Playoffs: Sabres vs Islanders
A Look At The First Round Matchup Between These Two Teams.
1st Seed Buffalo Sabres: 52-23-7 -113 points
The Sabres come in to the playoffs with a few key injuries but are close to having a completely healthy team, and that should scare the Islanders. Two of their top forwards, Maxim Afinogenov and Tim Connolly are set to return and should be ready for the first round match.
The Sabres have a balanced strong offensive attack. No matter what line they throw at you, they could score a couple goals on any shift. They have a solid defensive core lead by young strong players such as Brian Campbell. In goal the Sabres left no doubt to who their number one goalie is after trading away Martin Biron. Ryan Miller has had a great season and will look to continue his success in the playoffs.
After a solid playoff run last year the Buffalo Sabres should be a favourite to head to the Stanley Cup finals
3 Key Players to Watch
Daniel Briere- The clear leader of the team should step up his postseason play.
Maxim Afinogenov- This guy has too much talent to not show up in the playoffs.
Ryan Miller- Coming off a Vezina type season he knows he’s the guy in Buffalo.
8th Seed New York Islanders: 40-30-12 - 92 points
Coming off a dramatic last week of the season the New York Islanders were able to pull off a shootout victory on Sunday to land themselves in the playoffs.
This team has a solid offensive attack and with the acquisition of Ryan Smyth at the trade deadline it looks like it may have been a good deal after all. Their defense is strong and balanced well with gritty veterans such as Brandon Witt.
But, the big big question mark is in net as their number one guy Rick Dipietro is out and they are going with their AHL goalie Wade Dubielewicz. He has played well in the few games he has been in but those games were not playoff games and he’ll be facing the high flying Buffalo Sabres.
3 Key Players to Watch
Ryan Smyth- This guy is a warrior and lives for the playoffs, if the Islanders wish to pull out an upset they’ll need this guy to be at his best.
Brandon Witt- A solid defensive defenseman Witt will have a lot to handle with the balanced attack of Buffalo.
Jason Blake- There’s a reason the Islanders didn’t trade this guy, so they’ll need lots of offensive punch from him this playoffs.
First game Thursday April 12, @ Buffalo.
Prediction: The Sabres will be too much for New York to handle and their goaltending will let them down. Sabres in 5 games.
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