Taro T
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4-1 is 4-1, no matter how you cut it. we were outshot, out special teams, but we were not out scored and that's all that matters! It's not how many numbers you get, its getting her to spend the night!
Out special teamsed?!?!?!?
If you take away the 5-3 pp goals the Sens scored, can you really say that?
I think Buffalo's special teams outperformed Ottawa's. Especially if you consider 4-4 play.
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..... Err Havlat has not been on the top line lol. He has played with Fish/Schaef the whole playoffs... He plays on the top PP unit if thats what you mean?
Juju, he's right on that one.
Vermette was playing with Spezza and Heatley during large portions of the other games. Alfie was with Smolinski and Eaves during most even strength situations.
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My game thoughts...
-WTF were the refs looking at(review) after the OT goal.
They were making sure that whatever stick might have possibly deflected the puck wasn't a Sabres (Gaustad) stick above the crossbar.
It was the right thing to do. Too bad the league didn't believe in that 7 years ago. :angry:
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Well i Realize that it is not over - The sens did come back from 3-0 against Jersey in the Conference finals, only to lose in 7. So i know its possible, they just have to get back to basics.
Close, it was 3-1 for Joisey. Otters won game 1 in OT.
By the way, until your team is eliminated, I am not comfortable with this series. While I do (obviously) expect the Sabres to end up on top being up 3-0, Havlat scares the heck out of me.
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In case you were being facetious, we had sort of a big game at HSBC on 5/10/06...
It's late and I will cut you some slack for not catching the [facetious] ... [/facetious] around the post. (What, it didn't come through. I need to talk to SDS about that one! :P)
It's actually funny (to me, at least) that you mention that, because in the original version of my post I had a huge disclaimer at the bottom stating something to the effect of: yes, I know you were referring to tonight's game.
Darn, it's late, I'm tired, and have a lot of work to get done tomorrow before heading off to the Mmarena. G'night.
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What a great win. This team has so much heart. I don't think they even thought for a second about caving in when Ottawa tied it. They just wanted to get out there and win it.
Meanwhile, how lame were the Senators? Hello, ladies, the series is not over at 2-0. You could have come out playing like your lives depended on it (ie like the Sabres come out EVERY time), b/c if you won tonight it would have been 2-1 and very much a series. But you were already half-resigned to losing the series and you pretty much mailed it in.
If I were a Senators fan I'd be pretty PO'd and I'd be wanting a new coach. Too bad the best one in the league works in Buffalo.
Separately:
1. Miller is the man. He had 4 or 5 huge saves. If he keeps on playing like this we are going to keep winning.
2. Great to see Max reappear. Definitely his best game of the playoffs.
3. Novotny played pretty well. He contributed substantially more than Vanek.
4. Emery isn't the worst goalie in the league, but he's probably in the bottom third. How could Muckler not pick up a goalie? This was his shot at the cup -- that team is going to get broken up in free agency after this year. He's no Darcy.
5. I'd love to see us sweep, the Devils win a couple of games, and we get a week or so to rest and heal the wounded so we get Kalinin and Connolly back at some point in the next round.
6. If we score first tomorrow night and don't play sloppy, Ottawa is going to quit.
7. I thought Tallinder and Lydman each had a great game.
Go Sabres.
What, you don't consider signing Morrison off waivers "picking up a goalie"?!?
As to getting a week off, I don't want that long of a rest for the boys. '80 taught me that a week+ of rest is a bad thing for a hot hockey team (even a hockey team with some key contributors on IR). I would love to see 3-4 days rest. So my best case scenario is Buffalo wins tomorrow, NJ stretches their series to 5 games and the west teams win in 4 or 5 as well (6 tops).
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PA Fan -- I respectfully submit that going forward, we have an additional item for 5/10.
Yeah, baby.
What item? That Strow quit school because Curtis Brown couldn't completely deflect a puck? Or that he quit school because Koharski told Kasparaitis that he WOULD get a penalty the NEXT time he grabbed the puck and threw it into the crowd?!? :blink:
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Wow, 1.8 seconds left and Alfreddson ( C ) can't bury result of mistake made by Drury ( C ). That play was such a microcosm of the series. The Sabres don't make the huge mistake often in this series, but the few times they do, Ottawa doesn't seem able to capitalize on them.
This game had a very similar feel to the Sabres - Phlyers game 3. It seemed to me that Buffalo was playing well, but due to a bad bounce and an unlucky/ untimely trip and several bad bounces at the other end and the game was tied. The difference was, when Forsberg had the opportunity to capitalize on the breaks and drag his team with him, he got it done. Alfie, although he got 2 assists (neither a primary IIRC) he did not make the play that his team NEEDED him to make. He needed to score and rip Buffalo's heart out. He didn't and now Buffalo has an opportunity to try to do something that very few people thought was probable before the series started.
Also, Ryan has played as well as can be expected these last 2 games. The only times he has been beat were off of crazy bounces and/or deflections. He has definitely bounced back from game 1. Hopefully he can keep that going for about 9 more W's.
Finally, my wife pointed it out to me during Max's interview on the shootout, but we now understand how Max changes direction and sees so much that no one else seems to see. His eyes did not stay in 1 place during his interview for more than 1.5 seconds during the entire interview. They were up, down, left, right, here, there, everywhere. Watching his eyes was like watching him skate with the puck. There was no telling where they were going next.
What a game. What a game.
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Jeff Glass maybe??? played for Kootenay in the OHL... Ray is ottawa's best chance though. The loss is not his fault tonight - but he needs to step up along with the whole blue line as i've already said. I wouldnt expect to score that many on the sens again this season.
Thanks again.
I agree with you, that neither team should expect to score that many goals again in this series. That said, I would not be surprised to see either team score 5+ at least 2 more times.
I expect to see 1-2 low scoring games in this series as the coaches work their chess matches, but the reality is both teams have incredibly fast forwards. Although they both have fast D, I just don't see either team's D being able to shut down the other's speed ALL series long.
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I think for the Sens its Ray or bust. Morrison has not impressed me at all when he's played - and i have confidence that even if he sucks it up next game too - he will bounce back. As a fan i have to believe that. Flyers are a bunch of neanderthal's much like the leafs. I think dom is done - this is Rayzor's team now. That is why buffalo has a slight advantage in goal, not so much that Miller is better than Emery, but you guys do have a reliable back up in Biron, we have a reliable backup in Emery who is being forced into Starting.
Thanks for the insight. I pretty much expected that your boys will stick with Ray come heck or high water, but was curious what someone who has watched them all season thought. If Morrison is not an option, does Ottawa have anyone they do have faith in down in Binghamton? (Realizing that I am getting way ahead of myself, as 1 questionable game does not a series make (much as I might like it to)).
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What a crazy game tonight! First, congrats on the win - atleast it was entertaining. Very very unstable game by the Sens Blue line tonight, they should have had it won after the Smolinski goal. Emery has to step it up as well. Expect the sens to show up more on monday
Thanks.
Incredible friggin' game. Heading into OT, I was amazed at how exciting the game was. The sad part about this series is, these 2 teams should be meeting next round at the earliest, as NEITHER deserves to lose in the round of 8.
If this game is any indication, this series will truly be one for the ages. (Whether my boys win or not.) Someone posted that people (I use that term loosely) on a Phlyers board were whining about how terrible this game was. All I can say is, if their management agrees with that sentiment, they are going to go a LONG time waiting to get past the 1st round.
Out of curiosity, what scenarios do you see for Ottawa's goaltending if Emery has the same sort of save percentage in Game 2 (win or lose)? (Not saying that he will. I'm actually expecting him to play better (as I expect Miller to play better) but I am just curious as to what you see as their options.) Is Dom ready to go but sandbagging or is he out for good? Do they go with Morrison or hope that Ray can pick his game up?
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My pick...
What has separated the two teams over the course of almost 90 games? Three stinkin? points. Why Ottawa is a strong favorite here perplexes me. But it?s fine. The expectation that the Senators will win, the pressure of much of Canada bearing down on them, will get to Ottawa, a franchise that has a long history of choking in the playoffs. The Sabres? They?re excited to be there. It?s all gravy now. The nervousness left this team in Game 4 in Philly, for good. They?re underdogs, which is fine with them.
Matchups we win: Miller vs. Emery. Ruff vs. Murray, who hasn?t won much in his coaching career, as far as I know. The rest of the matchups are close, with some of them even favoring Ottawa a bit. But when you win the goaltending and coaching matchups, that?s enough.
If I hadn?t seen an incredible display of defense against Philly, if I had seen the turnovers that plagued the team late in the regular season, I would pick Ottawa in five. Instead, it?s the Sabres in six. You can take it to the bank, HSBC or Scotiabank.
I hope you are right.
I definitely think the Sabres can compete w/ Ottawa. IF the Sabres win, it will come down to the 2 items you mentioned plus special teams and intangibles.
Ottawa beat TB in large part because TB couldn't handle Ottawa's powerplay. Buffalo has much better pk units than TB did and much better goaltending. I don't see Ottawa's powerplay beating the Sabres in the same manner. I am concerned about the Sabres giving up short handed goals this series. IF the Sabres can hold the Sens to 2 or fewer SHG's, the Sabres could be in real good shape.
The intangibles I mentioned are, can Ottawa get over the mental hump of winning a tough playoff series and will Ottawa have any rust built up from their extended layoff? If the answers are NO and YES, the Sabres WILL win the series.
The additional intangible is scheduling. Buffalo is coming in off 2 days rest so they should be pretty much ready to go. They will get an additional 2 days rest, so if the Sabres can win this game, Ottawa will have a chance to doubt themselves for one extra day. If the Sabres lose, it will give Lindy one extra day to outcoach Murray and prepare for Monday. I don't think a loss to Ottawa tonight dooms the Sabres as they are realistically shooting for a split. A loss tonight by Ottawa doesn't bury them, but definitely gives the Sabres a psychological advantage.
The back to back games in Buffalo benefits the Sabres more as they are in familiar surrounding and should be more prepared for the 2nd game. (What a load of BS, but that's my story and I am sticking to it.)
Heck, I'm starting to go with my heart more than my head. The Sabres really COULD pull this off.
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I disagree. While NJ did put a good winning streak together to end the season, I think their first round performance was skewed. Lundqvist looked nowhere near 100% and the Rangers were lost without Jagr. Regardless of how many games he was on the ice for, he was really only there for the first game.
Agreed.
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Huge difference watching the game on TV vs being in the rink. None of the people near me thought Danny played anywhere close to a good game. Yes, he had 2 nice assists, but he took an incredibly stupid penalty and also had far more than his fair share of passes get intercepted and shots go wide. He also, on more than one occasion looked lost in his own end. It may very well be that he is trying to do too much, but he has not looked good IMHO for much of this series.
I hope the fact that he got 2 goals in game 4 and 2 assists in game 5 cause him to get his game back, because the Sabres will need him, and he is not there yet.
Kotalik had more good plays than bad ones, but he hung Max out to dry on a pp in the 1st and Max barely managed to dive and keep the puck away from the Phlyer forechecker. I definitely think Ales can raise his game another notch.
I was very happy with all the D-men tonight. They blocked several shots and gave Filly very little open ice down low. Several had solid hits.
To me, the 3 stars were Grier, Pyatt, and either Timmy or Ryan. Kalinin could also get an honorable mention. (Actually SEVERAL could have gotten honorable mentions.)
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April 30, 2006
Ryan Miller blanks the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 to take a 3 games to 2 lead in their first round series at HSBC Arena. Tim Connolly scores a highlight reel power play goal in the first that proves to be the winner and Fushetti gets his pepsi knocked over by a fan going to get beer.
That'll teach you to drink pop at a hockey game!
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Well, Filly outplayed the Sabres tonight and deserve the win. (I don't have the same assessment of game 3.) My fear coming out of game 3 with Forsberg having all the FLUKE luck go his way was that he would wake up, and unfortunately it does look like he did.
Buffalo, with the last change, can definitely bounce back next game. I will be nervous IF the Phlyers take the lead, but I would definitely liked to have been able to finish it Sunday.
With luck, Danny will wake up next game, having had the fluke luck go his way this game. I actually was very surprised in that, as like last game, the Sabres came out of the gate better than Filly but then let Filly take the mid portions of the game. I honestly thought that with the Sabres speed that they would maintain an advantage once they got it. Apparently, the Sabres are the young team we realized they are. The good thing is, they have outplayed the Phlyers 3 out of 4 games and have the extra game at home. Game 5 is HUGE. If the Sabres win (and I expect them to win), they WILL win the series (probably in 6).
I am disappointed that the Sabres gave away a 2 goal lead, but Filly did outplay them tonight and deserved the win.
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I was out all night and have this game waiting on my TiVo. Is it even worth watching?
Well, you may want to watch the final minute of the game to see all the Wile E. Coyote Suprageniuses throw hats (and shirts and supposedly a bra and whatever else) on the ice when Gagne scores an empty net.
"12 scored, that means 21 had a hat trick, right?" "Duh, beavis, I think so." "Ha, ha, that's cool, the #~@!#! Sabres fans got to throw stuff onto the ice, now we do too. Ha, ha, ha." "Uh, you said Sabre, ha, ha, that's cool." "Shut up, butt head. ha , ha." "And remember Bevis, when someone gets a hattrick you throw shirts on the ice. ha, ha." "Yeah, ha, ha. That's cool. ha, ha. ha, ha."
Also, the "Orange sea of toxic waste" shirts that were handed out to the fans made the place look like pretty much anywhere else in the toxic cesspool known as Fillydelphia / New Joisey. I was impressed.
And finally, it was impressive hearing the Wile E. Coyote Suprageniuses boo Dumont when he was helped off the ice after being SPEARED by cheap shot artist extraordinare Gauthier. So much for all their fan message board whining that you would never see fans in Filly do something classless when an opponent is injured.
So, to recap, the game isn't worth Tivoing. The Wile E. Coyote Suprageniuses might be.
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Lindy DID say the Flyers played like or acted like idiots -- and rightly so, although you worry about a comment firing up the Flyers. Actually, there should be no worries. I don't think that team can be fired up. It would be easier to fire up great grandpa's Model T. All that cranking, jeez. And you definitely cleaned up Hitchcockbreath's message for Lindy! This is getting fun.
Yeah, like I stated in the other thread that I had stated I didn't think Lindy actually said that, yes he did say that at the beginning of his press conference.
As for cleaning up CK's message, he did state what I said while he was at the podium. The more interesting thing he said was stated while walking away from the podium and I did not hear it clearly.
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Wow.
I wonder if Ken Hitchcock will even speak tonight. He should be thoroughly embarrassed over how his team acted.
Very prescient. Hitchcock said the team wasn't ready, it was his fault, and he and the whole team was embarrassed.
When some idiot reporter said that Lindy SAID (which wasn't true, Lindy agreed w/ the reporter) the Flyers were idiots, Captain Kangaroo stormed out of the press conference. "Lindy shouldn't say that."
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I'm surprised to see you say that about Kalinin dave! I ws really impressed with his play tonight. I thought he was hitting effectively, doing a nice job clearing the zone and pinching when he needed to. Also, I thought he played great in front of the net... I was trying to watch him when he was out there (I was watching on TV, so I didn't always have a great view), but he seemed to be doing a good job tying up his man, and playing his man, not simply watching the puck.
I agree that the Knuble goal could have been prevented by Kalinin clearing the zone, but how does everyone on the ice ignore Knuble and let him get free?
Lydman was horrible last night. Tony is funny like that...he'll toss in a really really horrible performance seemingly once every 10-15 games or so, then he returns to his solid, quiet, responsible play.
For what it's worth, I felt that every single Sabre Defenseman looked pretty jittery for the first two periods. They all seemed to settle down a bit in the third and OT, but at the outset they seemed very tepid.
Wow. I just used tepid talking about hockey. What the hell's the matter with me? I NEED A BEER! haha
Our opinions about Kalinin's game are roughly 180 opposite. I thought he had a lot of difficulty getting the puck out of the zone. I did think he was decent in the Phlyers end.
I actually thought he was playing worse than Lydman until Lydman got to the 3rd period when his game definitely dropped to a lower level than it had been in the 1st 2 periods.
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That folks is what you call an "Instant Classic". What a way to start the playoffs. Some game thoughts...
- Max was very quiet. He had that one chance off the post, but I didn't notice him much other than that.
- Kotalik playing a physical game. Pleasant surprise.
- Tallinder getting in the way of Forsberg's open net with only about 15 seconds gone in the game. You have to be good, but you also need some luck. ;)
- Grier playing the role the Sabres need him to in the playoffs.
- Miller was solid.
- Jochen Hecht is in my top 3 Sabres. The guy brings so much to the table when he is in the lineup.
- Esche stood on his head and the Flyers still lost. I don't expect him to continue to play at that level.
- Folks will still be talking about that Campbell hit 20 years from now.
GO SABRES!!!!!
I actually thought Max played a pretty good game. He did back the Phlyers off a few times.
Kotalik had too many turnovers for my liking.
Roy was fantastic. He worked very well with Drury and Grier.
Kalinin seemed to go back into his funk. The Knubble goal was directly attributable to him failing on 2 clearing attempts and then leaving Mike alone in front.
Lydman didn't seem to have his head fully in the game either. Although his partner failed to clear the puck a couple of times he set the tone for the game 12 seconds in and overall played a very strong game.
Connolly and Grier were great. Jochen was much faster than the Phlyers D. Dumont was hitting everything he could get his shoulder on.
Hopefully Danny breaking the seal will lead to him having a better scoring %age next game.
Vanek looked like he was in his 1st playoff game.
McKee was a monster. Strong at both ends of the ice.
Teppo was solid for the most part but can play better and I expect him to on Monday.
Gaustad and Pominville had strong games, especially right after Sabre powerplays when Jochen was on their line.
I'm thinking we are going to have to start calling Soupy "highlight reel".
Drury was solid.
Miller should be proud of his effort.
If the Sabres can figure out how to get the powerplay working it should be lights out for Philly in short order.
The Phlyers were definitely trying to keep the Forsberg line on the ice with the Connolly line and it blew up in Captain Kangaroo's fat face in the 1st period.
Handzus and Esche were the only 2 Phlyers that came to play 90 minutes.
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A while ago, I heard the weather woman on Channel 7 give the forecast for the game.
Before that, when the Campbell's Soup commercial came on, I had my own lyrics for that catchy song... Campbell on the rush... possibilities.... Campbell has it at the point, possibilitieeeeeeees.
I need this series to begin ASAP.
Oh yeah, Captain Kangaroo seemed a little prickly when asked about the Sabres' speed. He says his team is fast in its own right and claims that "team speed" is the most overrated thing in sports.
Yeah, when your team doesn't possess something, having it is necessarily "overrated".
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Breakin it down:
Start in Goal: Miller is a better goaltender by far than Esche or Niittymaki, the only X factor being his playoff aura. Esche has more experience, and some success here, and I wouldn't be that surprised if he could come out and stonewall the Sabres in a game or two. That said, momentum, in my opinion, is worth as much as experience, considering how in the past two playoffs we've seen no name goalies cary their teams to the finals. Miller is playing his best hockey of the year right now and should be able to carry that over. Esche and Niittymake, conversely, have neither momentum nor even a go-to guy. If Miller seriously outplays the Flyers goaltending tandem in this series, a sweep is even possible.
Defense: I think the size and slowness of Philedelphia's defense gets overplayed, and it will seem especially so if Hitchcock (as I expect) coaches the team to play a very conservative game that neutralizes the rush. That said, we should still be able to buzz a little bit in their zone, and our success will probably largely depend on how well the Flyers study out our creative players (Max, Briere, Roy) so as to anticipate them. Pitkanen is also one of the best scoring defensemen in the league, 46 points in 58 games. He'll give us a lot to handle in the offensive zone aside from the Forseberg line. Comparing the two defenses, I haven't been too impressed with Buffalo's D all year. We can rush and score, but as for shutting an opponent down, I don't think we can. Even our recent stretch of low goals against is mostly, in my mind, due to the goaltending. I expect the Flyers top line to do some considerable damage in this series, but after that line, I don't know who else will pick up the ball.
Forwards: Like I say, its all about Forsberg, Gagne, Knuble. I think this might be one of the top five or seven most dangerous lines in the playoffs, so I don't know to what extent we want to really just roll lines. In Philedelphia, where the Flyers will have the last change, I think we're going to have to try to match against at least that one line, because if Hitchcock matches Forsberg against Vanek abnd Pominville all game they'll eat us alive. Drury might even find himself comfortable and effective in his traditional role as a checking line center, and Grier, who lacks some of the speed of our other forwards, may be just as well in the defensive role rather than putting him up against Philly's D size for size. Jochen should have a standout series playing both ends.
I think the series will come down to special teams. We can frustrate PHilly's D, and if Bettman is true to his word and games get called right, our powerplay will devour Philly's penalty killers.
Ultimately, if our powerplay and goaltending are up to snuff, I see this series being Buffalo's in five, leaving us some good rest before we take on the conferences real elite in the next two rounds.
j
I think the Sabres will pretty much roll lines, but will attempt to avoid putting the Connolly line against Forsberg's. Drury's line and Briere's line can definitely hold their own with the Forsberg line and I think Gaustad and Pominville are solid enough to withstand the odd shift here or there against THE line.
Where you will see matchups will be with the Sabres avoiding putting Campbell on the ice against that line even strength. My guess is Tallinder and Lydman are the 1st choice to match up against Forsberg with McKee and Kalinin the next pair. If Kalinin has major issues in his own end, Lindy might swap McKee's and Numminen's roles and have Numminen and Campbell be the second pair against Forsberg; but if we get to that point, the Sabres could be in trouble. Also, McKee's shot blocking will be a huge plus against that line.
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Looking at the scores, do we face Philly or Jersey?
Philly.
Joisey hosts the Strangers.
Eastern Conference Finals, Carolina Hurricanes (2) vs. Buffalo Sabres (4)
in 2005/2006 Season
Posted
My take on this series is that it should be a doozy.
Both teams have excellent forwards, but Carolina will be missing Cole and could be missing Stillman. While Buffalo will likely be without Connolly (at least for a game), Carolina's entire attack could be affected without Stillman. Carolina is not as good without Cole as they were with him, toss in a possible Stillman loss, and Carolina's task becomes huge. While Carolina's top guns are slightly better than Buffalo's top, the Canes don't have as much depth at forward and definitely don't play the bottom guys as much as Buffalo plays theirs. If the series goes 6 or 7, that should give Buffalo the slight edge overall at forward. Also, who doesn't want to see Drury v Brind'amour on the draws. Those should be worth the price of admission in their own right.
If Kalinin isn't available, I give Carolina a very slight edge on D. With Kalinin, I give the slight edge to Buffalo.
Goaltending I give to Miller but Ward could end up spectacular. I gave the edge to Miller because he has been more consistent over the course of the season. Of course, Ward may be able to outperform Ryan, but I don't expect that outcome.
PP I give to Carolina, but PK goes to Buffalo.
Intangibles I see as a wash. The essentially weeklong layoff both teams are getting keeps me from seeing an edge for either here.
Coaching - what can I say, I'm a Sabres fan and Lindy has definitely been on this year. A VERY slight edge to Lindy.
If Carolina doesn't get Stillman back, the series could end up staying short. My guess is that he will play and Buffalo will win a very close 6 game series.
Although Carolina won the 1st 3 games against Buffalo, I had thought the Sabres played a style that gave Carolina much more trouble than it looked like on paper and there were extenuating circumstances in all 3 losses. While I didn't expect Buffalo to shut them out in the RS Finale, I thought that game was more indicative of where these 2 teams are right now. I think Buffalo has a very slight edge overall against the Canes and as long as Lindy doesn't let them get the chip off their shoulder and he doesn't let them stop hustling, I just don't see many scenarios where Carolina wins the series.