Playoffs?!?!? Playoffs?!?!?!

[elchud]

Atlantic top 3 should be set with Boston and Toronto and Tampa. Of the 2 wild cards Pittsburgh probably has one. Four teams in the mix for the last spot, us and Florida and Washington and Islanders. I think 96 isn't enough, unless one or more of Florida/Washington/NYI mail it in and sell at the deadline. 28-15-7 means we finish with 97 points. Need 13 more wins than losses the rest of the way. We still have ground to make up. With some of the EC teams about to start tanking even harder, there will be more points for the top 10 or 11 teams than usual I think. Plus the EC is better than the WC.

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[Sabresfansince1980]

It's possible, but KA has to make a move or two for the D-corps. I don't know if the front office feels the urgency for a move like that, and even if they do it will be tough to find a guy that fits long-term. I don't agree with getting one or two older guys that don't stay as core players, but I don't know that the 24-28 year old solid D-men around the league will be available in the next couple months (aside from Chychrun at a dumb price).

I don't see this season needing to end in playoffs but it certainly would be a great learning experience for the team. So in that regard I think it's worth trying to upgrade the roster, but again only for players that stay for a while at a reasonable cost.

 

[Diaspora]

It's possible, but KA has to make a move or two for the D-corps. I don't know if the front office feels the urgency for a move like that, and even if they do it will be tough to find a guy that fits long-term. I don't agree with getting one or two older guys that don't stay as core players, but I don't know that the 24-28 year old solid D-men around the league will be available in the next couple months (aside from Chychrun at a dumb price).

I don't see this season needing to end in playoffs but it certainly would be a great learning experience for the team. So in that regard I think it's worth trying to upgrade the roster, but again only for players that stay for a while at a reasonable cost.

Our pipeline is crammed with offense, and no defense on the horizon. We will have to buy another top four D, and I'm at the point where I would accept having to overpay for the right guy. Don't cheap out. Don't wait until the deadline. Do it now.

And don't take this as a slam on Joki. Good teams have top-4 quality defensemen playing on the third pairing. They also have disciplined forwards who contribute to defensive results.

There's no guarantee that the right guy is available. If we have to wait until the off-season, there's more time to wait out a good deal. But with the right acquisition and a can of spinach, this team could quickly become very dangerous.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I think we’re going to need to add a quality defensemen to make a real push for the playoffs. But if we get that, then sure!

 

[Djp]

Atlantic top 3 should be set with Boston and Toronto and Tampa. Of the 2 wild cards Pittsburgh probably has one. Four teams in the mix for the last spot, us and Florida and Washington and Islanders. I think 96 isn't enough, unless one or more of Florida/Washington/NYI mail it in and sell at the deadline. 28-15-7 means we finish with 97 points. Need 13 more wins than losses the rest of the way. We still have ground to make up. With some of the EC teams about to start tanking even harder, there will be more points for the top 10 or 11 teams than usual I think. Plus the EC is better than the WC.

i don’t see tampa nor Toronto locks.

this will be a wide open battle for the playoffs by many teams.

if you have 11-12 battling thrn the playoff line will likely be lower at around 88-90.

 

[toddkaz]

Delete this!! Delete it quick!!!

Its like mentioning a shutout with 10 minutes left.

 

[Diaspora]

i don’t see tampa nor Toronto locks.

this will be a wide open battle for the playoffs by many teams.

if you have 11-12 battling thrn the playoff line will likely be lower at around 88-90.

Neither are NYR or Pittsburgh. The way things have shaped up so far, 96 looks like the magic number.

That means a lot of four-point games coming up in the next couple of weeks with the roster we've got.

 

[Sabresfansince1980]

Our pipeline is crammed with offense, and no defense on the horizon. We will have to buy another top four D, and I'm at the point where I would accept having to overpay for the right guy. Don't cheap out. Don't wait until the deadline. Do it now.

And don't take this as a slam on Joki. Good teams have top-4 quality defensemen playing on the third pairing. They also have disciplined forwards who contribute to defensive results.

There's no guarantee that the right guy is available. If we have to wait until the off-season, there's more time to wait out a good deal. But with the right acquisition and a can of spinach, this team could quickly become very dangerous.

Agree. If I could snap my fingers we'd end up with -

Samuelsson - Dahlin
Power - Roy or similar player
Zadorov or similar player (Chychrun at a lower price) - Jokiharju
Lyubushkin

 

[toddkaz]

Agree. If I could snap my fingers we'd end up with -

Samuelsson - Dahlin
Power - Roy or similar player
Zadorov or similar player (Chychrun at a lower price) - Jokiharju
Lyubushkin

I am fine adding someone like Schenn for a 2nd. I think he is a perfect fit for this team, get a 2 year extension.

I think this thread is about 30 games too soon not that its a bad question but I am not sure this team has an identity yet, Sabres are too streaky still.

 

[elchud]

Sammy - Dahlin
Power - Murphy
Tinordi - Joker
Clague - Lyubushkin
Murphy&Tinordi for BUF 2nd & VGK 2nd & Bryson

 

[MOGlLNY]

delete this

 

[Montag DP]

We just need to focus on winning games. Stay above .500 and we'll be right in it at the end.

 

[elchud]

Not seeing how we overcome Tampa or Toronto. We would have to play .650 the rest of the way, and they would have to play .500. Not realistic. Also it's not about staying above .500. We need to be 7 or 8 more wins over losses at the trade deadline, that's well above .500

 

[Fjordy]

Improve D and it's looks real

 

[Zman5778]

I still don't see playoffs this year. We'll likely be in it for a good long while.....but we're too young and too inconsistent to make a real run this year.

 

[Djp]

Neither are NYR or Pittsburgh. The way things have shaped up so far, 96 looks like the magic number.

That means a lot of four-point games coming up in the next couple of weeks with the roster we've got.

look back at prior WC runs….

if you have a bunch of teams in a WC hunt it trendsthr line down.

if you have just 8 or 9 in the playoff mix the bar can be higher.

the extra point in ties has been around for years….

 

[DapperCam]

As long as we are in the mix at the end of the year I think that is great. If we make it, that would just be the cherry on top.

 

[Weltschmerz]

had to google because I didn't know the meaning

found this picture

 

[Butt Ox]

I still don't see playoffs this year. We'll likely be in it for a good long while.....but we're too young and too inconsistent to make a real run this year.

Too soft as well. Postseason will be a learning process, just like winning games again was.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

88 points and not being out of the playoffs by the end of the calendar year is the playoffs for me.

 

[BUCKSHOT]

Delete this!! Delete it quick!!!

Its like mentioning a shutout with 10 minutes left.

first thread to 'ignore' status for me ....

Let's talk about this around Presidents week (in February)

Keep in mind, management has stated playoffs are NOT a must this season (this is another building season)

 

[WhereAreTheCookies]

88 points and not being out of the playoffs by the end of the calendar year is the playoffs for me.

Kind of where I'm at also. If they can remain competitive the entire season, and we see growth along with management in the offseason taking the steps to get over the hump next season that's almost as good as the playoffs for me.

We see the holes, if those holes remain there at the end of the season with no internal solutions, make the moves you need to do to fill them for next year to give them a real chance.

 

[Doug Prishpreed]

Kind of where I'm at also. If they can remain competitive the entire season, and we see growth along with management in the offseason taking the steps to get over the hump next season that's almost as good as the playoffs for me.

We see the holes, if those holes remain there at the end of the season with no internal solutions, make the moves you need to do to fill them for next year to give them a real chance.

Adams won't do a rental, so a longer term trade is the only option, which is more difficult.

 

[2 others]

Atlantic top 3 should be set with Boston and Toronto and Tampa.

No way Tampa is a lock, i see them more around a wildcard spot +/- 1
I think it's pretty wide open, with only a few teams on the safe side. I remember the laughs i got when i said the Devils are on a downtrend, and look where they might be heading now (down 1 goal against the Canes right now, with a tough schedule ahead).
So much can change within weeks, injuries can pile up, goalies go hot and cold.

 

[Deevo]

Has a team ever led the league in GF & missed the playoffs?