Bay Side
December 16th, 2006, 8:19:27 AM
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Top team in the east wants to test its mettle against the best in west.
The Sabres meet Ottawa tonight for the fourth time this season, and no offence to the Senators, but in their heart of hearts many on the east's top team would rather order up the Ducks.
As in Anaheim Ducks, best in the west, but not on the Sabres menu this term due to the National Hockey League's unbalanced schedule.
"It's weird, we did play the Ducks here last season, but we won't see some western teams for two years," said Teppo Numminen.
"I don't even know some of the guys on that team," marvelled the veteran defenceman, who played 16 of his 18 NHL seasons in the western conference.
"You'd obviously want to play the top team in the other conference to see how you'd fare," said Hamilton's Adam Mair, the Sabres' energizer.
Buffalo has lost just seven times in 31 games, Anaheim nine out of 34 games.
Numminen agreed it's natural for a team leading one conference to want to see how it measures up against the leader in the other.
"There's a kind of mystery about the other team," he said, adding that if both teams hold their own to win their conferences they'd meet for the Stanley Cup.
"You want to have played a team. Looking at tapes doesn't tell you what being on the ice against somebody does."
Buffalo did meet the Ducks last season at home, and won in their usual dramatic fashion, a come-from-behind effort and overtime goal by Maxim Afinogenov.
"I'm sure guys on that team would like to play us now, too," stressed Mair. "We match up well. They've got good speed, but can play it tough as well."
The dimension that the Ducks bring, which the Sabres can't, is two potential future hall-of-famers on the backline, in Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger.
"Basically, they have one of the two on the ice all the time, and both on the power play," said Mair, in assessing the test those two represent.
He also stressed the other side of the unbalanced schedule, the benefit an eastern team enjoys when it doesn't have to make a west-coast swing.
"We play the central division teams this season, so we don't go any further than Chicago. The teams out west do a lot more traveling that we do."
And that, he added, saves on overall fatigue as the season wears on.
Still, players (and fans) wouldn't mind that one long flight to Anaheim to see the best teams square off.
Another four meetings with the Senators this season doesn't seem nearly so dramatic.
Top team in the east wants to test its mettle against the best in west.
The Sabres meet Ottawa tonight for the fourth time this season, and no offence to the Senators, but in their heart of hearts many on the east's top team would rather order up the Ducks.
As in Anaheim Ducks, best in the west, but not on the Sabres menu this term due to the National Hockey League's unbalanced schedule.
"It's weird, we did play the Ducks here last season, but we won't see some western teams for two years," said Teppo Numminen.
"I don't even know some of the guys on that team," marvelled the veteran defenceman, who played 16 of his 18 NHL seasons in the western conference.
"You'd obviously want to play the top team in the other conference to see how you'd fare," said Hamilton's Adam Mair, the Sabres' energizer.
Buffalo has lost just seven times in 31 games, Anaheim nine out of 34 games.
Numminen agreed it's natural for a team leading one conference to want to see how it measures up against the leader in the other.
"There's a kind of mystery about the other team," he said, adding that if both teams hold their own to win their conferences they'd meet for the Stanley Cup.
"You want to have played a team. Looking at tapes doesn't tell you what being on the ice against somebody does."
Buffalo did meet the Ducks last season at home, and won in their usual dramatic fashion, a come-from-behind effort and overtime goal by Maxim Afinogenov.
"I'm sure guys on that team would like to play us now, too," stressed Mair. "We match up well. They've got good speed, but can play it tough as well."
The dimension that the Ducks bring, which the Sabres can't, is two potential future hall-of-famers on the backline, in Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger.
"Basically, they have one of the two on the ice all the time, and both on the power play," said Mair, in assessing the test those two represent.
He also stressed the other side of the unbalanced schedule, the benefit an eastern team enjoys when it doesn't have to make a west-coast swing.
"We play the central division teams this season, so we don't go any further than Chicago. The teams out west do a lot more traveling that we do."
And that, he added, saves on overall fatigue as the season wears on.
Still, players (and fans) wouldn't mind that one long flight to Anaheim to see the best teams square off.
Another four meetings with the Senators this season doesn't seem nearly so dramatic.