January is THE Month We Find Out if This Team Has a Chance

[CallawaySabres]

I keep writing these guys off and won't really believe anything has changed until they start winning 3 out of 4 a few times. They need to stay afloat until Tuch and Quinn are back and then January looks like the easiest schedule of the entire year. Put together a few wins here in December and then make the charge in January. 

I know this is all wishful thinking but it's all I got right now. Hopefully UPL and Levi can right the ship while this group can figure out how to win 2 games in a row. It's now or never with these clowns. Go Sabes

https://www.nhl.com/sabres/schedule/2024-01-02

 

Edited December 8, 2023 by CallawaySabres

[LGR4GM]

They better figure it out before January imo.

[Pimlach]

The time is now.  The win streak has to start on Saturday, a four point game with the Habs.  

[nfreeman]

They are 5 under DeLuca .500 with 11 games left in December.

8-3 gets them to DeLuca .500 as of New Year's, and means they are very much in the playoff race.

7-4 means they are 2 under, and still alive.

Anything worse than that makes it extremely unlikely.

[French Collection]

3 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

They better figure it out before January imo.

Agree.
They need to start winning ASAP, just to stay in the hunt. Going back to their win one lose one mode makes it harder to come back.

[WhenWillItEnd66]

There are some winnable games and some very rough games coming up! The Avs and Vegas are not going to be easy. This team has shown it can take down top team in their buildings though. Hopefully we will get Greenway and Tuch back before then. Love to see Greenway with the new guy on a line, maybe with Krebs, who has been playing really good as of late.

[That Aud Smell]

I heard someone who talks about the league for a living say it - I can't recall who and I don't have any data but it sounds right: The playoff picture is substantially set by American Thanksgiving. I'm sure there are one or two (?) exceptions every season, but, for the super majority of teams that make it, they are in a playoff position on the fourth Thursday of November.

If the Sabres aren't NHL .500 by the new year, I will hold out no hope for their playoff chances.

38 minutes ago, nfreeman said:

They are 5 under DeLuca .500 with 11 games left in December.

8-3 gets them to DeLuca .500 as of New Year's, and means they are very much in the playoff race.

7-4 means they are 2 under, and still alive.

Ya - this here is the bare minimum.

[lowsabre]

I can't wait for the Rangers and Bruins games.

[Weave]

Nope.  We are in heroic run to 9th territory. Too many games in hand by teams near us, and too many teams to leapfrog.

[JohninMinn.]

I'm taking the one game at a time approach. I'm convinced there is more talent on this team than most others. All they need is confidence.

[Believer]

15 minutes ago, Weave said:

Nope.  We are in heroic run to 9th territory. Too many games in hand by teams near us, and too many teams to leapfrog.

Expect you are right @Weave…

We will all root for them to accomplish their goal of playoff hockey this season… but think the Sabres fate has been sealed by management, coaches, and player mistakes… offseason, preseason, and in season… 

What last night proved is their promise… and ability to compete when they want to… as a team…

Playoffs or not, we will be entertained the rest of the season at least.

 

[French Collection]

7 minutes ago, JohninMinn. said:

I'm taking the one game at a time approach. I'm convinced there is more talent on this team than most others. All they need is confidence.

Yeah, they’ve dug a hole to start the season, but this is the approach they need. It is a marathon not a print and they need to obey the old cliche, one game at a time.

The Bruins have really good goaltending, good Dmen but they are worse than their record imo. One game doesn’t make a season but their forwards shouldn’t exactly instill fear in anyone. Coyle and Zacha as 1&2 C. Beecher, Heiden, Lauko, Frederic, Geekie, Steen and JVR are all 3rd liners at best.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

A great Historian once said ...

*it wasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor and it aint over now .. who's with me .. LET'S GO !!*

[French Collection]

Just now, Sabres Fan in NS said:

A great Historian once said ...

*it wasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor and it aint over now .. who's with me .. LET'S GO !!*

Did he end up graduating?

Baby steps but I am liking the way they played, they need to stay at that level for a bit to get me back to not needing as much hopium.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

1 minute ago, French Collection said:

Did he end up graduating?

Baby steps but I am liking the way they played, they need to stay at that level for a bit to get me back to not needing as much hopium.

I doubt it, but he did ride off into the sunset with the babe.

[WhenWillItEnd66]

14 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

A great Historian once said ...

*it wasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor and it aint over now .. who's with me .. LET'S GO !!*

Great movie!!!!! 

[That Aud Smell]

15 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

A great Historian once said ...

*it wasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor and it aint over now .. who's with me .. LET'S GO !!*

I'm all for the Bluto Principle provided the Sabres can get "rolling."

[CallawaySabres]

I agree they need to start winning some games now but the reason I picked January is that it's a HUGE opportunity to play almost the whole month vs lesser teams. They will need 75% of the points that month...minimum. 

[OverPowerYou]

This team has lost my interest a dozen times only to drag me back in. I expect this to happen into early April 

[JustOneParade]

1 hour ago, French Collection said:

Did he end up graduating?

Baby steps but I am liking the way they played, they need to stay at that level for a bit to get me back to not needing as much hopium.

Zero. Point. Zero.

[ska-T Chitown]

4 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

I heard someone who talks about the league for a living say it - I can't recall who and I don't have any data but it sounds right: The playoff picture is substantially set by American Thanksgiving. I'm sure there are one or two (?) exceptions every season, but, for the super majority of teams that make it, they are in a playoff position on the fourth Thursday of November.

If the Sabres aren't NHL .500 by the new year, I will hold out no hope for their playoff chances.

Ya - this here is the bare minimum.

There was a big article on ESPN+ a few weeks back. It varies, but the so far a maximum of 5 teams not in playoff positions by American Thanksgiving have made it in any given year.

[DarthEbriate]

It's time for a nice 16-4 hot streak. Maybe 16-3-1.

(I've seen nothing to indicate that is possible for this season's squad, but maybe something just clicks [having to make up for losing Dahlin; Quinn's return; the arrival of Robinson; the powerplay getting absurdly hot; winning a game at home] anything).

[mjd1001]

Just like almost every single year, 95 points MIGHT get you in, but 98 is the number you want to shoot for to just about guarantee it.  Right now in terms of point percentage, the last spot is held by a team with .577 which is about 95 points at the moment.

So when we find out about this team...its a sliding scale. It doesn't look good now, a winning streak makes it look better. But the optimist in me says they aren't out of it until there is no chance they can get 'back into it'.   If things are awful now, but a 5 game win streak puts them back "into it", then as long as there is still a chance for that 5 game win streak, they aren't out of it.

But the numbers.....to get to 98 points they need to get 74 points in the next 55 games. That means they need almost 68 percent of possible points. That is about a 110 point pace for the rest of the year.  With Tuch still hurt, with Cozens not playing well at all, with Tage probably not yet 100%.  Possible? yes, but it looks really tough already.

[Night Train]

So you're saying..

 

[Taro T]

4 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

I doubt it, but he did ride off into the sunset with the babe.

AND he became a senator.