redeye5
03-17-2006, 11:55 AM
The NHL has been full of surprise teams in both the East and West this season, and any one of them has shown enough at times to win a Stanley Cup if things break right. But of all the upstarts, I think of Buffalo as the dark horse to win it all. This is a team that has been winning since the beginning of the season while avoiding any real slumps, yet has generally flown low enough to escape most radar screens. That means not everyone really understands how good this team is or how seriously to take it. At this point in the campaign, you have to believe it. So do the Sabres, who left their lineup intact through the trade deadline and didn't feel left out of the proceedings. Lately Buffalo's goaltending has looked human, but the Sabres' biggest strength this season has been the tandem of rookie Ryan Miller and Martin Biron. The Sabres are a young, quick and aggressive team and their special teams are among the best in the league. The blue line has a mix of experience and size, and does a good job in its own end, while up front, with all hands on deck, the Sabres have what Philadelphia goalie Antero Niittymaki calls "four first lines." Buffalo is pushing hard at the heels of Ottawa for the Northeast title, which would give the Sabres some home-ice advantage in the playoffs. That would be nice, but the thing I like most about Buffalo has been its ability to win different types of games -– whether they're defensive battles or the high-scoring shootouts of the past few weeks. Remember when Prince used to sing about partying like its 1999? That's the last time the Sabres made the finals. They didn't win, but the partying could be a lot better in 2006.