea, I'm not sold on it, we've been down this road before. Come to think of it, I remember well the 85 to 89 stretch, post Gilbert pre Patty/Alex window, a lot of thrashing about then to. Reminds me a bit of that to be honest.

[Buffalonill]

 

[Stoner]

4 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

Lol this is just a truly ridiculous take imo. I'm over explaining why at this point, if you don't understand the process and don't understand they aren't losing because "veteran leadership" why waste my time convincing you otherwise. Team stormcloud seems pretty happy right now. 

We're frickin' Don Paul. We tell people when to wear galoshes and have been spot on for over a decade. Show some respect. 

Edited February 14, 2023 by PASabreFan

[Curt]

Just putting this here for anyone who thinks the Sabres will make the playoffs.

Good time to buy in.

 

[GASabresIUFAN]

Wild Card Standings

1. Pitt 53 gp  - 27-17-9  63 pts   .594  

2. Wash 57 gp - 28-22-6  62 pts   .554

3. NYI 57 gp - 27-23-7  61 pts   .535

4. Fla 57 gp - 27-24-6  60 pts  .526

5. Buf 53 gp - 27-22-4  58 pts  .547

6. Det 53 gp - 25-20-8  58 pts  .547   

Our 4 game skid coupled with Det 4 game win streak put the Wings back into the picture.  Still we are in good shape to catch at least Washington is we can get on another win streak before the deadline.  Beating SJS will help.

[Thorner]

Sabres now currently in 8th position by points % with Washington suffering yet another loss. they’ve so far been the 8th best at acquiring points. 
 

Until Detroit holds on for the win, tonight, if they do 

 

[Sabres73]

Boy do we have a tough schedule coming up after the Sharks. The whole rest of the season looks tough. If we get in I'll be very impressed

[Pimlach]

Detroit now has won 5 in a row and passed us.  Tonight is a must win (they all seem to be). 
 

Being in the race is fun, much better than tanking.  

[JohnC]

5 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Detroit now has won 5 in a row and passed us.  Tonight is a must win (they all seem to be). 
 

Being in the race is fun, much better than tanking.  

Look back a couple of years ago during the dark Krueger era and consider where we are now. What a dramatic change! I went from tuning out and almost fully apathetic to now getting up in the middle of the night to turning on my computer to get the west coast score. It wasn't that long ago that the Sabres were unwatchable. Regardless of a win or loss there was little entertainment value. Now, the Sabres, although certainly not one of the best teams in the league, are one of the most entertaining teams in the league. 

There is a lot of discussion about the long and torturous road to travel in a rebuild. But as much as many of us complain about the excruciating process, the turnaround has been fairly short. KA took over and not only reshuffled the roster by trading away its old core, and he also completely rebuilt the organization from top to bottom. That's a lot of completed work in a short time span. 

I'm not going to be foolish enough to declare that the Sabres will make the playoffs this year. What I can say is that I'm very optimistic that the Sabres will be in playoff contention right up to the end of the season. That in itself is an accomplishment. Without a doubt going up is better than going down, and it is certainly better than being stuck in the muck of extended mediocrity. 

Edited February 17, 2023 by JohnC

[Stoner]

15 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Look back a couple of years ago during the dark Krueger era and consider where we are now. What a dramatic change!

There is a lot of discussion about the long and torturous road to travel in a rebuild. But as much as many of us complain about the excruciating process, the turnaround has been fairly short. KA took over and not only reshuffled the roster by trading away its old core, and he also completely rebuilt the organization from top to bottom. That's a lot of completed work in a short time span. 

Words are tricky. "Dramatic" change from, say, this time three years ago? I don't feel it (probably because I don't yet buy into another word from your post: "turnaround.")

On this date in 2020 Ralph's Sabres had just beaten the Leafs 5-2 at home for a third win in four games. They were 27-24-8 and 10 points out. I'm sure lots of fans were in the "it ain't over" camp. Or the dreaded "This bodes well for the fall."

Ralph had those Sabres at 8-1-1, which was highly entertaining. And fool's blue and gold.

Honestly, objectively, this franchise is still nowhere. No MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banners, please.

But a little perspective on the "awful" RaKru.

[thewookie1]

2 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

Words are tricky. "Dramatic" change from, say, this time three years ago? I don't feel it (probably because I don't yet buy into another word from your post: "turnaround.")

On this date in 2020 Ralph's Sabres had just beaten the Leafs 5-2 at home for a third win in four games. They were 27-24-8 and 10 points out. I'm sure lots of fans were in the "it ain't over" camp. Or the dreaded "This bodes well for the fall."

Ralph had those Sabres at 8-1-1, which was highly entertaining. And fool's blue and gold.

Honestly, objectively, this franchise is still nowhere. No MISSION ACCOMPLISHED banners, please.

But a little perspective on the "awful" RaKru.

Ok Miss Downer…. 

Is there a single positive bone in your body?

[wiselyman3]

1 hour ago, Pimlach said:

Detroit now has won 5 in a row and passed us.  Tonight is a must win (they all seem to be). 
 

Being in the race is fun, much better than tanking.  

We play tomorrow night, not today FYI

[Weave]

5 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Ok Miss Downer…. 

Is there a single positive bone in your body?

You have to admit, fool’s blue and gold is good stuff.

[Pimlach]

50 minutes ago, JohnC said:

Look back a couple of years ago during the dark Krueger era and consider where we are now. What a dramatic change! I went from tuning out and almost fully apathetic to now getting up in the middle of the night to turning on my computer to get the west coast score. It wasn't that long ago that the Sabres were unwatchable. Regardless of a win or loss there was little entertainment value. Now, the Sabres, although certainly not one of the best teams in the league, are one of the most entertaining teams in the league. 

There is a lot of discussion about the long and torturous road to travel in a rebuild. But as much as many of us complain about the excruciating process, the turnaround has been fairly short. KA took over and not only reshuffled the roster by trading away its old core, and he also completely rebuilt the organization from top to bottom. That's a lot of completed work in a short time span. 

I'm not going to be foolish enough to declare that the Sabres will make the playoffs this year. What I can say is that I'm very optimistic that the Sabres will be in playoff contention right up to the end of the season. That in itself is an accomplishment. Without a doubt going up is better than going down, and it is certainly better than being stuck in the much of extended mediocrity. 

Yes, I agree John.  I have Covid and I still stayed up on Wednesday night to watch them play.  Mrs. Punch thinks I am crazy but heck, I slept all day anyway.   Gonna do the same for the SJ game. 

I do not think they have the goaltending or team defense to make it to the playoffs this season but it is possible and I want to see them put everything into it.   

 

33 minutes ago, wiselyman3 said:

We play tomorrow night, not today FYI

You are right.  Bummer.   This schedule is crap.  

[inkman]

2 hours ago, Pimlach said:

Detroit now has won 5 in a row and passed us.  Tonight is a must win (they all seem to be). 
 

Being in the race is fun, much better than tanking.  

To be fair, the team hasn’t implemented a “tank” if you will since 2015.  They have just sucked since then. 

[Pimlach]

5 minutes ago, inkman said:

To be fair, the team hasn’t implemented a “tank” if you will since 2015.  They have just sucked since then. 

[Stoner]

49 minutes ago, thewookie1 said:

Ok Miss Downer…. 

Is there a single positive bone in your body?

There is. PM me.

[Stoner]

45 minutes ago, Weave said:

You have to admit, fool’s blue and gold is good stuff.

It was gold!