DarthEbriate

Next season is good, but I do want to see this early April stretch and if Buffalo can keep playing well. These are motivated teams, Buffalo or not: 1 vs NSH -- looking to stay in the #3 seed and out of any potential opening round matchup w/ COL. 2 vs FLA -- the last time they played, FLA spanked the Sabres 6-1. Backup goalies or not, how do the rematches look against the best in the division? 2 vs CAR -- the best in the Metro division, looking to essentially lock up the #1 seed during the home-and-home with the Sabres. 1 vs TB -- in a 3-way fight with TOR/BOS to avoid the #4 seed and going to FLA in the 1st round. 1 vs TOR -- ditto, TB. With the added incentive of being bashed by the Sabres 10-3 in the last two meetings. How do the Leafs respond?

Things I'm looking forward to seeing: How does the D play without Muel? He's had his ups and downs, but overall he's been a menace to opposing rushes and has blocked shots well. With Hagg gone and Miller out, the Sabres will have a lighter d-corps tonight. The continued resurgence of healthy VO. The shot is back. And the playmaking (that pass to Tuch for the GTG? *chef's kiss*), too. Looking forward to a strong game from Asplund-Mitts-VO or whichever line combo HCMeatballs goes with. Get the PK re-settled. They were great vs. VGK, TOR, and EDM (9/10 kills) and have been poor since (5/10 kills). The good thing is power play opportunities allowed are few and far between, so it's not costing them too badly -- they've won both games where the opposition went 2/2 on the PP. However, there's an ugly stretch of beastly PPs coming up and I'd like to see the kill get going (even without Muel on the ice).

Win a bunch of games. (and hope that the escrow is paid and the TV revenue balloons the cap right after Dahlin is locked up long-term on a good deal so that when Power gets his 8x10 it's also seen as a bargain in terms of cap%)

Other: health. All the others are contributing factors and not to be diminished, but health is the key. We saw a competitive team early in the season -- and that was with losing Mitts and Joker on opening night. But then Anderson got hurt, and Olofsson, and then Toker went out with COVID. And then a seemingly endless string of others went out for awhile, too. Hinostroka and Girgs. Tuch was acquired pre-injured to fit right in. Tuch was a jolt in the arm. Once Anderson and Toker were both back in the fold, we started to see some poise return, but not the wins. VO's shot started to return, then Mitts and Hino and now Girgs and we're very nearly a full roster again. And lo and behold, competitive like early on in the season.

I'm not worried about the kids in the playoffs yet, my concern is that they make it to the playoffs in the first place. Both Sabres and Amerks seasons are scheduled to end on 4/29 and the Sabres aren't sending anyone down until Power signs (if then, depending on injuries). Right now, the Amerks are in 6th place in their division based on winning percentage and every team in front of them has games-in-hand. This season the top 5 in the North make it, with the bottom two getting a wildcard round of their own. The Alt pickup is a good thing for the chase for that 4th/5th spot. (Granted: so is getting Malone, MacInnis, and Quinn healthy and getting Jankowski through waivers.)

Considering Samuelsson, Fitz, and Bryson aren't coming back to be a part of the playoff chase, picking up a vet like Alt was a good move. Hope it's not too late.

Bo knows it only takes one attempt to break a bat. Although, I still think @Eleven's right with the answer of baseball. Baseball managers stop the game, throw tantrums (throw bases if they happen to be Lou Pinella), and basically put go into a whiny histrionic rage... and it's perfectly acceptable. The crowd cheers or laughs. The umpires get all huffy and uppity and offended and then let the manager go about their tantrum, and then it's over. And what's the outcome? Nothing. It's the manager. No one cares. The lineup card is still the lineup card. The shifts are still going to be dictated by a pre-game chart. The backup/bench coach is still going to make the same exact pitching changes, maybe be a bit more or less aggressive running the bases.

Briere, for a few years there: borderline star. Drury: not at all.

Yup. Bo Jackson cracked his bat over his thigh after a strikeout and the world thought it was awesome.

Absolutely. A single super star destroyer can be held in check in a series. But all you need are a couple very good forwards playing great during the playoffs. Throw in a hot goalie and you're in business. Of course... this is assuming none of the Sabres' current forwards are capable of being superstars.

For example, like how Casey Nelson is still listed on Buffalo's active roster on ESPN? https://www.espn.com/nhl/team/roster/_/name/buf/buffalo-sabres

Like Gretzky said. Of course, Gretzky had more career assists than anyone else had career points. Passes can be just as good at finding the net, given a little time.

Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me that stick.

It is the future Casey sees. The broken stick, the goal. Wild goals that win games.

That... is some puck luck. In my experience there's no such thing as puck luck. It's all simple caroms and bounces.

Skinner used The Concept of the Hook there to do a somersault.

We're going in, we're going in full throttle. That ought to keep us out of overtime.

I should not have come back logged on. When I first checked we were losing, now we are losing again.

Work done, dinner done, what'd I miss? Oh, nice desperation trip from behind the play 160' from your own net there, Katchouk. Way to break up that breakaway!

Good to fight back for the point, poor once it was tied at 3-3 and again at 4-4. However, with the exception of EDM this month of March has been very good hockey.

So much space to skate up, and instead going for the end-to-end pass. Not clean.

Same here. Eakin wins and off. Make the fans boo. Now go get it.

It's true. All of it.

Skinner. Dahlin slick.

Ray, so you're saying we're due for a powerplay goal...