Buffalo Sabres

Breaking Down the Sabres' Forwards

August 15, 2011

jcamp28

The Sabres boast a very deep and balanced corps of forwards. The one thing they lack is a true star player. Many of the forwards (Leino, Gerbe, Roy and Vanek in particular) are highly skilled, but not (yet, at least) star players. This is not necessarily a problem, however, as history has shown that if a team has three lines that can score they can be a threat to win it all. The Boston Bruins have a good top line, but don't have a true star forward. The Penguins showed this when their big guns missed the second half of last year as well.

The Sabres made a splash on July 1st by inking former Flyer Ville Leino to a six-year deal. Ma...

Taking a look at the Sabres' D

August 11, 2011

jcamp28

8 Comments

When the season starts, the Sabres will boast one of the best defensive corps in the NHL. Newcomers Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff will bolster the top two defensive pairings. Defense is at a premium in the "new NHL" and adding players of the caliber of a Regehr or an Ehrhoff will provide immediate dividends. With talents like Tyler Myers, Andrej Sekera, Jordan Leopold and Marc Andre Gragnani already in place, Ryan Miller will feel very secure in net.

With the talent in place on the back end, it creates many options when it comes to defensive pairings. Let's take a look at some likely pairings.

Tyler Myers and Christian Ehrhoff...

Evaluating Overtime (Part One)

August 9, 2011

Matthew Brigidi

7 Comments

The NHL's current rules regarding overtime and shootouts were implemented to improve the game of hockey. However, the rules have presented some issues of their own. This is part one of a two-part look at some steps the NHL could take in order to make overtime/shootouts less controversial.

The NHL’s current overtime system was put into place in 2005-06 when the shootout was added onto the five-minute, 4-on-4 overtime period that was originally debuted in 1999-2000. In the current system, teams receive a point for getting to overtime, then earn an additional point if they score in overtime or win the shootout.

But the system didn’t always operate th...

Sabres Poised For Deep Playoff Run

October 6, 2010

kmf418

10 Comments

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 in ninth in the Eastern Conference (view predictions here). 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? M...

To "C" Or Not To "C"

September 2, 2010

kmf418

2 Comments

There has been a lot of criticism of Craig Rivet’s play over this past season, and let’s be honest: most of it had merit. There has also been some recent unrest in his captaincy and leadership of the team. Should Rivet be the Captain? How has he done so far? And who could take his place? Let’s take a look. Craig Rivet came to the Sabres in the summer of 2008 after Darcy Regier pulled a “just kidding” on the San Jose Sharks and got a mulligan on the Steve Bernier trade. Almost immediately he was given the captaincy of the team (traded July 4th – Made Captian October 8th) replacing the rotating captaincy system. Rivet has been the captain for 2 seasons in Buffalo, so let’s ...

Sophomore Slump For Myers?

July 30, 2010

kmf418

0 Comments

It’s no secret that Tyler Myers had a terrific rookie season last year with the Buffalo Sabres. He recorded 11 goals and 37 assists and played in all 82 games. To complete the phenomenal season, he was awarded with the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. The 20 year old towering defenseman played just as big as his height as he lead the team in ice time per game. Myers is considered significantly ahead of his game and has been compared to guys like Chris Pronger and Zdeno Chara but far better for his age then they were. Many NHL players have struggled coming off of their rookie season. Will this season be a rough patch for Myers? Sabres fans hope that he doesn’t struggle, but it m...

Northeast Division Up For Grabs

July 28, 2010

kmf418

1 Comment

Predictions for the upcoming NHL season are already being posted around the web, and many teams are not done making moves. At this point, are the Sabres good enough to win the division again? Mike Corcoran, a Tampa Bay radio host, posted his Eastern Conference predictions with Buffalo finishing in fifth place. Corcoran stated this about the Sabres: "Some will make the claim that a winning team starts from the net out, and the Buffalo Sabres have one of the best in the Eastern Conference in Ryan Miller. He can and will single handily steal games. The Sabres signed Jordan Leopold to help fill the void left by the departures of Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman. They also added center Rob ...

Buffalo Sabres Contest

July 18, 2010

kmf418

0 Comments

If you're a Sabres fan, you probably find yourself predicting the outcomes of games before they start. Well, now you have the chance to submit your predictions and win prizes based on how well you do. Sabreshockeycentral.com has introduced a Buffalo Sabres prediction challenge that will test the knowledge of many fans. All you have to do is predict the winner and score of each Sabres game this season. If you finish near the top, you will win Sabres tickets, jerseys, gift cards, cash, and other prizes. The cost is only $5.00 for the entire season! You can even sign up for text message and/or email alerts in case you forget to submit a prediction for an upcoming game. If you are in...

Regier: Nowhere Near Done

July 12, 2010

kmf418

1 Comment

Darcy Regier has made a few moves this offseason, but he is far from done. Buffalo still has about eight million left to spent before it reaches the maximum salary cup. Everything has slowed down around the NHL recently, due to the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. Once that is over, expect Regier and the Sabres to make a few more moves. Buffalo has already seen the addition of Jordan Leopold and Rob Niedermayer, two solid signings that should help the team. The Sabres also re-signed Patrick Lalime for another year. Lalime put up respectable numbers, but only went 4-8-2 last year. While many Buffalo fans may not feel confident with Lalime in net, he is a veteran backup who Ryan Miller loo...