Becoming an NHL goaltender is hard enough. Becoming an elite starting goaltender is even more challenging.

However, there are always backups. Every team has them, but they don't necessarily prefer to use them. A starting goaltender is expected to make at least 60 starts a season, barring any type of injury.

The biggest challenge for a starting goaltender is to help their team win games. They also have to maintain their current job as a starter.

As for the backup, it is much more than just sitting on the bench watching the game. That goaltender must be prepared at all times, just like the starter. If there is any type of injury, the backup is called in and is expected to compete at their best level.

After sitting on the bench for an amount of time, it is difficult to come in and perform well.

Having a reliable backup goaltender is a very important part for a winning hockey team. There are some teams who rarely have to use the backup goalie. On the other hand, goaltenders can get injured, allowing the backup to perform.

If the team does not have a solid backup, they are going to struggle to win games. The Buffalo Sabres found this out last season.

Buffalo was sitting in the top five of the Eastern Conference before Ryan Miller went down due to an ankle injury. So in the backup goaltender.

Patrick Lalime and Mikael Tellqvist split time as the backups in Buffalo last season.
Lalime finished 5-13-3. Tellqvist finished 9-6-1.

The two of them were not good enough to get the Sabres into the playoffs. Buffalo ended up missing the playoffs by two points.

A reliable backup goaltender would have been able to get Buffalo those two points they needed, if not more.

This season lalime and Jhonas Enroth have combined to go 0-3, allowing 15 goals in four games. These are not the statistics backups should have.

The lack of backup goaltender proves that the Sabres need to address this problem. Islanders goaltender Martin Biron would be a perfect fit back in Buffalo.

Biron went 12-4-1 as the backup a few years ago when he played for Buffalo.

The Islanders have a surplus of goaltenders, making Biron available to other teams. Biron's salary is only 1.4 million, so he is affordable as far as the Sabres are concerned.

It would be wise for Buffalo to go after Biron and bring him back. He would significantly improve the goaltender situation. Not to mention, the fans loved him when he played in Buffalo.

If the Sabres plan to make a run at the playoffs, they cannot rely on Patrick Lalime to get them there. If Miller gets injured at all, the Sabres chances at the playoffs will diminish in a hurry.

Biron is capable of carrying a team and he would be a perfect fit in Buffalo.

The day Buffalo wins the Stanley Cup.....will shock the hockey world.
The loyal fans of Buffalo have been waiting, and still are, for the Sabres to win their first Stanley Cup. It has been almost 40 years, and the team has yet to win it all.

 They have come close a few times over the years:

Of course Brett Hull's "no goal" will stick with Buffalo forever (as well as wide right).

The best chance they had may have been after the lockout. They were chosen to finish in the bottom of the conference by many, but they ended up making it to round three of the playoffs. Out of nowhere, Jay Mckee was unable to play game seven against Carolina. He was a crucial part of that Sabres team. Buffalo played their hearts out in that game, and that was the best team effort I have ever seen them play in my life. Jochen Hecht scored a complete garbage goal at the end of the second to put Buffalo up by one. But they couldn't hold on in the third.

Even with all of the heart-breaking losses the team has suffered, the fans always show up. HSBC arena is always a sell out crowd. Buffalo is a pure hockey town. They just have not won the cup....yet.

This year, the team has plenty of talent. They have had a young group of guys with talent for the past few years. I describe them as "the most talented bunch of losers". They are unable to put it all together to make a run, especially since the loss of Danny Briere and Chris Drury. It seems like Buffalo always finds a way to mess things up. I will admit that Buffalo knows how to make games exciting. You never know what to expect from this team. They could blow a lead with ease or beat a team 10-1.

I don't see Buffalo being able to compete against teams like Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia...etc. Buffalo can play good hockey, but I dont think they would able to keep up against these teams in a seven game series. They are capable of making the playoffs, but they would have to play almost perfect hockey to beat a top team.

Announcer Rick Jeannerett has been calling the games since 1971. He is a major reason I would love to see the Sabres win the Cup. He will be retiring soon and the next announcer won't be nearly as good. It would be fitting if his son takes his place. I believe I speak for many fans when I say I would love to hear RJ call a Sabres Stanley Cup win.
 
If Buffalo won the cup, things would be chaotic. I believe there may be many riots in the city of Buffalo if it ever happened. People would not know what to do with themselves, half of them probably wasted. Rick Jeanneret may need some medical assistance after his game winning call (no offense RJ, you're the best announcer in the game).

Every year that the Sabres don't make the playoffs, will just make that one day even more special. It just keeps building up. Eventually, when the Sabres do win the cup, the entire town is going to wreak havek.

The day Buffalo wins the Stanley Cup....will complete my life.

Buffalo has began their season by scoring four goals in the first three games of the season. For most teams, this would be a huge problem. The Sabres managed to escape with five out of a possible six points to start the year.

Buffalo's real test will come this Tuesday when they host the Red Wings at HSBC arena. Detroit has not got off to a great start, and will be quite a challenge for the Sabres. The Sabres have put 116 shosts on goal in the first three games, at least 35 in each game. Buffalo has been putting plenty of shots on goalies, but were unable to score more than twice in one game.

Not only have the goaltenders of Nashville and Phoenix been holding the Sabres offense down, it has been the backups doing the job. Jason LaBarbera stopped 37 shots and Pekka Rinne stopped 41 shots: both not good enough to beat Buffalo.

Buffalo has scored four goals this year: the lowest total in the league. They still managed to gain five points, putting them 2nd in the Northeast Division, with a game in hand over first place Ottawa (6 pts.)

On the other hand, Washington has scored 20 goals in 5 games, but they only have 5 points. The main reason for that is the 18 goals they have allowed. With a lot more games against the Western Conference this season, Buffalo may see a lot more of the lower scoring games.

It has only been three games, and there is much much more hockey to play. Buffalo is not used to these defensive battles. Three years ago, Buffalo led the league with 308 goals. They were able to win games with 5,6, and 7 goals. Of course that was with Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. Still, Buffalo should be scoring more than two goals a game. This is not how head coach Lindy Ruff wants games to be played. Buffalo went into Nashville and beat them at their own game.

Buffalo's defense and goaltending has allowed them to win these close games. The Sabres have allowed three goals in as many games. Tyler Myers has already proved that he will be a big factor on the team this season. Not only has he played solid defensivley, he made a big play to assist on Thomas Vanek's game winning goal against Phoenix.

Players to watch:
        Patrick Kaleta drew 10 minutes in penalties in the game against Phoenix. Buffalo capitalized on the final power play. Kaleta also delivered a huge hit on Petr Prucha in the second period. Sabres' fans should expect to see more of this and other teams need to be aware. Also, In the game against Nashville, Tim Kennedy was the one aggravating the defense and causing issues.

Here are my Eastern Conferene predictions:

1. Boston
2. Washington
3. Rangers
4. Pittsburgh
5. Carolina
6. Philadelphia
7. Buffalo
8. Toronto
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9. Montreal
10. New Jersey
11. Florida
12. Atlanta
13. Tampa Bay
14. Islanders
15. Ottawa

Boston:
Solid team. I expect a repeat performance from last year. They led the league in goals against per game with 2.32 and save percentage of .925. After topping 50 wins last year, I expect the same from them this year. The good start really helped them finish in first place. They posted a record of 23-2-1 in November and December last year.

Washington:
AO and the caps seek revenge this year. After a game seven collapse in the playoffs, expectations are higher once again this season. They have six 20-goal scorers returning from last season, including defenseman Mike Green, who tallied 31 goals alone (the rest of the defense scored 12). The only thing stopping them from the #1 spot is the goaltending.

Rangers:
Yes. I picked the rangers to win the division. The team has added Brian Boyle, Chris Higgins, Marian Gaborik, Donald Brashear, and Ales Kotalik. They lost some guys as well, but this team is going to be revamped and ready to go this October. The team will get a lot of help from Henrik in goal. Also, John Torterella will make this team even better.

Pittsburgh:
The Penguins look like they are going to be a real tough team to beat. I think that the short summer will begin to wear them down at some point in the season. They may have somewhat of a hangover from winning the Cup, but have a very good chance to make it to the finals again.

Carolina:
The hurricanes didn't make any major moves as the rest of their division has improved. It will be tough for the Canes to go as far as they did last year, but Cam Ward will help tremendously. As long as they get off to a good start, unlike last season, this team will finish fifth in the conference.

Philadelphia:
The addition of Chris Pronger will improve the team, obviously. One of the biggest question marks for Philly is how Ray Emery will do in goal. If Emery plays well, this team will have enough support to make the playoffs.

Buffalo:
The Sabres have taken some cheap shots the past few years and no one stepped up and fought back. This season, teams are going to start respecting Buffalo. Steve Montador has arrived, and Mike Grier is back. The Sabres need to get a full season from Tim Connolly, who could greatly contribute. Also, a healthy Ryan Miller is always a good thing.

Toronto:
I don't believe Toronto is capable of winning a playoff round, but I can see them snatching the final spot from Montreal. With Brian Burke, Toronto will be much more competitive. They were dead last in save percentage last year (.885), which shows why they didn't have one month with a winning record. I expect this team to show significant improvements this season

Montreal:
The whole team has been remodeled. I don't think that the team will click right away. I think there are too many new players on the team. All of the chemistry will be messed up and it will take some time before all of the lines are synced up. Montreal will struggle through the first half of the season, and wont be able to overcome it. They will fall short at the end.

New Jersey:
The Devils are always a tough team to play against, especially with the trap. They did lose Brian Gionta, Scott Clemmensen, and John Madden, which puts more pressure on Brodeur. I can't see him doing better than he has been. If Brodeur gets injured, there isn't a reliable backup like last season. I expect the Devils to be a tough opponent, but not good enough for the playoffs.

Florida:
The Panthers just dont have anyone capable of stepping up as a leader. By losing Jay Bo, Florida isn't going anywhere for a few years. It is time for them to build around the two solid goaltenders they have (Vokoun and Clemmensen). Florida is a hard working team that just needs a big name player or two.

Atlanta:
They need a goalie. They have a good group of players, but they need to convince Kovalchuk to stay. If they lose him, they are going downhill. Atlanta needs some help before they make the playoffs again. Expect the same kind of outcome as they have had the last two seasons.

Tampa Bay:
Almost the same situation as Atlanta. They need solid goaltending. They have plenty of talen on the team. Their biggest concern is defense. Last season, Tampa didn't have anyone with a positive plus/minus. However, they added Mattias Ohlund who was +14 last year, and Matt Walker who was +7. I believe Tampa will begin to improve this year, getting about 30 wins.

Islanders:
Rebuilding. A few years from now, the Isles will be a very good team, but right now, they just don't have what it takes to compete. Their goaltending is solid, but the offense needs to improve, which is just what they are working on.

Ottawa:
With Heatley no longer there......(eventually) the team is going to suffer from the loss. They need Leclaire and Elliot to perform well to even have a chance at the playoffs. I don't see Ottawa having much success this year.

From the East, I am choosing Washington to make it to the Finals

BUFFALO — This October the cold, brisk air will surround HSBC Arena. The 2009-10 Buffalo Sabres will be on the ice in front of their typical sold-out crowd. All 18,690 will be in their seats while viewers across Western New York and beyond will be tuning in to Rick Jeanneret. The whistle will blow, the puck will drop and Sabres hockey will begin again!

But not yet.

We are almost done with summer. General manager Darcy Regier still has some work to do and some moves to make. Even now Sabres fans should definitely be excited about the team this upcoming season as there is plenty of young talent on the current roster that will try to rebound from a disappointing campaign in 2008-2009. Leading the charge up top will be Derek Roy, Jason Pominville, and Thomas Vanek. The three of them combined for nearly 200 points this past season. Pominville and Roy played in all 82 games while Vanek had to sit out for a while with a broken jaw.

With the new NHL schedule going into play for the second year, Buffalo will have to adjust in order to compete with the Western Conference teams. The Sabres went 9-8 against Western Conference opponents last season. There are two completely different styles of play between the East and West. The speedy forwards in the East may not be able to get by the tough, physical defense of the West. This is why the Sabres need to remove Andrew Peters from the lineup. Although he may be somewhat of a physical force (when he does play), he rarely contributes anything on offense. It looks as if Patrick Kaleta will be taking over his spot on the roster. With other players such as Adam Mair, Mike Grier, Cody McCormick, Craig Rivet and Paul Gaustad, Buffalo as a team could become a much stronger physical force.

The Sabres also need to acquire a couple more players. All of the other teams in the northeast division have made significant improvements. With a team that has come in 10th place in each of the last two year's, Darcy Regier needs to make some kind of move. The Sabres do have a relatively young group of guys who did gain a lot of experience last season as well. Fans may even get a chance to see Tyler Myers make his NHL debut this year. The 6 foot 7 defenseman was selected by the Sabres in the first round of the 2008 entry draft. Look for him to arrive in the early parts of the season.

Returning for his 13th season behind the Sabres bench, coach Lindy Ruff will try to put Buffalo back into the playoffs this year. He is currently the longest-tenured coach in the NHL and is the all-time winning-est coach in Sabres’ history. Ruff has established himself as one of the league’s top coaches, and Buffalo fans know how well of a job he has done. With Lindy behind the bench, you can expect good things to happen this year no matter what acquisitions are made this summer.