Buffalo Sabres coverage. Related to the Sabres, their prospects and the minors.
After a brief layoff, Eric (of 3rd Man In) and I are back for the second edition of The Instigator Podcast. Episode two offers a look at what we thought of last week’s Sabres Blogger Summit. We offer a brief recap and a few thoughts on a couple of specifics that came up throughout the Summit. In addition, we give a couple additional thoughts on the team’s struggles and where they seem to be heading. As always, comments and criticism are welcome.
The clarion call went out last February. This is going to be “Hockey Heaven”. Terry Pegula and Ted Black came in to Buffalo with the goal of creating the gold standard for a hockey club. The team certainly isn’t there yet and the Detroit Red Wings gave them a rude reminder of how far off they really are.
Detroit jumped on the Sabres from the get-go, forcing turnovers, creating chances and playing nearly flawless hockey. The Red Wings system forced a depleted defensive unit into countless errors, some incredibly egregious, and scored at will. As good as Ryan Miller has been in his career, he looked no better than a pee-wee tonight. It was obvious that he was guessing on shots and he obviously didn’t have it in him to bail out a defense corps that left him hanging in the wind.
It’s not good hockey. It’s not good from top down. I need to be better. I can’t seem to find a night where I can get in a groove. I don’t know what the hell it is. (credit TBN)
To his credit, Miller shouldered quite a bit of the blame. He knew the loss was on him and said what everyone has been wondering. He can’t find a groove and he doesn’t seem to know why. Leaving the juvenile taunts and criticisms – his glove stinks, it is because of his wife etc. – where they belong (the garbage), there is obviously something seriously wrong with Miller. For everything he has done for this team, maybe the time has come to move him. There is no market for him right now, but perhaps he has grown stale on his teammates or vice versa. Either way, he has certainly played his way off the untouchables list.
Of course, this season goes far beyond average goaltending and injuries. The injuries, while a factor, don’t make up for 12 soft, average forwards. The goaltending isn’t bailing out a group of five (when healthy) offensive defensemen. The coach’s message looks like it may be falling on deaf ears.
This is an organization with the highest goal possible. The ownership wants to be one of the greatest franchises in the game. The drive, passion and resources are on the table. Now the table needs to be set properly. Tonight was the only example needed. The Red Wings are the team the Sabres aspire to be. Buffalo attempted to build a team that might compete in that light, they’re still a ways away.
There should be little doubt that this team will get there. It may take a new GM, coach, goaltender and about nine new players. But have no doubt they will get there. Just understand that this season won’t be the year they do so.
Three Stars
1. Pavel Datsyuk
2. Todd Bertuzzi
3. Jimmy Howard
NHL Links
Survival may be the word of the week for the Buffalo Sabres. Survival in the sense of team health and survival on the ice.
Buffalo continues a rather lengthy road trip tonight in Detroit and will have numerous trying road dates throughout this week. In addition to facing the Wings, the Sabres will be in Chicago, St. Louis and Winnipeg. They close the trip with the Devils and Canadiens. Not exactly the schedule a struggling team would want to see.
The Sabres played pretty strong hockey when they beat Toronto on Friday night. However, on Saturday, they reverted to the form which has dominated for much of the season. Another missed opportunity at building a winning streak was lost and tonight doesn’t necessarily offer a lay-up either.
The Red Wings dominated the Sabres earlier this season. It would appear that same result could occur tonight. Buffalo’s defense is wearing thin and lack their top defenders as they prepare to face one of the most dangerous offenses in the NHL.
Two points will be a tough chore for the Sabres, but it would give them four in their last three games. At some point the Sabres need to find a foundation for a run at the playoffs. This road trip might do the trick.
Highlighted Matchup
Buffalo defense. When Mike Weber and MAG are looking at top-four minutes, there is a problem. Without Brayden McNabb and Robyn Regehr, the Sabres are forced to dig into the Rochester honey pot once again. Andrej Sekera is expected to play with Joe Finley as the scratch. Still, Tyler Myers and Jordan Leopold will get the big minutes for Buffalo while Weber, MAG, Sekera and T.J. Brennan round out the six defensemen. This group will need plenty of help this evening against a dangerous hockey club.
Projected Goaltenders
BUF – Ryan Miller 26 GP 11-12-2, 2.97 GAA, .903 SV%
DET – Jimmy Howard 37 GP 26-10-1, 2.04 GAA, .924 SV%
Last Game
12/2/2011, First Niagara Center, Sabres 1 – Red Wings 4
You might say the course of events the Sabres follow is becoming old hat. They find life with a victory and roll into their next game seeking a win streak. Inevitably they lose the game and at least one player to injury in the process. That script is certainly getting a lot of work.
The Sabres were three minutes from guaranteeing a point percentage of .750 between Friday and Saturday, unfortunately they surrendered a pair of late goals (one ENG) in their loss to the Islanders. An overtime or shootout loss to New York would have mattered little had the Sabres managed to secure the bonus point. Getting points three-quarters of the time will be necessary for the remainder of the season if there is any hope of making the playoffs.
Friday’s game was a well-played outing for almost the entire team. Ryan Miller played a strong game in goal, the Sabres got goals from their grinders and they took two points from a team their chasing. Mike Weber had an ugly night and Buffalo lost Brayden McNabb to an injury. Far from a flawless night, but it was a victory.
Saturday was a relatively flat effort. Again they allowed a team to pepper Jhonas Enroth with pucks. Enroth played a great game, but the onslaught he faced can easily explain why three goals found their way in. The fact that the Sabres even had a chance at a victory was a testament to the game Enroth put forth. Unfortunately the rookie was saddled with another loss, something that has become fairly regular with him.
Thomas Vanek rocked a penalty shot off the post with 90 seconds left. The shot was awarded on a bogus call that should have been ignored. Vanek, who was nicked up yet again, beat Nabokov but not the post. The Sabres couldn’t gain the zone beyond that point and eventually surrendered the empty net goal that iced the game.
It was a weekend series that was close to a guaranteed success and had the potential to be a monumental success were they to have won in overtime or the shootout. Unfortunately Saturday’s poor effort shrouded the work the team did on Friday at home.
Now the Sabres hit the road for games against some very hot hockey teams. The Red Wings and Blues are both winning tons of hockey games and the Jets may have the most hostile arena in the NHL. None of that bodes well for a team that has lost eight-straight on the road.
Since the lockout the cure-all for the Sabres has been home contests against the Maple Leafs. Even earlier in the season the Sabres filled up the net in a 5-4 home victory. Starting with that game, the Sabres have collected points in their past six home games (thanks @NickelCityIan).
Of course, the slight home turnaround has been countered with a sour run on the road. A run that includes Tuesday’s 2-0 loss in Toronto. Through three games this season against Toronto, the home game has won each meeting. With any luck this evening’s game will continue that trend.
Buffalo will need to find some goal scoring, particularly secondary scoring. Drew Stafford has had numerous golden opportunities as of late but has cashed in only one, a dirty goal against Edmonton. Stafford’s under-performance along with others lack of production has caused the most issues with the Sabres so far this season. The rare victories as of late have come when players not named Pominville and Vanek score.
Highlighted Matchup
Stafford, Boyes and Leino. This line has shown some strong puck possession and the ability to create opportunities. However, they haven’t found the net just yet. Leino was invisible in Toronto, but was creative against Winnipeg. In fact, he was one of Buffalo’s best forwards. If this line finds the back of the net, the Sabres will likely find two points.
Projected Goaltenders
BUF: Ryan Miller 25 GP 10-12-2,3.01 GAA, .902 SV%
TOR: Jonas Gustavsson 21 GP 13-7-0,2.91 GAA, .908 SV%
Last Game
1/10/12, Air Canada Centre, Sabres 0 – Leafs 2
Last season the NHL took a brilliant step forward regarding the All Star game. They eliminated the East vs. West format and instituted a “fantasy draft”.
While the All Star game is pretty much a waste of time (aside from the skills competition), the draft has brought some relevance to an otherwise boring display.
The draft is the best thing to happen to the All Star Game since ever. Letting the league’s best players basically just pull sticks to determine teams was a fantastic addition to last year’s game and shouldn’t be changed. Ever.
With the All Star rosters being announced today there was the expected uproar from fans clamoring for their team’s snubs and the inclusion of those who they deem unworthy of selection. For example, there is little reason for Thomas Vanek to have been left off this roster. Perhaps there was a wink-wink nudge-nudge agreement to leave him out in order to rest, but he has been one of the NHL’s best forwards this season. There is little reason to leave him out of this game.
The likely explanation for Vanek being snubbed can likely be found in fan voting. Because the fans are allowed to determine the six starters for the game, there is the usual run of home players who are sometimes undeserving of the selection. So, Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, Milan Michalek, Erik Karlsson, Dion Phaneuf and Tim Thomas were voted to participate. That doesn’t necessarily mean they would have been selected. Of course, Michalek, Thomas and Karlsson are worthy additions. The other three could probably have been left off for other players. Here lies the problem. Continue reading
There is little doubt the Sabres Summit was a success. It served as a forum for Sabres bloggers to have their voice heard by the Sabres organization. Specifically, their voice was heard by team President Ted Black.
Of the topics I had pegged to bring up, a few were covered by my fellow bloggers, as I expected. However, I had two topics that I wanted to make sure I brought up. The first being the potential re-use for the empty Backstage Club/former Ira Ross Aerospace Museum. The second topic was about the potential return of the Frozen Four and re-implementing the Punch Imlach Hockey Showcase.
The space that was previously used by the Ira Ross Aerospace Museum is situated along the side of FNC, behind the Sabres Store and below the Harbor Club. While the arena renovations were being completed, this housed the Sabres gym equipment. Now it lies vacant, waiting for a new use.
Black noted that the space is 12,000 square feet, there is little space to utilize it as a restaurant due to the store and other neighboring rooms. However, he also pointed out that he has a secret plan for the space that he doesn’t yet wish to reveal. My hope is that his idea is for a Sabres Hall of Fame.
I was unfortunately unable to follow-up my original question with my thoughts on establishing a Hall of Fame in that space. Black also mentioned the terrible location for the entrance to that part of the building. Certainly an avenue for access through the arena could be established, particularly for an attraction like that. Black also mentioned that the idea of building vertically into the Harbor Club could be a possibility. It could also offer a secondary source of access.
Not to harp on the idea, as I have detailed most of my thoughts previously, but I think the potential is there to take advantage of the trajectory that Canalside is taking along with the potential connection of the harbor bridge in the near future.
One other idea I did mention with regards to Canalside was for the Sabres to be part of a project to build a Sabres-centric bar. Just like HockeyTown in Detroit, just with a bit more of Pegula’s or the organization’s influence. Continue reading
Yesterday’s blogger summit at First Niagara Center was one of those events that hones in on the attitude that the Pegula ownership group has brought to the table. Not only have the Sabres opened their arms to the blogging community covering the team, they offer them pizza, wings, pop and beer. Oh, and an audience with the team president.
The original blog summit took place in the summer and was a true eye-opening event for those so accustomed to the closed-door policies of the Golisano regime. As he described the incredible commitment level from the Pegulas, Black served up one of his more memorable quotes.
“The Penguins won the Sidney Crosby draft, Buffalo won the owner lottery.”
That is certainly a true sentiment. Events like these, the ticket deliveries and the general transparency offered at many levels is refreshing.
As for the summit itself, it was a congregation of about 20 Sabres blogs in the media work/meal room at FNC. In an attempt to avoid beating a dead horse, I’ll attempt not to cover the event ad nauseum as I’m sure many of my counterparts have offered great analysis already.
Continue reading
Look on the bright side, Ryan Miller held the opponent to fewer than three goals. he made 26 saves on 28 shots.
Of course, the Sabres lost. A 2-0 shutout at the hands of the Maple Leafs. It would seem as if the Sabres are still spiraling their way to the bottom. Thomas Vanek left the game early, leaving the Sabres with one capable scoring threat. The Leafs had little trouble snuffing out the Buffalo attack on their way to an easy win.
A slow start equated to a flat effort that came from a team that is slowly drifting into coach-killing mode. As to what may shake the roster from the funk? It will either be a new voice or some new faces. Frankly, having the same players with a new bench boss will only go so far. Eventually these guys will revert to passionless hockey. The real solution would be to pluck a few from “the core”. These players need to know they aren’t safe, a shake-up would prove that.
Three Stars
1. Jonas Gustavsson
2. Nikolai Kulemin
3. Mikhail Grabovski
NHL Links
While the writing may be on the wall that the current make-up of the Buffalo Sabres is a stagnant collection of players yearning for a change of scenery, there remains a few small glimmers of hope.
If the injury situation is ever solved there is a chance to recapture some of the magic the Sabres had to open the season. Last year’s miraculous run to the playoffs obviously serves as a barometer that this season isn’t over just yet; only that it will be an uphill battle. Lastly, the swirling rumors that the Sabres may be nearing a deal offers some promise that new faces will bring change and success to this team.
The first portion of the Sabres mid-season report offered a look back at some of the most obvious issues the team has gone through to this point in the season. Allow part two to offer a look ahead to the remaining 41 games on the schedule. Continue reading
Two in the Box 