GAME DISCUSSION THREAD

[spndnchz]

Hardly any shots

 

Great PP and PK

 

Stafford strong

 

Outmuscled

 

Outpunched

 

Ennis is the real deal

 

The recipe 4 success.

[SDS]

why were they in their whites?

[JujuFish]

Why? They are 6 points out of 8th place with 56 games left!!

Which is on pace for 18 points out of 8th place at the end of the season. They need to start winning just to stop losing ground before they can start thinking about making up any points.

[NowDoYouBelieve]

Which is on pace for 18 points out of 8th place at the end of the season. They need to start winning just to stop losing ground before they can start thinking about making up any points.

 

Sorry, but that's just really faulty logic. You can't just magnify everything by 3 based on extrapolation and pretend it's the assumed reality. We're 6 points back.

[nfreeman]

Sorry, but that's just really faulty logic. You can't just magnify everything by 3 based on extrapolation and pretend it's the assumed reality. We're 6 points back.

True enough, but the fact remains that if they don't rip off a good long streak (like winning 15 out of 20), IN ADDITION to winning at a 60% or clip for the other 36 games on the schedule, they are not gonna make it. There are too many other teams in front of them.

[PASabreFan]

The second funniest moment last night, beyond Kaleta's fight, was Boll hitting Morrisson, skating to center, faking a shoulder into Gerbe -- and Gerbe clearly flinching while Boll was still six feet away (Harry says seven). Poor Nate. He's in Avatar Land out there.

[NowDoYouBelieve]

True enough, but the fact remains that if they don't rip off a good long streak (like winning 15 out of 20), IN ADDITION to winning at a 60% or clip for the other 36 games on the schedule, they are not gonna make it. There are too many other teams in front of them.

 

I don't know if the situation is quite that dire yet. Obviously prediction is always guess work so I could be WAY off the mark on all this, but here's how I see it...

 

We're chasing a number. Last year, 88 points was good enough to make the playoffs in the East. That's a pretty low total, but I don't think that the Eastern Conference has really improved as a whole relative to the West, so I'm going to say 90 points is good enough for 8th place this season. Current point totals reflect this prediction pretty well, with Atlanta sitting in 8th with 29 points.

 

Based on expected values, I'd say that 5 more OT losses for the remainder of the season is a conservative estimate. Using this, 31 more wins will net us 90 points. That's a 31-25 record. Pretty doable in my opinion.

 

In your scenario (winning 36-37 games), we'd finish with a minimum of 97 points and probably over 100 given OT losses. That would put us right in the thick of the division race.

[JujuFish]

Sorry, but that's just really faulty logic. You can't just magnify everything by 3 based on extrapolation and pretend it's the assumed reality. We're 6 points back.

It's not faulty at all. Buffalo has won 44.23% of their available points. At 82 games, that's a whopping 72.5 points. It's not pretending anything. We're essentially a third of the way through the season and Buffalo has shown nothing to indicate that they are any better than a 73 point team. It is you who are attempting to assume a different reality.

[NowDoYouBelieve]

It's not faulty at all. Buffalo has won 44.23% of their available points. At 82 games, that's a whopping 72.5 points. It's not pretending anything. We're essentially a third of the way through the season and Buffalo has shown nothing to indicate that they are any better than a 73 point team. It is you who are attempting to assume a different reality.

 

I won't argue with that. I was more referring to your assertion that we have 18 points to make up instead of 6 (perhaps I misunderstood you). By that same token, being 2 points behind 8th after 10 games is tantamount to being 20 back.

 

If Atlanta loses 3 straight here and we win 3 straight (unlikely, but not crazy unlikely), then wham bam thank you ma'am, we find ourselves in 8th.

 

I'm really not attempting to argue with those who are disappointed in the season so far, because I am too. But I do think that the playoffs are closer within our reach than a lot of people here believe.

[shrader]

That looked like a fun one. I hate that I missed it.

[SDS]

Steve Montador destroys Jared Boll's fist with his face...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaVrT97for8

[wjag]

Steve Montador destroys Jared Boll's fist with his face...

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaVrT97for8

 

Pretty good example of what not to do.

[PASabreFan]

Steve Montador destroys Jared Boll's fist with his face...

 

Not sure where Montador gets hit in the face.

 

Was it really so bad he deserved this scorn, after he jumped in to prevent Pominville from being put into ICU?

 

But, hey, if this is all you have this season, that's fine. I'll give the comment a +16,

[Doohickie]

Have to disagree - Ennis isn't selfish when he's flashy.

He's more like Datsyuk on the Red Wings. Carrying the puck in traffic, he looks like he's about to lose it but comes out of the pile with it. He doesn't give up on it once someone else touches it. Afenigenov was a play ender wen he got flashy. Datsyuk, Ennis, are play extenders.

[Doohickie]

They are similar to the Wild jerseys. Much better than the softball team logo crap thirds the Sabres have.

 

Tonight's game is a true blueprint for success. Play tough physical hockey. I watched the game online because I prefer listening to the opponents announcers. You get a more accurate and honest opinion that way. They nailed it. The Sabres put up a wall at their own blue-line. They tried to challenge each entry into the zone. It became apparent early that the Blue-Jackets did not want to pay the entry fee into the Sabres zone. It was a focus that the Sabres haven't had for years. Many years.

 

The questions become: Is this a result of having so much time off? Is the result of a rumor of new ownership a motivation? Or, is it possible that this team is capable of playing that style of hockey that combined with a quality goaltender can make them a contender? The goal right now is to carry this effort into tomorrow night.

 

I would call those Bluejacket jerseys the best third jersey I've ever seen. They nailed the 19th Century/Civil War motiff, from the ribbon banner around the perimeter, to the old-style cannon, to the blue star at the bottom. That logo is simply awesome, and the colors with the off-white make them look like wool sweaters. If there is such a thing as a perfect jersey, this is it.

 

As for the Sabres' play tonight, I think what's happening is that there are a lot of new pieces added to the team this year, and they are finally gelling, much the same that other great Sabres teams did as the season went along.

 

 

Effin sweet. So glad I got to watch the last half of this one.

 

 

I think that Kaleta hand-wiping is going to become a trademark gesture. I think Ray has been coaching Kaleta and McCormack in the Art of the Fight; they are both getting into his style.

 

 

If they were waiting until now to show that they can be a contender they may have waited too long.

 

Not even close. Lots of hockey yet to be played this season, and the Sabres are only 6 points out of a playoff spot, and 11 points out of the division lead. They will climb back into contention, mark my word.

[carpandean]

Game got its own hockeyfights.com article. :thumbsup:

[deluca67]

I won't argue with that. I was more referring to your assertion that we have 18 points to make up instead of 6 (perhaps I misunderstood you). By that same token, being 2 points behind 8th after 10 games is tantamount to being 20 back.

 

If Atlanta loses 3 straight here and we win 3 straight (unlikely, but not crazy unlikely), then wham bam thank you ma'am, we find ourselves in 8th.

 

I'm really not attempting to argue with those who are disappointed in the season so far, because I am too. But I do think that the playoffs are closer within our reach than a lot of people here believe.

What about the others teams? The ones that have games in hand on the Sabres? Their not chasing one team. There are five teams chasing Atlanta. If those teams win the games in hand on the Sabres they drop to 13th in the conference.

[Two or less]

Going tonight. Tempted to make a Pegula sign. Maybe "I :wub: Terry"?

 

In case anyone was wondering if there were signs about Pegula or Golisano, i was taking a leak next to an usher and was talking to a few fans about being surprised nobody has signs up, the usher told us they got a memo saying to take every pro-Pegula or any anti-Golisano/Quinn signs. He didn't know if anyone tried tho.

[shrader]

I would call those Bluejacket jerseys the best third jersey I've ever seen. They nailed the 19th Century/Civil War motiff, from the ribbon banner around the perimeter, to the old-style cannon, to the blue star at the bottom. That logo is simply awesome, and the colors with the off-white make them look like wool sweaters. If there is such a thing as a perfect jersey, this is it.

 

Maybe if Pittsburgh, Florida, and St Louis didn't already have the same exact jersey.

[deluca67]

Maybe if Pittsburgh, Florida, and St Louis didn't already have the same exact jersey.

Doesn't make them bad. The Sabres third is a train wreck. The lines in the numbers and the colored name plates? As far third jerseys go they are nowhere as nice as the red with the black circle as the crest.

[shrader]

Doesn't make them bad. The Sabres third is a train wreck. The lines in the numbers and the colored name plates? As far third jerseys go they are nowhere as nice as the red with the black circle as the crest.

 

I don't know how Columbus can possibly be best though since they're just ripping off the now popular template for 3rd jerseys. They are nice, but for that reason alone, they're boring.

[deluca67]

I don't know how Columbus can possibly be best though since they're just ripping off the now popular template for 3rd jerseys. They are nice, but for that reason alone, they're boring.

They can be the best because of the color combination. For me the Wild have the best third.

[Doohickie]

Maybe if Pittsburgh, Florida, and St Louis didn't already have the same exact jersey.

Ah, but this are the BLUEjackets. If any team has the right to that shade, it's them. And it's also the logo- that is something that no other team can aspire to, because it harkens back to the mid-19th Century:

 

 

Note the ribbon banner around the circumference, the typeface, the shaded star at the bottom. The design elements just scream "Civil War." And then they chose a cannon for the centerpiece of the logo- what better way to project force?

 

You can disagree, and that's fine, but this logo is so distinctly different and well-done, I think it deserves recognition. It's not some mamby-pamby caricatured animal desperately trying to project motion; it even out-traditionals the traditional jerseys of the Original Six.

[PASabreFan]

In case anyone was wondering if there were signs about Pegula or Golisano, i was taking a leak next to an usher and was talking to a few fans about being surprised nobody has signs up, the usher told us they got a memo saying to take every pro-Pegula or any anti-Golisano/Quinn signs. He didn't know if anyone tried tho.

 

Not a stall man, eh?

 

You're quite the multitasker. :thumbsup:

[spndnchz]

In case anyone was wondering if there were signs about Pegula or Golisano, i was taking a leak next to an usher and was talking to a few fans about being surprised nobody has signs up, the usher told us they got a memo saying to take every pro-Pegula or any anti-Golisano/Quinn signs. He didn't know if anyone tried tho.

 

They took mine down.