Michal Neuvirth Is Good For The Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres won against the Columbus Blue Jackets last night in a game where the Blue Jackets had a goalie that does not deserve to be in the game. Buffalo won handily as well, putting up 4 goals and Michal Neuvirth again standing on his head and only allowing 2 goals on 45 shots.
With the race for 30 on, the Edmonton Oilers won last night as well, holding on in true Buffalo Sabres fashion, taking an early lead and playing their end for the next 40 minutes.
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The team that is beginning to scare everyone is the Arizona Coyotes, who are dropping quickly and are only 1 point ahead of the Edmonton Oilers, which puts them 6 points back from 30th.
Whenever the Buffalo Sabres win, there is an air of disappointment in and around Buffalo with this race for 30th happening. It is even worse when Edmonton loses, and now if the Coyotes are making a push for the longest losing streak in the NHL, it could get a lot worse.
Michal Neuvirth is playing out of his mind at this point and is making a fantastic case to be this teams goalie moving forward. I, for one, think that Michal Neuvirth is a good goalie and could very well be the starter next year. I have touched on my frustration with individuals and their overreactions to the winning and losing of certain teams that ultimately could affect this team finishing in last place.
This morning I was sure that I would have heard complaining and disappointment and gripping on the radio because of the win the Sabres got last night, but it was a nice change that it didn’t happen only because the Oilers were able to hold on to a good Minnesota Wild team. What happens now if the Oilers and Sabres win again, but the Coyotes lose? Then there are only 4 points in between us and them.
Howard Simon, WGR 550, brought up a web poll that they would be conducting today to see if they are overreacting on a day to day basis with this whole scenario. My response is Yes, you are.
It is frustrating to constantly hear the pushing to lose and finish 30th. The Sabres won, they played a decent game and got lucky with the other teams goalie selection. The one factor that everyone is looking at though is the 6th player on the ice for the Buffalo Sabres; Michal Neuvirth.
As I stated above, I think that Neuvirth is making a great case to be this teams goalie next year and for a couple of years to come. He is not as bad a goalie as I think everyone thought when he was traded last year. He has some talent and potential that has now been given the chance to shine and he is proving himself.
If the Buffalo Sabres, and fans, want this team to win the race for 30th, then they need to re-sign Michal Neuvirth for the next couple of years, and let him take a rest for the next couple of games.
He has played the last 7 games and has not shown any need to slow down. He is posting above a .950 save percentage as well. I think that this is more than just a hot streak for Neuvirth and it leans more to his talent as a player in the NHL.
Next: Buffalo Sabres At Columbus Blue Jackets: Reactions
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