they have improved i areas, but also digressed in others. i would say they are a little better then last year with miller playing out of his fucking mind.

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Aren't we overestimating Montador's abilities a bit? And I wouldn't call him young.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Where do you think they've digressed?

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Wheelhouse

This isn't the same team as last year.

You realize that we're 3 points out of being the best team in the NHL right?

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Wheelhouse

i do, adam. what i would like is a correlation between this year and last in shots against per game. because the defense seems just as shaky as last year, but miller has cut his GAA by half a goal, and save percentage is up .020 +... thats HUGE!

digressed? the top 6.

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I understand what you're getting at. And I understand what everyone else who has brought this up is getting at too. But it's just annoying to me how people have to put a negative spin on the team's success, or somehow taint the win. The thing is, Miller wasn't on his B game. He did what he had to do to win, and we did. That's that.

I just hate playing the "What could have been/could be?" in sports. If you're a Buffalo fan it will drive you crazy. I can go back and ask what could have been if Miller didn't get injured last season. I can go back and ask what could have been if we didn't have so many players go down in the 2006 ECF against Carolina. I can ask what would have happened if Hull's goal was ruled no good and we go back to Dallas for Game 7. And I can certainly ask where would we be right now if Miller wasn't being as stellar as he is, or what will happen if, god forbid, he gets hurt. But I'm not going to.

Right now, Ryan Miller is healthy and is argurably the best goaltender in the NHL. And anyone would be kidding themselves if they said he's not the biggest reason to the team's success. But he certainly isn't the only reason. It's still a team game. More times than not, Miller has been there for his team to bail them out and steal a few games. But isn't that his job...isn't that his role as a "superstar player"? I just don't see why we're any different than any other team with a superstar player. They would all be less competitive without their star players too.

There are going to be times where Miller isn't going to be there to bail his team out. There are times where he's going to need more help. But I think so far we've seen the team respond. The Pittsburgh game comes to mind. The Tampa Bay game comes to mind.

Who knows what's going to happen down the stretch. Maybe Miller will get tired from all the games he's going to see this season and he'll cool down. Maybe he will get hurt. Or maybe he'll continue being lights out all the way to June. You never know what's going to happen...but right now I'm enjoying Miller and the rest of the team's success. They're winning, and that's the bottom line. They've earned those 61 points.

Sorry for the long-winded response, it's just how I've been feeling about the whole, "This team would suck if we didn't have Ryan Miller" charade, and I have yet to really comment on it.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Lalime has been playing fine, so we still have a team without Miller. We earned our spot, anyone who thinks it's just because of Miller can go fuck themselves.

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"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

fair enough caro. absolutely. but i dont think the guys should sit back and be content. tighten up on d a little. get the puck out of the zone. play 60 minutes. and, the front office needs to make sure they improve the team between now and the deadline.

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I don't think they should be content with it either. Never be satisfied, but something tells me that they aren't.

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Fly, you have to stop hearing, "This team will suck if we didn't have Ryan Miller." This team would still be competing for a playoff spot without Ryan Miller. If he wasn't around, Darcy would have done something to find another starter, Lalime would still be the back-up, and either way the team is playing a better brand of team defense.

What most people are saying is that if the team relies too much on Miller having awesome nights, that type of game won't result in a Stanley Cup. The competition will get too strong for Miller to bail out wins more than once a series. The team looks like it's on the verge of being a Cup contender, with just a little more consistency up front. These semi random slow starts and an uncertain PP are the only kinks in the team, and when they have an off night where Miller bails them out, it's at least worth talking about.

There's only a few minor flaws between a pretty good team and a bonafide Cup worthy team. I would think those things are going to be the main topic of discussion for the time being.

Mike, you're using digressed when you mean regressed. It's kind of confusing.

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mechaphil

me fail english? thats unpossible!

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Win!

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mechaphil

Haha, you pulled a skyline.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

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Stop hearing, "This team would suck without Ryan Miller"? I'll stop hearing it when people stop saying it. I know Mike didn't say that, but there have people who have worded it like that verbatim. There people who have said we'd be in the basement without him. And that's what I'm addressing.

Yes this team relies a lot on Ryan Miller. And I'm not saying that this team couldn't use a little more consistency, or maybe bring in some new blood during the trade deadline. There is always room for improvement.

I'm saying that it's bogus when people try to write off this team's success all because Ryan Miller is the biggest component in the team's success. I mean, no shit...that's the type of goaltender we have. Would you expect any different from any other team that had a goalie of Miller's caliber? And don't you think Miller is benefitting from the system that the team is playing?

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"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Exactly, the closer you get to perfection, the harder it is to spot the imperfections.

So jump on those people who actually say it, instead of getting so edgy where you respond to anyone that brings up the issue. I see that, "Buffalo stinks without Miller" stuff a lot over on TSN, but they're a bunch of biased Canadiens fans. I don't see so many comments around here like that, not blatant doom and gloom type stuff. Those people really aren't worth a discussion anyway.

I think this team sucks with Ryan Miller. How many of those games can you say the Sabres deserved to win? Maybe 5? 3? I know people don't like to hear it, and I'm sorry but I'm a "realist."

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Are you really going to be like that still?