After back to back springs of prematurely hitting the links early, The Buffalo Sabres were one of the regular seaason surprises of the NHL 2009/2010 season.  Instead of a borderline playoff team relying on streaky forwards and an unproven defense, the squad handily captured the Northeast Division title behind strong team play, the brilliance of rookie defenseman Tyler Myers and Ryan Miller’s emergence as the best goaltender in the league.

Unfortunately, the team fell back to earth in the playoffs, as key injuries to Thomas Vanek and Jochen Hecht put the offensive load on Derek Roy and Tim Connolly, who wilted under the pressure.

The defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins raised significant questions about the team’s toughness and resiliency and an offseason devoid of blockbuster additions did little to silence the Sabres’ critics.  However, although there are a lot of familiar faces donning the blue and gold this season, it will be a new team taking the ice in 2010.

Continue reading ‘Our 2010-11 Buffalo Sabres Season Preview’