Round 1 Playoff Preview

Written by Steven Didas
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The NHL playoffs are HERE and it’s a brand new season! The #3 seed Buffalo Sabres have drawn their Northeast division rival the #6 seed Boston Bruins. While the Sabres deserve to be proud about their division-winning regular season effort, the playoffs are a whole different animal and the last 82 games are in the past. Don’t be fooled by the Conference rankings, though, as this series is more evenly matched than those playoff seeds may indicate. NHL analysts are already pointing to this Round 1 showdown as the “Series to Watch.”

KEYS:
* The Bruins will certainly be no cake-walk for the Sabres, but are certainly a beatable opponent. We will be successful if we can fire up the offensive production and take a little pressure off Miller. One of the keys to success will be matching Boston’s physical presence and intensity. No one is expecting an offensive explosion, but if we can give Miller an early lead, it will help shake the confidence of the Boston’s rookie goalie, Tuukka Rask.

* While the Sabres have the potential to play with a lot of heart, they are certainly not known for out-muscling opponents on a regular basis. We have very few “bangers” and could use more than a few players stepping up and playing hard-nosed hockey with a willingness to lay the lumber. The Bruins will be trying to wear down our undersized forwards – unless we come prepared to fight back. If you watched the Olympics you saw the world’s elite throw their bodies around for their country and their teammates. In every US game, anyone that came near Miller got mugged and pounded by his US teammates. For the love of all things holy, if anyone touches Miller, kill him - and while you’re at it, stand up/throw down for your teammates! You’re hockey players!

* Speed will KILL the Bruins D. They’re big and physical… but can be beat if we play into our strengths and fight for loose pucks.

MATCHUP BREAKDOWN:

**Regular Season Series: The Sabres were 2-2-2 through six games against the Bruins this season. Boston and Buffalo rank 2nd and 3rd (respectfully) for fewest goals allowed in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the New Jersey Devils.

**GOALTENDING: This series features the NHL’s cream of the crop, and their play will likely determine the outcome. Ryan Miller has been deemed by NHL Network as the best goalie in the league and has single-handedly carried Buffalo through various stretches of the season. The fact is that Ryan Miller’s goaltending gives the Sabres an opportunity to win every game. The darling of Team USA and the face of the US Winter Olympics, Miller will need to bring the Vezina-worthy play he has become known for. Through the 09-10 season, Miller ranked 2nd in the NHL in Save Percentage (SV%) and Goals Against Average (GAA).

Miller’s stats are phenomenal, except when compared to the goalie who will be playing opposite of him in Round 1 - Bruins’ rookie Tuukka Rask ranks 1st in both of those categories. Even more astounding than his stats is the fact that he stole the starting job from the last season’s best goalie – Tim Thomas. Through 6 games this year vs. Buffalo, Rask allowed just 8 goals (good for a 1.42 GAA). The Sabres offense needs to figure out Rask quickly. Here’s hoping Buffalo makes the rookie goalie crumble under the pressure of his first NHL playoffs.

**SPECIAL TEAMS: Neither team has had a tremendous amount of success this year with the man-advantage. If one team could find a way to get their powerplay going, it could decide the series. That said, the Sabres and Bruins are 2nd and 3rd best in the NHL when it comes to killing penalties –a testament to the shutdown capabilities of the league’s top two goalies. This will certainly be a theme to watch through the series, as Lindy Ruff will need to devise new line combinations and mismatches to generate special team’s production.

**OFFENSE: While Buffalo’s offensive production ranks in the top 10 in the league this year, they have been streaky at best. With few consistent offensive producers, the Sabres will need to rely on a balanced scoring attack or the continued re-emergence of proven scorers like Derrick Roy and Thomas Vanek – both of whom are getting hot at the right time, combining for 8 goals in the final 4 games! The rapid development of 6’-8” rookie D-man, Tyler Myers, has been a huge lift to the Sabres, and his exceptional play has provided an unexpected boost to the Sabres offense. However, the fact that the rookie blueliner is 5th on the team in points only highlights the offensive shortcomings of many of Buffalo’s forwards. They will need young wingers like Tim Kennedy and Tyler Ennis, as well as trade-deadline acquisition Raffi Torres, to step-up their game and find the net. In addition, the Sabres could certainly use a healthy Tim Connolly back in the lineup – the Buffalo Center is the team leader in assists and second on the team in points, despite missing 10 games this season.

Even though Buffalo hasn’t exactly been an offensive powerhouse this season, they look like a team full of Crosbys, Ovechkins, and Gretzkys when compared to the Bruins anemic offense, which ranks dead last in the NHL. Trading Phil Kessel (last year’s leading goal scorer) and losing Mark Savard (last year’s leader in points and leader in the locker room) to injury has been a huge detriment to Boston’s offensive production. Rather than picking up the slack in their absence, the Bruins have lagged offensively and gotten by on stingy, tight defense and phenomenal goalie performance. However, their offensive capability should not be underestimated as centers David Krejci, Patrice Bergeron, and right-winger Michael Ryder are potent offensive presences. Similarly, the Sabres must be ballsy in the face of death and get down to block blasts from the point from towering defenseman Zdeno Chara; he leads the Bruins in assists and has always been a force against Buffalo.
If the Buffalo offense can get off to a quick start it would bode well, as they are 30-0-0 when leading after 2 periods. First things first… get Miller some goal support!!!

PLAYOFFS BABY!!! I can’t wait!!! LET’S GO BUFFALO!!!