Buffalo Sabres

Double Minors: Sabres 3 – Lightning 4

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The Buffalo Sabres’ second-straight loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning consisted of numerous similarities to their first home loss of the season.

Buffalo jumped the Lightning early. Thomas Vanek continued to exert his will upon the goaltenders of the NHL with a beautiful takeaway and finish on a short breakaway. Brad Boyes followed up 35 seconds later with a neat finish that involved just about everything Lindy Ruff has been looking for out of the enigmatic winger; put the puck on net after driving the crease hard for a loose puck.

There was little to complain about after the first 10 minutes of the hockey game for the Sabres. Then the wheels fell off. In nearly identical fashion in which the Sabres allowed Carolina back in on the October 14, Buffalo allowed the Lightning back into this game. Short of gift wrapping countless shorthanded opportunities, the Sabres played sloppy hockey and failed to clamp down on the collective throats of a downtrodden Lightning team.

Rather, they watch as Tampa Bay’s two veteran superstars connected for a rebound goal to draw within one and then fell victim to a terrible bounce with under one minute to play on the tying goal. Buffalo was unable to regroup in the second period, allowing the go ahead tally on what appeared to be another unfortunate bounce.

Ryan Malone’s late breakaway goal may as well have been Jeff Skinner’s game-winner as it was not only a goal you wish Ryan Miller would have saved, but it was a goal that probably wouldn’t have transpired. After making a deft move in the offensive zone, Tyler Myers had his shot blocked and ricochet to Malone who went in and beat Miller. Miller didn’t play the breakaway particularly well and was beaten on a fairly simple move, one he typically turns away.

Having both home losses play out in such similar fashion is less than encouraging for a team that had to wait until November for their first home victory. Neither loss could fall under the “trying too hard to entertain the home fans” banner. These were two poorly played games that saw the effects trickle down from the forwards to the goaltender.

  • The record should show that Ryan Miller probably needs to stop one of the four goals. Whether it is playing Nate Thompson conservatively and staying on his post, or staying aggressive on a shoot-first player like Malone; Miller needs to keep one out of the net. Otherwise the loss shouldn’t be saddled on his shoulders, by any means. He didn’t face a lot of shots and didn’t keep the score to one goal, so the Miller Bashers will be out in full force, but this was not a game in which you can look to the goaltender as a reason for losing.
  • To slightly contradict the above statement, this was a game ideal for Jhonas Enroth. He has been shelved up since his outing in Pittsburgh on October 15 waiting to get back in net. Miller has been far too good to remove, but the loss on Saturday pretty much wiped the slate in terms of Miller’s hot streak. Enroth should have gotten the nod with Miller returning for Thursday and beyond. Hopefully Lindy isn’t already fumbling the goaltenders, it is far too early for that.
  • Thomas Vanek is seriously good. He is on a hot streak like no other and is fully embracing the Atlas moniker so gracefully bestowed by The Goose’s Roost gang. As of now, the Vanek-Adam-Pominville line is keeping the Sabres’ head above water.
  • Brad Boyes is indeed capable of scoring goals. He made a great play to get his first of the season. He stuck his nose in the play and the puck ended up in the net. He had a sound game and should parlay his first tally into a few more in the next few contests.
  • Something needs to be done about the power play. This isn’t a drunken 300-level “SHOOOOT” proclamation. The man-advantage unit could barely set up and establish zone time, let alone find the proper rotation to establish a scoring chance. The Lightning were good enough to clog the center of the ice. But the Sabres have plenty of players with cannons for shots. Get pucks to the net front and let Vanek, Gaustad and Stafford poke away until the puck is behind the goaltender. Leave the fancy passing plays on the whiteboard until the penalty kill units are stretched thin.
  • Tyler Myers had a rough night, not much more can be said than that. He was victimized by some bad bounces and made a few poor choices. This is back-to-back seasons where he has had a slow start. Perhaps there is something missing in his off-season regiment.  His partner, Robyn Regehr continues to play like his hair is on fire. So keep that end of it up.

Three Stars

1. Mathieu Garon

2. Thomas Vanek

3. Steven Stamkos

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Event Summary

Sabres return home after impressive road run

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The Buffalo Sabres opened the 2011-12 campaign with seven of their first eight games away from the First Niagara Center. In addition to two neutral site European games, the Sabres just wrapped up a four-game road trip.

Sandwiched between Buffalo’s appearance in the NHL Premiere Series and the four-game trip was Buffalo’s lone home contest, a sloppy 4-3 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Sabres return to the cozy confines for the F’N Center for a five-game home stand that sees the Sabres play seven of their next eight in Buffalo.

The Sabres weathered their early trip well, earning six of a possible eight points on the road-trip and opening a 5-1 record in games played outside of the F’N Center. Buffalo has put up some impressive numbers in their opening away contests: Continue reading →

The Morning Skate: Sabres vs. Lightning

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It is round two of the Sabres home-and-home set with the Lightning. Tampa Bay stifled the Buffalo attack on Saturday on their way to a 3-0 victory.

Ryan Miller had a strong game in net, turning aside 23 of 25 shots on goal. However, he was bested by Mathieu Garon who stopped all 21 shots he faced on the evening.

The game may have been best illustrated by Tampa Bay’s first goal and a goal that wasn’t meant to be for Buffalo. Pavel Kubina’s seeing-eye slapshot found its way through a forest of legs for Tampa’s first goal in the second period. Just a few minutes later Drew Stafford let a wrist shot go that found the shaft of Garon’s stick. An inch or two in either direction for either shot and the score is drastically different.

Of course, whining about bounces solves little in hockey. The fact of the matter is that the Lightning lulled the Sabres to sleep with a steady diet of the trap. Buffalo had found waves of dominance in nearly every game prior to this one. On only rare occasions did the Sabres mange time in the offensive zone.

The key to a Buffalo victory will be to establish a transition game early and break Tampa Bay’s trap. Secondly, they need to get to Garon and make him uncomfortable. There is a reason he had one career victory against Buffalo entering Saturday, the Sabres need to exploit that again.

Highlighted Matchup

Vanek-Adam-Pominville vs. Guy Boucher and the trap. Buffalo’s top offensive line has manged to create multiple points in each Buffalo victory. In both losses they have accounted for only one goal. Boucher was successful in shutting down all four Buffalo lines on Saturday. While this trio had moments of brilliance, they weren’t the dominant force they have been in previous games. A strong effort from these three should result in Buffalo’s first home win.

Projected Goaltenders

BUF: Jhonas Enroth 1GP, 1-0-0, 2.00 GAA, .935 SV%

TB: Mathieu Garon 5GP, 2-1-1, 1.51 GAA, .948 SV%

Last Game (Tampa leads season series 1-0-0)

10/22/2011, St. Pete Times Forum, Sabres 0 – Lightning 3

Ennis to miss time, Leino to step in on wing

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The ankle injury suffered by Tyler Ennis on Saturday has been deemed as a “week-to-week” injury for the winger. His absence from the lineup caused some significant shuffling at practice for the Sabres today.

Paul Gaustad also sat out with what was described as a “maintenance day”. He was replaced by Matt Ellis for the day. The only concerning part of Gaustad’s day off is that he has had a pair of maintenance days in the past week. Not a great sign for a guy with an injury history.

Ennis’ hole in the lineup is far more defined by any time Gaustad may, or may not, miss. With the young winger out for what will likely amount to two weeks Ville Leino will fill his role on the wing with Derek Roy and Drew Stafford. It actually appears as if Leino requested to be moved back to the wing.

This is actually a move that could not only benefit Leino, but the Sabres’ second line. While the Vanek-Adam-Pominville line continues to put up points like it is going out of style (15 In seven games), the remaining six forwards to have tallied points have accounted for only seven goals and seventeen points over that same span. Continue reading →

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

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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

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