Early Season Shows Sabres Making Strides

The Buffalo Sabres Have Yet to Suffer a Regulation Defeat

Oct 17, 2009

Heading into the season, many Sabres fans didn't know what to expect. The fans are tired of not making it to the playoffs two straight years.

The team frustrated fans by making it to the Eastern Conference Finals in consecutive season, then missing the previous two playoffs.

The team added grit and more physical play by adding defenseman Steve Montador and returning forward Mike Grier.

Both bring a grinding presence in the locker room and Montador has some history of dropping the gloves when the situation calls for it. The team is also shooting more and it's started to show in the score sheet after defeating the New York Islanders 6-3 and the Detroit Red Wings 6-2. The team's averaging 37 shots per game entering the contest against the Atlanta Thrashers.

Youngsters Make Immediate Impact

Buffalo native Tim Kennedy made the team right out of training camp and made an immediate impact playing between Jochen Hecht and Grier. Kennedy recorded one assist and 15 shots on net. He plays well below the crease and moves the puck towards the net well, setting up his linemates.

Myers has provided a bigger source of excitement and potential for Sabres fans. He had a plus 4 rating against the Detroit Red Wings and has four points, including scoring his first NHL goal against the Islanders. He pairs with Henrik Tallinder and they've become comfortable playing with each other, Tallinder leads the team with a plus 7 rating, while Myers is right behind with a plus 6 rating.

Myers has become a fan favorite, the problem is that head coach Lindy Ruff and general manager Darcy Regier have to decide on what to do with Myers after nine games. He's uneligible to go to the AHL and play with Portland, so they would have to return him to junior hockey. It doesn't look like that's going to happen with the way he's been playing and he should be on the team the entire season.

Top Line Continues to Perform Well

The top line of Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford continue to settle into the top scoring line for the Sabres. Roy recorded five points in five games so far this season. Vanek looks to build on a league-leading 20 power play goals from last season. He has one so far, but he'll miss some games after suffering an upper body injury.

MacArthur Provides a Pleasant Surprise

Forward Clarke MacArthur always seemed like he could make the transition to a consistent offensive threat in the NHL, but he wasn't given the right opportunities in previous seasons. He's played well and found the net three times in five games and shares the points lead with Roy this season. MacArthur always seems to get good scoring chances. A lot of them come from his centerman Tim Connolly. Connolly creates quality chances for his linemates and MacArthur is finishing the set ups from Connolly.

Head coach Lindy Ruff makes some pretty tough choices, one of them doesn't involve choosing which goaltender to use every night. Ruff relies on Ryan Miller and Miller provides the consistency and the desire to win hockey games. He's played every game and boasts a stellar 1.58 goals against average, suffering a lone overtime loss against the Montreal Canadians.

The copyright of the article Early Season Shows Sabres Making Strides in National Hockey League (NHL) is owned by Michael Licata. Permission to republish Early Season Shows Sabres Making Strides in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.