Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Preview: Try To Wash The Stink Off Edition

by Zachary Zielonka on Oct 15, 2011 10:00 AM EDT

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 08: Tyler Kennedy #48 of the Pittsburgh Penguins skates against the Buffalo Sabres at Consol Energy Center on March 8, 2011 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Penguins defeated the Sabres 3-1. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

The good thing about having back to back games is that if there is a really terrible game in the first half, the team has a chance to wash it all away with a redemption game in the second half. The Sabres have that chance as they turn around and travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins.

The Penguins have been playing as well as can be expected to start the season, registering at least one point in each of their first five games. After starting the season with a three game Western Canada road trip, the Pens returned home this week to defeat the Florida Panthers and then lost to Washington Capitals in overtime on Thursday night. The biggest storyline coming out of the Capitals game wasn't any on ice play, it was a fight between Aaron Asham and Jay Beagle:

With Sidney Crosby still out, the Penguins have shown they can play without him as Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin step up and lead the charge. A surprise player to see at the top of the scoresheet at the beginning of the season is James Neal. A career 25 goals/season scorer, Neal has the league lead in goals with four through five games this season. Thus far into the season, Neal appears to be living up to his potential, and trying to cash in on a new contract, for the Penguins and the Penguins are better for it. From our Penguins site, Pensburgh:

...the Pens' power play efficiency has been the highest when Neal has registered a point. Coincidence? Very possible, but I like to think not. Neal has been an unbelievable presence on the power play and after a sluggish start with the Penguins organization, he seems to have found his luck, and the net, more often than not.

Even with the poor showing on Friday night, the Sabres lineup shouldn't see any changes heading into this game. I would even expect Ryan Miller to get the start here as well even though the team is coming off a game last night. If history suggests anything though, the Sabres probably won't have much of a chance in this one. The Penguins are 8-1-1 in their last 10 home games against the Sabres.

Game time is 7:00 pm Eastern.

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Big bounceback game tonight boys.

Lets get outta there with a W.

Fitz = M(C)²
"Lets Go Buff! a! lo!"

by bflo on Oct 15, 2011 10:23 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

No Miller.

Enroth is in.

by JSCoope on Oct 15, 2011 1:51 PM EDT reply actions

They’re toast on this one, although I had hoped this would be their first loss. They were 0-4-0 against the Penguins last year and they seemingly never win in Pittsburgh.
I think the Penguins are actually a tougher matchup for the Sabres without Sid and Malkin.
Prove me wrong boy(e)s.

by Philaster on Oct 15, 2011 2:42 PM EDT reply actions

I think they'll be better off

Playing away. Not trying to impress the home crowd. It’s funny how they always talk about that, a big part of last years slow start is because they were trying to hard to impress the home crowd, and here they are doing it again.

by JSCoope on Oct 15, 2011 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Maybe. Maybe not. They are playing Enroth and not Miller so that I think helps the Sabres as the Pens seem to have an easy time scoring on Miller. I would have even gone with Lallime over Miller if he were still the backup.

by clownfat on Oct 15, 2011 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions

I find the storyline interesting...

I find it interesting because the NHL has repeatedly claimed that they are trying to take fighting out of the game, they claim that it disrupts the game and rewards players of marginal skills yet at the same time they heavily promote a fight between players from their two most heavily marketed teams before they even tell you the score (that is how the NHL did it on their own website and Facebook page).

Instances like this really make me believe that the league’s claim that they want to take fighting out of the game is a complete fraud. They know that the fights increase fan interest, they’re just giving us a snowjob.

"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England

by Calvert on Oct 15, 2011 5:48 PM EDT reply actions