Looking way ahead-- 18-0, is it possible

[wjag]

So just thinking ahead... Here is the problem for the Sabres getting to an incredible and record setting 18-0:

 

 

Game 11 -- Sat Oct 28, 2006 HOME Thrashers

 

Most difficult test of the stretch. Good thing we get them in the middle of a long road swing. This is a quality team looking for a real notch in their belt. They missed the playoffs by two points last year and want to show they are the real deal. Difficulty on a 1 (easy) to 5 scale (hard) is a 5. This is one of those statement games about the 2006-2007 seasons IMHO. We NEED to beat them.

 

Game 12 -- Thu Nov 2, 2006 AWAY Bruins

 

Back to Beantown. Boston is a year away from competing. I give them a 2 because they are a division opponent and I just don't believe any professional team is a 1. We should beat them.

 

Game 13 -- Sat Nov 4, 2006 HOME Maple Leafs

 

Here come the Leaf fans. Decent start to the season. HSBC will be split with Home and Away fans. Toronto has been smacked twice now by Ottawa and might be fading. Hitting Buffalo at the end of a BRUTUAL stretch of games against: Ottawa (2); Canadiens (A), Thrashers (H), Lightning (A), Panthers (A), Sabres (A). Normally I rate them higher but no gas left in tank after that stretch and hitting Buffalo on third straight road game in four nights. I rate this a 3. We should beat them.

 

Game 14 -- Sun Nov 5, 2006 AWAY Rangers

 

Rangers looked very slow against Buffalo. They will want some revenge. First game home after a west coast swing against Ducks, Sharks and Kings. They'll be rested and we will be playing a second game in two nights. That makes this one tough in my book. I rate this one a 4. We should beat them.

 

Game 15 -- Fri Nov 10, 2006 HOME Panthers

 

Five days off between games. God we will be so bored on this board. Panthers are a good home team so far and a lousy road team. They finish a run of Islanders (A), Leafs (H), Sharks (H) and Rangers (H). This should be a tough game as well. While they are losing on the road, they are playing decent at home. I give this one a 3. We should beat them.

 

Game 16 -- Sat Nov 11, 2006 AWAY Flyers

 

Ah revenge is best served cold. They probably circled this game on the calendar. Flyers took Thrashers to a SO last night. They have to play six games in 12 nights: Penguins (H), Hawks (H), Lightning (H), Capitals (H), Leafs (A), Islanders (H), Sabres (H). At least there is a bunch of home cooking involved. By then, the buzz of the organizational changes will have died down and they will be back to the same guys that lost to us a week or so ago. This is a solid 2. We should beat them.

 

Game 17 -- Mon Nov 13, 2006 AWAY Hurricanes

 

Why does Carolina aways show up at the wrong time? Trying to tie the record on their ice is going to be extremely difficult. Seems like they are a hot and cold team. When they win they score 5 goals and when they lose they give up 5 goals. They are playing eight games during this stretch: Lightning (H), Thrashers (A), Canadiens (H), Senators (A), Devils (A), Capitals (H), Penguins (H), Sabres (H). Schedule gives them some beatable teams and a nights rest for both Buffalo and Carolina. Although, this is Buffalo's second straight road game. This is a 5 as each and every Carolina-Buffalo game will be. Tough call. My guess is if the streak is alive at this point, it ends here.

 

Game 18 -- Wed Nov 15, 2006 HOME Senators

 

Not making it easy on us now. Ottawa and Carolina in back-to-back games isn't pretty. Ottawa seems to be surging. They have scored 8, 7 and 6 goals in their last three. They have 9 games to play in this stretch which is one more than the good guys. They have a reasonable slate of games which include: Bruins (A), Canadiens(A), Hurricanes (H), Capitals (A), Thrasher (A), Penguins (A), Bruins (A), Canadiens (H), Sabres (A). So it seems that they have to play 7 of their next 9 on the road finishing in Buffalo. This will be a solid 5 for the pressure of the streak, the fact it's the Senators, and the fact that we hate them and they hate us.

 

So that makes three games a 5, one 4, two 3 and one 2. Not bad, but the 5's are at the end. We will truly earn it if we get it.

 

Who do we get for game 19 you ask: Penguins in Buffalo.

 

Comments??

[Done]

There is no way we go 18-0.

 

I will be happy if we go 5-3 in those 8 games. This is a great head start, but sometime in January we are all going to forget about this little streak when we have lost 5 of 6 and Ottawa is ahead of us.

 

Enjoy the moment, but embrace reality.

[wjag]

There is no way we go 18-0.

 

I will be happy if we go 5-3 in those 8 games. This is a great head start, but sometime in January we are all going to forget about this little streak when we have lost 5 of 6 and Ottawa is ahead of us.

 

Enjoy the moment, but embrace reality.

 

Boy if Ottawa makes up 10 points on THIS team by January, we will have gone through a pretty rough patch. I know 18-0 is unrealistic, but I also know that if there was ever a team... Did your reality include a 10-0 start? Mine didn't. The Islanders won 15 straight and the Penguins won 17 straight, so it can be done.

[hopeleslyobvious]

Boy if Ottawa makes up 10 points on THIS team by January, we will have gone through a pretty rough patch. I know 18-0 is unrealistic, but I also know that if there was ever a team... Did your reality include a 10-0 start? Mine didn't. The Islanders won 15 straight and the Penguins won 17 straight, so it can be done.

 

Let's worry about 11-0 for now.

[shrader]

It's actually a 15 game regular season winning streak already. I have no idea how the record books treat this and I don't really care. All that matters is that this team goes out there and continues to play their game.

[zow2]

I want the record tomorrow night and then i won't care about the winning streak much. I'd much prefer if they peak during the last 16 games of the season (i.e. playoffs) rather than the first 16 games.

 

Oh and there are no Easy games in the NHL anymore. Any team is tough on a given night and can have great goaltending.

[Kristian]

I'm actually at the point where I think it'd be healthy for these guys to lose one or two.

 

Most of them are young and could easily fall into the trap of thinking they're invincible. The game against the Isles was less than stellar, with some very sloppy play going on. If not for Miller, that could've easily ended up 3-3 at the very least.

[Done]

I'll put this little streak into $.

 

If you put down $100 on the Sabres to beat Carolina on opening night, then proceeded to wager your winnings on the next game...and so on.....you would have over $53,000 in your pocket right now.

 

If we were 50/50 to win each game, the odds against this streak would be 1,024-1.

Since we are on a roll, oddsmakers are hammering us and you are at 530-1.

 

 

For us to go 18-0, it would mean statistically 262,144-1 assuming all teams even.

 

Here are my projected odds assuming we keep it alive:

 

Atlanta -180

@Boston -200

Toronto -220

@NYR -200

Florida -250

@Philly -220

@Carolina -150

Ottawa -140

 

That would mean if you bet $100 on Game 1 and let it roll.....you would have over $1.4 million.

 

Crazy!!!

[KansasPat]

Games 14 and 17 scare me the most, and I think we could get routed in one of those games. Both represent a third game in four nights, and both are on the road in venues that can get jacked up to see their team put an end to the streak.

 

I'd be very surprised if we lost to Boston or Philly, and I don't think we'll lose at home to Atlanta. So there you have it -- if we lose, it'll be in either one of those games.

[Bmwolf21]

Boy if Ottawa makes up 10 points on THIS team by January, we will have gone through a pretty rough patch. I know 18-0 is unrealistic, but I also know that if there was ever a team... Did your reality include a 10-0 start? Mine didn't. The Islanders won 15 straight and the Penguins won 17 straight, so it can be done.

All I know is that after win #11 on Saturday, all I want this team to focus on is win #12. If they can learn that mindset now, it will help them even more come April, May and June, and that is what we are all working towards right now - can't win a damn thing in October.

 

But to echo what other posters have said, it is almost guaranteed that at some point, we will have some sort of slide - lose 3 of 4, 5 of 6, something like that - and we'll be glad they piled up the points now.

[Stoner]

So just thinking ahead... Here is the problem for the Sabres getting to an incredible and record setting 18-0:

Game 11 -- Sat Oct 28, 2006 HOME Thrashers

 

Most difficult test of the stretch. Good thing we get them in the middle of a long road swing. This is a quality team looking for a real notch in their belt. They missed the playoffs by two points last year and want to show they are the real deal. Difficulty on a 1 (easy) to 5 scale (hard) is a 5. This is one of those statement games about the 2006-2007 seasons IMHO. We NEED to beat them.

 

Why do we NEED to beat them?

 

Honestly, I think some people are losing it. Not talking about you wjag, but I'm guessing there is an inversely proportional relationship between the length of time one has been a Sabre fan and the level of excitement one feels right now. I'm almost with juju about the necessity of a loss. There's just something unholy about 11, 15, or 18 wins in a row. Like someone has sold his soul to the devil to have it happen. Will there be Hell to pay, somewhere along the line? OK, I'm getting the worry beads out and making a pot of coffee. It's going to be a long night. :)

[wjag]

Why do we NEED to beat them?

 

Honestly, I think some people are losing it. Not talking about you wjag, but I'm guessing there is an inversely proportional relationship between the length of time one has been a Sabre fan and the level of excitement one feels right now. I'm almost with juju about the necessity of a loss. There's just something unholy about 11, 15, or 18 wins in a row. Like someone has sold his soul to the devil to have it happen. Will there be Hell to pay, somewhere along the line? OK, I'm getting the worry beads out and making a pot of coffee. It's going to be a long night. :)

I think every season in every sport has statement games. I see this Atlanta game as one of those. And not just for the Sabres. Atlanta needs to know they can beat the best and the Sabres need to show them they can't. I don't want these teams to think they have a chance. Early season results suggest these are two of the heavy weights. If nothing else, we need to enforce the not in our house mentality.

 

I can't believe folks are actually wishing/hoping/rooting for a loss. That's manic... There is nothing wrong with rooting for an extended win streak. It's what we do as fans. We have absolutely zero influence over the play on the ice. It will be what it will be. Once they lose, we'll start rooting for the next win streak.

 

Think about it, every football fan wants their team to go undefeated. That would be 19 games in a row. No one would suggest we hope the 12-0 Bills (I know I'm dreaming) need a loss for proper grounding.

 

I'm on a rush with the rest of you. I'm enjoying a stretch of hockey between last year's playoff run and this year's season start that we haven't been treated to much in Buffalo sports. I don't want the Sabres to lose a single game and won't be happy when they do. But I will not hope they get some comeuppance by the fill in the blank team. I want league domination and right now that is exactly what they are serving up. It's fun. Enjoy it while it lasts!!!

[BetweenThePipes00]

I think every season in every sport has statement games. I see this Atlanta game as one of those. And not just for the Sabres. Atlanta needs to know they can beat the best and the Sabres need to show them they can't. I don't want these teams to think they have a chance. Early season results suggest these are two of the heavy weights. If nothing else, we need to enforce the not in our house mentality.

 

I can't believe folks are actually wishing/hoping/rooting for a loss. That's manic... There is nothing wrong with rooting for an extended win streak. It's what we do as fans. We have absolutely zero influence over the play on the ice. It will be what it will be. Once they lose, we'll start rooting for the next win streak.

 

Think about it, every football fan wants their team to go undefeated. That would be 19 games in a row. No one would suggest we hope the 12-0 Bills (I know I'm dreaming) need a loss for proper grounding.

 

I'm on a rush with the rest of you. I'm enjoying a stretch of hockey between last year's playoff run and this year's season start that we haven't been treated to much in Buffalo sports. I don't want the Sabres to lose a single game and won't be happy when they do. But I will not hope they get some comeuppance by the fill in the blank team. I want league domination and right now that is exactly what they are serving up. It's fun. Enjoy it while it lasts!!!

 

Ottawa supposedly made a statement by beating the Sabres 10-4 in their own building last season. Didn't mean a thing. I'm not saying I don't want the Sabres to win, just that you can twist things either way. If they lose, it's not necessarily a "statement" by Atlanta ... it's just a game in October.

 

As for whether people woudl say a football team woudl need a loss to stay grounded, of course they would. ESPN wasted weeks on that debate last season when the Colts were unbeaten. It's an age-old worry, it's not new to this team. Anyway, no one is HOPING for a loss, just saying if it happens let's not overreact.

 

I agree we should enjoy it, but if this team is as good as we think it is, we shouldn't be worrying about "statement" games in October. They will be there in the Spring and then we can worry about them.

[ThePolishSabre]

So just thinking ahead... Here is the problem for the Sabres getting to an incredible and record setting 18-0

Comments??

 

Depends on how we do vs Thrashers i think we can. All the other teams are easy W's besides the Canes. Their hick system shuts down or passing game.

[Crestwood]

Game 13 -- Sat Nov 4, 2006 HOME Maple Leafs

 

Here come the Leaf fans. Decent start to the season. HSBC will be split with Home and Away fans. Toronto has been smacked twice now by Ottawa and might be fading. Hitting Buffalo at the end of a BRUTUAL stretch of games against: Ottawa (2); Canadiens (A), Thrashers (H), Lightning (A), Panthers (A), Sabres (A). Normally I rate them higher but no gas left in tank after that stretch and hitting Buffalo on third straight road game in four nights. I rate this a 3. We should beat them.

With 14,000+ season ticket holders, the split should be minimal compared to previous years, no?

[Bmwolf21]

Why do we NEED to beat them?

 

Honestly, I think some people are losing it. Not talking about you wjag, but I'm guessing there is an inversely proportional relationship between the length of time one has been a Sabre fan and the level of excitement one feels right now. I'm almost with juju about the necessity of a loss. There's just something unholy about 11, 15, or 18 wins in a row. Like someone has sold his soul to the devil to have it happen. Will there be Hell to pay, somewhere along the line? OK, I'm getting the worry beads out and making a pot of coffee. It's going to be a long night. :)

Wow, kind of scary, but I agree with PA. :unsure: I love all the excitement surrounding this team right now, but we definitely have some fans getting waaaay ahead of themselves, talking about how many losses we should have at the end of the regular season, how many winning streaks, etc., etc. I keep waiting for the other show to drop - as Buffalo sports fans, we should know by now that nothing comes easy for us. My feelings would best be described as a cross between nervous excitement and confidence, mixed with a touch of trepidation.

 

I think every season in every sport has statement games. I see this Atlanta game as one of those. And not just for the Sabres. Atlanta needs to know they can beat the best and the Sabres need to show them they can't. I don't want these teams to think they have a chance. Early season results suggest these are two of the heavy weights. If nothing else, we need to enforce the not in our house mentality.

 

I can't believe folks are actually wishing/hoping/rooting for a loss. That's manic... There is nothing wrong with rooting for an extended win streak. It's what we do as fans. We have absolutely zero influence over the play on the ice. It will be what it will be. Once they lose, we'll start rooting for the next win streak.

 

Think about it, every football fan wants their team to go undefeated. That would be 19 games in a row. No one would suggest we hope the 12-0 Bills (I know I'm dreaming) need a loss for proper grounding.

 

I'm on a rush with the rest of you. I'm enjoying a stretch of hockey between last year's playoff run and this year's season start that we haven't been treated to much in Buffalo sports. I don't want the Sabres to lose a single game and won't be happy when they do. But I will not hope they get some comeuppance by the fill in the blank team. I want league domination and right now that is exactly what they are serving up. It's fun. Enjoy it while it lasts!!!

wjag, you are right about statement games - hell, last year we were Ottawa's bitch for the first three games of our season series before we proved we could beat them. And while we all want league dominance, we know know that Buffalo sports franchises have been the sports gods' favorite punching bags, so while we enjoy this run, most of us will worry a little bit that the wheels might come off. But we're not rooting for the team to lose or get their butts kicked - but sometimes an old-fashioned beat-down can cure a young team of a lot of ills, including complacency, arrogrance and sloppiness.