What in the world is going on? Have cats become dogs? Is gas $1.19 a gallon?
There's not a lot of rational thought ripping around my head as I try to make heads and tails of a Sabres team that again put out 40 minutes of hockey excrement only to flip a three-goal, third period deficit into a three-goal victory over the Lightning at HSBC Arena.
It takes several things for a swing like this to happen, and not all of them are good. One part of the equation is a terrible opponent, and yes, Tampa, you fit the bill, but the rest have to do with the Buffalo team that won 7-4 to keep their playoff dreams alive.
We'll start with the positives, because it's hard to deal in negatives right off the bat. The highest-scoring team in the NHL — Buffalo's seven goals put them at 234, one ahead of Montreal — again displayed the remarkable amount of offensive talent on board. Jason Pominville's first period tally was an absolute bullet. Derek Roy's top-shelf equalizer was the result of a tenacious shift. Thomas Vanek had all of Western New York cursing as he patiently waited for Karri Ramo to move across the crease before depositing an along-the-ice wrist shot in the corner of the net. Paramount to any goal description was the effort of a team that did what they had to do in the season's most pivotal period to date.
That said, being in that spot to begin with is embarrassing, a word used all too often in the 2007-08 campaign. It's unconscionable for a team to come out — on three days rest — and lay a proverbial egg against the league's worst statistical team, a squad that happens to be playing a back-up goaltender with a sub-.900 save percentage and a three-plus goals against average. For two periods, Buffalo let Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis skate around as if they owned the place, and the two Tampa stars pretty much did. In fact, Tom Golisano should check his pockets for the key to the building.
So, with eight games to go, what's it going to be? Forty-minute efforts aren't going to cut it, and as fun as it is to watch 20 goals in three games, it's even more exciting to be in the playoffs in a conference that's still waiting for a team to lay claim to the role of favorite (In my opinion, Montreal is the clear leader, but that's another story for another day).
Some valid topics of conversation for the next several days:
— The power play is 3-for-28 since losing Jaro Spacek during a March 10 shoot-out loss to the Rangers.
— Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera combined for a plus-9 rating Wednesday night, and while Michael Funk was fine, three rookie defensemen is a major hurdle for a Sabres team that will face Ottawa and Montreal two times each in their final eight games. Believe it or not, I'd like to be the guy who comes out and says a healthy Teppo Numminen is an upgrade for this team. Healthy is the key word, but it's naive to get swept up in the youngsters' above-expected play.
— Buffalo's scored all 20 goals without Tim Connolly, who continues to nurse a bone spur. He hasn't registered a point in his last four games after an impressive nine points in his previous five. Is it worth boosting your power play to sacrifice the ability to "roll four lines."
There are excuses to be made for the substandard play. I know about the injuries — I begged many of you to keep them in mind when the team was rattling off one-goal losses at the beginning of 2008 with half their first unit power play (Jaro Spacek, Tim Connolly, Derek Roy) in the press box or at home — but in this three-game win streak, the losers had crutches, too. Carolina was without Rod Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney. Toronto was missing Mats Sundin and Nik Antropov. The Lightning are anything but deep enough to be dangerous. Buffalo's simply won three games it was supposed to win, and good for them.
Making the playoffs is entirely possible, even with the difficult schedule, but the excuses are gone. What happens Friday night when Vesa Toskala shuts the door in a way that Ramo couldn't? Or Sunday, when the Bruins score first and trap for the next 56 minutes? How about March 27—28, when Buffalo plays in Ottawa, then hops on a plane to face a Montreal team that's been off since March 25 and waiting in Buffalo? One solid period won't be enough to overcome sloppy play and listless effort.
It's the time of the year to not just shut the door to mistakes, but to barricade it before the game even starts. Don't let your opponent get the jump. If they do get ahead, shove their face through the glass until they quit. It all seems so simple, doesn't it?
Yes, but it isn't, nor has it been, easy. In case you've forgotten, the chorus of boos in the arena after two periods of play Wednesday served to remind us all of a Buffalo truth.
The only thing this area loves more than rooting for an underdog is hating an underachiever.
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