Crazy we are in last place in the division but 6 points out of first with 2 games in hand

[Big Guava]

The division and conference in general are crazy right now.

No "bad" teams that are out of it completely. We are in last place with 20 points but Boston leads the division with 26 having played 2 extra games.

Definitely encouraging with how poorly we have played and how injured we have been for much of the year, but at some point we can't keep counting on everyone else to not be good either, they have to take a step.

Been a long time since the door was this wide open.

Edited 7 hours ago by Big Guava

[Demoted]

So what you are saying is in a year where the other teams are not doing as well as they would be the Sabres are still at the bottom. 

 

I can guarantee Kevin Adams is trying to spin it like you are in Pegulas ear.

Edited 6 hours ago by Demoted

[SabreFinn]

Still we are 4 points out of a wild card spot with one game more played than those teams. 

[mjd1001]

Or you could look at the standings and say to get that last eighth spot in the conference, you need a .600 Or better point percentage. 

Starting today, what do the sabres need to do to get to that level so they could be the last team in the playoffs? 

It's a six-game winning streak.

If they were to 'only' win the next five in a row that brings them to .577..... Which would still have them outside a playoff spot.

Edited 3 hours ago by mjd1001

[Weave]

I think PA had it right.  Project 4 points out now to an 82 game schedule.  We aren’t nearly as close as this thread suggests.

[Jorcus]

I wrote in a thread before the season showing how fewer and fewer teams in the East were reaching 100 points. This year might be interesting in that more teams may get to 100 points but the highest point getter may not have 110. Sure it would be nice if the Sabres could string a 6 game win streak together but it is very unlikely to happen. 6 game win streaks are going to be hard to come by for any team. That is the nature of parity. What we can't do is have another losing streak. Look at Montreal. They have lost 5 in a row and 7 out of 8. They went from 1st in the division to out of the playoffs in a few weeks time. You will see this happen to other teams as well. It's happening to the Penguins who are 2 out of the last 8. The important thing will be beating the teams in the division and the conference. That's where the season will be  won or lost.    

[caseydean]

2 minutes ago, Weave said:

I think PA had it right.  Project 4 points out now to an 82 game schedule.  We aren’t nearly as close as this thread suggests.

I think the better way to look at it--given everything-- is that they have not played themselves out of things before Thanksgiving.  It would not take much of a hot streak to get in a playoff position.  Now whether they remotely have the talent and mental fortitude to do that is the major question.  I doubt it, but would love to be proven wrong. 

[bob_sauve28]

If we get more healthy and a few other teams run into injury problems we can move up quickly. If you are in it anything can happen. 

[Big Guava]

43 minutes ago, Weave said:

I think PA had it right.  Project 4 points out now to an 82 game schedule.  We aren’t nearly as close as this thread suggests.

I would suggest there is no way we continue having that many serious injuries/issues piling up at the same time either over 82 games and that at some point those would balance out.

Edited 1 hour ago by Big Guava

[DarthEbriate]

2 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Or you could look at the standings and say to get that last eighth spot in the conference, you need a .600 Or better point percentage. 

Starting today, what do the sabres need to do to get to that level so they could be the last team in the playoffs? 

It's a six-game winning streak.

If they were to 'only' win the next five in a row that brings them to .577..... Which would still have them outside a playoff spot.

Right now, Ottawa holds the final playoff spot at exactly .600 pt% (98-point pace).

Some veteran teams are starting to warm up: Boston and Tampa are both 7-3 in their last 10. Outside the playoffs but closing in on the wildcard spots: Florida is 6-3-1, Caps 5-3-2 and stacking wins.

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Or you could look at the standings and say to get that last eighth spot in the conference, you need a .600 Or better point percentage. 

Starting today, what do the sabres need to do to get to that level so they could be the last team in the playoffs? 

It's a six-game winning streak.

If they were to 'only' win the next five in a row that brings them to .577..... Which would still have them outside a playoff spot.

The Sabres have the worst road record in the league. Their record on the road is 1-5-2. So extended win streaks will be an enormous accomplishment for a team that seems incapable of having sustained success. When you play a team like Calgary that played the previous night, and come away being flat and losing, you are creating a steeper mountain to climb. I'm not deliberately trying to be negative but face the reality that this team is contending with. 

Edited 25 minutes ago by JohnC

[OrangeSeatVertigo]

1 hour ago, bob_sauve28 said:

If we get more healthy and a few other teams run into injury problems we can move up quickly. If you are in it anything can happen. 

with a full healthy roster (wishful thinking) the Sabres could win a lot of games.   Center is fixed (but injured), D is fixed (but injured).   Not sure what to make of them.  Haven't really seen the team yet.  

[PASabreFan]

6x4=28

War is peace.

[Night Train]

Playoffs in November only count for the CFL, not the NHL 6 weeks into the season. 

[tom webster]

I get the negativity and I would not guarantee anything but after last year’s disastrous losing streak the team played at about a hundred point pace for over half a season.

With an improved team, they are clearly capable of making a run but as others have pointed out, losses to St. Louis and Calgary are unacceptable.

The other factor in their favor is that teams at the top have started to age out and some of the stories favored by the press, I.e. the Canadiens, aren’t nearly as good as advertised. Last time I checked, Buffalo and Montreal had an equal amount of regulation wins.

In summary, I wouldn’t bet the house on it, but it’s not nearly as daunting a task, as some seem to indicate.

[Pimlach]

1 hour ago, Weave said:

I think PA had it right.  Project 4 points out now to an 82 game schedule.  We aren’t nearly as close as this thread suggests.

They are close but everyone else is close.  Some teams will improve, the Sabres have to be one of them.  

The Sabres will have to play well above their current 0.476 pace.  If they play the remaining 3/4ths of the season at .600 they will be in the thick of it and their full season points percentage improves to 0.570 which is  92 points, so even then they still could be short.   Points in October/November are important.  

So, they need a few winning streaks mixed in to overcome the poor first quarter, and they have to avoid losing 3 in a row at all costs.  Every 5 game segment with 2 losses in it needs to include 3 wins to stay at .600 for that 5 game segment. 

They need to minimize getting OTLs within their conference too.  Win your conference games and you take points away from a competing team.  

Bottom line is they are still alive but they do not have an easy path to get there.