Buffalo Sabres Blogger Post-Mortem

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Our series of first-round victim post-mortems continues with a look at the Buffalo Sabres from Die By The Blade's David Olesky. If you missed it earlier, we've already checked in with SBN's New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators bloggers.

Do you think your team could have gone farther or is this what you expected?

If you asked a Sabres fan before the season if they would be happy with making the playoffs and losing in the first round, the answer would have been yes. That all changed after the team exceeded our expectations by winning the Northeast Division and finishing with 100 points. This was series that many of us thought the Sabres could win and the disappointment will linger for quite some time.

Any injuries (previously hidden or known) that made a big impact on the series?

I have a difficult time using injuries as an excuse for the Sabres failure because every team deals with them and Boston played without Marc Savard. With that being said there were two injuries that really hurt this team. Jochen Hecht had a rebound season and he had a big role in helping Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville this season. Without Hecht they never found their game in this series. The other was the injury to Thomas Vanek, he played in two plus games in the series and tied for the team lead in goals. He is the one player the Sabres can rely on to score goals and his presence was sorely missed.

Was there a turning point in the series?

I’m not sure if it is right to list two separate turning points but this series had two. The Sabres took game one and had a stranglehold on game two with a 2-0 lead in the first period. Thomas Vanek raced in on a breakaway and Johnny Boychuk slashed the knee of Vanek, buckling his knee and forcing him to crash heavily into the boards. The Sabres lost their best player in the process and struggled on the power play the rest of the series.

The second turning point was in game four. Once again the Sabres had a 2-0 lead and seemed to be in control before a penalty on Cody McCormick gave the Bruins a power play that they converted to get back in the game. The Sabres didn’t react well gave up the lead and eventually lost in double overtime.

What does the loss mean for the franchise (fan expectations, market, etc.)?

The fans in Buffalo will continue to support this team through thick and thin but despite that support there will be plenty of negativity surrounding this team throughout the summer. In Buffalo, we have lived through so much disappointment that this just adds to the long list, we’ll recover.

Who do you anticipate losing in the off-season?

Most of the Sabres core is signed for next season but two names that come to mind are Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder. Both players rebounded from disappointing seasons but there are also young guys ready to step up. I suspect the Sabres will retain one of them while letting the other walk, my guess is Lydman will remain a Sabre next season. I expect Adam Mair, Matt Ellis and Patrick Lalime will move on but new role players will be brought in to fill their spot.

What are the next steps for the franchise?

I don’t expect many changes this off-season. Many fans are wishing for a complete overhaul but that would be an overreaction with a team that is coming off a division championship and a 100 point season.

Special thanks to Dave for doing this and be sure to visit Die By The Blade for more on the Sabres off-season plans.