Not sure I understand all the venom in this thread. The team is 5-2-1 in the past 8, getting better defensive play, and Vanek is scoring. The backup goaltenders are playing pretty well overall. That's a pretty good Tampa team and we still had our share of chances to pull it out. A tough loss and some gaffes contributed, but Smith played out of character great and their D was stellar too, didn't give us a lot of 2nd and 3rd chances.

Nobody in this thread has written off the season (in THIS thread) and the concerns expressed--albeit not all of them are easy on the palate--are legitimate and thought out.

As a disclaimer to all of my future posts I would like to point out that a am fully aware that hockey is a team game and the beauty of the sport (and all sports) is how you pick each other up and sacrifice yourself for the greater good. But the strong aren't strong enough to carry all of the weak players weaknesses every game. So the weak must get stronger or be replaced with stronger players.

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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

Plenty of posts in this thread want to blow up the team, lines, etc.

Well you should just re-read mine and skim over the other ones. I'm a fricken' genius, and I own really smart slacks.

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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

Where have I read that before?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..........

Oh yeah!

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Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

That's great PP.

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Hecht went 0-for-4 on goal.

Connolly needs press box. Replace him with Gaustad, or move Hecht to center.

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Let's go Buffalo!

Why is 0-for-4 such a big deal? The best player on the Sabres right now is 9 for 57.

Drop that stat; it's meaningless.

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We deserved better here.

Officiating stung too. 3 trips in the last 90 seconds, the last one with a stick flying out of the Tampa Bay Lightning Player's hands... no call.

Lalime's gaffe was really unfortunate, and so was Connolly's giveaway.

There are two plays right there that cost us the game.

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Wheelhouse

If Hecht has ever proved anything, it's that he's a terrible center, and that his services are much better used as a winger. On top of that, Gaustad is nothing more than a 4th, maybe a 3rd-line center.

Also, you can't blame a guy for shooting percentage when there's a big masked man defending the net. Shooting percentage has some value, but it's not the end all be all of any player.

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Girgensons for captain. Team Keep Nick DesLauriers forever.

@TJLuckman550

don't mock me round eyes!

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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

Successful shots on goal result in goals scored, essential to win games. When you lead the team in shots on goal and have a goose egg in successful attempts, some dimwit cannot find the back of the net. The last worst scenario was over a week ago when Vanek went 0-for-6.

As Ruff will say, "Sometimes you have to dig in. You had opportunities, but they were not good enough."

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Let's go Buffalo!

/facepalm
//igiveup

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This x8,000,000

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"Call a cop he robbed Delmore blind!!!"
Rick Jeanerette after Marty Biron's diving save back in 2000.

"I'm going to go to the spa and have a hot tub and massage and relax," Miller said. "That's it, and it's back to work tomorrow." Ryan Miller after clinching the North East division.

Looking at shooting % on a game to game basis is just nuts. It might tell you something over a 20-30 game stretch, but even then it's not going to say much of anything.

Last year Andrew Brunette lead the league with ,19.4% and 25 goals. I'd have rather had Crosby and Stamkos with a pedestrian 17.1% but 51 goals.

OV takes over 350 shots a year. Yet his best shooting % has only ever been a 14.6%. Hes currently at a 11.6 on this year. 10 goals on 86 shots, that is 1 every 8 shots he takes.

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With so many different types of shots, I don't think shooting percentage tells you very much at all. When I want to look at a guy's shooting accuracy, I use a different shooting percentage: percentage of shots that hit the net. You can't score unless your shot is actually at the goal.

You know, unless you're Jochen Hecht.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Aren't shots only recorded if they are on net?

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Girgensons for captain. Team Keep Nick DesLauriers forever.

@TJLuckman550

Not exactly, shots are only recorded if the goalie has to make a save on that shot.

Shots off the crossbars and posts don't even count.

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