It is time. Here is a preview of the Ducks’ season opener against the Sabres, in Helsinki.
The Sabres last season took the Philadelphia Flyers to seven games in the first round of the playoffs and they got better. First, by young players growing. They have some stud young guns in their line up, Ennis, Gerbe and Myers just to name a few. Second, by some very good free agent moves, Ville Leino, Robyn Regehr and Christian Erhoff. So, there is no question with this team’s talent. Oh, and don’t forget about their all-world goalie Ryan Miller.
This has potential to be one of the better NHL Premiere games this year. The Ducks have two offensive lines that have excellent scorer’s but the Buffalo Sabres have the defense to match those two top lines, oh and yeah they have Ryan Miller. The question for Buffalo is: can they score enough on Hiller to win the game? The Sabres lean on their defense and so the last few years the offense has been shaky for good stretches of their seasons. With the way Jonas Hiller has played in the preseason, I could see this being a very low scoring game. BUT, don’t underestimate the Buffalo offense because if you do for a period or any amount of time, the Ducks will see players like the aforementioned Ennis or Gerbe or Thomas Vanek or Derek Roy scoring goals.
Players to Watch:
- The Goalies: Jonas Hiller and Ryan Miller
- Corey Perry – last year’s MVP starts his campaign for back-to-back Hart Trophies
Prediction:
Okay, first of all, I will never predict the score of a game. I don’t know, I just don’t do that. However, I do think this will be a low scoring game with good defensive play on both sides and the game may come down to special teams. If that is the case, I think the Ducks could edge the Sabres. However, I could see either team winning this game.