DiCesare makes several good points

[Dr. Lecter]

Here are few I liked. Most won't agree with the 2nd one.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/80687.html

• It’ll be interesting to see what the free-agent market holds for Dainius Zubrus. He went through the playoffs without a goal after producing a careerhigh 24 in the regular season, 20 of them in Washington with Alexander Ovechkin on his wing. Does that warrant big money? Can’t see him getting too much more than this year’s $1.875 million, which could be good news for the Sabres.
There’s not a winger on the team close to matching Zubrus’ work ethic and effectiveness along the boards. The Sabres need a couple more like him. I mean, a line of Chris Drury centering Tim Connolly and Derek Roy looks good on paper, but it doesn’t look so good in the corners.

I can’t buy into the notion that the Sabres underachieved. Maxed out is more like it. Forget about the Presidents’ Trophy and the illusion of supremacy it creates. Ottawa was five points better than Buffalo from Dec. 1 through the end of the regular season while playing two fewer games. The Sens won the regular season series, 5-3, outscoring the Sabres, 33-25. When they met in the playoffs the better team won. And
when the better team wins it’s not because the lesser team underachieved. The Sens went into the series absurdly under-regarded in this town.

[SabreEleven]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

That was a truthful but depressing article...

[MikeInRoch]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

Absolutely truthful. It disgusts me when local fans act as if their team should win the championship, and if they don't they need to find something (or many things) to blame. Anyone who seriously thought the percentage chance that Buffalo would win the cup this year (from the start of the playoffs) was above even 20% is delusional. No team in the NHL should have a percentage that high this year.

[SabreEleven]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

Absolutely truthful. It disgusts me when local fans act as if their team should win the championship, and if they don't they need to find something (or many things) to blame. Anyone who seriously thought the percentage chance that Buffalo would win the cup this year (from the start of the playoffs) was above even 20% is delusional. No team in the NHL should have a percentage that high this year.

So you are ok with your teams being medicore? I expect the Sabres to win the Cup every year and expect nothing less.

[MikeInRoch]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

Hope and expect are far from the same thing. I very much want the Sabres to win the championship. I dream of the feeling that one of my teams finally breaks through and takes the big one.

However, to 'expect' implies that you think, on the average, they should win it. Expecting it to happen is not rational. Delusional fans give a bad name to us all.

[Ebenezer]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

ya mean some people are starting to realize that Ottawa was the better team and it wasn't that the Sabres just mailed it in and quit? blasphemy.

[Philagape]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

The Sabres did not play their best. Indisputable.

When the Sabres play their best, they can beat anyone.

[camelcowboy]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

ya mean some people are starting to realize that Ottawa was the better team and it wasn't that the Sabres just mailed it in and quit? blasphemy.

You guys can say it till your blue in the face, i watched the same games you did, from the New York Islander series to the Ranger series this team was on auto pilot. The ONLY time you saw the sabres "show up was games 4-5 of the Ottawa series when elimination was on the line. Because i saw them dive head first to clear pucks, check, crash the net i saw none of the "selling out" any where else in the playoffs. If they played like they did in games 4-5 in the first 3 games they would have not lost 3 games in a row. Ottawa was the better team because they wanted it more, because i have seen the same cast Spezza, Heatly, and Alfie play the same way buffalo did this series. Doesn't mean there any less talented, just not as motivated.

[chernobylwraiths]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

Hope and expect are far from the same thing. I very much want the Sabres to win the championship. I dream of the feeling that one of my teams finally breaks through and takes the big one.

However, to 'expect' implies that you think, on the average, they should win it. Expecting it to happen is not rational. Delusional fans give a bad name to us all.

Just call me Mr. Delusional. They didn't get the Presidents Trophy handed to them. They won more games than anyone else. Ottawa had played better from December 1st, but that's not when the season starts. Anybody who thinks this series is still over in 5 if the team plays the whole series the way they did in games 4 and 5 is delusional IMO.

The Sabres are what they were made to be from the time free agency started. They lost guys like Grier and McKee (and to a lesser extent Dumont) because they refused to see the writing on the wall earlier. Regier had sad before Briere's arbitration hearing that he basically knew what the end result was, yet he didn't do too much to prevent it. He lowballed McKee and I think THAT is why Grier decided to go to San Jose instead of taking our offer. He said something to the effect of he didn't like the direction of the team when he left.

I just hope Drury doesn't feel the same way. If I were Darcy and Lindy, besides making him an offer he can't refuse, I would ask him his advice on who he thinks should stay and who he thinks we should try to bring in.

[SabreEleven]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

It is delusional to expect a team (besides all the accompllishment's Cher mentioned) who was one series away from the Finals to win the Cup?

I think not.

Now it is delusional to expect the Bills to win the SuperBowl next year? Yes, because they haven't done **** in 7 years.

[Cleve]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

Ottawa clearly looked to be the superior team in the series. Their puck handling/passing was crisp and precise - unlike the Sabres who seemed to lose control of the puck a LOT more than Ottawa did. And the Sabre's power play was poor compared to Ottawa's. I was surprised in Game 5 that in at least two Buffalo power plays the Senators were able to force the game play to Buffalo's end of the ice, and put Buffalo on the defensive.

A couple of moments that seemed significant to me - at one point, a Buffalo player ended up down on the ice against the boards, with an Ottawa player jabbing and poking at him trying to get at the puck. I don't recall the players, and I've already erased the game (for obvious reasons). It seemed to go on forever - and I'm thinking at the time - Where is the TEAM? They should have been stomping that Ottawa player for disrespect. If I was on a team like that, I'd want some PAYBACK. But there was none.

The other moment - a Sabres defenseman was clearly outsprinted by an Ottawa player, who overtook and passed the Sabre player in pursuit of the puck. What should have been an icing became an Ottawa offensive play as a result.

It just didn't seem like the Sabres were really into the game - or if they thought they were entitled to the win because of their regular season record.

[Michael82]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

The Sabres did not play their best. Indisputable.

When the Sabres play their best, they can beat anyone.

I totally agree!

[Michael82]

Re: DiCesare makes several good points

You guys can say it till your blue in the face, i watched the same games you did, from the New York Islander series to the Ranger series this team was on auto pilot. The ONLY time you saw the sabres "show up was games 4-5 of the Ottawa series when elimination was on the line. Because i saw them dive head first to clear pucks, check, crash the net i saw none of the "selling out" any where else in the playoffs. If they played like they did in games 4-5 in the first 3 games they would have not lost 3 games in a row. Ottawa was the better team because they wanted it more, because i have seen the same cast Spezza, Heatly, and Alfie play the same way buffalo did this series. Doesn't mean there any less talented, just not as motivated.

Excellent post! I will say that they also "turned it on" when the Rangers gave them a fight. For Game 5 and Game 6, they were MUCH better than games 1-4.