#LuckyLindy (bruins)

Ted Nolan won't go quietly into that good night. Nor will journeyman goalie Anders Lindback.

Nolan and his coaching staff are have instilled a sense of invincibility into their young Sabres. Nolan and his goalie coach Archie Irbe have pumped Lindback's tires to the point that the former Predator, Lightning, Star thinks he's Carey Price.

Lindback entered Buffalo with an .889 save % this season. He now owns a .935 save %. Is their something in the Lake Erie water that agrees with Lucky Lindy?

Linback has stole 3 of the 4 points available to his team in its past two games against formidable foes Washington and Boston. On Tuesday night, Lindback made 44 saves and defeated the Bruins in the shootout in their building in a game he had no business winning.

Such is life in Buffalo, NY right now. The fanbase is understandable jittery and anxious due to Lindback's recent heroics. Sabres fans blame Ted Nolan for creating the Lucky Lindy Monster.

Nolan is pushing the right buttons on his players and their passion level is sky high right now. They battle like warriors until the final horn. Their refuse to lose attitude is fueling their fight to the point that they are losing ground in the McEichel standings.

On Monday night, the Sabres lost in the shootout to the Washington Capitals. They gave back a valuable point to Edmonton and Arizona on Monday night. The Oilers defeated the Toronto Maple while the Arizona Coyotes lost to Los Angeles.

On Tuesday morning the McEichel standings looked like this:

Arizona 50 points Edmonton 50 points Buffalo 45 points

Today, the Sabres have a narrow 3 point lead on the Oilers and Dogs.

All three teams have now played 70 games apiece this season.

This race to the bottom of the NHL ocean is getting crazy. Three teams diving like Jacques Cousteau to take possession of the McEichel gems that are waiting to be claimed off the basement floor.

Nolan is losing credibility with Sabres fans who want to see either Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel selected by the Sabres at June's NHL Draft. Nolan isn't having any of the McEichel delsuions of grandeur that have been dominating the Buffalo community for the past six months. There are now 12 games left in this historically terrible Sabres season. Why is Nolan suddenly grabbing points in the McEichel strandings?

Is he playing for his own job?

Nolan said on Monday that he would be starting Matt Hackett in Boston. Lindback forced OT and the shootout against the Caps. He was supposed to sit on Tuesday night in Boston. The Sabres didn't skate due to their 3:00am arrival into Boston on Tuesday morning. Nolan met with his goalie coach Arturs Irbe and decided to start Lindback over Hackett in Boston.

Lindback is in the midst of a Michal Neuvirth inspired streak of dominant goaltending. Credit to Nolan's great friend and Buffalo goaltending coach Arturs Irbe.

Here are his save percentages by games played in Buffalo:

.914 vs. Tampa .919 vs. Ottawa .909 vs. Washington .912 vs. Toronto .969 vs. NY Rangers .921 vs. Washington .978 vs. Boston

Sabres fans appreciate Lindback's recent performances, however, they want to see the big Finn take a few nights off to give Hackett a chance to play. Tanking is easier with Hackett in the net rather than Lindback.

NBC's Pierre McGuire spoke with Lindback after he defeated the Bruins in the shootout. Lindback said that he was told by his coaches that he would be starting the game in Boston.

I don't get it. I'm sure Sabres GM Tim Murray is scratching his head right now, too. Murray said two weeks ago that he doesn't tell Nolan which players to play. Murray said that he stays out of the roster selecting process and he prefers to leave that task to his coaches. Murray said that all he asks is that Nolan furnish him with a plan and an explanation for the personnel decisions that he chooses to make. Murray wants to be alerted as to why players are benched or played .

Murray may want to flex his GM muscles and pull rank on Nolan in the final twelve games of this helter skelter season.

Don't look now but the Sabres now lead the Oilers and Coyotes by only four points.

The Sabres and Coyotes will meet in Buffalo on March 26 and then again on March 30.

Nolan better watch it or else the Sabres could find themselves in 28th place behind the Coyotes and Oilers. If they keep up these shenanigans, they will be selecting Noah Hanifin or Dylan Strome with the third overall pick, and not Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.

There's an opinion making its way around Buffalo that Nolan may be coaching as if he is on his way out of town. Nolan has two years remaining on his contract with the Sabres. He has been outspoken regarding player personnel decisions (see: Mark Pysyk) this season. If its true, Nolan wants to go out on his terms. He's not going to tank. He's going to go down fighting.

Darcy Regier was Buffalo's GM for 16 seasons. Regier is now the AGM in Arizona. He would love nothing more than to steal McDavid or Eichel away from Murray and the Sabres.

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Tuuka Rask was shut out by the Washington Capitals on Sunday afternoon. He played well in the loss.

The Bruins sat at home on Monday night and watched on TV as the Buffalo Sabres lost in the shootout to the Washington Capitals.

The goal was for Niklas Svedberg to start against Buffalo on Tuesday night. Rask was a surprise scratch when he developed a nasty case of "general soreness".

Clode Julien was forced to dress Providence Bruins tender Jeremy Smith as Svedberg's backup.

I'm thinking that millions of Bostonians are feeling general soreness as a result of St. Patrick's Day.

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