Cam Ward?

[deluca67]

Before the playoffs there was a lot of talk about Jersey only having the 'One Big Line'. The Devils went on to beat up on the injured Rangers then the talk sort of stopped.

 

I am wondering if the fact that the Devils were not deep with offensive players has anything to do with how good Cam Ward looked? The Devils could not roll four lines that can score like the Sabres do. I don't think the Canes are prepared for whats coming.

 

Are Brad Riter (who I am no fan of) and I the only ones that think this is going to be a quick series? Giving Lindy Ruff a week to prepare is like giving Bill Belichick your play book. It's not good. ;)

[Taro T]

Before the playoffs there was a lot of talk about Jersey only having the 'One Big Line'. The Devils went on to beat up on the injured Rangers then the talk sort of stopped.

 

I am wondering if the fact that the Devils were not deep with offensive players has anything to do with how good Cam Ward looked? The Devils could not roll four lines that can score like the Sabres do. I don't think the Canes are prepared for whats coming.

 

Are Brad Riter (who I am no fan of) and I the only ones that think this is going to be a quick series? Giving Lindy Ruff a week to prepare is like giving Bill Belichick your play book. It's not good. ;)

Depends, if Stillman is out AND the Sabres don't get cocky BECAUSE he is out, then I don't see the series getting to 6.

 

If he is in, I can see Ward stealing a game and the Canes outplaying Buffalo in a game. If there is a bad bounce or 2 in another game, it goes 7; if not, Buffalo in 6 which is what my pick is.

[deluca67]

Depends, if Stillman is out AND the Sabres don't get cocky BECAUSE he is out, then I don't see the series getting to 6.

 

If he is in, I can see Ward stealing a game and the Canes outplaying Buffalo in a game. If there is a bad bounce or 2 in another game, it goes 7; if not, Buffalo in 6 which is what my pick is.

 

Do you think Ward was that good or the Devils that limited?

[Corp000085]

 

Do you think Ward was that good or the Devils that limited?

 

 

I think the devils just hit a wall... whether that wall was carolina or it was their own wall, will be determined. I'm cautiously optimistic that the sabres will win this series. It will be close and could go either way. I can guarentee that they won't lay over like the devils did though.

[Taro T]

Do you think Ward was that good or the Devils that limited?

I think it was a combination of the 2 and the Canes excellence at blocking shots. (Game 5 - 18 shots, 21 blocked, and 14 missed shots. After the run of powerplays was over, so were the Devils.)

 

The little bit of that series that I watched, Joisey simply could not put together a cohesive attack. Having 1 scoring line and Elias limits how effective they could be.

[matter2003]

Ward has played well, but he certainly hasn't had to make the kind of stops that Miller has needed to make, or faced the shots that Miller has faced. Ward is nothing more than a below average goalie whose team is making him look good in the playoffs, as you can see by his regular season save percentage of .882(pretty darn bad). Buffalo is not Montreal or New Jersey and he is not going to be making 4 or 5 easy saves a period. If we have 4 or 5 shots in a period, we will probably have 2 or 3 good scoring chances, and he will probably not be stopping all of them...

 

Miller's playoff numbers are slightly higher than during the regular season, but are still very much in line with how he performed. Ward's numbers are off the charts compared to how he played in the regular season(save percentage difference of almost 5%?) and the explanation has to be more than he's just a "hot" goalie. Save percentages of .882 over 28 games is not a fluke...the kid is just not as good as he has looked and I expect the Sabres to exploit that and possibly have Gerber finishing off this series as the Sabres head to the cup in 6 games...

[deluca67]

I think the devils just hit a wall... whether that wall was carolina or it was their own wall, will be determined. I'm cautiously optimistic that the sabres will win this series. It will be close and could go either way. I can guarentee that they won't lay over like the devils did though.

 

Spoken like a true Buffalo sports fan :lol:

 

Enjoy this. :rolleyes: The more I think about it the more I think this will be done in 5.

 

Look at the Numbers the Sabres laid on the Sens.

 

1 even strength goal after Game one?

 

By the end of the Series the only goals the Sens could score were 5 on 3 ;)

 

Heatley? One of the best players in the Eastern Conference was a complete non factor.

 

One of the most talented bluelines in the NHL were made to look foolish at times.

 

The Sabres speed have made both the Flyers and Sens each look overwhelmed at times. :o

 

I say enjoy this. Why wait untuil the final buzzer? :rolleyes:

[Corp000085]

 

Spoken like a true Buffalo sports fan :lol:

 

Enjoy this. :rolleyes: The more I think about it the more I think this will be done in 5.

 

Look at the Numbers the Sabres laid on the Sens.

 

1 even strength goal after Game one?

 

By the end of the Series the only goals the Sens could score were 5 on 3 ;)

 

Heatley? One of the best players in the Eastern Conference was a complete non factor.

 

One of the most talented bluelines in the NHL were made to look foolish at times.

 

The Sabres speed have made both the Flyers and Sens each look overwhelmed at times. :o

 

I say enjoy this. Why wait untuil the final buzzer? :rolleyes:

 

Again, i'm cautiously optimistic... Whether we win it in 7 with 6 OT games, or as a sweep with the carolina AHL goalie finishing the series, its a win, which is what i'm cautiously optimistic about...

[The Goat]

I am a Canes fan so feel free to take all this with a large grain of salt.

 

New Jersey hit the wall in the Carolina series but the Canes pushed them in head first.

The Devils were outcoached, outskated, outworked and, yes, out-goaltended.

The one word teammates and coaches use to describe Ward is calm. He does not get flustered.

I have watched Ryan Miller going back to his days at Michigan State. He is an excellent goaltender just hitting his stride and looks to be taking his place among the league's elite. But in the end, I would be very surprised if it is a breakdown in either goalie which tips the scales in this series.

 

The Goat