Better Late Than Never

The Sabres have been pushing their opponents around lately. (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

Since the last blog the Buffalo Sabres have been playing outstanding. The Sabres are now 4-0-1 in the last five games and it’s about time. January wasn’t a great month to be a Sabres fan, but so far three games in, February is changing that quickly.  It’s almost like the Sabres are a new team. While we can’t confirm it is because they are reading SeeYouInOctober, we like to believe that has something to do with it. Maybe Ryan Miller has been reading when he searches for his wife Noureen DeWulf because she is our second highest search item. Second only to Minka Kelly (Our hits just doubled.)

Against the Rangers they lost in a shootout 1-0, but playing the number one team in that conference that close proved what fans have known all year: this team isn’t as bad as their record. Then on the road against the New York Islanders, a team that has had Buffalo’s number so far this season, the Sabres took it to shootout and win, showing improvement. Also Ryan Miller broke Dominik Hasek’s franchise record of 234 wins. Miller’s 235th career win marked the first time Hasek has not held the record since Hasek surpassed Don Edwards (156 wins) on Nov. 3, 1998 in a 4-2 win vs. Boston.

The biggest climb of the ladder was the last game at home against the Boston Bruins.  It is important to take care of business at home and the Sabres did just that, burying the Bruins 6-0. It was only the second time they’ve scored six goals in a game this season, and Buffalo’s largest margin of victory this season. The Sabres looked confident, hungry and capable of playing against a rival and playoff contender. Especially after losing their Head Coach Lindy Ruff just two days earlier to a freak accident. Ruff and Defenseman Jordan Leopold collided in practice, breaking three ribs, and making it impossible for Lindy to coach from the bench.  Assistant Coach James Patrick took a hold of the reins and Lindy partially coached from the press box via headset. Forward Patrick Kaleta set the tone early earning a third star for the night. Kaleta came out swinging stepping up to Boston’s Milan Lucic with a couple fights, and had a goal on Tim Thomas, retribution for past transgressions against the Sabres. Miller got another shutout after taking 36 shots, which earned him his first star and Captain Jason Pominville earns second star with 2 goals on 4 shots.

The Sabres extended their win streak last night with a 3-2 shout out victory over the Dallas Stars at the First Niagara Center. Star Thomas Vanek returned to the line-up after missing three games with an upper body injury. One thing is clear this team healthy is a force, and if they can stay on these winning ways it’s possible they could push for the playoffs. But with the trade deadline lurking who knows what the end of this month might bring.

-Special thanks to Nick Stutzman for his reporting and analysis.

Can the Sabres keep up their hot play? Let us know what you think via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

Don’t Call it a Comeback

The Sabres are feeling good after breaking a five game losing streak. (Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)

Buffalo Sabres (20-24-5) 45 pts.

Last night the Sabres snapped a five game losing streak with a 2-1 shootout victory over the New Jersey Devils. The Sabres were 0-2 vs. the Devils so far this season, but with some healthy players coming back and the Devils star players not playing well as of late, the Sabres snagged the opportunity to get a much needed victory before the All-Star break. Goalie Ryan Miller was able to out-duel future Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur and Buffalo hopes he can continue this in the second half of the season.

Two players who returned from injury last night were defenseman Christian Erhoff and Robyn Regehr. Buffalo missed Erhoff on both defense and the power play, which has suffered since his rib injury 11 games ago. Regehr has been a staple on the penalty kill, which has also struggled since his absence with an upper body injury. With both players returning the outlook for the team will definitely change, even though there are still some good role players sidelined. Forward Tyler Ennis will be back after the break. He practiced well yesterday and Coach Lindy Ruff said he will let him come back against Montreal on the 31^st. Center Paul Gaustad’s status is still undetermined with an upper body injury and requires some tests to determine when he can return. Forward Brad Boyes was out with the flu, and defenseman T.J. Brennan, who suffered a concussion earlier in the season, is close to returing, but still suffers from concussion-like symptoms and sickness so they have to be very cautious. Hopefully after the break (barring anymore setbacks) Boyes, Ennis, and Gaustad can wil be back on the ice.

There are only a few weeks left until the trade deadline at 3 pm EST on February 27, 2012. With the All-Star break coming up there will be lots of time for the Sabres management, especially GM Darcy Regier, to have a look at some of the other team’s talent and window shop to see what might help this struggling Sabres team. One of the biggest missing pieces on this Sabres team is a dual threat center. The Sabres need a center who can not only win face-offs and pass, but can play solid defense, score goals and show some positive leadership. There are a few players in the NHL that fill this role, but finding available ones on teams that are willing to trade is another subject.

Speaking hypothetically here, as talked about in last week’s blog, Anaheim’s Ryan Getzlaf is still an ideal pick up but since the deal hasn’t been pulled off by now it will in all likelihood remain a rumor and the Ducks were probably asking for a steep price. With new ownership fans are looking for an aggressive move but have to wonder, what can the Sabres give up to really get a star center? The Sabres have a lot of great talent that has been seen throughout the season due to injury, but like any potential NHL prospect, are the Sabres willing to lose them and have those players come back to haunt the team? And if they did lose them would what they gain automatically make them a playoff contender this season? Not saying the Sabres should give up on this season, but the potential stars could help in the future and build a winning team for seasons to come.

Getting back to the trade prospects, there are two guys that are not only young and have amazing talent, but in the right environment flourish and get even better. Tampa Bay Lightning’s center Steven Stamkos is one, he is a leading all centers in goals and second only to Pittsburgh’s Evegni Malkin in total points by a center. Stamkos is about to be 22 years old and he can flat out play. Only downside is that he just signed a five year $37.5 million dollar extension with Tampa as of last offseason. Even though Tampa is a shell of its former glory when they were a winning team, to give up on a stud like that would be very counter-productive. Another young solid player on a team that is making waves but can’t go far due to the team’s play is New York Islanders John Tavares. Tavares even has ties to Buffalo because his ageless uncle, John Tavares, has been a Buffalo Bandit lacrosse player since the beginning of time.  Tavares is on an Islanders team without any complimentary players. He has 48 points so far this season, and even though he has to work on his defense, Tavares is improving every game. Downside is that he did sign a 6 year contract extension for $33 million back in September. Fans can only hope Darcy is looking at these guys as possibilities. The Sabres need a spark sooner than later and a big trade could help.

Check in this week on Thursday and Friday as Tyler Perrillo and Lars Lewis preview the NHL All-Star game.

-Special thanks to Nick Stutzman for his reporting and analysis.

Is there a player out there you would like to see the Sabres pursue before the trade deadline? Let us know via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

 

A Certain Season of Disappointment?

Ryan Miller has struggled in the net for the Sabres.

Buffalo Sabres fans coming into this season had much to celebrate. An active owner having his team make moves, fresh blood in new players, and the idea that management was looking to make a run for the championship. Much promise and anticipation for this 2011 – 2012 season, and this might be why the first half of the season has been so tough to swallow.  Goalie Ryan Miller looks lost ever since being knocked out with a concussion, the defense has been non-existent, and the offensive lines can’t score consistently. Drama has ensued over Lindy Ruff’s ability to coach and whether or not he should be replaced. However, with the Sabres now riddled with injuries, it seems the Rochester Americans are really playing as the Sabres in disguise.

January 14^th 2012, in Detroit marked the second game in a seven game road stint for the Sabres.  After losing, a close one to the New York Islanders 4-2 two nights prior, Ryan Miller was making a homecoming into Joe Louis Arena to family and friends, but there were no friends on the Red Wings’ bench. Detroit came out flying and after letting five goals on 14 shots, Miller left the ice not to return, in favor of back-up goalie Jhonas Enroth. The Sabres didn’t have an answer on offense either putting on 27 shots without finding the back of the net, giving Detroit net minder Jimmy Howard a shutout, his fifth of the season.

In his post game interview Miller told the media he did not feel that a trade was needed to fix the team’s problems. Lindy Ruff said yesterday after a team practice in preparation for the Chicago Blackhawks, “One player isn’t going to make a difference. A lot of times that one player leaving is a good player, and you’re getting a player from another team that had been having a tough time over there. It can work in situations. There are other times when it doesn’t make any difference at all.” Rumors were swirling that the team was looking at Mighty Ducks star center Ryan Getzlaf as the savior trade of the season. However, Anaheim is looking for a huge return and the Sabres would have to give up too much young talent to pull the trade off.

Tonight the Sabres play another high-powered team in the Chicago Blackhawks, who are 17-5-4 at home while the Sabres woes continue with an 8-12-0 road record. Buffalo Captain Jason Pominville and forward Thomas Vanek have provided rare bright spots for the team with 44 and 41 team points respectively, but Vanek has been plagued with reoccurring injuries. The defensive unit also has health concerns with the latest injuries coming to Christian Erhoff, who has been skating with lingering pain and discomfort and not likely to play the next two games. Robyn Regehr is day-to-day, but also not likely to play this week.  Andrej Sekera is back in the lineup on defense and TJ Brennan has been called up from Rochester. If the defense can step up, Miller return to his Olympic form, and Vanek can go on a scoring tear perhaps they can grab a win.

Buffalo hasn’t been able to pull out back-to-back wins in regulation since October 20^th leaving fans searching for a sign of life in this team. Trade or no trade, injuries, and Lindy Ruff not losing his temper, this team needs to pull it together for the road stretch and play as whatever semblance of a team they can be.  Buffalo needs something to root for, and if the First Niagara Center is Hockey Heaven then let’s hope the pearly gates haven’t closed on this season already.

-Special thanks to Nick Stutzman for his reporting and analysis.

Let us know what you think via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

Showing Some Intensity

The Sabres are battling. Must have been a road game. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

Buffalo Sabres (14-11-1)

The Detroit Red Wings opened up a can on the Buffalo Sabres in the 1st period of Friday night’s game scoring three goals in the first period en route to a 4-1 victory. Jakub Kindl started the scoring with a pot-shot from the point that somehow squeaked by Buffalo goaltender Jhonas Enroth, who appeared to be screened on the play. Red Wings winger Johan Franzen picked up his 11th goal of the season on the power play to put the Red Wings up 2-1. Henrik Zetterberg quickly followed suit by poke-checking a puck away from Buffalo foward Jochen Hecht at the Sabre blue line and then passing the puck to teammate Valtteri Filppula, who put an easy wrist shot past a helpless Enroth to make the score 3-0.

It was another disappointing start to a home game for the Sabres, who once again came out flat and uninspired in front of the Buffalo faithful at First Niagara Center. Buffalo finally got on the board late in the 3rd when Jochen Hecht took a pass from Jason Pominville on a 2 on 1 and put it passed Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard. The excitement was short lived however, as Detroit put Buffalo out of their misery when  Pavel Datsyuk scored on an empty net. The loss at home continued a downward trend for the Sabres, who just can’t seem to match the passion and intensity of their fans. However, Buffalo was delivered a shot to the arm when goalie Ryan Miller returned to net in Saturday’s road game versus the Nashville Predators.

Nursing a 2-0 lead in the second period, Nashville forward Jordin Tootoo took a five-minute major when he bowled over Miller on a hard play to the net. The play was eerily similar to the one committed by Boston forward Milan Lucic that had given Miller the concussion that kept him out of action for the past month. Buffalo was criticized for their passive response to the play, but didn’t make the same mistake this time. Miller started the punches himself, launching some jabs before a whole slew of Buffalo players jumped on Tootoo, throwing hooks and jabs. By the time the scrum cleared, Buffalo forward Paul Gaustad received a 10-minute game-misconduct and the Sabres demonstrated they do indeed have cojones.

The mayhem from the incident lifted Buffalo’s energy throughout the remainder of the game, and behind Miller’s 32 saves they found a way to win 3-2. It was an impressive display by the Sabres after such a miserable outing the previous night. On Friday the Sabres were lazy and they lost, twenty-four hours later they played with an edge and they won. The road warriors have shown their Jekyll and Hyde nature proving the volatile play that comes from the demanding NHL season.

-Special thanks to Erik Ebbing for his reporting and analysis.

What do the Sabres need to do to get a more consistent output of intensity? Let us know what you think via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a message.

Unhappy at Home

The Sabres can't seem to catch up in the FN Center (Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)

Buffalo Sabres (13-10-1)

Continuing their recent trend of losing at home the Buffalo Sabres fell to the woeful New York Islanders on Tuesday night by the score of 2-1. Matt Moulson started off the scoring in the first period by deflecting a point shot by Islanders defender Mark Streit, putting it past Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth who was making his 8th consecutive start since the concussion sustained to Sabres goalie Ryan Miller. The game remained at a standstill throughout the remainder of the first and second period until Sabres winger Jochen Hecht lit the lamp by picking up a puck that had deflected off of Jason Pominville’s skate in front of the Islander net, making a nifty little move to put it past goalie Al Montoya. The score remained tied in the closely fought game until a puck handled by Islanders defenseman David Ullstrum squirted out from behind the Buffalo net, through the legs of Andrej Sekara and Derrick Roy to Islander’s right winger Brian Rolston, who made a quick deke to the backhand for what turned out to be the game winning goal.

The Islanders, who are currently the basement dwellers of the Eastern conference, picked up a much needed win to improve their record to 7-11-4 and 2-1-1 in their past four games, while the Sabres fell to 13-10-1 with a 6-7-1 record at home. Things will get tougher for both teams Friday, Buffalo hosts the always powerful Detroit Red Wings at home while the Islanders travel to Chicago to play Jonathon Toews and the Black Hawks. Toews, has been on fire and was just named as one of the NHL’s stars of November by racking up 9 goals and 18 points while moving his team to a tie for first place with Detroit in the central

Can you blame Ryan Miller for wanting to leave the cold and snow of Buffalo for the smokin hot Noureen DeWulf?

division.

In other news, Buffalo net-minder Ryan Miller returned to practice this week and may have a chance to play in this weekend’s slate of games, however, there are rumors circulating that he has been the subject of trade talk between Buffalo and Anaheim for center Bobby Ryan. Miller, who has two years left on his contract in Buffalo could be looking to move out to California to be closer to his wife, actress Noureen DeWulf, as well as escape from a locker room he could be losing to Jhonas Enroth. Miller has denied these reports and says that he is proud to be a Sabre. We’ll see if he changes his tune.

-Special Thanks to Erik Ebbing for his insight and analysis.

Should the Sabres trade Ryan Miller? Let us know what you think via our twitter (@seeuinoctober) or leave us a comment.

Winning in Regulation is Overrated

Ryan Miller and Jason Pominville share an 'intimate' moment. I didn't think regular season OT victories were that special

Buffalo certainly hasn’t made it easy for themselves the past three games. They’ve won, which is all that matters, but it has been cardiac arrest time two games in a row for the Sabres faithful. Buffalo won a game in overtime, a 6-5 marathon game against Winnipeg that may have hospitalized some fans, and a 3-2 shootout victory over Ottawa. Good teams win close games but I’m sure fans would much rather see their team win in regulation, although after the beat down the Bills received over the weekend Buffalo fans are probably happy enough with just winning.

Last time we checked in on the Sabres they were playing well and making in roads towards a higher spot in the Northeast Division. Well those inroads were paved and the Sabres have driven into second place after bouncing back from a two game slide withe three straight victories. They now find themselves at 18 points, only one back from first place Toronto, who just got done getting crushed by the Bruins. It wouldn’t be autumn without the Leaf’s getting ready to fall. (Excuse the horrendous;y cheap pun).

After losing two straight(3-2 losses to Florida and Philadelphia) Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff decided to sit Ryan Miller. That’s right the same Ryan Miller who was a USA hockey hero and who had been playing at a ludicrous level most of this season. Well it seems that the other shoe has at least begun to make it’s way back to earth, as Miller lost both of those games and has seen his GPG and save percentage rise. Miller allowed three goals before being pulled only six minutes into the game against Philadelphia. Not really impressive stuff from a goalie the Sabres have come to rely on. Luckily the Sabres got a big shot in the arm from backup goalie Jhonas Enroth who put up two victories allowing only three goals in the two games. Enroth’s best performance came in a 2-1 victory over Calgary in which he saved 97 percent of the shots against him. Enroth brings depth to this Sabres team as he has gone 4-0-0 in his four starts with a GAA of under two.

During the teams heart stopping stretch Thomas Vanek, who leads the team in goals with 10 and is second in the NHL in that category, scored his sixth career overtime goal which gives him the franchise record previously held by Danny Briere and Derek Roy. Ice water in the veins is something you hear about NBA closers like Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce. Perhaps Vanek should be added to that list.

The Sabres are entering into a rather important part of their schedule this week as they take on three Northeast Division opponents (at home against Ottawa, and then road games against Boston and Montreal). Buffalo may feel more confident about the two roads games than the home games as they have not been at all daunted by away crowds, perhaps even relishing in them. Buffalo is 5-1 on the road this season and Boston and Montreal crowds will certainly serve as a barometer of whether or not the road success has been an anomaly or the Sabres just prefer to live out of a suitcase.

-Phil

Do you prefer nail biters? Are the Sabres the best team in Buffalo again? In the Northeast Division? Let us know in the comment or via Twitter (@seeuinoctober).

Wait There Are More Than Three Teams in the Northeast Division?

Float like a butterfly and punch Subban in the face. (bruins.com)

I guess we at SeeYouInOctober forgot about those other two teams in the Northeast Division. Our apologies to the good people of Toronto and Ottawa. In our NHL Northeast preview we selected the Bruins, Sabres and Canadiens to finish first through third in the division. Although our coverage area doesn’t include Toronto and Ottawa we also effectively gave our predictions for the Senators and Maple Leafs as well, namely the cellar. Well we are ten games in and well being flat wrong is tough to admit. It’s a small sample size (10 games does not a season make) but still alarming.

The Bruins have looked lethargic for much of their 3-7 Cup defense doing little more than showing up to games to be beat out. Claude Julien who was pulled from obscurity and became a household name last season is now being talked about for all the wrong reasons. Being on a hot seat is not a feeling most championship coaches expect the next season but Boston isn’t exactly a city that waits around for victories. James Murphy writing fro ESPNBoston.com brought about an interesting angle mentioning that Julien believes the Bruins are being provoked into to many penalties. The Bruins who are third in the NHL in penalty minutes so far this season with 177, were celebrated last season fro being gritter and tougher than the Canucks but now teams might have figured out to get to the Bruins by playing that aggressiveness against them. Take Brad Marchand in the past week dropping the gloves multiple times against PK Subban. Bruins fans and NHL fans in general know Subban is a tad annoying with his celebratory antics and can’t blame Marchand for putting up

Sabres are winning on the ice and in the alternate sweater category as well

his fists. Getting into scuffles with a guy nearly 30 pounds larger than you definitely proves that the Bruins won’t back down from a challenge but sometimes that puts the team in a less that favorable position for what really matters winning games.

Speaking of Montreal the Habs have been equally underwhelming for a team that made the playoffs each of the last four seasons. Montreal is currently on pace for 32 wins and 80 points which is behind a playoff contenders pace much less a Cup contender. Despite this the Canadiens have to be feeling good after knocking down their bitter rivals in Beantown twice in one week and leap frogging them in the standings along the way. This is part of a string of three straight wins, including a 5-1 beatdown of Philadelphia last Wednesday. Part of the reason for the poor Canaiden start was the weak play of goaltender Carey Price. Price must be reading some good information (http://bit.ly/sX2G5o). Price has recorded a save percentage of 0.95 in collecting all three of the Canaidens win during the mini-streak. If he continues playing like this that 1-7 start could very well become just an unpleasant memory in Montreal.

The Buffalo Sabres are a team that has lived up to expectations at least to an extenet. They are 6-4, have gotten great play from Ryan Miller and are in the top ten in the four important categories (GPG, GA, PP, PK). The Sabres may be the best team in this division as they may be a team that can expose overachieving Toronto and Ottawa. Buffalo as the best goal differential (+7) in the division and one of only two teams with a positive differential. (Toronto is just clinging to one with a +1 differential). The Sabres have also shown that they can go on the road and pull out victories as they are 4-1 when they travel away from Western New York. Perhaps the Bills are sucking fans from HSBC Arena. The resurgence of Jason Pominville has been another thing to keep Buffalo right near the top of the division. Pominville who had 80 points for Buffalo in 2008, has 14 points this season, which is tied for fifth in the NHL and puts him on pace for 114. Okay maybe 114 points is a a stretch for a guy that had 52 last season but if her can even get in the area code of those numbers, wel the Sabres wouldn’t be complaining.

-Phil

How are you feeling about your team? Are the Bruins this bad? Can the Canadiens continue their short spurt of success? Will the Sabres vault to the top and wrap this division up before New Years? Let us know on Twitter (@seeuinoctober) or in the comments.

The First Tenth- Northeast Division

The Habs Not Scoring and Ryan Miller Not Allowing Them To. Sounds Right.

Boston Bruins- 3-5-0 6 points

The highlight of this season so far for the Bruins came before the season really started. On opening night the Bruins raised their 2011 Stanley Cup Champions banner to the rafters of the TD Bank Garden (must be crowded up there with all the ones from that green team that used to play basketball). After the festivities the Bruins were then felled by the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1.

So far this season the Bruins still seem to be suffering from the championship hangover. Through eight games the B’s are 3-5 and that’s with six games coming at home where the Bruins dominated in the playoffs last season. Boston faithful shouldn’t be too worried as 90 percent of the season still remains but there have been some negative signs. The Bruins SRS is 0.24 which is 32 points lower than their final total last year.

I Hear Lots of Water Helps Hangovers. Not Sure About Stanley Cup Hangovers.

The offense has been less than improved. The power play which was so ineffective last season continues to struggle (12.5 percent) and only 2.3 goals per game.  Furthermore the loss of David Krejci hurt quite a bit and the Bruins are still waiting for him to return to form, despite his absence .On the bright side, young gun Tyler Seguin has continued from his flash of brilliance in the Cup run. Seguin leads the team in points, goals and assists.  You know all the important things.

The defense and goaltending have been fine for the Bruins. Tim Thomas hasn’t been at his playoff level, but how long can a 38 year old goalie play like a god? Thomas is still putting up solid numbers allowing only 2.16 goals per game and accumulating all three of the teams wins.

So at the 1/10^th mark the Bruins record may not look Cup champion caliber but the Bruins are still the defending champions and should continue to improve. The Bruins will start the next tenth with a home and away double feature with the Montreal Canadiens. Maybe some old rivalry can ignite some goals for the Black and Gold.

Buffalo Sabres 5-3-0 10 points

A lot of people coming into this season were inspired by the Sabres season last year and with the addition of new blood thought Buffalo would come out and stampede through the Northeast. (What we at SeeYouInOctober didn’t pick them to win the division? I am astounded). Anyway aside from backtracking on predictions the Sabres trail only Toronto at the top of the Northeast division. And the Sabres competition has been pretty solid as they have taken down Pittsburgh (14 points), Florida (10 points) and Los Angeles (11 points).

Buffalo has been unforgiving on defense allowing only 1.9 goals per game the major reason behind their 5-2 start. However a defense can play as well as possible but if the guy between the doesn’t stand on his head, or at least try to, it doesn’t matter. Luckily the Sabres have Ryan Miller. Before last night Miller had gone 4-2 on the season with a save percentage of .946. Millers career high save percentage is .929. We’ll see if he can continue at this level but if he even stays in the same area code the Sabres might be more competitive than the Bills this season. (And that actually means something this year).

The Sabres have a four game home stand to close out October and head into November including some give me games against Calgary and Columbus meaning the Sabres should still be floating atop the standings when they head to Ottawa on November 5^th.

Montreal Canadiens 1-5-2 4 points

What is French for not good at hockey? I think so far this year Montreal is probably finding out pretty regularly. The Canadiens have managed only one win, only the Blue Jackets have fewer wins. The Habs have a minus 8 goal differential and have lost six straight. Montreal may not remember this but putting the puck in the net is the most important part of hockey. They have done a putrid job of that this season putting in 18 goals this season. It’s not out of lack of trying. The Canadiens threw 41 shots at the net in a 2-1 loss to the Panthers on Monday. The Panthers managed 10 less with twice the goal output.

Goalkeeper Carey Price has been planted firmly on his feet this season. Unfortunately in hockey jargon that isn’t a compliment. Price has not pulled over his success from last year to this one, allowing 3.13 goals a game and saving less than 88 percent of the shots taken against him. It is the second lowest save percentage among goalies with seven or more starts.

Raise Your Hand If Your About To Lose Your Job.

The Canadiens have been equally horrible when teams make it easier for them with the 29^th worst power play output (9.4 percent) in the NHL. Montreal has had plenty of opportunities (32) which isis right around the league average (30), but they have not played around average. At this point that would be a welcome sight in Quebec.

Tha Canadiens have gotten some solid, albeit futile, efforts from the core of their team. Max Pacioretty , Tomas Plekanec, Andrei Kositsyn and Tavis Moen all have five points and Yannick Weber has played well on defense with a team high plus/minus of +4. However these performances have been marred by the Canadiens poor play.

As the hotseat for coach Jacques Martin reaches inhuman levels, the Canadiens head into a difficult stretch for a team that has been difficult to watch (except for Bruins fans). The Canadiens have games against Philadelphia and Boston (twice) this week and then play four of five games on the road heading towards mid-November.

NHL Preview

The Bruins Are No Longer The Little Brother of Boston Sports. (bruins.com)

Hockey is the hipster of the major sports world. This year lockouts have become as mainstream as Lil’ Wayne and Stieg Larsson novels with both the NFL and NBA having there own negotiations over money, moeny and frankly money. Well the NHL should probably slap some Malcom X style glasses on for visors and make plaid  a mandatory part of each teams uniforms because when it comes to lockouts the league has been there and done that.

Since the 2004-2005 lockout the NHL has been riding along smoothly and enjoying some renewed popularity especially during the past few epic postseasons. Game seven of last years Boston Bruin Stanley Cup finals championship achieved a 4.8 rating and an eight share which is the best since 1974 when the Bruins dropped the Cup to the Philadelphia Flyers.

The NHL may not be ready to butt heads with the NFL but with the NBA out for the forseeable future the hope is that the excitement from last years playoffs will push into the 2011-2012 season and continue hockeys rise from the lockout depths.

With three of the Original Six and last years Stanley Cup champions coming from the region, the Northeast is one area that will aid in this. Here’s the outlook for the teams in the SeeYouInOctober coverage area.

Boston Bruins

I don’t know what was a more frightening sight in Vancouver last spring. The riots after the Canucks dropped Game seven at home in the Stanley Cup finals or Zdeno Chara taking the Stanley Cup from the commissioner with wild eyes, lifting it over his head and letting out a savage roar that befits the teams mascot.

Either way last season marked the Bruins first Stanley Cup since 1972 and this season the Bruins will look to build a dynasty similar to what the  football team that plays 17 miles south did in the earl 2000’s.

The Bruins have the team to make a run at a repeat after maintaining mostly the same roster. Boston will miss some key contributors as they lost Mark Recchi (48 points), Michael Ryder (41 points) and Tomas Kaberle (47 points). The Bruins brought in Benoit Pouliot who scored 13 goals with Montreal last season and Joe Corvo who had 40 points for Carolina last year to combat the losses. Other than that the team remains the same on paper as the one the lifted the Cup last June.

The forntline remains strong for a team that scored 244 goals last season, good for 5th in goals per game in the NHL at 2.98 . Milan Lucic and and David Krejci, last years team leaders in points with 62 each, return. Lucic led all goal scorers

Milan Lucic and David Krejci will return to power the Bruins offense. (bruins.com)

with 30 and will be aided by Nathan Horton (26), Patrice Bergeron (22), Brad Marchand (21) who was a humongous force in the playoffs for the Bruins and second year forward Tyler Seguin (11) who added three goals and was impressive in the Bruins Stanley Cup run.

The Bruins will need to improve their power play performance this year as last season the team managed to convert on only 16.17 percent of their opportunities which was below the the league average of 18.02 and was exposed during the Black and Golds playoff games.

On defense the Bruins return five time All-Star Zdeno Chara who has been a menacing mainstay for the Boston backline. The captain of the Bruins, Chara may be the most important skater for the team as he led the league in plus/minus last season with 33. Other imporntant defenders to return are Andrew Ference, Dennis Seidenberg and Johnny Boychuk.

The Bruins got one of the great individual season by an athlete ever from goalie Tim Thomas. You read right, not just by a goalie or hockey player but an athlete in general. Thomas came into the season second on the depth chart behind Tuuka Rask but took over for 57 games of the season and posted an incredible 35-11-9 record, a 2.00 GAA and .938 save percentage which were both league leading. Thomas then threw the Bruins on his back in the postseason compiling 798 saves, a 1.98 GAA and .940 save percentage while putting up four shutouts. There is concern with Thomas in terms of age as he will turn 38 this season. Rask is the goalie of the future but Thomas will hold the starting job as long as he can keep producing.

Best Case Scenario- 55 wins. Tyler Seguin turns into the Bruins answer to Sidney Crosby and with a the same mainstays of a Stanley Cup champion team the Bruins roll through the regular season and capture the No.1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and make a glorious defense of their Cup.

Worst Case Scenario–  35 wins. Tim Thomas becomes similar to Tim Wakefield and loses it all do to age causing the Bruins to slump early. When Rask finally comes back it is too late to salvage the season and the Bruins limp into the playoffs as the seven seed and are quickly gutted by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

How They’ll Finish-  49 wins. 1st in Northeast. Winning sixteen games to take home a Stanley Cup isn’t a fluke and with a similar roster the Bruins should win the Northeast Division and  take the No. 3 seed in the postseason and make a run before losing in th Eastern Conference Finals.

They got a new owner and stylized uniforms last year. Do they get a Cup this year? (sabres.com)

Buffalo Sabres

Is this the year that Buffalo makes a statement to the world? That statement being “Yes we have professional sports teams and yes they can actually win games!” The Bills have already begun that defense posting a surprising 3-1 record. After a 43 win season in the new ownership regimes first year the Sabres come into this season with aims of finally moving to the promised land (the second round?) and filling Lord Stanley with Hot Wings.

The Sabres made a number of important moves in the offseason to bolster a team that was already a playoff contender. Nowhere was that felt more than on the defensive side of the puck. The Bruins signed defensemen Christian Ehroff who played last season with Vancouver and was seventh among NHL defensemen in scoring with 50 points. The Sabres also acquired Robyn Regehr in a trade with Calgary to shore up in front of the net (17 points). Behemoth Tyler Myers also returns from a 37 point season for a Sabres defense that was middle of the pack in goals against (228, 13th) and power play kill Percentage (83.0, 13th).

It wasn’t just defense that saw billionaire owner Terry Pegula dig deep into his pockets. The Sabres also made additions on offense with the signing of LW Ville Leino who played with Philadelphia last year. Leino (53 points) will add to an already potent punch on the wings  from LW Thomas Vanek (team leader in points, 73, and goals, 32), 2011 breakout player Drew Stafford (31 goals) and RW Jason Pominville (52 points). The offense will also be aided by a healthy C Derek Roy who will bolster a squad who was ninth in scoring last year with  240 goals.

Ryan Miller will return between the pipes and continues to be the Sabres steady and most valuable player (just ask the

Ryan Miller is still in net. Rack up another positive for Buffalo. (sabres.com)

USA hockey team). Miller had another solid season for the Sabres getting 34 wins and saving 91.6 percent of shots taken.

Best Case Scenario- 51 wins. Rejuvenated by some fresh faces, and the return of Roy the Sabres mesh better offensively and defensively and surprise their black and gold foes to the East by capturing their second Northeast division title in three years and power coach Lindy Roff to his fourth conference finals during his 14 years in Buffalo.

Worst Case Scenario- 32 wins. The Sabres suffer from an extreme case of buyers remorse as none of the new additions perform to expectations while the Bruins and Canadiens dominate in the Northeast. The Sabres just miss the playoffs and must endure another fruitless Buffalo sports season.

How They’ll Finish- 44 wins. 2nd in Northeast. The Sabres added a great deal of talent and talent generally makes you better. In this case it may be only by one game but the real difference will come in June when the Sabres will advance past the first round for the first time since 2007.

P.K. Subban. Defensemen and Celebration Expert. (Getty Images)

Montreal Canadiens

There has long been a movement in Quebec to seperate itself from the rest of Canada. After a devastating loss to longtime rivals Boston in the playoffs last season the Habs will look to seperate themselves from that painful memory and to seperate themselves as the team to beat in the Northeast division.

Carey Price proved many doubters wrong as he took over for Jaroslav Halak in front of net last season. All Price did was tie for the sixth best save percentage (.923) and was second only in saves (1982) to Cam Ward of Carolina. Not too bad eh? Price will have to repeat or build on his stellar 2011 campaign and there’s no point doubting that he will. He showed what doubting him does last year.

The Sabres did not lose many key contributors in the offseason with the lone exception being Benoit Pouliot (30 points) who did the unthinkable and traded in his Red and Blue for Black and Gold. As far as offseason moves the Canadiens were rather quiet in terms of going for outside talent ( their lone free agent acquisition was actually pretty big snatching RW Erik Cole  who had 52 points for Carolina last season). The Habs will instead rely on the return of injured players such as top defensemen Andrei Markov and LW Max Pacioretty, although time will tell if they will return to full form from their injuries.

Montreal was in the bottom third of the league in scoring last season putting up only 219 goals (21st in the NHL) but were rather dangerous on the power play putting up a 19.66 conversion percentage. Montreal will look to continue that power play success with hopes for a bit more offensive output with C Michael Cammalleri (47 points), top goal scorer Brian Gionta (29 goals), LW Andrei Kostitsyn (45 points) and Scott Gomez (team leading 31 assists) among others.

The Habs could settle with not allowing Boston to do much this year. (AP)

Defensively the Habs will benefit from the return of Markov for a team that was 13th in shots against per game last season at 31.0. Markov will get the majority of assistance from Roman Hamrlik (34 points) and the energetic P.K. Subban (14 goals).

Best Case Scenario- 44 wins. Montreal loses their ‘soft’ image, plays gritty hockey and is able to churn out an impressive 44 wins to match their season total from last year. Price gets more recognition than he did last year and garners a Venza Trophy nomination leading the Habs into the playoffs as a five seed and a possible second round berth.

Worst Case Scenario- 28 wins. Playing in the same division as the defending champs and the much improved Sabres the Canadiens struggle mightily. Price meets expectations, although unfortunately they were the expectations people had last year as the Canadiens plummet to the Northeast division cellar.

How They’ll Finish- 37 wins. 3rd in Northeast. Price will have a strong season and Canadiens are very much in tact from last season 44 win team. However the Sabres are better and the Bruins were already better last season. Look for the Canadiens to have a respectable season, a low playoff seed and another first round exit.