In the seventh edition of The Instigator Podcast, Eric and I take a look at where things could head with regards to amping up the fans and creating a raucous atmosphere similar to that of the MTS Centre.
As always, comments and criticism are welcome on Twitter.
It was the biggest game of the season, to date, and the Sabres needed a strong showing. They didn’t get one. Buffalo looked flat for most of the game as they fell to the Winnipeg Jets 3-1.
The Sabres were facing a tough battle from the get-go. The final game of a rough west coast trip, in one of the league’s loudest barns against a team they are chasing for a playoff spot. Perhaps the deck was stack in the Jet’ favor before the puck dropped, but there was little push from Buffalo’s side of the table all night.
I don’t doubt that the fatigue factor played a major role in Buffalo’s performance, but it was just another one of those games where this group of players didn’t show up when they needed to. That isn’t necessarily a blanket statement, either. Ryan Miller had yet another impressive game (28 saves) and certainly gave his team a chance to get a victory. For the second-straight game in Winnipeg, Miller was strong and his team was flat.
Once again the top line of Thomas Vanek, Derek Roy and Jason Pominville were non-existent and turned a pair of three-on-two rushes into odd-man goals for the Jets. Lindy Ruff responded by plunking Vanek on the bench and using Roy as his extra attacker late in the game (#LindyLogic).
There can’t be too much overreacting put into this loss. Yes, it was a pivotal game. No, it doesn’t mean the season is over. Bottom line, it makes the journey to eighth that much harder and things would be a whole lot different if this road trip was finished 4-0-0.
After two months of poor hockey and numerous losses, the Sabres are in a position to get back into a playoff spot against Winnipeg. With a regulation win the Sabres will be in a tie for eighth place. A win tonight would be another major step in an impressive, improbable turnaround.
Ryan Miller will be back in net again tonight. His game has been in phenomenal shape as of late, but I fear that his endurance is running low after a full run of hockey since the All Star break. In the one game he had off, he played 30 minutes after Jhonas Enroth was pulled in Philadelphia.I don’t doubt Miller will still have a strong outing, I just wonder if he had been better rested if his play would be that much better. I suppose this is still in line with the goaltending schedule.
Buffalo needs a 60-minute effort. They had three tough games on little rest on the West coast, tonight’s game comes after some rest for a road weary team. The Sabres top line has been absent as of late and that needs to change immediately. Without the production of Vanek and Pominville, the mountain that is the playoff race gets that much steeper.
Highlighted Matchup
Vanek/Roy/Pominville. This line has been slumping for a short period of time. It is my opinion that Derek Roy has negatively impacted the play of his two wingers. Regardless of the true cause of this slump, it needs to be snapped. Vanek and Pominville have been Buffalo’s MVPs all season. Tonight would be a great day to for them to turn a corner.
Projected Goaltenders
BUF: Ryan Miller
WPG: Ondrej Pavelec
Last Meeting
Sabres 1 – Jets 4, MTS Centre, 1/19/2012
After leaning on Ryan Miller for over a week, Buffalo’s offense woke up and provided the necessary scoring support that has been absent for a number of games this season. Of course, the Sabres did play on their heels for most of the final two periods.
Darcy Regier was likely smiling big after Ville Leino put in a pair of goals and Brad Boyes picked a corner to chase Robert Luongo after only six minutes. Christian Ehrhoff scored the winning goal and Cody Hodgson continued to display the skills that Buffalo has been lacking down the middle all year.
Granted, Zack Kassian played like and angry junkyard dog all night and picked up a late goal to keep the game interesting. The game Kassian showed last night was the type of hockey Buffalo drafted him for. That attitude was in and out during his time with the Sabres. Whether his game was inconsistent because of his attitude, coaching or lack of veteran leadership; is unknown. In my opinion it is a combination of all three. I have to think his immaturity played a role, especially considering the assumed core of the team. Add to a system that appears to be predicated on position and puck control over physical domination, you have a perfect storm for a bust.
The Sabres win gives them a chance to tie Winnipeg tomorrow night and snag a playoff spot for the first time in what seems like the entire season. The playoff push has gotten awfully interesting just over a month removed from the Fail for Nail campaign.
Tonight’s reunion for Cody Hodgson, Alexander Sulzer, Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani isn’t likely to be too friendly. They will face their former teams only five day after the four players were involved in the most surprising trade of the 2012 deadline.
Hodgson has already shown his two-way skill and offensive prowess while centering Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford. The needs he addressed for the Sabres were exactly what has been missing for most of the season. The same can be said for Kassian in Vancouver. His physical edge is something the Canucks have been looking to build on and he should provide a nice bit of sandpaper for the playoffs.
It is my contention that the culture of the Sabres organization wasn’t suited to bring out the best in Kassian. His bruising style is the reason they drafted him. However, I don’t think the locker room has any veterans who can help young players identify the need to play 100% every night. Additionally, I don’t think the coaching staff preaches the need to finish checks and bury opponents. Considering that, you would see why Kassian’s physical game was often missing. Losing Kassian’s toughness is ok, that is something that can be purchased via free agency.
Tonight is just another arduous matchup for the Sabres. They need every point possible and are on a western road swing against some of the Western Conference’s best teams. Vancouver is playing brilliant hockey and is a deep, talented team. This is a game that will truly test Buffalo’s hot streak.
I’d expect to see Jhonas Enroth in net, for reasons I name later. Vancouver could roll out either of their goaltenders and give the Sabres fits. Buffalo beat Vancouver in OT last season, but Vancouver’s depth is likely to give the Sabres a lot of trouble tonight. For a road trip that has been tough enough, it seems to get more difficult as it continues.
Highlighted Matchup
Jhonas Enroth. He almost has to play tonight. Ryan Miller was extremely busy on Wednesday and Thursday. Miller also suffered some sort of injury late in the third period on Thursday. Whatever was hurt (ankle, calf etc.) doesn’t seem to be serious. But I’d play it safe, especially considering the hot streak he has been on. Enroth needs to spell his partner and a day off against a dangerous Canucks team might be just what the doctor ordered for Miller. Not to mention, he would be fully rested for Monday’s pivotal game against Winnipeg. Still, don’t be surprised if Ruff trots Miller out yet again. He still doesn’t seem to have a grasp on rotating his goaltenders.
Projected Goaltenders
BUF: Jhonas Enroth
VAN: Roberto Luongo
Last Meeting
Sabres 4 – Canucks 3, HSBC Arena, 11/15/2011
*no stats for tonight*
Ryan Miller has been playing at a level reminiscent of his 2009-10 season. The last two nights of hockey have been nothing short of spectacular. After stopping 43 shots against Anaheim on Wednesday (20 in the 3rd), Miller turned away 39 more last night against San Jose. 
Buffalo inched two points closer to a playoff spot on the back of Miller. Drew Stafford picked up the lone goal for Buffalo in the victory. The story again was Miller’s stellar play, but his collision with Pat Kaleta late in the third period may end up being the most important storyline.
After making a solid glove save on Brent Burns, Miller was struck by Kaleta as he slid into the goaltender on the tail end of the play. It looked as if Kaleta was helped by Ryane Clowe a little on the way, his momentum carried Miller’s right leg hard into the post. From what I could tell, Miller’s contact with the post was fairly significant. He struggled a bit and avoided pushing with his right leg for the remainder of the game.
Bottom line, if Miller is injured in any significant way, the chances of the Sabres sneaking into a playoff spot would seem to be unlikely. I’ll hold out to see more evidence, but I’m hoping that the pain he was dealing with didn’t go beyond the third period.
The Sabres do need to find a way to start putting pucks in the net on a regular basis. Miller’s play has been stellar, but Buffalo can’t count on Miller to steal every point for the rest of the season.The Sabres have found a way to play decent defensive hockey without Paul Gaustad on the roster, it doesn’t seem as if they miss him too much just yet. But they were chasing quite a bit in the third period and it would seem as if they could use a solid defensive center at times like that.
It’s been a busy week, but this story represents the second portion of my deadline breakdown of the trades made by Darcy Regier on Monday’s trade deadline.
The Cody Hodgson acquisition was more electric than most trades usually made by Darcy Regier. However, when strictly evaluating return, I would say that poaching a first round pick in exchange for Paul Gaustad and a fourth is a massive victory for Regier.
Moving Gaustad was a necessary evil. He is a pending UFA and is allegedly asking for $3m per year on a new contract. Gaustad is barely worth the $2.3m cap hit he has now; let alone a raise to $3m. He has plenty of intangibles that are attractive to playoff teams, which is why I understand the interest he attracted at the deadline. However, I’m not sure a first round pick was equal to what he will bring to the Predators.
Gaustad has toughness, kills penalties and wins faceoffs. Those traits are going to be valuable if the Predators hope to advance deep in the playoffs. They also have the depth and talent to part with the first round pick they gave up. Of course, if they win the Cup there will be no questioning the trade on their end.
Replacing Gaustad will be difficult. There is an outside chance that he opts for a hometown discount and signs on July 1. If that scenario played out, Regier would have pulled an amazing feat; basically trading a fourth round pick for a first. Assuming Gaustad ends up elsewhere, there are plenty of other checking centers available on the free agent market. Since these players are so common, his loss is less impactful. I doubt Regier will struggle to replace Gaustad’s toughness and defensive prowess based on the impending UFA crop.
For the Sabres, the first round pick could be gold. The last time they picked twice in the first round they ended up with Tyler Myers and Tyler Ennis. Considering the Sabres are likely going to have a selection somewhere near the top-ten, a pair of first round talents is nothing to sneeze at. Buffalo also has two second round picks too. That means Darcy Regier has four selections in the first sixty picks.
Those four picks gives Regier the option to package them in a trade for a roster player. A hockey trade, if you will. There is plenty of chatter that the Sabres are attempting to move either Drew Stafford or Derek Roy, possibly even both. While these rumors aren’t necessarily confirmed, packaging one of those forwards with a first round selection could certainly bring a hefty return. Even using the first and one of their second round picks along with a player would be a very interesting trade offer for any team to consider. Continue reading
Trade deadline acquisitions are often best evaluated farther down the line. Especially when you consider the player-for-picks culture of the NHL these days, scoring the return on Deadline Day trades is often an interesting task.
However, Darcy Regier pulled off quite a doozy on Monday afternoon that left him as the perceived deadline winner amongst a great many fans and experts. Buffalo’s acquisition of Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer for Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani was a true hockey trade that should address needs for both teams. Which team won the trade? That is a far more difficult question to address.
Frankly, this strikes me as a pretty even exchange of talent. Mainly because each team acquired a young, highly touted prospect who has traits desperately needed by the team acquiring the player. Vancouver gets a (sometimes) tough winger who can score goals and is willing to drop the gloves. They also get an upcoming RFA defenseman with strong offensive skills. The Canucks wanted to get some more grit and saw Kassian as the answer. If they can mentor him properly, I have little doubt his mean streak will come out.
On the Buffalo end, this trade did two things. First, it moved a defenseman who was stuck on the depth chart and that likely would have received another one-way tender in the offseason. Gragnani wasn’t contributing, it appeared that he was growing frustrated with the team and was blocking the pipeline for other young defensive prospects (McNabb, Brennan, Pysyk, JGL). By acquiring Sulzer, the Sabres get a player that has a bit more defensive responsibility and who has an expiring deal in July. Sulzer isn’t likely to be re-signed as there are far too many promising defensemen waiting to be promoted from Rochester.
Basically, the exchange of Gragnani for Sulzer is a proactive salary dump for Regier. He saves himself the need to tender Gragnani in the summer, while providing an adequate NHL defenseman for the remainder of this season. Now one of Buffalo’s prospects will be in line to step into the sixth or seventh defenseman role next year.
Acquiring Hodgson is obviously the biggest story for the Sabres. He is a skilled centerman with a ceiling of being a top-flight pivot for this team for years to come. His cap hit is minuscule up through next summer and is only expected to get better. Regier acknowledged that he has other players capable of providing the jam that Kassian brings to the table and Regier also likely realized that he didn’t have any players with the skill and potential that Hodgson brings to the center position.
The acquisition of Hodgson makes the Sabres a better team now and down the line. Last night’s debut left Hodgson pointless, but you could see the creativity and offense in his game. Hodgson’s arrival not only gives Lindy Ruff another viable option at center. It also signifies a systematic shift to the “core” of the team. Continue reading
The Buffalo Sabres unlikely push for a playoff spot continues to get tougher. While the Sabres are doing their part – 8-3-3 since the All-Star break – they continue to see formidable opponents on a nightly basis. 
After dispatching the surging Ducks last night, Buffalo is back against another Western Conference foe tonight in San Jose. The Sabres follow tonight’s game with a Saturday showdown with Vancouver, Monday’s game against Winnipeg and another set of Wednesday/Thursday back-to-back games next week.
The Sabres are in need of every point available but are in the midst of a stretch that sees them play six games in nine nights. Their last regulation loss came against Philadelphia, also the last game in which Jhonas Enroth started. The rookie was hardly to blame for the loss, but the Sabres need a greater contribution from him if they hope to continue this surge.
Despite Ryan Miller’s shutout last night, I would start Enroth today. The Canucks offer no more relief than the Sharks do and Enroth will likely be called upon next week against either the Hurricanes (Wednesday) or the Bruins (Thursday). Knowing how Lindy Ruff operates, Miller will be in net tonight. I would say it is the wrong move, get him some rest now. Miller played the last set of back-to-back games and needs to maintain this tremendous stretch of hockey he is playing.
Lindy Ruff needs to find the faith that Enroth instilled in him last season and early this year. Enroth is capable of being a 2A goalie at the minimum in the NHL. Now it is on Ruff to stick with his schedule and let Enroth be that player.
The Sabres face a strong Sharks squad that just had one of their young stars traded from the lineup in hopes of finding a little more grit and pugnacity for their own playoff push. San Jose is a deep roster with strong goaltending. The Sabres saw backup Antero Niittymaki last season, expect to see Antti Niemi tonight. His game is about blocking and simply getting in the way. For some reason the Sabres struggle with these goaltenders.
Highlighted Matchup
Lindy Ruff vs. Joe Thornton & Co. Buffalo no longer has a formidable shutdown line to match their opponents’ studs. I find it hard to believe that Ville Leino, Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Kaleta are even Ruff’s second choice for a proper checking line. I would think that Robyn Regehr and Andrej Sekera will be the primary duo tasked with matching San Jose’s top line.
Projected Goaltenders
BUF: Jhonas Enroth
SJ: Antti Niemi
Last Meeting:
Sabres 3 – Sharks 0, HP Pavilion, 1/6/2011
Even after losing two of their larger, tougher players, the Buffalo Sabres had plenty of grit left in the tank for last night’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.
AHL call-up, Corey Tropp, had yet another respectable scrap and brought plenty of jam along with him from Rochester. Tropp has been mighty impressive in each re-call he has had this season, I’d expect him to be a mainstay on the roster from this point forward. Mike Weber and Robyn Regehr each dropped the gloves while Pat Kaleta and Tyler Myers were right in the middle of a liney at the horn. Who says this team will miss Paul Gaustad?
In all seriousness, Buffalo showed some serious heart in the toughness department. They didn’t have the one player who typically brought the most sandpaper to the lineup. It is something that will need to be found in the near future. I don’t think the league’s smallest team will succeed well in the playoffs. That being said, Tropp and Kaleta certainly showed that they have enough jam to insert on the front end, while guys like Weber and Regehr play with plenty of edge defensively. So long as that aspect isn’t ignored by those players, the loss of Guastad and Kassian won’t be as noticeable.
Ryan Miller certainly proved his play elevates when he is motivated. Whether it was because he was heading home to this or because he is still pissed about losing his buddy and best defensive forward, Miller’s game was on yet again. He turned aside 43 shots for the shutout victory. According to Ian Ott of the Sabres, that is a franchise record for saves in a shutout.
Buffalo heads up the coast to San Jose for today’s game. It will be another late start in Buffalo but the game represents two more pivotal points. While the massive road losing skid in December and January is one defining moment of this season, this road trip could be what turns the year around.
Two in the Box 
