Playoff Chances

There are about 16 games left in the 2011-2012 NHL regular season, and for some teams their season will be finished after those games. But no fanbase likes to admit their teams are out of the postseason, so let's take a look at the teams currently sitting outside the playoffs and their chances of making the playoffs.

Washington Capitals currently have a 42.2% chance of making the playoffs.
The Capitals currently have the best odds of making the postseason, as they sit in 9th just 1 point out. To limp into the playoffs the Capitals only need to win 8 of their next 19 games going; 8-8-3 to have a little over 50% chance. Just for the fun of it let's go deeper; if the Capitals finish 10-5-4 they will have a whopping 99% chance of being in the playoffs. The Capitals are more than likely to make the playoffs, if I was a betting person I'd bet on them making the playoffs.

Toronto Maple Leafs currently have a 19.3% chance of making the playoffs.
The Leafs are just 3 points back in 12th and behind the Sabres. The Leafs still stand a better chance of making the postseason than the Sabres. They need to go 11-4-3 to have a 58% chance of making the playoffs, if the Leafs finish with that record they stand a 49% chance of finishing in 8th.

Tampa Bay Lightning currently have a 20.2% chance of making the playoffs.
Funny how all the teams near the Sabres in the standings have better chances of making the playoffs.
The Lightning are sitting in 10th 2 points back of 8th. They would have to finish 12-5-2 (Just like the Sabres) to have a 65% chance of making the playoffs.

Buffalo Sabres currently have a 14.1% chance of making the playoffs.
The Sabres need to finish the season 12-5-2 to have just over 50% chance of making the playoffs. Where as if they go 12-4-3 their chances go up to 70%.
It's a tall task but based on the way Ryan Miller and the Sabres have been playing it is possible. The Sabres are 5-0-1 in their last 6 games, including back to back shutouts by Miller, if this continues there should be no problems sneaking into the playoffs. Right now the Sabres are just 2 points back and sitting in 10th.

Carolina Hurricanes currently have a 1% chance of making the playoffs.
Now I'm all for optimism and what not but let's be real, the Canes are not going to make the make the playoffs this year. They would have to go 13-3-2 and still have less than 50% chance! The Hurricanes are sitting in 14th 8 points back of 8th.

Montreal Canadians currently have a 0.1% chance of making the playoffs.
There is something seriously wrong with the Canadians this season, they've lost their mojo or whatever they had! They are not the same Canadians they used to be! To have a 60% chance of making it the Canadians have to go 14-1-2 anything less and it drops to a 38%. Montreal Canadians are currently 15th in the East, 10 points out and 28th in the league.

New York Islanders currently have a 0.8% chance of making the playoffs.
The Islanders are by far out of the Playoffs and may even be able to lock up a lottery pick. Having to go 14-3-1 to finish with a 62% chance. Sadly for Islanders fans that is not going to happen! Currently 13th in the East 5 points out, and 26th in the league!
All stats from Sports Club Stats....... all numbers from Monday March 5th.


Just for fun, we'll see who has the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup;

Boston Bruins have a 21.1% of winning the Stanley Cup
There is a very Strong chance the Boston Bruins will repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Bruins are currently 2nd in East.

New York Rangers have a 20.1% chance of winning the Stanley Cup
For me personally the Rangers came out of no where and have dominated the East, I don't think there's been a point in the season where the Rangers were slumping! Rangers are currently 1st in the East and 2nd in the entire league!!! Their only weakness is goal scoring and with the players on their roster that could change in a hurry. Besides with King Henrick, who needs more than a couple of goals anyway?

Vancouver Canucks have 16.4% chance of Winning the Cup
Not going to lie here, never been a fan of the Canucks, so I'd prefer them not winning the cup. They are currently in 1st place in the entire league!

These are the Stats folks take them or leave them, but the numbers don't lie! Some of the records teams need to finish with are going to be some daunting tasks, but this might be one of the most exciting playoff races the East has seen in years!

Playoff Chances

There are about 16 games left in the 2011-2012 NHL regular season, and for some teams their season will be finished after those games. But no fanbase likes to admit their teams are out of the postseason, so let's take a look at the teams currently sitting outside the playoffs and their chances of making the playoffs.

Washington Capitals currently have a 42.2% chance of making the playoffs.
The Capitals currently have the best odds of making the postseason, as they sit in 9th just 1 point out. To limp into the playoffs the Capitals only need to win 8 of their next 19 games going; 8-8-3 to have a little over 50% chance. Just for the fun of it let's go deeper; if the Capitals finish 10-5-4 they will have a whopping 99% chance of being in the playoffs. The Capitals are more than likely to make the playoffs, if I was a betting person I'd bet on them making the playoffs.

Toronto Maple Leafs currently have a 19.3% chance of making the playoffs.
The Leafs are just 3 points back in 12th and behind the Sabres. The Leafs still stand a better chance of making the postseason than the Sabres. They need to go 11-4-3 to have a 58% chance of making the playoffs, if the Leafs finish with that record they stand a 49% chance of finishing in 8th.

Tampa Bay Lightning currently have a 20.2% chance of making the playoffs.
Funny how all the teams near the Sabres in the standings have better chances of making the playoffs.
The Lightning are sitting in 10th 2 points back of 8th. They would have to finish 12-5-2 (Just like the Sabres) to have a 65% chance of making the playoffs.

Buffalo Sabres currently have a 14.1% chance of making the playoffs.
The Sabres need to finish the season 12-5-2 to have just over 50% chance of making the playoffs. Where as if they go 12-4-3 their chances go up to 70%.
It's a tall task but based on the way Ryan Miller and the Sabres have been playing it is possible. The Sabres are 5-0-1 in their last 6 games, including back to back shutouts by Miller, if this continues there should be no problems sneaking into the playoffs. Right now the Sabres are just 2 points back and sitting in 10th.

Carolina Hurricanes currently have a 1% chance of making the playoffs.
Now I'm all for optimism and what not but let's be real, the Canes are not going to make the make the playoffs this year. They would have to go 13-3-2 and still have less than 50% chance! The Hurricanes are sitting in 14th 8 points back of 8th.

Montreal Canadians currently have a 0.1% chance of making the playoffs.
There is something seriously wrong with the Canadians this season, they've lost their mojo or whatever they had! They are not the same Canadians they used to be! To have a 60% chance of making it the Canadians have to go 14-1-2 anything less and it drops to a 38%. Montreal Canadians are currently 15th in the East, 10 points out and 28th in the league.

New York Islanders currently have a 0.8% chance of making the playoffs.
The Islanders are by far out of the Playoffs and may even be able to lock up a lottery pick. Having to go 14-3-1 to finish with a 62% chance. Sadly for Islanders fans that is not going to happen! Currently 13th in the East 5 points out, and 26th in the league!
All stats from Sports Club Stats....... all numbers from Monday March 5th.


Just for fun, we'll see who has the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup;

Boston Bruins have a 21.1% of winning the Stanley Cup
There is a very Strong chance the Boston Bruins will repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Bruins are currently 2nd in East.

New York Rangers have a 20.1% chance of winning the Stanley Cup
For me personally the Rangers came out of no where and have dominated the East, I don't think there's been a point in the season where the Rangers were slumping! Rangers are currently 1st in the East and 2nd in the entire league!!! Their only weakness is goal scoring and with the players on their roster that could change in a hurry. Besides with King Henrick, who needs more than a couple of goals anyway?

Vancouver Canucks have 16.4% chance of Winning the Cup
Not going to lie here, never been a fan of the Canucks, so I'd prefer them not winning the cup. They are currently in 1st place in the entire league!

These are the Stats folks take them or leave them, but the numbers don't lie! Some of the records teams need to finish with are going to be some daunting tasks, but this might be one of the most exciting playoff races the East has seen in years!

#FireWilson

Last night while watching the Blackhawks vs Senators, news broke the Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Ron Wilson and replaced him with Randy Carlyle. Right away I turned on twitter to see if it was true and to see the reactions of Leafsnation, I don't know how Leafsnation didn't break twitter! But nevertheless Brian Burke fired long time friend Ron Wilson as he just wasn't getting the job done in Toronto.

Wilson was given a 4 year deal on June 10th 2008, by interim GM Cliff Fletcher. The 4 year deal was worth $5.6 million. To Wilson's credit he lasted most of his 4 years behind the bench in Toronto no easy task. During his 4 year tenure with the Leafs he failed to lead the team to the playoffs in 3 straight seasons, and was on pace to again miss the playoffs, which would bring the Leafs playoff drought to 7 years. Something had to give, with Leafs fans calling for Wilson's head, the Leafs one game above .500, and a couple of lackluster games by the Leafs, Brian Burke had no choice to pull the plug on his head coach and longtime friend. Wilson coach 310 games with the Leafs only winning 130 and as previously stated he failed to make the post season in 3 straight seasons. Some are saying this is the most dramatic firing of a Leafs coach since Pat Burns was fired on the plane ride home 16 years ago. Wilson was in Montreal with the team and even led practice on Friday morning.

There is a lot of speculation this was a spur of the moment decision by Burke, saying the decision was made Friday or Thursday evening. But Sportsnet radio 590 claimed Burke had made the choice to fire Wilson Wednesday/Thursday morning, but kept his decision quite until he found a replacement. Although I'm not sure if the story is true, it's certainly interesting!

After receiving a contract extension in December, Wilson supposedly lost control of the players, and he started "throwing them under the bus" in the media. Some players were beginning to speak out against him. It's the same situation that happened in Washington, the players shutout the coach and the coach got the short end of the stick. Now I'm not saying Wilson was doing a fantastic job coaching the Leafs by any means, but it was a decision that was inevitable, the players made sure of it! Wilson was often critiqued of not showing any emotion coaching behind the bench. But whatever happened, many including Burke believe that this group of Maple Leafs is good enough to make it to the playoffs, and under the coaching of Ron Wilson that just wasn't happening. Whether you like Ron Wilson or not, he is a good if not great coach! He's one of only 7 other coaches to win at least 600 games, tied for 4th with 18 seasons as a coach, and is 3rd all time in games coached with 1,400 games and a legendary coach, he will likely be behind a bench again sometime soon.

Ponder this for a moment, something no other blogger or analyst has openly discussed. Conserder this: What if Ron Wilson came to Burke and asked him to find a new coach?

No coach would ever publicly quit on their hockey team, they'd never get hired again. But being the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs is no walk in the park, and this season has been particularly rough on Wilson. Coming into the season not knowing if he'd have a new contract, being faced with the task of getting the Leafs in the playoffs, hearing the #FireWilson chants, having players not battling every night for you and having a GM taking the players side and not doing any significant deals at the Deadline. Not to mention how well Dallas Eakins is doing with the Marlies, Wilson was on borrowed time before he would have been replaced with Eakins anyways. You got to admit it can't be easy going to work everyday and having 20,000 people screaming to have you fired, and basically being called public enemy number 1. So knowing all that it is possible that Wilson said to Burke "hey it's been 4 years I can't seem to motivate these guys, I'm not having a good time coaching here I think it may be time for a change" You never know after all Wilson didn't look like he was having a lot of fun coaching these guys, he'll probably be on some beach somewhere hot with his wife and grandkids tomorrow just chilling out!

The New Guy
Shortly after the news broke that Wilson was out in T.O, it was announced that former Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle had been given a 3 year contract to be the new Maple Leafs head coach. Carlyle becomes the 28th head coach in Toronto Maple Leaf history, and is one of 8 coaches who actually played for the Leafs. Much like Burke and Wilson, Carlyle too has a past relationship with Burke, the two won the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Ducks. He started coaching in 1995 and has NEVER had a losing record in a full season, that's a great stat, but welcome to Toronto Randy.

In 6 seasons with the Ducks he missed the playoffs just once and won a Stanley Cup in 2007. Carlyle has been brought in to help salvage (if he can) what is left of the Leafs season. It will be no easy task as the Leafs have just 1 win in their last 10 games, and are in 12th 5 points back of 8th. But Carlyle is the type of no nonsense coach the Leafs may need right now, if anyone can get them back on track I believe it's this guy! Another added benefit to the Carlyle hire is he comes with a ton of playoff coaching experience. You can see it, if Carlyle and the players get at it, he just holds up his Stanley Cup ring and asks if any of the Leafs have one, that should shut them up in a hurry!
Carlyle will likely make the Leafs a more disciplined and organized team. He pays extra attention to the defensive zone and makes sure his team can kill of penalties.  Not to mention guys that are playing for contracts will have to get their butts in gear.

Some things to watch out for
Carlyle and Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul don't exactly have a great history. Lupul was traded twice while Carlyle was coach of the Ducks, and is known for giving up and saying Lupul isn't good enough to play in the league. In fairness to Lupul injuries played a major part in the situations, but the Ducks and Carlyle basically gave up on Lupul.

Another thing to watch, is if the Leafs actually do make the postseason this season under a new head coach. This move can go one of 2 ways; either it blows up in the Leafs faces and the players don't respond well to Carlyle. Or this will light a fire under them and force them to wake up and play some of their best hockey.

Who will ultimately get to takeover the goaltending duties Gustavsson or Reimer, one thing most fans were sure of was the fact Wilson gave up on Gustavsson and wanted Reimer to be the guy. But neither goalie was performing well so Wilson couldn't make up his mind. Carlyle is coming from a team that had star goalie Jhonas Hiller, he's going to want a goalie to step up and be number one. How will he figure that out? The Leafs have 18 games left, pick one to give 4 straight starts, if he handles it, let them ride out the last 14 games. If they can't, pick the other one. One thing is for sure goalies can't get into their grove and play well when given spot starts which is what Wilson was doing, which is also why the goaltending wasn't working. I believe if you give one of these guys a nice stretch of hockey games the Leafs goaltending woes will be gone. This could also be Gustavsson's last chance to become a Leafs goalie of the future.

Carlyle has the fortunate position of not HAVING to make the playoffs. He's got a built in excuse and one he should use to start looking toward the future.

This was the only way of lighting a fire under the player's butts, for some reason Burke made no significant roster moves at the deadline, so the only option was a coaching change. Ultimately this was a stall tactic for Burke to save his own butt, if things don't start panning out in Toronto it could and should be Brian Burke packing his bags next!

#FireWilson

Last night while watching the Blackhawks vs Senators, news broke the Toronto Maple Leafs fired head coach Ron Wilson and replaced him with Randy Carlyle. Right away I turned on twitter to see if it was true and to see the reactions of Leafsnation, I don't know how Leafsnation didn't break twitter! But nevertheless Brian Burke fired long time friend Ron Wilson as he just wasn't getting the job done in Toronto.

Wilson was given a 4 year deal on June 10th 2008, by interim GM Cliff Fletcher. The 4 year deal was worth $5.6 million. To Wilson's credit he lasted most of his 4 years behind the bench in Toronto no easy task. During his 4 year tenure with the Leafs he failed to lead the team to the playoffs in 3 straight seasons, and was on pace to again miss the playoffs, which would bring the Leafs playoff drought to 7 years. Something had to give, with Leafs fans calling for Wilson's head, the Leafs one game above .500, and a couple of lackluster games by the Leafs, Brian Burke had no choice to pull the plug on his head coach and longtime friend. Wilson coach 310 games with the Leafs only winning 130 and as previously stated he failed to make the post season in 3 straight seasons. Some are saying this is the most dramatic firing of a Leafs coach since Pat Burns was fired on the plane ride home 16 years ago. Wilson was in Montreal with the team and even led practice on Friday morning.

There is a lot of speculation this was a spur of the moment decision by Burke, saying the decision was made Friday or Thursday evening. But Sportsnet radio 590 claimed Burke had made the choice to fire Wilson Wednesday/Thursday morning, but kept his decision quite until he found a replacement. Although I'm not sure if the story is true, it's certainly interesting!

After receiving a contract extension in December, Wilson supposedly lost control of the players, and he started "throwing them under the bus" in the media. Some players were beginning to speak out against him. It's the same situation that happened in Washington, the players shutout the coach and the coach got the short end of the stick. Now I'm not saying Wilson was doing a fantastic job coaching the Leafs by any means, but it was a decision that was inevitable, the players made sure of it! Wilson was often critiqued of not showing any emotion coaching behind the bench. But whatever happened, many including Burke believe that this group of Maple Leafs is good enough to make it to the playoffs, and under the coaching of Ron Wilson that just wasn't happening. Whether you like Ron Wilson or not, he is a good if not great coach! He's one of only 7 other coaches to win at least 600 games, tied for 4th with 18 seasons as a coach, and is 3rd all time in games coached with 1,400 games and a legendary coach, he will likely be behind a bench again sometime soon.

Ponder this for a moment, something no other blogger or analyst has openly discussed. Conserder this: What if Ron Wilson came to Burke and asked him to find a new coach?

No coach would ever publicly quit on their hockey team, they'd never get hired again. But being the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs is no walk in the park, and this season has been particularly rough on Wilson. Coming into the season not knowing if he'd have a new contract, being faced with the task of getting the Leafs in the playoffs, hearing the #FireWilson chants, having players not battling every night for you and having a GM taking the players side and not doing any significant deals at the Deadline. Not to mention how well Dallas Eakins is doing with the Marlies, Wilson was on borrowed time before he would have been replaced with Eakins anyways. You got to admit it can't be easy going to work everyday and having 20,000 people screaming to have you fired, and basically being called public enemy number 1. So knowing all that it is possible that Wilson said to Burke "hey it's been 4 years I can't seem to motivate these guys, I'm not having a good time coaching here I think it may be time for a change" You never know after all Wilson didn't look like he was having a lot of fun coaching these guys, he'll probably be on some beach somewhere hot with his wife and grandkids tomorrow just chilling out!

The New Guy
Shortly after the news broke that Wilson was out in T.O, it was announced that former Anaheim Ducks coach Randy Carlyle had been given a 3 year contract to be the new Maple Leafs head coach. Carlyle becomes the 28th head coach in Toronto Maple Leaf history, and is one of 8 coaches who actually played for the Leafs. Much like Burke and Wilson, Carlyle too has a past relationship with Burke, the two won the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Ducks. He started coaching in 1995 and has NEVER had a losing record in a full season, that's a great stat, but welcome to Toronto Randy.

In 6 seasons with the Ducks he missed the playoffs just once and won a Stanley Cup in 2007. Carlyle has been brought in to help salvage (if he can) what is left of the Leafs season. It will be no easy task as the Leafs have just 1 win in their last 10 games, and are in 12th 5 points back of 8th. But Carlyle is the type of no nonsense coach the Leafs may need right now, if anyone can get them back on track I believe it's this guy! Another added benefit to the Carlyle hire is he comes with a ton of playoff coaching experience. You can see it, if Carlyle and the players get at it, he just holds up his Stanley Cup ring and asks if any of the Leafs have one, that should shut them up in a hurry!
Carlyle will likely make the Leafs a more disciplined and organized team. He pays extra attention to the defensive zone and makes sure his team can kill of penalties.  Not to mention guys that are playing for contracts will have to get their butts in gear.

Some things to watch out for
Carlyle and Leafs forward Joffrey Lupul don't exactly have a great history. Lupul was traded twice while Carlyle was coach of the Ducks, and is known for giving up and saying Lupul isn't good enough to play in the league. In fairness to Lupul injuries played a major part in the situations, but the Ducks and Carlyle basically gave up on Lupul.

Another thing to watch, is if the Leafs actually do make the postseason this season under a new head coach. This move can go one of 2 ways; either it blows up in the Leafs faces and the players don't respond well to Carlyle. Or this will light a fire under them and force them to wake up and play some of their best hockey.

Who will ultimately get to takeover the goaltending duties Gustavsson or Reimer, one thing most fans were sure of was the fact Wilson gave up on Gustavsson and wanted Reimer to be the guy. But neither goalie was performing well so Wilson couldn't make up his mind. Carlyle is coming from a team that had star goalie Jhonas Hiller, he's going to want a goalie to step up and be number one. How will he figure that out? The Leafs have 18 games left, pick one to give 4 straight starts, if he handles it, let them ride out the last 14 games. If they can't, pick the other one. One thing is for sure goalies can't get into their grove and play well when given spot starts which is what Wilson was doing, which is also why the goaltending wasn't working. I believe if you give one of these guys a nice stretch of hockey games the Leafs goaltending woes will be gone. This could also be Gustavsson's last chance to become a Leafs goalie of the future.

Carlyle has the fortunate position of not HAVING to make the playoffs. He's got a built in excuse and one he should use to start looking toward the future.

This was the only way of lighting a fire under the player's butts, for some reason Burke made no significant roster moves at the deadline, so the only option was a coaching change. Ultimately this was a stall tactic for Burke to save his own butt, if things don't start panning out in Toronto it could and should be Brian Burke packing his bags next!

Miller Time

The Sabres played a hard, spirited game against the Ducks last night, you can sum up the game in 2 words;  Ryan Miller. The former Vezina winner and team USA goaltender stood on his head once again in a game some are calling his best as a Sabre, stopping 43 shots to earn his 4th shutout of the season (3 post all star break). Miller's play of late has Sabres fans excited and hoping that the playoffs are still attainable, and there's no question if the Sabres want to make the postseason they will need Ryan Miller to be on his game. It would appear it's Miller time in Buffalo again!

Ryan Miller wearing the "Golden Helmet" as the top Sabres player of the game.

It's taken Miller about 40 games to start playing like the MVP, Vezina winning goaltender that he is. A lot of that was attributed to the Milan Lucic incident, when he missed some games came back played like crap, missed some more games and was never really able to get in his grove. But since hitting rock bottom around January 24th (2-7-0), Miller has been on fire going 9-2-3. He's played in 18 consecutive games allowing fewer than 3 goals in 10 of those. He's now won at least 20 games in 7 straight season, so much for that "one good season" argument.

Where did the turnaround happen?
During the all-star break, it's great to be selected to play in the all-star game and all that hoopalala but a lot of players need that break. This year Miller got the break, he had 5 days to relax, focus on what he needs to improve, his technique and to be out of the spotlight. He got the time to mentally restore himself and fully heal from that concussion, because like it or not that hit was the turning point, where it all went south for the Sabres. Since the NHL all-star break the Sabres have gone 9-3-3 and have a 4.1% chance of making the post season, and a large part of that is the play of Ryan Miller. But quite possibly the biggest change in his game is confidence, he's found his "swagger" and is much more confident now as opposed to earlier in the year. He's making amazing, jaw dropping saves we weren't seeing before the break.
What a lot of coaches and couch coaches fail to understand is that goalies need a heavy workload, notice that the goalies playing 12 straight games play a lot better than goalies that are being switched every other game. This is a major reason the Leafs aren't getting goaltending, Wilson is afraid to run with a goalie for a stretch of games, after a couple bad games their back on the bench. But look at Miller, he had a rough/bad first half of the season, but Ruff kept putting him in there and knowing that the Sabres don't stand a chance of making the playoffs if Miller isn't between the pipes, Ruff's letting him play long stretches. What goalies need is to play several games so they can get into a grove, once they get in that grove their unstoppable (if their a decent goalie).

Let's talk numbers

I've thrown a lot of numbers at you guys of Miller's play since the all-star game (9-2-3), some pretty phenomenal numbers, but let's dive deeper! In the last 5 games Miller is 4-0-1 with a 1.366 Goals Against Average, I dare you to find me a goalie with better numbers over that stretch! Not to mention he broke his second Sabres record last night; 43 saves is the most in a shutout win by any Sabres netminder. But looking beyond the numbers, it's not just his stats it's the things that don't show up on the score sheet; his highlight reel, jaw dropping saves, the fact he's playing with more emotion and that he's never giving up on a puck. Earlier in the year, you'd see him give up on a play but right now he's battling till the pucks in his glove! The way he's playing right now should have Sabres fans all excited and the rest of the league a little scared, if the Sabres do manage to squeak into the playoffs on the current run their on with Miller playing how he is, we may surprise a few teams. But getting into the playoffs is going to be a daunting task, despite being just 5 points out, the Sabres have to go 12-5-2 to finish off the season, to have a little more than 50% chance of making it. It's going to be tough as 7 of our next 9 games are on the road including matches with the Canucks and Sharks, plus we play the Leafs who are just ahead of us two more times.

What it all comes down too
Alright let's face it, as die hard Sabres fans we're not going to admit that the Sabres wont make the playoffs until their mathamatically eliminated. Now I still have faith the Miller and the boys can get it done, if they keep playing exceptional hockey. But let's be real here, what the deadline moves told us is the Sabres are building for the future. Now future is a scary word for fans to hear, just look at what's happening in Toronto, the fans are tired of waiting for that never coming future. But good news for Sabres fans, this future is as early as next season. If we were expecting to go deep in the playoffs we would have kept Gaustad for his grit and face off ability, kept Kassian and not acquire a rookie who's just breaking into the league. One of the major reasons the Sabres failed to live up to expectations this season was all the injuries but imagine this team next year healthy, with Miller playing like he is now, and players earning their money oh man we'll be untuchable. Like it or not if this team is going to win a Stanley Cup it's going to be with Ryan Miller Between the pipes!

Whether or not the Buffalo Sabres make the 2012 playoffs remains unknown and will likely stay that way for the next 19 games. But the one thing the Sabres can do is win, just win that's the best way to solidify your spot in the postseason!

Miller Time

The Sabres played a hard, spirited game against the Ducks last night, you can sum up the game in 2 words;  Ryan Miller. The former Vezina winner and team USA goaltender stood on his head once again in a game some are calling his best as a Sabre, stopping 43 shots to earn his 4th shutout of the season (3 post all star break). Miller's play of late has Sabres fans excited and hoping that the playoffs are still attainable, and there's no question if the Sabres want to make the postseason they will need Ryan Miller to be on his game. It would appear it's Miller time in Buffalo again!

Ryan Miller wearing the "Golden Helmet"
as the top Sabres player of the game.

It's taken Miller about 40 games to start playing like the MVP, Vezina winning goaltender that he is. A lot of that was attributed to the Milan Lucic incident, when he missed some games came back played like crap, missed some more games and was never really able to get in his grove. But since hitting rock bottom around January 24th (2-7-0), Miller has been on fire going 9-2-3. He's played in 18 consecutive games allowing fewer than 3 goals in 10 of those. He's now won at least 20 games in 7 straight season, so much for that "one good season" argument.

Where did the turnaround happen?
During the all-star break, it's great to be selected to play in the all-star game and all that hoopalala but a lot of players need that break. This year Miller got the break, he had 5 days to relax, focus on what he needs to improve, his technique and to be out of the spotlight. He got the time to mentally restore himself and fully heal from that concussion, because like it or not that hit was the turning point, where it all went south for the Sabres. Since the NHL all-star break the Sabres have gone 9-3-3 and have a 4.1% chance of making the post season, and a large part of that is the play of Ryan Miller. But quite possibly the biggest change in his game is confidence, he's found his "swagger" and is much more confident now as opposed to earlier in the year. He's making amazing, jaw dropping saves we weren't seeing before the break.
What a lot of coaches and couch coaches fail to understand is that goalies need a heavy workload, notice that the goalies playing 12 straight games play a lot better than goalies that are being switched every other game. This is a major reason the Leafs aren't getting goaltending, Wilson is afraid to run with a goalie for a stretch of games, after a couple bad games their back on the bench. But look at Miller, he had a rough/bad first half of the season, but Ruff kept putting him in there and knowing that the Sabres don't stand a chance of making the playoffs if Miller isn't between the pipes, Ruff's letting him play long stretches. What goalies need is to play several games so they can get into a grove, once they get in that grove their unstoppable (if their a decent goalie).

Let's talk numbers

I've thrown a lot of numbers at you guys of Miller's play since the all-star game (9-2-3), some pretty phenomenal numbers, but let's dive deeper! In the last 5 games Miller is 4-0-1 with a 1.366 Goals Against Average, I dare you to find me a goalie with better numbers over that stretch! Not to mention he broke his second Sabres record last night; 43 saves is the most in a shutout win by any Sabres netminder. But looking beyond the numbers, it's not just his stats it's the things that don't show up on the score sheet; his highlight reel, jaw dropping saves, the fact he's playing with more emotion and that he's never giving up on a puck. Earlier in the year, you'd see him give up on a play but right now he's battling till the pucks in his glove! The way he's playing right now should have Sabres fans all excited and the rest of the league a little scared, if the Sabres do manage to squeak into the playoffs on the current run their on with Miller playing how he is, we may surprise a few teams. But getting into the playoffs is going to be a daunting task, despite being just 5 points out, the Sabres have to go 12-5-2 to finish off the season, to have a little more than 50% chance of making it. It's going to be tough as 7 of our next 9 games are on the road including matches with the Canucks and Sharks, plus we play the Leafs who are just ahead of us two more times.

What it all comes down too
Alright let's face it, as die hard Sabres fans we're not going to admit that the Sabres wont make the playoffs until their mathamatically eliminated. Now I still have faith the Miller and the boys can get it done, if they keep playing exceptional hockey. But let's be real here, what the deadline moves told us is the Sabres are building for the future. Now future is a scary word for fans to hear, just look at what's happening in Toronto, the fans are tired of waiting for that never coming future. But good news for Sabres fans, this future is as early as next season. If we were expecting to go deep in the playoffs we would have kept Gaustad for his grit and face off ability, kept Kassian and not acquire a rookie who's just breaking into the league. One of the major reasons the Sabres failed to live up to expectations this season was all the injuries but imagine this team next year healthy, with Miller playing like he is now, and players earning their money oh man we'll be untuchable. Like it or not if this team is going to win a Stanley Cup it's going to be with Ryan Miller Between the pipes!

Whether or not the Buffalo Sabres make the 2012 playoffs remains unknown and will likely stay that way for the next 19 games. But the one thing the Sabres can do is win, just win that's the best way to solidify your spot in the postseason!