Kevin Pritchard of wnymedia was kind enough to share his thoughts on the Buffalo Sabres with Devils Daily and the rest of the globe.  Before this weekend, the Sabres were situated in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, despite losing two important pieces during the offseason.  Daniel Briere, their leading scorer from last season, signed with Philadelphia.  Chris Drury also joined the Atlantic Division, as he signed with the New York Rangers.  Although Briere and Drury contributed 164 points between the two, the Sabres have still managed to score at will.  Entering the final weekend in December, they had netted 113 goals, fifth in the league.  Enjoy Pritchard’s responses.  If you are wondering whether we will have a Q and A the rest of the season, that is our goal, among previews, game stories, features, injury reports, and everything else Devils and hockey-related.  It is a work in progress.  Enjoy.

1. Buffalo lost three key players in the offseason.  How are they coping with the losses?

KP: All things considered, not too badly. The losses of Drury and Briere seem to have had a significant impact from a mental standpoint, as those around the team attribute their slow start (6-10-1) to a period of adjustment the team went through without their co-captains.  Since then, the Sabres have bounced back and have gone 13-5.  It seemed as if everyone was trying to be a "leader" early on, and when they started to focus on just playing hockey, things improved.

2. Talk to me about the goaltending of Ryan Miller.  He is on pace for his second consecutive 40-win season, which Patrick Roy only accomplished once in his career.

KP: I think folks are a little disappointed in Miller's play thus far.  He had some personal problems in the beginning of the year when his 19-year-old cousin passed away from Leukemia.  If you look at the back of his helmet, he has a green bulldog and the words "Matt Man" on it.  He wore that since his cousin Matt was diagnosed three years ago, and when he passed in September, Miller was visibly affected.  At one point his save percentage was .890, and now it's back up to a decent (but needs to be better) .905.  As to the 40-wins, Jocelyn Thibault has not set the world on fire, so Miller is the only option most nights.

3. Buffalo has a better power play and penalty kill than New Jersey yet remains in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings.  How come?

KP: I think New Jersey's commitment to solid defensive play explains the gap between the two teams.  As to why they are in eighth despite having the second best goal differential in the East, it all goes back to their rough start.  I think it's similar to the NY Yankees of last year in many ways.  When they were seven games out of a playoff spot, they had a huge advantage over those teams around them in run differential, so you knew it was a matter of time, before they started winning the games they were supposed to, and close the gap.  I think that's where the Sabres are now.

4.  Even without Briere and Drury, Buffalo has scored 113 thus far, fifth in the league.  Who has stepped up in their place?

KP: It's been a team effort.  Having Tim Connolly back (he missed all of last year's regular season) has made a huge difference in terms of playmaking ability in the middle.  He sees the ice extremely well and is tied for the team-lead with 22 assists.  Winger Drew Stafford (out tonight with a concussion) has eight goals, and was a mid-season call up last year.  Ales Kotalik has 11 goals, and scored only 16 last year.  Jochen Hecht has 13, and scored only 19 last year.  Different players are getting more ice time than they would have, and are responding.

5.  Thomas Vanek signed a ridiculous extension for one good season.  Why did Buffalo not resign Briere for that money? What is your feeling about overpaying players for above-average talent ala Scott Gomez, Chris Drury, and Zdeno Chara to name a few.

KP: Simply, the Sabres didn't feel Briere was worth the long term investment.  I'm sure they would have gladly paid him well for the next two years, but when it started getting to five years they felt that he wouldn't be worth the money.  I think the Sabres felt the investment in 23-year-old Thomas Vanek for seven years was a better deal than the 30-year-old Briere.  Now whether they are actually right won't be proven out for about 3-4 years.  Of course, if Edmonton hadn't thrown that ridiculous offer Vanek's way then we probably wouldn't be talking about it at all.

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