NHL
Expectations heaped upon Sabres
by MATT KRUEGER Reporter

Buffalo Sabres winger Derek Roy said the team is facing more expectations in this year's playoffs than they did a year ago. The first-seed Sabres will open the first round Thursday against the eighth-seed New York Islanders. Photo by Mike Lynaugh

Oh what a difference a year can make. Or, in the Buffalo Sabres' case, what a difference three years can make.

A year ago, the Sabres fielded questions from all angles about whether or not they could handle the playoffs with such little postseason experience. Two years ago, they were sitting at home wondering when (if) the lockout would end. Three years ago, bankruptcy and an uncertain future in Buffalo loomed over the players' heads like a dark cloud. And don't forget the three years before that when the Sabres simply played out the regular season before heading home to watch the playoffs from the comfort of their own couches.

Now the Sabres are the best team in the Northeast Division, the Eastern Conference, the National Hockey League, the world, the universe. Well, you get the idea.

Yes, this is the best April the Sabres have seen in a long, long time.

And as they prepare for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, a sense of expectation and elevated standards surround the Sabres. Last year, fans were exalted first to have professional hockey back in the arena, and then for the Sabres just to qualify for the postseason. The drought had parched Sabre supporters to the point that any playoff appearance would do.

Now, after last year's run to the Eastern Conference finals, Buffalo must cope with the demand for the cup. Fans won't be appeased by anything short of a championship.

"Obviously, it's higher," defenseman Brian Campbell said of the expectations on the team this year. "In the locker room, any time you hear comments from the outside, it's bigger and bigger. The fan base is crazy in the amount of expectations. Everybody's like 'bring that cup home.' That's what we're trying to do. There are a lot of good teams out there, and I don't know if many people know that out there. We know that. It's obviously going to take a lot of hard work and a little luck along the way, but we're prepared to do that and want to do that."

It's easy to see why more is expected from the Sabres than their Eastern Conference finals appearance last year. Buffalo has a better team now, as proven by winning the Presidents' Trophy for having the league's best regular season record.

The laundry list of accolades and achievements is longer than Andre the Giant's belt.

Buffalo led the league in wins (53), points (113) and goals scored (308). The Sabres had seven players score 20 or more goals, more than any other team. Four players, Thomas Vanek (43), Chris Drury (37), Jason Pominville (34) and Daniel Briere (32), scored more than 30. Briere was seventh in the league with 63 assists, while Vanek led the NHL in plus-minus rating at plus-47. Derek Roy was fifth at plus-37. Ryan Miller tied for third among league goalies with 40 wins.

And all of those achievements have earned honors for the Sabres like they have never seen. The Presidents' Trophy is the first in franchise history for the Sabres. The Northeast Division title is the first in 10 years.

"It's nice," Campbell said of winning the division and taking the first seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. "It's not something I'm thinking about all day. But it's a nice reward for our hockey club. Other than that, there's so much work to be done that it's kind of hard to sit back and look at it."

As the Sabres prepare for the New York Islanders and former coach Ted Nolan, they have the added bonus of last year's experience.

"It definitely helps a lot having a lot of guys who were there last year," Roy said. "And we went through a long run. It wasn't a short stint in the playoffs. I think that will help us mentally prepare for games."

Buffalo will open the playoffs Thursday at home against the eighth-seed Islanders almost injury free, which is in direct contrast from a year ago, when the team lost almost the entire defensive corps. In the past two weeks, the Sabres have seen the returns of Daniel Paille, Ales Kotalik, Maxim Afinogenov and even Tim Connolly, who missed all but two games this year.

Now, the Sabres take their best shot at the Stanley Cup since losing in the 1999 finals.

"I think we know what it takes," Roy said. "Last year, we didn't really know what it took, and injuries played a role in the playoffs. This year, we're hopefully going to stay healthy and everybody will go out there and do a collective job."

e-mail: mkrueger@beenews.com