Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Season Defining Stretch: Part 3
There's no Ryan Miller to rely on, there's Patrick Lalime. There's no Thomas Vanek to put the puck in the net. There's Drew Stafford, Jason Pominville, and Derek Roy.
There is no timetable for Miller's return. He could be back in 2 weeks (Carey Price missed just 8 games with his ankle sprain) or months (last year Marc Andre Fleury missed 36 games with a sprain), hell he may not even make it back (Pascal Leclaire elected for surgery).
That is not to say teams can't survive, even excel, with a backup goaltender (see: Devils, New Jersey). Remember when Marty Biron came in and won 14 or so games in a row when Miller went down a few years back? Remember how Ty Conklin emerged for the Penguins without Crosby and Fleury? The precedent is there, but it's more than just the replacement that makes a difference; it's how this team reacts to the seemingly terrible hockey karma that has befallen them
Resiliency? Determination? Grit? Or complaceny? Boredom? Empathy? What team shows tonight will go a very long way towards predicting the Sabres playoff chances. No doubt of that in my mind.
The last time the Sabres played the Ducks, a 3-2 loss, was a spirited affair, to say the least. 64 PIMs, 3 fights, 2 misconducts. I don't do predictions, but this I will say, the Sabres will come to play tonight. They've worked too hard not to.
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