Thought the Buffalo Sabres were going to be bad this year? Just hold on a minute. The Sabres finished the preseason with a 4-2-1 record. They scored 21 goals and only allowed 16. Some teams they had better records than include the Detroit Red Wings (3-5) Philadelphia Flyers (1-5-1) and the New York Rangers (1-5).
Goalies:
With the 23-man roster due soon, what will the Sabres roster look like? At goaltender, Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth will backstop the Sabres this year. Enroth’s only win was a shutout and he did have a 1.95 G.A.A. Ryan Miller will look to play extremely well this year as he is in the last year of his contract. Will he stay in Buffalo or test the free-agency market? Only time will tell.
(Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
Defensemen:
At defense, Christian Ehrhoff, Tyler Myers, Mark Pysyk and Henrik Tallinder are solidified. Mike Weber, Alexander Sulzer, Jamie McBain and Rasmus Ristolainen are looking to fill in spots 5 and 6. Ristolainen, the 18 yr-old from Finland had really impressed this pre-season. He was also the Sabres top pick this year, going 8th overall. The key will be Tyler Myers; can he bounce back to his Calder Trophy form? If he can, the Sabres will be much improved.
(Jen Fuller/Getty Images)
Forwards:
The Sabres have a ton of forwards. They also have some injuries there too. Corey Tropp who has a broken jaw and Joel Armia, broken hand will be out for several weeks. Marcus Foligno has an upper-body injury but should be back in time for the first few games.
Thomas Vanek had a really good season last year. Can he keep the pace up? Vanek has done a better job with his defensive game and has become a 2-way player. I’m thinking at least 30 goals and 70 points. Zemgus Girgensons has impressed as well this preseason. The 14th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft had 3 goals and an assist to go along with a +5 rating. He could be a breakout star for the Sabres.
(Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
Cody Hodgson, Steve Ott, Tyler Ennis, Ville Leino and Drew Stafford round out the top 6. Stafford needs to have a productive season as he has been a disappointment the last few years. John Scott will play the enforcer role again and get 4 minutes a game. Cody McCormick and Patrick Kaleta will also provide some toughness for the Sabres.
The Sabres have the potential to be a playoff team. With a new division and a full 82 game season, it will be interesting to see what they can do.
Bob Duggan
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