Buffalo Sabres Tickets

Buffalo Sabres 2010 Playoffs Preview The Buffalo Sabres appear to be a potential dark horse candidate to reach the Stanley Cup Finals as they continue to quietly motor through the Eastern Conference.

The Sabres are able to fly under the radar and avoid all of the media hype as the team in the Eastern Conference that isn't the Washington Capitals or the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The reason for the optimisim in Buffalo has to surround goaltender Ryan Miller, who has emerged as one of the best in the game at his position.He played unbelievable in the Olympics for Team USA despite giving up Canada's game-winning goal in overtime of the gold medal game. He hasn't let up much since then, giving Buffalo a lot of confidence playing in front of him.

As much as the Stanley Cup playoffs are about the best teams, they are more about hot goaltending. Even the best offensive team can get shut down by an opponent if their goalie catches fire.

Miller has the chance to control a game and a series if he plays up to his capabilities, giving the Sabres the opportunity to continue to advance through the postseason.

If nothing else, the Sabres have to scare the daylights out of other teams because of the possibility that Miller stops everything that comes his way. The hardest thing to overcome in the playoffs is a good goaltender, and it's often the reason for upsets.

Buffalo's biggest shortcoming is their offensive firepower, especially when it's stacked up against that of the Capitals and Penguins. They have nowhere near the offensive talent necessary to keep up in a shootout with Washington or Pittsburgh, which is why Miller's play is so critical to a potential postseason run.