With the world’s best countries ready to gather for an elite display of hockey skill that could color the experience of an entire generation of die-hard fans, this seems like the perfect time to… look right past the Olympics and figure out if Buffalo Sabres supporters are set to have their hearts broken again.

The Sabres are scuffling through a miserable patch in which they’ve lost five straight and have just two regulation-time wins over their past 15 contests, going 4-7-4 in that troubling stretch.

A six-game winning streak preceded that rank run, but even then, cracks were starting to show. Buffalo had to dig out of 3-0 holes in consecutive games during that string of victories. Kudos for having the character to rebound, but division-leading teams don’t retain that status long when they start games the way the Sabres were.

And Buffalo’s grasp on the Northeast penthouse has been severely challenged by the surging Ottawa Senators, who, as of Thursday morning, matched the Sabres’ 72 points, but had played two more games.

No Sabres fan wants to be reminded of last year, when the team’s hold on a playoff spot slipped away after the club was hit with crucial injuries to both Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek down the stretch.

We all know about Miller’s contributions this year, but what about Vanek? If somebody had told me last summer the Buffalo Sabres would be sharing the Northeast lead on the verge of the Olympic break, I’d have guessed Miller was having an MVP-type season (check), Tim Connolly hadn’t missed a game this year (check) and Vanek was on pace for 55 goals, challenging for the Rocket Richard Trophy (reality check; he’s on pace for just 24, the lowest total of his NHL career).

(Quick digression: If you told me the Phoenix Coyotes would be well positioned to nab a top-four seed in the West, I would have thought Matthew Lombardi went to the Glenn Anderson School of Cutting to the Net in the summer, Peter Mueller had become Patrick Kane and Shane Doan was tracking an 85-point season, none of which is happening. Dave Tippett, you’re a gentleman and a scholar – and one heck of a hockey coach.)

Miller is a fantastic goalie, but he’s got a lot on his plate these days, what with carrying the hopes of an entire nation at the Games, while simultaneously trying to, basically, single-handedly soothe the pain of America’s most hard-luck sports town.

A furious finish from Vanek would help ease the burden and the Austrian should be well rested come March since he, like Slovenian Anze Kopitar, is a very talented NHLer from a country that isn’t presently among the top hockey-playing nations.

Vanek, however, does currently reside in a hockey-mad city, one that in no way deserves another late-season disappointment.

The fact coach Lindy Ruff benched captain Craig Rivet in Buffalo’s most recent loss tells you a few things have gone awry of late, but fending off the hard-charging Sens and heading into the playoffs on a positive note becomes a lot more plausible with Vanek playing like he’s got a vendetta.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/3 ... panic.html

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

WTF?

Is Vanek not backchecking again?

_________________
Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

Good read. Can't disagree with anything he said.

_________________
"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hockey Night in Buffalo

Well, a viable cure would have been to go out and get a RW that's capable of playing the 1st line with any sort of consistency. Instead we overpaid Drew Stafford for 2 seasons

_________________
"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

oh you and your drew stafford!

vaneks playing well this year, just as a 2 way player.

_________________

I just don't like his game at all, when he played in college, I was all about him. Used his size, moved the puck well, great hands...but now he's trying to play like a dangler...lol

_________________
"She's like plan C after an 18 pack"

Squanto 7/27/2010

stafford was just rushed. i think hes fine, just stuck between what he was in 07-08, and that next step.

_________________

If Stafford does not rebound next year then I say trade him. By next year he better have learned the game if not see yeah later.

_________________
just call me Brad

Twitter @BUrbanowicz13

No fricking sh*t.

We need a hungry Vanek. (no not hungry for more Tim Hortons, but hungry for more goals)
Remember how he was playing the beginning of last season when he was the first player to 20 goals and battling for the scoring title for a little more than half the season? It wasn't that pucks were just going in for him. He looked like a completely different player. He was getting creative, showing confidence, and looking quite deadly while doing it. Thats the Vanek we need back. He took the team on his shoulders and was placing himself into a superstar scorer category. We need him to do this once again. If the rest of the team won't step up, we at least need our best forward to.

But why isn't he hungry? I don't understand him. Is it a confidence thing, in that he's afraid to take chances and be creative, and so he plays it safe and dumps it in and waits for those dirty goals in front of the net to go in? I don't know. Only in Buffalo is our superstar goal scorer the player with the biggest confidence issues.

He's too slow.

He needs to work on his foot speed.

_________________
Wheelhouse

Nope, I didn't notice Vanek Backchecking during the Carolina game at all. He stood at the blueline while someone else did that work.

Not once did he lift the stick or steal the puck away from anyone.

_________________

Vanek looked like the real HDTV tonight. He could have had a hat trick, easy. He needs to start finishing, but as long as he plays like that, he will, eventually.

Vanek is going to be just fine, he was never really the issue. Roy is coming along, although I wish he and TV would learn to work together more often. Really the only thing I want for them is a stud RWer. I hope Darcy makes a move for one that could may click with them two. (Penner or Horton, but I think Penner would be more realistic with Edmonton saying no one is off limits on their roster and their interest in Stafford).

_________________
Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

I honestly think Vanek works much better with Connolly and Pommers, he scored his goal on that line and got his assist from that line too.

During the Carolina game the MacRthur, Roy, Stafford line worked really well also.

Make those two lines and have Hecht jump between the third and second line throughout the game, I think that would make three pretty dangerous lines.

Vanek-Connolly-Pominville
MacArthur-Roy-Stafford
Hecht-Kennedy-Grier
Kaleta-Goose-Ellis/Mair

Use those two top lines and move Hecht and Vanek every few shifts, or such.

_________________