BLITZ 07 TEAM REVIEW - BUFFALO - A LEAGUE

[LA Robbie]

BUFFALO SABRES - BLITZ 07 A LEAGUE

COACH: ICESTORM

TEAM LINK: http://www.blitz94.com/draftab/rosterinfo.asp?team=BUF

TEAM OVERVIEW

Buffalo are hoping to improve on their run to the semi-finals of the Blitz 06 A league, and have a great looking mix of players and abilities to achieve it. Compared to last season's allstar team it actually looks like they could be a touch weaker this time around, but at the same time the players definitely appear to suit their coach's playing style. It's not quite the whos-who it was in Blitz 06, but no one will be taking Buffalo lightly all the same.

This might be a case of where the quality of coach counts for more than the quality of the team. In the hands of us B leaguers I think we'd do well with this roster, but maybe not hit the heights. For Icestorm this team has everything in terms of a dependable goalie, dominating D, speed, strength and the ability to score goals.

I know I try to review the team, and not the guy commanding them, but i'm giving myself a bit of liberty with this one!

TEAM MAKE-UP

Gone are Buffalo's 3 top scorers from last season - Brendan Shanahan, Sergei Fedorov & Trevor Linden who between them managed a whopping 288 league points in Blitz 06, but it's easy to see why. The goals were evenly spread throughout the 3 and it may be that Icestorm wants someone that can be looked to for more of a 2 goals a game record who can be relied on whoever the opposition might be. He will hopefully have it in Eric Lindros, traded in from Hartford, who's 4/6 shot guarantees goals. He scored 83 & 87 goals for Carse in Blitz 03 & 04 respectively and Buffalo will be hoping for similar productivity this season. That's not all he brings though. With 12 weight and 5 checking the guy is the Bogey Man for pretty much every defence in the league. An absolute monster. With his 4 offensive awareness he'll get in position often enough to hammer in the one-timers or boom down some slapshots. With his 3 speed he'll not be hitting too many on the breakaway although his 4 agility coupled with that weight means he wont get taken down easily if he does want to run it.

A perfect compliment to Lindros' skills then is speedster Geoff Courtnall. His 5/5 speed offers something totally different to Lindros and although his 3/3 shooting is nothing special he'll get behind opposition defences to go deking all day long, and with his 4 passing he's going to lay on a few onetimers for Lindros and Buffalo's 3rd forward, Jimmy Carson.

Carson was brought in from Washington in a deal that saw goalie Mike Richter go the other way. Carson is a 94 cult hero. His 4/5 shot guaranteeing a goalscoring contribution and broke the 100 point mark 2 seasons running in the A league with FPB before finishing top scorer for Detroit in the B league last season. With 4/4 skating and 9 weight he's another tough forward who scores a lot of goals the lighter guys don't purely from being able to stay on his feet under a challenge. For this reason he's often far more effective than the better rated lighter guys. He also has 4 passing like Lindros & Courtnall and these 3 together have the potential to combine brilliantly. The only question is how will Buffalo line them up? Carson or Lindros at C for the one-timers and great finishing, or Courtnall down the middle to punish high defences? Lots of options here and a great looking line.

Zdeno Ciger stays in the roster from last season. An average forward with 3s across the board, but he played over 20 games for Buffalo last season, so Icestorm must see something in him. The last 2 forward slots are both new additions in Andrei Kovalenko and Mike Foligno. Kovalenko offers a genuine attacking option off the bench in front of Ciger, with 3/4 skating, 3/4 shooting and 3 passing. Again he's nothing special, but he should be able to fill in for an injury. Foligno is another beast to line up with Lindros & Carson, but there's little ability here. He's a thug to stop the other team playing, pure and simple. Slow, weak shot, crappy passing............but if he hits you, you're going down for sure! He's an option to bring on in the final minutes to shut up shop and get the result you need. Don't expect him to be a starter.

At D the unbelievable defensive partnership of Scott Stevens and Steve Smith has been broken up. Stevens remains and he now has Gord Murphy taking Smith's place alongside him. Stevens needs no introduction.........but here it is: 4/4 skating, 4/2 shot and 4 passing means he's amongst the elite Dmen in terms of making an offensive contribution, but at 12 weight and 5 checking its defensively where he is just totally dominant. Yet another monster on the Buffalo roster. This must be the biggest hitting team in the A league, and in a place where speed and ability seems to be prioritised Buffalo are going to offer something totally different to anyone else - brute force and power, but with elite level ability. Gord Murphy is not quite the beast that some of his team mates are at 8 weight, but he still hits hard and will take down any of the smaller forwards more than easily. With 5/4 skating, 4 shot power and 3 passing he also has sufficient skills to contribute on offence. Not in Steve Smith's category, but a very good replacement indeed.

D is rounded off by Darius Kasparitis, another lightweight 4/3 skater who also hits so hard you won't realise and Tommy Sjodin, a total pansy who will need to prove his 4/3 skating, 4 shot power and 3 passing can make up for his low weight and weak checking.

In goal Buffalo have traded off both Richter and........was it Roy or Belfour? and they've still ended up with 2 solid goalies on the roster! John Casey isn't the best by any means, but his 5 agility and 4/4 gloves mean he'll make his fair share of saves and is more than competent for an expert in manual. If that's not enough for you Wendell Young backs him up. Solid all round and just a slight downgrade on Casey. A good 2nd option if your starter isn't on his game, which only a few teams in Blitz can boast.

All in all there's something for everyone in this group of players. All the bases seem to be covered in the starting lineup, but has the goal of acquiring a big goal scorer been achieved for certain?

STARS

With the departure of Brendan Shanahan, Eric Lindros looks like being the go-to guy on the big occasion. His 4/3 speed is a slight weakness but everything else is superb, and the fact he doubles as a 3rd defenseman is a huge asset. Carson & Courtnall fill valuable supporting roles, but Lindros carries the weight of the team on his huge shoulders this season. At the back it's Scott Stevens once again. He will dominate against any forward line, but he will have to do even better this season now that there's no Steve Smith alongside him. Buffalo have gone from 3 or 4 stars in Blitz 06 to just the 2 for 07. Does that mean they're any easier to play against though?

WEAKNESSES

Well it's a hell of a team isn't it? A formidable task for any opposition coach to overcome this lot. On defence I guess all you can do is play to each individuals weakness: Challenge Lindros high up the ice where his speed will fail him, let Courtnall use slappers in close where his 3/3 shot can help you and his 5/5 skating is ineffective, and with Carson...........damn it! Well he's kind of an all-rounder isn't he? They've got something in each area to counter how you might want to play them, so it's tough, but none of those 3 guys have truly elite career stats, so they're all individually controllable, and isolation of each to prevent them adding up to more as a whole may be the best way to control Buffalo's offence.

Where they do fall down is in the quality of their bench. If a guy gets injured or goes out for a penalty the guy coming in is going to be a big downgrade on the guy who went out. Will that lack of strength in depth itself prove their downfall over a full season?

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION - HIGH PLAYOFF QUALIFICATION

The variation of skills in each player is going to make this team a nightmare to defend against, and the physical size of Lindros, Carson, Stevens and Foligno gives them a side to their play that a lot of A league teams just wont be able to compete with. That could count for a lot.

For an unskilled player the lack of an exceptional goal scorer would make it harder, but for a coach of Icestorm's calibre you can't see that being the same problem.

Everything looks set for another strong season, but they maybe be a touch more vulnerable on D with the loss of Steve Smith and not a great goalie. Whatever happens you'll be expecting them to qualify in a strong position for the Blitz 07 playoffs, and from there anything can happen!

[HABS]

coool writeup!

doo me dux