ESPN Thanksgiving Panic Index—Sabres

[FrenchConnection44]

This was the Sabres. 😂 
 

Existential Dread

Buffalo Sabres

When things went poorly for the Sabres in their first 22 games, like when they dropped eight of nine games, the reaction was "here we go again."

When things go well for the Sabres, like when they won four of five games heading into Thanksgiving, the reaction was the most guarded optimism imaginable with an impending sense of doom -- which is understandable when every season since the last playoff appearance in 2011 has either been a tease or a tank.

Through 22 games, Money Puck gave the Sabres a 7.5% chance of making the playoffs. But Stathletes put their odds at a robust 33.4%.

There's no better example of the divergent paths ahead for this Buffalo team.

If Tage Thompson continues to dominate, if Mattias Samuelsson and Rasmus Dahlin remain a bedrock duo, if they can squeeze out enough goaltending success ... maybe the drought ends?

Or maybe this ends up being the 15th consecutive

"wait 'til next year."

[Eleven]

Who cares about ESPN?  I'd put as much faith in its hockey reporting as I would in the reporting of Rodong Sinmun.

[Porous Five Hole]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

Who cares about ESPN?  I'd put as much faith in its hockey reporting as I would in the reporting of Rodong Sinmun.

Not defending ESPN, but slightly defending the author Greg Wyshynski. He has been a great writer (formerly Yahoo & The Athletic). 
 

I enjoyed this one. 
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/47100079/nhl-2025-26-thanksgiving-playoffs-standings-panic-rankings-index