but, being in the bottom 3rd of the conference, and losing 5 straight for a halfway mark of 41 points is not going to cut it. we need to have a 50 point 2nd half to have a legit shot at the playoffs. in january and february, the contenders will separate themselves from the pretenders. while we are only a couple of points out, we are virtually a 500 hockey team with overall inconsistency. i would characterize that as providing the sabres with a decent shot of missing the playoffs.