NHL: General MacArthur

As we hit the midway point of the NHL season, the Buffalo Sabres find themselves in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference standings. An attempt to find new team chemistry, due to the loss of several key free agents last summer, and a plague of injuries have led to a longer-than-expected transition period for the team. However, some of Buffalo's youth have stepped up to fill these roles, which may lead to success down the road.

Patrick Kaleta RW, Buffalo Sabres

(3-0-0-0) .. Kaleta was recently called up from Rochester because of injuries to Maxim Afinogenov, Derek Roy and Tim Connolly .. while Kaleta does not bring much offensive talent to the table, he brings a passion for the game, which is often in the form of heavy hitting .. prior to being called up, Kaleta led the Amerks in PIM/game (3.85) .. however, he has a knack for getting under opponents' skin and drawing penalties of his own, which coupled with his edgy play, can help energize a team .. physicality is one thing the Sabres have lacked this season and likely the reason why Kaleta is filling a roster spot right now (as temporary as it may be) .. he can also play in front of the net, which is something usually left to the likes of Thomas Vanek and Paul Gaustad.

Clarke MacArthur LW, Buffalo Sabres

(16-5-2-7) .. MacArthur was recently named to the AHL's Canadian All-Star Team and despite his extended stay in Buffalo, he continues to lead the Amerks with a PPG average of 1.15 .. MacArthur has proven that he is more than capable of playing with the big boys, which should hopefully lead to a permanent spot in Buffalo's starting lineup .. even though he failed to capitalize on several great scoring opportunities against New Jersey on 1/12/08, he still has the best shooting percentage on the team .. he is a solid finisher, which is something Buffalo is in desperate need of .. however, his on-ice work ethic and quality two-way game are the primary reasons why he is becoming a regular in the NHL .. he is not the quickest guy on the ice but he possesses exceptional cutting ability and pursues the puck relentlessly .. MacArthur is also a very reliable player with a high hockey IQ .. he rarely turns the puck over and his ability to maneuver the rubber in tight spaces allows him to pick opponents' pockets along the wall .. furthermore, he brings a physical presence and will work just as hard on the backcheck as he does the forecheck.

Dan Paille LW, Buffalo Sabres

(39-8-11-19) .. Paille is probably the most pleasant surprise for Lindy Ruff this season .. an absolute workhorse who can do it all .. leads the team with a plus/minus of plus-11 .. a top-notch penalty killer who has great instincts and can counterattack with the best of them .. despite only having two SH goals, which is still tied for first on the team, he generates SH opportunities just about every game .. does not possess blazing speed but he is a strong skater who can put it into overdrive when necessary .. built like a rock (6-0, 197), which allows him to play a physical brand of hockey .. knows where to be on the ice and really has a knack for sniffing out the net, which is why he is so successful at generating quality-scoring opportunities .. just to note, he had two goals against the Devils on Saturday night.

Thomas Vanek LW, Buffalo Sabres

(43-12-13-25) .. Vanek is popularly known as the $50 million man .. though he has failed to live up to expectations thus far this season, he is considered a "work-in-progress" .. Vanek is just now getting used to going up against a team's top line on a regular basis .. last year, he had the luxury of playing against weaker lines, which allowed him to set career highs in several categories .. line combinations have also been part of the problem .. Ruff prefers to have Derek Roy center Vanek, much like last year, but the combination has fizzled this season .. Roy leads the team in giveaways per game, which may be a reason why .. Tim Connolly, who possesses the hands of a surgeon and leads the team in assists per game, is a more logical choice to center Vanek .. when Ruff recently put the two together, they appeared to click .. however, Connolly was injured soon thereafter, halting any potential experiment .. in any event, what Vanek has lacked in output, he has helped make up for in effort .. what the stats do not show is his willingness to work hard every shift .. he has improved his backchecking tenacity significantly .. for example, even if he is running on fumes, he will leg it out from one end to the other in an attempt to break up the play .. he can also be a force in front of the net, particularly on the PP, where he does an effective job of screening the netminder .. the team has scored several goals on screenplays by Vanek .. thought it does not officially go down as an assist for him, he possesses an intangible asset .. Vanek has had a plethora of scoring chances this season but luck has not been on his side .. hopefully, it is just a matter of time before the puck finds the net for him.