GDT: Buffalo Sabres @ LA Kings 10:30 PM ESPN+, MSG, WGR550

[inkman]

McLeod and Zucker are professional men.  They have been among our best players every game.  Neither was a star or given much consideration when they were picked up.  It’s refreshing to have a presence like them in the lineup and lockerrrom.  If the younger guys can glen anything from them, I’ll consider the offseason a win.  

[Sabres73]

2 hours ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

It's not so terrible playing in the last 5 cups.  Winning the first two and then losing the next three has got to be tough when being the favourite in all of them.  Oh, well.  Stuff happens.

The CFL has nine teams, like the majority of the time since the 1950s. When you consider the US has ten times the population of Canada, it has more teams per capital than the NFL.

[Archie Lee]

5 hours ago, ska-T Chitown said:

 

They might not "believe" in it the way some don't believe [redacted to avoid being accused of political discussions] - but there are actual statistics that show it is is a thing. The absoluteness of which varies a little from year to year. ESPN did a whole thing on it last around "American Thanksgiving".

Dreams' point is well taken that if there is a just a blob of teams all within a point or two of that last spot, statistical significance really blurs, but if you are NOT near it, and there is a glob of mediocrity hovering around the last spot, I'd wager your odds of being one of the 2-3 teams that overcomes goes down by quite a bit.

Of course it is a thing. It’s a thing in the sense that at the 1/4 mark of a season, the best teams will have already established themselves as such and will have, mostly cemented their spot in the playoffs.  Likewise there will be teams at the bottom of the standings who will be clearly out of it. These teams - the very best and very worst - are highly unlikely to switch spots. Of course, in most cases the performance and position of these teams was predicted in the off-season. 

What is not a thing is the notion you are up against some nearly insurmountable and rarely accomplished task, if you are one of the teams in the murky middle on American Thanksgiving and are a few points out of a wildcard spot. Those teams will typically trade places for the last spot, or spots, in the playoffs throughout the year. 

I haven’t researched this, but it would surprise me if this was limited to hockey. Indeed, check out the AFC standings after week 5 this year.  The really good and really bad teams don’t take long to establish themselves in those roles. 

[PerreaultForever]

7 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

I agree.  A win for your team is what you want, but a hard fought Defensive game with low scoring....for me that isn't entertaining.  I'll have fun analyzing defensive positioning or how a goalie handles angles with relation to his D-men on a rush against when watching replays or after the game.  When I'm just watching, I want scoring.

Watched the Bruins tonight play 1-0 against Utah and win by the one PP goal. Very deja vu two nights in a row. Sabres play Bruins we might be waiting all night for a goal and go 0-0 to a shootout.