Are the Sabres out of the running for the playoffs?

[SwampD]

On 2/10/2023 at 8:24 AM, Pimlach said:

Gotta love these these blanket statements.   My 20 something sons and nephews go all the time and they are quite capable of making good financial decisions.  Their friends are the same.  The younger generation, as a group, is pretty bright from my perspective.  Those 20 something’s that you see at the game are probably making much more money than you think.  

So your 20 somethings are upper middle class with disposable income, then?

[LabattBlue]

Don’t look now but the Sabres are two points away from 13th place in the conference.

 

🎶 Slip sliding away, slip sliding away… 🎶

[Sidc3000]

Don’t get me wrong, I would love for them to break the drought but there is no way this team is ready for the playoffs 

[Wyldnwoody44]

A playoff bound team does not show up like this on the first game back off a long break. While it didn't mathematically kill us by any means, I just don't see this team playing at the required pace needed against other teams that have experience with ramping it up for a playoff run. 

[Pimlach]

4 hours ago, SwampD said:

So your 20 somethings are upper middle class with disposable income, then?

I am not into labels but do they have to be “upper middle class” to buy hockey tickets?  Whatever that is in today economy? 🤷‍♂️

And yes, they are single, college graduates- engineers, financial planners and professionals - with enough disposal income to split seasons tickets with friends. Why is this hard to believe?   I don’t look at young people in the 25-35 age range as lesser than past generations.  Since I recruited many engineers over the past decades my experience is often the opposite of what a lot of people say.  

[SwampD]

2 minutes ago, Pimlach said:

I am not into labels but do they have to be “upper middle class” to buy hockey tickets?  Whatever that is in today economy? 🤷‍♂️

And yes, they are single, college graduates- engineers, financial planners and professionals - with enough disposal income to split seasons tickets with friends. Why is this hard to believe?   I don’t look at young people in the 25-35 age range as lesser than past generations.  Since I recruited many engineers over the past decades my experience is often the opposite of what a lot of people say.  

I consider myself “upper middle class” (it's not a negative), and yes, I feel lucky enough to afford hockey tickets. I haven't in almost a decade,… the return on investment just wasn't there.

[Pimlach]

13 minutes ago, SwampD said:

I consider myself “upper middle class” (it's not a negative), and yes, I feel lucky enough to afford hockey tickets. I haven't in almost a decade,… the return on investment just wasn't there.

The Sabres disappointed a lot of fans today.  It was a good turnout. Lots of youngsters.  The Sabres just were not ready to play.  
 

[LGR4GM]

6 hours ago, SwampD said:

So your 20 somethings are upper middle class with disposable income, then?

Best part is we've convinced ourselves as a country that you have to be upper middle class to have disposable income. 

[MBD]

8 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Best part is we've convinced ourselves as a country that you have to be upper middle class to have disposable income. 

The worst part is many can't live within their means.

[LGR4GM]

8 hours ago, MBD said:

The worst part is many can't live within their means.

"Take your scraps peasants and be gone! Live within your means."

[Wyldnwoody44]

2 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

"Take your scraps peasants and be gone! Live within your means."

[Pimlach]

3 hours ago, LGR4GM said:

"Take your scraps peasants and be gone! Live within your means."

Of the many things that the government feeds us that I don’t fully embrace are jobs reports, unemployment data, and inflation rates.   So much of it doesn’t track with what we see out in the world.  

Probably an OT discussion for another thread.  

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Ummmm ...

Still ... NO !!

This roadie will tell us a lot.

Edited February 13, 2023 by Sabres Fan in NS
more goodly ...

[Night Train]

  Not out of it but the hill is getting steeper, little question.

 Most teams are better at home but this team gets tight and then stops skating as if every opponents move is a car crash they must stare at.

 No one reason but I get this is still a big rebuild. Last February it looked utterly hopeless, prior to a late season wakeup. 

 Will trades happen ? How much movement in the upcoming off-season ?  Lots to come. 

 Yesterday stunk and the reaction is understandable. 

[Thorny]

I just want to head into the final week of the season with a mathematical chance. I don’t want a need-not-watch final month as we are so used to. Being ‘in it” on Feb 12 is still probably a place we haven’t been in a while, gotta take that into March and April.

[erickompositör72]

So many seem to be forgetting: we have 4+ games in hand on three of the four teams ahead of us in the wildcard race.

 

Yes, we need to play well to get in. I understand many here use it as a coping mechanism to dismiss a chance at the playoffs, so as to not get your hopes up. However, for those who are discuss things as they really are, we are very much in it, and control our destiny at this point. And don't forget, we got this point because, despite our lapses, we have shown we can play some pretty fantastic hockey.

[mjd1001]

On 2/11/2023 at 3:56 PM, LabattBlue said:

Don’t look now but the Sabres are two points away from 13th place in the conference.

 

🎶 Slip sliding away, slip sliding away… 🎶

Exactly where they place in the conferene isn't a big deal to me. Its making the playoffs or not. If they miss it by finishing 9th, 11th, or 14th or lower....doesn't matter much beyond their total points and goal differential.  What matters to me in this order:

-make the playoffs or not

-total points, is it an improvment over last season

-Total plus-minus in goal differential. Is it positive/ a lot better than last year.

95 points is where you usuallly need to get to in order to make the playoffs. Position in the standings now dosn't matter as much to me with 30 games left as the pace to get to 95.  Right now they are on a pace for a fraction over 90 points.  Need to pick things up, but not out of it for sure.

Edited February 12, 2023 by mjd1001

[Scottysabres]

While not mathematically out of the running, given the teams play in this 2nd half of the season opening stretch, I believe it's safe to say the "Sabres annual season collapse" has started in earnest.

The explanations as to why are always fun discussions, and hey, we made it in to the beginning of Feb. with some hope as fans, farther than what we've grown accustomed to. But it's still disappointment after disappointment with this organization. 😕 

As a faithful, I'll watch the remainder of the season, but I don't have any illusions about where this team is currently. As of now, I don't see the playoffs next season either, given the lack of veteran leadership, the very young roster still being young next season and the rigid "stay the course" mentality of management which uses the term "process". My question, given the same outcome season after season is, what, exactly is the process? Are these players "self growing"? with no help being brought in by management to at least give them some hope?

Because the proof is in the pudding, and as of right now, "Hope" is not a strategy.

[LGR4GM]

1 minute ago, Scottysabres said:

While not mathematically out of the running, given the teams play in this 2nd half of the season opening stretch, I believe it's safe to say the "Sabres annual season collapse" has started in earnest.

The explanations as to why are always fun discussions, and hey, we made it in to the beginning of Feb. with some hope as fans, farther than what we've grown accustomed to. But it's still disappointment after disappointment with this organization. 😕 

As a faithful, I'll watch the remainder of the season, but I don't have any illusions about where this team is currently. As of now, I don't see the playoffs next season either, given the lack of veteran leadership, the very young roster still being young next season and the rigid "stay the course" mentality of management which uses the term "process". My question, given the same outcome season after season is, what, exactly is the process? Are these players "self growing"? with no help being brought in by management to at least give them some hope?

Because the proof is in the pudding, and as of right now, "Hope" is not a strategy.

Lol this is just a truly ridiculous take imo. I'm over explaining why at this point, if you don't understand the process and don't understand they aren't losing because "veteran leadership" why waste my time convincing you otherwise. Team stormcloud seems pretty happy right now. 

[Archie Lee]

40 minutes ago, Scottysabres said:

While not mathematically out of the running, given the teams play in this 2nd half of the season opening stretch, I believe it's safe to say the "Sabres annual season collapse" has started in earnest.

The explanations as to why are always fun discussions, and hey, we made it in to the beginning of Feb. with some hope as fans, farther than what we've grown accustomed to. But it's still disappointment after disappointment with this organization. 😕 

As a faithful, I'll watch the remainder of the season, but I don't have any illusions about where this team is currently. As of now, I don't see the playoffs next season either, given the lack of veteran leadership, the very young roster still being young next season and the rigid "stay the course" mentality of management which uses the term "process". My question, given the same outcome season after season is, what, exactly is the process? Are these players "self growing"? with no help being brought in by management to at least give them some hope?

Because the proof is in the pudding, and as of right now, "Hope" is not a strategy.

When the team went on the road and took 7 of 8 against Central Division teams, ascension to the playoffs seemed nearly inevitable. Then you lose 3 in a row in regulation by a combined 17-5 and the season seems over. How could the team I watched these past 3 games possibly compete for the playoffs?

Of course, that’s not how it works. As I heard someone say on NHL Network radio yesterday, when talking about the inconsistent play of all the Wildcard contenders:  “That’s why they are potential wildcard teams and aren’t cemented in the top 3 in their division”. Pittsburgh lost 6-0 to the Kings three nights ago. Washington lost 4-1 in San Jose.

We might be watching the beginning of the end of the Sabres season. And we might be watching a dip in their performance that they will overcome as they have 2-3 times already this year. So long as we remain in a position where a 5 game win streak puts us back in legitimate contention, we aren’t really out of it. 
 

Edited February 14, 2023 by Archie Lee

[Flashsabre]

They need to realize the PP is a mess with Cozens in that spot. Either put VO there as another sniper option or a playmaker like Mitts or Krebs. 

At some point Granato and staff are going to have to commit to playing defence. No team wins without it. They are an absolute mess in their end. 

[Weave]

They may be mathematically in it well past the trade deadline but they are running out of runway to leapfrog all the teams they need to get in front of.

That sentence sounds like I think their fate is already determined. It’s not already determined, but the hill they need to climb is getting steeper every game.

[LGR4GM]

4 minutes ago, Weave said:

They may be mathematically in it well past the trade deadline but they are running out of runway to leapfrog all the teams they need to get in front of.

That sentence sounds like I think their fate is already determined. It’s not already determined, but the hill they need to climb is getting steeper every game.

Fully agree. 

6 minutes ago, Flashsabre said:

They need to realize the PP is a mess with Cozens in that spot. Either put VO there as another sniper option or a playmaker like Mitts or Krebs. 

At some point Granato and staff are going to have to commit to playing defence. No team wins without it. They are an absolute mess in their end. 

They need to run the pp from below the goal line and not from the point. 

[Flashsabre]

5 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Fully agree. 

They need to run the pp from below the goal line and not from the point. 

The only playmaker on the PP is Dahlin. No one is capable of running it down low. I don’t thinks Mitts or Krebs are capable of doing it consistently if they are the go to guy. But it is worth trying since what they are running out just isn’t working.

Edited February 14, 2023 by Flashsabre

[GASabresIUFAN]

27 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Fully agree. 

They need to run the pp from below the goal line and not from the point. 

They need to move the puck quicker and have plays for someone other than Thompson as well.  
 

The PP is like a basketball team’s half court offense. If the offense is just standing around it’s easy to defend.  If the ball is moving quickly and high too low it forces the D to move as well creating open shots and easier passes to the post.  The PP is no different.