Now they have to pick it up a couple notches if they want to go at least as far into the playoffs as they did last year. It won’t be an easy task.

The New York Islanders are first on the agenda, and even though the Islanders are the 8th seed, it will be a battle zone getting through the first round.. Former Sabres coach Ted Nolan will make certain of that.

That’s a question that media and fans have been asking this past week. Let’s examine the positives first. The team has a vast amount of depth in their farm system. That was proven when 8 players went down with injury since January and the Sabres had to call up their reserves from Rochester.

There had been a number of rookies who made the Sabres lineup before all the veteran players started dropping like flies. But when the emergency callups began, there was no drop in the level of play. In fact, the callups supplied an energy that seemed to have disappeared from the team after they had taken such a big lead in the standings.

Drew Stafford, Michael Ryan, Angola native Patrick Kaleta and Clarke MacArthur all came up from the Amerks and made an immediate impact with the big league club. When players such as Chris Drury, Ales Kotalik and Maxim Afinogenov came back from their injuries, the callups were sent back down. Stafford, who scored 13 goals and 14 assists in 41 games, was sent down to Rochester this weekend when it was clear that Tim Connolly would play his first game after his long bout with post concussion syndrome. At least Stafford is assured to be back for the playoffs as his demotion was only because Connolly’s contract put the team over the salary cap. The cap doesn’t count in the post season.

Outside of their great depth, which was also evident last year when 6 defensemen went down and the Sabres had to call up all the Rochester blueliners, the Sabres have a lot of improvement in a couple of their younger players. Thomas Vanek stands out the most as he scored 43 goals this season, up from his 25 in his rookie year. Vanek led the NHL in the plus/minus rating, which is hovering around the plus 45 mark.

Maxim Afinogenov was also coming into his own until he broke his hand in January. He had 23 goals until that unfortunate break. His speed and crafty moves are imperative for the Sabres to rev up their powerplay and force the play deep into enemy territory.

The Sabres have four 30-goal scorers in Vanek, Drury (37 goals), Daniel Briere (32), and Jason Pominville (34). Add to that list two more with 20 goals, Afinogenov (23) and Derek Roy (20) along with borderline Jochen Hetch (19), and the Sabres have spread out their wealth is scoring. In fact, the Sabres lead the NHL is scoring, having 305 after their game with the Capitals Saturday.

The Sabres defense has been more stable the past week, especially in their games against Pittsburgh and Washington. Ryan Miller, had only his second shutout of the season when the Sabres beat the Caps 2-0 on Saturday. The Sabres blueliners have been healthier than their offensive counterparts this season, but that doesn’t mean a repeat of last season playoffs can’t happen again when it was devastated with injuries.

The Sabres, even though they had the best record in the NHL this season, still have plenty of flaws that need to be addressed if they want to go far in the playoffs.

First and foremost are special teams. Last season, the Sabres were one of the best in both the powerplay and penalty kill. This season has left a lot to be desired in both departments. Until recently, the Sabres have not been good killing penalties. At times, they have been giving up 2 or 3 shorthanded goals per game.

The powerplay is even worse. Last year, they were one of the best in the league, but Buffalo has not done nearly as well this year. Their powerplay has gone through spurts where it can look productive, but then it falls back into the routine of trying to make the perfect pretty play. That results in way too many passes back and forth from the point and the perimeter and not getting many shots on goal. Too many powerplays end up without even 1 shot put on goal. Sometimes it is best just to try to shoot through the traffic and hope to get a big rebound.

One of the things that drives Sabres fans crazy is their inconsistent play. The Sabres have gone long stretches during games where they are just going through the motions, and don’t really break out of their sleep skating until they fall 2 or 3 goals behind. That’s when they have suddenly come to life and start playing desperation hockey. This trend has to end right now and the team has to put forth a 110% effort for 60 minutes in each and every playoff game. If the Sabres start taking shifts, periods or even games off, it could be a short post season for Buffalo.

As usual, the bottom line will be goaltending in the playoffs. Teams that go far have a goaltender that reaches down and comes up with stellar performances game in and game out. Miller has been average at best this season. Eleven times he gave up shutouts late in the third period. He has been known to make sensational saves only to give up soft goals a few minutes later. Miller, who came up big last post season, must find it within himself to jack up his game even more if the Sabres are to make the Finals this year.

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