by Ryan
You can’t replicate pressure.
After the greatest social experiment of our time, it’s time to really bring it. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.
If you really want my analysis it’s pretty simple. The Sabres have been playing under pressure for months. The playoffs have been on the line, and they’ve been playing pretty damn well under that pressure.
Philadephia on the other hand, is much different. The Flyers have been all but assured a spot in the postseason for months. They’ve downright coasted down the stretch with a 3-4-3 record in their last ten. Weighed and measured they have not been.
Pressure, whether physical or mental, is impossible to properly replicate. That’s why diamonds are worth more than cubic zirconia; as close as it is you just can’t clone the process. The same goes with writing on deadline or singing on stage or any of those pressure situations that are often more mental than anything.
It is statistically impossible for the better team to win every playoff series. It is also impossible to measure just how different playoff hockey is. The pressure the Sabres have been under over the last two months qualifies them for cubic zirconia. It’s close, sure, but it’s a good two points off the hardness scale to the real deal.
The Flyers are a far more difficult team to measure, but they were in the Sabres’ skates this time last year. Buffalo says it has learned from its mistakes last season, but the team that adjusts to the pressure first will have a huge advantage in this series.
Someone get Mohs on the horn, the experiment starts now.