Vanek had the game tying and game winning OT goals tonite.

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TVanek26*

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nomorekids said:
these teams will play some hard-fought, completely irrelevant games, come april. i look forward to it :)

Who are you talking about?Sabres finished 9th last season,and they've gotten a year older,got rid of some lockerroom headaches (Satan.Everyone on the team has publicly blasted Satan and Drury even said he would headhunt Satan on the season opener). Sabres will be in the playoff hunt all season and could possibly finish 7th or 8th.
 

nomorekids

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DanielBriere48 said:
Who are you talking about?Sabres finished 9th last season,and they've gotten a year older,got rid of some lockerroom headaches (Satan.Everyone on the team has publicly blasted Satan and Drury even said he would headhunt Satan on the season opener). Sabres will be in the playoff hunt all season and could possibly finish 7th or 8th.

i respectfully disagree. headache or not, satan was the team's best scorer, and you can't really expect vanek to step in and replace that immediately. your defense looks pretty suspect and while i think the lydman move was good, the numminen one was a waste and there were better signings to be made. you're counting on a lot of very young guys that i think might hold up for the early part of the season, but i expect a drop-off in about january. the talent is there, but i don't see them unseating even the islanders, who i feel got SIGNIFICANTLY better.
 

wasting time

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Can't wait to see Vanek against the Leafs. He sounds amazing from reports out of Camp. Satan who?

My prediction: Vanek scores as many goals as Satan does this year. :)
 

Anksun

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DanielBriere48 said:
Who are you talking about?Sabres finished 9th last season,and they've gotten a year older,got rid of some lockerroom headaches (Satan.Everyone on the team has publicly blasted Satan and Drury even said he would headhunt Satan on the season opener). Sabres will be in the playoff hunt all season and could possibly finish 7th or 8th.

Can they possibly finish 7th or 8th? Yes, but they are a big underdog to do so. If I would be the Sabres standing at the 9th position. I'd look forward and see the Isles and the habs in the 8th and 7th seed and ask myself, do i really have improved more than those teams? If the answer is yes, do i have improved ENOUGH to catch them? + I'd also take a look behind because Atlanta and Pittsburgh have made significantly more improvement than Buffalo. But still i think you guys got a shoot, arent you playing good hockey against the northeast usually? If so, you got a shoot at the playoffs.
________

As for Vanek, a good game overall. That was to be expected, he scores 40+ goals last year and last night opponent was nothing else than an ahl team. I'm happy to see him taking his play from last year already, it's looking good for him for the year.
 

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Drake1588 said:
Well, aside from the missing Witt, Ovechkin, Cassels, Halpern, Zubrus, Semin, Sykora, Sutherby, Majesky, Clark, Clymer, Yonkman... then I guess so.

The fact that it's Washington's B/C team out there makes it even more stark that the score was as close as it was, in my book. These are the guys that are going to be long shots to make a squad as thin as the Capitals are going to be this year, much less a real NHL team's depth chart.

If I'm Buffalo, I'm asking myself how my veteran-laden lineup let it remain that close, for that long.

Even with those players, it should be any team's C team...
 

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No one is disputing that at all. The whole point is that it's not so very impressive for Buffalo's mostly opening night roster to eke out a victory against a poor team to begin with, which was missing most of even its meager talent. They only got on the board after the Caps put in their #4 goalie. The Caps were making roster decisions, and put in a goalie headed for the ECHL to give him some ice time... not trying to win a game after Kolzig spotted the Caps a 2-0 lead by the second intermission.

Vanek's a great prospect, but this wasn't legit competition, and this wasn't much of a victory over which to crow, even for a pre-season game. Best that can be said about this one is that it's nice to have NHL hockey back.
 

bert

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DanielBriere48 said:
Who are you talking about?Sabres finished 9th last season,and they've gotten a year older,got rid of some lockerroom headaches (Satan.Everyone on the team has publicly blasted Satan and Drury even said he would headhunt Satan on the season opener). Sabres will be in the playoff hunt all season and could possibly finish 7th or 8th.

I think if the Sabres were in the centeral or southeast they would be a playoff team. But unfortunatly they have to play the leafs, sens, habs and bruins 8 times a piece.

In my fantasy league I drafted Vanek 4th, ahead of Zherdev. I am really happy to see that he is working out. Seems to have all the tools to be big time.
 

cardinal0512

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At the U of M in his freshman year, Vanek scored 31 goals. 17 of them were in the third period or overtime.
 

nomorekids

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bert said:
I think if the Sabres were in the centeral or southeast they would be a playoff team. But unfortunatly they have to play the leafs, sens, habs and bruins 8 times a piece.

In my fantasy league I drafted Vanek 4th, ahead of Zherdev. I am really happy to see that he is working out. Seems to have all the tools to be big time.


In the Central, I think Detroit, Nashville and Chicago are better...and maybe even Columbus. The division has little bearing. They're not a better team than they were last year, losing their best defenseman and replacing him with a guy that probably should have retired two years ago and a guy that's a good number 3 on most playoff teams and also their most dangerous scorer(with or without the 'headaches') and hoping a rookie will fill that particular gap. I just don't see them as a playoff team, and more realistically a 10th-12th place team.
 

MLH

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nomorekids said:
In the Central, I think Detroit, Nashville and Chicago are better...and maybe even Columbus. The division has little bearing. They're not a better team than they were last year, losing their best defenseman and replacing him with a guy that probably should have retired two years ago and a guy that's a good number 3 on most playoff teams and also their most dangerous scorer(with or without the 'headaches') and hoping a rookie will fill that particular gap. I just don't see them as a playoff team, and more realistically a 10th-12th place team.

Predicting things this year is almost impossible. A year and a half is a long time, no one can accurately say how guys are going to perform. I like our defense slightly better than last year's and our team seems to be built for the new NHL. We're young, fast, and have some chemistry. Connolly and Vanek are very good at shootouts, which will be an important factor in the playoff races. Only time will tell, but I think the Sabres have a decent chance at sneaking in.
 

sabrefan27

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nomorekids said:
In the Central, I think Detroit, Nashville and Chicago are better...and maybe even Columbus. The division has little bearing. They're not a better team than they were last year, losing their best defenseman and replacing him with a guy that probably should have retired two years ago and a guy that's a good number 3 on most playoff teams and also their most dangerous scorer(with or without the 'headaches') and hoping a rookie will fill that particular gap. I just don't see them as a playoff team, and more realistically a 10th-12th place team.
Lydman, Numminen>>Zhitnik.

Losing Satan doesn't bother me at all. He was a cancer in the locker room and I think Vanek can adequately replace him. Vanek will produce more than people think. I think the Sabres are underrated, even by it's own fans. I realistically think they have a decent shot at the playoffs this year.
 

Jim Bob

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Drake1588 said:
No one is disputing that at all. The whole point is that it's not so very impressive for Buffalo's mostly opening night roster to eke out a victory against a poor team to begin with, which was missing most of even its meager talent. They only got on the board after the Caps put in their #4 goalie. The Caps were making roster decisions, and put in a goalie headed for the ECHL to give him some ice time... not trying to win a game after Kolzig spotted the Caps a 2-0 lead by the second intermission.

Vanek's a great prospect, but this wasn't legit competition, and this wasn't much of a victory over which to crow, even for a pre-season game. Best that can be said about this one is that it's nice to have NHL hockey back.

That might be about half of the Sabres opening night roster.

The team's 2nd line didn't dress. Neither did one member of the top line.

On defense only 3 and perhaps 4 guys who will play on opening night dressed.

And who knows what will happen in net.

Did the Sabres play more regulars than the hapless Caps?

Absolutely, but it wasn't the Sabres whole opening night roster, either.
 

futurcorerock

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Jim Bob said:
I heard a lot of the same stuff entering last season.

And how did Vanek do last season?

Oh yeah, he was the 2nd best goalscorer in the best NA league last year.

And as far as not scoring on Kolzig goes, you weren't at the game and didn't see the play in the first where Vanek undressed pretty much every Cap on the ice and slipped the puck through Kolzig's 5 hole only to see it slide wide of the left post.

Feel free to go the wait and see route.

But don't expect to have to wait too long.

The chemistry that Briere talked about not being there with Satan is certainly there with Vanek.
Yeah but here's the thing.


"he was the 2nd best goalscorer in the best NA league last year"*

Asterik means = "The best league last year was the AHL by default due to the fact that their parent league, the NHL, was not playing.

Not doubting Vanek's potential, but just bringing the debate down to earth. I can be a pessimist, can't I?
 

MN_Gopher

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The thing that gets me is at every level. College national championship, AHL second leading goal scorer and leading PP goal scorer, pre season 2 goals and a nice shootout move and goal. People still seem to be on his case. He has played very well if not dominated at every level he has had the oppurtunity to play at. I am beginning to think that if he has a great year this year it will be , well can he do it for a career. Seems the only way some will be satisfied with Vanek is if in 20 years he has a scoring title and a stanley cup.

I know its not the real thing, the NHL. But i hear more about 17 year olds in the CHL, who are 2 years away from the NHL.


I honestly do not know but did Dany Heatley get the same thing? He and Vanek are about the same size, put up simular numbers in college and have about the same scoring ability.
 

Drake1588

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I think that everyone is projecting Vanek to be a star... so I'm not sure where this feeling that he's been dogged is coming from, exactly. From what I've seen, everyone across the league loves this kid, and with good reason. I wouldn't qualify a scrimmage against the Caps as his breakthrough performance, but that doesn't detract from his potential in any way.

We'll see if Washington puts a more seasoned roster on the ice tomorrow night for their home fans. I'm looking forward to seeing Vanek in person.
 

MLH

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Drake1588 said:
I think that everyone is projecting Vanek to be a star... so I'm not sure where this feeling that he's been dogged is coming from, exactly. From what I've seen, everyone across the league loves this kid, and with good reason. I wouldn't qualify a scrimmage against the Caps as his breakthrough performance, but that doesn't detract from his potential in any way.

We'll see if Washington puts a more seasoned roster on the ice tomorrow night for their home fans. I'm looking forward to seeing Vanek in person.

You may not see him. His line is on fire again tonight (Vanek two assists so far in the 1st period) and I wouldn't be surprised to see Ruff give him the night off.
 

MLH

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MLH said:
You may not see him. His line is on fire again tonight (Vanek two assists so far in the 1st period) and I wouldn't be surprised to see Ruff give him the night off.

That or he'll have yet another two goal performance.
 

sabrefan27

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detredWINgs said:
Are you guys kidding me??? Basing the future of a prospect on a PRESEASON game???? :clap:
I'm basing it mostly on seeing him 40+ times last season. 30 goals is not out of the question at all. Actually, if he gets the ice time, he should score 25-30 goals.
 
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