Another highly anticipated NHL season is just a couple of days away, and once again, the Buffalo Sabres are not favored to win the division. The Sabres haven’t changed too much from last year. A few players came and left, but for the most part, they are relatively the same.
Many experts have already submitted their predictions for the 2010-2011 season, and many have favored Boston, or even Ottawa to win the Northeast Division.
Puckmeplease.com even has Buffalo finishing ninth in the Eastern Conference. That’s good enough for fourth in the division. You’re telling me that the Sabres have become that much worse since winning the division last season?
My first question would be, “Why aren’t the Sabres a playoff team this year? What makes them that much worse from last season?” As I pondered whether or not the other teams in the division, such as Boston and Ottawa, have improved that much, there was nothing significant enough for me to believe the Sabres can’t win it again.
The Bruins may have improved, especially with the addition of Nathan Horton. But now Marc Savard has post concussion syndrome, which could have a heavy impact on his career. Regardless of when he returns, one hit is all it will take for him to be done with the NHL.
You could say the same for Tim Connolly, who played 73 games last year, the most since the 2002-2003 season.
Boston also has Tyler Seguin, who could make an immediate impact on the club. They also have Tuukka Rask, but he still needs to prove that he can be consistent. His 45 games played last year are not enough to determine whether or not he is an elite goaltender.
The Bruins may have some upside with these young stars and additions. Plus, they still have Zdeno Chara, who always makes his presence known on the ice.
Nathan Horton will make his debut with the Bruins this season
If you want to use the argument that the Bruins can excel based on a strong goalie, a solid defenseman, and a young top-line forward, you can do the same for Buffalo.
The Sabres have Ryan Miller coming off of a career year. They have Tyler Myers coming off an outstanding rookie season. But Buffalo also has Tyler Ennis, who proved that he could play in the NHL at the end of last season.
The Sabres have similar key factors and will be looking for revenge after getting knocked out by the Bruins during the postseason.
Buffalo added experience, grit, and leadership by bringing in guys like Shaone Morrisonn, Rob Niedermayer, and Jordan Leopold. They may not be huge moves, but I believe they are the right moves and they will all be able to contribute and fit in nicely with the team.
With what we have seen from Drew Stafford in the preseason (5 GP, 2 G, 9 A, 27 SOG), it is obvious that he has done something to try and improve his game. With that in mind and this being a contract year, I don’t think it is too much to expect 20-30 goals out of him.
I believe that everything can click for the Sabres this year. I think they have everything in place, with the exception of a power-play quarterback, but they can get by without it.
With Thomas Vanek looking to rebound from a poor season, and Ennis contributing on offense, I can see the Sabres scoring more goals than last year.
Ryan Miller may still have to carry a heavy workload, but he is certainly capable of that.
The one problem that I see with the goaltending is that the Sabres play 22 sets of back-to-back games this year, which is the most in the NHL.
Last year, the Sabres played 18 back-to-back sets. In the second game of those sets, Buffalo won just four, and gained 13 points out of a possible 36.
When Miller is not in net, the entire team plays differently. No offense to Patrick Lalime or Jhonas Enroth, but the team goes into safe mode when one of them is in net.
The team knows that Miller is not back there to back them up, so they will make the safe plays rather than go all out and try to score. Many of the Sabres players also know that if they make a mistake that results in a goal, Lindy Ruff is going to get them in the locker room.
At least with Miller in net, the team doesn’t have to worry about the defensive aspect of the game. They take many more chances and, as a result, will be more effective on offense. Once they do this, the defense can feed off the offense, and vice versa.
I believe that the Sabres clearly are poised for a deep playoff run this year. I think they have an all-around solid team that wants to win this year. They want to get back to the playoffs.
Lindy Ruff and Ryan Miller have already stated that their goal this year is the Stanley Cup. While that may be the goal every year, this year seems to be different. There’s just something about it. Everything is falling into place and the best part of it all: the Sabres are underdogs.
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It was all fun and games last night at the HSBC Arena in downtown Buffalo, as the Sabres sliced and diced a young Philadelphia Flyers squad to the tune of a 9-3 victory. The game was Buffalo’s last of the preseason and improved their record to 4-2.
Now it’s time to get back to work. Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff have some tough decisions to make on who straps up for the Blue and Gold and who gets sent down to the Portland Pirates of the American Hockey League. The Sabres can have no more than 23 players on the final roster.
Players such as Miller, Myers, Roy, Pominville, Vanek, Kaleta, and Gaustad are safe from the blade of course, but there are a number of guys on the bubble. Young guns Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe have made a serious case to why they should make the opening night roster. So let’s get started!
As part of a continuing series, writer Benjamin Benya will be previewing all 30 NHL teams over the next two weeks in preparation for the 2010-2011 regular season.
Up next, the Buffalo Sabres.
Key Additions: D Jordan Leopold, C Rob Niedermayer, D Shaone Morrisonn, RW Tim Conboy.
Key Subtractions: D Henrik Tallinder, D Toni Lydman, LW Raffi Torrez, C Tim Kennedy.
The Buffalo Sabres once again proved that you can play with incredible heart and ferocity and win games in the NHL despite not having a single “superstar” in the ranks. Sure, Buffalo has had scorers step up at the right time, but last year, they created an all-new superstar thanks, in part, to the Winter Olympics.
A disappointing first round exit for the Sabres after winning the Northeast Division likely didn’t sit well with goalie Ryan Miller or head coach Lindy Ruff. So it was back to the drawing board in the offseason, making moves that would more or less keep the core of the team intact for another hopeful run.
Offensively, the Sabres have an impressive retention rate for nearly all their homegrown forwards. We are over a year removed from the dominant trio of Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, and Thomas Vanek providing all of the Buffalo scoring. Youth and experience has now made it a more collaborative effort.
This is not to say, of course, that these three aren’t as dynamic as ever. Thomas Vanek’s 28 goals last year were a far cry from previous 40-goal outings in which he really came on strong towards the end of the year. Vanek’s explosive potential and ability, including numerous three and four goal games over the past few years are perfect examples of what he can do.
Pominville and Roy, meanwhile, have both consistently produced in the 60-70 point range for the past two seasons and have a wonderful chemistry with one another. Pominville in particular should be noted for his all-around clean play, as he rarely finds the penalty box despite being gritty enough to fight for the rebound.
Buffalo’s ace-in-the-hole, however, is Tim Connolly, who the Sabres fought to keep for an extended period. Connolly is everything you can love about a top line center: he’s quick to the puck, has a great passing presence, and has decent size to screen a goalie. He hit career highs last year in both assists and points and looks to be adding more of a scoring touch as he ages.
Several other Buffalo players are lining the depth chart with breakout potential. Patrick Kaleta, Drew Stafford, Paul Gaustad, Tyler Ennis, and even the pint-sized Nathan Gerbe have shown that they could go off at any minute and provide the team with that little extra fire power.
Incorporate 33-year-old Jochen Hecht, coming off a decent 20-goal campaign, and Buffalo’s offense is as potent as it was when they had Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.
If defense wins championships, the Sabres must realize where their biggest weakness is. Once again this offseason, Buffalo watched as players who made the biggest impact for the team departed for larger salaries and contracts. In the past five years, the Sabres have cycled out D-men like Brian Campbell, Jaroslav Spacek, Dmitri Kalinin, and most recently, Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman, in an attempt to build another new foundation.
That foundation is, at the core, led by second year giant Tyler Myers. Last year’s Calder Trophy winner was everything you could want in a two-way defensemen. He scored goals and bruised bodies all while standing at 6’8” in a menacing Buffalo jersey. Myers still has a lot to learn at the NHL level, but to say he’s miles ahead of the curve would be a fair assessment.
Buffalo captain Craig Rivet will return for perhaps his last season this year as well. Rivet, 36, has seen his production decrease and his penalty minutes increase over the past three years, yet he’s still a valuable asset to the team due to his willingness to take the body and adjust to in-game situations. With an expiring contract and age factors setting in, Rivet may be up for one last hurrah.
The Sabres also brought in defensemen Shaone Morrisonn and Jordan Leopold to fill in the gaps left by Tallinder and Lydman. Morrisonn is a tough, stay-at-home type who is used to playing in a high-powered offensive unit from his days in Washington. Leopold, on the other hand, is a chronic underachiever that, if he can ever find his niche, has a huge upside.
As we said earlier, however, this team relies most heavily on the superstar play of goaltender Ryan Miller. Miller’s impact on the hockey world is still being felt after a stellar showing at the 2010 Winter Olympics, but his heroics in Buffalo were key in getting the Sabres back to the playoffs.
Miller is just about at the peak of his career, posting highs for wins (41), goals against average (2.22), and save percentage (.929, a ridiculously high figure) last season. While equaling those totals is indeed an arduous task, Miller plays best when he’s under immense pressure to perform.
Rookie Watch
Forward Tyler Ennis made a quick impact late in the NHL season this past year. Ennis has a more subtle approach than lumbering forwards who come before him. Considering he’ll be playing for a Buffalo team built on speed and skill, his game is contouring to the complete package.
Outlook
The Sabres defense could take some time to mesh and if another scoring star doesn’t emerge, points will easily slip away. But Buffalo’s strength, and Ryan Miller in net, indicates that they’re due for another postseason rendezvous.
Second in the Northeast, Seventh in the Eastern Conference.
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