Adding an extra bit of intrigue to the start of the season
was a trip to Europe. The Sabres, along with the L.A. Kings, N.Y. Rangers, and
Anaheim Ducks, partook in the NHL Premiere series. The Sabres played two games,
one designated as home, and another designated as away, in Finland and Germany.
The Sabres looked sharp in both, winning 4-1 and 4-2. In addition to the
teams on ice performance, it also provided an opportunity for them to bond off ice. If
there were any questions coming into the season, it was that of team chemistry,
considering the many new faces that were along for the ride.
Despite dropping their true home opener, thanks to giving up
two SHG’s, the Sabres looked good for the first several weeks of the season.
Miller, despite an off game here and there, was performing well, and Enroth was equal to the task. Vanek was off to the chases, looking at a career year. Some
had even gotten around to nicknaming him, Luke Adam, and Jason Pominville as
the Subway line, as the Sabres were near guaranteed to score 3 goals a night.
If the Sabres got 3 goals, you could turn your ticket into a free six-inch sub
the next day. There were still kinks to be worked out, but sitting at 10-5 they
looked poised to have a solid year.
Then the hit happened. You know the one, where the lone surviving
Neanderthal Lucic ran Miller, concussing him. What happens what a team runs
your star goalie? Hell, what happens when a team runs your AHL call up goalie?
You hunt down the player responsible. Certain other philosophies might also
suggest taking a run at the opposing teams goaltenders. What did the Sabres
do? Nothing. Not a goddamn thing. What’s especially interesting, at least to
me, is that when Chris Neil blindsided Chris Drury’s head 5 years ago, Drew
Stafford dropped the gloves immediately. Lindy then sent any goon he could
muster out onto the ice to fight the Senators top line in what became known as
the Buffalo Brawl. It’s not that they’re incapable of responding, they
simply chose not to do so in this situation.
It would have been one
thing to win that game, but in addition to showing 0 backbone, they lost 1-6. Only a goal by red-hot Thomas Vanek kept them from being shut out. That is when the Sabres season ended. The message
set out to the league was that if you push the Sabres, they’d fold. It also
called into question the team’s camaraderie. This concern would be exemplified
over the next two months that saw the team fail to win back to back games until
the All Star break. Injuries were also an issue, though they can’t be used as
an excuse. All teams face injuries over the course of a season. The good teams
find a way to persevere. The Sabres seemed content to use it as an explanation
of their shortcomings. It wasn’t their lack of effort of finish that lost them
games, but rather the players in the press box.
Night in and night out, it seemed as if only Vanek and
Pominville truly wanted to win. Now, I realize that probably isn’t true. All
players would rather win than lose, though there are also those that seem
indifferent to the final score, i.e. Mats Sundin or Alexei Yashin. Regardless,
whether it was a lack of determination or otherwise, several players weren’t
living up to expectations. Most of
the criticism fell on Drew Stafford, Derek Roy, Brad Boyes, Ville Leino, and
even Ehrhoff’s lack of offesnsive production drew the ire of some fans. It
wasn’t long after his return from injury that Miller began receiving a good
portion of blame.
Miller had several good outings since returning from his
concussion, but lacked consistency on a nightly basis. The team was also prone
to defensive lapses and whether or not the offense would show up on any given
night remained a mystery. The team clearly had issues, and they weren't going to go away overnight. I don’t think anything quite
highlights the Sabres ineptitude better than their losing 12 straight road
games. That streak came to an end at New Jersey in their final game prior to
the All Star break. Uncle Leo cashed in on a lucky bounce of the glass and Ryan
Miller stood on his head. By that point the Sabres had played themselves well out of
playoff contention. Still, with the prior season heroic run fresh in their memory, and
the return of several players off the injured list, there still remained hope
they could turn the season around. Could they pull off a repeat performance, or would it prove to be too little too
late?
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