NHL Hockey Betting - Buffalo Sabres

NHL Betting 2007 – Buffalo Sabres
Manager: Lindy Ruff
Arena: HSBC Arena
Last Season: 53-22-7, 113 pts (1st Northeast, 1st Eastern Conference)
2007 Prediction: 10th Eastern Conference

Preseason Odds to win Stanley Cup: +800

The bad news is that Daniel Briere and Chris Drury are gone. Oh, and they just signed a $50 million check for Thomas Vanek because of Edmonton’s offer sheet. And their best defenseman just had heart surgery. The good news? They have a Vezina-worthy goaltender and enough depth to survive the loss of their co-captains.

Expect Maxim Afinogenov and Tim Connolly to step up and try to fill the void, as big as it may seem. Drew Stafford and Danielle Paille may be young, second year players but they will be called upon to help fill the big shoes left by some free-agent departures. They are both fully capable. The Sabres are going to experience a massive drop-off in offense, especially since they rocked the league with the best scoring offense in the league. They had 308 goals last season. Only an idiot would expect anything close to that this season.

The defense took as big a hit as the offense did as well. Brian Campbell returns, but Teppo Numminen, one of the best assist-getters in the league, just had heart surgery and will be out for 3-4 months. They will need to look to the wire to get some help on the blue-lien because the offense that blew many teams out of the water simply won’t be there this year.

The shining light resides between the pipes. Ryan Miller is a topflight goaltender and had 40 wins last season, which was third best in the NHL. Miller will have to be at his best, but the task might be too much to ask for. Miller may be great, but any goalie would be nervous behind this paper-thin blue-line.

The Sabres are in for a long season of adjustment, despite Lindy Ruff being one of the best coaches in the league. They are certainly not a team built for the postseason, and losing your best playmakers doesn’t help anything. Some may want you to lean towards the Sabres as one of the better teams in the East, but the smart hockey betting investor will see that these guys are in for a massive fall from grace. Look out below.

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Official Website: www.sabres.com