Author: Chris Ostrander

Sabres goaltending rotation appears to be clear

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Having two capable goaltenders is never a bad problem, unless you’re in Vancouver. Finding a capable backup for Ryan Miller has been a struggle that goes back to Martin Biron’s trade during the 2006-07 season.

It has been well documented that Jhonas Enroth’s arrival late last year was to mark the end of the second guessing that came with giving Ryan Miller a rest. The new challenge will be finding Enroth the right amount of playing time behind Miller.

The 20-25 games neighborhood seemed to be the right number of starts to allocate for Enroth. That would leave Miller with roughly 60 games and conceivably provide him plenty of rest heading into the postseason. The inherent problem is that it is awfully easy to pencil in starts in August only to have the entire plan blown to hell once the season gets rolling.

Obviously Ruff has a plan to utilize Enroth and he is going to stick with that plan. This is a refreshing development, especially considering the agony that is watching Miller struggle through 30-straight starts without a considerable rest.

Miller threw the first monkey wrench into the works last week after turning in two brilliant performances against Montreal and Florida. He was given a third-straight start against Tampa Bay on Saturday, largely because he had stopped 62 of the previous 63 pucks directed his way. Enroth had previously been expected to get the start in Tampa, partly as a reward for a strong outing in Pittsburgh and partly to provide another early respite for Miller.

There is no reason why Ryan Miller should have been rested on Saturday. That should be made clear. He was spectacular in his previous two starts and you never walk away from the table when you’re on a heater. Ruff made the right choice in sticking with his starter and it paid off. Miller turned aside another 23 shots and gave his team a chance to win, despite a generally poor effort from the other 18 players.

Ruff is now faced with a slight dilemma regarding his goaltenders for the next three games. This begins against the same Lightning team that shutout the Sabres on Saturday.

Enroth is nearing a point of being on the shelf for too long and is deserving of another start. The one key for the year will be to keep Enroth playing at a fairly regular clip. Of course, Miller is still exhibiting many signs that he is on a major hot streak, something you wouldn’t want to disrupt by sitting him down for a night.

In terms of scheduling, the Sabres have the second half of their home-and-home with Tampa Bay, followed by visits from the lowly Blue Jackets (Thursday) and the Panthers (Saturday). Next week brings Philadelphia (an obvious start for Miller) and Calgary, but those two games don’t factor into the immediate schedule just yet.

There are two ways to approach the upcoming games: stick with the hot hand (Miller) for one more game before giving Enroth the start against the Western Conference team who has seriously stumbled out of the gates; or get Miller a night off now and let him rest for what should be an easy start on Thursday. Miller plays on Saturday in either scenario.

The best approach to the week will probably be to put Enroth in on Tuesday and follow with Miller for the next three games (Columbus, Florida, Philadelphia). Not only will that provide for a potential start for Enroth against a Western Conference foe (Calgary) ,but it puts the best roster on the ice for a game Buffalo will be fully expected to win against Columbus – a team that the Sabres have struggled with historically.

Really, there is no wrong way to go about this, which is not a luxury many teams have. Ultimately Miller will get the lion’s share of the games that is inevitable. What is important is that Enroth be used strategically and allow Miller to stay fresh for the duration of the season. It certainly seems as if that is the strategy the coaching staff has adopted.

Double Minors: Sabres 0 – Lightning 3

Chris Ostrander1 Comment

Being at the other end of a shutout is never something you want to endure. Neither is posting a game recap a full day late – but this is the best I can do.

Lesson 1: Leaving Marty St. Louis alone in front is a bad idea.

Mathieu Garon has never been a great goalie. In fact, he could barely be considered a good goalie most of the time. Of course, he has had a strong start to the season for the Tampa Bay Lightning and managed to blank the Sabres yesterday, turning aside 21 Sabres shots.

Buffalo put forth a disappointing effort in front of yet another sparkling performance from Ryan Miller. An early injury to Tyler Ennis didn’t help matters as Lindy Ruff was forced to shuffle his lines for practically the entire game. However, that didn’t seem to matter as neither 11 or 12 forwards would have helped the effort Buffalo put forth.

The Sabres power play continues to falter, going 0-for-3 on the evening and accumulating one goal in eight attempts on the road trip. A 12.5% success rate is not where the Buffalo power play was expected to operate, particularly with the additions made to each unit.

Perhaps the silver lining is that the Sabres penalty kill has been stellar. Aside from denying quality chances, the man-down unit is operating at full efficiency. While the power play isn’t producing, the opponents aren’t finding the net on Buffalo’s penalties which makes all special teams a wash.

  • The Tyler Ennis injury made some difficult combinations for the coaching staff. However, Ville Leino found his way to the left wing with Derek Roy and Drew Stafford. This could certainly turn into a permanent role for the new acquisition as he seems to be far comfortable on the wing. Regardless of the length of Ennis’ injury, Leino should probably find his way to the wing. He had the most success playing from the wing, why not put him back in his comfort zone.
  • Robyn Regehr continues to be a mean SOB. The Myers/Regehr pairing is clearly going to turn into the shutdown pairing the Sabres have been searching for since the beginning of last season.
  • Marc-Andre Gragnani is not only struggling in the defensive zone, he isn’t even offering much to the man advantage. Of course, the entire power play has been bad, but Gragnani is not in a position where he can struggle. The door for Mike Weber continues to open as Gragnani’s struggles mount. My personal opinion is to reward Andrej Sekera with some power play time (he has been one of Buffalo’s best defensemen) while putting Weber back into the lineup.
  • Ryan Miller was outstanding for the entire road trip. After his performance against Montreal and his shutout in Florida there was no reason to take him out against Tampa. Jhonas Enroth deserves another look and should get it against Tampa on Tuesday. Plus, throwing a wrinkle at the Bolts could prove to be very beneficial.
  • I’ll continue to pump the tires of the Vanek-Adam-Pominville line until they give me a reason not to. Their offensive zone possession has been dominant game-in and game-out. While I wouldn’t hate to see Leino center these two wingers, there is no reason to take Adam away from the Sabres’ most productive line.
  • Aside from a major defensive gaffe and a well-placed point shot, the Sabres were still in Saturday’s game thanks to Ryan Miller. Not getting consistent scoring from anyone other than the Vanek-Adam-Pominville trio will hurt the Sabres if it continues.

Three Stars

1. Mathieu Garon

2. Victor Hedman

3. Brett Connolly

NHL Links

Game Summary

Event Summary

The Morning Skate: Sabres vs. Lightning

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The road has been kind to the Sabres this season. Buffalo enters the final game of their four-game swing with a 3-0 record. The Sabres are 5-1 on the season.

Buffalo has only played once at home this season, a 4-3 loss to Carolina last Friday. Buffalo’s five other games have been played in other buildings – three on the road, two at neutral sites in Europe. While one of the European games counted as a home contest, it was anything but that. The NHL should adjust their statistics accordingly.

It has been an interesting week for the Sabres considering they have come away with all four points despite playing a sub-par game on Tuesday evening. For as bad as the Sabres were on Tuesday, they were that good on Thursday against the Panthers. Buffalo’s road trip has been buoyed by the play of their stars; Ryan Miller, Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek have been pivotal in Buffalo’s early success.

The Sabres will be facing a dangerous team that has stumbled out of the gates. Tampa Bay was projected to be among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Lightning’s struggled to find the net have been further augmented by Dwayne Roloson’s early. After rolling Carolina 5-1 to open the season, Tampa Bay has been held under three goals in three separate games. However, they have allowed over four, or more, goals in four of their seven games.

Despite their defensive shortcomings, Tampa Bay remains a dangerous opponent. Outside of the usual suspects (Lecavalier, St. Louis, Stamkos), the Lightning boast a number of offensive threats such as Ryan Malone, Teddy Purcell and Steve Downie (if he isn’t in the box). In fact, the make-up of the Tampa Bay roster is very similar to that of the Sabres. Tampa Bay is a deep team, capable of putting out multiple lines that can generate offense. They are equally lethal from the blue line.

What will ultimately tip the scales in either direction will be the play of the Tampa Bay goaltenders. Roloson, just months removed from a fantastic playoff run, is suddenly showing his age. Backup Mathieu Garon has always been a steady backup, but is typically inconsistent. Garon’s 1.93 GAA and .938 SV% far exceed Roloson’s bloated 5.09 GAA and .858 SV%.

Garon got his first win of the year on Thursday against the Islanders. I would expect Guy Boucher to go back to Garon as he has been the better goaltender early in the year. There is no reason to think Ryan Miller hasn’t warranted another start based on his past two performances. It seems fitting to hold onto Jhonas Enroth until Tuesday night at home.

Highlighted Matchup

Tyler Myers and Robyn Regehr vs. Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. The Sabres have created a formidable shut down pairing with Myers and Regehr. Even while his offensive game hasn’t been at all-star status, Myers has continued to cultivate the mean streak he found in the playoffs. The pairing will likely be tasked with keeping an eye on Tampa’s top two weapons who have combined for five goals and ten points on the year.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Ryan Miller 5 GP, 4-1-0, 1.61 GAA, .950 SV%

TB: Mathieu Garon 4GP, 1-1-1, 1.93 GAA, .938 SV%

2010-11 Season Series

11/20/2010, HSBC Arena, Sabres 1 – Lightning 2

12/18/2010, St. Pete Times Forum, Sabres 1 – Lightning 3

2/8/2011, St. Pete Times Forum, Sabres 7 – Lightning 4

4/5/2011, HSBC Arena, Sabres 4 – Lightning 2

New news on NHL realignment stirs the pot

Chris Ostrander6 Comments

The tangled web of NHL realignment has more solutions than an algebra test. Considering the whole topic is so complicated there is little use of trying to make heads or tails of a potential end to it all.

However, this tweet from Adam Proteau was brought up Tuesday afternoon on TSN 1050 and it really got the wheels turning in my head (ok there is just one wheel).

Any previous permutation of the potential alignment for the 2012-13 season was tackled by Bob McKenzie. I’m personally a fan of his final scenario (Plan F), in which Winnipeg would start a counter-clockwise rotation of teams in each division. While it involves moving the most teams, it also creates the best regional and time zone matchups.

Let’s put Winnipeg in the Northwest Division, but keep Minnesota, Colorado,
Calgary and Edmonton there, and move Vancouver to the Pacific Division.
Vancouver in the Pacific makes a lot of sense because, well, every team in the
Pacific would actually be on Pacific time. That would allow Dallas to move from
the Pacific to the Central.

Continue reading →

Double Minors: Sabres 3 – Panthers 0

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Ryan Miller was front and center yet again for the Sabres as he turned away all 22 shots the Panthers threw at him yesterday. While it wasn’t nearly the same test that Montreal tossed at him, Miller was equally solid in earning his first shutout of the season.

Unlike Tuesday, Miller wasn’t bombarded at any point during the game. The Sabres were the team to carry the play, registering double digits in shots each period. Buffalo didn’t allow more than nine shots on goal in a single period.

Lindy Ruff’s line shake up breathed some life into the legs of Ville Leino and Brad Boyes. While their line didn’t register a point;, Leino made a brilliant cross-crease feed to Jason Pominville for Buffalo’s second goal. Obviously Leino would fare quite well on a line with players like Vanek and Pominville, perhaps it was skating with a fellow playmaker (Tyler Ennis) that caused him to struggle.

In addition to Pominville’s goal, the Sabres top line continued their bombardment of the stat sheet. Vanek had a pair of goals, including one on the power play and Pominville factored on all three Buffalo scoring plays. Luke Adam, Pominville and Vanek have combined for 25 points (9+16) in six games.

After a game in which the Sabres could do nothing right, outside of their goaltender, Buffalo pulled a complete 180 in this one. The power play was effective, the penalty kill remained strong and the team played an effective game from top to bottom.

With a day to rest before they wrap up their road trip in Tampa, the Sabres should be very pleased with their early success.

  • I feel for Lindy Ruff. He went three years without a capable backup goaltender. Now he has one and his starter is playing out of his mind. The original plan for this road trip was likely to get Enroth Saturday’s game. However, there is no reason to sit Miller down just yet. Ruff will surely ride the hot hand in Tampa and go to Enroth upon Buffalo’s return to the F’N Center.
  • Tyler Myers must have had some bad clams on Monday, because his performance in Montreal was beyond forgettable. However, Myers was in top form against the Panthers. He was physical and moved the puck extremely well. He made a great pinch and a better pass to Pominville for Buffalo’s first goal. That is the type of game that could get him rolling.
  • Thomas Vanek has been well documented as a streak scorer. He rolled up the most goals in the calendar year of 2008, a streak that spanned the second half of 07-08 and the first half of 08-09. So long as Vanek is hot, the Sabres offense will be difficult to handle.
  • The same might be said about Jason Pominville. He often hits patches in the schedule where his scoring goes dead (all goal scorers do). Playing with Vanek on his opposite wing seems to have opened up his game. Both wingers possess the ability to feed and finish. Obviously it is paying off for Buffalo’s top line.
  • Paul Gaustad has had two fights and he has yet to break any bones in his hands. It seemed like Matt Bradley was trying to get his team going by initiating with Gaustad, turns out he made a bad choice. Both of Gaustad’s fights have been awesome. Watch his first here, both courtesy of HockeyFights.com.
  • While Tyler Ennis has yet to find the score sheet, he will. Bear in mind that this is game number six. If this streak extends past game 15 there may be cause for concern. Stay patient with Ennis, he will find the net again.

Three Stars

1. Thomas Vanek

2. Ryan Miller

3. Jason Pominville

NHL Links

Game Summary

Event Summary

Some random thoughts for the outer harbor

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This post has been a long time coming. While I don’t consider myself as an expert on city planning, I’ve been around to enough cities to see what does and doesn’t work. This summer got my mind working as to what is still missing from Buffalo

I was able to find my way around the city and took in quite a few of the best activities WNY has to offer. Still, I feel like there is so much potential waiting to be unlocked. For the first time I don’t think Canalside is the center of this. I actually think the Outer Harbor is where the greatest opportunity lies.

The well documented white flag waved by the NFTA has made the enormous expanse that comprises the Outer Harbor available for purchase. With all 60 acres are up for sale, seems like a great chance for someone to do something dramatic, sort of like this.

Allow me to dream big for a moment. Outside of a savior stepping in and saying they will build a brand-spanking new stadium for the Bills on this space (because that would be totally badass), I would love to see the Buffalo Zoo relocated and expanded on a large portion of this land. I understand the capital involved in such a project is rather inconceivable, but I’m simply thinking out loud. Continue reading →

The Morning Skate: Sabres vs. Panthers

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Dale Tallon went on a shopping spree this summer in an effort to get the Florida Panthers over the salary cap floor. He did so by acquiring a number of players that many would place in the “fringe” category.

The Sabres make their first stop in Florida on game three of a four-game road trip. The Sabres have played four of five games away from the First Niagara Center this season and six of the first ten games are played away from home.

After stealing two points from the struggling Canadiens on Tuesday, the Sabres will look to keep pace with Toronto atop the Northeast Division. Ryan Miller was outstanding for all 60 minutes on Tuesday and there is little reason to think he won’t get the start against the Panthers this evening.

Paul Hamilton reported that Mike Weber was seeing time with the top-six in practice while Marc-Andre Gragnani was the extra defenseman. While the potential demotion isn’t a full indictment of Gragnani’s play – he struggled mightily on Friday and Saturday last week – it may also show that Lindy Ruff wants more defensively responsible players on the ice.

With Jochen Hecht still sidelined and Gragnani in the lineup, the Sabres were a top-heavy team with offensive talent. Few players in the current lineup are ones to think defense first. Perhaps Ruff wants the added insurance that a stay-at-home defenseman offers, particularly in the defensive zone.

In addition to “please don’t boo me” Brian Campbell, the Panthers have Sabre-killer Sean Bergenheim and several other key players who wore different uniforms last season. That includes Jose Theodore who will likely get the nod in goal after Jacob Markstrom made his NHL debut earlier in the week.

Don’t think Florida is struggling due to all the new faces. The Panthers hung seven on Tampa Bay two days after topping the Lightning in a shootout. Theodore has been great to start the season and the Sabres will need a better start than they had in Montreal if they hope to escape with two points.

Highlighted Matchup

The young Panthers defense corps vs. Buffalo’s three-pronged attack. The Sabres recent line shuffle has taken a bit of potency out of their attack. Still, the Sabres boast two legitimate scoring lines plus two additional lines that will not struggle to produce. The Panthers have four defensemen under the age of 30, plus Campbell who has had an up and down run since leaving Buffalo. If the Sabres can generate a solid forecheck against these young rearguards it could mean additional scoring chances for most of the night. If Florida can weather the storm – or adjusts their lineup as the Hurricanes did – they will have plenty of success shutting down the Buffalo attack.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Ryan Miller 4GP, 3-1-0, 2.01 GAA, .942 SV%

FLA: Jose Theodore 4GP, 3-1-0, 2.47 GAA, .920 SV%

2010-11 Season Series BUF 2-2-0

12/17/2010, Bank Atlantic Center, Sabres 2 – Panthers 6

12/23/2010, HSBC Arena, Sabres 3 – Panthers 4

2/10/2011, Bank Atlantic Center, Sabres 3 – Panthers 2 OT

3/25/2011, HSBC Arena, Sabres 4 – Panthers 2

Finding the right spot for Ville Leino

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Of the three off-season acquisitions made by the Buffalo Sabres, Ville Leino was probably the biggest question mark.

Would a move back to wing benefit Ville Leino?

Leino was acquired to play center, despite playing exclusively as a winger in Detroit and Philadelphia. He has proven to be a playoff performer (21 points in 19 games for Philly in 2010) and had a solid 2010-11 season for the Flyers (19+34). For those playing at home, that would have been second-highest on Buffalo’s roster. Leino was dynamic playing a wing/center hybrid for the Flyers alongside Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell.

Darcy Regier and the Sabres were convinced Leino could play center and play center well. Perhaps they reached a bit after losing the Brad Richards sweepstakes, but they identified Leino as an adequate piece of the Stanley Cup puzzle. He was expected to step into Tim Connolly’s role and improve on the shortcomings the oft-injured center had. Continue reading →

Double Minors: Sabres 3 – Canadiens 1

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It was the Ryan Miller show in Montreal this evening. While the rest of the Sabres waited until the game was 30 minutes old to start playing.

Miller was outstanding through the first two periods and even better in the third period, stopping at least 10 shots in each stanza. Most of the Sabres deserve a bag skate after this one, but Thomas Vanek wired a slap shot, top corner, just before the second period ended and Jordan Leopold scored his first of the year earlier in the second. In fact, the Leopold-Ehrhoff paring was easily Buffalo’s best.

Buffalo’s special teams had a solid outing, the penalty kill went five-for-five and are now 18 for 20 on the season (90%). The power play was 0-for-1 but is showing that it can create chances. Saturday in Pittsburgh is a better testament to this point but obviously the man-up unit is a work in progress and will continue to come together.

Miller was Buffalo’s best penalty killer on the evening making numerous big saves while the Sabres were short a man. His sliding glove save against Raphael Diaz is the best save a Sabres goaltender has made this season. Obviously the day of rest helped his mental and physical game, have Jhonas Enroth is going to pay dividends for the Sabres all season long.

  • Cody McCormick wasn’t voted a star this evening but he certainly deserves one. Before Lindy Ruff shuffled his lines (more on that later), the McCormick-Gaustad-Kaleta line were the only Buffalo forwards giving any effort. McCormick’s fight was a turning point for Buffalo.
  • It has only been five games and Lindy Ruff has moved some pieces around. The top line of Vanek-Adam-Pominville was kept together, for good reason, while the other nine forwards were shuffled. The lines looked like this: Gerbe-Gaustad-Kaleta, Ennis-Roy-Stafford, McCormick-Leino-Boyes. The final line concerns me for a few reasons. Cody McCormick is wasted with those two players and it also seems like Ruff is throwing his hands up in regards to Boyes and Leino. Boyes in particular. It would be a shame for Leino’s psyche to be shaken early in the season and for the Sabres to lose a potential 60-point player. I’m hoping Ruff finds a way to work him back with some scorers.
  • Marc-Andre Gragnani had a better game than his previous two outings. His partner, Andrej Sekera, continues to be quietly effective in his role. I would go so far as to say Sekera has been the most consistent defenseman on the ice this season. Gragnani’s play may not warrant a benching, but the overall in-zone play by the Sabres may necessitate a change of some sort.
  • The wing play in zone this evening was horrendous. Not until the third period was there any sort of structure to Buffalo’s breakout. It trickled down to defensive coverage as well. As stated above, inserting a greater defensive presence in the lineup (Mike Weber) may help in shoring up some of the shortcomings the Sabres have been having in the defensive zone.
  • Thomas Vanek had a very good game. Ignore the penalties. The first was just a horrible call while the second was somewhat necessary in clearing the front of the net. He was probably the most active member of his line past the 10-minute mark of the second period. He also continued to play pretty good defensive hockey. There may be a two-way player in there somewhere.
  • Tyler Myers had a very rough game. He looked very sluggish and made some questionable plays with the puck. However, he remained strong in the corners and in front of his net. It seems like he is pressing a bit – much like he did early in the season last year. I trust that he will settle in and find that dominant game he had much of the second half in 2010-11.
  • Yet again the NHL officiating in Montreal was horrible. The first penalty on Thomas Vanek should had been ignored and the phantom slash called on Tyler Ennis was easily the worst of the evening. Ville Leino also received a healthy slash that created the turnover that helped lead to the Montreal goal. I’m guessing most officials are afraid of being burned alive by rioting Habs fans after the games. It is the only explanation for some of the things I saw.

Three Stars

1. Ryan Miller

2. Max Pacioretty

3. Raphael Diaz

NHL Links

Game Summary

Event Summary

The Morning Skate: Sabres vs. Canadiens

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The first of six meetings between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens takes place this evening at the Bell Centre.

While Buffalo’s record in Montreal isn’t horrendous – 5-4-1 in their last ten games – the Bell Centre has always been  building I haven’t been fond of when the Sabres have to go and visit. Montreal took the season series on points (3-1-2) but the teams split the victories evenly in 2010-11, with the home team winning only twice in six attempts.

Buffalo has had a couple of days off prior to heading up north and managed to rebound nicely with a 3-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Jhonas Enroth isn’t likely to start this evening, but has been promised time on this current four-game road trip. I would expect to see him no later than Saturday’s contest in Tampa.

I also suspect that Marc-Andre Gragnani will have one last chance to redeem himself after two poor outings last weekend. Despite what he offers to the power play, Gragnani has been a train wreck in his own zone and it may mean the defensive-minded Mike Weber gets a look in Grgagnani’s stead.

Montreal will be desperate for a win after suffering a pair of tough losses in which they allowed nine goals in the two contests. Montreal’s only victories this season came via 5-1 drubbings of both the Lightning and Jets, two teams that have combined for two victories.

Carey Price has played in every game but has not shown the prowess that put him among the Vezina candidates last year in Vegas. Tomas Plekanec (a perennial Sabre killer) leads the Habs, along with Max Pacioretty, with four points (2+2) on the year. Montreal has suffered from an early injury bug along with some under performing players.

If there is such thing as a trap game for the Sabres, this would certainly be it.

Highlighted Matchup

Carey Price vs. Ryan Miller. Price has yet to see the bench for the Habs and isn’t likely to get a reprieve any time soon as Peter Budaj may just be the worst back up in the NHL. While he is in somewhat of a funk right now, Price always gets up for games against Miller and the Sabres. I don’t doubt that today will be any different. The same goes for Miller. He is 19-8-5 for his career against Montreal. He only holds a better record over Boston and Toronto.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Ryan Miller 3GP, 2-1-0, 2.35 GAA, .928 SV%

MTL: Carey Price 4 GP, 1-2-1, 2.96 GAA, .880 SV%

2010-11 Season Series BUF 3-3-0

10/15/2010, HSBC Arena, Sabres 1 – Canadiens 2

11/5/2010, HSBC Arena, Sabres 2 – Canadiens 3

11/27/2010, Bell Centre, Sabres 1 – Canadiens 3

1/18/2011, HSBC Arena, Sabres 2 – Canadiens 1 OT

2/15/2011, Bell Centre, Sabres 3 – Canadiens 2 SO

3/22/2011, Bell Centre, Sabres 2 – Canadiens 0