But the game last night vs. Montreal at the Bell Center certainly gave us glimpses as to why the Sabres went after the players they did in the off season.
Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino were all brought in to bolster a Sabres line-up that had just lost a hard fought seven game series to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Leino was playing in his second preseason game, Regehr and Ehrhoff, their first as the Sabres downed a prospect-laden Habs team 3-1.
So how did these three do?
Lets start with Leino.
For the second straight game, Ville Leino was centering a line with Tyler Ennis on his left and Drew Stafford on his right. The line, in a way, mimics his line in Philadelphia with Ennis as a quick Daniel Briere-type and Stafford as a semblance of Scott Hartnell.
The line apparently worked well in practice and Lindy Ruff decided to give them two full games together to see if it translates well into a game situation. Ruff knows that the two situations can be mutually exclusive and as of right now, that's the way it seems.
Last night, Leino's line was virtually non-existent. Not much pressure on the forecheck, not much cycling, not much of anything really. That's two games running and Ruff will probably re-evaluate the workings of that line in relation to the rest of the team as he works out the kinks this preseason.
In his defense, though, to expect Leino to go through what he did this summer--different city, different position, different linemates, different expectations--and come out smoking would be a lot to ask. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it took him four or five months to get acclimated and adjusted to the point where he feels comfortable and can let his natural abilities come forward.
Robyn Regehr
The complexities of offense are not a problem when it comes to Regehr as he plays a simple, stay-at-home defensive game predicated upon snarl. And last night we got ourselves a glimpse as to what he is all about.
The Sabres haven't had a d-man like him since Jay McKee bolted for St. Louis back in 2006. Quite possibly, the Sabres may never have had a d-man who brings to the table what he does.
Regehr has a presence about him that affects the entire team. A couple of his hits were earth-shattering, as expected, and he was rock-solid in his own zone.
What a great addition to the team in general, for the young defensemen in the system, and for young-stud, Tyler Myers, in particular.
As a pairing for the first time, it would seem as if Regehr said to Myers, "Have at it, I've got your back," and that's what the kid did. He was all over the ice in the offensive zone for the first 30-40 minutes looking more like a fourth forward than a d-man.
The Regehr-effect upon Myers also showed on the back end. We all know that the kid can skate, and we all know that he's pretty solid in his own zone. What we saw last night, and it's something that's a continuation of last years Flyers series, is his willingness to get physical as he plastered a couple of Canadians to the boards.
Regehr's presence will affect the team on many levels, especially when it comes to the defense. Perhaps Ryan Miller put it best when he said (from NHL.com,) "I'm excited for Regehr. Great guy off the ice, but on the ice, I think most people agree he's not such a nice guy. I think that it's a good attitude to set up our (defense) corps with. The other team is going to know they have to go through guys with that attitude."
Christian Ehrhoff
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| Christian Ehrhoff (center) had a strong debut in the Sabres 3-1 preseason win over Montreal. |
But the team felt as if the former Vancouver Canucks d-man would be a strong, veteran addition to the team.
All summer, Ruff was adamant in saying that Ehrhoff would fit right into how the team wanted their defense to be active in the offensive zone. And last night, we saw first-hand what he was talking about.
Ehrhoff, the game's first star with a goal and an assist, jumped into the offensive zone last night finding open ice, especially on the powerplay. And when he buried a wicked, quick wrister in the upper-corner, we found out why Ruff had also emphasized that Ehrhoff is a shooter.
Before that, though, Ehrhoff showed his puck-moving ability as he took a Derek Roy faceoff win, drove deep into the Montreal corner and fed Jason Pomminville through a maze of players for an easy tap-in.
The Sabres did not have anything close to him last season in that department, and if it's any indication, a team that was in the top-five in defenseman scoring last year will be even better this season.
Once again, it's only preseason, and the Sabres iced a veteran group vs. a prospect-laden Montreal Canadians team. But what we saw last night, at least from Regehr and Ehrhoff, gives a glimpse as to why the Sabres brought in the players they did, cost be damned.
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