As I just wrote, there are plenty of things to forget about this series. However there are plenty of things to stroll into the offseason happy about. Not all of them are silver lining, grass is greener reasons either.
– The kids are alright. Tyler Ennis came to the party a little late, but he was still dynamic with the puck on his stick late in the series. Chris Butler may be my only exclusion from this list because it seemed like he ran out of energy as the series wore on, he had quite a few bad turnovers. However, Mike Weber and Marc Andre Gragnani made some strides and Tyler Myers showed his nasty side. Big time. Last, but not least, Nathan Gerbe asserted himself as an NHL forward. He had a terrific second half of the season and continued to show his strengths in this series. I think it is safe to say he and Paul Gaustad are a pretty great match on the third line moving forward.– Ryan Miller came to play. Say what you will. He allowed four goals in three losses but was a brick wall in his three victories. No matter how you view Miller’s talent level or clutch-ness, he is one of the main reasons this series went to seven games. Two shutout wins plus another victory in which he stood on his head for much of the game cannot be overlooked. For those of you who look past many of the big saves he made, the last two losses would have been much uglier with a lesser goalie between the pipes. You have to wonder, if Miller has a bit more support in front of him does he walk away with a series win?
– Thomas Vanek continues to impress me. Sure, he doesn’t go balls to the wall every shift. But does he have to? We aren’t talking about Jaromir Jagr or Alexi Kovalev-type coasting here. The fact of the matter is that Thomas Vanek has blossomed into a true mainstay on this roster. It actually looks like he is worth the money they are paying him. The possibilities are scary if the Sabres are able to lock down a true number one center for this guy. Yikes.
– Something to build on. I didn’t say there wouldn’t be ANY silver lining points made. The fact of the matter is that three months ago the only Sabres talk going on was whether Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would be a good lottery pick. No fooling. So the fact that this team turned their fortunes around and pushed the number two seed to the brink of elimination has to say something. At the end of the day they were just too short of talent up front to advance. The new ownership group says that is going to change. If that is the case then there are certainly good times ahead.
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