BUFFALO (Nov. 10) -- As I wrote in my column here yesterday, I had a strong sense that the Buffalo Sabres were not in a particularly self-assured frame of mind heading into their game last night with the Toronto Maple Leafs. And, that isn't normal. Usually, the Sabres act like a shark approaching a crowded beach when the Leafs come to town. But, instead, the feel around HSBC Arena was one of impending doom for the home side. And, Lindy Ruff's boys played exactly that way.

Full credit, however, goes to the Maple Leafs. As in road victories last month at Pittsburgh and New York, the Leafs sensed they were going up against a tight, underachieving club on home ice. And, they took full advantage. Instead of skating with the speed and grace that has marked their game in recent years, the Sabres appeared to be walking on glass. There was nothing at all fluid about their attack, and they were blanked for the third time in the first five-plus weeks of the schedule. We're talking, here, about the team that finished first overall in the NHL standings last season with 113 points and scored a league-best 308 goals. The Sabres don't look like they can get 308 shots right now.

That said, Buffalo really wasn't too far off the mark. The puck frequently bounced around like the silver orb in a pinball machine near Andrew Raycroft, who was absolutely brilliant in the final minutes of the opening period. Raycroft sprawled from left to right and made a scintillating stop on defenseman Nathan Paetsch, who had a wide-open net to fire at on the rebound. Raycroft's positioning was excellent -- particularly his ability to stay on his feet and not yield the upper part of the net. Going down prematurely has been a problem for both Raycroft and Vesa Toskala in their Toronto starts.

Bryan McCabe and Darcy Tucker both looked comfortable in their return from injuries. McCabe scored the Leafs' first goal with 35.2 seconds left in the second period, and the Leafs did not have a collective nervous breakdown in the dressing room anticipating what might happen in the third. Both of their previous games here resulted in colossal fold-ups in the final 20 minutes, but Mats Sundin calmed the bench by stretching the visitors' lead to 2-0 before the third frame was three minutes old.

The Sabres were never a threat from that point forward, and the defections of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere appear to be having a catastrophic effect on the club early in the season. Buffalo has no identity right now; no swagger, and no attack. Lindy has quite a chore ahead of him to try and keep his players in an encouraging frame of mind, before this season goes down the tubes.

E-mail [email protected]

Join the Discussion: » Comments » Post New Comment

» Roenick Remembers the "Dagger"

» Reminiscing With Hockey's Best-Ever Name

» Could Coyotes Howl North of Toronto?

» Leaf Fans Don't Know Pressure

» Could Lui Be Toronto-Bound?