In 28 games so far, Buffalo has 6 regulation wins.

That is dubious. Most wins are from early starts, stand pat, catch up, and win in OT or SO. Losses follow the same pattern. The team cannot finish in regulation, and is something no one wants to resolve.

_________________
Let's go Buffalo!

That won't bode well if they make it to the postseason... though, um, at this point I doubt anyone expects them to do much there.

_________________
Miles to go before I sleep

‎"Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation."
-Khalil Gibran

Maybe with the overtime games they'll learn to be clutch and play under pressure.

Here's a good one. Thomas Vanek is leading the league in SO% and SO goals.

_________________
Proud LGBTQQ Individual

All you need to do is convince the powers-that-be to use the SO in the post season!

Wow, that's really bad but it just shows that the Sabres aren't a playoff team. Unless Miller finds last years excellence again they will have a hard time to catch up and earn a playoff spot.

_________________

You are spot on with the underlined statement.
If it weren't for Millers great season last year, they wouldn't have gone to the playoffs.
As a matter of fact (and here comes that deadhorse again), the Buffalo Sabres have not been a playoff caliber team since the Drury/Briere fiasco.

That screams volumes about Darcy Regier. I mean, WTF?, 4 seasons to correct that blunder and nothing has been done in the way of forward progress on that end.
Nope, I have been convinced since the start of last season that this team in is full rebuild mode.

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

cough quinn, quinn, cough, cough...

_________________

The 05-06 team got a lot of wins via OT and SO early that year, and I distinctly remember the conversation at the time being that the team wasn't going to make it out of the first round since they never got any regulation wins. We remember how that turned out.

I'm not saying that this team is anything like that team, but I feel the point needs to be made. They have a long road ahead of them if they want to sniff that 8th spot, but their wins in regulation record isn't that important. Yes, I know that the SO points are in play now, but that only matters in the event of a tie. Just get points. Any way possible.

This team isn't the 05-07 team, but I'm actually getting real tired of the romantic lamenting for those teams (no offense slesh). Briere and Drury had open ice all that time, what are they doing now? The way the game was being played then, Roy and Connolly would look ridonkulous too (and each of them did at times), but they reached their health and prime after the game tightened up again. It's not a fair comparison to either player, and it's giving too much credit to B and D.

Switch those players between then and now and I doubt there's much difference in production. Only Drury's leadership would still stand out, but where is that now in NY? Briere's best season in Philly was 72 pts and freakin -22 rating. Roy's best was 81 pts and a +13 the same season. Connolly of course hasn't played enough to compare, and apparently injuries will be his lasting legacy.

Anyway, those teams didn't win a Cup and this team won't either, but the bigger issue is not B and D, it's that the game reverted to a tighter and more physical game. Darcy accidentally looked like a genius for having a fast and skilled team after the lock-out, and that same team suffered once the game slowed down again. Outside of the center position, there has been a lack of supporting cast and a marginal d-corps to help a top 1-3 goalie. Not enough has been done to improve that because we have an owner that is well within his right to conduct business according to profit margin in a market that can't collect enough revenue to spend more and stay in the black. Nothing we can do about it but hope for Pegula and hope he's the owner we want him to be.

I'm not pining for the 05-06 team. I'm simply commenting on how that team accumulated points.

Oh I know, there's just been a recent rash of B and D talk. I don't want to sound too critical of the current team either.

Indeed. I generally agree with your points on that.

One reason I feel compelled to occasionally defend Regier is because of the way the game has changed. I wouldn't say he lucked into a skilled team, I think he went after that. He tried to build a team that could be successful in a wide open game, and he did. Unfortunately he extended all those players and didn't foresee that the those players would be ineffective in 3 years because of the return of obstruction and grabbing. (Seriously; when is the last time you even heard anyone from the NHL say 'obstruction'? They don't care anymore. )

In fairness, Briere has been injured a lot in Philly. He had an amazing playoff run last year, would have been MVP if Philly won, so you can't discount that. Danny knew (and knows) how to finish, which this crop of players can't seem to do.

I also disagree that this team is not winning because it's not physical enough. They've had plenty of good hitting from Kaleta, McCormick, Gaustad, etc, and have forechecked better than I've seen in years, which has resulted in a very high number of chances. But as I've said before, they couldn't knock the puck into Lake Erie from the pier right now, that's how bad it is, with the 2nd lowest shooting % in the NHL at below 8% despite being in the top 5 with shots. How much better would our record be right now if Pominville and Hecht (and Gerbe) could bury their point-blank chances?

Honestly, that's a fucking retarded stat.

A win is a win for gods sake, it doesn't matter how it's obtained, a win is a win.

_________________

Last year's team isn't this team. Let's use the Miller argument.


Without Brodeur the Devil's would have sucked last year
Without Tuuka Rask the Bruins would have sucked last year

Not a good argument. Our team is different this year.

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

Also, how many games did the 05 team win in OT during the playoffs?

Also, wasn't the Stanley Cup winning goal last year a OT goal or wasn't it, didn't the team that made the SCF a team that won in the shootout on the last game of the season.

This stat is fucking stupid, it has no bearing on how the team plays night in or night out.

Also lets look at other playoff games, how many of those games in the past 5 years have gone to OT, so if you win a Stanley Cup on an OT goal you shouldn't be rewarded it without an asterisk because you couldn't win in regulation then?

Chicago had 14 games they need to win last year in the SO or OT out of their 52 games won 14 were because of extra time. That is 1 out of 3.71 wins they had that needed extra time.

This year, OT and SO's are up in numbers it seems anyways.

_________________

What this stat doesn't tell is if the Sabres can't hold a lead, or if they keep coming back from behind in the 3rd.

_________________
"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.

Our offense is the missing key. We need some goalscorers. I know I know, Vanek and Roy. And Ennis soon. But they're pretty streaky. Multi point games then disappear faster then David Copperfield's elephant.

If we had a decent, 20-25 goal scorer, then a big scorer (it can be a finisher we need finishers), that would be a cup team.

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

Honestly, I think we're two players from being a contender. A top line shooter to complete Roy and Vanek, and a decent second line playmaking center.

_________________
Proud LGBTQQ Individual