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GDT: Lightning @ Sabres, 6:00pm, March 8, 2026 (MSG, ESPN+, WGR-550)


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Posted
18 minutes ago, JohnC said:

The recent Sabre record information comes from the Buff News, Mike Harrington column: The Sabres are 27-5-2 in their last 30 plus games. And they are also 12-2-1 in their last 15 games. If you look at the standings and consider that if the Sabres merely had a good record during this time frame instead of a fantastic record, we would most likely be out of a playoff spot or desperately trying to get in a Wild Card position. Where we are now compared to where we were on that fateful road trip when rumors were circulating about a GM change, is beyond my imagination. 

How many people could have envisioned our current situation after seeing where we were for the first 20 games or so? This unimaginable level of success is beyond anything I thought this team and franchise was capable of. In addition, the Harrington column pointed out that the Sabres have so far sold out the building 14 times with a current 8 game sell out streak. I'm happily stunned. 

Imagine if the Sabres had been a 500 team in October, November and the first half of December - they would be running away in the East and on the Avs level.

It's actually much better to be the pace they are now heading into the final 20 games and the playoff.

MUST WIN !!

GO SABRES !!

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Posted
2 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Imagine if the Sabres had been a 500 team in October, November and the first half of December - they would be running away in the East and on the Avs level.

It's actually much better to be the pace they are now heading into the final 20 games and the playoff.

MUST WIN !!

GO SABRES !!

That's the thing that's surprising about this turnaround. The Sabres started the season as a typical Sabre team that we have known for almost a generation. How they played in the first few months is what we have come to expect about this predictable team. The typical Sabre pattern of play is to meander for much of the season and then have an end of season spurt where we were a fringe team hanging on and requiring other teams to help us out by beating the teams we were vying with. 

The change is now we control our own destiny, and we are the team being hunted by the teams behind us. From where we are now to where we were at the beginning of the season was beyond what I thought this team was capable of. Who would have imagined that over the past 35 games or so we would have the best record? And who would have imagined that the Sabres for the past month have been the talk of the NHL hockey world for positive reasons? Not I. 

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Posted

On the bright side, with daylight savings, 4pm start the game gets here much sooner. 

A little nap time watching the Arnold Palmer Invitational and that's a damn good Sunday! 🙂

Posted (edited)

This is a public service announcement, with guitar ...

The game will be streamed on SN+ - on pirate satellite - orbiting your living room ... 😎

Edited by Sabres Fan in NS
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Posted
28 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Aisles and BJs are off today, so Sabres can only knock the magic number down to 30 today.

But a Bruins loss puts them in a tie with the BJs and Aisles for only being able to get to 113 points max on the season, so with the next loss after than of any of those 3 teams, the magic number decreases.

This should be a really fun game.  Would like to have gone to it, but with going yesterday and on Tuesday and Thursday (and originally scheduled for going next Saturday too) something had to give.  Expecially with 1 more Bolt game still on the schedule.  Hate that they're having 4 and 5 game homestands so regularly this year.  This NEEDS to be a 1 time concession to the Olympic break.

Sabres chased Vasilievskiy last game.  Here's to hoping it happens again.  Would be awesome if they could get into his head.

Makes me feel like a trip to Wegmans for beer isn’t worth it now……

Posted
38 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Aisles and BJs are off today, so Sabres can only knock the magic number down to 30 today.

But a Bruins loss puts them in a tie with the BJs and Aisles for only being able to get to 113 points max on the season, so with the next loss after than of any of those 3 teams, the magic number decreases.

This should be a really fun game.  Would like to have gone to it, but with going yesterday and on Tuesday and Thursday (and originally scheduled for going next Saturday too) something had to give.  Expecially with 1 more Bolt game still on the schedule.  Hate that they're having 4 and 5 game homestands so regularly this year.  This NEEDS to be a 1 time concession to the Olympic break.

Sabres chased Vasilievskiy last game.  Here's to hoping it happens again.  Would be awesome if they could get into his head.

Vasilevsky was between the pipes last night. Will they play him tonight as well? 

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Posted
24 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Imagine if the Sabres had been a 500 team in October, November and the first half of December - they would be running away in the East and on the Avs level.

It's actually much better to be the pace they are now heading into the final 20 games and the playoff.

MUST WIN !!

GO SABRES !!

Sabres were 0.500 immediately prior to beginning the 6 game road trip that saw the beginning of the 10 game win streak.  After losing the 1st 3 games of that trip and sending Östlund down even though he was one of the few that was playing really well and earning his playing time it seems the decsion was made.

And the rest was history.  And had they been better than that, Adams is almost definitely still running things and they're still hanging around 0.500 or a smidge over that.  MHO.

As for heading into the playoffs hot or not, not fully convinced that really matters.  While obviously it seems it would be better to be rolling than not, really don't expect it makes that huge of a difference.  In '98 they entered January towards the very bottom of the league tied for 2nd worse in the conference, went on a heater, snuck into the playoffs, and made it to the Conference Finals.  They ended '98 near the top of their division and had been at the top of the conference a few days earlier which is why Ruff was named the HC of the Eastern AS Team.  They played like doo doo for most of the rest of that regular season, limped into the playoffs and ended up in the Finals.

Just get into the dance.  Once they're there anything can happen.

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Posted
2 minutes ago, K-9 said:

Vasilevsky was between the pipes last night. Will they play him tonight as well? 

Don't know.  Presumed they'd played the former Sabre in TO to have their "better" goalie going against the Sabres.  Makes sense they won't run him on back to back evenings.  

Guess Cooper has decided that the Sabres already ARE in Vasilevskiy's head.  Sweet.

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Posted

Bummer they won't have Stanley in the lineup against the Dolts.   

Hoping the animosity between these two clubs continues to build.   

I'm sure the dolts will come out flying, Sabres will need to be ready at puck drop.

 

 

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Posted
46 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

Imagine if the Sabres had been a 500 team in October, November and the first half of December - they would be running away in the East and on the Avs level.

It's actually much better to be the pace they are now heading into the final 20 games and the playoff.

MUST WIN !!

GO SABRES !!

I understand your thought there….BUT, if they were that good earlier in the season, GMKA may still have his job……so I am okay that they waited a little bit before they got their act together!

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Posted
36 minutes ago, JohnC said:

That's the thing that's surprising about this turnaround. The Sabres started the season as a typical Sabre team that we have known for almost a generation. How they played in the first few months is what we have come to expect about this predictable team. The typical Sabre pattern of play is to meander for much of the season and then have an end of season spurt where we were a fringe team hanging on and requiring other teams to help us out by beating the teams we were vying with. 

The change is now we control our own destiny, and we are the team being hunted by the teams behind us. From where we are now to where we were at the beginning of the season was beyond what I thought this team was capable of. Who would have imagined that over the past 35 games or so we would have the best record? And who would have imagined that the Sabres for the past month have been the talk of the NHL hockey world for positive reasons? Not I. 

I was so God dman dejected at the beginning of December.  Seemed like we were already out of the playoff race, the team was incapable of strining together multiple wins , and I was fuming that Adam's still had a job. 

This winter has been so much less depressing when the team has been stacking up win after win. I can't wait for the playoffs. tonight we get a taste.

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Posted
13 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Don't know.  Presumed they'd played the former Sabre in TO to have their "better" goalie going against the Sabres.  Makes sense they won't run him on back to back evenings.  

Guess Cooper has decided that the Sabres already ARE in Vasilevskiy's head.  Sweet.

I heard that Vasilevsky crawled into Coopers office on his knees, sobbing uncontrollably, and begged him to not let him start against the Sabres. It was pathetic, but Cooper acquiesced. 

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Posted

Exactly 20 years ago that awesome 05-06 team emerged. That team finished the season 52-24-6. This team could finish 52-24-6 

05-06 had two solid goalies but not a true starter yet. This team, same thing, sort of? Also Noronen and Ellis? 

05-06 was expected not to do much but then went on a tear after starting 8-9-1. This team was 11-14-4 then went on a tear. Hmm 

05-06 has Ruff as coach after a somewhat disappointing previous season as coach. This team, same thing? Hmm

There's probably a lot more similarities 

Go Sabres 05-06 and 25-26 teams RULE  

LETS GO SABRES 

 

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Posted

Make that six. After winning eight in a row.

Just now, TageMVP said:

Wow you just wrecked the vibe. Completely wrecked it. 

Its wrecked now 

I unwrecked it. And they won five in a row to end the regular season.

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Posted
Just now, PASabreFan said:

Make that six. After winning eight in a row.

I unwrecked it. And they won five in a row to end the regular season.

He unwrecked it. Its unwrecked now. Can't be re-wrecked 

Excellent work 

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Taro T said:

Sabres were 0.500 immediately prior to beginning the 6 game road trip that saw the beginning of the 10 game win streak.  After losing the 1st 3 games of that trip and sending Östlund down even though he was one of the few that was playing really well and earning his playing time it seems the decsion was made.

And the rest was history.  And had they been better than that, Adams is almost definitely still running things and they're still hanging around 0.500 or a smidge over that.  MHO.

As for heading into the playoffs hot or not, not fully convinced that really matters.  While obviously it seems it would be better to be rolling than not, really don't expect it makes that huge of a difference.  In '98 they entered January towards the very bottom of the league tied for 2nd worse in the conference, went on a heater, snuck into the playoffs, and made it to the Conference Finals.  They ended '98 near the top of their division and had been at the top of the conference a few days earlier which is why Ruff was named the HC of the Eastern AS Team.  They played like doo doo for most of the rest of that regular season, limped into the playoffs and ended up in the Finals.

Just get into the dance.  Once they're there anything can happen.

 

51 minutes ago, Carmel Corn said:

I understand your thought there….BUT, if they were that good earlier in the season, GMKA may still have his job……so I am okay that they waited a little bit before they got their act together!

If anything the teams play since his firing (the 10 game winning streak had just started, if I recall correctly) indicates, at least to me, that Adams was not the problem.  The players HE assembled (mostly) just needed the right coach and time to get them to play like a team.

Anyway, it matters not how they got here, just that they have made it.

This season feels more like 2006 than 1998 or 1999, at least to me.  They have a lot more veteran D on the roster now than in 2006, which is fantastic.

It will be a lot of fun to see where they go.

Many of the talking heads on TSN and SN are thinking and saying that the Sabres are a legit Cup (not just another cusp - hey, oh @PASabreFan), which we all know is 'The Perfect Kiss' ...

 

Edited by Sabres Fan in NS
Posted
1 hour ago, Mustache of God said:

I was so God dman dejected at the beginning of December.  Seemed like we were already out of the playoff race, the team was incapable of strining together multiple wins , and I was fuming that Adam's still had a job. 

This winter has been so much less depressing when the team has been stacking up win after win. I can't wait for the playoffs. tonight we get a taste.

The previous two games with Tampa were a taste. That first game that was the OT loss was electric. And the second matchup was a typical send a message for next game playoff game. 

Series is tied 1-1. Shifting to Buffalo for games 3 and 4. 

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Posted
28 minutes ago, Sabres Fan in NS said:

 

If anything the teams play since his firing (the 10 game winning streak had just started, if I recall correctly) indicates, at least to me, that Adams was not the problem.  The players HE assembled (mostly) just needed the right coach and time to get them to play like a team.

Anyway, it matters not how they got here, just that they have made it.

This season feels more like 2006 than 1998 or 1999, at least to me.  They have a lot more veteran D on the roster now than in 2006, which is fantastic.

It will be a lot of fun to see where they go.

Many of the talking heads on TSN and SN are thinking and saying that the Sabres are a legit Cup (not just another cusp - hey, oh @PASabreFan), which we all know is 'The Perfect Kiss' ...

 

Blocked

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Posted

Pumped to be going tonight. Have my mom’s companies club tickets tonight. Who would have thought when I picked this game two months ago it would be this huge.

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