Flyers at Sabres • 7:30 tonight • MSG • 550 AM
Sabres continue their balancing act
Published: November 05, 2009, 10:41 pm
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The 12 forwards who will play for the Buffalo Sabres tonight have 73 points. The 12 forwards expected to dress for the Philadelphia Flyers have 72. Sounds like two similar groups, right?
Not even close. In fact, it would be tough to find teams with more wildly different philosophies.
The Sabres will take the HSBC Arena ice intent on using all four lines equally. Offensive depth has been an early trademark, with each three-man unit capable of doing enough offensively to win the game.
The Flyers, meanwhile, are extremely top-heavy. If their forwards are going to score, it's usually two lines that are going to do it.
"Over time, I think absolutely it's going to benefit us," Sabres captain Craig Rivet said Thursday. "Any time that you have four lines that are playing well, that are contributing offensively and defensively, it's a real positive sign for your club. To think that you're going to get all your scoring out of your top two lines just puts too much pressure on them."
The Sabres' offensive production is relatively scattered. The line of Tim Connolly, Clarke MacArthur and Jason Pominville has 27 points, which equates to 37 percent of the forwards' output. Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford are next with 23 points (31.5 percent). Paul Gaustad, Matt Ellis and Patrick Kaleta have 13 points (17.8 percent), while the 10 recorded by Tim Kennedy, Jochen Hecht and Mike Grier total 13.7 percent.
For the Flyers, it's been all top six, all the time. More than 86 percent of their forward production has come from the lines of Mike Richards-Scott Hartnell-Claude Giroux (32 points, 44.4 percent) and Jeff Carter-James van Riemsdyk-David Laliberte (30 points, 41.7 percent).
The line of Mika Pyorala, Darroll Powe and Arron Asham has seven points (9.7 percent), while Blair Betts, Daniel Carcillo and Ian Laperriere have only three (4.2 percent).
"In our case we've kind of spread it out along four lines," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "These guys have got some real firepower in their top six. We've got to take care of that and make sure we play well against those two lines and make it frustrating for them."
The Flyers likely would have more depth if healthy. Key forwards Daniel Briere and Simon Gagne are out with groin injuries, thrusting van Riemsdyk up the depth chart and Laliberte into the league. He has goals in his first two NHL games.
The obvious challenge (and apparent key to victory) for the Sabres is ensuring the Flyers' top two units stay quiet.
"We have to outplay them," said Stafford, whose line should get either the Richards or Carter trio. "It's just a matter of the other lines outplaying them when they're on the ice as well."
The offensive disparity can be traced to different financial plans. Since the salary cap was instituted, Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier has been a proponent of a balanced pay scale. The Flyers like high-priced stars and lower-paid complements.
Philadelphia has four forwards (Briere, Richards, Gagne and Carter) making $5 million or more; only Vanek is above that threshold for Buffalo. Meanwhile, eight Sabres make between $1.2 million and $4.5 million, while the Flyers have two. That leaves eight Philadelphia front men under $1 million compared to three for Buffalo.
Both philosophies, though extremely different, are working. The Sabres (9-2-1) have won five of six, while the Flyers (7-4-1) were winners in their last two. The organizations get to see tonight how their ideologies compare when facing each other.
"We definitely have the potential to be one of the better four-line teams in the league," Stafford said. "When ice time is spread out like that and we have all four lines pretty much playing the same game ... I think we can definitely be a force."
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