Yeah, I understand the point, I just don't think using 88 points is a completely invalid baseline.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

From a pure win-loss perspective, the team is below .500 since February 1 of last season - NOT including this season's results. It is becoming apparent that the team rode Miller's sizzling hot streak during the early part of last year to a division title, but that when he came down to earth, the team, not surprisingly, followed suit and played mediocre hockey.

Unless Miller catches fire again for an extended period, this is going to be another non-playoff season. The trend over the past 4 months of their play, along with a lack of any upgrade or significant change in personnel, cannot be disregarded.

The Sabres are on pace for 55 points (54.6).

Of course it is reasonable to expect they will finish the season substantially higher than that, but how much higher? At some point you have to be honest with yourself about the roster.

Can Pitssburgh's roster get better than 89?
Definitely

Can Atlanta's?
Not likely

Can Buffalo's?
They don't just have to do better, they have to play, in some cases, out of character. If this quality of play ends NOW, they have a lot of making up to do. If it continues over the course of the next 10 games, they will be in the same spot the Canes were in last season: They played very well in the last couple months, but were so awful in the first couple that they ruined their chances of securing a playoff birth.

We are eight points behind the Northeast Division leading Canadiens. Everyone else is yet to go through bad slumps. I am optimistic we will be in a good mean streack, forcibly, soon.

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Let's go Buffalo!

This is a really good post.

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We can't score for shit. It's sad, really. We need a good scorer or two. If it means trading Miller, I'd be down. We would have to pick up a goalie in the first few rounds next draft.

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

Drafting a goalie in the first few rounds isn't always a sure-thing. I'd much prefer to stick with our present drafting standard; mid-big forwards.

Like I said before, I'd trade Miller for Ovechkin or Crosby, or a Malkin+ deal.

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So who would you propose plays goal for the team in the 4-5 years from the time this mythical goaltender is drafted to when he's ready to play in the NHL?

We could definitely afford to tighten up on D....

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This season is not over yet. But you simply can't ignore the trends, and the trends look really, really bad. This season is starting to remind me of the beginning of 05-06, when I had written off playoff chances by November.

Of course, they turned it around that year and pulled off some magic. But I'm not posting this to say everything's alright and no worries. Far from it. I'm panicking. And unless they start stringing some wins together, it's going to take an 06-like streak to give them any chance.

Maybe what the team needs is another injury to Miller. That turned things around in 05-06, when the team had to come together to make up for losing its starting goaltender. I thought that maybe the Pomminville injury would wake this team up, but apparently it hasn't.

The "rest of the season" is something that seems to be quickly slipping out of Buffalo's grasp, and expecting things to change while not doing anything differently is, as they say, the definition of insanity.

*They must make better puck support for themselves, all over the ice.

*The team must work tirelessly on perfecting their breakout (as in, the forwards need to do their part as well),it's easily the weakest part of the system.

*They must evolve the power play into an intimidating weapon. If they don't want to be treated like the doormats of the NHL, then they must AT LEAST generate momentum off of each power play. make their goalie sweat-AT LEAST!

*Better goal-tending.


If they do those 4 things, the wins will start to come more and more frequently.

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"I love that you know how to do that." Cheryl/Carol/Crystal

"And I love that I have an erection that doesn't involve homeless people." Kreiger

The season is not over after 12 games into it. That does not mean we tank it to its end.

The Sabres need to play better and win games now. This year may be good for tight division races.

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Let's go Buffalo!