Can the Buffalo Sabres Pull Off a Miracle? PLAYOFFS?

Can the Buffalo Sabres Pull Off a Miracle? PLAYOFFS?

What’s going on ladies and gentlemen it’s Cal here from Buffalo sports center it’s been a season it has sure been a season for this Buffalo Sabers team from disappointing pretty much all the way to the trade deadline to then having a mini run where uko pakalin and

Looked like the best goalie in the league to now again seemingly out of the mix let’s talk about how this Buffalo Sabers team can and even if they still have a shot to make the playoffs so first things first here let’s look at the current wild card picture Tampa Bay

Is the number one seed in the wild card with 80 points good luck catching them it’s going to be tough the Sabers got just over 10 games to do it the second and final seed in that wild card right now is the Detroit Red Wings at 76 points now the Savers find themselves

With 71 points at the time of this recording so I mean you look at it they’re Five Points out it’s possible mathematically they’re far from eliminated but it’s going to be tough because it’s not just a three- team Race we got the Islanders with 73 points the

Capitals with 75 points you go below the Sabers the Devils have 70 points the Pittsburgh Penguins have 69 points and I think the biggest thing going against the Savers right now is games played you look at teams like the capitals only 67 games played at the time of this

Recording I believe they do play the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight though so we’ll see what happens there the Sabers really could use a Toronto win in that one you look at the Islanders 68 games played at the time of this recording the Savers have 70 games played so they’re

Going to need a lot of losses from these teams ahead of them and the Sabers are going to have to go near perfect the rest of the way to do it but they can do it right I mean we just had a big loss against Vancouver but overall the Sabers

Have looked like a great team in the last 20 or so games the issue is you look at that Vancouver loss and that’s been the Savers pretty much half this season I mean this team is so hit or miss it it just seems every night we

Don’t know what to expect from this team now I got to say great great move by Kevin Adams to go get Bo Byam at the trade deadline he has been fantastic you know paired with dalen it was really making the power play look better and he was just playing

Great you know was getting some goals right off the bat but all of a sudden the power play looks bad you know he had a couple Bad Games denene was kind of shaky with him for a couple games there too but overall it was a good trade uh

Again we wish Casey middle at the best in Colorado but Bo Byam he looks like the real deal and he’s so young too so I’m definitely happy with that trade and that gives me hope for the future because let me tell you before the trade deadline this season looked like a

Complete bust maybe not anymore and hey you never know you could still sign Casey midad to an offer sheet in the offseason but I digress let’s get back to the playoff talk I mean again it’s going to be tough 12 games left for the Sabers you know when I’m talking here

Right now we got 12 games left and it’s going to be tough it is going to be tough that’s the that’s the only word to really describe it tough you’re going to need UK pacal Lucan and to keep playing like he is he’s going to have to play

Pretty much every game left down the stretch Devon Levi maybe gets one or two of those games I thought he looked fantastic against the Canucks unfortunately the Savers just couldn’t put up goals for him and you know scoring one goal I guess they scored two you know but the last one really doesn’t

Count so you know you you don’t put up a lot of goals for your goalie he only lets in two goals that’s not on him I believe it was around six or seven goals expected against him I mean that’s crazy to have a game where six or seven goals

Are expected against you and Devon Levi only allowed two so the Sabers goal ending has been great I believe statistically it’s fifth best in the league I mean what a turnaround from last year you look at last year’s team and we can only wish we got this version

Of ukap pakalin and if this version of UPL played last year the Sabers would have finished top three in the Atlantic all day long I mean the way they were scoring last year it’s just incredible how things have flipped again we can blame coaching we can blame certain

Players you know it’s tough to blame coaching when every single player seems to be you know not hitting their strides but also maybe it is coaching maybe it is the system it something’s got to change with this team because it it’s It’s just tough it it looks looks like

It’s going to be another year without playoffs um you know the Sabers got to finish this West Coast trip with two wins against the Oilers and the flames and if that doesn’t happen good luck even making the playoffs if they manage to do that you got a little bit of an

Easy stretch I think ottawa’s in there some other easier teams but then you finish off in Florida against you know the lightning who like I mentioned are in that wild card spot above you and then against the Panthers who are currently second in the Atlantic um with

94 points tied with the Rangers for in the East so yeah it’s going to be a tough stretch down the rest of the way but if the Savers are going to do it let’s talk about the keys to making the playoffs number one I already said it

Ukap pakal lcan and has to continue to play at a vzna level he he he has to let in two or fewer goals pretty much the rest of the way cuz the Sabers team does not score goals it is infuriating that some nights they look like last year

Where they scor you know six seven goals and you know they just play fantastic and we’re like oh we’re back we’re back and then some nights they do the opposite and they put up one goal no goals they get shut out to you know backup goalies and a nightly I mean what

Is going on with this team right it it’s just absolutely infuriating but that’s number one number two the opposite score goals shoot the puck I mean you look at the game against Vancouver 10 shots through two periods on Casey the Smith a backup goalie it it’s just infuriating

That cannot happen so you have to shoot every shot you don’t shoot shoot is not going to be a goal I mean simple as that but you know to counter my point there the Sabres have had quite a few games where they’ve outshot their opponents this year and still haven’t been able to

Finish and that’s been the number one issue right this team can’t score they can’t finish it’s not a talent thing we saw them do it last year they’re just not getting the luck not getting the bounces it is what it is and my third and final Point here for the Savers team

To make the playoffs is that power play it’s got to get going it this is just it it’s I’m I’m speechless I I don’t have really anything to say about this power play besides it is pathetic it’s pathetic I I’ve never seen a power play unit so infuriating so useless in my

Life I mean it it’s every time we go to a power play I sit there and I’m like oh boy here we go the other team’s going to get all the momentum because not only do the Sabers not shoot the puck on the power play it’s one-dimensional and you

Look at teams like the capitals for example who have been doing the same power play for years get it to a vkin get it to a vkin the Sabers tried to emulate that with Tage Thompson and once in a while it works oh once in a while

Will’ll switch it up with the second unit force feed Olson try to get that one timer but the Savers team they can’t handle passes they simply cannot handle passes and that’s been a huge issue with this power play and the power play simply just does not score and most of

The time ends up giving up a goal or giving up all momentum they just built to get the power play so power plays got to get going that’s my third and final third and final take here so thank you guys for watching this one hopefully the Savers can make it and peace out

Cal discusses how the Sabres can keep their slim playoff hopes alive as we near the end of the 2023/24 season.

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