Dr. Lecter
03-16-2011, 05:36 AM
When they joined at center ice and saluted the late Rick Martin after a big victory on an emotional evening Sunday, you could practically feel the Sabres were on the cusp of something far greater than seventh place in the Eastern Conference. There was a sense they had arrived and were preparing for something special.
OK, now what?
The Sabres had been knocked down, dragged around, booed off the ice, ripped by the media and left for dead less than three months ago and still managed to climb back into the playoff race. For all they endured this season, it wasn't as if their 1-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes would send them crying in the corner.
"If we react too much to it, we'll start going in the wrong direction," goaltender Ryan Miller said afterward in a quiet dressing room. "We have to have the right kind of reaction, which is [that] it's not good enough. We're all disappointed, but this is no time to have your spirit broken by a game."
Praise them for their good work, but they know darned well this job is hardly near completion. They're down to a dozen games remaining on the schedule and have a two-point lead over the stubborn Canes for eighth place. It appears they're one of six teams fighting for two playoff spots going into the final stretch.
Heck, that's an accomplishment.
Count me among the many who thought they were cooked long ago. They woke up New Year's Day with a 15-18-4 record. The math alone invited doubt about their chances. They needed a 25-14-6 record or better to reach 90 points, the average point total of eighth-place teams in the Eastern Conference since the lockout.
Well, they're 19-10-4 since Jan. 1. The Sabres were 10 points out of the final playoff spot Jan. 18. Many teams would have folded. What you see now is a resourceful team finding the right chemistry and providing the necessary effort in big games. Lindy Ruff figured after the game Tuesday they needed to go 7-5 to reach the playoffs. That would give them 90 points, well within their grasp.
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bucky-gleason/article368084.ece
OK, now what?
The Sabres had been knocked down, dragged around, booed off the ice, ripped by the media and left for dead less than three months ago and still managed to climb back into the playoff race. For all they endured this season, it wasn't as if their 1-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes would send them crying in the corner.
"If we react too much to it, we'll start going in the wrong direction," goaltender Ryan Miller said afterward in a quiet dressing room. "We have to have the right kind of reaction, which is [that] it's not good enough. We're all disappointed, but this is no time to have your spirit broken by a game."
Praise them for their good work, but they know darned well this job is hardly near completion. They're down to a dozen games remaining on the schedule and have a two-point lead over the stubborn Canes for eighth place. It appears they're one of six teams fighting for two playoff spots going into the final stretch.
Heck, that's an accomplishment.
Count me among the many who thought they were cooked long ago. They woke up New Year's Day with a 15-18-4 record. The math alone invited doubt about their chances. They needed a 25-14-6 record or better to reach 90 points, the average point total of eighth-place teams in the Eastern Conference since the lockout.
Well, they're 19-10-4 since Jan. 1. The Sabres were 10 points out of the final playoff spot Jan. 18. Many teams would have folded. What you see now is a resourceful team finding the right chemistry and providing the necessary effort in big games. Lindy Ruff figured after the game Tuesday they needed to go 7-5 to reach the playoffs. That would give them 90 points, well within their grasp.
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bucky-gleason/article368084.ece