00:00All right, Rankham, Lightning, Canadians, Bruins, Senators.
00:07Can we find, no pressure, I mean, we'll talk, we've been able to get through these shows
00:13talking to each other for 23 years now, never a problem, but if you want, might we have
00:20somebody listening that would make, you know, would stump for each of the four teams as
00:28the Sabre's best case scenario.
00:32Tampa, I think, if I were sort of, I worked for a law firm, say, and it was my job
00:40to
00:40come up with, you know, make an argument, well, what if I don't believe in it?
00:44We don't care, you work at a law firm.
00:46Right, find some facts.
00:48Sorry, wifey.
00:48Stand on them and figure it out.
00:50We don't care if you actually, that doesn't matter.
00:52Right.
00:53So, Tampa, it would be, I mean, have you watched their games?
00:59The Sabres, the energy is through the roof and the Sabres have beaten them three out
01:03of four times.
01:04The loss was in overtime.
01:05So, okay, you could stand there.
01:07I think, you know, you think Boston is the weakest team.
01:11I watched Boston yesterday and I came to agree with that.
01:14And they lost to Tampa on Saturday.
01:16Just, like, couldn't do anything.
01:18Right, 2-1, I think, Saturday.
01:19Lake Hall beat them.
01:20Right.
01:202-1.
01:21Yep.
01:22Turnovers, they couldn't really generate.
01:24So, I could listen to that.
01:25Yep.
01:26Montreal is exciting, but maybe not as strong in goal or a little top heavy.
01:31Just overall.
01:31Yeah, right.
01:32And Ottawa, I think you would say, like, that's maybe the, if not Tampa, is that the toughest
01:37argument?
01:38Yeah.
01:38I still would give Tampa, I'm in the same place I've been.
01:44Order of preference for me goes Boston, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa.
01:51And Tampa, Ottawa is like, I'm giving Tampa the nod there simply because they're Tampa.
01:56Like, they just, the pedigree, they've done a lot of winning.
02:01I feel like they should be a tougher out than Ottawa.
02:03But I think Ottawa will be a handful.
02:06I really hope, you know, wherever we end up here.
02:11I mean, obviously, you end up second, you're not playing Ottawa because you're playing whoever's
02:14third.
02:15But if you end up first, I'm really pulling for that to be Boston.
02:18I just think Ottawa is defensively, they're just the team that is, to me, most capable
02:26of producing a series where three games into it, we're like, we can't score.
02:31Uh-oh.
02:31And it's not because the goalie's great or something.
02:34I mean, he's a part of it.
02:35But they just don't give up a lot, Ottawa.
02:38They just don't.
02:39They're very, very hard to play, I think.
02:41Even though they're not overly intimidating physically, they're just going to be on you,
02:46I think.
02:47There was nothing, a lot of their games look like the game the Sabres played there when
02:52they had that first chance to clinch a couple Thursdays ago.
02:56Very winnable game, though.
02:57Yeah, of course.
02:59They don't run away from anybody, but you just got to get there.
03:04And so that's a team that I have a lot of respect for, Ottawa.
03:07But I give Tampa the nod over them just because, again, Tampa, they got the goalie.
03:11And the coach and the, you know, those are, that's a championship-caliber team.
03:16And they have not, you know, Florida's been ruling the roost for a couple of years here,
03:20three years now.
03:20Are we underdogs if it's Tampa, even if game one is here?
03:25I bet yes.
03:26Tampa minus 140.
03:29Series.
03:30I think I would agree.
03:32I think Tampa would, even if the Sabres finish ahead of them, I think Tampa would get the nod there.
03:39I wonder if it'll be different if they meet in the second round, because the Sabres will
03:44have proven, oh, hey, we're new, but hey, we did it.
03:47We're through a round.
03:48You know, they're probably still an underdog.
03:51Could Montreal beat Tampa in a seven-game series?
03:56Yes.
03:56The standings are so close.
03:58Montreal could beat anybody they played in a seven-game series.
04:00Or lose to anybody?
04:01Or lose to anybody.
04:02Yes, I think they're, it's, these teams are so close and so comparable, I think.
04:09You know, different ones, I think, in my viewing of the season are, you know, better at different
04:15things than the others.
04:16They're not all the same, which makes it interesting.
04:20But, yeah, it's so tight.
04:23I would say, more than any other season, especially because Ottawa is going to get there, a first-round
04:33series, Boston-Carolina, I don't know, like, that could be a tough series.
04:40Ottawa-Buffalo, flip a coin, Montreal-Tampa, they're all Pittsburgh-Philly.
04:47I mean, what am I, every one of these series, I think I would have a very hard time just
04:53saying confidently, I believe X is going to win.
04:56Well, there are going to be at least four teams in the East that finish with at least
05:0591 points that will miss.
05:08Washington is at 93 now with a game left, an outside chance.
05:13Philadelphia has two games left.
05:15Not easy.
05:16Carolina and then Montreal, both in Philadelphia, tonight and then tomorrow.
05:21That's all there is.
05:24But 93 is going to miss.
05:2692, 91, 91, that's crazy.
05:28I mean, that would easily have been a number, I say easily, it's not like you would have to
05:32agree with this, that you would have taken for the Sabres before the season started.
05:36Something in the low 90s.
05:38All right, well, then we have a chance.
05:39Meaningful games.
05:40Right.
05:41Said they're at 106 with two left.
05:43Good thing.
05:44Because 91 would lose.
05:46Detroit is out.
05:49Islanders are out at 91.
05:51Columbus is down bad at 92.
05:53Barely hanging on.
05:54Right.
05:54Washington.
05:55Same thing.
05:56And then Washington at 93.
05:56Which was not, you know, in the conversation for much of the last month.
06:02But neither was Philadelphia until recently.
06:04So, fun times.
06:06Fun times.
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