Sabre Rattling

A Tale of Two Shots

Link: Buffalo News - Biron's glove is golden.

It was the worst of saves.  It was the best of saves.  Two different 3rd periods, same team losing to the same team by one goal.  The same goaltender caught a puck he should have had no business catching.  The only things different were the name of the shooters,  the times on the clock... and, of course, the outcome. 

On Friday, after video review, Ziggy Palffy scored the tying goal to send the game to OT.  On Saturday, Martin Biron caught the puck on the other side of the goal line with less than a minute to play to preserve the Buffalo Sabres sweep of a home and home series with the Pittsburgh Penguins.   

All I want to say about whether Palffy should have been awarded that goal on Friday is that plays like that should be called consistently.  It's been my experience that the Video Review guys are made of different stuff and don't have the stones to regularly make the right call each time.  And the last thing I want to think is that if the teams had been reversed would the same shot have been called a goal.  For what it's worth, I think it was a goal, if only by a half an inch or so.

I did get out to watch both games this weekend.  The wife and I ate some bad food, couldn't hear the game at all (though I always have a version of Rick Jeanneret's call going through my head) and had a complete blast.  Onto the game recaps:

Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, Friday December 16th

Marc-Andre Fleury kept this game close, especially in the first, with the Pens taking 5 penalties.  In the end, though,  the Sabres power play would prevail, going 3 for 8 on the night, and win them the game in OT.   It was good to see Daniel Briere get a goal after missing 7 games with an abdominal injury (though that's not completely a thing of the past).  But, in the end, this was Chris Drury's best game this season.  3 points including the Game Winning Goal, 7 SOG, nearly 19 minutes TOI and winninng 14 of 21 faceoffs.  Big Al gets a nod as well for his 3 point evening. 

The fourth line of Goose, Scud and JPom  were a blast all night long, embodying Tom Benjamin's idea that hockey is a game of Puck Position (not possession) constantly hemming the Pens in their own zone.  Scud (Adam Mair) recaptured the Sabres grip on this game after the long review of Palffy's tying goal with a devastating lay-out of Sergei Gonchar the shift after the game resumed. 

Points of Interest:

• All four lines have solidified for 90% of the game.  Briere-Connolly-Kotalik, Hecht-Drury-Grier, Vanek-Roy-Afinogenov, Mair-Gaustad-Pominville
• The Road Penalty killing continues to struggle giving up 2 goals.  Hard to find nits to pick with 8 straight road wins... but, there you go.
• Sidney Crosby needs to shut up and play hockey.  He's too talented to resort to trying to play gamesmanship with the refs.  I know it's tough, Sidney... I know you want to win, but not at any cost.  You're not losing because the refs aren't calling the game right... you're losing b/c your teammates suck.

Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, Saturday December 17th

Unfortunately I walked into this game just as Sidney Crosby put a relative softie past surprise starter Martin Biron.  I missed Scud and Max's goal (hell, I still haven't seen a replay of Scud's goal).  The Sabres were solid at home against a Pens team that was basically beaten before they took the ice.  The Sabres opened up a 4-1 lead after 2 periods.  The only thing I was worried about was taht they were starting to take this game fro granted in the last few minutes of the 2nd period and was happy that they didn't give the Pens life for the 3rd period. 

That happiness lasted all of 24 seconds after the start of the 3rd.  It was obvious that the Sabres were tired and hoping that they could sleepwalk through the period.  It took until about halfway through the period for them to put together a couple of good, positionally dominant shifts.  By then this was a  one-goal game.  One can argue that maybe Biron should have stopped one of the other shots before having to make that big save with his glove, but the truth is that maybe the Drury line could have actually covered someone on the Pens 3rd goal as well.  Holy Bad Rotation, Batman! 

In the end that save by Biron was a statement about his desire to be the #1 guy in Buffalo.  And, frankly, who can argue with him at this point.  We gave Chris Drury a pass early in the season for his lack of production and horrendous +/- because of all of the 'intangibles' he supposedly brought to the table.  Well, let's see, what kind of intangible quality does Biron bring to a team that has won 13 times in a row when he begins the game between the pipes?  Many of those wins were gritty, come-from-behind nail-biters. 

Personal biases towards or against particular players should not enter into our analysis of the situation.  Results are all that matters.  In economics intentions cannot be measured.  That you intended to spend your last $100 on a teeth-cleaning doesn't mean anything when you actually spent that money on a dinner at a fine restaurant.  The results here are clear, this team, for whatever reason is peaking now with and because of Martin Biron.  Changing that for any reason is stupid.  He definately needs a rest sometime this week.  The depleted Flyers look like a good opportunity to get either Miller or Noronen some work.

Ta,

Kings of the Road

Link: Buffalo News - Sabres keep winning on road.

Buffalo vs. Montreal, Thursday 12/1

The boys in the AGH sweaters made it a clean sweep of their 3-game road trip with a truly gutsy performance last night at the Bell Centre in Montreal.  Another big night from Soups and Timmah! with three points apiece, including an absolutely brilliant setup by Connolly for the game winner in OT to Campbell.  More stunning than the Sabres recent play considering the injuries to 3 top players (Briere, Dumont and MIller) is the complete reversal of fortunes for these two guys.  It's almost worth it to just sit here and gush like a school-girl over how well they're playing right now, but I make a really ugly woman, so, on second-thought, scratch that idea.  I will say though that if they keep this up I'm going to lose what's left of my hair.  These past few games have been real nail-biters, as well as being fabulously entertaining.

Points of Interest:

• Kalinin played 11:10 last night, nearly doubling his ice-time from the game before.  I noted him playing with Campbell in the third period and both seemed to play better in their own zone.  This may be a pairing Ruff should explore for the future.
• The defensive pairs, other than Lydman/Tallinder, have been in a state of flux mostly because of Kalinin's poor play.  This is beginning to have a negative impact on McKee's game (he's panicking with the puck too much).  So, the quicker we can find a partner that brings out the best in Tri, the better.
• Adam Mair should get some love for his performance last night.  He really fore-checked hard, battled inthe corners and, with Goose, gave the Habs a lot of trouble in their own end.  They may not have had a lot of chances, but their shifts were always something to build momentum from.
• The Sabres special teams continue to bail them out of tight situations.  Last night both the Power Play (Drury's highlight-reel roofer over Theodore's shoulder) and the Penalty Kill (1:45 long 5 on 3 that kept the game 2-1) played a major role in their getting to OT for Campbell's GWG.
• Biron made a couple of game savers in the third.  he was wandering to play the puck, which is nearly always an adventure.  But, as I was saying to someone in chat last night after the game, I think that's a sign that Marty's really into the game and reading the play well.  So, I'm ok with the trade off.  He reminds me of Belfour that way.  That's the only way he reminds me of Eddie, but you take the comparisions when you can get them.
• Tim Connolly may have a new nickname soon... I may start calling him The Mini-Modano.  He doesn't have Mike's size, but their skating styles are similar as are their vision and skill level.  Tim's more of a passer than Mike, but they both have wicked, hard shots.
• Derek Roy led the team in TOI last night, and I thought he deserved it.  Over 22 minutes.  He and Thomas Vanek had some jump and a little snarl.  They both were guilty of being too fancy with the puck, especially considering how well-coached the Habs are with getting their sticks on pucks.  Very impressive they are, it creates a lot of turnovers for them.
• Drury's goal was of the kind that we hired him to score.  That's what a captain is supposed to do.  Score big goals in big games at crucial times.  Huge goal...it may turn out to be one of those we look at as a turning point for this season.
• Our team defense is becoming scary.  Tonight we limited the Canadiens to just 18 shots in regulation, that includes taking an uncharacterstic 7 minor penalties. 
• According to one of the posters over on HF, Campbell has ridiculous stamina, and needs very little time between shifts and is rarely winded.  If he can round his defensive game out as well as his offensive one is right now, he could wind up being a Rafalski-like player.  Another reason why I think pairing him with Tri may pay big dividends.

That's enough for now.  As always I heartily encourage any Sabres fans to check out the Buffalo Forum at HfBoards.com. The guys there are passionate and friendly, a good group of internet buddies to have.  They've taught me a lot over the years and without them these posts wouldn't be nearly as good.

Ta,

Giving Thanks for 3 Soild Victories

Link: Buffalo News - Sabres rewrite shootout script.

I'll start this post with the flash back to Wedensday evening when the Buffalo Sabres took on the New York Islanders and got a little karmic payback for the Shootout loss to the Rangers the night before.  I'll then go through the other two games over the weekend and will try and follow up with a post about the state of the team near the 1/4 mark of the season.

Buffalo vs. New York Islanders, Wednesday 11/23

After outplaying the Rangers the evening before but losing in a shootout, the boys in the AGH sweaters came back with a gritty performance to eek out a shootout victory of their own against the Sabres East, er, NY Islanders.  For the most part the Sabres were outworked and out-hustled by a much more determined Islanders squad than had been on the ice for the previous two games between these two clubs.  Both Yashin and Satan were sharp, as was Mark Parrish and most of the defense corps (Brent Sopel notwithstanding).  The Isles were far more disciplined that night, taking only 3 minor penalties and keeping the Sabres 4th ranked power play (1 for 3) off the ice.  The game had flow and speed. 

Points of Interest:

• Martin Biron has finally adjusted to the new NHL.  He's playing more aggressively and is more confident than he was earlier in the season.  He has great patience in the shootout, forcing Yashin to hit the post when he tried to stuff it in the short-side.  Great stuff. 
• Tim Connolly is slowly becoming a really fearful player for the opposition to contain.  He has great vision and puck-handling skills.  This we've always known, but now he's stronger on the puck and making people pay for trying to check him, dishing off to the open man or spot and creating offense with all of that talent.  This, in turn, is beginning to get him more respect at the blue line which is creating even more room for him to set things up.  Oh, all of that and he's the best back-checker on the team. 
• Gaustad/Pyatt/Mair is a monster of a checking/energy line.  Boy are those guys fun to watch.  It's truly a shame that Pyatt broke his wrist in the Friday night game against the Habs.  He was finally beginning to play the kind of game that we knew he had in him.
• Ales Kotalik is playing with a ton more confidence than he ever has before.  The difference with him now, 5 on 5, is that he's constantly moving his legs.  He's shooting from everywhere, which he should, and is having a blast playing on Connolly's left wing.  The game-tying goal late in the third period was all Big Al.  I've never seen him skate that hard around a defender (Sopel) before.  I think he's finally beginning to realize that he's 6'2" 228lbs, and a faster skater than many blueliners in the league. 
• Chris Drury is quietly putting together a solid run of points here.  Now that Al's bomb from the point is being guarded against, it's opening things up down low, and Drury has benefitted from this.
• Kalinin continues to struggle.  He looks completely out of synch with the rest of the team. 

All in all, though, this was a savvy road game played by Buffalo.  They kept the game close until the opportunity presented itself to catch a break.  They did.  Then they poured it on in the OT, playing the best 5 minutes of hockey I've seen them play this year!  This is a game they would have lost in 03-04.

Buffalo vs. Montreal, Friday 11/25

The first two meetings between these two clubs could have easily gone the other way.  The Habs eeked out two wins though they were generally out-played by the Sabres.  This night we would be without both J.P. Dumont (abdominal... on IR for at least two weeks as of this writing) and co-captain Daniel Briere, breaking a 231 Iron Man streak for him.  The injuries have been piling up for Buffalo with those two out, along with Ryan Miller, Taylor Pyatt (wrist, 3-6 weeks) and Mika Noronen (slight groin).  The AGH would be without Dmitri Kalinin as well as Lindy Ruff made him a healthy scratch for the first time in a long time.  Ruff finally decided to go with just 6 defensemen in this game for the first time this year, I think. 

Points of Interest:

• The Habs don't look like an elite team against the Sabres.  It may be that we match up well against them... speed on speed.  I don't know.  But, in this game they never looked like a team the Sabres are trailing in the standings.
• Biron was enormous in this game.  Simply outstanding.  He loves to play the Canadiens, and it shows.  While the Habs had 41 SoG, a great number of them were not of the highest quality, but, of course, a few were, and Marty was there for the team.  This was something that Biron was going to need to go through.  In no way was this game safely played (like the game against NYI).  It was pedal to the metal, fire-wagon hockey and the better goalie won.
• Brian Campbell is playing like a different guy than the one that has inhabited #51 for the past few seasons.  Confident, fast and shooting with authority.  His Power Play goal was a beaut.  I still don't like him being paired with Fitzie as they get hemmed in their own end too much.  But, his offensive game has never looked better... well, except for when he played for the Ottawa 67's.
• Speaking of playing better.  Both Thomas Vanek and Chris Drury have been sharper in the o-zone.  Drury is burying more of the opportunities his hard work creates and Vanek has been dishing the puck well.
• Connolly had another strong game with 1 and 1.  His back-checking has made the the defensemen's job a lot easier.  His goal late in the third had me seeing flashes of Mike Modano out there.  If he keeps this up we'll have two extremely dangerous and mature lines for the playoffs.
• The defense pair of Tallinder and Lydman were extremely efficient as well.  They look very comfortable together.  Henrik's stick has been especially quick in recent games.  Angling his man off along the boards and stripping him of the puck. 

Say Hello to Our 4th Line Brent Johnson

Link: Buffalo News - Taylor Pyatt cap night dooms Caps.

Buffalo vs. Washington, Thursday 11/17

Well, this was certainly different then the game these two teams played in Rochchacha a few weeks ago.  Taylor Pyatt did his best Todd Bertuzzi impression (minus the head-banging and the snarl) finishing off his 2nd career hat trick with a beauty to finally put a fork in a scrappy, if outmatched, Washington Capitals team.  I don't think I've ever witnessed a game where the Buffalo Sabres scored 8, count 'em 8, goals in a single game.  And while it doesn't quite wash away the bile from the 10-4 drubbing the Sens laid on us, it's certainly better than if they had lost.

Who would have ever thought that our 3rd and 4th lines would be the ones to be so dominant in all three zones?  As if on cue Tim Connolly and Brian Campbell turned in strong performances last night, the former getting a goal and assisting on 2 others and the latter with 2 goals, including the opener 37 seconds in.  Another nice surprise was the amount of jump Adam Mair had.  Someone is getting a seat in the press box when Jay McKee returns and if history is any guide Lindy Ruff will dress an extra defenseman over a 12th forward.  Up until last night it was a toss-up between Mair and Pyatt.  But both played with an intensity that hadn't been there in recent games.  Good to see that fear of not playing can be used to motivate them.... let's hope the same thing can be used on Jochen Hecht and Chris Drury.

Believe it or not, despite giving up 8 goals, Brent Johnson can't be blamed all that much, though he does need to work on his covering his short-side better.  Most of the goals went in short-side.  But, if he didn't stand on his head at times the score could have easily been much worse.  In short, the 8-5 score didn't do justice to the number of good-quality scoring chances the Sabres had last night. 

So, all that said... to the Salient Points of the Tilt:

• Chris Drury seems to have switched bodies with Alexei Zhitnik.... his shot selection is terrible and he's developed a bad habit of missing the net. 
• Ovechkin is The Complete Monster.... how I wish we would have truly tanked things in 2002-03 now.  I like Vanek a lot... but I love Alex O.
• Speaking of Vanek, it's a shame he rang that one shot off the post last night.  It would have been a highlight reeler had it went in.  His overall play has improved mightily in the past couple of weeks.  He's started backchecking, and made a couple of very nice defensive plays.
• I shudder to think what the score would have been had we skated hard for 60 minutes last night.  Putting up 8 playing only 30 minutes of hockey is great... let's do that for 60. Lesson for the evening: Never, ever, give any team the opportunity to feel good about themselves. 
• Martin Biron was excellent in the 3rd period.  If he hadn't been I would have shut down this blog in shame.
• Derek Roy is going to be very hard to send back to Rochester. 
• I didn't think Brendan Witt sucked that bad.... I really didn't.  Wow can he not compete in the new NHL(tm).  It's a good thing he blew a gasket in the 2nd period and picked a fight with every Sabre on the ice at the time, getting himself thrown out... I don't think he could have redeemed himself in any other way.
• A 7-minute power play is not an opportunity to give your goalie breakaway practice.
• Gaustad vs. Morrison.  Goose was unreal.  First he clocks Morrison sending him off-balance and falling to the ice... then he picks him back up by his jersey to continue the abuse.  Morrison for his part did much better after that, finally getting Goose off his skates and ending his impression of Gerry Cooney.
• Good to see the guys stick up for Biron after Ovechkin ran him along the boards.  This was a sequence I really have no problem with.  I hate it when goalies wander around playing the puck out around the faceoff circles (especially Marty... Holy Lack of Puck Skills, Batman!) and think they should get a little love from the forecheckers for their trouble.  I hate jobbing the rulebook like that.  Goalies are protected and they use that to help themselves way too much.  Hasek has raised the wander/set-a-pick/flop like a scocer player routine to an art-form.  I hated it when he was in Buffalo, and I despise it now.  Good scrum, nonetheless.
• Boy Howdy, is Tim Connolly a changed man!  Slowly, but surely, as this season progresses he's becoming more and more a mature, smart hockey player.  I've always liked Timmah! and wanted to see him thrive in the NHL, so it's great to finally see him take his raw talent and apply it in a way that is successful at this level. Last night it was a few little plays that caught my eye; short passes to open people up in the offensive zone (something Chainshot calls Hockey 101) and a little bit of a swagger in his demeanor.  Good stuff.
• Teppo Numminen is still the Repo Man.  He can break up a rush with a poke check like no one else.  Toni Lydman is really good with his stick as well.  The next time the Sabres play, watch the sticks of these two guys, it's a reat thing.

That's all for now.  2 wins in a row for the first time this month and 3 of their last 4.  Better.

Ta,

Well, At Least They Scored 4

Link: WGR SportsRadio 550 : Home of the Buffalo Sabres.

Buffalo vs. Ottawa, 11/2/05

The title of this article says it all.  Miller gone 6-8 weeks with a fractured finger and the Sabres give up 10 to the class of the NHL, the Ottawa Senators.  To go into much depth on this game would do it a dissrervice because frankly there's not much to be said that the score doesn't say. 

The Sabres and Ottawa, while they are members of the same division are obviously playing two different games.  Compared to the Sens the Sabres are the Pittsburgh Penguins, unfocused, chaotic, individualistic and slow.  Chris McMurtry over at Hockey Country has a good run-down on the game last night.  The things to take away from this shellacking are as follows:

• Brian Campbell and Rory Fitzpatrick cannot both dress against any team with playoff aspirations.  With Toni Lydman out indefinately with a groin pull means November cannot end quick enough.  Neither are fast enough or talented enough to be out on the ice with guys half as talented as Jason Spezza, no less Spezza himself.
• The more this team struggles, the more Chris Drury is showing up.  This is a good sign.  One of the few positives from last night's game was how hard he worked in the 2nd period with Jochen Hecht to try and make a game out of this.  His work fed Danny Briere and for a while it looked like they could take this game back from the Sens. 
• Unfortunately, Mika Noronen blows chunks (Noronen fans just keep quiet, I've heard it all before a thousand times).  Biron wasn't any better last night, certainly, but Noronen was handed an opportunity to steal this game back and was incapable of doing so.  Goals 6 and 7 were stops he had to make, or at least look like he had a chance in hell of stopping. 
• Biron needs to start both games against the Habs this weekend.  Of the two goalies he's seems almost comfortable with the speed of the NHL.  Granted Ottawa made him look otherwise last night, but then again, they made most of our roster look similarly.  While Marty had pucks dribble through him, at least he was in position to make the save.  Noronen was might as well have been on the bench for all the chance he had to stop most of the rubber he saw.  Pitiful.
• Vanek needs to be either sat out for a game (or 6) or sent to Rochester.  Period.  His game is non-existent at this point.  He made a nice play on one of the goals last night, but he won't play any kind of defense.... ever!  Waving your stick somewhere in the vicinity of your check while they skate, full-speed, at your defensemen is not playing defense.  Earth to Thomas, you are not Mario Lemieux.  Hit somone, make a play, move your legs... do some friggin thing!  Bring up Derek Roy and Jason Pominville now to replace both Vanek and the injured Mike Grier. Update: According to a fan who caught the local coverage of the game Jim Lorentz (Buff's color commentator) was told by Lindy Ruff that Vanek has been battling the flu.  If true that would explain a lot.
• The time is now to make a move for another defensemen.  Period.  Overpay if necessary.  We cannot get blown out by division rivals because of one injury on defense.  That is unacceptable.  More reason why Biron needs to start and try to get in a groove.  If Kevin Lowe wants to move Steve Staois, then Darth Fair Value needs to do something to get it done.  One more night of Fitzie and Campbell and I'm going bug hunting in Silithus with the Acid Queen! (World of Warcrack reference).

WGR also has Ryan Miller's post-game comments available.  At least he is staying positive.

Also of note, Lindy Ruff hasn't been talking much to the press lately.  What a shock there!

Ta,

Halloween Weekend : A Mixed Bag of Treats

Link: Buffalo News - Biron earns victory in return.

Link: Buffalo News - Buffalo News - Sabres Bedeviled in New Jersey.

First off, I'm skipping the game in Rochester against the Caps on Wednesday.  I mean, why not?  The Sabres did.

Buffalo vs. New Jersey, Friday 10/28

Speaking of skipping games, they almost took the entire night off against the Devils on Friday.  It was only a solid 3rd period that got them close to getting a point they didn't deserve.  For 2 periods I couldn't tell that Marty Brodeur wasn't in net.  The Sabres had only 12 shots on goal and Scott Clemmensen barely broke a sweat.  The kid finally had to earn his paycheck in the 3rd.  Unfortunately, Ryan Miller didn't and the boys couldn't get one more agains the New Jersey 1-2-2... because there's no way they were playing the trap in the swamp.

High points for this game include the Official Return of Jochen Hecht.  For the first 8 games this season there was someone else inhabiting #55's sweater, because the disinterested guy on the ice certainly couldn't have been the Hecht I know.  Since being moved to the top line with Briere and Dumont he's re-kindled the chemistry they had in 2003-04 before Mike Grier was acquired.  Tough along the boards, taking smart shots to create rebounds and making up for Briere's lack of defensive awareness.  Having Hecht out there allows Danny to gamble a bit more.  The camera guy for FSN caught him skating around after a whistle and there was an intensity in his eyes that wasn't there 2 weeks ago.  More determined, more focused. 

Our $3 million/year facoff specialist/Co-Captain (Chris Drury) scored a huge goal to tie the game.  Glad to see him get off the schnide.  He was 10-7 in the Faceoff Cirlce against the tough NJ centermen.  Though he did lose a crucial draw on the 5 on 3 the Devils had early on, but the PK was outstanding nonetheless. 

Low points include the the complete vanishment of Thomas Vanek.  This game marked his arrival in Chateau Bow-Wow where he took a regular shift on the 4th line with Goose and Adam Mair, none of whom have looked particularly good recently.  I'm sure the kid's frustrated, but he's got to work when he's on the ice and he hasn't been doing it.  Hopefully, he'll respond to this by putting his head down and getting to work, but right now he looks a little lost out there.

Tri is still struggling past his own blue line.  He's having a hard time getting pucks through the neutral zone and getting his shot through from the point.  His defensive zone play has been much improved since the beginning of the season.  He's using his stick and his body very effectively, taking good angles to cut guys off and smoothly moving the puck out of harm's way. 

Lastly, I have to say that the cameraman for FSN was horrible.  Not once did this guy actually put the camera on the puck itself.  He was zoomed in too far and couldn't get the camera to the corners.  To me it looked like he'd never watched a hockey game before.  Unbelievably amatuerish.  He was moving at one speed and the game was moving twice as fast as he was.  This only accentuated how unutterably annoying and homerish Chico Resch is.  He keeps stepping on Mike Emrick trying to call the game, and Emrick has spent too much time calling national games recently (where he's supposed to talk about everything except the game being shown) and his normally solid Play-by-Play was sporadic and uninspired. 

Buffalo vs. New York Isles, Saturday 10/29

 

Weekend Roundup: The Good and The Better Than Good

Buffalo Vs. Boston, thursday 10/20/05

After an extended break last week where it was obvious that the Sabres needed to work on two things, conditioning and the Power Play, the boys in the AGH's returned to the ice against division rival Boston for a dreaded game on the road.  The worries that had crept into my mind during the 4 days off between the loss in Florida and the game in Boston were pretty well dismissed afterwards.

• Could Ryan Miller rebound after that horrible goal in Florida?  Yes. 30 saves on 33 shots, and big ones in the 3rd period when Boston pressed for the tying goal.
• Would someone not named Daniel Briere show up to play offense?  Yes.  Timmah! had a goal and an assist, while Big Al Kotalik got what would be the Game Winner.
• Would the Power Play continue to look like a bad game of Hot Potato?  No.  2 for 8 and a lot of zone time.  Better puck movement and better entries.
• Would Adam Mair make a difference on the 4th line?  Oh yeah!  Pyatt-Gaustad-Mair is going to be a truly frightening 4th line for a long time.  Mair and Goose are great forechekers.

All in all a solid road victory.  J.P. Dumont is beginning to look like the guy who got under everyone's skin in 03-04, which is key to his game.  If he's trying to just play a finesse game we are in trouble.  DmirTRI Kalinin (1 assist) looked closer to being in game shape than at any point so far this season, logging 22:32 for most ice time by anyone in a Buffalo sweater. 

Flash Forward to Saturday...

Big Test in Tampa Tonight

My current schedule is making it hard for me to get in here and post more than 2 to 3 times per week.  So, while I would love to jo down all of my thoughts on the game the next morning, sometimes that is simply not possible.

Now back to our regularly scheduled drivel.

The game monday night against Pittsburgh, all homerism aside, was the most entertaining game I've watched this year.  It had everything except a good scrap.  The boys in the AGH sweaters were flying.  It almost seemed like they were playing to show up the national coming-out party for Sid the Kid (who, in some ways, I feel bad for... but he seems to be handling all the attention just fine so far) and Saint Mario.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of Mario's, but it's hard not to give him a little grief for the way he's portrayed (an image he does nothing to dispel, either) by the NHL and their new partners OLN. 

If you didn't catch the game, I'm sorry for you, because it was a great time, in spite of Brian Engblom who is flat-out horrible.  It was great to finally not hear him open his mouth during the end of the game as Emrick took over and it finally felt like a professional hockey broadcast and not a fashion show.  Both teams had me out of my chair at least 9 times (and that's not counting trips to the little hockey-addicts-room).  Overtime was spent standing behind my wife and grabbing hte back of the couch with both hands.  It was close to a playoff game in it's intensity.  Marc-Andre Fleury was amazing as were the pipes which frame the edges of his little world. 

The Sabres hit the post at least 5 times.  Thomas Vanek's first post came after a great little play to bank the puck off the endboards and rifle a shot past Fleury's glove.  Had that particular piece of vulcanized rubber gone in that would have to go down as one of the single most creative first career goals ever.  Fleury's stop on his wrap-around attempt late in the thrid period at the end of a long shift was other-worldly.... Hasek-like, if you will.  It was a tremendous effort by Vanek to see the opportunity to win the game late in his shift, when he could have just dumped it in and gone for his scheudled change.  There's a fire in this kid that Satan will never have, and that difference alone makes the substitution of one for the other a win for Buffalo.

Jochen Hecht's game-winner was payback for a similar chance in the first period.  Fitzie had a strong game as well, confidently eliminating people in his own end, pinching when possible (for the game's first goal, most notably) and later seeing the opportunity to lead a rush or two catching the Pittsburgh defenders flat-footed.  Though, to be fair, the rest of the team did a lot of that to the Pens during the game.  This was a game dominated by Buffalo on home ice and one they deserved to win.  The Pens best players were Fleury and Ziggy Palffy, who, for all of the hyperbole surrounding Crosby and Lemieux, made the best passes and created, alomst single-handedly, the Pens best scoring chances.

Tonight's game in Tampa was one I was planning on attending in person but in the end I decided against for work-related reasons.  The Sabres are 3-0 at home.  Great stat.  In 2003-04 they were 8 games over .500 at home and 5 games under on the road.  Had they played better on the road that year, they might have made the playoffs... of course beating the Isles once wouldn't have hurt either.
This is largely the same cast of characters from that year, so let's see how much 'character' this team has.  Winning on the road against a quality opponent like the 'Ning and then against the best goalie in the league on Saturday will go a long way towards dispelling what reservations I still have about this group of players. 

Ta,

Weekend Roundup: The Good and the Not-So-Good

So, Friday starts off pretty damn well, I get up to go to work only to find out it's a half-day due to it being Homecoming Weekend for Florida.  It's cluelessness like that that still leave me being just a southerner-in-training.... well, that and my having not shot and cleaned a deer yet.  When I say things like, "But I used to love college football," with a plaintive and hopeful look like the one my dog gets when I'm chewing on a piece of steak and looking right at him, I still get disapproving looks from the Keepers of the Southern Flame.  I get sympathy for my stance about the Second American Revolution and hating Lincoln, but....... no college football.... no admittance to the group.  Application Denied!

Forget the fact that all of the above is strictly in my head, and I guess it's up to you to decide where my head should reside.  Regardless of all of that, having just a half day of work on Friday and only two uncomfortable conversations with co-workers and family ahead of me on the schedule, things looked great for an evening of serious couch-potato(e)ing.... After frittering away the hours leading up to the puck drop power-levelling my Druid on World of Warcrack I sat down next to the wife with a bowl of nuts, a glass of whiskey (Eagle Rare,10 yr, single barrel bourbon... not bad... a little too sweet) and my slavish fan-boy devotion to the guys in the Angry Goat Heads.

It was Boston vs. Buffalo... and the B's were banged up.  Things looked good for our boys.  7:30pm rolls around, we switch the satellite receiver to the appropriate channel of NHL Center Ice ready to receive the dulcet tones of Rick Jeanneret giving us the pre-game run down only to find a game of CFL Football.  Ahh, sweet irony. 

Quick!  To the Bat-Internet-Connection!.... check with HF to find out what the story is....Apparently the deal between DirecTV and MSG had gotten signed only minutes beforehand, otherwise the Sabres game would not have been showing.  I guess the game wasn't on NESN for some reason.  After about 5 minutes of obsessively switching back and forth between where the Sabres should have been and some other games... the feed changed from CFL Football to the DirecTV "Technical Difficulties' screen.  Things were looking up, at least now that channel was worth watching.... :)

After about 15 minutes of idling around flipping through the other games, waiting for them to get things straightened out I switch back to 'blue and white' channel to see the not-so-glorious  non-AGH 3rd jerseys flying (well, bumbling really... the first 10 minutes were not good hockey) around the ice at the HSBC arena.  The comforting sounds of Rick and Jim were in evidence, even if they had to compete with a bad crowd mix, and all was much better with the world.

Things got even better in the second period when the Sabres out-worked and out-skated Boston to a 2-0 lead.  It was one thing to put up numbers against the disorganized Isles, it's quite another to do so against the harder-working, more balanced Bruins.  Ryan Miller was just fabulous in this game, none of the jitters or over-committment that was evident in the game on Wednesday was visible on Friday.  The top line is going to start garnering more attention, which should open up the ice for the 3rd line (Kotalik-Connolly-Afinogenov).  The 2nd line has the unenviable position of being both the checking line and the top PK'ers.  I'll be surprised if Drury and Hecht's numbers meet my original projections for them this year, to be honest.  Someone has to draw the tough assignment, and Gaustad/Pyatt are not quite ready for it yet. 

Speaking of those guys I really like what they bring to the table.  Pyatt has been an absolute horse out there.  More physical and more aggressive.  He's been attacking defenders coming through the neutral zone, using his body to shield the puck and gain the zone.  When the fourth line has the puck in the offensive zone and can handle themselves against the opposition's 2nd line, that's a tactical victory that won't show up on the scoresheet, but will win you games.  Those guys need to keep up the hard work. 

The third period was a good test for Miller.  Boston came at him hard through the first ten minutes and he rose to the occassion.  We could have easily surrendered the lead during that stretch... the B's were that good.  But, we got some outstanding work from both Jay McKee and Henrik Tallinder then, both playing very smart, very steady in their own zone.  Two quick notes on these guys...

1. McKee is beginning to look like the Jay McKee pre run in with Mount Mario.  The weight he's lost is evident in how much better his skating is... which translates into better postioning and better puck movement.
2. Tallinder has grown up a lot and is beginning to look like Mattias Ohlund out there.  Not flashy... no one aspect of his game stands out from any other.  He skates, moves the puck, makes good decisions and surprisingly, has a good shot from the point.  He uncorked it twice on Friday and both were well-timed/placed.  The first one turned into the 2nd assist on Grier's goal.

The sign of a good team is one that can weather a storm and then capitalize on the other team's mistakes.  The goal by Ales Kotalik was a perfect example of this.  Lindy Ruff had been trying to get "Al" more ice-time, and he did so by shifting up his bottom two lines and not playing Andrew Peters much.  Kotalik has been the beneficiary, teaming up with both Connolly and Gaustad.  It was 'Goose' who made the play at the blueline to trap Brian Leetch and spring Al.  He has a monster of a shot (if he could pass worth a damn would be a star in this league) which he uncorked on Andrew Raycroft beating him far-side high, ringing it off the inside of the post.

Max's goal sealed what was a near perfect game from the boys in Red, Black and White. 

The less said about saturday's whitewash in Ottawa, the better.  Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, and for the most part they lived up to my expectations.  3 games in 4 nights on the road against the class of the Eastern Conference.  Ottawa did to the Sabres what the Sabres did to Boston the night before.  They were quicker, sharper and more committed.  Had Hasek let in a goal during the first period, we might have had a chance, but the boys were out of gas in the third period, and what was a close game became a rout quickly.  The game-surfing started once it went 4-0.  Hats off to the Sens, they are a squad to be emulated not envied.

Ta,

Starting off on the Right Foot.... Winning.

Sorry this is late but I was travellingthe last couple of days and was barely able to catch the game on wednesday night.  I made it to a television set just before the halfway point of the game, having just missed Danny Briere putting the Sabres ahead 2-1.  My pre-season thoughts on this team were evident against the Isles last night.  This team is fast and skilled with an offensive upside as high as any team in the NHL.  On the flip side this team is still a bit disorganized on the back-end.  That may be because Dmitri Kalinin was out nursing a groin and we had to dress both Brian Campbell (who played very well offensively) and Fitzie.  Regardless oh who was on the ice wednesday night, this team was something that they haven't been in a long time.... entertaining. 

They wre certainly prepared to use the new rules to their advantage.  Briere's first goal simply would never have happened in 2003-04.  He would have been hooked, prodded, poked and harrassed until he gave up trying to get a shot off, and if he did it would have been a weak one the goalie could easily stick aside. 

The most impressive thing about wednesday's game was how well the team responded to a goal against.  Every time the Isles tried to get back in the game, the Sabres shut them up by scoring an answering goal.  This is the hallmark of good teams.  I remember thinking while watching the Red Wings of the late-90's that the last thing the opposition wanted to do against them was score... because then they knew they were in a hockey game and turned it up another notch.  I saw a bit of that last night from the guys wearing the Angry Goat Heads and it brought a smile to my face.  Moreover, this team put up 5 goals against a legitimate #1 goalie.  Last year they tended to pad the score and vitcimize #2's a lot, and had trouble scoring against #1's.  They saw a lot of #2 goalies last year, which had an inflationary effect on their Goals For.

Chris Drury was a monster in the FO circle, winning 60% of his draws.  Paul Gaustad is well on his way to becoming everyone's favorite lunch pail guy.  Ryan Miller was a mixed bag certainly, but he got the win and made the saves he needed to make (except that horrible goal by Zhitnik).  There is still the feeling that our goalies are incapable of maintaining a lead and that is something that has to improve. 

Other Thoughts:  I watched most of the Ranjerks and the Habs last night and while I despise both teams I had to say the game was really fun to watch.  So far the game looks to be approaching what all of us want to watch.... shinny with hitting.  There was plenty of both last night, along with some drop-dead beautiful goals.   

Jagr is still a flat-out monster and as long as he can keep his attention level up, the Rags have a legitimate top line.

It was good to see Satan wearing the goat horns after the opener.  Lindy Ruff was happy that he didn't score, he made a point of it in the press conference post-game.  Chris Drury went out of his way a couple of times to take the body on Miro as well... something a lot of us were expecting given his off-season statements about Miro.  It was certainly a gut feeling of mine that Drury would pay him a little special attention.  That's my kinda hockey.

Ta,