Buffalo Rick Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Things can only get better when Jack Eichel and Evander Kane return. We know that. So right now, and given the miraculous save by Lehner last night and the very good play of his back up, the Sabres are looking like a team so far that can compete for a low seed. I realize it could fall apart quickly but I do not see that happening if we get Jack back in a decent time frame. I would expect to see him on the Ice before Xmas. If that is asking too much, do tell me. But do you really think its going to be March? Or beyond? I cannot see that with an ankle sprain at his age. Their record is better than I expected given the absence of Jack and also Kane. I do not know what is up with Kane? If we can keep him out of jail he might be a player in this. Lets just say, we are one point back of the 500 Flyers with two games in hand. So to most of the readers here that are Flyer fans, their is a comparison. Their differential is pretty much the same as ours. We are at 0. They are at -1. You look at the Columbus game where they shocked the hockey world and beat the team with the best record in the NHL 10-0. Now there is parity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Eichel is a very good player. Why you're including Kane in this conversation I have no idea. Missing Eichel AND Kane almost evens itself out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samifan Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 The best thing the Sabres can do is NOT RUSH Eichel back into the line-up. The East seems wide open this year, in terms of the wildcards. The Sabres, despite their struggles to score goals are right in the mix and will only benefit if he returns healthy. I'm not sure Kane offers much if/when he comes back. If he plays well I think Murray will look to take advantage of it and ship him out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 1 hour ago, flyercanuck said: Eichel is a very good player. Why you're including Kane in this conversation I have no idea. Missing Eichel AND Kane almost evens itself out. My first thought was "Well, maybe you're being a little hard on Kane." No. No, you're not. Not at all. I took a look at everybody (30 in total) who has played at 200 minutes with Kane since he came into the league, to see if they do better with or without him on the ice. GF/60: 19 did better with Kane than without. It's an ok number, though certainly not great. Top players will zoom their teammates more than that. GA/60: This was a disaster: 24 out of the 30 players did worse defensively with Kane than without him. GF%: This is bad as well, and in the most important area. Once again, 18 out of 30 teammates did worse with Kane than when they were away from him. With him, they average only 44% of the goals yielded on the ice, but away they account for 49%. We're talking about a difference of about 5 wins worth over 82 games. God... Whatever they can get for him, they should get it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 Watching a bit of Bruins-Sabres in between my TB game here... Bruins are leading 4-0, are agitating, outplaying, and just generally dictating the game over the Sabres in the 3rd period. Competitive Sabres without the aforementioned thread title players? Sure. They have been. But it's games like this one against the Bruins which pretty much show WHY the Sabres are not yet ready for post season contention: They get behind by more than two goals or so, and their lack of consistent goal scoring shines on through. On top of that, a battle tested veteran team like Boston will rub salt in the wound by trying to take the younger Sabres OUT of their games (I.E. no comebacks) with extracurricular activities. I know its only one game for the Sabres here against the Bruins, and I don't suggest Buffalo should be defined by this one game, but what I AM saying is, games like this will likely be more common for Buffalo and their fans to have to deal with. And unless Buffalo can solve the consistent scoring problem, it's these types of games that will keep them out of the post season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TropicalFruitGirl26 Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 Well, guys. Looks like Evander Kane will be back in Buffalo's lineup tonight, thus increasing the Sabres' overall competitiveness. Fans should be very happy and I believe coach Bylsma will want to get EVERYTHING he can out of Kane before he either: A) Strains, tears, or breaks something else or B) He grabs another woman by the ponytail, thus ending up in the hoosegow for the remainder of the season. Good luck with that, Sabre fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 Just to be fair...his greatest moment.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 Now back to reality... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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