Two or less Posted September 4, 2008 Report Share Posted September 4, 2008 Yahoo's popular blogger Greg Wyshynski is doing a hockey preview "year book" on each NHL day. One each day. Today he did the Sabres. Check it out. http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_dadd...?urn=nhl,105548 Season Preview: Buffalo Sabres, Class of '08-'09 By Greg Wyshynski NHL previews are often superfluous collections of popular opinions that, in the end, usually have no relation to how life actually works out. Which makes using stereotypical high school yearbook superlatives and awards the appropriate template for Puck Daddy's 2008-09 NHL season previews, presented throughout September. Last Semester: Tenth in the Eastern Conference (39-31-12, 90 points). No matter how much positive momentum the Buffalo Sabres had from their 113-point season in 2006-07, free agent defections devastated the team. To put it in rather graphic terms: Their offense had its spine ripped out like a finishing move on Mortal Kombat. Homecoming King (Top Player): Derek Roy, center. It took a while for the Sabres' top players to put down their pint of Ben and Jerry's and stop crying into their teddy bears. Chris Drury wasn't coming back. Danny Briere wasn't coming back. And yeah, Tomas Vanek, having to perform under the weight of a huge new contract is no picnic. Roy was the exception, putting up points throughout the season before catching fire in the second half, scoring 47 points from Jan. 21 to the end of the season. He, Vanek and either Jason Pominville or Drew Stafford could be one of the best lines in hockey; and Roy is on pace to crack 90 points this season. Most Likely To Succeed (Potential Breakout): Steve Bernier, forward. Uh, scratch that. How about Pominville, whose career trajectory mirrors that of Roy, his potential linemate? Pominville put up 80 points last season, but saw his goals drop from 34 to 27 despite taking more shots on goal. The really freaky part: He increased his power-play points by 14 but his power-play goals flat-lined at two. You get the feeling the 25-year-old has a big goal-scoring season in him if his shot selection improves. At the very least he's straight, in a relationship and doesn't drink or smoke. At least that's what his MySpace says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inkman Posted September 4, 2008 Report Share Posted September 4, 2008 It took a while for the Sabres' top players to put down their pint of Ben and Jerry's and stop crying into their teddy bears. Tru dat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carpandean Posted September 4, 2008 Report Share Posted September 4, 2008 It took a while for the Sabres' top players to put down their pint of Ben and Jerry's and stop crying into their teddy bears. Tru dat. I still grab some Cherry Garcia and my teddy bear when we play the Rangers or I watch MSG's reports on their games. I'd get over it a lot faster if we had another top-two line center who could actually stay healthy. I'm sure the team had trouble letting it go when Jochen was pulled off wing or when the Goose moved up from the third line to fill in for a yet-again-injured Timmy. Don't get me wrong, I'm generally a pro-management guy, but not filling that position remains #1 on my complaint list. On a positive note, Derek Roy was my favorite Sabre even before last season. I'm glad he is the #1 guy and will be so for years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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