Connolly set to return

by David Oleksy on Jan 8, 2009 7:00 AM EST

The Buffalo Sabres are set to get an important piece of the puzzle back in the lineup on Friday night. Sure there are plenty of Tim Connolly injury jokes that could be inserted here now but this comes at the perfect time for the Sabres.

I would venture to say that Tim Connolly is the Sabres best player when he is in the lineup. There is no denying that he brings a whole new dynamic to the team and most importantly two good scoring lines. We all know that this team had three scoring lines when they won the Presidents Trophy, that will not happen again but this team hasn't even had two scoring lines recently.

Somehow this team has won three games in a row with makeshift lines that were put together by Lindy Ruff in order to prove a point. Well Lindy, your point was made now give your team the best chance to win every night. The plan worked only because Matt Ellis had a week better than any he has had in his life.

The current line combinations without Connolly looked something like this...

Vanek	Roy	Stafford
Ellis	Gaustad	Pominville
MacArthur	Mair	Kotalik
Peters	Hecht	Paille

Not exactly setting the world on fire with these line combinations. Seriously, is any team scared when they have to face the Sabres? The infusion of Tim Connolly in the lineup will change these line combinations considerably.

If I was the coach the lines would look something like this...

Score 1	Vanek	Roy	Stafford
Score 2	MacArthur	Connolly	Pominville
Check	Hecht	Gaustad	Kotalik
Line 4	Ellis	Mair	Paille

If the Sabres put a lineup like the one above on the ice it will give them two legitimate scoring lines and possibly a checking line. It still doesn't compare to the highlight reel offense they had a couple of seasons ago but Connolly brings a whole new dimension for this team.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2008 - Tim Connolly	6	2	5	7	1	0	0	0	0	0	16	12.5

As you can see on the above stat line...Connolly has played only six games this season and has seven points. That is the type of play that this team needed but the big question is how long will it last. I would love to see Timmy stay in the lineup all season but I would say there is like a 20% chance of that actually happening.

Tweet Comment 3 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Totally agree. It’s insanely frustrating watching him get hurt every other game he plays, but he is always excellent when he is in the lineup. As your lines point out, he takes the Sabres from a team with a dangerous first line and second line that can score to having two dangerous scoring lines and a 3rd line very capable of chipping in. That’s a big difference, not to mention the improvements on special teams.

by JonHaven on Jan 8, 2009 11:01 AM EST reply actions

Timbo stay healthy!

I completely agree with everything aforementioned, specifically the comment about what Connolly does for our special teams. He is sooooo gifted, especially when he’s working the puck down low. If he could just stay healthy and consistently perform the way he did during the 05-06 playoffs he could easily be an elite player in the NHL. Honestly the injury jokes fly around and I can’t say that I haven’t cracked a few but the reality of the situation is that he has had some horrible luck. Let’s see what happens this time around! GO SABES!

by uscBillsGamecock on Jan 8, 2009 3:54 PM EST reply actions

Another thing to think about

With Connolly healthy it will take pressure off of Hecht and allow him to move back to Left Wing, which I believe is his true position. He is terrible at face-offs and always has been. Because of that I feel the criticism that Ruff has levied on him is unfair. I believe it is the coaches responsibility to put his players in a position to win. This is big for Tim and for everyone on the team.

D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere

by David Oleksy on Jan 8, 2009 6:10 PM EST reply actions