Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
Written By: JCol32
Founded: 1970
Championships: 0
Prediction: Playoffs
History:
After being founded in 1970, a ‘name-the-team’ contest was held resulting in the choice of “Sabres”. Although the franchise has never hoisted the Stanley Cup, they have won the conference championship three times, most recently during the 1998-99 season.
Overview:
The Buffalo Sabres return to the 2013 season on a mission. After a very active 2011 offseason where they loaded their money into the likes of Christian Erhoff and Ville Leino, more was expected of the team that failed to make the playoffs. This past offseason they traded away long time center Derek Roy to Dallas in exchange for tough guy Steve Ott which will help the Sabres become a more physical team. Expect a healthy Ryan Miller to bounce back after an injury plagued season a year ago. Veterans Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville return to lead the offense for Buffalo along with youngsters Tyler Ennis and Cody Hodgson. Former Calder winner Tyler Myers will look for a return of form from two years ago. Myers could be the key to a successful season in Buffalo.
How to Play as the Sabres:
With a very strong 1st line for Buffalo, look to use them often. Tyler Myers will be a strong defender at the back and there will be no worries in net as Ryan Miller will hold down the fort. Look to get the puck to Jason Pominville or sniper Thomas Vanek. If you can work the puck around and when somebody is open, fire it! Buffalo has a very solid powerplay so look to draw penalties.
Fun Fact:
During the third game of the 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs, legendarily known as the“Fog Game” because portions of the game were played in heavy fog due to a lack of air conditioning, Buffalo Sabres center Jim Lorentz became the only player to kill an animal during an NHL game when he spotted a bat flying across the rink, swung at it with his stick, and killed it.
Roster with Sortable Player Stats
| Name | Pos. | Type | OVR | SHT | PKS | SEN | SKT | PHY | DEF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Myers | D | TWD | 87 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Jason Pominville | RW | PLY | 85 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Thomas Vanek | LW | SNP | 84 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Robyn Regehr | D | DFD | 84 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Drew Stafford | RW | TWF | 83 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Christian Ehrhoff | D | OFD | 83 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Jordan Leopold | D | TWD | 83 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Andrej Sekera | D | DFD | 82 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Ville Leino | C | TWF | 81 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Steve OTT | LW | GRN | 80 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Cody Hodgson | C | PLY | 78 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Jochen Hecht | C | TWF | 77 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Tyler Ennis | LW | SNP | 77 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Mike Weber | D | DFD | 76 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Nathan Gerbe | LW | PLY | 76 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Alexander Sulzer | D | TWD | 75 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Adam Pardy | D | DFD | 73 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Patrick Kaleta | RW | GRN | 72 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Matt Ellis | LW | TWF | 72 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Cody McCormick | C | GRN | 69 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| John Scott | LW | TGH | 65 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
OVR: Overall SNP: Sniper
SHT: Shooting TWF: Two Way Forward
PKS: Puck Skills PLY: Playmaker
SEN: Senses GRN: Grinder
SKT: Skating TGH: Tough
PHY: Physical PWF: Powerforward
DEF: Defense OFD: Offensive Defensemen
DFD: Defensive Defenseman TWD: Two-Way Defenseman
