Legit anwsers only, is there a team that can beat the Buffalo Sabres in the 2007 NHL playoffs?

Question

I have to say right off the bat that I am 21 years old and have lived in Buffalo my entire life. I am a loyal fan of the Sabres and Bills. Yes I have had my heart broken many a many times with both teams. The Buffalo Sabres to this point in the season have the best record, the most goals, etc etc etc. Statistic wise they are the best team in the NHL by far. Even with all the recent injuries to their star players, they can't be stopped. Rookies such as Stafford have replaced these stars with what looks like veteran skills. ex. Feb. 27th blowout 6-1 against Toronto. With the playoffs arriving shortly and most players coming back from injury I just cant see any team in the NHL that can take the Sabres 4 out of 7 games. Nashville, New Jersey, and Anaheim are incredible teams this year and won't be taken likely. I don't wanna jinx anything but I truly believe this is our year. Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I'm originally from Angola, NY and now a Midwest transplant. I'm a Sabres fan, and have been my entire life ( Bills too ). I won't pollute my answer with nonsense like "no way" "Sabres rule", etc.

There are 3 teams in the east that make me nervous: Ottawa, New Jersey, and Montreal. Ottawa and NJ more than Montreal ( they are on the slide ).

In the West: Detroit and Anahiem will be a challenge.

Of course any team can win a series. There have been #8 seeds beating the #1 in the West. Edmonton over Detroit, last year I believe.

I do believe that if the Sabres get a majority of their starters back that they will go deep in the playoffs.

Hopefully they will bring the cup home!

Go Sabres!

_

Answer 2

I started watching hockey with the Buffalo Bisons, so you know that (a) I've been a hockey fan for a long time; (b) I'm a native of Buffalo. Most important for you to evaluate in these answers is that they're from fans of the game-not fans of a particular team. So here goes...

Yes, of course there's a team that can beat the Sabres! Just think about the '99 playoffs when the 7th seed Sabres knocked off every team they were supposed to lose to, and they were close to winning the Cup! Anything can happen.

At this point, the Sabres would have to be the favorites in the East (at least) because of their performance thusfar, and, with injured star players returning, they should be stronger still. But anything can happen in the playoffs.

The Sabres have had challenges this year with Ottawa (underachieving and very talented...and scary; shaky in goal) and, if I recall, New Jersey (excellent defensive team and goaltending). Pittsburgh is a lot of fun to watch, and should win the Cup easily in a year or two, but goaltending is spotty, and defense needs improvement. So I'd put my money on the Sabres in the East.

Although I rarely miss a Sabres game, as I live near San Jose, I watch the West a lot. Currently, there are a few teams that could beat the Sabres.

Anaheim is very scary. They could use another scoring forward, but they have all the tools...and they're big.

Nashville matches up well against Buffalo, although, if I remember correctly, the Sabres had an easy time with them this year. But they're fast, have some great talent up front, and an excellent goalie.

The Sharks are underperforming, but may be turning around after shutting out Dallas. Last year, in Joe Thornton's first game as a Shark, they shut out the Sabres 5-0 in Buffalo. That was unexpected. The Sharks match up very well with the Sabres, primarily because of their speed. They don't move the puck up the ice as quickly as do the Sabres (but who does?), but they have defensemen who are very mobile and could negate the Sabres speed. The Sharks' other advantage is their size. They're the biggest team in the league, and, with their speed (fast end to end - not as "quick" and elusive as Buffalo) could give the Sabres fits.

Dallas and Vancouver, also having great second half records, have great goaltending and defense which could give Buffalo trouble. And don't count out Detroit.

To me, the Sabres are the most exciting team in the league (Pittsburgh second), and they may be the most fun to watch since Gretzky's Oilers. They have great coaching, a fantastic team, and a great shot at the Cup. They won't be able to keep both Briere and Drury, so I think this is their year to do it, and any true fan of the game would love to see them win it all. I know I would.

Answer 3

Any team that makes the playoffs can knock off the Sabres in a 7 game seres because the playoffs are a huge unkown. Take the Flames and Oilers in the last 2 Stanley Cup finals. Both low seeds that took a hot goalie and tough defence all the way to the finals. If you look at Detroit of the last 10 years, they've been high seeds heading into the playoffs, but have not won the cup.

Another great unknown is how the East and West will play each other in the final, because of a completely unbalanced season and how Buffalo will react to having to possibly travel long distances and time zones in the final.

You can't look at a 6-1 blowout vs the Leafs as an example of anything, because it is the Leafs. New Jersey is a tight defensive team that can shut down the best of them. Tampa Bay is hitting on all cylinders at the right time, and will be tough to get by. In the West, Nashville and Detroit are looking like powerhouses again, but look out for my Calgary Flames....if they figure out how to win on the road, they will be the team to beat this year!!

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Tell you what, if this is how you look at playoffs then you do not understand them. Remember how the Bills were supposed to win their Superbowls? Remember Anaheim and Edmonton and their runs to the Stanley Cup Final. Just to give you notice, the first place team from the regular season doesnt always win. Ask the Detroit Red Wings who have won the Presidents Trophy (regular season champs) numerous times in the past 10 years, but dont have that many cups to show for it. Everyone says ottawa, and buffalo are the only teams, i wouldnt want to play pittsburgh with their new additions, or play the islanders with theirs. A lot of eastern conference teams just stocked up at the tade deadline and the sabres did nothing. Secondly, in the west, there is san jose, dallas, detroit, nashville, anaheim. There are way too many good teams this year to just say the sabres are so much better then everyone else. This years playoffs might be the most entertaining we have seen in years. I for one cant wait!!! May the best team win.

Answer 6

Don't you dare even think those two S------ C-- words! Hope and pray and cheer your heart out, but for God's sake don't say them or type them; it's a great way to jinx the team! I have been watching the Sabres ever since their '99 cup run (I was 11 then) and I think that there's something special with this team this season. That said, you can't help but worry about Ottawa come playoff time. I think Buffalo can pull through, but any playoff series is nerve-wracking for the fans, and the way Ottawa has had Buffalo's number this season makes me even more nervous if the two meet in the playoffs. Could it be the Sabres year to shine? I think they've already done that better and brighter than anyone could have predicted, and no matter what happens in the playoffs or the seasons to come, they'll be my team!

Answer 7

Anything is possible once the playoffs start...but I think that it is unlikely that the Sabres will lose to anyone this year. If you break down the East, you have to consider that New Jersey is sound in goal and on defense, but they have scored the second fewest goals(next to the Flyers) and may not be able to handle the Sabres if a game turns into a shootout. Atlanta made solid moves to aquire D(Zhitnik) and some leadership(Tkachuk) but have been inconsistent in goal at time, as well as there offense has gone south at times. They also have not been particulaly strong since the first of the year.
Ottawa is the team that everyone wants to see play Buffalo at some point, but I'm not convinced that they could keep up with the Sabres in a 7 game series. They were exposed last year, and have not really improved on D after losing Chara to Boston. Ray emery has picked up his game alot, but in the teams last two meeting combined he gave up too many goals in a home and home split. This is also a Sabres team that is playing without many key starters. Ottawa has no lack of offensive power, but will have to lock it down on D to compete in the playoffs. There are also the "wild cards" like the Pens, Ilanders, and Monteal who can win any given series. I still think that the Sabres have their eyes on the prize and are too focused to slip up. I doubt that over confidence will factor into any of their series, as they have been too close to not take this years run to the cup as seriously as possible.

Answer 8

Ottawa, New Jersey, Anaheim, Nashville, San Jose, Dallas, Detroit, and Vancouver would all stand a chance to win for various reasons.
Ottawa plays the same style and is finding their groove at the right time, Detroit would have a chance because the Sabres arent overly physical. San Jose and Nashville made big trades and are very talented teams without any major weaknesses. Dallas is also playing very well right now and Turco has the potential to keep his team around despite past playoff failures. We saw what Giguere is capable of in the playoffs in 2003 and now he has a better team in front of him, and Luongo is the kind of goalie that can steal a series for his team. Brodeur of course is having the best season of any goalie and their defense could potentially give Buffalo problems.
Although among these teams, probably only Nashville is as talented, maybe Anaheim. If any other team won it would be considered an upset.

Answer 9

Yes. Nashville has a solid team. New Jersey - never underestimate Martin Brodeur, he leads the league in shutouts this season and can steal a game easily. Also everyone likes seeing the underdog who squeaks into last place at the end of the season take down the #1 seed. Buffalo has a solid team, and will be exciting to watch, but take it one game at a time. The playoffs are when the real heroes come out to play.

Answer 10

Personally it will be a good run for Buffalo. I'm a huge hockey fan and try to keep up with every team in the league, and Buffalo was one that sparked my interests last season. They are a fast team with depth on all their lines (perhaps not as much anymore in goaltending with the trading of Biron), but they are a fast young team that has a ton of talent. The only teams I could possibly see giving them a challenge is Pittsburg cause of the Malkin/Crosby duo, or the Lightning, because they are a quick team too.

As for Anaheim, sure they had an unbelievable start, but when you look at them when they lost some of their guys to injury, they basically fell apart, but I'm not saying to the point to where they wouldn't be a threat in the playoffs (the Detroit/Anaheim series still hurts to think about)

Nashville could be a threat now that they picked up Forsberg, who I think is one of the best out there, if he isn't injured. And having the goaltending of Vokoun, and some speed from Kariya, I think its definitally a team to watch when it comes playoff time.

New Jersey has been a great team for years, true that their style of play can be boring, but thats how you beat those fast teams, cut em off at the blue line with swarms of defense, (just look at how Edmonton beat Detroit last year). And with the brickwall Brodeur in net, and having 12 shutouts under his belt with over a month of hockey left to go, I would keep an eye on them as well.

And as a Detroit fan, I have to add in them as well, just to say though that if it came to the finals and it was Buffalo/Detroit (which I don't believe will happen) I think it would be Buffalo in 6. Detroit is a good team, as seen by their record, but they are relying on 1 good line, and about half of the 2nd line, while the other 2 just aren't producing, which makes it easy for a team against them to beat them. Which is guard the 1st and 2nd lines like crazy, then take advantage of them when their 3rd and 4th come out. The goaltending is decent, with Hasek putting up good numbers, but making some bad plays, that if he did in the playoffs, would doom them.

Basically all I'm saying is their are advantages for all teams that can beat Buffalo, but at the same time it could be a big upset, so the teams I think can beat them are New Jersey, Nashville, Tampa Bay, or Pittsburg.