mechaphil wrote:
Adam, he's right in a lot of ways. Up until recently, the Sabres were a team with an absolutely amazing goaltender, a bottom six that had to outperform a top six, and a rookie and scapegoat having to outperform the other two pairs.
I use up until recently because Montador has become much more solid, the Red Hot Chili Peppers line is fucking white hot, and they're winning games or making it to OT on the offense and not just Miller.
They opened the season with some of the highest shots for and lowest shots against totals in the NHL.
They hit a spell in november (If you can call a 7-5-1 month a spell), and adjusted accordingly.
Lets look at this statistically, Phil.
They've lost back to back games for the first time in over a month.
That doesn't happen without having a good team in front of your goaltender, no matter how you break it down.
The power play is improving, to the point that it's been impressive over the last 10 games.
The penalty kill and their ability to step into shooting lanes and block shots is nearly unmatched in the NHL.
As far as a rookie phenom goes... so what if we rely on him?
Haven't former Stanley Cup winners had stud defensemen that played massive minutes? Look at Anaheim... they had Scott Neidermyer. Look at Detroit with Lidstrom. Look at New Jersey with Stevens. All of these guys played huge minutes in the playoffs to compensate for weaker pairings deeper in the lineup.
This team is damn good outside of Miller, and I'm sick of people saying otherwise.