Eric and I were joined by Pat Malacaro of WGR for this edition of The Instigator Podcast where we discussed Mikhail Grigorenko, Tyler Myers and many other Sabres-related items. As always we mixed in plus/minus.
Thanks again to Pat for joining us and be sure to check out Eric and I on Twitter if you haven’t already.
As was illustrated last week, one loss can really be magnified with such a short schedule. Three losses can send a fan base into an absolute state of terror.
With two losses to the Canes followed by another defeat in Washington, a number of fans seem to be inching closer to the panic button as 10% of the 2013 schedule is now behind the team. Of course, that is only five games worth of a 48-game schedule.
The reactions to these losses seem to be fueled more by the way in which the games were lost more so than the actual outcome. However, there is still plenty of time to right the ship as the Sabres prepare to close out February with a pair of division games; their second and third within the Northeast Division this season. In fact, five of their next six games will be against Northeast Division rivals.
Buffalo’s win against Toronto was a practice in great goaltending and clinging on for dear life. You might say that the below average third period carried into the loss at Carolina two days later and has stayed with the team since. Ryan Miller’s stellar night against the Leafs last week was the catalyst in Buffalo’s victory; along with another great night from the team’s top line.
Tonight’s First Niagara Center debut from the Leafs is different only in that Toronto has suffered two ugly losses down in New York and are still searching for answers in the James Reimer/Ben Scrivens debate. Reimer impressed against Pittsburgh last week before getting lit up for five against the Rangers but wasn’t victimized by the Islanders as Scrivens was. I’d expect to see Reimer between the pipes tomorrow night. Continue reading
A few familiar flaws cropped up in the last three losses for the Sabres as they dropped to 2-3-0 on the season after opening the year with a pair of victories.
Today’s loss to the Capitals came despite opening the scoring and controlling much of the play in the first period. Yet, the Capitals battled back and the Sabres were unable to discover the necessary depth scoring to get over the hump. 
It is likely that many fans are panicking over the fact that many of the same issues have yet again hampered the Sabres in a string of losses. Naturally these losses are that much more prevalent with the fact that the shortened season has many focused on getting a quick start and finding security for the playoffs. Depending on how you break things down, this is just five games out of 48. Or you may see this as 10% of the season already behind a team that is looking to return to the playoffs.
Coupling today’s loss with the back-to-back losses at the hands of the Hurricanes paints a picture of a team who not only has struggled to find goal scorers beyond their first line and some up-and-down play from the blue line. Continue reading
As Sabres Nation demonstrated over the past few weeks, Western New York is ecstatic to have the game of hockey back full time. Thanks to the end of the lockout, fans get to see their favorite teams and players back in action in a condensed 48-game schedule. While the whirlwind schedule may go quickly, it also allows for plenty of time to watch a lot of hockey.
“The Basement Brigade” is taking advantage of this. Eric of 3rd Man In and Phil of Black & Blue & Gold put their heads together to organize a watch party at Mr. Goodbar on Saturday, February 2 for the Sabres road affair against the Canadiens (event link).
This is a great event to not only bring hockey fans together but to also help inject some life into the bar scene which certainly suffered as a result of the lockout. I’m personally unsure of my availability for the event at this point, but I hope to crawl out of the basement and rub elbows with fans and bloggers alike. Give the Facebook event a once over and come out to Goodbar to support a truly awesome idea from Phil and Eric.
Twitter is an interesting tool. If used properly it can be a great new gathering source for a sports fan, politics fanatic or someone who just wants to keep up with the Kardashians. As someone who is immersed in sports, I happen to use Twitter to not only connect with fans but to keep up with breaking news.
During games Twitter is always a great barometer for how fans feel (track a Bills or Sabres follow list for evidence) along with a haven for those breaking down the game as it occurs. Bills fans have even spawned their own little group called the #BillsMafia that grew from the Stevie Johnson “why God” tweet and has now become a banner for certain fans to rally behind on the social media service. In fact, many players use the hashtag as well.
No matter what you feel about the #BillsMafia, it has become kind of fun to use the hashtag #BerlsMerfia as a way to joke about the consistent #becauseitsbuffalo ways of the city’s beleaguered football franchise. However, there is no such group for the Sabres. But this may be a good thing. Continue reading
Well that was a fun couple of days, no? A 5-2 beat down of the Flyers followed by a near textbook road win against the Leafs and the Sabres have gotten off on the right foot for this shortened 2013 season.
Sunday’s opener was about as sloppy as expected, as the Sabres and Flyers plodded through forty minutes of fairly average hockey before the Sabres third period explosion put the game away. The one takeaway from that opener was seeing the rust on both teams. Even with a game under their belt from the day before, the Flyers still looked sluggish in many ways along with their hosts who were playing their first game of the season.
The Sabres did do plenty of things right, however. They engaged physically from the opening faceoff, scored the game’s first goal and maintained composure after falling behind in the second period. Drew Stafford’s unexpected fight was pointed to as the spark that drove the Sabres into the third period and their scoring surge in the final frame got the job done.
Defensively there was plenty to improve upon in front of a strong outing from Ryan Miller – who benefitted from two disallowed goals. Special teams was a bright spot as the powerplay was clicking and the penalty kill did great work outside of allowing Claude Giroux to wire a one-time home for Philly’s second goal of the game. Continue reading
With five games over the next seven games, the Sabres will know exactly what they can come to expect from the condensed 2013 NHL schedule. Rather than scrambling to provide specific previews for each and every game this season, it is more likely that you will see a look at each week of the season as it begins.
The Sabres open at home today against the Flyers and follow with games against the Leafs, Hurricanes (twice) and Capitals. Here are a few things to keep an eye on as the Sabres and NHL hockey returns. Continue reading
The Legend of Taro Tsujimoto is one of hockey’s most intriguing and humorous anecdotes. While the Sabres are still waiting on their first Stanley Cup championship, this is one piece of history that other NHL teams cannot lay claim to.
Now, New Era has unveiled a limited edition cap to honor the legacy of Tsujimoto and his fictitious club, the Tokyo Katanas.
For those of you who aren’t fully educated on the legend, Tsujimoto was the 11th round selection (183rd overall) of the Buffalo Sabres in the 1974 NHL Draft. However, Tsujimoto never existed. The selection was made up by Punch Imlach as a form of protest over the tedious draft process of the league in the 70s.
As the story goes, Imlach sent a secretary to research common Japanese names to apply to the player he would select from the Tokyo Katanas – somewhat of a translation to Tokyo Sabres. The selection appeared in numerous record books before the hoax was discovered.
The New Era cap is a 59Fifty with the Tokyo Katanas logo adorning the front and the “team” wordmark on the back of the cap. A pair of katanas (or sabers) appear on the bottom portion of the brim. They also have a t-shirt to go along with the hat.
Personally, I think the hat looks phenomenal and I fully plan on adding it to my already overstocked collection. While the logo is more of an honor to the samurai, it works well and would certainly fit right in on a hockey uniform – fictitious or not.
The one thing about this hat is that it will only be available for a short time. So get down to the New Era Flagship store before you miss out on this piece of Sabres history.
The plans for the renovations to Ralph Wilson Stadium are officially public and they look pretty darn good. These renovations are part of the new lease agreement and this should serve as the official bridge that will carry the Bills from The Ralph to a new stadium.
Any new stadium talks are in the very early stages and can’t be taken all the seriously at this point since the main group promoting their plan remains without any backing or support from any outside entity. While that stadium plan is certainly ambitious and should be pursued, it seems like quite a longshot at this point in time.
Based on how the new lease was constructed and some of the comments made by those involved in this process (both with the County and Bills) it would appear that a new stadium is indeed part of the long-term plans for the franchise. For the time being, making sure that The Ralph is habitable for fans is key. Call it putting lipstick on a pig or a band-aid for a gunshot wound, but these renovations are not only necessary and they look good.
The two most visible additions will be the Welcome Plaza on the west end of the stadium and the addition of two videoboards on the east end of the stadium. Additional renovations to the concourses and gates also appear to be part of the gameplan. Continue reading
One thing that Darcy Regier has managed well for the past few years has been his draft strategy. Glaring organizational weaknesses have been addressed in recent seasons via the draft and this approach has led to an impressive stockpile of talent in Buffalo’s prospect cupboards.
June’s draft was certainly no exception as the Sabres took what may have been considered to be a calculated gamble on Mikhail Girgorenko followed quickly by Zemgus Girgensons in the first round. The two selections immediately added two big, talented centers who each possess a unique skillset. In fact, each forward drafted by the Sabres in June had spent time at center entering the draft.
The addition of Grigorenko was perceived as the solution to the lack of a true number one center on the Buffalo roster. Only three days into training camp and Grigorenko has drawn plenty of attention for his play with many thinking that he will have staying power on the roster. It might be wise to ignore Jerry Sullivan’s rambling, contradictory column and instead focus on the other two posts done by Chris Ryndak and Kevin Pritchard on Girgorenko’s chances to make the final roster for the Sabres. Both Ryndak and Pritchard hit a home run with their analysis.
Looking at the makeup of the Sabres roster and assuming that Grigorenko will be a major part of it this season shows quite a different depth chart than what the team had as late as April of last season. Between the trade deadline and draft the Sabres transformed from a team with questionable center depth to one with the capability of having an effective set of nine scoring forwards.
Moving Tyler Ennis to center and the continued evolution of Cody Hodgson has primed the Sabres with three blue chip talents down the middle of the ice. So long as Grigorenko sticks around and the trio arte put in a position to succeed, the Sabres attack should be quite impressive. Continue reading
Two in the Box 