Author: Chris Ostrander

The Morning Skate: Kassian set to make his debut

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It is the debut every Sabres fan has been waiting for. Some have been saying to call Zack Kassian up since he signed his entry level contract and appeared in a handful of games for Portland last year.

Zack Kassian will make his much anticipated NHL debut in Columbus this evening. John Vogl reports the big winger will skate with Luke Adam and Matt Ellis. A wise choice by Ruff to put Kassian with the center he skated with for nearly the entire summer. That will give him some familiarity for this contest.

Kassian will need to play a physical game this evening. His draft position was determined by his physical play and scoring touch. He hasn’t shown much physical edge since breaking into the professional ranks and he needs to find that side of his game if he has any hope of becoming an NHL regular.

Buffalo’s biggest challenge tonight will be to find continuity as they enter yet another game with some sort of change to their lineup. While Kassian is the newest face; Jochen Hecht, Corey Tropp and Matt Ellis will all be shifted from their roles on Wednesday.

Columbus is entering the game with Curtis Sanford and Allen York as their goaltenders for the contest. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering Steve Mason has had seriously terrible season (3.63 GAA & .875 SV%) while Sanford is sporting a 1.33 GAA and a .946 SV%, granted that is in only five games of action.

Buffalo’s previous victory over Columbus came on the shoulders of a brilliant performance by Jhonas Enroth as the Blue Jackets out shot the Sabres 43-26. Buffalo’s special teams were deadly in the last meeting and both units have been impressive throughout the year and will continue to key wins and losses for this team. Especially if they continue to struggle with injuries.

Highlighted Matchup

Buffalo penalty kill. The Sabres power play gave them a 2-0 lead on Wednesday night, T.J. Brennan made it 3-1. However, the penalty kill failed them, allowing a pair of goals (including the tying tally) as the Sabres found a way to lose to the Bruins. The penalty kill is missing plenty of pieces (Kaltea, Myers, Weber) and will need to shore up for this evening.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Jhonas Enroth 12GP 7-2-1, 2.13 GAA, .930 SV%

CBJ: Curtis Sanford 5GP 2-0-2, 1.33 GAA, .946 SV%

Last Game

10/27/2011, First Niagara Center, Sabres 4 – Blue Jackets 2

 

Double Minors: Sabres 3 – Bruins 4 SO

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The first 20 minutes were exactly what Sabres fans were waiting for last night. The Sabres came out, played physical, fought Milan Lucic and looked like a hard nosed hockey club. It was the following 40 minutes that were less encouraging.

Another two-goal lead slipped away at home for the Sabres. While they got a point, it was a game that will be remembered for the Sabres standing up for themselves and registering a moral  victory. However, there was a lot more to that game than a few fights and a strong first period.

Give credit to Paul Gaustad. He came out and fought Lucic after he did little in Boston. Lucic manhandled him in the fight, but at least Gaustad showed he isn’t going to back down. The entire roster came out throwing body checks, Gaustad, Nathan Gerbe and Corey Tropp were especially physical. Their play led to another donnybrook after Gaustad tried to put Brad Marchand into the fifth row and Robyn Regehr stepped up for his team in another losing effort against Zdeno Chara.

Perhaps the Sabres left a little too much on the ice in the first period. Maybe their play awoke the Bruins to the kind of game they would have to play, because the Sabres were not the best team on the ice in the second and third periods. The Boston power play dominated the Buffalo penalty kill and the Sabres power play fizzled after picking up a pair of goals in the first period.

Buffalo’s chance to win came with 1:00 of power play time in overtime. They even had a pair of glorious chances but couldn’t finish. Thus is life sometimes.. But the bottom line is that the special teams didn’t do their part for the Sabres in yet another home loss.

  • Two rookies have scored their first NHL goal for the Sabres this season. T.J. Brennan made a great play to convert a rebound for his first. It was only one game, but considering he is virtually the same player as Marc-Andre Gragnani, I would take Brennan any day over MAG. Brennan played physical and showed he has strong puck skills. Brennan made me less nervous than Andrej Sekera or Gragnani over the course of the game.
  • Nathan Gerbe was Buffalo’s best player. Not to be too cliché, but you wouldn’t have known how big he was based on his play. Gerbe was physical all game and didn’t shy away from anyone. Considering his work ethic, you have to be excited to think what he will continue to bring to the table.
  • Corey Tropp is also making me a believer. If he is a sign of what is to come for the Sabres, you have to be kind of excited. Tropp is pretty much Pat Kaleta with a little more offensive upside. His three blocked shot shift that was accentuated by a couple hits in the second period was a real eye opener. You have to wonder if his continued success may make Kaleta expendable at some point.
  • Brad Marchand really exudes scumbag. I know Kaleta is right up there in the eyes of the NHL in terms of pests and dirty players. I won’t argue against that. However, the way Marchand plays makes that rat persona really. Honesty, what kind of pussy ducks body checks and chirps a bench after he scores. The guy is a complete disgrace, the fact that he is so skilled just makes it worse.
  • I didn’t love Jhonas Enroth’s game tonight. He wasn’t bad, but he looked shaky once again. Marchand’s goal was particularly weak. Give him credit, he made some big saves in the third and the shootout, giving his team a chance to win.
  • Not sure why the referees didn’t call the Stafford/Ference altercation a fight. Both dropped their gloves and Stafford landed a few shots on Ference. Props to Stafford for standing up for himself.
  • Hated Jochen Hecht with Vanek and Pominville. With Brad Boyes out the landscape will seriously change in terms of line combos. But still, Hecht is a complete waste with those two. I was glad Roy was put back with Leino and Stafford, but I hated Ruff’s decision on Hecht. He played very well in a checking role, they should have rolled him out with Matt Ellis and Tropp.
  • The early penalties and the Boyes injury basically made Ruff roll three players out at a time with little ability to keep lines together. I have an inkling that Zack Kassian may get the call for Boyes. Kassian has been scoring for Rochester and he is a right wing. Seems like a good choice. Hopefully he comes up and plays a real physical style.

Three Stars

1. Tyler Seguin

2. Benoit Pouliot

3. T.J. Brennan

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The Morning Skate: Judgement day has arrived

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The day of reckoning is upon us. That is to say, the Bruins are in town and most Sabres fans and media personalities expect a brawl during warmups.

Personally, I have the over/under for fights at two. 2ITB reader Chris Wasik is taking the under, as am I. If there is one fight, I won’t be surprised. But if there is less time spent throwing fists and more time throwing body checks the fans can’t be too upset with the Sabres’ response.

Bottom line, the Sabres didn’t respond how they needed to when the Miller incident first occurred and the time to answer the bell has passed. Lindy Ruff said it best in his morning presser (thanks to TBN),

We have to play a real hard game. That’s the message in all areas. Hard on the puck, hard getting it back, hard physically.

Buffalo will have a tough enough task cooling down the NHL’s hottest team. The Bruins have won nine-straight and have climbed to the top of the Northeast Division. Well, until Toronto won last night. To put it bluntly, Buffalo, Boston and Toronto will be playing musical chairs atop the Northeast for some time.

Tonight marks the first in a run of 10 games in the next 12 to be played at First Niagara Center. Judging by the Sabres hot and cold reactions at home, they will need a good run to keep pace with the Eastern Conference playoff contenders.

Despite the main focus of tonight’s game being on trying to take Milan Lucic’s head off, the focus should be on beating the Bruins and starting a run that will separate the Sabres from the rest of the Eastern Conference.

Highlighted Matchup

T.J. Brennan. The rookie will be making his NHL debut in a pretty big game. He has shown flashes of brilliance in his two seasons in the minors. While Brennan may not see a ton of ice time, he will need to play a sound game in order to prove he is capable of remaining the first man up from the farm as the season progresses. Not to mention, this is a defensive corps without two of their best defensive zone players, Brennan will need to be responsible in his own end all night.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Jhonas Enroth 11GP, 7-2-0, 2.06 GAA, .931 SV%

BOS: Tim Thomas 14GP. 9-4-0, 1.77 GAA, .938 SV%

Last Game

11/12/2011, TD Garden, Sabres 2 – Bruins 6

The Sabres expected response against the Bruins

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The time for retribution has passed. As sad as it is to say, the Sabres opportunity to truly get payback for the hit Milan Lucic put on Ryan Miller was two Saturdays ago. Unfortunately the Sabres cowered at the thought of putting up a fight. They turtled and are now a laughing-stock for their soft play.

I can circle for $50 if you want.

Many Sabres fans are expecting a bloodbath tomorrow night. Fans have been calling to Joe Finley to be called up from Rochester in order to fight the big bad Bruins. I wouldn’t be surprised if some were expecting Dr. Hook McCracken, Screaming Buffalo Swamptown and Ogie Olglethorpe to take the morning skate. However, I doubt there will be anything close to a bloodbath tomorrow night.

Yes, the Sabres truly dropped the ball when Miller was run over. There needed to be some sort of toll for Lucic to pay after taking a run at Miller. Sadly, nothing was done. While it will be too late to truly may Lucic answer for his actions, a fight probably won’t be out of the question tomorrow. However, it is doubtful that multiple scraps will be in the cards. That doesn’t mean the Sabres are still a bunch of pansies. If they come out and play a physical game, they will prove there is more to this bunch than the soft shoves Lucic was handed last time around.

The one thing I have taken away from this situation is the overall resolve of this group of players. Sure, they can’t seem to figure out how to win at home and they often have slow starts which doom the outcome of some games. Still, Miller has let his voice be heard. As have Paul Gaustad and Robyn Regehr.

It seems as if the resounding message is, “we want to win and we want to win often.” Continue reading →

Time for Sabres to cure home woes

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Ten of the next twelve Sabres games will be played at First Niagara Center. This is a massive home stand that, when finished, will have wiped half of the home contests from the schedule.

No need for a full out liney, the Sabres just need to establish a physical edge at home.

The Sabres official home record is 5-6-0, however one win came in Europe so the record should stand 4-6-0. Buffalo’s road record is rather impressive, 7-2-0. Their road record is 8-2-0 if you count both European games as road contests.

While the current state of affairs down on Perry Street aren’t as dire as last season (0-6-1 before their first home victory), it is getting close. Buffalo are 3-2-0 in their last five home games but have dropped their last two despite outshooting both opponents.

Some losses are due to slow starts (ex. Philly loss) others are due to special teams maladies (ex. Carolina loss) and other times the team just doesn’t get the job done (ex. Wednesday and Saturday). Based on the upcoming schedule, this needs to stop.If the Sabres are to stumble through this stretch of games they will be back on the outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Unfortunately things don’t start off very easy. The NHL’s hottest team rolls into town two weeks removed from bullying the Sabres all over the ice. Boston has taken the Northeast Division lead on the heels of their ninth-straight win and will have a day of rest prior to facing the Sabres. Continue reading →

Deskchair Quarterback: Another embarrassment for the team lacking talent

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Chalk up 2011 as another season without the playoffs for the Buffalo Bills. A promising start as spiraled out of control, now the Bills look no better than the 4-12 team they fielded last season.

Their recently extended quarterback is showcasing all of his flaws as the Bills offense has been solved by the rest of the league. Injuries are piling up, on both sides of the ball, and there are few players available to serve as adequate replacements. Defensively the Bills are completely lost as their coordinator doesn’t seem capable of altering his game plan once the opponent exploits the scheme.

Frankly, some fans may have seen this coming. Despite the quick start there were plenty of question marks surrounding the team. The lack of depth, lack of drafted players, too many undrafted fill-ins, too much unproven “talent” to succeed.

Yesterday’s game was supposed to be a bounce back. In fact, three weeks ago it was a game that was supposed to be a gimmie as the Bills continued to build their playoff resume. Funny how those things changed and an assumed victory against a bottom feeder turned into an ugly loss devoid of any success on either side of the ball for the Bills. Continue reading →

Myers on the shelf for 4-6 weeks; Brennan recalled

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News broke this morning that Tyler Myers will miss up to six weeks due to surgery on his injured wrist. T.J. Brennan was recalled from Rochester to fill the void left by the injury.

Brennan was with the team in Carolina last Friday as a safety valve in the event that an injury or illness struck down a defensive corps that was already short Mike Weber. While there was no intent to play Brennan upon his last call-up, he will most certainly see time this week as the Myers injury left Buffalo with only five healthy defensemen.

While Myers hasn’t been a tower of power early this year, he had been trending back to an effective member of the blueline with three good outings after being a scratch against Montreal last Monday. While he hasn’t made major contributions to the team, Myers’ injury leaves a hole in the top half of a shaky set of defensemen. Inserting Brennan simply bumps the lower three up a peg. Marc-Andre Gragnani becomes number five, Christian Ehrhoff number four and so on.

Brennan will see limited minutes skating beside Gragnani and will just need to operate on the K.I.S.S. methodology. Having the chance to make his NHL debut will be a big deal for the former second-round pick. This is certainly an opportunity to showcase his talents to the organization and prove that he is worthy of a permanent promotion in the near future.

However, Brennan may not be staring at the biggest opportunity. Ehrhoff may just be the defenseman with the most to gain from the injury to Myers. Ehrhoff’s lack of responsibility in the defensive zone through the first 20 games has been lackluster, to say the least. He has loafed through many games and certainly isn’t living up to the big contract he signed in the offseason. He has put forth a much better effort in recent games and is hopefully finding his comfort zone in Buffalo. Regardless, the increased ice time he is likely to see in Myers’ absence will give him the chance to show he is worth the giant contract he signed in the offseason. A big effort from Ehrhoff would certainly lessen the blow dealt by the loss of Myers.

Double Minors: Sabres 2 – Coyotes 4

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Last night was a game the Sabres should have won. Plain and simple, the Sabres outplayed the Coyotes in nearly every aspect of the game. The bounces just didn’t go their way.

Buffalo’s opening salvo alone should have produced at least three goals and probably contained double the scoring chances. Mike Smith had a little luck on his side as the Sabres found two posts and whiffed on a few open nets. Shane Doan took the air right out of the building with a rocket from the right boards that found the top corner behind Jhonas Enroth.

While the second period was where things got away from the Sabres – outscored 2-1 and outshot 15-14 – the story of the game was a lack of finish. Ville Leino did a marvelous job creating a pair of opportunities, Thomas Vanek had a handful of great chances, none of them went in.

Special teams were a moot point in a game that featured only three minors and neither goaltender looked particularly sharp. Smith made 43 saves to get the win, many of them point-blank, but he was fighting the puck in the early going. Enroth himself looked more like the goaltender from Wednesday, rather than the one that stoned the Hurricanes on Friday. He was kicking out bad rebounds, and looked very uncomfortable for most of the game. Hi struggles, just like Buffalo’s inability to finish, showed on the scoreboard. All three Phoenix goals fall into the questionable category. The first being particularly egregious while the other two had plenty of defensive lapses before the goalie was ultimately beaten for a softie.

Either way, Enroth needs to be sharp when his team outshoots the opponent the way Buffalo has recently. Twice this week the Sabres have held possession and the shot advantage and twice they have lost the game. The forwards need to start finding the net, they have had plenty of chances but haven’t cashed in and the goaltenders need to make a few more saves for the team in front of them.

  • Obviously the home woes haven’t been solved yet. They need to soon, the Sabres play 10 of their next 12 at First Niagara Center. A strong showing on this run will open up a gap between the Sabres and those giving chase.
  • Tyler Myers looked as if he injured his right arm/shoulder/wrist on Buffalo’s second period penalty kill. He was protecting it quite a bit in the corner before heading off the ice. Losing him will be a major blow to this team. Losing your number six man is one thing, losing a top three guy is a totally different monster.
  • Credit where its due, the Leino/Boyes/Stafford line is dynamic. They move well with the puck and all three compliment each other well. If anyone doesn’t fit it may just be Stafford. Regardless, good job by Lindy Ruff putting those three together.
  • Luke Adam was rewarded by the hockey gods after he found iron in the first. His tip-in goal was a big boost for a young kid who was recently demoted to the third/fourth line. While Adam may be best suited to play between Vanek and Pominville, his line with Nathan Gerbe and Corey Tropp was involved offensively and looked far more dangerous than the Ellis/Gaustad/Kaleta line.
  • Christian Ehrhoff looked foolish on Phoenix’s second goal. However, his last two games have been impressive. While his offense hasn’t shown up yet, he has been involved in the defensive zone. He has even begun to play with a physical edge, something he was missing for games one through seventeen.
  • I was disappointed BizNasty didn’t have a better celey planned for last night. I’m sure the last thing he thought he would do is score a goal. But still, I was really hoping to see a one-of-a-kind celebration from the NHL’s best Twitter feed.

Three Stars

1. Mike Smith

2. Radim Vrbata

3. Luke Adam

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The Morning Skate: BizNasty and the ‘Yotes roll into Buffalo

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Paul Bissonnette’s mother will get to see him play in an NHL game for the first time. This is a great moment for the Welland native who is often in and out of the lineup due to his role as an enforcer.

BizNasty will be in the lineup for Phoenix tonight, how much ice time he gets is anybody’s guess, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see his line rolled out first as a treat to the pugilist and his family. In other news, former Sabre Taylor Pyatt will play his 700th NHL game this evening. Girls seem to think he is dreamy, I always thought he played soft for a guy his size.

Buffalo is playing the second half of their sixth set of back-to-back games this evening. According to that same TBN report, the Sabres have taken a few precautions to make sure they have plenty of energy heading into this evening’s contest.

Lindy Ruff will certainly go right back with Jhonas Enroth this evening as the rookie pitched a 34-save shutout last night and looked strong in doing so. The Sabres did a great job protecting the house last night and make Enroth’s work pretty easy. Still, the youngster made some huge saves and deserves to be ridden til he bucks this team.

The Sabres will likely ice the same line up as last night, why change the winning combination? Most reports have Jochen Hecht close to a return along with Tyler Ennis. It will be interesting to see who Hecht replaces (guessing Matt Ellis) once he comes back full time. While Hecht is pretty much the NHL leader in bad angle shots, he will offer a stable force for the Sabres in the defensive zone. The last thing I want to see if Luke Adam sent to Rochester in order to make room for Hecht.

Highlighted Matchup

The Sabres at home. Yep, the whole team is under the spotlight tonight. The Sabres are beasts on the road but are just .500 at home this season. Both Enroth and Ryan Miller have been victimized by lazy play in front of them on the First Niagara Center ice and it is high time the Sabres find a way to put out a solid home effort. Even some of their home victories (Winnipeg) came despite a brutal team effort. This issue needs to be solved now so it doesn’t crop up in the spring.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Jhonas Enroth 10GP, 7-1-0, 1.95 GAA, .935 SV%

PHO: Mike Smith 14GP, 8-3-3, 2.17 GAA, .934 SV%

Last Game

1/8/2011. Jobing.com Arena, Sabres 2 – Coyotes 1 OT

Double Minors: Sabres 1 – Hurricanes 0

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It is always nice to see the Hurricanes lose. It’s also nice knowing they’re wallowing near the Eastern Conference basement.

Jhonas Enroth put together a gem only days removed from a rough outing in which he was pulled early. The Sabres performed admirably as they limited Carolina’s prime chances and cleared most of the second opportunities. Still, the kid had to be sharp in the second period while the Sabres let the Canes roll up an 8-0 shot advantage.

Still, Buffalo pieced together a sound 60-minute effort, something they have struggled do to all season. Their goaltender was solid, they won the special teams battle and played complete team defense. So many games have featured a disjointed defensive effort from the Sabres, each defenseman was effective tonight and the forwards were equally strong in contributing.

The Sabres have to bounce back to First Niagara Center tonight for a game against BizNasty and the Coyotes. Considering Phoenix’s surprising start, the Sabres will certainly have their hands full.

  • Tyler Myers has officially played two good games in a row. He was involved offensively and managed to maintain his physical game at both ends. That benching really served as a wake up call.
  • Christian Ehrhoff may have had his most effective game thus far. While he didn’t find the scoresheet, he actually played defense and started getting pucks to the net on the power play. Perhaps his adjustment period is coming to an end as well, just like Ville Leino’s did.
  • Speaking of Leino. He, Drew Stafford and Brad Boyes were a pretty solid trio Sure, it is a line made up of three wingers, but they were very sound all night. It seems fairly obvious that Boyes is a better player when he is in the top-six. Shocker. Leino continued to come along in terms of comfort. I’ve been really obsessing over his progress this year simply because of his contract and the potential he brings to the table. I’m glad his creativity is coming back to him.
  • It is unfortunate that T.J. Brennan probably won’t see any time this weekend. You can’t really blame Ruff for sticking with his six best, but considering the type of response you get from a guy making his NHL debut, you may have gotten an equal or better return from Brennan that you get from, say, Marc-Andre Gragnani.
  • The special teams won the battle last night. After looking foolish in the home opener, the Sabres special teams have really progressed. The penalty kill remains stellar and the power play creates chances. Last night was a perfect combination.
  • It is going to be interesting to see what happens with Luke Adam. He was demoted to the fourth line, and won’t be seeing many minutes for the foreseeable future. He was effective with Vanek and Pominville and if he faltered Ruff would put a more responsible player in that slot. I fear that his removal from the top-six will hurt the team more than it will help.

Three Stars

1. Jhonas Enroth

2. Jason Pominville

3. Brian Boucher

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