First is the Buffalo Sabres. Above are the highlights from their romping of the Phoenix Coyotes. I know Phoenix has lost much of their talent and have thrown in a ton of young guns so they may be a bit unorganized, but the Sabres look good…scary good if I can say!
I credit the Sabres turn around, if you can call it that, to the obvious impact Tim Connolly is having on the team. He has risen to be the obvious best player for the Sabres, even surpassing Thomas Vanek. The Sabres management finally used their brain and signed one of their star players, rather than letting him walk or trading him. Connolly has changed the whole Sabres look on all aspects of the ice – Even Strength, Power Play, and Penalty Kill.
The best part about it, that Sabres fans should be optimistic about, is that Ryan Miller is out and Patrick Lalime is stepping up and playing well. It looks like the Patrick Lalime from his Penguins days. Assuming the Sabres make it to the playoffs and Ryan Miller is good to go, I see them potentially upsetting one of the top seeds.
Tim Connolly, in my eyes, is definitely the best player on this team whenever he’s healthy. He has great vision on the ice, and can make any play look incredibly easy. Regardless of his injuries, I’m glad that the Sabres were able to get a deal done. I just hope that he can play more often than not in these next two years…
Also nice to see the Sabres finally get a couple of wins here for Lalime. He should have more wins with the way he has been playing, but it’s too bad the Sabres couldn’t find ways to score for awhile. I hope they can string a few more victories for him while Miller continues to heal up.
Very true. Lalime has sucked all year. It is good to see him step up when he is really needed.
I agree Connolly is the key to the Sabres success. He dictates the play whenever he has the puck.
Doesn’t hurt either that Afinogenov is back either. If he gets rolling, the Sabres will be a force in the East,