NHL

Double Minors – Game 1 vs. Philly

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The Sabres went into a loud building and stole a game one win from the Flyers tonight. Sabres fans can thank Paul Gaustad, Nathan Gerbe, Pat Kaleta, Chris Butler, Mike Weber and Tyler Myers. Oh, Ryan Miller was stellar as well.

Pat Kaletas third-period goal was all Buffalo needed

Buffalo got a few big boosts from areas they will need to count on in this series. A. Ryan Miller stole one for them. B. Their grinders (28, 42, 36) were a force and their most effective line. C. The penalty kill was awesome. Here are a few more thoughts from the game: Continue reading →

Who will Get the matchups?

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Playoff hockey is all about the match-ups. Which D-pair will face the top line and which center will take the important draws?

The Sabres – Flyers series offers a myriad of different matches that could produce some interesting situations.

The Flyers depth at forward makes them a difficult team to beat. Mike Richards centers a line that can match your top scorers while being a legitimate scoring threat. Danny Briere, Claude Giroux and the likes also are players who need to be watched closely.

The Sabres will likely counter with Paul Gaustad’s line and the pairing of Tyler Myers and Chris Butler/Andrej Sekera.

One question is if the Sabres have another line capable of checking the remaining scoring depth that the Flyers have. Continue reading →

Why the first round rules

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The Stanley Cup Playoffs is the best sports tournament in the entire world. Nothing can beat it, not the NCAA Tournament, the UEFA Champions League, nothing.

Hayden seems to appreciate the NHL Playoffs, so should you

Sixteen teams needing sixteen wins to hoist the greatest trophy known in sports. There isn’t even an argument regarding that point. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a two month journey that requires perfect timing, a lack of injuries and a few good bounces. Continue reading →

2ITB first-round predictions

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After going just about o’fer on my regular season predictions, here is a look at who I think will advance in the first round of the NHL Playoffs.

East

1. Washington Capitals vs. 8. New York Rangers

This is an interesting series. If Ryan Callahan was healthy and the Rangers had better scoring depth they could really give the Caps a run. However, they don’t have those two things. The Rangers have Henrik Lundqvist and block a lot of shots. It ends there. The Caps play good defense and can score in bunches. Their goaltending is quite suspect but Alex Ovechkin has been heating up over the last half of the season. Plus, Jason Arnott and Scott Hannan were two fantastic acquisitions by George McPhee. Caps in five.

Continue reading →

Ryan Miller wants more from the fans. I agree

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In his comments to reporters today Ryan Miller came out and said he wants HSBC Arena to be louder for the playoffs. I think he is spot on in asking for more from the Sabres fans.

During far too many Sabres games this season, before and after Pegula Day, the Arena has been far too quiet. A great deal of blame can be saddled on the team for lackluster play (see, 3-0 vs. St. Louis) but the fans certainly don’t help the cause. Continue reading →

White at home. Please.

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It is about time the NHL switched back to white jerseys at home and dark on the road.

I say this for two reasons. The Sabres’ white jerseys might be the best in the league and I want to see them here, rather than on TV. Secondly, so many other teams have horrible white uniforms but great dark sweaters, see the Flyers.

After watching Buffalo sport their whites at home a handful of times this year, I really began yearning for the NHL to switch their mandate. It was originally set up to keep teams from needing to bring two sets of gear on long road trips in the event the home team would be wearing their alternate jerseys. Of course, the desire to sell more dark jerseys on a league-wide scale probably had something to do with it too. Continue reading →

Sabres clinch over Flyers

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The Sabres certainly didn’t make it easy on themselves. They only needed to earn one point over their final two games, but they were against teams that wouldn’t give Buffalo a free pass.

Four minutes of really bad hockey looked like it might doom Buffalo last night, but Nathan Gerbe had a goal of the year candidate to tie the game in the third and Thomas Vanek put it away early in OT.

"Yo Stanly Cup Playoffs. Here come the Buffalo Sabres."

Due credit goes to the HSBC Arena crowd for a high-energy night with the only lull coming during the Flyers’ second period run and a slow-going first period. Otherwise that was as loud as I have heard HSBC this season. Between the stirring pre-game ceremony to the rousing ovation at the end of regulation, the place was rocking last night. Continue reading →

Time to do work

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Tonight could be the night. After December, fans were thinking a lottery pick was in the future. Now the Buffalo Sabres are one point away from the NHL Playoffs.

Thanks to a little help from the Thrashers – and a no-show by the Rangers – Buffalo has a magic number of one to clinch over New York or Carolina. The Thrashers could do Buffalo a huge favor tonight by putting away the Canes at Phillips Arena. Continue reading →

Hey Tim, thanks for showing up

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Tonight’s Bruins-Rangers game was somewhere in the limbo that exists between a catch-22 and a win-win scenario. On one hand, a Rangers win all but eliminates the Maple Leafs and makes Carolina’s mountain that much steeper. On the other hand, a Boston win would keep the Sabres in seventh place and knock off another game for the Rags and giving Buffalo a magic number of three.

Well, Tim Thomas let in three pretty bad goals as the Bruins gave up a three-goal lead and took one on the chin, 5-3 to the Rangers. Looking at the whole situation I’m happy the Rangers won. I think Zdeno Chara is a scummer and I enjoy seeing him lose. The same goes for Brad Marchand, Gregory Campbell and Milan Lucic. Besides, one loss for the Rangers doesn’t do all that much for the Sabres’ hopes. If the Canes lose Wednesday, that is a whole different story.

Still, the fact that the Bruins folded like a tent after building a three-goal lead isn’t a good sign for them. Not to mention, their Vezina Candidate didn’t make any big saves for them when they needed it. Actually, he didn’t make many saves at all, whether they were routine or big saves.

For my money I don’t know if I want to see the Bruins in the first round. The Capitals are the best matchup on paper but the Sabres don’t play them too well. That leaves the Flyers who are backing their way into the playoffs themselves. If it came down to the Bruins or Flyers, I would take the Bruins. The Flyers’ size and depth scares me more than the thought of having to exorcise demons from last years playoffs.

The magic number

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The magic number is four. If the Sabres gain four points over the Hurricanes over the next few days, Buffalo will have secured a playoff bid.

The Sabres enter tomorrows game against Tampa Bay with a three point lead over the Canes. A Buffalo win, coupled with a regulation loss by Carolina, will keep the Canes from catching up in the playoff race. There are your four points. Continue reading →