Sabres Stress free ride into the playoffs

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So this is why I play hockey.

This is the best part.

It's just finally.

Finally, we're here, and we're doing good things, so I don't take this for granted at all.

I'm so fired up, I'm so happy.

I'm so happy for the Buffalo as a city for all the fans too, and this means it's the world.

Last Miss Dalline, what a night for him and them.

I'm like, show up in the bulldog here.

That's been the main topic of our day here, is just taking this all in, and last night was

so amazing.

Memories of 20 years ago, or even 15, one thing that has come up a couple of times is, and

this was referenced when we just talked to Sal, how they really don't have as much pressure

to make it, as we all would have loved, we would have taken it, every one of us would

have taken it, what, some percent, go back as whatever the appropriate time is, some

percent chance to make the playoffs.

Just get meaningful games in March, we're moving metal, we're playing meaningful hockey

in March, we're doing that, we want to get there, April would be incredible if we could

just be alive in April, whatever the alliteration I need there is, you tell me, but now I'm thinking

of it.

But we would have taken a much more modest result than we have to this point.

What they've done since the Olympics is simply go 7-0, seven regulation wins, two against

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Moved all the way to the top of the division, two points off the top of the Eastern Conference,

third most regulation wins in the league, I mean, they should make, if they don't make

the playoffs now, it'll be a catastrophe, just to say, like, I'm not, it's not a hundred

percent, but it might be 98 at this point.

It would be incredible if they missed, and I felt that way for four a while, but even

with that said, to come out of the break and pile up 14 points already and be on top

of the division, like we were saying it, you know, when the break came, wherever they

were, maybe they, I think they were in wildcard one at the break, because they skidded in

a little bit, right?

They lost maybe three out of four or one in overtime or something.

So they were still in good shape, but to come out and yeah, the looking behind you, at

least at the teams that could displace you, like knock you out of a playoffs, but I'm

done with that, like that, that is over.

Now I'm like, okay, can I hold off in a second place is, you know, third place is like

my worst case scenario.

Second would be wonderful.

Coming out of the break, I thought first place, okay, I'm this close to Tampa, I've got

three games with them, but what, I'm going to sweep them.

Well, they already did the hardest part.

The last Saturday they won in Tampa easily, and then this slugfest last night here, and

they're here again, right, early April, April 6th, okay, with a chance to win all three

of those games, and they're already ahead of Tampa.

Now there's two games in hand, you know, and that can cut both ways.

Everybody's going to be so busy playing a lot of hockey here, Tampa, you know, they've

only got the same amount of days till the season ends.

They got to play two more games than Buffalo does.

So yeah, they have a chance to gain points while you're idle, but that also means they're

going to be busier at a time of the year when you're everyone's busy.

So they got more games jammed in here at the end.

I could end up being to your benefit.

It's just the best.

It is so 2006 with the tough start ever, Dahlene going to Europe as the sabers were struggling

and his wife was struggling as well, and he left the sabers.

That was around November 6th.

They played the blues on November 6th.

He may or may not have played that night.

He comes back nine days later.

They lost every game in regulation without him.

Forstrate, St. Louis, Carolina, Utah, Colorado, he met them in Detroit, remember that?

And they won in Detroit.

They entered that game five and 12, five, eight and four.

And now they are 39 and 25, carry the one, 34 and 12, and it didn't get hot right away.

I mean, that's, it's the Edmonton game.

That's the signposts, right?

The game in Edmonton.

Yes.

Yes.

Before the GM change is made, that's December 9th.

It's just so cool.

I don't know.

What is that?

Wow.

Are you in broadcasting?

Yes.

Well, it just is, it's a lot, we've said this a couple of times today, and then I was

talking about it early last week.

It's a lot to take in, like the, the, the adjustment to your relationship with them.

You know, it, it, it's not hard to fall right back into, you know, the way you used to

do it 20 years ago, but it was 20 years ago, I mean, it's been, it's been a minute since

maybe you have felt anywhere near this level of emotion about them.

And it, and it, even that, like, like you just said, they would have had our attention.

If right now, if they were, I mean, who, who's the, who's the best, who's closest?

That's not in it.

Columbus.

Or Ottawa.

Or Ottawa.

Like, if you're one of Columbus's two points ahead on it, well, anyway, you're one of those

two teams.

You're five points back of the wild card, be like, okay, well, there's a race.

I got a race.

Okay, just get hot, win a couple games.

I would have our attention, but not like this, like, they're not even the Bruins.

Like, they're in first place.

Well, that's blue past everyone.

That's what I'm thinking about too.

This is like, it's so long ago, and so many years in between then and now, we're closer

to irrelevance.

And we didn't have any conversation what was last year like, would we have, do we talk

about the playoffs much at all?

No.

Post deadline or how did we talk about them at the deadline?

Like, it was kind of a non-event in 2006 and seven, those two seasons, the playoffs

are not in doubt.

I mean, oh, seven, they let the league in points, just the playoffs were not in doubt.

It was more maybe like this in how's it going to go?

I mean, are they good enough?

Not a lot of experience in a couple cases, like, ah, how's it going to go?

But almost even those years, like 2011, if I remember right, I don't think of 10 this

way either because they won their division in 10 and like, everybody was bad.

10, they maybe led the division from the middle of October, right through the end of

the year.

It wasn't really close, and 11 was close, but it also came out of nowhere just very late.

Like, most of that season was frustration and then there was the sale and it just sort

of happened.

It's just to say, for what it's worth, there aren't any seasons in like 20 years where you're

sort of right in it and you make it.

The year after the president's trophy was like they were right there with a week to go,

and they missed.

It's just, you at least, as we all have said and know, you at least want that.

You want the excitement to met, you want the season to matter when you get to this point.

And other than for about a, I don't know, a quarter of the league, it still does.

I mean, Otto was playing for real.

Yeah.

There's still a live Columbus, as you said, but this is just like now, now we can talk

about this without that particular anxiety that with the sabers, I know for me, and more

so even for you, can consume you.

It's the first thing you think about it in the morning is, oh, I need to beat San Jose.

And maybe you don't need to beat San Jose, you know, the way this is all driest-buyered.

And I'm going to enjoy that.

That was really a big part of the caller's point at around four o'clock is we don't even

really necessarily have to sweat it.

And I like when I don't have to sweat it.

Yeah.

Right.

And I get to be in.

That's right.

That all, maybe you could have been still sweating.

They weren't, they didn't have it made coming out of the break.

I was very confident.

I thought then it would be stunning if they missed with the way they had been playing

because they just think the signs are there that they're playing like a good team plays.

You know, like they just, when they, when they buckle down and don't want to give up

anything, they don't give up a lot.

And then, you know, you got them like last night where it's just, it's insane and everything's

going in the net on you, but still you find your way to come, come out of the break and

just put the hammer down and pretty much erase any doubt about ending the drought and

shift you right to, who can I run with in this conference?

Am I up to it?

Can I do, can I do this with anyone I might have to play?

And your answer should be yes.

The two teams.

The only, you know, Tampa's in your division there in your hair.

They're one of those teams.

Caroline is the other one.

You only see them twice.

This year, last time you saw him, you played great against them and lost, but there's nobody

that's outclassing you.

Like that is, it is not just me, I, because I want it to be true, listen to people who

watch games, follow the league and all third, all 32 teams, like the sabers are at contender

level already.

No, they're not Colorado.

No, they don't have a 15 million a year superstar or, or a polyphane boundoli, but they

are every bit a great team in this season.

And to have it happen that you went from, I just hope they're competitive and the drought.

Oh, well, maybe, oh, looks like they're, they got a good shot to end the drought to,

they could make noise in the conference is, it's just amazing that it all happens so

fast.

You said I was trying to jump in and I'm glad I wasn't able to.

Tampa, the, the last three games, the whole, what's the whole season series, sabers and

lightning have met three times recently, there's one more still to come.

You have an overtime loss that you led with a minute to go, right?

You have a kind of a blowout win and you have last night.

And they want, they did beat Carolina in November, by the way, okay here.

And then the game there was like the goalie was awesome for Carolina.

So if it's not those teams who is it in the Eastern Conference, who is it?

Because nobody that is head and shoulders better than you in the conference at all, let

alone the other teams that are aside from Tampa and Carolina.

They would be an underdog against Tampa if that were the series, like if that were to start

now and it can't be by the current standings.

I think same against Carolina, they start that series on the road besides I don't think

anybody else.

I mean, really, you don't need to stretch it out that far because it can only be, I mean,

if they finish checking in the East, it's third place team, they'll be favored at home

in a seven-gamer against any of those teams unless they have big injuries, but I think

they would be 803-0550, Mike Schopen, the Bulldog, this is WGR.

I'm Susie Welch, the host of Becoming You, a podcast where I help you stop living by

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