Sabres are the Underdogs

[Taro T]

This is truly amazing. I am at peace (I guess EII's Pooh Zen must be working. ;) )

 

This team, all season long has THRIVED on being the underdog. When they have been the favorite, that is when they have fallen on their face (see game vs Ottawa to take division lead for example or Game 4 vs. Ottawa).

 

This team IS most clearly the underdog tonight. They are without the core of their defense but they still have Lydman (who has been fantastic this playoffs) and Campbell (who not only exceeded my expectations in the regular season, but has taken his game up a notch in the playoffs) and Rory (who is playing like a top 6 defenseman, at times like a top 4, but consistantly like a top 6). Janik has looked comfortable for the most part in the playoffs and Jillson played one strong game and one so-so game. Paetsch is a wild card, but he will only get a handful of minutes in all likelihood.

 

That said, things could be worse on D. Teppo could have not tried to go in Game 6. He definitely would have played tonight and based on the way he looked in warmups on Tuesday, I truly doubt he would have made it through the 1st period tonight. Then the Sabres would have only 5 healthy bodies on D and could have finally played the "woe is me card". They will not do that.

 

The forwards saw in Game 4 what will happen if they get preoccupied with who is behind them. The forwards will not allow themselves to worry about the D. They understand that they must take care of their own small part of the game and that they have to be where they are supposed to be in order for the D to do what it has to do. I'm certain that Lindy and Scott have been preaching that, but sometimes you have to actually be in a situation and experience what happens when you do what feels correct (hanging back a little, delaying the rush just a split second, not storming into the corner for fear of getting caught on an odd man rush, etc.) vs. what you know is correct (as was the case in Game 4) instead of just doing things the right way (Games 5 & 6) in order to "get it". The forwards "get it" now.

 

Ryan got to play an elimination game on Tuesday and played great. He will be confident and poised. He knew what he had to do, but now he knows that he can do it as he has experienced it. He knows that he will have to keep his game at that level and that this is the game that he will have to steal from the Canes. Watching him keep Staal off the board in Game 6 and rob Whitney and Brind'Amour, I know that he can keep his game at that level or even pick it up a notch.

 

Will the Sabres win this game tonight? I honestly don't know, but have a feeling that they will. This team has played together all season long bringing in replacements from within when bodies have fallen and has fought through the adversity.

 

I am on record as stating that I wished the Sabres had picked up Spacek. I now am starting to think that not grabbing him and disrupting the "we were here on day one fighting together, we will be together on the last day still fighting" was the right thing to do. There is no way that Darcy (or anyone) could have honestly forseen 4 defensemen going down. Especially when not one of them went out due to the bone crunching hit or the horrible knee on knee collision that normally knock guys out.

 

We all knew that if this team was going to break through the "curse" it would take a monumental effort in monumental circumstances. Beating Carolina when healthy would have taken the monumental effort as Carolina is the best team Buffalo will face this post season, but it wouldn't have been a monumental circumstance. They have that circumstance and require that effort. I have faith that they will bring the effort and that it will produce good results.

 

The other cool thing is, IF Buffalo wins tonight, due to all of the injuries and the fact that the Oilers are coming in healthy and well rested, there will be some doubters saying Buffalo won't pull it off. There will be some (not on this board, but elsewhere) that say Buffalo is the underdog. I say that is great, because this team needs to have that chip on their shoulder to bring their top effort. I haven't seen them lose a single game this year when they brought their A game for 60 minutes.

 

Go Sabres. Good luck. Win or lose, it's been a heck of a season. I can't believe how calm I am. I really think they will bring the A game.

[nfreeman]

Oh, yes. Great post.

 

The only additional point I'd make is that our 4th line is going to be kicking ass and taking names -- making their defense the one everyone should be worried about. If we forecheck the way we did in game 6, our inexperience on D will be minimized.

[Spandrel]

Oh, yes. Great post.

 

The only additional point I'd make is that our 4th line is going to be kicking ass and taking names -- making their defense the one everyone should be worried about. If we forecheck the way we did in game 6, our inexperience on D will be minimized.

 

That is a big "if", definitely. If the forecheck fails, that puts added pressure on the D which could lead to many ugly situations. I don't know what you do if you are Ruff. My thought is also just to go balls out on the forecheck and hope Miller can stand on his head when he needs to. I don't think that giving up on the forecheck to help out the defensemen will work against this team.

[Taro T]

That is a big "if", definitely. If the forecheck fails, that puts added pressure on the D which could lead to many ugly situations. I don't know what you do if you are Ruff. My thought is also just to go balls out on the forecheck and hope Miller can stand on his head when he needs to. I don't think that giving up on the forecheck to help out the defensemen will work against this team.

IF the Sabres forecheck fails and Miller can't stand on his head, the Sabres D (and the rest of them) are toast.

 

I think Miller will stand on his head and the forecheck will be effective in spurts as it has been the last 2 games.

 

That SHOULD be good enough provided the D doesn't take a lot of penalties.

 

This team plays its best when it's desperate. If you aren't desperate tonight, you don't have a pulse.

[The Millernator #30]

i really think this puts us in the position to play as loose and recklessely as possible. that could translate into a win, and one of the grittiest performances ever in the history of sports.

 

as long as this team has a pulse, I still have faith.