Sabres have done it! No longer last in Eastern Conference

[Big Guava]

With yesterday's win and a Boston loss, Bruins are now 1 point behind the Sabres and Sabres have a game in hand on them.

Sabres will also likely pass Pittsburgh and Philly soon as they are 1 point behind them but have 2 games in hand on Philly and 1 on Pittsburgh...

Time to celebrate being out of the basement! Let the sun in...uncork the champagne! 🍾 🍾 

Sabres are now tied for 5th in goals per game with 3.26 this season and are the only team in the top 9 with fewer than 91 points.

It's really, really hard to be this bad when you score like they do.

Edited April 2 by Big Guava

[Weave]

[JoeSchmoe]

6 minutes ago, Big Guava said:

It's really, really hard to be this bad when you score like they do.

[DarthEbriate]

And to think all it took was 3.5 months and a 9-game losing streak by Boston. The answer is in the room.

Yub nub!

[Hawerchuk]

Upgrade this defense and they would be a lot closer to a playoff spot. An erratic UPL didn't help either.

[matter2003]

56 minutes ago, Hawerchuk said:

Upgrade this defense and they would be a lot closer to a playoff spot. An erratic UPL didn't help either.

Upgrade UPL/Levi in games they played this year and they WOULD be a playoff team.  Their team save percentage is .872 which is a joke in today's NHL. If it was even .895, which is still terrible, they likely would be in the last wildcard spot at least.

Edited April 2 by matter2003

[Mr. Allen]

Yep.  Pick 3 to pick 8.  I’m liking the way we’re playing and winning games.  But just stings a little watching us fall down the draft order. 

[LGR4GM]

19 minutes ago, Mr. Allen said:

Yep.  Pick 3 to pick 8.  I’m liking the way we’re playing and winning games.  But just stings a little watching us fall down the draft order. 

We were never at pick 3 though. We went from pick 4 to pick 6. 

[DarthEbriate]

39 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Upgrade UPL/Levi in games they played this year and they WOULD be a playoff team.  Their team save percentage is .872 which is a joke in today's NHL. If it was even .895, which is still terrible, they likely would be in the last wildcard spot at least.

Depends on which stat you're look at exactly, but I'm seeing Philly with the .872 and the Sabres at .878.

 

In recent years, .895 is fine as save percentages are lower in general. .895 is the mean in the league this season (15th FLA at .897; 16th CAR at .894). Only two teams have averages above .910 (WPG is 1st at .913).

Contrast that with the clutch-and-grab era. (Let's take 2002-03:  12 teams at .910 or higher, and the mean was .906-.905. In that season, .895 would have been 2nd to worst in the league, right above St. Louis... who finished second in their division and made the playoffs...?? Huh.) 

[Mr. Allen]

28 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

We were never at pick 3 though. We went from pick 4 to pick 6. 

I thought not long ago it was just Blackhawks and Sharks below us. 

[LGR4GM]

24 minutes ago, Mr. Allen said:

I thought not long ago it was just Blackhawks and Sharks below us. 

Nashville might have jumped over us for a minute but I don't think so? That would have been it. We have been in 4th for quite awhile. Boston imploding is something to see though, 9 straight losses. 

[Thorny]

Mr burns had done it 

the power plant had won it 

[matter2003]

1 hour ago, LGR4GM said:

Nashville might have jumped over us for a minute but I don't think so? That would have been it. We have been in 4th for quite awhile. Boston imploding is something to see though, 9 straight losses. 

Was bound to happen at some point...they kept trying to run it back as the team got older and older and never really replaced the aging vets. Pretty much the cautionary tale about holding onto aging players too long...should have taken a page from the Patriots book when Belichick was there and he would get rid of them a year too early rather than a year too late.

Edited April 2 by matter2003

[PerreaultForever]

Bruins fans are very grateful 🙂

So we will end up picking around 8th. What a shock. 

[triumph_communes]

Boston losing 9 in a row. lol sure thing way to go league I’m sure they’ll be punished 

[OverPowerYou]

Imagine our season if Reimer was the starter 

[matter2003]

22 minutes ago, OverPowerYou said:

Imagine our season if Reimer was the starter 

probably be in a playoff spot or very close to it.

[LGR4GM]

1 hour ago, PerreaultForever said:

Bruins fans are very grateful 🙂

So we will end up picking around 8th. What a shock. 

You know how I know you're a Bruins fan?

[LGR4GM]

Side note, 5th or 8th isn't making or breaking this team.

[Thorny]

Reimer very likely couldn’t have done this over a full season if we are being honest 

[Demoted]

4 hours ago, Mr. Allen said:

Yep.  Pick 3 to pick 8.  I’m liking the way we’re playing and winning games.  But just stings a little watching us fall down the draft order. 

You think they would grab the right guy even with a higher pick?

[Sidc3000]

49 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Side note, 5th or 8th isn't making or breaking this team.

Nope

[JoeSchmoe]

50 minutes ago, Thorner said:

Reimer very likely couldn’t have done this over a full season if we are being honest 

You're probably right, but UPL's metrics are so far off league median that if Reimer gives you anywhere close to that, we get enough extra wins to be in the playoff race.

Edit: Stated otherwise, of goalies that have played 40 games or more, the median goals saved above expected is 13.4 (Dustin Wolf). UPL is -9.4. if we had 22 less goals against we're in positive goal differential at plus 3.

Edited April 2 by JoeSchmoe

[Indabuff]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

 Boston imploding is something to see though, 9 straight losses. 

2026 Sabres:  "hold my beer..."

[HOUSE]