Relentless Flyers Forecheck Will Test Sabres Young Blueline



 One thing the Sabres can count on tonight and throughout the length of this series vs. the Philadelphia Flyers is a relentless forecheck from the Fly-boys forwards. It's something of a hallmark that goes back to the Broadstreet Bully days with the likes of Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Reg Leach, Rick Macleish, etc.

The 2010/11 edition of the Flyers is no different with Mike Richards, Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell, and James Van Riemsdyk carrying that banner into the playoffs.

Beginning tonight the heat will be on the Sabres back-end.

Ryan Miller, obviously, will need to come up with some big saves for the Sabres to have a chance in the series. The onus on the defense will be to keep glorious opportunities to a minimum.

The quandary for Lindy Ruff on the back-end is d-pairings. Injuries, especially to Jordan Leopold, and lately, Andrej Sekera, have caused Ruff to do some juggling on the back-end. Veteran d-man Shaone Morrisonn's poor play hasn't helped either as rookie Marc-Andre Gragnani has been forced into action because of it.

Put it all together and you have a very young, group of d-men facing a tenacious Flyers forecheck--quite possibly the best in the league.

The only constant as of late is the pairing of sophomore, Tyler Myers and Chris Butler. Myers has six playoff games under his belt, Butler has none. The duo has logged big minutes and in the last six games of the regular season they have only one game in the minus column--the OT loss to the Washington Capitals.

As pointed out by WGR's Paul Hamilton, Butler has been playing extremely well lately (only one minus-game in the last 26.) From what I've seen his stick-work has been nothing short of impressive and his positioning in the d-zone has been exceptional. He's always had a good head on his shoulders and it seems as if he's fought his way through poor play to reach a level of confidence and consistency.

Hamilton seems to give credit to Myers for the uptick in Butler's play, and I'd agree, somewhat. But, it actually may more of a case of Butler covering for Myers' inconsistencies in the defensive zone. Regardless of who makes who better, that duo will be key to holding the fort under immense pressure.

The other pairings may fluctuate, but if Sekera is ready to go, you may see him paired with Mike Weber. That duo played well two seasons ago in a failed playoff push and were paired late in the season before Sekera went down with an injury.

Steve Montador, the veteran of the d-corp, should take his spot on the third-pairing with either Morrisonn or Gragnani. In either case, keeping this pairing to a minimum five-on-five would seem to be the best scenario with Montador and Morrisonn logging minutes on the PK and Gragnani getting extra time on the PP.

Of course, it matters little what pairing is on the ice if the Sabres forwards don't take care of their own end. That means no cheating by the wingers on the half-wall and big help from the centers (whoever they are) on the back-check.

The Flyers love to punish defensemen and cycle in the offensive zone. Their forecheck forces plenty of turnovers for easy goals and they're not afraid to wreak havoc in front of the net either.

Put it all together and you have a huge challenge for the Sabres very young defense. If they can keep the turnovers to a minimum and have Miller bail them out as many times as humanly possible, frustration will set in, and the Flyers will end up off of their game. That, in turn, should help lead to victory.