Buffalo Sabres: Reliving the 2007 Eastern Conference Semifinals
The 2007 Eastern Conference Semifinals marked the last time the Buffalo Sabres won a playoff series and it was also one of the most memorable
With the Toronto Maple Leafs losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers defeating the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, the Buffalo Sabres now have the second-longest drought without recording a playoff series win. And while the Sabres wore their forgettable ‘slug’ uniforms, they pulled off one of the more memorable series wins en route to the Eastern Conference Finals.
That series occurred in 2007 and it seems like eons ago. For the record, I was a sophomore in high school at the time. The iPhone was in its infancy and high-speed internet just made its way to my viewing area in rural Ohio. Yeah, it’s been a while since the Sabres last won a playoff series.
But if you remember that series correctly, it probably put you on the edge of your seat. One point decided the outcome in five of the six games, a series in which goaltender Ryan Miller played perhaps the best hockey of his life, allowing just 2.5 goals per game.
Overall, it was a memorable year for the Sabres, who won both the old Northeast Division and the Presidents’ Trophy. So while the current NHL playoffs roll on without the Sabres presence, let’s relive the days of old one more time.
I say one more time, because given the Sabres growth this past season, we may need to start talking about new memories sooner than later. And if you are a fan of the Buffalo Sabres, that would be quite the warm welcome considering the preceding decade of futility.
April 25th, 2007
It was a defensive struggle for two of the Eastern Conference’s most talented hockey teams for over a period-and-a-half. Finally, Thomas Vanek broke through and scored at the 14:19 mark of the second period. Just two minutes later, Ales Kotalik increased the Sabres lead to two points before Vanek completed the scoring frenzy at the 18:24 mark.
The New York Rangers found twine at the 10:44 mark in the third period to decrease the deficit to two points. It was short-lived, as James Pominville scored at the 13:47 mark, all but sealing the deal for the Buffalo Sabres.
The Rangers did score at the 19:12 mark on a power play goal from Brendan Shanahan. But Drew Stafford answered with an empty-netter just 32 seconds later, finishing off the Rangers in Game One. Ryan Miller had a game to remember, notching 32 saves out of 34 shots on goal, for a 0.941 save percentage.
April 27th, 2007
Power plays defined this contest two days later. Martin Straka of the Rangers struck first on a power play goal at the 10:08 mark of the first period. But Brian Campbell scored on a power play goal of his own just 50 seconds later to knot the game at one.
It remained a defensive struggle throughout the second period before New York’s Paul Mara scored at the 18:40 mark, giving the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Chris Drury scored early in the third period, which tied the game at two-all. And finally, Thomas Vanek gave the Sabres the lead at the 10:11 mark.
Stellar goaltending from Ryan Miller shut out the Rangers in the third period, allowing the Buffalo Sabres to take Game Two. Miller finished the evening saving 31 out of 33 shots on goal for a 0.939 save percentage, posting similar numbers to Game One.
April 29th, 2007
It was arguably the most thrilling affair between the Sabres and Rangers. With the series shifting over to Madison Square Garden, the Sabres were without the backing of their home crowd for the first time in the series.
Not that they didn’t hold up well. Over the first two periods, only the grizzled Jaromir Jagr found twine, which occurred 33 seconds into the second period. The Rangers held the Sabres scoreless until Daniel Briere notched one up on a power play goal at the 12:14 mark in the third.
The two teams held one another scoreless throughout the first overtime period before Michal Rozsival gave the Rangers their first win of the series at the 16:43 mark of the second overtime period.
Despite the loss, Ryan Miller had his best game to date, saving 44 of 46 shots on goal for a 0.956 save percentage. Hendrik Lundqvist also logged an all-star performance, saving 38 out of 39 shots.
May 1st, 2007
Once again, the two teams faced off at the Garden and they held each other scoreless until the second period, when Jagr once again put New York on the board first at the 45-second mark in the second period. The Rangers increased their lead at 8:31 mark, when Brendan Shanahan scored on a power play goal.
Alex Kotalik scored less than a minute later to keep the Buffalo Sabres in the game. However, they could not find twine for the rest of the affair, and lost their second straight road playoff game to the Rangers.
Miller saved 26 of 28 shots, however, holding the Rangers to two or fewer goals for the fourth straight game of the series. Miller’s stellar performance through four games is yet another reason the Sabres faithful want to see his jersey up in the rafters at the KeyBank Center. But he wasn’t done just yet.
May 4th, 2007
It was yet another defensive affair that went into overtime. The Sabres and Rangers went scoreless for the first 56 minutes of action. Finally, at the 16:41 mark, Martin Straka looked like the game’s hero when he snuck one past Ryan Miller to put the Rangers on the board.
However, Chris Drury had something to say about it, answering Straka’s goal at the 19:52 mark to tie the game at one. It didn’t take the Sabres long to seal the deal, as Maxim Afinogenov scored on a power play goal at the 4:39 mark of the first overtime period.
Miller once again played lights out, saving 22 of 23 shots for what was the fifth-straight game in holding the Rangers to two or fewer goals. But we also need to recognize Hendrik Lundqvist’s efforts on the other side of the ice. He saved 38 out of 40 shots that evening while en route to a near shutout performance had it not been for Drury.
May 6th, 2007
The Buffalo Sabres had a chance to eliminate the Rangers on May 6th in what had become an epic battle between small and large market hockey. And it wasn’t easy, with the Rangers striking first at the 17:40 mark of the first period.
Then came the Sabres five-goal outing in the second, putting the game out of reach in front of a stunned crowd at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers, however, clawed back with two goals in the third period, one from Jagr and another from Michael Nylander, two power play goals that drove the Rangers to within one.
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But it wasn’t enough, as time expired and the Sabres punched their way into the Eastern Conference Finals for an affair with the Ottawa Senators. Miller saved 32 out of 36 shots on goal, logging a save percentage of 0.888, the first and only time he allowed more than two goals for the series.
(Series statistics courtesy of Hockey-Reference)