Will the Buffalo Sabres make the playoffs?

[Mango]

2 hours ago, DarthEbriate said:

Wait, wait, wait. You're saying you had already entirely written off the possibility of a playoff berth back when the Sabres had 3-4 games in hand on NYI, WSH, and PIT, the best points percentage of all the competitors for 7th-8th, before Tuch was injured, before Dahlin was injured, and before Thompson was injured, back well before the Panthers had gotten healthy and started their run, when none of the teams (BUF, DET, OTT, FLA, NYI, WSH, PIT were able to play consistently for more than a week and everyone was slogging along because of their inconsistencies and middling status.

You didn't ever believe in your preferred team?

Some people get so much enjoyment out of being correct rather than just enjoying the ride. They’d rather aggressively predict and preach that the Sabres won’t make it for 90 days over having fun watching them be in the hunt. 

[Taro T]

47 minutes ago, Huckleberry said:

I can see florida losing both games to toronto and carolina 

NYI and PIT have easier opponents than us.

They COULD lose either or both of those games.  But the way Lyon is playing right now, wouldn't have any money on it.

The Aisles with their low event hockey probably are the best chance of falling on their faces.

I'll take a minor miracle to keep the Pens from winning out.  Maybe Toews comes back and wills the Hawks to a W and then C-bus decides it likes the idea of knocking nearest neighbor Pittsburgh out of the playoffs?

[OverPowerYou]

Are there any scenarios where we can make the playoffs tied with another team in points? 

[Taro T]

17 minutes ago, OverPowerYou said:

Are there any scenarios where we can make the playoffs tied with another team in points? 

If ALL the Sabres wins are in regulation and they end up tied with the Pens for the 8th seed (Aisles or Cats stay at 91 or only bump up to 92) they can tie the Pens at 92 or 93 and win the tie break.  They have 29 RW wins to the Pens 31.  3 Sabres RW's and an OT loss put them at 92 points.  A Pens RW and a RL put them at 92 points.  Both would have 32 RW's.  2nd tiebreak is ROW.  Sabres at 37, Pens at 39.  They'd both have 40.  3rd tiebreak is W's.  Sabres would have 42, Pens 41.  Sabres win.

At tied at 93 points, if all the Sabres victories are in regulation, the Sabres would have 33 and the Pens could only have 32 (their 3rd point would have to be an OT/SO L) so the Sabres would win.

So, technically, the Sabres could still get the 7th seed and the winner of the Patrick, but that's even more unlikely than simply sneaking in as they'd need all 3 teams to collapse.

[OverPowerYou]

32 minutes ago, Taro T said:

If ALL the Sabres wins are in regulation and they end up tied with the Pens for the 8th seed (Aisles or Cats stay at 91 or only bump up to 92) they can tie the Pens at 92 or 93 and win the tie break.  They have 29 RW wins to the Pens 31.  3 Sabres RW's and an OT loss put them at 92 points.  A Pens RW and a RL put them at 92 points.  Both would have 32 RW's.  2nd tiebreak is ROW.  Sabres at 37, Pens at 39.  They'd both have 40.  3rd tiebreak is W's.  Sabres would have 42, Pens 41.  Sabres win.

At tied at 93 points, if all the Sabres victories are in regulation, the Sabres would have 33 and the Pens could only have 32 (their 3rd point would have to be an OT/SO L) so the Sabres would win.

So, technically, the Sabres could still get the 7th seed and the winner of the Patrick, but that's even more unlikely than simply sneaking in as they'd need all 3 teams to collapse.

most likely scenario is Pittsburgh losing 1 fluke game and the panthers losing to the maple leafs and the hurricanes 

[Contempt]

2 hours ago, Mango said:

Some people get so much enjoyment out of being correct rather than just enjoying the ride. They’d rather aggressively predict and preach that the Sabres won’t make it for 90 days over having fun watching them be in the hunt. 

I'm tired of being right. I'd like them to prove me wrong for a change. Frankly I didn't feel like it was aggressive prediction at the time given their flaws (no depth, bad goaltending, poor team defense) and their penchant for inconvenient stretches of poor play. 

Then the middle of March happened which really wasn't different from any of the other stretches of the year where they dropped a bunch of games in a row.

I appreciate that you and other might not like it and that some of you race to be the first one to be right predicting positive things and that's not my lane. I didn't believe in what they had at the deadline and the season has been functionally over since Nashville and really over since the Islanders game. The Sabres have been "in the hunt" the same way the Bills were "in the hunt" for a decade. Meaning not. I don't enjoy that. In fact it annoys me quite a bit that they squandered the position they were in. However, after what they've done for the length of time they've done it I'm done with moral victories and promises of the future. Show me. What this team showed is is every time they had pressure to perform they wilted. Does that translate to growth in the future? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they learn from it and get better, but maybe they don't have the mental and emotional fortitude for it and this is what they will do. I don't know and neither do you. You choose to believe, I choose to be skeptical until proven wrong. It has nothing to do with wanting to be right. It's emotional self defense.

[Dr. Who]

4 hours ago, Contempt said:

I'm tired of being right. I'd like them to prove me wrong for a change. Frankly I didn't feel like it was aggressive prediction at the time given their flaws (no depth, bad goaltending, poor team defense) and their penchant for inconvenient stretches of poor play. 

Then the middle of March happened which really wasn't different from any of the other stretches of the year where they dropped a bunch of games in a row.

I appreciate that you and other might not like it and that some of you race to be the first one to be right predicting positive things and that's not my lane. I didn't believe in what they had at the deadline and the season has been functionally over since Nashville and really over since the Islanders game. The Sabres have been "in the hunt" the same way the Bills were "in the hunt" for a decade. Meaning not. I don't enjoy that. In fact it annoys me quite a bit that they squandered the position they were in. However, after what they've done for the length of time they've done it I'm done with moral victories and promises of the future. Show me. What this team showed is is every time they had pressure to perform they wilted. Does that translate to growth in the future? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they learn from it and get better, but maybe they don't have the mental and emotional fortitude for it and this is what they will do. I don't know and neither do you. You choose to believe, I choose to be skeptical until proven wrong. It has nothing to do with wanting to be right. It's emotional self defense.

I expect Dahlin to continue to be the force he has grown into. I think it highly likely Power is going to be an equally dominant D with a different skill set. He is already surprisingly good for his age and he has yet to fully mature physically or in his grasp of the game. I worry about Samuelsson's penchant for injury, but he is a solid top 4D and the Sabres win a lot when he is available. The Sabres are flush with young forward talent. Their new goalie has shown consistent collegiate success at a superlative level, aptitude in a very small professional sample, and rare intensity. I think it's harder to fail than prosper when those are your building blocks. The players that are dropping off or likely to be let go are not difficult to replace. They do need a more responsible defensive system, or even a semblance of one, yes, I agree there. They do wilt in exasperating fashion, but I think it much more probable than not that the young core is going to mature into a very good team. They need to prioritize adding a solid veteran top 4D and a good veteran goalie to pair with Levi. There are other necessary roster additions, but none of them are daunting or even particularly difficult. I'll be disappointed if KA is not active this offseason to address all that. If next year at this time we are not looking at a playoff team with potential, I will join you in singing a dirge, but not today. 

Edited April 10, 2023 by Dr. Who

[dudacek]

25 minutes ago, Contempt said:

What this team showed is is every time they had pressure to perform they wilted.

You must be very selective in your definition of this.

How do you define “pressure to perform” and “wilted”?

Seems weird to me.

Are you saying the only games they had pressure are the ones they lost in mid-March? And that when they lost a tight game in that stretch, like the back-to-back 3-2 Stuart Skinner goalied and Fasching kick-in games, that they wilted?

I do think the team wilted at times during that stretch - most notably the Dallas and Philly games. I think they also lost a few heartbreakers and got undone by some horrendous goaltending.

But they also had games like when they went into Washington and hosted the Islanders in January while hunting them down in the playoff race and won nailbiters. Or how about sweeping the Florida trip then coming home and kicking Washington’s ass one fine February weekend?

The Sabres were bottom 5 in the league In late November. You going to tell me the 40 games they used to climb back into the playoff picture  they had no pressure, or they wilted? You going to tell me the past 8 games they had no pressure, or they wilted?

Harsh.

[Wyldnwoody44]

The Sabres dug their own hole overall. I still think of that horrendous call against Jost that gave Florida the tying goal in that recent game, or the obvious kick in against the Isles. Granted, they should play good enough to be able to absorb a bad call her or there. I'm sure we got the benefit on some calls throughout the season, but those seem extra large right now (and I'm also a Sabres Homer) 

The 8 game streak followed by something like a 4-16 record after the All star break crushed us. I do hope that they realize next year that those can be absolute crushers when you get to the end of the season and appear to miss by a fine margin. 

[nfreeman]

1 hour ago, Contempt said:

I'm tired of being right. I'd like them to prove me wrong for a change. Frankly I didn't feel like it was aggressive prediction at the time given their flaws (no depth, bad goaltending, poor team defense) and their penchant for inconvenient stretches of poor play. 

Then the middle of March happened which really wasn't different from any of the other stretches of the year where they dropped a bunch of games in a row.

I appreciate that you and other might not like it and that some of you race to be the first one to be right predicting positive things and that's not my lane. I didn't believe in what they had at the deadline and the season has been functionally over since Nashville and really over since the Islanders game. The Sabres have been "in the hunt" the same way the Bills were "in the hunt" for a decade. Meaning not. I don't enjoy that. In fact it annoys me quite a bit that they squandered the position they were in. However, after what they've done for the length of time they've done it I'm done with moral victories and promises of the future. Show me. What this team showed is is every time they had pressure to perform they wilted. Does that translate to growth in the future? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they learn from it and get better, but maybe they don't have the mental and emotional fortitude for it and this is what they will do. I don't know and neither do you. You choose to believe, I choose to be skeptical until proven wrong. It has nothing to do with wanting to be right. It's emotional self defense.

I can understand and agree with much of this, but the bolded is way off IMHO.  The Bills stopped trying to be a real NFL team during the drought and were focused solely on squeezing as much cash out as possible.  Say what you will about TP, but that has never been his approach with either team.  

[Contempt]

53 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

I can understand and agree with much of this, but the bolded is way off IMHO.  The Bills stopped trying to be a real NFL team during the drought and were focused solely on squeezing as much cash out as possible.  Say what you will about TP, but that has never been his approach with either team.  

I'm referring to how seemingly every year you'd watch a game in late November with the Bills close to .500 and they'd throw up a graphic showing them in the "in the hunt" category. 

[nfreeman]

1 hour ago, Contempt said:

I'm referring to how seemingly every year you'd watch a game in late November with the Bills close to .500 and they'd throw up a graphic showing them in the "in the hunt" category. 

OK, but if you're here, you hopefully knew then and you know now that the Bills in that era were never in the hunt, and, more importantly, that the current Sabres situation is utterly unlike that Bills situation. 

You are free to not think they are a real contender until they are one, but no one is pretending otherwise and no one is peddling you anything.  Most Sabres fans, here and elsewhere, are excited because it looks like they have finally rebuilt the right way.  They aren't a contender yet but a lot of the pieces are in place, and those pieces are all young (other than Skinner, who is not close to old yet either) and under contract or team control.  They also play an exciting brand of hockey and seem really passionate and likable.

In any case, even though you are skeptical, I hope you're enjoying some of these games, because they are really freaking fun.

[Contempt]

27 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

In any case, even though you are skeptical, I hope you're enjoying some of these games, because they are really freaking fun.

Went to the Philly game on 4/1 and thought they were outplayed for 50 minutes. Didn't watch the Panthers or Red Wings games this week. Saw the last 10 minutes against Carolina. 

[Huckleberry]

We can't look at others much 4 games in 5 days and tough opponents will need a miracle to win all 4.

[Doohicksie]

8 hours ago, Huckleberry said:

We can't look at others much 4 games in 5 days and tough opponents will need a miracle to win all 4.

Stranger things have happened.

 

[Pimlach]

16 hours ago, Contempt said:

I'm tired of being right. I'd like them to prove me wrong for a change. Frankly I didn't feel like it was aggressive prediction at the time given their flaws (no depth, bad goaltending, poor team defense) and their penchant for inconvenient stretches of poor play. 

Then the middle of March happened which really wasn't different from any of the other stretches of the year where they dropped a bunch of games in a row.

I appreciate that you and other might not like it and that some of you race to be the first one to be right predicting positive things and that's not my lane. I didn't believe in what they had at the deadline and the season has been functionally over since Nashville and really over since the Islanders game. The Sabres have been "in the hunt" the same way the Bills were "in the hunt" for a decade. Meaning not. I don't enjoy that. In fact it annoys me quite a bit that they squandered the position they were in. However, after what they've done for the length of time they've done it I'm done with moral victories and promises of the future. Show me. What this team showed is is every time they had pressure to perform they wilted. Does that translate to growth in the future? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe they learn from it and get better, but maybe they don't have the mental and emotional fortitude for it and this is what they will do. I don't know and neither do you. You choose to believe, I choose to be skeptical until proven wrong. It has nothing to do with wanting to be right. It's emotional self defense.

 

 

 

[Doohicksie]

I still believe the Sabres make the playoffs this year.  I will continue to believe until it is determined one way or t'other.

[Mango]

15 hours ago, Contempt said:

Went to the Philly game on 4/1 and thought they were outplayed for 50 minutes. Didn't watch the Panthers or Red Wings games this week. Saw the last 10 minutes against Carolina. 

“I HAVE A LOT OF STrONG OPINIONS ABOUT THIS TEAM” -You

”I’ve barely been watching” - also you

Edited April 10, 2023 by Mango

[Contempt]

6 minutes ago, Mango said:

“I HAVE A LOT OF STONG OPINIONS ABOUT THIS TEAM” -You

”I’ve barely been watching” - also you

Yeah, you're right. I had some stuff to do this week so I guess I shouldn't talk about them anymore. You guys are way better at this then I am.

[Randall Flagg]

We could wake up Wednesday morning needing

1) Sabre wins vs OTT and @CBJ

2) FLA loss @CAR

to make the playoffs. I'm just gonna keep hoping until there is nothing to hope for

[Huckleberry]

we never been this close in over a decade , we all got hope 🙂

[Doohicksie]

4 hours ago, Mango said:

“I HAVE A LOT OF STrONG OPINIONS ABOUT THIS TEAM” -You

”I’ve barely been watching” - also you

I missed two or three games recently, two I recall were wins,  That's actually the most Sabres hockey I've missed consecutively in probably a decade.

[PromoTheRobot]

Draftkings has the Sabres at +2000 to make the playoffs right now. So I put $3 down just in case.

[GASabresIUFAN]

It's possibly elimination day.  Much scoreboard watching to come.

The Sabres trail FLA and the NYI by 6 points, but with two games in hand.  We cannot catch either team on regulation wins, so we must beat them on points.  Our max is 93 and theirs are 95.  Pitt has 90 points and we have two games in hand on them.  We can catch them in regulation wins.

Step 1 - The Sabres need to win, preferably in regulation.  The Rags will be in full playoff mode.  They still have an outside chance to win the Division thanks to your victory over Carolina.

Step 2 - Fla and or the NYI must lose tonight.  Of course, both losing would be better, but if both win in any way we are eliminated.   The NYI plays at the disintegrating Ovie-less Caps, while Toronto travels to Sunrise to play Florida.  I'm not sure Toronto has anything to play for at this point.  

Step 3- Beat the Devils tomorrow night as well, preferably in regulation.

 

[PromoTheRobot]

On 4/9/2023 at 5:09 PM, Contempt said:

I'm tired of being right.

We all are.