NHL Announces Outdoor Game

Talk began spreading months ago that the NHL was interested in hosting an outdoor game. It was only a matter of deciding on the teams and finding a stadium to play it in. Over the off-season murmurs of a possible Penguins vs. Sabres New Year's Game began to pick up momentum. The talk gained instant credibility when the NHL released the 2007-08, finding the two teams meeting on the 1st of January. For a month it's been the worst kept secret in the NHL. And now it's finally official. And in less than 24 hours I'll join the masses in lining up at Ticketmaster in order to secure my seat in that freezing stadium in three and a half months.

The Penguins vs. Sabres match-up sees two of the NHL's elite teams, and two of the best current hockey markets face-off. The young squad developing in Pittsburgh, lead by 20 year old, leading scorer and league MVP, Sidney Crosby, turned the team from 2nd to last in the league to playoff contender in only season. Now they hope to prove they can be Stanley Cup contenders in the 07-08 season. They have brought a resurgence of hockey in the city of Pittsburgh, with the team having to put a stop on season ticket orders at 13,500, just to keep some tickets available. In Buffalo, the Sabres have been Cup contenders for the past 2 seasons, coming within 1 game of the Stanley Cup finals in 2006, and 3 games in 2007. As for the following in Buffalo, at one point in the season top selling players jerseys 2 through 7 were all Sabres. Number one? Penguins Sidney Crosby. I don't imagine they'll have a very hard time selling all 74,000 seats in Ralph Wilson Stadium.

So, of course this is going to be huge in Pittsburgh and Buffalo, but is it going to be acknowledged in the rest of the sporting world as the event the NHL is trying to make it? It's a little too soon to tell. The league has managed to put up record numbers when it comes to attendance and merchandise, but thanks to their exclusive cable deal with Versus, they still find themselves at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to television ratings.

But the date they choose seems rather interesting, and quite ambitious. If you are a sports fan like myself, then New Years day means one thing, College football bowl games. Can the NHL compete with that? It would be tough, the College Football bowl system has been under large scrutiny for several years, but with the big broadcast networks and ESPN pushing it, it would be tough to beat.

But one thing is for sure, the spectacle will be a step in the right direct when it comes to promoting the game of hockey in America.

Buffal Sabres (1) vs. Ottawa Senators (4)

The Senators have been the most exciting team in the Eastern Conference, handling both the offensive powerhouse of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the topnotch defense of the New Jersey Devils. And all with only dropping 2 games. Perhaps it's a few weeks early to be mentioning the Conn Smythe, but Daniel Alfredsson is certainly making a case. Spezza and Heatley are also playing well, and combined they have been the most potent line in the post season.

Buffalo came into the playoffs with the first spot, and heavily favored to represent the East in the Stanley Cup. And while they have advanced to the Conference finals, it has not been the post season the Sabres wished for. They've only played as well as they've had to, and instead of making quick work of the Islanders and Rangers, they dropped games and played far below potential. The Sabres need Chris Drury, Maxim Afinogenov, and Daniel Briere to step up and put goals on the board.

The bright side in Buffalo has been the consistent play of young starting goaltender Ryan Miller. He's played strong and kept them in games that he should not have had to. Ray Emery has also played well, but thanks to the Senators play he hasn't been tested, and if the Sabres can take the puck to the net hard, they may be able to crack him.

This is a great series, but I don't see it going past a game 5. Buffalo has underachieved, and as a result have had to play more games then Ottawa. Ottawa is playing great, and has been resting. The Sabres have the talented to beat the Senators, but I haven't seen it thus far this season. This may be Buffalo's best shot at a Cup, as in the off season they will face losing players to free agency, but I don't believe it's in the cards. Ottawa in five games.

Buffalo Sabres (1) vs. New York Rangers (6)

The Sabres floated through the opening series with the Islanders, not playing as well as they might have hoped, but still winning in 5 games. Overall Buffalo's offensive will need to step up and put some more pucks in the net if they expect to get far in the East. Young goaltender Ryan Miller will keep them in games, but he's not going to steal many.

In the only sweep in the first round of the playoffs the Ranger's upset the Southeast Division champion Atlanta Thrashers. The Ranger's may not have the depth of the Sabres, but they certainly get enough well balanced scoring to be more than competitive. Henrik Lundqvist is also a young goaltender, but he's got experience in playing under pressure. Lundqvist lead team Sweden to the gold medal in Turin last year.

It's hard to judge these teams, as both of them played mediocre teams in the first round. Neither team had to play at full force to advance. This series will be the Sabres if they step up and play at the level that they can. Buffalo in 6.

Buffalo Sabres (1) vs. New York Islanders (8)

Whenever a team, like the Sabres, have had a playoff spot locked up early, and another team, like the Islanders, has had to battle to the last game to earn a playoff spot, someone always brings up the argument that the lower seeded team has been playing "playoff hockey" for weeks. The idea is that the higher seeded team has grown complacent, and the lower seed team is prepped to take advantage. It's always brought up, but I never find it to be the case.

The Sabres have a powerhouse team. They amounted the most goals in the league and had 7 players finish the season with over 50 points. The Islanders, while having played well enough of late to slide into the last spot in the playoffs, lack a real leader scorer to lead this team in a playoff run.

The New York Islander's starting goaltender Rick DiPietro is still suffering from the effects of a concussion, and will miss at least the beginning of the series. Back up goalie Wade Dubielewicz has only 17 regular season games to his name, and has never played in the playoffs. Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller is young, but picked up alot of experience with last year's playoff run.

I honestly can't see a way the Sabres lose this series. I'll be surprised if they don't sweep. Sabres in 4.