Electrici
03-26-2012, 11:30 PM
(I took this from another board, credit goes to Craig Cunstance and whoever actually bought ESPN insider and posted this)
Inside the Sabres' late charge
ESPN INSIDER
On Friday morning, Lindy Ruff shared the news with his team. If it won out, it was in the playoffs. It didn't matter what Washington, Ottawa or Winnipeg did. A long shot? Absolutely. But still a remarkable comeback for a team we all buried in January.
"That's a good feeling when you can control your own destiny," Ruff said.
It's even better when you actually do it. The Sabres are coming off a weekend sweep of the Rangers (Friday) and Wild (Saturday) that pushed them briefly into the No. 8 spot.
That sets up Tuesday's showdown with the Washington Capitals, with the winner of that game seizing momentary control of the final playoff spot. If it's anything like Saturday's intense battle between Phoenix and San Jose, it'll have all the makings of a playoff game. Except the ending. A shootout -- like we saw between the Coyotes and Sharks -- would be the worst possible scenario for Ottawa, a team that doesn't want to get dragged into a three-team fight for the final two spots. At this point, with the way the Capitals and Sabres are playing, it looks inevitable.
"It's kind of one big hockey game at this point," Ryan Miller told reporters after beating the Rangers. "You just have to get all you can out of it. It's going to come down to the last two [or] three games."
The Sabres have won four consecutive games and are 7-1-2 in their last 10. The patience that ownership and management showed this season, patience that looked foolish just a couple months ago, is paying off. I recently asked GM Darcy Regier if a playoff trip would be a bit of redemption for those who questioned the plan.
"No, I don't view it that way," Regier said. "I don't read all this stuff and say, 'Told you so,' or whatever. 'You were right, I was wrong.' More than anything you try to figure out how to win a championship. You're trying to learn from what you're doing. You're trying to figure things out as quickly as you can."
At the trade deadline, Regier quietly had one of the better days among NHL general managers. He got a first-round pick from Nashville for Paul Gaustad, which was more than a couple contending teams were willing to pay for the center. Then Regier traded for the talented Cody Hodgson, the kind of move that helps immediately and long term. It was the ideal trade that a team in Buffalo's position makes. Regier resisted the temptation to blow up a Buffalo team that sat at 62 points on Feb. 28, just four points from the Eastern Conference basement.
The strategy on that day paid off.
"It's not difficult because even if you wanted [drastic change], which we didn't, the opportunity is not there," Regier said. "You're very limited in the things you can do. You have only those things to consider and for us, most of them, other than the couple things we did, weren't considerations."
How are the Sabres doing it? There have been a few factors:
•For Regier, the biggest reason has been health. Their big offseason addition on defense, Christian Ehrhoff, played just two games in January while the team was floundering. An ankle injury kept Tyler Ennis out for all of November. In late November, defenseman Tyler Myers had surgery to repair a broken wrist. The biggest one might have been Miller's concussion. Even when he returned, it took him time to find his game, and he pointed out that so much of a goalie's preparation centers around intense focus, which is a little tough when you're recovering from a head injury. He's clearly regained that ability, with a post All-Star Game record of 17-3-5 with a 1.87 goals-against and .937 save percentage. Miller has just one regulation loss in March. "I think the health of our club has been the biggest thing," Regier said.
•The preseason expectations that came with aggressive free-agent shopping have long disappeared, and that's a good thing for the Sabres. I picked them to win the division, and some were even more optimistic in their Buffalo predictions. New owner Terry Pegula made it clear that he was willing to do whatever it took to win a Stanley Cup, including big spending, and the team collapsed a bit under those lofty expectations. The articulate Miller explained it best during his telling Q&A with colleague Pierre LeBrun: "Being labeled as 'Cup Contenders' simply because of hype and our change in ownership hurt our mentality and approach. Instead of building toward smaller goals as a team and creating the culture and identity of a championship-caliber team, we skipped major steps in our approach. ... Plus, we didn't earn or deserve that label at all ..."
•The contributions of youth. The Sabres brought their prospects to Traverse City in September for the Red Wings' annual prospect tournament and their top line was far and away the best in the tournament. Luke Adam, Marcus Foligno and Zach Kassian completely dominated, showing off an impressive mix of skill and size. At the time, Regier also pointed out that the influx of free agents meant the Sabres could develop their young talent at the right pace. Fast forward to March, and all three have made contributions at different points this season. Adam got off to a fast start this season with 11 points in his first 11 games, production the Sabres needed at the time. Foligno has been a huge part of Buffalo's recent turnaround. One scout I spoke with called him Buffalo's "secret weapon." The 6-foot-3 winger has six goals and four assists in eight March games for the Sabres, playing on a line with Ennis and Drew Stafford that was instrumental in beating the Rangers on Friday. Kassian was the key piece that landed Hodgson, a center the Sabres are thrilled to have in the organization. "He's been good," Regier said of Hodgson. "I like who he is, how he approaches the game, his professionalism for his age, his commitment to his craft and his awareness when he's out on the ice." After a slow start in Buffalo, Hodgson has six points in his last three games.
Notes
•One of the biggest issues in finding a solution for the Phoenix Coyotes is that there's not a turnkey city ready to take on the team like there was with Winnipeg last year. Quebec City is trying to change that. Construction is expected to begin on a $400 million arena in September. In the short term, it doesn't change things from the league's perspective. The NHL is still trying to make it work in Phoenix, but time is running out and there's not an appetite at the NHL to own the team another year in the desert. Even with the arena deal in Quebec, Seattle and Kansas City remain in the mix.
•The Devils got a boost on Sunday with the return of center Travis Zajac who assisted on an Ilya Kovalchuk goal. According to the Star-Ledger, Zajac played 19 shifts, good for 13:31 of ice time, and felt good after the game. "I felt fine," Zajac told the paper. "Pete [DeBoer] did a good job managing my ice and giving me a few breaks. I felt pretty strong for most of the game. As the game went on, I definitely felt a lot better."
•One of the interesting debates as the playoffs close in is which spot in the standings suits each team the best, regardless of seed. Take Chicago, for instance. The Blackhawks can catch No. 5 Detroit but they might be better off at No. 6, where they'd play the Pacific Division winner. Right now, a first-round game against Dallas looks more appealing than another showdown against the Predators. This weekend, Dave Molinari debated whether getting the No. 1 seed in the East would be a good thing for Pittsburgh. Suddenly, facing the surging Sabres or Capitals isn't much of a reward for the East champ.
Inside the Sabres' late charge
ESPN INSIDER
On Friday morning, Lindy Ruff shared the news with his team. If it won out, it was in the playoffs. It didn't matter what Washington, Ottawa or Winnipeg did. A long shot? Absolutely. But still a remarkable comeback for a team we all buried in January.
"That's a good feeling when you can control your own destiny," Ruff said.
It's even better when you actually do it. The Sabres are coming off a weekend sweep of the Rangers (Friday) and Wild (Saturday) that pushed them briefly into the No. 8 spot.
That sets up Tuesday's showdown with the Washington Capitals, with the winner of that game seizing momentary control of the final playoff spot. If it's anything like Saturday's intense battle between Phoenix and San Jose, it'll have all the makings of a playoff game. Except the ending. A shootout -- like we saw between the Coyotes and Sharks -- would be the worst possible scenario for Ottawa, a team that doesn't want to get dragged into a three-team fight for the final two spots. At this point, with the way the Capitals and Sabres are playing, it looks inevitable.
"It's kind of one big hockey game at this point," Ryan Miller told reporters after beating the Rangers. "You just have to get all you can out of it. It's going to come down to the last two [or] three games."
The Sabres have won four consecutive games and are 7-1-2 in their last 10. The patience that ownership and management showed this season, patience that looked foolish just a couple months ago, is paying off. I recently asked GM Darcy Regier if a playoff trip would be a bit of redemption for those who questioned the plan.
"No, I don't view it that way," Regier said. "I don't read all this stuff and say, 'Told you so,' or whatever. 'You were right, I was wrong.' More than anything you try to figure out how to win a championship. You're trying to learn from what you're doing. You're trying to figure things out as quickly as you can."
At the trade deadline, Regier quietly had one of the better days among NHL general managers. He got a first-round pick from Nashville for Paul Gaustad, which was more than a couple contending teams were willing to pay for the center. Then Regier traded for the talented Cody Hodgson, the kind of move that helps immediately and long term. It was the ideal trade that a team in Buffalo's position makes. Regier resisted the temptation to blow up a Buffalo team that sat at 62 points on Feb. 28, just four points from the Eastern Conference basement.
The strategy on that day paid off.
"It's not difficult because even if you wanted [drastic change], which we didn't, the opportunity is not there," Regier said. "You're very limited in the things you can do. You have only those things to consider and for us, most of them, other than the couple things we did, weren't considerations."
How are the Sabres doing it? There have been a few factors:
•For Regier, the biggest reason has been health. Their big offseason addition on defense, Christian Ehrhoff, played just two games in January while the team was floundering. An ankle injury kept Tyler Ennis out for all of November. In late November, defenseman Tyler Myers had surgery to repair a broken wrist. The biggest one might have been Miller's concussion. Even when he returned, it took him time to find his game, and he pointed out that so much of a goalie's preparation centers around intense focus, which is a little tough when you're recovering from a head injury. He's clearly regained that ability, with a post All-Star Game record of 17-3-5 with a 1.87 goals-against and .937 save percentage. Miller has just one regulation loss in March. "I think the health of our club has been the biggest thing," Regier said.
•The preseason expectations that came with aggressive free-agent shopping have long disappeared, and that's a good thing for the Sabres. I picked them to win the division, and some were even more optimistic in their Buffalo predictions. New owner Terry Pegula made it clear that he was willing to do whatever it took to win a Stanley Cup, including big spending, and the team collapsed a bit under those lofty expectations. The articulate Miller explained it best during his telling Q&A with colleague Pierre LeBrun: "Being labeled as 'Cup Contenders' simply because of hype and our change in ownership hurt our mentality and approach. Instead of building toward smaller goals as a team and creating the culture and identity of a championship-caliber team, we skipped major steps in our approach. ... Plus, we didn't earn or deserve that label at all ..."
•The contributions of youth. The Sabres brought their prospects to Traverse City in September for the Red Wings' annual prospect tournament and their top line was far and away the best in the tournament. Luke Adam, Marcus Foligno and Zach Kassian completely dominated, showing off an impressive mix of skill and size. At the time, Regier also pointed out that the influx of free agents meant the Sabres could develop their young talent at the right pace. Fast forward to March, and all three have made contributions at different points this season. Adam got off to a fast start this season with 11 points in his first 11 games, production the Sabres needed at the time. Foligno has been a huge part of Buffalo's recent turnaround. One scout I spoke with called him Buffalo's "secret weapon." The 6-foot-3 winger has six goals and four assists in eight March games for the Sabres, playing on a line with Ennis and Drew Stafford that was instrumental in beating the Rangers on Friday. Kassian was the key piece that landed Hodgson, a center the Sabres are thrilled to have in the organization. "He's been good," Regier said of Hodgson. "I like who he is, how he approaches the game, his professionalism for his age, his commitment to his craft and his awareness when he's out on the ice." After a slow start in Buffalo, Hodgson has six points in his last three games.
Notes
•One of the biggest issues in finding a solution for the Phoenix Coyotes is that there's not a turnkey city ready to take on the team like there was with Winnipeg last year. Quebec City is trying to change that. Construction is expected to begin on a $400 million arena in September. In the short term, it doesn't change things from the league's perspective. The NHL is still trying to make it work in Phoenix, but time is running out and there's not an appetite at the NHL to own the team another year in the desert. Even with the arena deal in Quebec, Seattle and Kansas City remain in the mix.
•The Devils got a boost on Sunday with the return of center Travis Zajac who assisted on an Ilya Kovalchuk goal. According to the Star-Ledger, Zajac played 19 shifts, good for 13:31 of ice time, and felt good after the game. "I felt fine," Zajac told the paper. "Pete [DeBoer] did a good job managing my ice and giving me a few breaks. I felt pretty strong for most of the game. As the game went on, I definitely felt a lot better."
•One of the interesting debates as the playoffs close in is which spot in the standings suits each team the best, regardless of seed. Take Chicago, for instance. The Blackhawks can catch No. 5 Detroit but they might be better off at No. 6, where they'd play the Pacific Division winner. Right now, a first-round game against Dallas looks more appealing than another showdown against the Predators. This weekend, Dave Molinari debated whether getting the No. 1 seed in the East would be a good thing for Pittsburgh. Suddenly, facing the surging Sabres or Capitals isn't much of a reward for the East champ.