carpandean

I only track the East and only pay attention to GP (not specific dates), but this is since each team's respective 25th game: They were one point ahead (36 vs. 35 points) of Tampa through 25GP, but have since recorded 45 fewer points (though, we do have a game-in-hand!)

Had a bit too much 'sauce' one year (pre kids), then stopped for one of those (mistake). About halfway through it, stuff came back up ... right into the cup. ? Good news was that it all disappeared quickly into the thick green liquid. Bad new is that I can't take a sip from one now without wondering was lies beneath the surface. ?

Apparently, 'Babs' is the problem and they should buy out his contract. There's a grass is greener example in here somewhere, but I'm not sure if it's ours or theirs?

Send this to your favorite Senators fan. It would be downright depressing seeing that #1 go to Colorado so often.

*Let it be cupcakes, let it be cupcakes, let it be cupcakes* Is it cupcakes?

I'm not in full-on tank mode this year. Not like 2014-15, when I my celebration of Towes' two-goal outburst to turn what appeared to be a regulation win against Chicago into a regulation loss was almost Chris Drury game 5 against the Rags level. More of mixed approach. I cheer while they're playing, but I take solace in potential draft improvement (and greater chance of Housley being replaced) when they lose.

Are you so sure ...

There's some evidence that Nsekhe could be good: (Posted in a WGR550 story)

This might help

"Not to make an excuse, but *excuse*."

Sucks, blows ... call it what you want ... it's all just lip service anyway.

To add to my last post, the Sabers will need 13 points in the last 13 games (7 more than last year) to have more points in their final 57 games (since the streak) than they had in the final 57 last year. That's right -- in the 44 games since the streak, they have 7 fewer points than they did in the same games last year.

Games 1-15, 26-68 last year: 51 points Games 1-15, 26-68 this year: 49 points Of course: Games 16-25 last year: 4 points Games 16-25 this year: 20 points

It's amazing that in the last 41 games, they have separated by another 41 points. It would be interesting to go back and check the widest gap between 1st and last over a season. It has to be in jeopardy. Edit: 2016-17 gap was 70, 2005-06 gap was 67, 2013-14 gap was 65. Currently, TBL-OTT are on pace for 66, but as I said, 41 of the 53 so far have been in the last 41 games, so ...

For fun, teams in the East since their respective 25th games (end of streak for Sabres): (As usual, relative to 95-point "playoff" pace.)

But ... he was traded to the Sabres after Jack Eichel was drafted and the goal went back to being the Cup. He was, in fact, part of a series of trade meant (by ExGMTM) to accelerate the rebuild after Jack was here. They just didn't work as expected. Last year wasn't a tank; they just way underperformed. (For the record, I didn't want O'Reilly traded and didn't think that he had to be after the interview. Just arguing against the point that he was expected to be happy tanking.)

I believe that most people who said that were assuming that the Sabres would use the cap space to go after a 2nd-line center. Clearly, that did not happen. ☹️

Who says these Sabres aren't consistent: Also, they have caught the 2011-12 Sabres and are chasing down (pun intended) 2015-16 and 2016-17. This could be the worst season in which we did not finish last since before the 2004-05 lockout.

Yeah, that call could have gone either way. What bothers me (philosophically) about the replay rule is that the goal was 17 seconds after the zone entry and, if I remember correctly, a Pittsburgh player had possession of the puck at one point after the entry, but failed to clear it. Technically, it's fruit of the poisoned tree, but at that point, it starts to get ridiculous to go back. It's especially irritating when it happens after the game has ended in a tie, so they threw out some strange shinny game (which would be followed by a skills competition, if needed), all to decide a point that didn't exist until the game ended in a tie. It's already a coin-flip based on different rules than the actual game, itself, for a nonsensical extra point.

Missed the game ... ? ... saw this thread ... ? ... got to the end ... ?

Unless you're suggesting that they lose out, then no, they are not. They already have more points than the majority of last-place teams since the 2004-05 lockout and still have 23 games left. In the last 5 games, they are a pathetic 1-4-0. Even if they continue that pace for the rest of the season, they will have more point than every last-place team since the 2004-05 lockout. Ottawa needs to make up 14 points in 23 games, but in the last 10 games ... the Sabres have GAINED a point (3-6-1 vs. 3-7-0.) In fact, if Ottawa keeps up their last 10 pace and the Sabres lose out, they would be basically tied (Ottawa's pace would give 62.8 points.) I'm not saying that it's impossible, but they are not "on pace" to do that (it's bad practice to project a trend from three data points, especially since they were 3-1-1 in the five games before those three.)

In the 33 games since the win streak, this has been the second-worst (tied with 2013-14) Sabres team over the same stretch since the 2004-05 lockout season, earning just 27 of a possible 66 points. Only 2014-15 was worse with just 18 of 66 points. In fact, they had two more points over the same stretch last year. If they continue on that pace, they'll finish with about 83 points.