The first half of this post focused on the five things you have to be confident about as the Sabres season begins. This portion will focus on the things that will have fans worried for the entire season, or until the issue is resolved.
Is the team’s depth going to be an issue? Will Ville Leino excel as a center? Will Ryan Miller return to Vezina form? There are flaws to every team, but in a championship-starved town the slightest slip up could flip the turnip truck. Continue reading
Most prognosticators have decided that the Sabres will either finish second in the Eastern Conference or out of the playoff race. While I don’t share that level of division, there are certainly a lot of questions surrounding the Sabres as they prepare to drop the puck on a new season.
Will the new additions on defense improve life for Ryan Miller? Will Jhonas Enroth provide to be an effective backup? Will Ville Leino be able to effectively play center? All of these questions lay at the forefront of the massive expectations that the fans and media have for this team. Of course, there are plenty of things to like about this team. Continue reading
The Buffalo Sabres announced via Twitter that Jason Pominville will be the full-time captain for the 2011-12 season. The assistants will be Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy, Drew Stafford and Thomas Vanek.
This is neither an exciting or boring choice. Many fans thought Vanek or Tyler Myers were the front runners to get the ‘C’ this season. Pominville has worn an ‘A’ for some time, it was a natural progression for him.
Pominville has certainly seen quite a bit during his time in Buffalo and has developed into a leader in many ways. Being drafted and developed by the organization was surely another advantage for the winger.
There is no reason to think Pominville is the wrong choice, the evidence that he is a capbable leader has been there for some time. Perhaps it is the fact that he isn’t as exciting of a choice as Vanek or Myers that is slightly off putting. The one thing you get with Pominville is steadiness. He is a consistent point producer and plays in every situation. He is also always speaking to the media after wins or losses. Pominvile definitely has some of the qualities that Chris Drury and Danny Briere brought to the captaincy. The hope will be that he elevates his game due to the letter.
Of course, he isn’t a gritty in-your-face guy either. That is what worries me. He doesn’t exude any attitude that would make you think he would run you through a wall. Say what you will about Craig Rivet, he had that quality. If there is any drawback to naming Pominville as captain, it is because he is what some may describe as soft.
Most of the assistants make sense. Roy and Gaustad are incumbents and Vanek was a better player when wearing an ‘A’ last year. Stafford is an interesting choice, I think Ruff is hoping to have the same effect with Stafford as the ‘A’ had on Vanek.
I am perplexed that Tyler Myers has been left off this list. He is going to be a leader for this team for a long time, there is no reason not to start him on that path now. I have little doubt he would have represented himself well with a letter. Perhaps if Gaustad is not re-signed next year Myers will inherit his letter.
I can’t say I’m happy with the selection of Pominville, but j can’t say I’m upset either. I trust he will be an effective captain, hopefully the new role kicks him into the 30-goal club.
Since it is a yearly occurrence for the West to have 13 teams in the playoff race and two team at least 20 points out of eighth, I struggled to find a good balance of picks this season. I made a bold choice with the Kings last year. While I don’t have them coming out of the West, I have made a similarly bold statement
Another NHL season is upon us after a summer that was filled with more Buffalo hockey news than you could shake a stick at. The entire Eastern Conference saw a shake up over the summer and the conference could see a similar playoff race, with seeds 7-12 all within shouting distance of each other. I think the same playoff cast will return this season, but with a few minor changes: Continue reading
An easy assessment of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft would be to call it the Year of the Defenseman. Twelve defensemen were taken in the first round with twelve more being taken in the second round. Nearly half of the first 60 picks were spent on players to patrol the blue line.
One of those defensemen was Tyler Myers. The Sabres selected Myers, the number four ranked North American skater, with the 12th selection in the first round. Buffalo actually traded up one spot, to ensure they got Myers before the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings selected Colton Teubert with the next selection. Myers was the fifth defenseman taken in the first round, behind blue chips; Drew Doughty (2, LA), Zach Bogosian (3, Atlanta), Alex Pietrangelo (4, St. Louis) and Luke Schenn (5, Toronto).
Myers signed a seven-year $38 million extension this summer. This preempted the massive eight-year $56 million contract given to Doughty by the Kings and the five-year $18 million deal that Schenn got. Bogosian is on his second contract (two years, $10 million) and Pietrangelo will get a new deal in two summers.
As for the six drafted below Myers, only three have seen extended time in the NHL and three have yet to see time in the NHL. Myers is the only one to win an NHL award but isn’t counted on as much as Doughty is. Meanwhile, Schenn and Bogosian both fill top-four roles for their respective clubs but aren’t yet the top defensemen on their teams.
Myers’ contract is one of the best of the bunch, both in terms of length and cost, and he has seen more success than a large fraction of the picks. Of the twelve first rounders, I rank them as follows: Continue reading
Rather than just offering analysis of a game I merely listened to I will present a different point of view on today’s game between the Sabres and Adler Mannheim.
I expected little from this game rather than a unique way for European hockey fans to see the Sabres. Adler Mannheim was obviously outmatched in this game as they gave up three first-period goals as the Sabres rolled 8-3. The Eagles presented a challenge in the early going, creating a few chances on Jhonas Enroth, but couldn’t skate with the Sabres for 60 minutes.
Luke Adam and Tyler Ennis each scored twice, although Adam’s second goal was awarded to Thomas Vanek. Christian Ehrhoff scored on his native soil, as well. From the sound of it, The Ville Leino, Brad Boyes and Ennis line was deadly for the entire game, something that will hopefully carry over to Friday and Saturday.
The overall atmosphere of this game is what should truly be taken away. There was little doubt that the Sabres would be capable of winning the game. But applaud the fans of Mannheim as they packed the standing room seats 90 minutes before puck drop and chanted and sang for the entire game. Not once did I hear silence from that section, a truly marvelous feature to any sporting event, particularly hockey.
I am just as guilty as every other Sabres fan, I am not one to stand up an lead my section in a “Sabres on the warpath” chant for a few minutes, let alone an entire game. Of course, the fans in the F’N Center probably wouldn’t even carry the chant. Too many people are sitting on their hands. It is about time the crowds for home Sabres games make a difference, I hope the regime and roster changes help spark that in the 18,690 each night. Continue reading
Three things were painfully apparent in the Bills’ 23-20 loses to the Bengals. The offense failed to control the tempo, the defense was very average and the NFL referees are nothing short of incompetent.
In a game the Bills led by 14, the Buffalo offense failed to generate any steam and was pushed around for much of the afternoon. The biggest failure was not establishing the running game early. It seemed as if their big offensive numbers had the coaching staff over confident in the passing game and they abandoned thief meal ticket, Fred Jackson.
Leaving Jackson in the garage let the Bengals tee off on the pass rush and make Ryan Fitzpatrick very uncomfortable. This was the first game that the offensive line was overwhelmed with a pass rush. It was reflected in every aspect of the offense.
With no running attack, Fitzpatrick was left to force throws, something that is not among his strengths. That made for a stagnant offense that couldn’t produce when it mattered. Their long third quarter scoring drive was efficient and balanced. Unfortunately they couldn’t duplicate those results.
Defensively, the Bills looked particularly effective in the first half. They forced three two turnovers and even created pressure on Andy Dalton. The run defense was stout and they even put two touchdowns points on the board.
The second half was a study in Jekyll and Hyde as the run defense disappeared and the coverage went to hell as A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham made the secondary look silly.
The biggest flaw was the inability to get a stop when it matters. A stop on the Bengals final drive would have likely equalled a sure win as the offense could have ground out the clock. Or course, the Bengals ran it down the Bills throats and kicked an easy game winning field goal.
There is no debating the poor officiating in this game. There were numerous missed calls on holding, illegal contact and pass interference. The pass interference calls are tough to decide on, but holding and illegal contact are obvious violations.
People want to know why Shawne Merriman only has one sack. It is because he gets bear hugged on nearly every play. The same goes for Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus. the defense had enough struggles without needing such an obvious competitive disadvantage thrown their way. I understand that there is a holding call on every play, but there were obvious situations that went uncalled.
Then there is the “tuck rule” and the Stevie Johnson “catch”. The ruling on the “tuck rule” pretty much aligned with the wording of the rule. However, the fact that an official rule revolves around a QB “changing his mind” is preposterous. It is either black or white, you can’t involve emotion I these things. It was pretty clear that Dalton was trying to absorb the sack, therefore it should have been a fumble. No doubt.
Of course the incomplete pass call reeked of a fixed game. A short completion on a well throw ball should have kept the Bills on the move and possibly could have resulted in the points that but the Bengals away.
Rather, the back judge made a nearly blind call that could not be overturned in replay. Even though it was pretty clear that Johnson’s forearm was under the ball on the turf. It doesn’t cost the Bills the game, but it was as close as you could get. Just a bad call all around.
Still, the Bills did more than enough to lose this game. They didn’t execute on either side of the ball and let the Bengals back from a 14-point deficit. Philly will present an equally difficult challenge on Sunday. The Eagles are going to be desperate for a win and their defensive line should offer a similar test that the Bengals d-line did.
The Sabres European Vacation is in full swing as they prepare to play their final preseason game against Adler Mannheim this afternoon.
The Sabres have had a few days to enjoy Germany and adjust to the time change after arriving over the weekend. A few practices and a stop to a U.S. military hospital has certainly kept the team busy. Now the actual business portion of the trip begins.
Jhonas Enroth will be starting today’s game and the Buffalo lineup will be slightly different than the final stateside preseason games were.With Derek Roy healthy, Lindy Ruff has shuffled his lines in order to keep chemistry while icing a balanced attack. According to John Vogl’s report, the lines will look something like this: Continue reading
As the offseason began, the construction crews moved into the First Niagara Center. Now that the summer has come to a close there are plenty of new features the soak in at One Seymour H Knox III Plaza.
Terry Pegula and company entered the offseason hoping to start the transformation of Buffalo into Hockey Heaven. It all started with the renovations of the Sabres locker room, plus an overhaul of the coaching staff’s offices and visitors locker space as well.
The locker room, expected to be the class of the NHL, is all but finished. An overhaul of the concessions and the de-Slugging of the entire arena was completed some time ago. The Sabres put gobs of money into the ice equipment, with laser beam Zambonis and dehumidification (is that a word) equipment. There are also plans to install a 90-foot video board on the outside of the arena, as well.
I’m certainly missing a handful of additional renovations and upgrades that will make the overall experience of the F’N Center – both on the ice and in the stands – better for everyone involved. Continue reading
Two in the Box 