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Buffalo Sabres
Overall: 6
Northeast Division: 1
Buffalo
is
a No. 1 center away from being the No. 1 team in the
Eastern Conference, a lofty
position the Sabres might be approaching too cautiously.
Buffalo made a run at 35-year-old free-agent star center
Ron Francis during the summer but balked at offering him
a four-year deal, which is what he signed with Carolina.
Maybe the Sabres were unwilling to commit to a player who
would be nearing 40 at the end of the contract, but
management also might have been tacitly revealing that it
doubts the team can win the
Stanley Cup in the next two years, when Francis presumably
will be at the top of his
game.
Still, the Sabres, conference finalists last spring, should
flourish, especially if the NHL continues its crackdown on
obstruction. Buffalo forwards, a smallish group of natural
20-goal scorers, are fast, though a shade homogenous. Matthew
Barnaby and Michael Peca,
however, add other important
dimensions. Barnaby sulked through the regular season but
exploded in the first two playoff rounds, not only in his
familiar role as the
chronic pest, but also as Buffalo's leading scorer. Peca is
the NHL's top defensive center, but the captain grew so
gaunt by the end of the extended playoff run that goalie
Dominik Hasek could have used him as a stick. Peca needs to
bulk up physically
and repair his reputation in the dressing room; it took a hit
when he declined to change his wedding date, which would
have fallen on the date of Game 6 of the Cup finals, had
the Sabres advanced that
far.
Hasek also had a full calendar. He accepted the MVP award
for the second straight season before returning home to the
Czech Republic. He even found time to make his acting debut
on
Arli$$, though his role as a goalie who imbibes too much one night
didn't thrill Sabres management, which was mindful that
Hasek had pleaded guilty to impaired driving in April 1995.
But Hasek
is the Sabres' marquee performer. If the smaller crease
doesn't adversely affect him (Hasek likes to sprawl
unimpeded), he should continue to press his claim as one of
the best goalies
ever.
Now if Hasek could win some face-offs and set up some
first-line wingers, Buffalo would really be in business.
Fast Fact
Forward Miroslav
Satan led the Sabres with 46 points (22 goals, 24 assists)
last season, the lowest point total for a club leader
in the 28-year history of the
franchise.
—By Michael Farber
Keys To Success
- The offensively challenged Sabres need consistent scoring
from
talented but underachieving forwards Geoff
Sanderson and
Michal
Grosek.
- Matthew Barnaby must play throughout this season the way he
did in last year's playoffs, when he led Buffalo in
scoring.
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