What If The Buffalo Sabres Were in The Playoffs?

(Photo by: Rick Stewart/Getty Images)

What if the Buffalo Sabres could have won just two more games on the year, and barely stolen the eight seed from Montreal? Lets take a look.

Should the Sabres have taken the eight spot in the Eastern Conference (they missed by two points) they would have had to face Boston in the first round. Boston ran over Montreal in a sweep, outscoring the Canadiens 17-6.

The Sabres saw the Bruins a total of six times in 2009, and the Sabres took the series by winning four and only losing two. The Sabres also outscored the Bruins 21-14.

Could Buffalo have beaten the Bruins?

Well, they might not have beaten them, but if I was going to predict it, the Sabres would have beaten the Bruins in seven games, or at least gave a better series than Montreal did.

Now, should the Sabres have won that series against Boston, they would have had to face Washington in the quarterfinals (remember, they re-seed with the worst seeded winning team playing the best seed who won available).

Don't get me wrong, Washington is a great team, led by Alexander Ovechkin, but their goaltending is weak. Simeon Varlamov did play well for the Capital against the Penguins, but his defense gave up too many opportunities that Pittsburgh capitalized on, and in the end it came back to hurt them.

The Sabres could have beaten the Capitals in my eyes. If Buffalo could have been firing on all cylinders, and brought that proud feeling to the fans back in town, then they could have moved on to the Eastern Conference finals in six.

Now, we get to the semi-finals for the Eastern Conference. The Sabres would have been playing the Pittsburgh Penguins. Buffalo split the four-game regular season series with Pittsburgh, losing in regulation 5-2, then in overtime at home 4-3 on a goal from Malkin.

The Sabres won their two games in the season against them both by scores of 4-3, but all four of those games were back before the trade deadline in December.

Sadly, the Sabre train would end here, as I wouldn't see the likes of our youth pulling out four games against Malkin, Crosby, Fleury, Orpik, Staal, Guerin, and Sykora. I would say Penguins in six, as I give us wins both at home.

But, let's just keep dreaming (as if we aren't all ready) and say that Buffalo won again, and went to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1999. Oh, what a season!

They would end up facing Detroit (unless somehow the Blackhawks can muster out a series win as they are all ready down three games to one), a team that they couldn't beat in the regular season, losing all three match-ups.

Maybe a little intensity could get them past the Wings and onto the team's first Stanley Cup ever, but it just wouldn't seem likely to beat the cup reigning workforce. Detroit would have won in either five or six.

How can I predict all this stuff? I can't. I'm just giving all us Sabres fans out there a little thought, and a barrier to how bad our season ended. Hey, there's always next year, huh?

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