Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres have been very solid this year, and that is demonstrated by the fact that they are leading the Northeast Division Standings with a 36-21-10 record on the season. This team figured to be a solid team from the beginning but has probably exceeded expectations.
Most people expected the Boston Bruins to take this division, but behind the goaltending of Ryan Miller this team has been excellent. When Ryan Miller is in the net this team has had a 33-15-8 record, however in the few games that he has not started the team is only 3-6-2, which is far less than what a team like the Sabres would like.
The way his team performs with and without him really gives Ryan Miller some credentials in the MVP voting this year, and it shows that the Sabres will need him to be an MVP if they are going to pick up some wins in the playoffs this year. His 2.16 goals against average is 2nd best in the league overall, but really the leader in the league has only started about 30 games, so Miller has been the best in the league amongst regular goaltenders.
The ticket for the Sabres winning is going to be finding someone who can put the puck in the net. Though they have a balanced attack, led by Tim Connolly with 45 assists, Thomas Vanek is the only player with more than 20 goals(only 22 total). Tim Connolly can continue to use his playmaking abilities but this team needs someone to find a nose for the goal and really help out Ryan Miller on the offensive end.
Just the fact that they have Ryan Miller gives this team a chance at a Stanley Cup and look for them to be a tough team down the stretch.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.