This thread isn't meant to be a downer, but I thought it might be interesting to highlight Sabres troublespots and contemplate how this will affect their playoff potential:

Sabres against Boston: 4-2
Sabres against Ottawa 5-0

Another odd coincidence in light of the division title being won this week: Sabres have lost each of their last meetings with division opponents Boston, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.

Rask, Elliott and Halak are not who you wanna face in round 1.

Boston's Rask is the ONLY goaltender with better numbers than Miller. Granted, he's played less games, but still, the numbers are the numbers.

So, ironically, divsion opponents are the Sabres biggest obstacle in the first round.

The Sabres one loss to boston was without Hecht, Vanek, Connolly, Kaleta, and Miller.

Who wins without three of their top scorers, top checker and top goalie?

One of the losses to Ottawa was the food poisoning game.

I still am not convinced Elliot is a bona-fide NHL starter.

The Sabres one loss to boston was without Hecht, Vanek, Connolly, Kaleta, and Miller.

Who wins without three of their top scorers, top checker and top goalie?

One of the losses to Ottawa was the food poisoning game.

I still am not convinced Elliot is a bona-fide NHL starter.

All teams can do the same spin on any of their losses. That doesn't wash. The Sabres haven't had any worse luck than any other team this season. Actually, the Sabres have been healthier than most, especially Boston, which has actually used 38 players in the course of the season due to health issues---and SAVARD is OUT AGAIN TFN.
I made a valid point and your muddying it up with spin.

You also forgot the two terribly played games against Boston where we went to OT and lost, or was it one game where we didn't deserve even one point but got one.

If we play Montreal or even Boston, I don't see a problem, we've lost two out of six games against Montreal this year, the first being an OT loss the other was nothing huge with three players out still.

Boston, Rask can't shut us down in a continuous series

You still haven't responded to my post about 1-goal games in the other thread. You know where Washington has one of the higher numbers amongst playoff teams.....

And Boston: Downtalk it all you want, but Rask is the only goalie with better numbers than Miller. He's not played as many games, but the numbers are the numbers. And the season record, no matter how you dismiss it, is also in Boston's favor.

SOme people are obsessed with this fantasy that the Caps are going to collapse in the playoffs under the weight of that fabled "playoff defense" or their "horrible goaltending" or their "inability to win 1-goal games".

Truth be told, this team has only been getting better and better and better in the last few years. They are stacked with ofensive talent and have some excellent defensemen as well. Their goaltending has also imporved from last season.

Spin it any way you want, but the Caps are THE team to beat in the East and probably only 1 or 2 teams are capable of doing that in a best-of-7.

One is the defending champ and the other is a defensive machine.

Good luck with your spinning, but it really is not supported by conventional wisdom, or really common sense for that matter.

While I don't discount Rask's numbers, the Bruins coaches have STILL found it appropriate to start Tim Thomas 42 times this year. If Rask is THAT much better, you have to think there's a reason for it.

This thread isn't meant to be a downer, but I thought it might be interesting to highlight Sabres troublespots and contemplate how this will affect their playoff potential:

Sabres against Boston: 2-4
Sabres against Ottawa 0-5

Another odd coincidence in light of the division title being won this week: Sabres have lost each of their last meetings with division opponents Boston, Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.

Rask, Elliott and Halak are not who you wanna face in round 1.

Boston's Rask is the ONLY goaltender with better numbers than Miller. Granted, he's played less games, but still, the numbers are the numbers.

So, ironically, divsion opponents are the Sabres biggest obstacle in the first round.

[edited because I reversed the wins/losses in Boston/Ottawa records vs., Sabres]

The Penguins are 0-10 vs. the Caps and Devils.