Speculation: Predict Buffalo's October 2018 Record

[hizzoner]

3-2 -7 Their schedule is brutal for a young team with 10 new players in the lineup.

 

[GellMann]

I feel like a hockey strength of schedule, especially considered as granular as per-month, doesn't really fluctuate. Especially in a month where we start with 4 straight home games. If it looks hard it's because our team has sucked for most of the last decade.

The Sabres are going to beat the Preds/Leafs/Knights/Sharks etc. this year, not all of them, but they're getting wins against these teams, and they're losing games to Ottawa/MTL/Vancouver etc.

 

[Team Cozens]

7-4-1


4- vs Boston Bruins WIN (back to back for Bruins)

6- vs NY Rangers WIN

8- vs Vegas Golden Knights WIN

11- vs Colorado Avalanche LOSS

13- at Arizona Coyotes WIN

16- at Vegas Golden Knights OTL

18- at San Jose Sharks LOSS

20- at LA Kings LOSS

21- at Anaheim Ducks WIN

25- vs Montreal Canadiens WIN

27- at Columbus Blue Jackets LOSS

30- vs Calgary Flames WIN

 

[Team Cozens]

7-4-1.

Start the season 5-0, a shootout win in there to really show that this is a new team.

Same.

 

[Gabrielor]

I may take a mulligan. I perceived a slightly different lineup.

 

[Sabre the Win]

As of around 5:30 today my optimism for this season has completely gone.

2-9-1

If Botterill and Housley lose their jobs over the demotions because they can't put a winner together due to Botterill signing or trading for too many road blocks on the roster they deserve whatever comes to them.

 

[RogerCroziersGhost]

7-9, oh wait that is football

I think the Sabres will be slightly below .500

 

[5 Minute Major]

6-5-1

 

[5 Minute Major]

As of around 5:30 today my optimism for this season has completely gone.

2-9-1

If Botterill and Housley lose their jobs over the demotions because they can't put a winner together due to Botterill signing or trading for too many road blocks on the roster they deserve whatever comes to them.

Who was demoted? Jack Eichel? Dahlin? Ristolainen?

t

 

[Sabre the Win]

Who was demoted? Jack Eichel? Dahlin? Ristolainen?

Asplund, Pilut, Nylander after a good camp.

 

[Snippit]

Asplund, Pilut, Nylander after a good camp.

Has Nylander actually been demoted yet?

 

[Sabre the Win]

Has Nylander actually been demoted yet?

He is better than at least 3 or 4 other wingers on this current roster.

 

[GellMann]

If those three players are truly the difference between being optimistic for the season and having no hope, then they are so good that they'll play their way back up within two weeks, and then it won't be an issue anyway.

 

[Snippit]

He is better than at least 3 or 4 other wingers on this current roster.

Just saw that he was sent down...I'm disgusted.

 

[Sabre the Win]

If those three players are truly the difference between being optimistic for the season and having no hope, then they are so good that they'll play their way back up within two weeks, and then it won't be an issue anyway.

This is a real good story, if there is no room now on the roster how are they magically going to play their way back up? an injury? so they have to earn their call up on the hope of someone being injured on the roster?

Also those 3 guys can boost an overall roster, those 3 guys are definitely difference makers over Pomminville, Okposo, Berglund, Bogosian, Sobotka, Tennyson, Beaulieu. Do you honestly think just Dahlin and Thompson can change our woes from last season? If you do, than you should have no problem thinking those 3 could do the same thing.

Reinhart and Eichel couldn't carry this team last year with O'Reilly and Berglund and Sobotka are the not the difference to fill the gap that O'Reilly made when he was ripped away by management.

Essentially the team makeup is the exact same except maybe worse.

The X Factors: Skinner and Sheary, except Sheary doesn't have a good center to play with, struggling Mittlestadt or Berglund is his choice and Skinner is essentially replacing Kane's production.

 

[GellMann]

This is a real good story, if there is no room now on the roster how are they magically going to play their way back up? an injury? so they have to earn their call up on the hope of someone being injured on the roster?

Also those 3 guys can boost an overall roster, those 3 guys are definitely difference makers over Pomminville, Okposo, Berglund, Bogosian, Sobotka, Tennyson, Beaulieu. Do you honestly think just Dahlin and Thompson can change our woes from last season? If you do, than you should have no problem thinking those 3 could do the same thing.

Reinhart and Eichel couldn't carry this team last year with O'Reilly and Berglund and Sobotka are the not the difference to fill the gap that O'Reilly made when he was ripped away by management.

Essentially the team makeup is the exact same except maybe worse.

The X Factors: Skinner and Sheary, except Sheary doesn't have a good center to play with, struggling Mittlestadt or Berglund is his choice and Skinner is essentially replacing Kane's production.

Well first of all, literally any team any year has all kinds of injuries, so it's not a matter of hoping, it's a matter of when we have to start digging into our depth. And the answer is usually within a couple/few weeks.

Second of all, we have no proof of your second paragraph w.r.t. any of those guys, especially Asplund, who was exposed when Pittsburgh's NHLers were half-assing their way to domination against us, rightfully so. He was in over his head at that point, and it was pretty clear to me at least that he needs a bit of seasoning before he's ready for a full-time jump. And that's totally fine and expected. The fact is, the couple games of ~18 minutes of ice time we got to watch from these guys in the preseason really aren't as indicative of as much as we'd think, and recalling preseason warrior Derek Grant from two years ago should be enough to dissuade those notions.

Now, I would have kept both Pilut and Nylander from what I've seen, which includes about 4 of the 7 games and zero seconds of practice time. However, in the most recent real hockey Alex has played, he was benched because of his effort and intensity. I have zero issue with the coaching staff saying "great camp Alex, go and show us it's for real and you'll be back before you know it." That's hardly the worst adversity he's going to face in the next three months, much less his career if it's any career worth caring about. I have zero issue with them wanting Pilut, who is a good player but who also had more growing pains than I ever saw mentioned on this forum in the preseason games to go with his exciting bits of promise, to spend some time seasoning at 22 years old as well. They'll all be up sometime soon (maybe a little later for Asplund) and, like I said, it'll be really goddamn soon if their effect is so strong as to turn the tide of the season.

There are enough young kids in the lineup that I'm not melting down the way I would if Tage and Casey followed these guys to the AHL. as of now, this to me looks like a decent setup, if slightly marginally worse (again, we have no real game proof of this at all) than it could be for the first couple of weeks.

And FTR, I don't believe Dahlin and Thompson will be doing a huge amount to make us a better team (they do make us a better team, it's the degree which I'd disagree with probably plenty of people) until later on in the season, which is part of why I was one of the people gutted by the ROR trade

 

[struckbyaparkedcar]

They went 3-7-2 to start last season against a similar slate, and will probably get better goaltending. I'll say 4-5.3.

 

[cybresabre]

Hilarious that so many people think we could to lose to San Jose.

 

[GellMann]

Hilarious that so many people think we could to lose to San Jose.

It's the pesky @ in front of their name. IIRC, the SJ dominance is purely an in-Buffalo-thing.

 

[cybresabre]

It's the pesky @ in front of their name. IIRC, the SJ dominance is purely an in-Buffalo-thing.

It seems like it's a thing of the past all the way around.
They got us in Buffalo and San Jose last year.
We split the year before, winning in Buffalo losing in California,
and we beat them in San Jose, but lost in Buffalo if we go back another year.

We took both games in the 54 point 2014-2015 season.
We won both games in 2013-2014. They were given a reprieve due to the lockout and missed us.
We won the only game in 2011-2012.
We won both games in 2010-2011.

 

[HaNotsri]

Last year we went 4-7-2.
Everything is basically down to Casey being ready or not.

My guess 3-8-1

 

[old kummelweck]

4-8-0

Yeah, not going to be pretty. That west coast trip right out of the gate will be critical.

 

[Jim Bob]

Yeah, not going to be pretty. That west coast trip right out of the gate will be critical.

Historically, the Sabres have struggled on the west coast road trip.

It is tough that they have it so early in the season.

 

[Fezzy126]

4- vs Boston Bruins (OTL)

6- vs NY Rangers (W)

8- vs Vegas Golden Knights (L)

11- vs Colorado Avalanche (W)

13- at Arizona Coyotes (L)

16- at Vegas Golden Knights (L)

18- at San Jose Sharks (L)

20- at LA Kings (OTL)

21- at Anaheim Ducks (W)

25- vs Montreal Canadiens (L)

27- at Columbus Blue Jackets (L)

30- vs Calgary Flames (W)

4-6-2

Lack of chemistry + western road trip = mediocre start.

 

[Fearnot]

12-0-0 I might be a bit premature but I honestly believe this team might never lose a game again.