Well, as we're advancing toward the semi-finals of the playoffs, I will be reviewing the seasons of teams as they're eliminated from the playoffs. Obviously, the last team reviewed will be the one that wins the Cup.
Now the third team to be eliminated from the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: The Buffalo Sabres.
Season expectations: After two consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances, the team missed two successive postseasons. Because of their status of a small market team, the Sabres didn't acquire a huge player during the offseason. Instead, they let guys like Ryan Miller, Derek Roy, Tomas Vanek, and Hendrik Tallinder guide the team while giving rookie Tyler Myers a job out of camp. Lindy Ruff wasn't going to have a superstar to work with (well, save their goaltender) but he had a group of solid hockey players who could play two-way hockey.
My prediction: I figured they would be third in the Northeast Division and ninth overall in the Eastern Conference.
The truth: The team finished atop of the division and third overall in the conference. They were eliminated in six games to the sixth-seeded Boston Bruins.
What went right?: Ryan Miller had a Vezina-nominating season, posting a 41-18-8 record with 5 shutouts, a 2.22 goals against average, and a .929 save percentage. The team had three players score better than 60 points (Roy nearly amassed 70) while three others acquired between 42-53 each. Speaking of scoring forwards, Raffi Torres went on a scoring streak for the remainder of the regular season when he was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Tyler Myers had a Calder-nominating season, putting up 48 points with a +13 rating in his first season in the NHL. Grit wasn't abundant but was there in the lineup thanks to Craig Rivet, Patrick Kaleta, and Paul Gaustad and the team demonstrated a strong commitment to sound two-way hockey, with the majority of the team being plus players and only two players who broke -10, with Chris Butler being the only one they didn't acquire midseason (Torres was the other.)
What went wrong?: You can't fault the goaltending because even in the postseason, Miller still put up a 2.35 GAA and .926 save percentage. In the end, the offense dried up (Vanek was the only player who averaged a point-per-game during the series against Boston; he was also limited to 3 games due to injuries) and the team's defense couldn't contain the scoring-by-committee style of play Boston's adapted to. When that all happens, you're playing golf.
So what's next?: The team has some decisions to make in regards to a few top-four defenders and a few depth forwards, but overall they need not blow everything up to be competitive. They should have enough cap space available to acquire the components they need (likely another scoring winger, a couple depth forwards, and a few top-four defenders) to have them keep up the pace for next season. Jonas Ehroth will likely be promoted to backup Miller.
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