Sabres Rattled: Buffalo Disappoints Through 40 Games

The Buffalo Sabres have been one of the biggest disappointments of the 2007-2008 NHL season.

The Sabres were the top team in 2006-07 with 113 points, and finished with 110 points in 2005-06, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons.

Then disaster struck when the Sabres' two biggest stars, Daniel Briere and Chris Drury, skipped town.

Losing the two former co-captains to free agency was a devastating blow, as Briere was good for at least 25 goals in the previous three seasons, and Drury had come off back-to-back 30-goal campaigns.

No problem, the most optimistic Sabres fan said. After all, star goaltender Ryan Miller was still in Sabreland.

To his credit, Miller has been solid this year, posting a GAA (2.61 as of Jan. 8th) and save percentage (.908) on par with his 2005-06 and '06-07 performances. But that just doesn't cut it for a Sabres team lacking offensive firepower.

Proof? When the Sabres were the No. 1 seed last season, they led the NHL in goals with 308 (3.75 per game), and averaged 3.42 goals in 2005-06. This season, the Sabres are averaging an unimpressive 3.00 goals per game through 40 contests.

Miller’s goaltending, while solid, doesn't even rank him in the Top 20 in the NHL—and isn’t enough to counter his team’s lack of goals.

And now Maxim Afinogenov, a disappointment with just seven goals this season, is out with a groin injury.

The Sabres have gone 1-3 against the rival Ottawa Senators, with four more head-to-head matchups later this season. The lone win came in the midst of Buffalo’s five-game winning streak in November, and an overall 13-4 run.

Since then, the Sabres have lost six straight going into tonight’s game in New Jersey.

That has translated into a .500 record (19-18-3), 41 points, and 11th place in the Eastern Conference—on par with the awful Maple Leafs.

What are the keys to turning around Buffalo’s season?

For the Sabres to have a realistic shot at making the playoffs, they'll need to improve their record against teams in the division—particularly the Boston Bruins.

The Sabres have 1-3 against Boston so far. The mediocre Bruins, who are averaging just 2.6 goals per game, are just five points ahead of Buffalo in the division, but are No. 6 in the conference standings.

The Sabres have to sweep their remaining four games vs. the Bruins.

Buffalo also has six more against the last-place Leafs, who can’t seem to hang on to late third-period teams. They need to sweep them too.

If GM Darcy Regier can pull the trigger on another offensive player, that might help—but who's available?

If things don’t improve, it might be time to dump coach Lindy Ruff, currently the longest-serving bench boss in the NHL (he was hired before the 1997-98 season).

On a side note, what has Ruff won to deserve such a lengthy tenure?

He might not be so lucky this offseason if the losing continues.