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SCOUTING REPORT
Matching lines? Balanced scoring boosts the speedy Sabres
By TIM GRAHAM
News Sports Reporter
4/21/2006
It took a late outburst from Maxim Afinogenov to place a Buffalo Sabre among the NHL's top 50 scorers. The winger finished 43rd to be precise. Not exactly the numbers one might expect from a team that won 52 games and rolled up 110 points.
Where Buffalo's offense has looked most impressive, however, has been in the distribution. Eleven Sabres finished with 40 or more points. No other NHL team can say that. The ultra-potent Ottawa Senators had only nine, the Colorado Avalanche 10.
If the Philadelphia Flyers would prefer to design a defensive game plan geared toward stopping any one or two lines in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, they'll likely become frustrated with the task.
Chris Drury needed a goal in the regular-season finale to reach 30 goals, otherwise the Sabres would have had six twentysomethings. Five hit double figures in power-play goals.
"That's what makes us a good team," said Sabres winger J.P. Dumont. "We have the four lines that can go at it and score some big goals. We know that we need all 20 guys, and some nights some guys are going to be hotter than others."
The Sabres won't have a first-team All-Star, but so many of their players enjoyed career offensive campaigns. Eight nonrookies either matched or surpassed their previous personal bests in goals. If not for injuries, Daniel Briere probably would have finished among the top 25 in scoring, and Tim Connolly would have been close behind.
Even with Dmitri Kalinin's numbers taking a nosedive, the defensemen contributed more than in seasons past. Brian Campbell, with 12 goals and 32 assists, turned in one of the most productive seasons by a Buffalo defenseman since the late 1990s.
"It's not about one or two lines or one or two players on this team," Briere said. "There's something special here."
What's up
What isn't? The Sabres enter the postseason clicking in virtually every facet on the ice. They allowed five goals over the last five games, including back-to-back shutouts to close out the regular season. Their power play finished third in the league, and their penalty kill finished second. Their offensive depth is further illustrated by the fact their fourth line includes a 25-goal scorer (Thomas Vanek) and another rookie winger (Jason Pominvile) who had 18 goals in only 57 games. And while the Sabres don't have significant NHL playoff experience on their roster, the man behind their bench knows how to guide a team deep into the tournament.
What's down
The Sabres aren't lacking for much, as their record and individual stats attest. But some observers might suggest the Sabres need a few more rugged veterans who've been here before. Any shortage in those areas usually gets exposed in the postseason. Only 305 games of playoff experience are on Buffalo's roster, and 10 of those belong to fearless forward Adam Mair, unavailable because of concussion issues. The Flyers, meanwhile, have several heavy hitters and 988 games of playoff experience working for them.
The Sabres will win if:
The Flyers aren't nearly as mobile defensively, and the swift skating Sabres should thrive on that. The
younger players, especially Miller, need to maintain their composure and perform just as they did in the regular season. If the Sabres don't get overwhelmed by the big stage, they might make it look easy.
e-mail: tgraham@buffnews.com
http://cbs.sportsline.com/nhl/gamec...0060202_PHI@BUF...Esche was making his fourth start since returning from a groin injury.
"With a talented team like (The Buffalo Sabres) are, they make you move so much," he said. "Those forwards on that team are very underrated. I think they are some of the best in the game right now."
--Robert Esche Feb. 2, 2006
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