The Buffalo Sabres..Where Do They Go from Here?

What a difference a few months make. Remember back to last Spring, when Buffalo Sabres fans were coming off their team's biggest feat in franchise history, winning the President's Trophy? That's right. The Sabres finished the 2006-2007 regular season with the most points among the National Hockey League's 30 teams. Sabres fans were hopping on the Sabres' bandwagon and entering the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs with high hopes and dreams. Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, big fan favorites then, were the workhorses leading their team onto the ice. With just about the whole City of Buffalo behind them, the Sabres took to the ice to battle the New York Islanders in the first round.

One tough battle to win against the New York Rangers in the second round and a devastating third round loss to the Ottawa Senators, and the Sabres found themselves scratching their heads at what happened to their dream season. Exactly who was to blame and what would be done about it was the topic of discussion on nearly every Buffalo area sports talk radio program. Then, amidst all the what-if scenarios and turmoil, free agency reared its ugly head. Exactly what would happen? Nearly all Sabres fans were sitting on pins and needles because Briere and Drury were among the top Sabres available to entertain offers from any team. While most Sabres fans were fairly confident that the team's management would do almost anything to resign these power-forwards, it came as a complete shock when both players were scooped up by other teams, just hours after free agency got under way. So there it was...capping off a disappointing season...Briere would be hopping a plane to Philadelphia, while Drury was hopping a plane to the Big Apple, for a shot with the Rangers. What would become of this team, which once gave fans so much hope...?

Isn't it purely ironic that the Sabres would start this 2007-2008 season with a weekend home and home series with the Islanders, the team they first faced in last year's playoffs? After a disappointing defeat at the hands of the Sabres, it was probably safe to say Islanders Head Coach Ted Nolan was looking to come back to HSBC Arena in Buffalo, fresh off of training camp and the preseason, cocked and ready with his new squad. After losing several of his players to free agency and replacing them with a few new hopefuls, including forward Bill Guerin, Nolan was able to slap Sabres fans in the face, as they watched their beloved team go down in defeat at the hands of the Islanders, 6-4.

In true Sabres fashion, the team took to the ice with enthusiasm, right from the opening team introduction. Jaroslav Spacek started the Sabres going with a goal just 2:56 into the first period, however, the Islanders would answer back with a goal of their own. Derek Roy gave the Sabres the 2-1 edge midway into the period, however, the Sabres ever faltering penalty kill would allow the Islanders to take a 3-2. Right there was when Sabres fans were probably scratching their heads as to why management allowed Chris Drury to get away, seeing that he was a big force on the penalty kill last season. Drew Stafford would tie the score at 3 before the end of the period for the Sabres.

For the Islanders, one line would prove lethal to the Sabres, that being the line of Guerin, Mike Comrie and Rusian Fedotenko. The "free agent" line, as they have become known, either netted or assisted with every Islander goal scored. Sabres forward Thomas Vanek, the man who inked one of the largest contracts in Sabres history, netted the Sabres only goal in the second period.

As in past seasons, the Sabres power play continues to struggle, going 0-4. This may be one area where the Sabres missed the styling of Daniel Briere, as he was one of the key forces on the power play last season.

The fire and drive of the Sabres past season was alive, for about the first period and a half. The team seemed to play with spirit and looked hungry to impress their skeptical fans. However, the team may have started to feel a bit too confident, and their game began to fall apart. They started to play sloppy in their own end, especially during the penalty kill. One Islander point man was allowed to cruise comfortably within the Sabres own zone to set up a beautiful play to which Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller didn't even have a chance to stop.

What happened to the likes of the "Comeback Kids," as they became known last season? Last season, the team was able to come from behind many times and come out victorious. However, a victory tonight was not in the cards for the Sabres, and Ted Nolan and his Islanders certainly had the last laugh, even though both teams were obviously not in their best form.

Were the Sabres suffering from a large case of stage fright? Here they were making their debut in front of a hometown crowd, without the likes of Briere and Drury, the fan favorites. Did all the hype get to them? Was the pressure to meet or exceed the expectations of the fans too much for the team to swallow? Will they be able to regroup, focus and face the Islanders tomorrow night in the Big Apple?

Just one look at the roster from the season opener proves the team is not much different from last year. Michael Ryan and Drew Stafford are the only new additions, and both are no strangers to the team, as both saw plenty of ice time during the playoffs when they were called up from Rochester, the Sabres' American Hockey League affiliate. Daniel Briere and Chris Drury were the only two absentees on the roster, but it goes without saying that Sabres fans fail to remember both Briere and Drury suffered injuries throughout the season, and the team was still able to win without them. It could also be said that Danius Zubrus was missing, but he was only a late addition to the roster before the playoffs last season to try and make a successful run at Lord Stanley's Cup.

Whatever the excuse for the loss maybe, the season is still young and so is the team. Forward Ales Kotalik and Defensemen Teppo Numminen will add depth to the team, once both return to the lineup. For the month of October, Forward Jochen Hecht has earned the right to serve as the team's captain, as voted by his teammates.

Prior to the beginning of the training camp, and right after the team caused a ruckus by losing Briere and Drury to free agency, Managing Partner Larry Quinn and General Manager Darcy Regier tried to convince fans the team is looking to the future to rebuild. So no, the Sabres will not be the same team they were last season, and it is hard to say if they will be as successful as last season, but the team and management sure does make the game interesting for the fans to watch.

To add to the excitement of watching Sabres hockey on Madison Square Garden TV (MSG,) Harry Neale, of Hockey Night in Canada fame, has been named the new color commentator beside Play-by-Play Man Rick Jeanneret, replacing Jim Lorenz, who retired right before the season started. What a way to get the fans involved in watching this young and upcoming team.

So, set expectations of this Sabres team, if you must, but just remember...Buffalo is the new "Hockeytown..."