When does Pressure return?

[Stoner]

If the theory is that the Sabres play better and looser when the pressure is off, when does the pressure return?

I'd say it could be as early as tomorrow night.

[CallawaySabres]

My kids are going tomorrow night so I can guarantee with utmost certainty, that Buffalo loses eight nothing. The pressure returns tomorrow…

[Night Train]

 

[PromoTheRobot]

17 minutes ago, PASabreFan said:

If the theory is that the Sabres play better and looser when the pressure is off, when does the pressure return?

I'd say it could be as early as tomorrow night.

So there's no pressure now?

[K-9]

Next season. We were in this same spot last year and I expect the players to have learned from that experience. 

[Weave]

It’s a fair question.

Id say it’ll be right about when they are within a game of catching 8th place.  Until then they pretty much have nothing to lose.

I like K-9’s response though.  The pressure should be there in game 1 next season.

[Night Train]

I'll take pressure and urgency over the indifference I viewed from October to February. 

[Stoner]

19 minutes ago, Night Train said:

I'll take pressure and urgency over the indifference I viewed from October to February. 

Woody might write a script for you.

[RochesterExpat]

1 hour ago, K-9 said:

Next season. We were in this same spot last year and I expect the players to have learned from that experience. 

If by the "same spot" you meant we were 7 points out after 65 games as many others have been repeating, that sort of misses the fact we had multiple games in hand on everyone ahead of us. Right now every team in a wildcard spot ahead of us has games in hand on us.

[PerreaultForever]

I don't know if this pressure theory is real. I suspect at the moment we have a trade deadline sigh of relief moment which makes them all relax and loose and then there's a Byram bump for some. They were already pals with him and they feed off of a new guy excitement. The question is how they will handle any adversity from here. 

If the "pressure" is real, I guess it hits the moment the team makes making the playoffs a minimum standard. I'm still waiting for them to raise that bar to that minimum point at least. Maybe next season. 

[K-9]

7 minutes ago, RochesterExpat said:

If by the "same spot" you meant we were 7 points out after 65 games as many others have been repeating, that sort of misses the fact we had multiple games in hand on everyone ahead of us. Right now every team in a wildcard spot ahead of us has games in hand on us.

Those games in hand won’t mean anything until they’re won by those teams ahead of us. That said, the larger point of my post is that they know what it’s like to be within striking distance at this point in the season and they should let that experience benefit them going forward. They know what’s expected and they shouldn’t be intimidated by some imagined “pressure” to perform at this point. It’s all part of the maturation process of a young team, but I’m tired of the “youngest team in the league” bs excuse for this team. 

[msw2112]

If the Sabres can sweep their 3 games this week against Eastern Conference teams they are chasing, they're right back in the race.  All 3 games are "4-point" games.  So far, they're 1 for 1, so 2 to go.  The game against the Isles tomorrow night is of great importance, so I guess that would mean there's pressure.

Right now, the Sabres are getting great goaltending, their defense is better than it's been in the past, and the puck is finally starting to go in the net.  They have some confidence.  I think they have more overall talent than the Isles and Red Wings, so let's see what they can come up with.  

[TheAud]

2 hours ago, CallawaySabres said:

My kids are going tomorrow night so I can guarantee with utmost certainty, that Buffalo loses eight nothing. The pressure returns tomorrow…

I was thinking about getting my kids some tickets (I live out of town but they are in Buffalo) and this is exactly what went through my mind. It will be a stinker. 

[Billznut]

2027

 

Kevyn Adams will all but guarantee a playoff team for the 2027-28 season. And he will really really mean it. 🤪

[...]

Maybe Byram brought his stash of gummies with him from Colorado. 

 

[Wyldnwoody44]

4 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Woody might write a script for you.

Turn your head and cough 

[JohnC]

26 minutes ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Turn your head and cough 

Do you tell your patients to do it again, and again, and again until I'm sure of what my finger is telling me? 😁

[Thorner]

I kinda feel like they are already playing under pressure. Indeed, I think that’s the key differentiating factor: not until our *opponents* feel pressured such that they feel compelled to match our urgency will we be truly tested in this final stretch, here.

I think we feel pressure but teams playing the 24th place team simply don’t 

[Weave]

14 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I kinda feel like they are already playing under pressure. Indeed, I think that’s the key differentiating factor: not until our *opponents* feel pressured such that they feel compelled to match our urgency will we be truly tested in this final stretch, here.

I think we feel pressure but teams playing the 24th place team simply don’t 

Except Detroit.  I’m sure they felt it. NYI certainly should right now.

[Wyldnwoody44]

1 hour ago, JohnC said:

Do you tell your patients to do it again, and again, and again until I'm sure of what my finger is telling me? 😁

Oh god no.... After 2 or 3 times, we use sedatives 😂😂

[Thorner]

Just now, Weave said:

Except Detroit.  I’m sure they felt it. NYI certainly should right now.

Agree 

[Archie Lee]

7 minutes ago, Thorny said:

I kinda feel like they are already playing under pressure. Indeed, I think that’s the key differentiating factor: not until our *opponents* feel pressured such that they feel compelled to match our urgency will we be truly tested in this final stretch, here.

I think we feel pressure but teams playing the 24th place team simply don’t 

I don't know what the answer is.  For a few years the narrative was that we would start strong and then we would fade when the going got tougher.  Now we have bad starts, but we finish strong when the pressure is off.  I would say that almost every team we are playing is under some pressure.  If our recent success is because the teams we are playing don't feel pressure to bring their best games against a bottom feeder, then you would think at least one other team behind us in the standings would be on a stretch similar to us (7-3-1 in last 11), but they all have losing records over their last 10. It is frustrating.  We have clearly separated ourselves from the dregs of the NHL, yet we can't quite find a way to move into the top half of teams.

[Thorner]

8 minutes ago, Archie Lee said:

I don't know what the answer is.  For a few years the narrative was that we would start strong and then we would fade when the going got tougher.  Now we have bad starts, but we finish strong when the pressure is off.  I would say that almost every team we are playing is under some pressure.  If our recent success is because the teams we are playing don't feel pressure to bring their best games against a bottom feeder, then you would think at least one other team behind us in the standings would be on a stretch similar to us (7-3-1 in last 11), but they all have losing records over their last 10. It is frustrating.  We have clearly separated ourselves from the dregs of the NHL, yet we can't quite find a way to move into the top half of teams.

That’s a great point: looking at the standings, the teams below us DO have losing records of late

(one caveat: Calgary is tied with us and they have one point less over last 10, so they’ve been on a similar stretch, Caps have also matched our stretch and they are within 2)

But it’s still pretty salient. Being able to transition to finding results over the course of a full season is, as you point out, just something they need to learn how to do. I say “learn” but it’s not really “learn”: the team needs to be configured in such a way that it’s capable of achieving the results we want

We have had a dearth of expectation here for a decade, the process can be an eye opening one and unusual for fans: if you are measuring based on actual results like the rest of the league does it, what matters is our actual output over the 82 games allotted to each team: and your performance in the standings over such is significantly more reflective of the composition of your team than reading in to any ONE segment of games 

The more you dilute the sample size, the more you try to blame it all on the struggles of a player or two, the further you stray from logic 

Edited March 14 by Thorny

[Sabres73]

Last night was essentially a playoff game, so the pressure is on. Having said that, with a couple years experience for our core, we're starting to handle pressure situations well imo.

[Thorner]

If we go out and wallop the Islanders tomorrow, really wallop them like we saw with Detroit, I’ll probably start to shift from “mathematically possible, still in it” mode to belief they have a real shot.

That “we need to go 14-3” (and now 13-3) thing looms large but I can’t shake the feeling the number comes in a bit below 93. If it’s 91: tiebreaker is prob something we own 

12-4 over final 16? It still seems just ridiculous but…again, with what we saw vs Detroit..I’d say that team could maybe do it 

- - - 

What we really need is for the islanders to drop their game with Ottawa while we play Detroit again. Even if we beat the islanders tomorrow we’d be 3 back with them having 2 in hand so realistically 5 points: a tough hill to climb with other teams still in the mix. But if we take care of business vs Detroit while they lose to Ottawa..1 back with them having 2 in hand…3 points, more less…you never know 

Edited March 14 by Thorny