The Flyers come into town tonight to take on the Sabres at the HSBC Arena. Philly has a record of 7-4-1 and has won two straight games. Flyers' Goalie Ray Emery boasts an impressive 7-3-2 record with 2.42 goals against average and a .916 save percentage. The Flyers are relying mainly on their two top lines for a majority of their scoring. They have six players with double diget scoring totals. Four of those six individuals play on the two top lines and the other two are defensemen Chris Pronger and Matt Carle. The lack of scoring depth is a direct result of injuries. Former Sabre, Daniel Briere, is out again with a groin injury, one of a long list of injuries the center has suffered since leaving Buffalo. Simon Gagne is also suffering from a groin injury and is out for tonights game while Briere is day to day and not likely to play. If both can get healthy and stay that way for a majority of the season the Flyers offense could strike fear in opposing teams throughout the season. The only problem I see with the Flyers is their goaltending. I know that I said Emery was playing well, but we in Buffalo know the real Emery from his days in Ottawa. He is terribly inconsistant and not the type of goaile that will win you a cup. Why Philly decided to let Martin Biron go and pick up a headcase like Emery is beyond me. Flyer fans should be up in arms about that dubious move.

The Sabres continue to roll after shutting out the Islanders on Wednesday. Buffalo has four solid lines that can score and play defense. They remind me of the team that got to consecutive conference finals a few years ago. The biggest difference between those teams and this one is the way Ryan Miller is playing this year. Miller is playing at an elite level and seems almost unbeatable. Tim Connolly is healthy and scoring nearly a point a game with 11 points in 12 games played. Thomas Vanek broke out of a mini slump on Wednesday while Derek Roy also scored, netting his first of the season, although he is leading the team with eight assists. It's almost a given that these two will start putting the puck in the net with regularity and when they do it's scary to think how good this team will be. Defensively the Sabres are the only team that has yet to give up 30 goals on the season. They give up less shots than anyother team and with Miller in net that is a recipe for success.
The only advantage that the Flyers have going into tonights game is their special teams. Their power play and penalty killing are both ranked in the top five. If the Sabres can stay out of the box I see no reason why they can't add two more points to their Northeast Division lead.