The Sabres will count on Daniel Briere to help make up for the loss of Miroslav Satan's offense.

Sabres aim for
a postseason run
By Phil Coffey | NHL.com
Sept. 4, 2005

The Buffalo Sabres definitely don't want to "take the fifth" this season. In each of the past three seasons, the Sabres have finished in fifth place in the Northeast Division. As a result, they've seen their seasons end without a trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs each time.

The good new for the Sabres is that while they were left out of the postseason picture in 2003-04, the team finished with a 37-34-7-4 record and with a number of young players taking on more responsibilities. In 2005-06, they hope that the improvement they showed will lead to the playoff berth that has eluded them.

To make the playoffs this season, the Sabres will have to make up for the loss of two longtime veterans.

Defenseman Alexei Zhitnik signed with the New York Islanders during the summer, ending a run of nine-pus seasons with the Sabres. Buffalo moved quickly to add a veteran presence on the blue line, signing respected veteran Teppo Numminen and trading for Toni Lydman from Calgary to fill the void.

The loss of Miroslav Satan as a free agent, also to the Islanders, may be a bit more problematic. Satan is a gifted goal scorer, having netted 29 goals and 28 assists during the 2003-04 season.

The Sabres believe they can make up those goals from within, either from rookies making the jump to the NHL or from a handful of players who are coming off slump-ridden 2003-04 seasons.

The Sabres also could address the loss of Satan through a trade. Buffalo has three quality, young goaltenders in Martin Biron, Mika Noronen, and Ryan Miller. GM Darcy Regier might try to pry a goal scorer away from a competitor with one of these goaltenders as bait.

Forwards

Daniel Briere topped the Sabres in scoring 2003-04 with 28 goals -- 11 on the power play -- and 37 assists in 82 games. The 65 points were a career high, and the 28 goals were four short of his career best, set with Phoenix during the 2001-02 season. Briere, a compact 5-foot-10, 185-pounder has shown that he can withstand the hitting in the NHL. In fact, he has excelled since becoming a full-timer with the Coyotes in 2001-02. Briere played for Bern in Switzerland in 2004-05 and had another excellent season with 17 goals and 29 assists in just 36 games. He clearly is a player the Sabres are counting on for a big season in 2005-06 and should be a lock to center the top line.

Chris Drury is a solid all-around player who scored 18 goals and 35 assists in 76 games in 2003-04 after being acquired from the Calgary Flames. Drury excelled in college with Boston University, winning the Hobey Baker Award in 1998, and was a member of the Colorado Avalanche's 2001 Stanley Cup champs. He's versatile and can kill penalties as well as play on the power play, where he scored five man-advantage goals in 2003-04. Expect a healthy Drury to log lots of minutes this season.

The Sabres are eager to get Tim Connolly back into the lineup. Connolly missed the entire 2003-04 season after suffering a concussion during the preseason. Selected fifth overall in 1999 by the Islanders, Connolly came to Buffalo in the Michael Peca trade in June 2001. The last time Connolly played, in 2002-03, he scored 12 goals and 13 assists in 80 games, a 20-point drop from his stats of the previous season. He also was a dreadful minus-28, so a healthy Connolly has plenty of areas in his game to work on as he returns to the NHL.

Derek Roy and Chris Taylor round out the center corps for the Sabres. Both played with Rochester of the AHL last season and did very well. Roy scored 16 goals and added 45 assists in 67 games for the Amerks, while Taylor netted 21 goals and 58 assists in 79 games.

On the left side, Jochen Hecht was solid in 2003-04 with 15 goals and 37 assists in 64 games. He also was plus-17. Another consistent season from Hecht would be a big help to a young team like the Sabres.

The Sabres would love to see Taylor Pyatt break through this season. A former first-round selection of the Islanders, Pyatt showed a scoring touch during his junior days in Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League. But he hasn't been able to replicate those numbers in the NHL. In 2003-04, he scored eight goals and 12 assists in 63 assists and was minus-7.

Teppo Numminen should provide a steadying influence on the blue line.

The Sabres have high hopes for Clarke MacArthur, a third-round selection in 2003 who averaged 75 points per season in three seasons with Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League. Last season, MacArthur scored 30 goals and 44 assists in 58 games and was a plus-27.

Andrew Peters rounds out the left wings. In 2003-04, his rookie season, Peters scored two goals in 42 games and added a fair measure of grit and muscle to the mix.

On the right side, the Sabres desperately need the talented Maxim Afinogenov to help make up for the goals lost by the departure of Satan. A talented player with speed to burn, Afinogenov hasn't yet enjoyed the breakthrough season many envision for him. In 2003-04, Afinogenov scored 17 goals and 14 assists in 73 games. The Sabres would love to see him double those totals this season.

The Sabres need veteran J.P. Dumont to continue his consistent play. In 2003-04, Dumont scored 22 goals and 31 assists in 77 games, the best of his four seasons in Buffalo.

Milan Bartovic was steady in 2003-04, scoring 10 goals and 18 assists in 69 games. Mike Grier adds size and speed to the mix. In 2003-04, Grier scored eight goals and 12 assists in 68 games, but he was a disappointing minus-19.

Ales Kotalik, with 15 goals and 11 assists in 62 games, and Adam Mair, who had six goals and 14 assists in 81 games during the 2003-04 season, will vie for minutes in the right-wing mix.

Defense

Zhitnik was the face of the Sabres' defense for almost a decade, but Buffalo's blue-line corps shouldn't suffer a significant drop in production without him.

Numminen, a respected veteran around the NHL, comes over from Dallas, where he scored three goals and 14 assists in 62 games for the Stars.

Toni Lydman is entering his fifth NHL season. In 67 games with Calgary in 2003-04, he scored four goals and 16 assists. Lydman would love a long run of good health this time around. In 2003-04, he missed 15 regular-season games and 20 playoff games due to injury.

Jeff Jillson, the 14th overall selection by the San Jose Sharks in the 1999 Entry Draft, came over from Boston at the 2003-04 trade deadline and played for Rochester in the AHL last season, scoring 12 goals and 17 assists in 78 games. He figures to quarterback the Buffalo power play, along with Dmitri Kalinin, who scored 10 goals and 24 assists in 77 games during the 2003-04 season.

Brian Campbell is back on the blue line this season. In 2003-04, he netted three goals and eight assists in 53 games. Rory Fitzpatrick scored four goals and seven assists in 60 games in 2003-04 and Henrik Tallinder had a goal and nine assists in 72 games.

Jay McKee was limited to 43 games by injury in 2003-04, but figures to be a contributor this season.

Goaltending

There is no lack of promising goaltenders in the Sabres system. The onus is turning the promise into production.

Biron, drafted 16th overall by the Sabres in 1995, has been a winner during his NHL career, posting three winning seasons among his five NHL campaigns. In 2003-04, Biron was 26-18-5 with a 2.52 goals-against average and two shutouts. He is a gregarious, talkative goaltender who has earned the nickname "Marty Microphone" for his demeanor.

Noronen backed up Biron in 2003-04, going 11-17-2 with a 2.57 GAA in 35 appearances. He has been a standout for Rochester during his AHL career.

Miller is coming off a terrific AHL season with the Amerks in 2004-05, posting a 41-17 record with four shootout losses and a 2.45 goals-against average in 63 appearances. In 2003-04, also with Rochester, he had a 27-25-7 record with a 2.21 GAA. Miller will have the chance to make the Sabres in camp.

Outlook

The Sabres invited criticism by staying quiet during the free-agency period while other teams in the Northeast Division were active. But looks can be deceiving, especially when you consider there are some very good young players on the roster. Briere and Drury will center the top two lines, and Dumont could move to the top line if the Sabres can't get Afinogenov on a roll. His ability to produce is vital this season. Hecht is a reliable left wing, but the production of both Pyatt and Peters bears watching, as does MacArthur, who has a pedigree that makes you think he could have a successful rookie season.

On defense, the Sabres don't have a sexy headliner, but even without Zhitnik, this is a group that figures to be competent. The chance is there for Jillson to really emerge as a top defenseman. Teams have long loved his talent and potential; now, he will have the opportunity to turn that potential into production.

The goaltending situation is perhaps the most interesting for the Sabres, since the presence of three talented young goalies could result in a trade that solves another problem area.

Miller has two AHL seasons under his belt and from all appearances is ready to step up. That puts the onus on GM Darcy Regier to make a move, with the potential trade of Miller or Biron bring back a decent return.

In 2003-04, the Sabres were six points in back of the Islanders for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They could close that gap even more this season. But it will take a committed, consistent effort on the part of everyone. Buffalo is relying on the team approach instead of putting all its hopes in the hands of a couple of star players.