Here We Go Down The Home Stretch

Well the latest Buffalo victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins sealed the deal for the Buffalo Sabres.

SABRES NATION, we not only became the Northeast division champions, we also clinched the number one seed in the Eastern Conference.

If that wasn't enough accolades for one game, Thomas 'No-Panic' Vanek, right, scored his 40th goal of the year. He is the first Sabre to accomplish the feat since the lazy Miroslav Satan in 1998-99.

In order for the Sabres to win the President's trophy, Buffalo will most likely have to win all three of their remaining games. Detroit, who currently leads the race for the Trophy, has a one point lead, but they have played one more game.

Detroit does have it easy, though, and plays the lowly Chicago Blackhawks twice to close out the season. The Blackhawks may take one, though, 'tender Nikolai Khabibulin will be looking for a shutout and the Hawks will want to play the role of spoiler this year. Not only can they keep the Wings from winning the President's trophy, they will keep themselves from being swept by them.

Buffalo's performance in Pittsburgh was excellent last night, winning 4-1. Their offense capitalized and controlled the puck for a very solid chunk of time during the game, and the team only had two turnovers, cutting down on odd-man rushes and keeping Ryan Miller from being overworked.

The defense played especially well, getting back and running a trap-esque defense in order to keep the shooting lanes away from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Mark Recchi, and Colby Armstrong. The team that played last night is the Buffalo team we hope to carry into the playoffs, April 11th.

What to watch for:

Chris Drury sits at 37 goals with 3 games left. Can he be the second Sabre to record 40 this year?
Daniel Briere sits at 95 points with 3 games left. Can he be the first Sabre to score 100 points since Alexander Mogilny in 1992-93?
Ryan Miller and Martin Biron are likely to square off for the first time on Easter Sunday. Miller could end all the talks if he plays well. But if the Flyers win, we're in for a boatload of complaining, SABRES NATION.