Atlantic Standings Predictions Thread

[SensFactor]

Hopefully both punk ass Ontario teams will also miss the playoffs (which is likely already with Ottawa)

Both Ontario teams will hopefully make it. Go cry more.

 

[TageGod]

I know people have been wrong about the Sens every year for the past few years but I think this year is the year.

And your whole team is injured.

 

[NyQuil]

And your whole team is injured.

?

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841533492733346112

It's pre-season. They take guys out for precautionary reasons.

 

[TageGod]

?

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841533492733346112

It's pre-season. They take guys out for precautionary reasons.

Does okay mean cleared to play for the opener? legit question. Or is okay mean they miss a week or two tops.

 

[NyQuil]

Does okay mean cleared to play for the opener? legit question. Or is okay mean they miss a week or two tops.

Well, if you have GM Steve Staios' number I guess you can ask for clarification.

Personally I don't think he'd say "they're ok" if they were going to be out for a couple of weeks.

In pre-season to date, every time an Ottawa player has shown any kind of health issue, no matter how minor, they get pulled from the game for precautionary reasons. They don't end up missing any time.

So most Sens fans were willing to wait and see rather than panic unnecessarily because it's consistent with what they've been doing all pre-season long.

 

[Ned Bouhalassa]

All summer I said the top 4 are still the top 4 and I still believe that.

But if Boston doesn't stop f***ing around and get Sway signed that could cause a drop.

I don't know who would take that spot because it seems like everybody in the Atlantic has some sort of major injury.

But I feel like Swayman is the death blow, he's the guy IMO, every team has their limit, every team has a point of no return and I think if the Bruins don't have Swayman that is their point of no return, that is the one they can't come back from.

Lucy is Boston, the football represents the Bruins downfall, and all the this-is-the-year-they-miss-the-playoffs commentators are Charlie Brown.

 

[Bouboumaster]

Both Ontario teams will hopefully make it. Go cry more.

Toronto, sadly, is probably going to, but Ottawa is going down with us, at the bottom of the division

You know it, I know it, everyone know it

 

[Halakitlikethat]

I think I already posted my predictions in here and had Florida out front but as of now, I think Toronto is gonna win this division. I like the Berube hire and their d looks a lot better.

I also want to say as a Habs fan I strongly dislike all the other teams in this division except Detroit.

 

[BFLO]

The shift in the conversation around the Sabres this year is interesting and I guess kinda predictable.

The vast majority of posts I see have little to do with the roster and everything to do with a "they're not going to fool me this year" response.

To my way of thinking, the 'young team should get better' argument of last year still applies, it just gets tangled up in the fact that it didn't last year.

And it's really hard to separate what was year 3 of the Kevyn Adams total rebuild from a last-place team, from the failed builds of Jason Botterill and Tim Murray that came before.

I think the best way of looking at the Sabres chances is this:

How many of Thompson, Tuch, Peterka, Benson, Cozens, Quinn, Dahlin, Power, Byram, Samuelsson, Luukkonen and Levi will be better than they were last year?

If it's a lot of them, they will be in the playoff mix, if not they won't.

This is year 5 under Adams. Not year 3. Kevyn Adams is the one who failed to extend Ullmark and Reinhart more than 1 season, and then finished in last place. Losing Ullmark for nothing, and then trading away Eichel, Reinhart, Risto, Montour, E-Rod, etc.

They should with 3 first overalls and a second overall, the other 2 had none of those.

2 first overalls: Dahlin, Power and 2 second overalls: Reinhart, Eichel. Two of those guys have left Buffalo and won a cup.

In 13 cracks at the lottery the Sabres have never moved up a spot.

 

[NyQuil]

In 13 cracks at the lottery the Sabres have never moved up a spot.

Ottawa and Detroit are tied for the most cumulative spots dropped in the lottery in the NHL.

 

[The Management]

How has Josh Norris looked this preseason? His father (Dwayne) was born in Newfoundland. I've been rooting for him.

 

[BFLO]

Ottawa and Detroit are tied for the most cumulative spots dropped in the lottery in the NHL.

They're like 1 spot ahead of the Sabres. And a lot of it has to do with the changing rules of the lottery and the timing of their tank seasons.

The Sabres misery began earlier, back when there was only 1 lottery position, rather than 3 during the height of Detroit and Ottawas tanks, or 2 as it is now.

It's not a surprise that 2 of the tankiest teams during the time of the worst lottery odds for tanking dropped the most cumulative spots in the lottery.

 

[NyQuil]

They're like 1 spot ahead of the Sabres. And a lot of it has to do with the changing rules of the lottery and the timing of their tank seasons.

The Sabres misery began earlier, back when there was only 1 lottery position, rather than 3 during the height of Detroit and Ottawas tanks, or 2 as it is now.

It's not a surprise that 2 of the tankiest teams during the time of the worst lottery odds for tanking dropped the most cumulative spots in the lottery.

You're just not going to get a lot of sympathy from either Ottawa or Detroit with our combined 0 1st and 2nd overall picks.

How has Josh Norris looked this preseason? His father (Dwayne) was born in Newfoundland. I've been rooting for him.

Slow but signs of life.

In the last game against Montreal, he looked more like his old self as the game went on, driving the net in a manner that was more reminiscent of his pre-injury play.

When he has come back over the past couple of seasons from injury, he's appeared a bit passive and cautious in terms of battling for the puck and going into the danger areas.

Hopefully it's a good sign, but the jury isn't out yet.

He's shot the puck a fair amount but his aim seems to still be a bit rusty.

 

[BFLO]

You're just not going to get a lot of sympathy from either Ottawa or Detroit with our combined 0 1st and 2nd overall picks.

Would you like to extend your playoff drought for an additional 6 years and finish in last place 4 of those years in order to get those 2x 1st OA and 2x 2nd OA?

Didn't think so.

 

[Mattilaus]

You're just not going to get a lot of sympathy from either Ottawa or Detroit with our combined 0 1st and 2nd overall picks.

Just gotta suck worse man.

 

[NyQuil]

Would you like to extend your playoff drought for an additional 6 years and finish in last place 4 of those years in order to get those 2x 1st OA and 2x 2nd OA?

Didn't think so.

Might be better than permanent mediocrity. I guess we'll find out.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Would you like to extend your playoff drought for an additional 6 years and finish in last place 4 of those years in order to get those 2x 1st OA and 2x 2nd OA?

Didn't think so.

Those 2 teams have finished last and second last, and always get bumped down.
So likely would never happen getting first or second.

 

[BFLO]

Those 2 teams have finished last and second last, and always get bumped down.
So likely would never happen getting first or second.

So try finishing last 4 times instead of once? And don't trade out of the pick?(Ottawa)

 

[Golden_Jet]

So try finishing last 4 times instead of once? And don't trade out of the pick?(Ottawa)

Buffalo , NJ, NYR and Edmonton have dominated the lottery wins.
Don’t even know why you’re debating this lol

 

[BFLO]

Buffalo , NJ, NYR and Edmonton have dominated the lottery wins.
Don’t even know why you’re debating this lol

The Sabres have 2 lottery wins from 4 last place finishes out of a 13 year playoff drought. And they've never moved up a spot. Not really sure why you're debating this.

Not sure how that's "dominating" the lottery wins.

 

[Golden_Jet]

The Sabres have 2 lottery wins from 4 last place finishes out of a 13 year playoff drought. And they've never moved up a spot. Not really sure why you're debating this.

Not sure how that's "dominating" the lottery wins.

Getting second is also a lottery win,

 

[BFLO]

Getting second is also a lottery win,

Not in 2014 or 2015 when the Sabres did it. Those were both lottery losses where the Sabres moved back a spot.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Not in 2014 or 2015 when the Sabres did it. Those were both lottery losses where the Sabres moved back a spot.

Moving back to second is still a lottery win.
There used to be 3 lottery wins, now there is 2.

 

[BFLO]

Moving back to second is still a lottery win.
There used to be 3 lottery wins, now there is 2.

No. There was 1 lottery spot prior to 2016. The 3 lottery spots only existed from 2016-2021

2015 and prior only had 1 lottery spot

2016-2021 had 3

2022-current has 2

Educate yourself:

NHL entry draft - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[notDatsyuk]

I don't see it as demeaning a team at all.

Quite the opposite, actually. Being able to bring games to OT that other teams aren't is a sign that you're mentally tough enough to stick with it in regulation and not giving away points.

Extra time points are more a combination of raw skill, big saves and bounces.

A couple of years ago I redid the final standings, using a couple of different scoring methods:

1 - the original - 2 for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss
2 - no shootout - 2 for a win, 1 for an OT loss or a tie, 0 for a reg loss
3 - the current - 2 for a win, 1 for an OT or SO loss, 0 for a reg loss
4 - soccer/euro - 3 for a reg win, 2 for an OT or SO win, 1 for an OT or SO loss, 0 for a reg loss.

Obviously some had higher totals (method 1 each game is worth 2 points, methods 2 and 3 each game is worth either 2 or 3 points, and method 4 each game is worth 3 points), but there was minimal change in the actual standings.

If I recall correctly, there were three or four times where two teams switched position, but no team went up or down by more than one spot. Only once, comparing all four scenarios, did the different scoring make a change in a team making or not making the playoffs.

The results may be different if I did the same for last year, but I don't think by much - the results from all four methods were surprisingly similar.