Sabres goalies

Grading the Sabres: Goaltenders

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Over the next few days and weeks, I will be providing some grades for each player to suit up for the Sabres this season. The evaluations will be done in groups, beginning with the goaltenders.

Ryan Miller – B

Overall, the Sabres goaltending wasn’t good enough this season. Based on numbers alone, both Miller and Jhonas Enroth would be right in the middle of the pack among their peers. However, it was an up and down year for each highlighted by rough patches and some great play.

Miller’s hot streak to end the season was one of the main reasons the Sabres were even alive in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt. His slump through November and December was one of the main reasons Buffalo was so deep in the Eastern Conference.

Overall, Miller played some very good hockey for long stretches. Obviously the run he began in January all but erased the ugly stats he developed earlier in the season. I would contend that a great deal of his struggles were tied to the long recovery from his collision with Milan Lucic. The injury itself may not have done as much damage as the lengthy recovery period Miller went through. A simple eye test would show that he wasn’t back to normal until well into January – nearly two full months after the injury.

Critics and apologists should all be able to agree that Miller’s season needed to be better. However, when healthy, I would argue he would have produced one of his best professional seasons to date. His play in early October was stellar, as was his final three months. There were a couple appearances that hurt his numbers – when he was injured and stepping in for Enroth in Philly – but his play at the end of the year all but righted the ship.

Miller’s play has always been more about his actual results rather than strictly numbers. Goaltending has always been about making the big saves when necessary, that doesn’t always mean your numbers will be Hasekian. For Miller, there is plenty of room for improvement. I would say a good offseason and a run of healthy hockey could certainly help shake some of the critics from his back. Continue reading →

Ryan Miller, his turnaround and what he means to the Sabres

Chris Ostrander1 Comment

It has been a pretty interesting season for Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres as a whole. Both Miller and the team came out of the gates red-hot. The Sabres rolled to the top of the conference thanks, in part, to Miller’s 2.13 GAA and .930 SV% in the month of October. Of course, November 12 came around and the season imploded.

Miller had a couple rough nights prior to his injury against Boston, that game’s numbers just compounded on a difficult stretch for the former Vezina winner. Miller returned in the thick of a franchise-worst losing streak and still didn’t look himself. He has since got the train back on the tracks and has been a major part – perhaps the trailblazer – for Buffalo’s run from the basement into the thick of the playoff race.

His recent success has not only put the Sabres back in the playoff picture, it has removed him from some dog houses and made many realize the potential he and the Sabres contain. There are a bunch of different figures floating around regarding Miller’s impressive stretch. I took notice of the improvement in his game in the early part of January, I have been tracking his numbers since then. Miller is 20-8-5 with a 2.13 GAA and a .927 SV%. His numbers are even more impressive when looking at the All-Star break. Beginning with his shootout win against New Jersey on January 24, Miller is 18-5-5 with a 1.82 GAA and .938 SV% (stats as of 3/26).

However, it is not necessarily Miller’s number that I’m interested in digging into. It is his perception with the fans and media. His recent Q&A with Pierre LeBrun on ESPN.com is one of those eye-opening interviews. It not only gives the insight into Miller’s particularly analytical mind, but it gives some excellent viewpoints on a number of topics that have surrounded the Sabres this season.

For some reason a great many fans think Ryan Miller is a jerk or an arrogant ass. I don’t think they could be further off in their opinion. I have spoken with Miller on multiple occasions, both professional and personal, and have always come away with a better opinion of him than I had going in. I think he can come off as abrasive just because he is a strongly opinionated individual who is intelligent. Not many hockey players are very intelligent, myself included. Because of that, I think Miller’s opinions and quotes are often misconstrued. Continue reading →

Miller vs. Enroth needs to be evaluated with an open mind

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

Don’t call it a controversy. Ryan Miller is still the starting goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres, much to the chagrin of many fans throughout Buffalo. However, too many people are looking at this situation with a closed mind, whereas they need to see the entire situation before passing full judgement.

Don’t expect a changing of the guard just yet.

Jhonas Enroth has given the Buffalo Sabres a weapon they have not had since Marty Biron’s departure in 2007. He is a high draft pick who is more than capable of filling the role of backup goaltender in the NHL. His stats back that up, he is 2-0-0 in two stars (one relief effort too) with a 1.39 GAA and .955 SV%.

Ryan Miller’s stat line is currently 4-5-0, 2.48 GAA, .922 SV%. Obviously the loss column sticks out there. Special thanks to Mike Harrington who tweeted the stats I was hammering out minutes ago. Miller was hovering near the top of the league through his first five games with a 4-1 record, 1.61 GAA and .950 SV%. He his 0-4, 3.91 and .874 in his last four, not as good. Again, thanks to Mike at TBN, he churned out the numbers before I could.

What really stands out in the whole “Miller vs. Enroth” flap is where the fans stand on the matter. Mind you, the media really hasn’t fueled the fire until this recent outing. Until then it had only been goaltending-illiterate fans on message boards and in the stand who know all there is to know about the position. Continue reading →

Sabres goaltending rotation appears to be clear

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

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.

Breaking down the Sabres goaltending schedule

Chris OstranderLeave a comment

The general consensus among the fans and media is that Ryan Miller had a down year in 2010-11. His 2.59 GAA and .916 save percentage paled in comparison to his Vezina winning season in 2009-10.

A decreased workload should mean an improved Ryan Miller in 2011-12.

Miller did notch his sixth-straight 30-win season and was named team MVP for his work. A major culprit in his performance last year was the schedule he played. For the second time in his career, Miller shoulder the workload for over 30-straight games. That is 30-straight starts without any time off. Miller was forced to do the same in 2007-08 and his play was markedly worse in that season as well. There are two glaring reasons for these massive games played streaks. The Sabres needed Miller in net to make up ground in the playoff race; and Miller’s backup was so weak the coaching staff wouldn’t play him.

So, thank Jocelyn Thibault and Patrick Lalime for being better cheerleaders than goaltenders. Had Miller gotten a fair amount of rest, like he did early in 2009-10, his numbers would have been much better. The performance of the team in front of him also had a negative impact on his play. Continue reading →

Buffalo Sabres season preview: Between the pipes

Chris Ostrander5 Comments

This is part one of a series previewing the Buffalo Sabres 2011-12 season. Part one focuses on the goaltenders.

Through the highs and lows in the Sabres history there seems to always been one constant. Sound goaltending has always been something the Sabres have boasted. As they enter the year with Ryan Miller as their starter they once again have no issues between the pipes.

However, unlike the past four seasons, the Sabres have a sound insurance policy as a back-up goaltender. Jhonas Enroth, whose play down the stretch helped secure the Sabres’ playoff position, will serve as Miller’s primary back-up for the entire season. Enroth will provide added stability to a position that was already the strength of the team. Continue reading →