If we lose both games this weekend, I'm buying razorblade stocks!!!

I just hope we can avoid playing to the level of our competition, and might even be OK with a 1-1 outcome for the weekend. Obviously, I am hoping for what should be a 2-0 weekend, I just have bad memories from seasons past.

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"I don't feel like Satan, but I am to them"
Neil Young

I might start Lalime against the Leafs just to make it even more humiliating when we blow them off the rink. Besides, he needs to play in a big game so we can judge if he's got anything left in the tank.

That said, under any normal circumstances I'd play Lalime Saturday against the Isles instead, and am expecting Lindy to do exactly that.

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Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, when you're perfect in every way. I can't wait to look in the mirror, 'cause I get better looking each day. To know me is to love me, I must be a hell of a man. Oh lord, it's hard to be humble, but I'm doin' the best that I can.

We tend to come out flat in the second game of a back-to-back though. I'd rather have Miller in while the team spends the first ten minutes of the first period screwing around.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Good point, back to back wins for the Sabres are about as rare as unicorns carrying baskets of four leaf clovers!!

It would be nice to see that trend end!

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"I don't feel like Satan, but I am to them"
Neil Young

I'd play lalime against the leafs. This is because even though the leafs are coming off their first two wins of the season and lalime can seem like a revolving door at times. I think overall we tend to kick the leafs ass more than the Isles, and like someone above has already stated this game they will be coming off a days rest so hopefully will play better for lalime than they usually do. And then saturday miller will be in prime shape incase the rest of the team decides to take the night off, which hopefully they don't.

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"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

I'm coming down from toronto tomorrow night to watch the game! They BETTER play Miller. I'm not driving down to see them play lalime and most likely lose! then drive home and get ridiculed all weekend and following week long...

PLAY MILLER

and sign a good back up goalie! it's actually an important role on the deam Darcy!

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"Love, love will tear us apart again"- Ian Curtis

I think Miller can handle back-to-backs.

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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

I second that

especially considering these aren't top notch teams... at the moment at least. If it was Pittsburgh and Washington back to back then I'd put lalime in for one hoping we win, but play miller just once giving us a better chance at grabbing 2 points.

But wouldn't that just suck if we had to play those two teams on back to back nights?

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"Love, love will tear us apart again"- Ian Curtis

Miller is Hot right now, don't ruin it by starting Patrick. Start Miller and keep his streak going.

I'd rather have miller play against toronto so that we can murder them, and be excited for the next game when we put in Lalime.

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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.

Miller should start against a division team. Lalime should be getting starts against the non-division team of back-to-backs.

What 1980 said

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mechaphil

Play Miller tomorrow. He's on fire right now. If he's as solid tomorrow, play him Saturday too. Then maybe play Lalime for the second Isles game and let Miller play Flyers/Bruins.

Normally I'd say that's pretty shrewd. But seriously, are we really afraid that Toronto's going to catch up to Buffalo in the division?

Ham

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Do you believe yet?

Justification?

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

Justification??? We all know division games are more important, right? In this case, neither Tor or NYI will catch up to Buffalo in the standings, so it probably doesn't matter much. In general, to win the division Buffalo needs to stomp out the other division teams. Considering the 4 pt swing involved with those games, it would seem prudent to start the better goalie.

Late in the season, if Buffalo does not have the division sewn up, and there are back-to-backs between Tor and say...NYR (let's pretend they are close with Buffalo and might grab a higher seed) then start Miller against NYR. For now, while nothing has been decided yet, it's better to stick with the starter for division games.

FWIW, here are the back-to-backs for the season, and who I would start...

Oct 16 - NYI - Miller - win
Oct 17 - Atl - Lalime - loss

Oct 30 - Tor (Miller)
Oct 31 - NYI (Lalime)

Nov 6 - Phi (Lalime)
Nov 7 - Bos (Miller, plus every chance for him to beat Thomas)

Nov 13 - Cal (Lalime)
Nov 14 - Phi (Miller)

Nov 20 - Bos (Miller)
Nov 20 - Ott (Lalime)

Nov 27 - Phi (Miller)
Nov 28 - Car (Lalime)

Dec 11 - Chi (Lalime)
Dec 12 - NYR (Miller)

Dec 18 - Tor (probably Lalime at this point)
Dec 19 - Pit (probably Miller)

Dec 26 - Ott (Miller)
Dec 27 - StL (Lalime)

Jan 8 - Tor (Miller)
Jan 9 - Col (Lalime)

Jan 18 - Pho (Miller)
Jan 19 - Ana (Lalime)

Feb 5 - Car (Miller, since I'll be at that game)
Feb 6 - Clb (Lalime)

Mar 2 - Pit (Lalime)
Mar 3 - Was (Miller)

Mar 12 - Min (Lalime)
Mar 13 - Det (Miller)

Mar 20 - Fla (Lalime)
Mar 21 - Car (Miller, since I'll be there again)

Mar 26 - Ott (Miller)
Mar 27 - TB (Lalime)

Apr 10 - Ott (depends on the standings)
Apr 11 - NJ (depends)

Mark my words, as of October 30th; Patrick Lalime will not last the rest of this season.

He is still hurting from his hip injury. I've watched him in preseason, I've watched him in regular season. He's got the vision still, he does, but he isn't capable of moving side to side, nor is he as quick back to his feet. That injury is degenerative, and his two year deal was meant to be a stop gap between Enroth being ready, and not having a back up. Well, sadly it's looking like he wont last those two years. If he struggles in 2 or 3 more starts, I wouldn't be shocked to see Darcy move a player like Paetsch or Sekera for a goalie capable of handling 15-20 games a year.

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That being said, I start Lalime against teams that are smaller, or slower than our players. Teams like Toronto, St. Louis, Ottawa, Islanders, and the Ducks.

Miller can start back to backs as well, especially early on in the season. I dont see a point in trying to "save" him for the Olympics. I know it's not a popular opinion, but a gold metal for Ryan Miller doesn't mean dick to me, a Stanley Cup for the Sabres means a whole hell of a lot for me.

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"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

That's an interesting take and one I hadn't really thought of. I still think I'd start Lalime against the Leafs though, haha.

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Proud LGBTQQ Individual

The conference based playoff seedings make the conference games just as important as division games, but only if you're in contention for seed 4-8. But while the division is still up in the air, division games are more important since the division winners are automatically placed as 1-3 seeds. Eastern conference games should always take priority over Western conference games.

That said, I don't see a whole lot of crucial decisions with our schedule of back-to-backs.