COACHING, DEPTH, AND DIVISIONAL REGRESSION WILL END THE SABRES PLAYOFF DROUGHT
The expectation is to end a playoff drought that has lasted longer than a decade for the Buffalo Sabres. Between a new coaching staff, improved roster depth, and teams across the Conference regressing, Sabres fans have every reason to believe that expectation will be met this year.
First of all, Lindy Ruff makes a difference on gameday, given his experience. His internal understanding of knowing when to roll out which line will pay dividends. Ruff’s defensive gameplan of getting in shot lanes and breaking out of the defensive zone in a hurry will be a welcome sight for Sabres fans that have suffered through the same breakout scheme that failed time and time in recent years. But it’s not just Ruff, it’s the promotion of Seth Appert and his management of the powerplay that will make an immediate impact. When Appert had JJ Peterka and Jack Quinn in Rochester for the 2021-22 season, the Americans’ Power Play ranked 3rd in the AHL. Even if the Sabres’ man-advantage can climb from bottom-five to slightly above league average, that would help the team win a handful more games throughout the season.
Another reason for fans to believe is the depth of the NHL roster and the overall organizational depth. They rebuilt their bottom six forwards over the offseason, adding an entirely new line of grit and speed with Sam Lafferty, Beck Malenstyn, and Nicholas Aube-Kubel, along with veteran Jason Zucker and speedy, experienced third-line center Ryan McLeod. All of those additions were made with intention: to become harder to play against. As far as the organizational depth, just look at the performance of the prospects during the preseason. For the first time in at least 15 years, their cupboards are filled with even more youthful talent in the system, ready to make an impact. If and when injuries occur, Buffalo has a plethora of talent to choose from to fill a hole in the lineup.
Finally, the teams Buffalo will need to finish ahead of in the Eastern Conference are expected to regress. Last season, the Washington Capitals were the last team to clinch a playoff berth, and now they're banking on some players replicating the career numbers they put up a year ago. Another team Buffalo could leapfrog could be the Boston Bruins, who are currently in a contract dispute with their starting goalie Jeremy Swayman. The Tampa Bay Lighting were in a wild card spot last season and lost their captain Steven Stamkos to free agency, along with top pairing defenseman Mikhail Sergachev, who was traded to Utah. The point is, there are numerous teams that were in the postseason a year ago that are in a faulty position that Buffalo could take advantage of.
Following their back-to-back against the Devils in Prague, the Sabres will return to Buffalo and will host Los Angeles next Thursday for the home opener.
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY’S BRADEN YORK CONTINUES HISTORIC SEASON
Niagara University is cementing itself as a running school, on the shoulders of cross-country star Braden York. The senior from Auburn, NY has been named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's Runner of the Week, a feat never before accomplished by a runner at NU, and he's done it twice.
I sat down with Braden to hear his story and dive into the legacy he’s leaving behind on Monteagle Ridge.
NEW PROBLEMS MAY ARISE FOR BUFFALO THIS WEEK IN HOUSTON
Last week, the Bills got pushed around by the Baltimore Ravens for their first loss of the season. Buffalo will face new challenges against a different team with AFC title aspirations, as the Bills head to Houston Sunday afternoon.
The Texans aren’t as physically dominant as the Ravens are, and frankly, no one in the league has the personnel to replicate what Baltimore did to the Bills last week. What Houston is capable of doing, though, is spreading the Bills’ defense out to open up space to run the ball.
Yes, Buffalo will face Stefon Diggs for the first time since moving on from him this summer, but it’s not as simple as focusing on him to shut down Houston all together. While the offense runs through second year quarterback CJ Stroud, so far, the only team to beat the Texans was in week three, when Minnesota’s defense shut down Houston’s run game. When you limit the ground game’s impact, you don’t allow the Texans to get on schedule or control the clock. If the Bills want to pick up their fourth win of the season, it doesn’t necessarily matter how many catches Diggs has, it matters how well Buffalo manages the clock, wins at the line of scrimmage, and stops the Texans run game.
Kickoff on Sunday is set for 1PM in Houston.
CAITLIN CLARK OFFICIALLY NAMED KIA WNBA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
It was only a matter of time before the WNBA officially made the announcement that the Kia 2024 Rookie of the Year Award winner is none other than Caitlin Clark. The Indiana Fever first year led the league and set team and league records in numerous categories, leading to the Fever earning a playoff berth. Clark earned 66 of the possible 67 votes for the league’s top honor for rookies, with Angel Reese garnering that one vote.
