Every Sabres-Leafs game is played in a hostile environment. That is a fact of life. Leafs fans can’t get tickets to their home games, there are seats readily available in Buffalo and they make the trip to enjoy a “road” game.
A portion of the Sabres season ticket base is from Ontario. So, a large portion of those seats are likely going to be claimed by Leaf fans three times a year. Add in the fans who are looking to get back into the black after buying Sabres season tickets, and there is an additional market for buyers. The secondary ticket market is also a viable option. Obviously there are avenues for Leaf fans to invade Buffalo.
What is interesting is the atmosphere that is created for these games. If last night’s contest wasn’t a 50/50 split, it was 60/40. As for which side had the edge, it is anyone’s guess. The back and forth chants between the fans created a playoff-like atmosphere that made an entertaining game even better.
The players responded to the fans and their play showed as much. Buffalo’s players reflected this in their postgame comments as well. Thomas Vanek’s quotes were practically calling out the fans for sitting on their hands every other night aside from yesterday and the Boston grudge match. He has a point. Continue reading →
It was the home game Sabres fans were waiting to see. The Sabres put forth the closest thing to a 60-minute effort than they had all year long at home and it resulted in a 5-4 victory over the Leafs.
In terms of entertainment value, last night was easily tops for the home schedule this season. Buffalo rode a four-goal second period to the victory. The Sabres’ three power play goals were the difference, one of the few times this season the extra man unit has been the reason for a win.
Credit to the Leafs – who are massively improved – for creating chances and carrying a good portion of the play with their speed and creativity. That is a difficult to team to corral simply because of the speed they possess on each line.
Perhaps the most impressive part of this game was that Buffalo pressed down when their foot was upon the collective throat of the Leafs. Lindy Ruff was running his usual defensive shell in the third period, an easy decision with a two-goal lead, but the team didn’t sit around and wait. While a majority of the third consisted of chip-and-chase, the Sabres stayed aggressive on the rush and had a few good chances.
Vanek’s game-winner came as a result of the Sabres not falling into a prevent defense, although they did yield the Kulemin breakaway and the Grabovski tally as well. While it wasn’t a clean third period, it was far better than the effort put forth against Ottawa on Wednesday.
Buffalo capped their five-game home stand with a 2-1-2 record, that is six of a possible ten points. Considering the way in which they lost their overtime games, the record could have been 4-1-0. While home games have been a chore this season, a .600 point percentage and that record could possibly be considered an improvement.
Thomas Vanek, aside from that dreadful turnover, was a complete monster. He had two great goals and made up for his brief cold spell with a four-point night. A fantastic outing from Buffalo’s best player was just what the doctor ordered.
Zack Kassian had a couple good hits and used his body well. He is a beast on the wall and in the corners. He also had that tremendous takeaway that led to Vanek’s first goal. In terms of momentum swings, Kassian’s effort on the back check and eventual apple may have been the biggest for the Sabres.
Most Leaf fans were bemoaning the officiating last night. Not sure where they were coming from, however. The Phaneuf hit was clearly a boarding infraction, there is no debating that. Was it worthy of a major? Probably not, but the official had to make a choice then and there and he went with his gut. Considering that is the type of hit the NHL is attempting to eradicate, might help to explain why it ended up being a major. As for missed calls, that goes both ways. The other infractions in the Leafs’ parade to the box were quite obvious. Just a tough night for the boys in white.
Ryan Miller allowed four goals and his save percentage for last night was .878. However, he was not only the best goalie on the ice, he was great between the pipes. He made some big power play stops, he had a great pad save on Kulemin prior to his PS and he robbed Joffery Lupul on the doorstep. Miller has looked like the goalie who started the season for the Sabres. By no means is that a bad thing.
Brayden McNabb didn’t see too much ice last night. He was great in the time he was out there, but the limited time likely means a trip back to Rochester is nearing. That is unfortunate considering he has shown far more in-zone savvy than Marc-Andre Gragnani, who seems to have the uncanny ability to be horrible while still getting ice time.
Gragnani was much better last night than he has been in recent games. His power play contributions were noticeable and he didn’t make any glaring defensive zone errors. That being said, his arrogance about his recent play is troubling and his lack of physical play is maddening.
When the puck drops on January 2 at Citizen’s Bank Park it will mark the fifth occurrence of the Winter Classic. The event has gone from a fledgling experiment to a made-for-TV goldmine that competes with other major sporting events.
The original Winter Classic could not have been scripted better; falling snow, shootout game and the league's poster boy scoring the winning goal.
The Flyers and Rangers clash will take place in the third baseball stadium and be the second-straight time that a previous participant appears in the Classic. Only one instance involved teams from the Western Conference.
The event as a single entity is beyond brilliant. Not only is it a perfect television product, it easily draws casual fans to the sport. In addition, thrusting the game back into its natural environment provides added drama; not only due to the venue but the potential monkey wrench the weather can act as. Since the league cherry picks the best possible foes on a yearly basis, there is almost no way to fail. However, there have been a few contests that fared better than others.
Considering all of the outside forces that impact this brilliant event, it is largely a roll of the dice each season. While last year’s game was the first to truly be affected by weather, the other events went off without a hitch. In addition to weather, the venue, the teams and the actual game all factor into the overall product in the end. Here is a rundown of where each Winter Classic stacks up: Continue reading →
The first installment of The QEW rivalry has come a bit late this season. However, the return of Tim Connolly – a healthy Tim Connolly – and a happy Tweeting Joffery Lupul have stoked the fire a bit.
Lupul peeved many in Buffalo with his Tweet from last night. The obvious grammatical error aside, Lupul’s Tweet was reminiscent of comments made by Emerson Etem around this time last year. A bigger deal was made from the winger’s opinion than what really matters. Frankly, downtown Buffalo leaves quite a bit to be desired compared to most cities. Buffalo isn’t even in the same league as Toronto in terms of entertainment and attractions. Buffalonians have a lot of pride, it is noble that everyone stood up for the town after Lupul’s Tweet. Still, there are far too many improvements to be made downtown before anyone can truly say Lupul was out of line.
The return of Connolly is slightly more interesting regarding this evening’s game. Connolly has missed quite a bit of time already but is close to a point-per-game pace. The trade-off Buffalo followed through with between Connolly and Ville Leino is under the microscope thanks to the production of each forward. While it is unfortunate that Connolly is having a solid run compared to Leino, to think that Connolly’s play in Buffalo would have changed one iota is silly. Connolly’s act – like many other Sabres’ – grew stale at the end of his run here. Connolly will receive a hearty number of boos this evening and it should make things a bit more interesting.
Highlighted Matchup
The Sabres need a strong showing. Not one aspect of the game will be more important for Buffalo tonight. They have yet to put in a 60 minute effort at home and desperately need to right the ship. As the injury keeps rolling through the Sabres’ locker room, Buffalo will need to continue to find a way to create offense and win games. Their slide out of playoff position needs to be halted and a win against their biggest rival is the best place to start.
Sundher is currently playing in his fifth full season with the Victoria (formerly Chilliwack) organization and will be making the jump to the AHL next season. His speed and playmaking ability have been key in Sundher’s offensive explosion over the past two seasons. In 2010-11 he picked up 24 goals, 52 assists and 93 penalty minutes in 70 games. Through 33 games this season he has 21 goals and 33 assists. He is just short of a point-per-game player for his career, a stat that will likely improve by season’s end.
While Sundher isn’t a top-end talent like Zack Kassian or Luke Adam, he is part of the recent run of drafts expected to change some of the culture in the Buffalo organization. Organizationally, the Sabres are terribly thin at center. From their first line through Rochester, the Sabres have little talent at the position. While Sundher doesn’t have much size (6’0”, 177), he has quite a bit of offensive talent at his disposal. Along with Dan Catenacci and Steven Shipley, the Sabres have some help coming through the pipeline. While none of the three are an elite talent, their skill lends plenty of depth to a position where the Sabres are lacking. The fact that Buffalo was proactive in getting him under contract early is indicative of that.
Although Sundher was passed over regarding Canada’s 2012 World Junior roster, his talent is not to be ignored. He is wearing a letter for Victoria (a duty carried over from Chilliwack), showing clear leadership potential. If Victoria makes an early playoff exit, or misses them altogether, Sundher will have the opportunity to make a late-season appearance in Rochester. The Amerks could bring him on under an ATO much like they did with Luke Adam and Zack Kassian in the past two seasons. The amateur tryout offer would keep Sundher’s ELC from activating while allowing him to play against men for a short time prior to the 2012-13 season.
The “playing against men” chorus is surely reminiscent from Adam and Kassian’s development, the same goes for Marcus Foligno and Bryaden McNabb.Previous development camp appearances have provided Sundher to display his impressive speed and offensive ability in WNY. However, a proper evaluation of his skills will be made after playing games in AHL. Obviously a late appearance this season (even into the playoffs) would be bonus time for the pivot.
Aside from the glaring need to find a true elite center, the Sabres may be in the market for players who can contribute with the rest of their lines as well. Sundher has the speed and skill to translate to a top-six role. He may even become a more attractive option than a player like Derek Roy in the near future.
The first set of grades for the Sabres were rather promising. Buffalo had closed October and opened November with some strong hockey. Prior to Ryan Miller’s injury, the Sabres had occupied the number two spot in the Eastern Conference.
Unfortunately, thing have gone downhill in a hurry for the Sabres. A dismal run at home through November and into December has aided in pushing the Sabres to seventh in the East and a mere two points away from the 12th-place Capitals.
Injuries have piled up to a ridiculous number. Just this morning, Ville Leino was declared out with a lower body ailment and it was Tweeted that Jochen Hecht is in a walking boot. While injuries can’t act as a shield for Buffalo’s poor play, it is certainly having a negative effect on the team as they cling to a playoff position.
Game 15 was a 5-1 against Ottawa on November 11. Since then Buffalo allowed their goaltender to get plowed over with no response, lost nearly half of their opening night roster to various injuries and gone 5-7-3 in that 15-game span. By comparison, Buffalo went 10-5-0 through their first 15 games.
The Buffalo Sabres lost yet another game on home ice. This time they squandered a sparkling effort from their starting goaltender and a brilliant close to the first period.
Despite yielding an ugly first goal, Ryan Miller and the Sabres battled back to right the ship before the end of the first period. Paul Szczechura scored his first as a Sabre and Tyler Ennis converted a nice passing play to give Buffalo the lead. That would be the end of the scoring parade for the Sabres.
Much like last Wednesday against Philly, the Sabres opened the game with a barrage of shots. After putting 12 pucks on net in the first, the Sabres fired only 17 of the next 48 shots between the two teams. On the night the Sabres were outshot 44-29. on home ice.
While Miller was up to the task, the Sabres penalty box parade kept any momentum from being built in the second. That carried into the third period when Ottawa managed to tie the contest. If the Hockey Gods had been on Buffalo’s side tonight, that shot would have hit a leg and caromed wide. Instead the seeing-eye shot found the cage.
Drew Stafford blew his coverage on Jared Cowen (the offensive dynamo that he is) on the game winner. Not much else to be said about the OT tally when both forwards were caught watching.
Credit to Ryan Miller. He has been a darn good goaltender since his return. Yes, the Philly game was not ideal. But he has made plenty of sparkling saves since coming back against Nashville. Tonight was no exception. He made many big stops to try and stem the ebb going against Buffalo. Nothing he could do through the forest of players on the tying goal. He almost robbed Cowen on the winner. Again, depending which way the Hockey Gods lean, that one may bounce to the slot.
I was happy to see Szczechura score that beauty of a goal. He was a great depth signing by Darcy. Depending on what the team needs at a certain time, he may even be more attractive to insert than Matt Ellis. Again, dependent on the situation.
Sadly, Szczechura is still centering Vanek and Pominville. That needs to change. While they have each managed to creep onto a few scoresheets, both have suffered a significant setback from their hot start. Vanek just needs to find the net a bit more and the goals will certainly come back.
The Leino-Adam-Kassian line could do this team a solid by finding the net. They create opportunities but seem to be all Swedish and no Finnish. Ironic considering Leino’s nationality, no? If this line can consistently find the net, the Sabres will enjoy more games like Washington, Nashville and the first period of the Philly game.
What a terrible move by Lindy Ruff keeping Marc-Andre Gragnani in the lineup. Sure, he saw about four minutes of power play time. There is no way Andrej Sekera, Jordan Leopold and Christian Ehrhoff aren’t capable of providing enough oomph on the points. Gragnani’s roster spot was wasted this evening. When he did get a shift on defense, he was walked by Erik Karlsson in OT.
Listening to the game, you didn’t hear from Mike Weber, Robyn Regehr or Brayden McNabb very often. Exactly what you want from your stay-at-home core. These three certainly look as if they’re a strong bunch to keep together for the foreseeable future.
Off the top of my head, Buffalo is 3-0-0 in their third jerseys this season. That includes a pair of home victories. Perhaps those duds should get run out a few more times.
Last week the Bills were blacked out on local TV. As a result, 2ITB Deskchair Quarterback was blacked out.
I really hate the NFL blackout rule, it would seem silly that a league with such a massive television contract would need to restrict viewers just because of ticket sales. There are some fans who would rather stay home and watch the game but have the means to buy tickets. But there are also fans who don’t have that luxury and I don’t think it is a fair approach to rob those fans of watching the games.
I can imagine that some of these fans aren’t interested in watching the Bills anyway, after they suffered another ugly loss at the hands of the Chargers. The worst part of this losing streak is that it would seem to have no end. Injuries have certainly taken a terrible toll on the roster and the lack of depth is magnified because of this.
Defensively the Bills have taken a major step back and those struggles are even beginning to reflect on the offense, which hasn’t been able to recapture their early success.
Since the Bills were blacked out, I won’t offer a breakdown of the game. I didn’t see it, so I can offer much of an opinion.
Two teams struggling to keep their head above water will meet this evening at First Niagara Center. The Sabres, who have struggle mightily at home, desperately need a win against their Northeast Division rival. The Senators haven’t been able to keep the puck out of the net lately as they’re in the middle of a similar slide as Buffalo.
While Ottawa’s defense and goaltending have been spotty, they may get a reprieve against Buffalo. The Sabres have struggled to score more than once lately, let alone three or four goals. Ottawa has managed to find the back of the net despite their struggles. Considering Buffalo’s recent efforts at home, this game has the ability to turn into a snooze fest similar to Friday night.
The Sabres have been struggling with nearly every aspect of the game since the roster has been ravaged with injury. It seems Buffalo’s somewhat impressive depth has been worn thin with injury after injury. Some reports point to the Sabres receiving some reinforcements for tonight’s game. With Paul Gaustad and Pat Kaleta expected back, Buffalo’s penalty kill unit and generally grit should improve.
Buffalo’s first two games against Ottawa were wins. However, both came with far stronger rosters than the one Buffalo will ice tonight.
Highlighted Matchup
Buffalo special teams. The Sabres are still short on both special teams units. However, the power play still sports significant talent and has become terribly stagnant lately. Lindy Ruff noted more movement is necessary to create chances. It would seem a good night from the special teams units may equal two points for the Sabres.
Projected Goaltenders
BUF: Ryan Miller 14GP 7-6-1, 2.80 GAA, .910 SV%
OTT: Criag Anderson 26GP 12-10-2, 3.42 GAA, .895 SV%
Jochen Hecht is not the answer to Buffalo's need for a number one center.
Buffalo’s injuries have finally caught up to them. Plenty of people say this is no excuse for their recent play, but at some point the plethora of injuries will affect the team.
Look no further than Buffalo’s top line. Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville centered by Paul Szczechura. It is a crime to think that the team’s top-two scorers are being centered by a call up from Rochester. Of course, they were being centered by Jochen Hecht, a black hole of offense in his own right.
The failure to obtain a proper center in free agency is no more apparent than in recent weeks. Luke Adam, when he was allowed to skate with the top line, was more than adequate between Buffalo’s top snipers. When he struggled, Lindy Ruff shuffled the lines and moved Adam away from the other 2/3 of The Subway Line. Adam has played well with Zack Kassian and Ville Leino, so there is no need to move him away from that duo at this time. Eventually the Sabres will need to find a proper cog for their top two scoring wingers.
Derek Roy filled the role for a bit before sinking back to the second line with Drew Stafford and Tyler Ennis. Of course, all three of these players have been particularly stagnant this season. Most of the blame for their lack of production could be centered on their desire to play games as if they are a non-contact skate-and-shoot, rather than a physically engaging NHL contest. For the droves wondering where the secondary scoring has gone, look no further than that line.
The time has come for Darcy Regier to make a bold move. He has long been a wait-and-see GM. He keeps his cards close to the vest and always deals from a position of power. That is how he has won so many trades in his day. However, pulling a capable center from another team wouldn’t leave Regier high-and-dry. In fact, it could serve as a cap clearing method to improve his team.
One fact any Sabres fan needs to grasp is the cap numbers being tossed around in any trade talk. It is silly to think Buffalo could trade one player and one pick for Jarome Iginla. That won’t happen. The Sabres need to move out as much, or more than they will bring in with any trade. Drew Stafford and Andrej Sekera are certainly two of the most tradable assets on the team and they would clear just over six million from the cap. Hypothetically speaking, those two players could be moved for a center. However, the likelihood of that happening is quite slim. Consider those two only regarding how much salary would need to come out in any sort of swap in which Buffalo were to receive a center.
It is painfully clear the Sabres are in desperate need of a center who can run with Vanek and Pominville on a nightly basis. They also need to find someone to help with the power play. Paul Stastny’s name is back in the rumor mill, yet it is doubtful the Sabres could form a package (both players and money) in order to get Stastny to “Hockey Heaven”.
What may be a more realistic choice is to find a 1B. Of course, that theory is dependent on the belief that Derek Roy would also qualify as a 1B. In this case, assume he does. Acquiring another 1B centerman (similar to Mike Fisher) would give the Sabres two strong players at pivot for their top two lines. Said scenario should offer a pair of somewhat consistent scoring threats on the top lines. If moving a winger is how Buffalo could clear up their overabundance of wingers, it would be a win-win.
It is unlikely that the solution to the Sabres center problem will be available during the season. They will likely need to use the summer to make the proper adjustments to the roster. Perhaps by then the team will have been formed into the winner people have been clamoring for.
