You can't deny it anymore. Go ahead, try to lock him up again.
Buffalo 7:25, Daniel Paille 3 (Adam Mair, Teppo Numminen)
Buffalo 7:25, Daniel Paille 3 (Adam Mair, Teppo Numminen)
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Thank God Almighty, Free at Last!!
Sorry Dr. King, but someone more important has been freed from the clutches of oppressive injury.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Injury Report
- Al Kotalik will return tomorrow against the Devils, skating on the left wing with center Chris Drury and right wing Dainius Zubrus in practice yesterday. Michael Ryan had been skating there, but Kotalik’s return will force Ryan back to Rochester because of a rule regarding emergency injury call-ups. Ryan won’t leave town until the Sabres are sure Kotalik can return.
Lindy Ruff sees potential in a Kotalik- Zubrus pairing.
- Injured forwards Tim Connolly and Daniel Paille also practiced. Paille, out since breaking his left index finger Feb. 20, is "very close.”
- Connolly still is without a timetable for a return. He's been joining the team for morning skates, but still isn't cleared for contact and was understandably sore after his first practice in a month.
- Toni Lydman, who has missed five games with an upper-body injury, did not practice. Ruff said that “he wants to try skating the first part of practice with the team".
Sabres >>> Everyone Else.
http://www.buffalonews.com/101/story/40716.html
ESPN the Magazine has just rated the Sabres at the top of all 122 major pro sports franchises in North America. This is the 5th year they've rolled out the "Ultimate Standings", and it's something I've always paid attention to, mainly because the Packers were always in the top 5.
ESPN the Magazine has just rated the Sabres at the top of all 122 major pro sports franchises in North America. This is the 5th year they've rolled out the "Ultimate Standings", and it's something I've always paid attention to, mainly because the Packers were always in the top 5.
The Sabres finished in the top 10 in four of those eight categories: first in “Bang for the Buck” (converting fan dollars into wins), second in “Affordability” and fourth in both “Fan Relations” and “Coaching.”The team’s other rankings were 11th in “Players,” 13th in “Ownership,” 25th in “Stadium Experience” and 53rd in “Title Track” (championship prospects). “I would say thank you to the fans,” owner B. Thomas Golisano said Monday, after learning about the rankings and the methodology. “Obviously, if they did the survey and rated us No. 1, we say thank you. “And we’ll keep trying.”
The man, the myth, the legend.
The bottom teams?
122. Detroit Lions
121. Oakland Raiders
120. NY Knicks
119. Minnesota Vikings
118. Chicago Blackhawks
117. Boston Bruins
Other top teams? Anaheim ranked 6th and Nashville 8th. I refuse to acknowledge the NBA as a sport, so their teams don't count, especially the one that rated 2nd overall. The Indy Colts were 4th, the highest NFL team, and the LA Angels of Anaheim, the Pacific Ocean, and Japan were 7th, highest for MLB. Odd that Anaheim places two teams in the top 7.
Can't say I disagree one bit. Oh, and the Canes are 10th. Just thought I'd throw that out there so CG doesn't hurt me.
It's all good in the "Land of the Wings".
Site News
So how about I just realized that I haven't posted in a week and a half??
Life and work (wait, we actually WORK at work??) gets in the way sometimes......
I promise a bevy of posts in the next few days, I'd promise a live blog tomorrow night too, but then I realize we're playing the Devils. That's probably not a good idea considering what happened LAST time.....
Life and work (wait, we actually WORK at work??) gets in the way sometimes......
I promise a bevy of posts in the next few days, I'd promise a live blog tomorrow night too, but then I realize we're playing the Devils. That's probably not a good idea considering what happened LAST time.....
Friday, March 16, 2007
Sabre Notes
Sorry for the lack of updating lately...
- So how about that Ty Conklin? 42 saves in a 5-3 win last night in Florida! Two of the goals weren't his fault either, so basically it's more like 1 goal on 43 shots. I'd say that's pretty good. He even LOOKS like Ryan Miller out there....not like I'm comparing the two. Goalie controversy, anyone??
(and if you can't detect the sarcasm...please go get some fresh air)
- Apparently Toni Lydman has an upper-body injury. Not surprisingly, Lindy Ruff was not very forthcoming with information about it. Who stepped up last night? Brian Campbell played 28 minutes, had 3 assists and was a +3. Soupy always seems to be the one defenseman who steps up and plays incredibly well when injuries hit the rest of the defense. Lydman most likely won't be playing tonight either.
- Teppo needs to be benched when we have 7 healthy d-men. That will be all.
Update 1:34pm: Speaking of healthy defenseman, the Buffalo News reports that Spacek will be back in the lineup tonight. Lydman probably won't be.
Andrew Peters is also the "Who am I" on NHL.com today. What happened? Did they run out of the other 700+ players in the NHL?
- So how about that Ty Conklin? 42 saves in a 5-3 win last night in Florida! Two of the goals weren't his fault either, so basically it's more like 1 goal on 43 shots. I'd say that's pretty good. He even LOOKS like Ryan Miller out there....not like I'm comparing the two. Goalie controversy, anyone??
(and if you can't detect the sarcasm...please go get some fresh air)
- Apparently Toni Lydman has an upper-body injury. Not surprisingly, Lindy Ruff was not very forthcoming with information about it. Who stepped up last night? Brian Campbell played 28 minutes, had 3 assists and was a +3. Soupy always seems to be the one defenseman who steps up and plays incredibly well when injuries hit the rest of the defense. Lydman most likely won't be playing tonight either.
- Teppo needs to be benched when we have 7 healthy d-men. That will be all.
Update 1:34pm: Speaking of healthy defenseman, the Buffalo News reports that Spacek will be back in the lineup tonight. Lydman probably won't be.
Andrew Peters is also the "Who am I" on NHL.com today. What happened? Did they run out of the other 700+ players in the NHL?
Reverse the Curse!!
“We’re on a mission.” – Lindy Ruff
On NHL.com today is Buffalo’s entry into the continuing “Countdown to the Quest” series, describing the hopes and dreams of the playoff contenders and their storied (or in our case, not so storied) histories.
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=290546
Most of it focuses on how the fans (well, most of them anyways) stood by the team through heartbreak after heartbreak, through bankruptcy, changes in ownership, and years of mediocrity.
But is there really a “curse” that’s the cause of these last 35 championship-less years??
Bills legend Thurman Thomas points back to the sale of the NBA’s Buffalo Braves as the beginning of the hex. It would eventually lead to the relocation of the Braves to San Diego, who are now the Los Angeles Clippers.
Buffalo being the Red Sox of the NHL??? Please God, no. Well, at least we have a “curse” and truckloads of bandwagon fans. That’s about where the similarities end.
All I know is that if this isn’t our year, then it may NEVER happen. And I need some Cup pictures of my own so I’m not subjected to CG’s Canes pictures the rest of my life.
Please Sabres, reverse the curse.
On NHL.com today is Buffalo’s entry into the continuing “Countdown to the Quest” series, describing the hopes and dreams of the playoff contenders and their storied (or in our case, not so storied) histories.
http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=290546
Most of it focuses on how the fans (well, most of them anyways) stood by the team through heartbreak after heartbreak, through bankruptcy, changes in ownership, and years of mediocrity.
“A Stanley Cup championship would make a world of difference for the Buffalo and
Western New York area. It’s amazing what a sports championship can do to the
morale and outlook of the area. If there is a city that could use a
championship, it is Buffalo.” – Marcel Dionne
But is there really a “curse” that’s the cause of these last 35 championship-less years??
Bills legend Thurman Thomas points back to the sale of the NBA’s Buffalo Braves as the beginning of the hex. It would eventually lead to the relocation of the Braves to San Diego, who are now the Los Angeles Clippers.
“I mean, how much bad luck can one city take,” Thomas asked in an article in the
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. “Ever since that guy (Snyder) sold the Buffalo
Braves….Buffalo’s been cursed, like the Bambino.”
Buffalo being the Red Sox of the NHL??? Please God, no. Well, at least we have a “curse” and truckloads of bandwagon fans. That’s about where the similarities end.
All I know is that if this isn’t our year, then it may NEVER happen. And I need some Cup pictures of my own so I’m not subjected to CG’s Canes pictures the rest of my life.
Please Sabres, reverse the curse.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Way to go NandO
Ok. Where to begin...
I'm still a little angry with the Hurricanes, but I have found something else to take my frustrations out on.
No, it’s not Afino.
The Raleigh News and Observer (http://www.newsandobserver.com/) has long been the main source of "unbiased" and in-depth information about my beloved Carolina Hurricanes. Its not always been fantastic and its always had a sense of "Oh crap the Canes played last night, better write a review!". Its never been the most put together or well educated editorial of games, players or the NHL in general. In fact, it helped feed the uneducated southerners fire during the 06 playoffs when they ran a term of the day in the paper. Fans of other teams *coughSabrescough* enjoyed pointing out that we had to have "icing", "kick save" and "offside" explained to us.
Sunday night and yesterday, the stupidity of the NandO really came to a head.
I'm still a little angry with the Hurricanes, but I have found something else to take my frustrations out on.
No, it’s not Afino.
The Raleigh News and Observer (http://www.newsandobserver.com/) has long been the main source of "unbiased" and in-depth information about my beloved Carolina Hurricanes. Its not always been fantastic and its always had a sense of "Oh crap the Canes played last night, better write a review!". Its never been the most put together or well educated editorial of games, players or the NHL in general. In fact, it helped feed the uneducated southerners fire during the 06 playoffs when they ran a term of the day in the paper. Fans of other teams *coughSabrescough* enjoyed pointing out that we had to have "icing", "kick save" and "offside" explained to us.
Sunday night and yesterday, the stupidity of the NandO really came to a head.
On just one article, the heading changed approximately 4 times. It was the recap of the Rangers game, where the Canes lost in a SO. Cam Ward was forced to leave the game with a "severe" cut to his knee. The NandO was the soul source of all the Canes fans freaking out about how severe this cut was. Over the course of about 12 hours the article titles changed like this (forgive me if I miss one, I couldn't possibly keep track of them all):
"Cam Ward out for the season" - not true, as we would later to come find out. When this title was read there was mass uproar between all 15 Canes fans and yells of "Our season is done! No playoffs for us!"
"Cam Ward out indefinitely" - pretty common sensical when someone has a "severe" injury and the extent of the injury is not yet known.
"Canes miss playoffs" - What? The game against the Rangers had us mathematically eliminated? DeCock checks his math and comes up with this one....
"Nagging issues hurt Canes" - Pretty safe bet with that one.
DeCock hits another one out of the park.
The real problem with Wardo? 5-7 days out until he is able to get his stitches out.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Live Blog: Devils @ Sabres
This may be the only thing that keeps me awake. I reserve the right to stop doing this if I'm fed up with the game too.
Periodic updates until 7, then I'll be at it all game long.
6:22pm - Miller and Brodeur likely between the pipes tonight. The only way Brodeur wouldn't be playing is if he was dead or dying.
(Marty Brodeur 80 years from now.....still wanting to play goal.)
6:46pm - Damn. Knew I should have picked up some Red Bull.
6:57pm - You know what? I'm glad this game isn't in Jersey. A loss sucks enough as is, at least we don't have to lose in a mallrat-infested swamp.
7:00pm - "Big 12 Showcase" on MSG before the Sabres game??? Umm...searching for programming, much?
7:05pm - It really bothers me that they don't play the anthems. I WANT MY DOUG ALLEN!
7:08pm - Kaleta was sent down??? That's some bullshit....
Game on.
1st Period
17:07 - Peters and Janssen!!! Holy crap, what a fight. Longest one I've seen this year. And I was about to point out Peters was back in the lineup....I guess he is. Janssen's back from suspension, apparently.
16:45 - Oh, good start from both teams, neither one really coming out flat.
16:32 - SCORE!!! Dainius Zubrus!!! First as a Sabre! Killer wrist shot.
15:33 - Millar robs Elias on a breakaway!! Great defensive breakdown, boys.
14:22 - Langenbrunner floats one to the front and Zajac taps it in. Tie game. Nothing Miller can do.
14:10 - The linesman just got checked into the Devils bench by Eric Rasmussen. Good to see Rasmussen's still useless. No standby officials in the regular season, awesome. So watch out for more blown calls....
13:45 - And Rasmussen officially is a waste of space. Rafalski just hit him in the face with a clearing attempt.
12:55 - Did they just say the Devils have cap problems and are playing a man short?? How did Lou let this happen? His hit men not do the job?
8:00 - Red hot end-to-end action. Devils thinking the net's a soccer net. Not a surprise since their scores are like soccer games.
4:45 - Turnover city for the Sabres. Luckily, Miller seems to be playing well tonight.
1-1 after 1.
Intermission
Did Rob Ray just say "you want to touch yourself???"
Doc Emrick on!
-Taking on the "trap".....basically saying the Devils took it from everyone else and just perfected it.
-The game was "sanitized" too much after the lockout.
-HE JUST USED THE WORD GRIT!!
-Pimps his NBC gig. Good segment though.
2nd Period
19:27 - Elias (not the Sports Bureau) scores...wasn't tied up in front of the net and scoops the rebound. Trap time!!! *grabs pillow*
17:20 - Vanek still doesn't look right out there. He's a step behind and not aggressive.
15:00 - Wow. The Sabres have to keep dumping it into the no-goalie zone. Brodeur doesn't know what the hell to do with himself.
13:50 - Campbell's gotta stop that spin-o-rama crap. Sooner or later, he's going to get lit up.
12:30 - Strong play by Mike Ryan in the corner to get that dump in. The Sabres need more of that.
9:45 - Remember when NHL games had referees??? Yeah, another game without a power play in the middle of the 2nd. Two nights in a row.
5:45 - This looks like a lot like last night. Lots of chances for Buffalo, no finishing.
3:42 - Nathan Paestch throws it to the front, Briere tips in!!! Tie game!!! SUCK FAILURE, TRAP!!
1:39 - Roy cut with Brylin's high stick. That's a 4 minuter. First penalty of the game other than the fight.
:30 - Shorty by Rafalski. 3-2 Devils. This blows. We really need to start declining power plays. When their pressure is better than ours, it's a problem.
3rd period
16:36 Our power play blows. But we're on another one. Hopefully this one won't involve a shorthanded goal.
13:25 - Power play Devils. If they score here, I'm turning out the lights on this. Hope you don't mind.
13:07 - 4 on 4 as Rupp runs into Roy at the line.
Live blog over. Sabres get called for a penalty after a Devil does the same thing at the other end without a call. This is f-ing ridiculous. F you Lou Lamoriello.
Periodic updates until 7, then I'll be at it all game long.
6:22pm - Miller and Brodeur likely between the pipes tonight. The only way Brodeur wouldn't be playing is if he was dead or dying.
(Marty Brodeur 80 years from now.....still wanting to play goal.)6:46pm - Damn. Knew I should have picked up some Red Bull.
6:57pm - You know what? I'm glad this game isn't in Jersey. A loss sucks enough as is, at least we don't have to lose in a mallrat-infested swamp.
7:00pm - "Big 12 Showcase" on MSG before the Sabres game??? Umm...searching for programming, much?
7:05pm - It really bothers me that they don't play the anthems. I WANT MY DOUG ALLEN!
7:08pm - Kaleta was sent down??? That's some bullshit....
Game on.
1st Period
17:07 - Peters and Janssen!!! Holy crap, what a fight. Longest one I've seen this year. And I was about to point out Peters was back in the lineup....I guess he is. Janssen's back from suspension, apparently.
16:45 - Oh, good start from both teams, neither one really coming out flat.
16:32 - SCORE!!! Dainius Zubrus!!! First as a Sabre! Killer wrist shot.
15:33 - Millar robs Elias on a breakaway!! Great defensive breakdown, boys.
14:22 - Langenbrunner floats one to the front and Zajac taps it in. Tie game. Nothing Miller can do.
14:10 - The linesman just got checked into the Devils bench by Eric Rasmussen. Good to see Rasmussen's still useless. No standby officials in the regular season, awesome. So watch out for more blown calls....
13:45 - And Rasmussen officially is a waste of space. Rafalski just hit him in the face with a clearing attempt.
12:55 - Did they just say the Devils have cap problems and are playing a man short?? How did Lou let this happen? His hit men not do the job?
8:00 - Red hot end-to-end action. Devils thinking the net's a soccer net. Not a surprise since their scores are like soccer games.
4:45 - Turnover city for the Sabres. Luckily, Miller seems to be playing well tonight.
1-1 after 1.
Intermission
Did Rob Ray just say "you want to touch yourself???"
Doc Emrick on!
-Taking on the "trap".....basically saying the Devils took it from everyone else and just perfected it.
-The game was "sanitized" too much after the lockout.
-HE JUST USED THE WORD GRIT!!
-Pimps his NBC gig. Good segment though.
2nd Period
19:27 - Elias (not the Sports Bureau) scores...wasn't tied up in front of the net and scoops the rebound. Trap time!!! *grabs pillow*
17:20 - Vanek still doesn't look right out there. He's a step behind and not aggressive.
15:00 - Wow. The Sabres have to keep dumping it into the no-goalie zone. Brodeur doesn't know what the hell to do with himself.
13:50 - Campbell's gotta stop that spin-o-rama crap. Sooner or later, he's going to get lit up.
12:30 - Strong play by Mike Ryan in the corner to get that dump in. The Sabres need more of that.
9:45 - Remember when NHL games had referees??? Yeah, another game without a power play in the middle of the 2nd. Two nights in a row.
5:45 - This looks like a lot like last night. Lots of chances for Buffalo, no finishing.
3:42 - Nathan Paestch throws it to the front, Briere tips in!!! Tie game!!! SUCK FAILURE, TRAP!!
1:39 - Roy cut with Brylin's high stick. That's a 4 minuter. First penalty of the game other than the fight.
:30 - Shorty by Rafalski. 3-2 Devils. This blows. We really need to start declining power plays. When their pressure is better than ours, it's a problem.
3rd period
16:36 Our power play blows. But we're on another one. Hopefully this one won't involve a shorthanded goal.
13:25 - Power play Devils. If they score here, I'm turning out the lights on this. Hope you don't mind.
13:07 - 4 on 4 as Rupp runs into Roy at the line.
Live blog over. Sabres get called for a penalty after a Devil does the same thing at the other end without a call. This is f-ing ridiculous. F you Lou Lamoriello.
Gamenight: Devils @ Sabres 03.10.07
New Jersey (41-19-8, 90 pts, 1st Atlantic, 2nd East)
@
Buffalo (44-18-5, 93 pts, 1st NE, 1st East)
March 10, 2007
7:00pm
HSBC Arena
Season Series: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Feb 3rd, Devils won 3-2.
Tonight, the Sabres feel the breath on the back of their necks. After another loss last night against Minnesota, the Sabres remain 3 points ahead of Jersey going into tonight's game, and in all honesty, will be 1 point ahead after tonight.
New Jersey has been struggling as well, only going 1-3-0 in their last four games.
If the Sabres don't come out with a purpose tonight after getting run out of their building the last two home games, I really won't know what to think.
Puck drops at 7:10pm. This may be live-blogged.
@
Buffalo (44-18-5, 93 pts, 1st NE, 1st East)
March 10, 2007
7:00pm
HSBC Arena
Season Series: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Feb 3rd, Devils won 3-2.
Tonight, the Sabres feel the breath on the back of their necks. After another loss last night against Minnesota, the Sabres remain 3 points ahead of Jersey going into tonight's game, and in all honesty, will be 1 point ahead after tonight.
New Jersey has been struggling as well, only going 1-3-0 in their last four games.
If the Sabres don't come out with a purpose tonight after getting run out of their building the last two home games, I really won't know what to think.
Puck drops at 7:10pm. This may be live-blogged.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
An Effortless Wrap-Up for an Effortless Game
So...really great game last night, boys.
(This may or may not have been me)
- It was such a solid effort, that I fell asleep during the 3rd period. That’s right, ASLEEP! Which is pretty much the way you guys played last night. You know what? I don’t even blame Colorado trapping for a boring game (I’ll save that for this weekend when we play Minnesota and Jersey), even though it was pointed out on the telecast that it was an obvious trap.
- But maybe I shouldn’t complain. The AHL’ers played like AHL’ers (all of them), and Teppo played like he really is (old). This has probably been a few games coming.
- It wasn’t all bad though, the first ten minutes were solid, and then Jochen Hecht turned into the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man after he tried to defend Briere. After that, it was all downhill. The Sabres got scared once the Avalanche started playing them physically, and their game went south. They skated around wondering what this newfangled “trap” was, and mailed the game in.
- Vanek, Roy, and Stafford? That line played last night?? Completely honest, I did not even hear Vanek’s name until late in the second period. I hadn’t noticed that he was even dressed and playing before then.
- I couldn’t even be happy about Sakic scoring the game-winning goal…they took it away from him and gave it to Wolski!
- The Stastny family has been killing Buffalo for the last 25 years. The tradition continues…
- Two points wasted, plain and simple. I know a team can’t give 110% effort every night, but they can at least try, damnit! That being said, we still only lost by one goal. But now we have two weekend snoozefests, of which Ty Conklin will be playing one of them. Give Minnesota or Jersey the two points now and save me 2 ½ hours of boredom. I might live blog one of them just to keep me awake.
(This may or may not have been me)- It was such a solid effort, that I fell asleep during the 3rd period. That’s right, ASLEEP! Which is pretty much the way you guys played last night. You know what? I don’t even blame Colorado trapping for a boring game (I’ll save that for this weekend when we play Minnesota and Jersey), even though it was pointed out on the telecast that it was an obvious trap.
- But maybe I shouldn’t complain. The AHL’ers played like AHL’ers (all of them), and Teppo played like he really is (old). This has probably been a few games coming.
- It wasn’t all bad though, the first ten minutes were solid, and then Jochen Hecht turned into the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man after he tried to defend Briere. After that, it was all downhill. The Sabres got scared once the Avalanche started playing them physically, and their game went south. They skated around wondering what this newfangled “trap” was, and mailed the game in.
- Vanek, Roy, and Stafford? That line played last night?? Completely honest, I did not even hear Vanek’s name until late in the second period. I hadn’t noticed that he was even dressed and playing before then.
- I couldn’t even be happy about Sakic scoring the game-winning goal…they took it away from him and gave it to Wolski!
- The Stastny family has been killing Buffalo for the last 25 years. The tradition continues…
- Two points wasted, plain and simple. I know a team can’t give 110% effort every night, but they can at least try, damnit! That being said, we still only lost by one goal. But now we have two weekend snoozefests, of which Ty Conklin will be playing one of them. Give Minnesota or Jersey the two points now and save me 2 ½ hours of boredom. I might live blog one of them just to keep me awake.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Gamenight: Avs @ Sabres 3/7/07
Colorado (33-29-5, 71 points, 4th NW, 9th West)
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Buffalo (44-16-5, 93 points, 1st NE, 1st East)
Wednesday, March 7th, 2007
7:00pm
HSBC Arena
Season Series: Of course, there isn’t one. But the Sabres have won three straight meetings with the Avalanche, and six of the last eight games in the series. Their last meeting was Dec 4, 2005, a 6-4 Sabres victory. Marty Biron was the winning goalie that night.
The world famous Divealanche circus comes to town tonight. You know what that means???
That’s right. My favorite NHL player of all time is in the building tonight. I’ll probably spend more time watching him than my own team. Sakic is still the heart and soul of that franchise, which means he’ll probably be traded soon. Other than that, there’s not much to worry about on Colorado. They are on a 3 game winning streak, but still 8 points out of the final playoff spot in the West even after beating Boston last night on the strength of a Peter BOO-DIE shutout. Paul Stastny is on a 16-game point streak, tying the rookie franchise record set by his own father Peter, and has 63 points on the season.
More importantly for the Sabres, we get former Av Chris Drury back tonight after missing 4 games due to a concussion. Drury skated at practice Tuesday on a line with fellow New England native Mike Ryan and Dainius Zubrus. The streaking Amerks….sorry, Sabres….have been led recently by Drew Stafford, who has 12 points in the last 7 games. I’m quickly growing quite the affinity for this guy, and he may be next on the jersey list.
I’m praying that Ryan Miller will be between the pipes tonight, and after last night, I’d expect Budai in there too. I’m sure that Conklin (ugh) will get a start this weekend when the Sabres play the trap-a-licious Wild and Devils on consecutive nights. Looks like I’ll be able to catch up on some sleep.
The puck drops at 7:10pm.
Update 3:08pm - Fixed Stastny's streak. I had forgotten about last night for some silly reason.
@
Buffalo (44-16-5, 93 points, 1st NE, 1st East)
Wednesday, March 7th, 2007
7:00pm
HSBC Arena
Season Series: Of course, there isn’t one. But the Sabres have won three straight meetings with the Avalanche, and six of the last eight games in the series. Their last meeting was Dec 4, 2005, a 6-4 Sabres victory. Marty Biron was the winning goalie that night.
The world famous Divealanche circus comes to town tonight. You know what that means???
That’s right. My favorite NHL player of all time is in the building tonight. I’ll probably spend more time watching him than my own team. Sakic is still the heart and soul of that franchise, which means he’ll probably be traded soon. Other than that, there’s not much to worry about on Colorado. They are on a 3 game winning streak, but still 8 points out of the final playoff spot in the West even after beating Boston last night on the strength of a Peter BOO-DIE shutout. Paul Stastny is on a 16-game point streak, tying the rookie franchise record set by his own father Peter, and has 63 points on the season.
More importantly for the Sabres, we get former Av Chris Drury back tonight after missing 4 games due to a concussion. Drury skated at practice Tuesday on a line with fellow New England native Mike Ryan and Dainius Zubrus. The streaking Amerks….sorry, Sabres….have been led recently by Drew Stafford, who has 12 points in the last 7 games. I’m quickly growing quite the affinity for this guy, and he may be next on the jersey list.
I’m praying that Ryan Miller will be between the pipes tonight, and after last night, I’d expect Budai in there too. I’m sure that Conklin (ugh) will get a start this weekend when the Sabres play the trap-a-licious Wild and Devils on consecutive nights. Looks like I’ll be able to catch up on some sleep.
The puck drops at 7:10pm.
Update 3:08pm - Fixed Stastny's streak. I had forgotten about last night for some silly reason.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Right now, in this moment, I hate you.
I'm glad Afino has kept things updated with the goings on in the hockey world.
I have been busy with...being angry at the Hurricanes.
Dropping an important game with Atlanta was not the outcome I was expecting after a hard fought win over Pittsburgh Friday night.
I'm frustrated with people at my office asking me "CG, whats going on with the Canes?". Well idiot in cubicle #3, I believe if you were actually a fan you would be watching the games yourself...thus you would know!
I kinda feel like this right now: (from one of our favorite movies)
Hey, you like hockey?
Hey, you like hockey?
This is a big important game.
This is a big important game.
Hey, you like hockey?
This is a big important game.
This is a big important game.
I'm being serious. Don't do that
I'm being serious. Don't do that.
Howmuchwoodcouldawoodchuckchuckifawoodchuckcouldchuckwood?
Howmuchwoodcouldawoodchuckchuckifawoodchuckcouldchuckwood?
*silence*
Yeah, that's what I thought. Shut up!
So basically, if you see me around (or online), my advice to you is to steer clear of any Canes related discussions.
And for those that actually care:
+ Anton Babchuk has been recalled from Albany. After a temper tantrum and some time to "think about" him being sent down to the AHL he has netted 1 goal and 6 assists in 9 games.
+ This means the injury to Bret Hedican is worse than they are saying. Doesn't suprise me, Bret Hedican is made of eggs and held together with scotch tape this season.
+ The Canes have 4 days of no games, 2 of which are complete vacation days for them. Tomorrow they begin intensive work on the PP and PK. Thank you jesus.
+ The Hurricanes are in the 8th spot in the EC, with a ton of teams breathing down their necks. Yee haw.
+ Anson Carter is slated to play Friday night's game against Washington.
Wait...he has been playing all along? Are you serious??
Some ramblings on an off day....
Some general NHL ramblings while both our teams are enjoying some needed time off to rest injuries….and well, I’m bored.
- The Pittsburgh situation sucks, and there’s no other way to describe it. There is no other city in the US or Canada that will be able to support a team the way Pittsburgh has. Period. Not Kansas City, not Las Vegas (God help us if they go there), not Winnipeg, not Houston, not Portland. Although if they have to go SOMEWHERE, put the team in Canada where the fans will actually give a crap about them. It will be a sad day if and when the Penguins leave Pittsburgh, that much is certain. Even if they get the “Cleveland Browns deal” and are promised an expansion franchise with the Penguins name if the NHL ever decides to expand again, it still wouldn’t be right.
- Rick DiPietro earned 80,000 and change per save (all 56 of them) last night. Too bad he couldn’t stop one more. But he did play an excellent game in a playoff-like atmosphere. I bet it makes the Islanders wish they signed him long term. Oh wait…….
- I watched the Ryan Smyth farewell conference yesterday. By God, he’s the ugliest man in the NHL. A lot of other (read: more important) people have said this too, but things need to be done to curb this rent-a-player deal at the deadline. It’s a joke for a team to give up multiple players and picks for 2 months of a guy, and then see them sign long-term with their original team. See Doug Weight last year….
- Speaking of Weight, I wonder if he still doesn’t know who Jason Pominville is.
Some playoff race-related notes….
- Is anyone scared that the Rangers or Boston will take the 8th spot in the East with all their games in hand on Montreal and Carolina? (Okay, other than CG…) The Sabres have owned New York and Boston since the lockout, and I believe the Sabres are 4-0-0 against NYR and 4-1-2 against Boston this year after going 7-1 last year. Yeah, I’m not worried.
- Has anyone noticed Florida suddenly is 7-1-2 in their last 10 games and are only SIX points out of a spot themselves?? In the immortal words of Vince Lombardi, “What the hell is going on out there??”
- According to James Mirtle, the Sabres have already clinched a playoff spot…. http://mirtle.blogspot.com/2007/02/playoff-push-95-points-or-bust.html#comments
Monday, March 5, 2007
This one's for you, Jaime
Completely un-sports related, this was on the front page of the Rochester paper.
Story about one man "sharing his tale of grit".
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070305/LIVING/703050303/1032&GID=5gg94YbAVx1W04jcAUzufmT4Mozxyjyp2xllWUd7bU0%3D
Story about one man "sharing his tale of grit".
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070305/LIVING/703050303/1032&GID=5gg94YbAVx1W04jcAUzufmT4Mozxyjyp2xllWUd7bU0%3D
Forbes ranks the best GM's....
http://www.forbes.com/2007/03/02/sports-greatest-gms-biz-cz_jg_0302gms_2.html
......and the best NHL GM??
Let's just say there's not a lot of people who agree. Not even fans of his own team would agree.
Darcy Regier ranks 63rd among 98 pro sports GM's. Jim Rutherford, 17th.
Ken Holland ranks dead last among NHL GM's and 90th overall.....this list has absolutely no credibility.
The list was based on years as the GM, winning "improvement" (whatever that means), and "payroll containment"....
......and the best NHL GM??
Let's just say there's not a lot of people who agree. Not even fans of his own team would agree.
Darcy Regier ranks 63rd among 98 pro sports GM's. Jim Rutherford, 17th.
Ken Holland ranks dead last among NHL GM's and 90th overall.....this list has absolutely no credibility.
The list was based on years as the GM, winning "improvement" (whatever that means), and "payroll containment"....
Sheldon Souray is an idiot....
And here's photographic proof. No Sheldon, it's not okay to two-hand someone while he's on an empty-net breakaway. I'm so glad I found this picture.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Gamenight: Sabres @ Leafs 3/3/07
Buffalo (43-16-5, 91 pts, 1st NE, 1st East)
@
Toronto (31-25-9, 71 pts, 4th NE, 10th East)
Saturday, March 3rd, 2007
7:00pm
Air Canada Centre, Toronto
This is the 6th meeting between these two teams this season, with Buffalo leading 3-2-0.
Last meeting: Tuesday night, with the Sabres winning 6-1.
Ahhhhh, the Maple Laughs. Always a good time. But I don't think this will be a "normal" Sabres/Leafs game. I think the Sabres are headed into a hornet's nest tonight after the Kaberle hit last night. The Leafs may have Darcy "Mother" Tucker back from his knee injury, and he'll be looking to kill anyone not wearing a Leafs uniform to take out the aggression he showed last night in the tunnel after the Janssen cheap shot. The Sabres won't have Andrew Peters to fight him or Belak either, he suffered an upper-body injury when him and Pat Kaleta tag-teamed Steve Begin into the boards last night in Buffalo.
Will we see Ty Conklin making his Sabres debut tonight? Possibly. But all indications are still showing that Ryan Miller will be between the pipes. Expect Aubin in the nets for Toronto.
@
Toronto (31-25-9, 71 pts, 4th NE, 10th East)
Saturday, March 3rd, 2007
7:00pm
Air Canada Centre, Toronto
This is the 6th meeting between these two teams this season, with Buffalo leading 3-2-0.
Last meeting: Tuesday night, with the Sabres winning 6-1.
Ahhhhh, the Maple Laughs. Always a good time. But I don't think this will be a "normal" Sabres/Leafs game. I think the Sabres are headed into a hornet's nest tonight after the Kaberle hit last night. The Leafs may have Darcy "Mother" Tucker back from his knee injury, and he'll be looking to kill anyone not wearing a Leafs uniform to take out the aggression he showed last night in the tunnel after the Janssen cheap shot. The Sabres won't have Andrew Peters to fight him or Belak either, he suffered an upper-body injury when him and Pat Kaleta tag-teamed Steve Begin into the boards last night in Buffalo.
Will we see Ty Conklin making his Sabres debut tonight? Possibly. But all indications are still showing that Ryan Miller will be between the pipes. Expect Aubin in the nets for Toronto.
Cam Janssen's Upcoming Vacation.....
Absolutely despicable. As bad as the Neil on Drury hit was, this was 20 times worse than that. I hope you spend a long time on the sidelines, Cam. But knowing Colin Campbell, you won't be, and it's a god damn shame.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Mx_x8g7y0
(sorry, I can't embed that video, it won't let me)
Watch all the Leafs go after Janssen like the Sabres did with Drury......
Oh, what? They didn't go after him??
For once, I don't hate Darcy Tucker....watch him mouth off to Janssen even though he didn't dress tonight. I bet he would have kicked Cam's ass, and for once I would have enjoyed watching Tucker do that. Too bad he was the only one who stood up and did SOMETHING.
Here's to a quick recovery by Kaberle. This crap has NO place in the NHL.
Update! (3/3/07 4:15pm): Cam Janssen gets a 3-game suspension. Well, at least they did something.
Habs at Sabres Postgame
Okay, normally I'm going to plan on writing more than this, but with the live blog, I think that's pretty much sufficient. The Cliff Notes version....
-The Sabres won 8-5. 7 goals on 29 shots against David Aebischer.
-Michael Ryan scored his first two NHL goals, and Thomas Vanek has two as well. Derek Roy had 4 points (1+3), and Broken Jochen had 0+3.
-Tomas Plekanec had 2+1 for the Habs.
-Montreal had three power play goals, and Buffalo scored their first power play goal of the season against Montreal (they were 0 for 33 beforehand)
-Wild bounces, bad giveaways, momentum shifts abound, but Montreal never tied the game, the closest they came was one goal.
-Sheldon Souray is a douchebag for slashing Thomas Vanek on that breakaway. Completely uncalled for.
Sabres back at it tomorrow at the ACC in Toronto, and I'll be back at it too. (No live blog though, sorry.)
Friday, March 2, 2007
Habs at Sabres Live Blog Extravaganza!!!
So, this will be my first attempt at a live blog. I'll be posting updates for a while, and then I'll be ready to go at 8pm.
7:08pm - Hank Tallinder will play tonight, and it looks like Abby in net for the Habs. And look at this beauty of a man.....thank you, Chris Neil.
7:27pm - Apparently Georges Laraque just took out Brind'Amour.....CG12 not pleased.
7:38pm - from Kovalev Warrior @ HF: Officially Abby in the nets, Perezhogin will also not play.
7:58pm - I turn on my TV and Versus is on. They're showing fishing. *shakes head*
8:01pm - Zubaz laces 'em up. I've wanted a good Sabre to wear #15 for a long time. Hopefully he fits the bill.
8:03pm - Zubaz interview with Rob Ray......he doesn't look very intelligent on camera. And next to Ray, that's pretty hard to do. He'll be starting the game between Mair and Mike Ryan.
8:08pm - Puck drop. Aebischer and Miller.
1st Period
19:33 - Vanek robbed by Aebischer after a bad turnover, Habs come right back and Miller makes a big save.
19:00 - Miller makes a couple HUGE saves!!! Breakaway pass to Hecht misses....wow.
18:36 - SCORE! Pominville with an OUTSTANDING play and gets it to Big Tree Kalinin's stick for the goal! 1-0 Buffalo!
18:20 - SCORE AGAIN!! Michael Ryan with his first NHL goal!! Aebischer caught hanging outside the net, Mair passes to Ryan who has the open net! 2-0!
17:23 - Stafford!!! But no goal....he whacks it in with his hand.
17:03 - Vanek with a 2 on 0 break, and no goal. What does this guy have to do to score a goal? Canadiens take a timeout.....
16:28 - Kovalev to the box for holding up Roy.
15:05 - Paestch has a real cannon from the point on the power play. It's a nice hard, low shot. That's why we keep him around.
12:51 - Bonk takes a shot and goes and roughs up Miller. If we ever have a fish, we're naming it Bonk. CG used to have one named Bonk because all it did was run into the glass and float. Much like the real Bonk.
11:08 - Holy crap, Kaleta. Please don't ever change your shit disturbing ways.
8:51 - Vanek with a nice dipsy-doodle move, draws the call on Dandenault. Briere still seems a little.....disoriented out there. He's not being Briere... But it's still good enough for me.
- The clock's not working. I'll do my best to update with time, but the PP is over. Pretty uneventful.
5:30 - Sabres take a penalty in what seems to be the first sustained Montreal pressure in the Buffalo zone. Still no clock, but RJ says 5 and a half to play, so that's what I'm going with.
4:45ish - .......and Aebischer tries to catch Buffalo in a change and ices the puck.
- Sabres kill the power play, but not before a few solid chances, especially by Kovalev.
1:12 (clock working again)- A bit of end to end action the last couple of minutes, Bouillon should have had a penalty in the Montreal zone. Roysie a little upset.
Intermission - Solid first period for Buffalo. This could have been 4-0 or 5-0 though, if Vanek would have finished and/or Stafford getting the unlucky bounce off his glove and into the net. Drury interview with Sylvester. He doesn't look half as bad as he does in that picture. 9 shots for each team in the first, Sabres 0/31 on the power play this season against the Habs.
2nd Period
19:31 - Markov to the box for tripping, Sabres on the power play.
17:18 - Thomas Vanek on the tip in on the Teppo shot!!! Maybe....we'll wait for the annoucement. Teppo gets it!
13:56 - Kaleta doing his job again, mixing it up with Ryder in the corner. Kaleta ends up in the box.
12:54 - 5 on 3 Habs........nevermind. Ryder scores, Kaleta out of the box, Lydman in. 3-1 Sabres.
12:26 - MICHAEL RYAN SHORTHANDED!!!! 4-1 Buffalo!! With a great pass from Broken Jochen!!!
10:57 - Kostitsyn to Bonk......4-2 Sabres. Another power play goal.
10:34 - What the hell??? Streit..... 4-3 Habs.
9:36 - Kovalev with an excellent chance, puck behind Miller, but it doesn't go in.
5:57 - (sorry for the lack of updates, nothing really of note) Kaleta gets major-league slashed in front of the net, no call. Hey refs, great of you to put away the whistles. Maybe not, Kaleta and Lapierre to the box.
4:47 - Wow. Vanek and Roy robbed on a 2-on-1. Roy gets grabbed and pulled down by Dandenault and the Sabres have a 4 on 3 power play.
3:22 - Aebischer robs Hecht (actually more like the goalpost), after making a bone-headed play behind the net.
2:45 - DEREK ROY with the cannon wrist shot!! That's a power play goal!!!!! 5-3 Buffalo!!!
2:35 - ...........and 5-4 Buffalo. Plekanec on a 2-on-1. What the hell is going on out there???
1:28 - Power play Buffalo. Some Canadien for holding, I missed it.
End of 2. Bartender, Jobu needs a refill!
Intermission - Wow. Just saw the Janssen/Kaberle hit. Enjoy your upcoming vacation, Cam.
3rd Period
Jim Lorentz just said it was 2-0 Buffalo. Wrong period, buddy.
18:41 - Lydman with an obvious tripping call. PP Habs. They're 2 for 3 so far tonight.
16:03 - Kalinin tripped up by Johnson in the Buffalo zone after a successful PK. Penalty, Sabres still 0 for the season against Montreal on the PP.
13:33 - THOMAS VANEK ON THE WRAPAROUND!!!! 6-4 BUFFALO ON THE DELAYED CALL!!!!
12:22 - Campbell for interference right off the faceoff.
11:04 - Plekanec again off the lucky bounce off the boards behind the net. 3 power play goals for Montreal tonight....... 6-5 Buffalo.
10:24 - DREW STAFFORD!!! On the great play by Campbell!! 7-5 BUFFALO!!! Will someone stop a shot????? Please??
7:45 - I hate Jim Kelly.
3:20 - Montreal applying good pressure. Probably the desperation setting in.
1:15 - I bet Montreal will use their timeout here..........oh wait.
:25 - Vanek with the empty netter while Sheldon "Oh crap, I didn't score on the power play tonight" Souray gives him two-handed slashes on the arms. What a douchebag.
8-5 Sabres final. I have new respect for all live-bloggers out there. This was tiring trying to keep up AND watch the game. I'll have a post-game report later.
7:08pm - Hank Tallinder will play tonight, and it looks like Abby in net for the Habs. And look at this beauty of a man.....thank you, Chris Neil.
7:27pm - Apparently Georges Laraque just took out Brind'Amour.....CG12 not pleased.
7:38pm - from Kovalev Warrior @ HF: Officially Abby in the nets, Perezhogin will also not play.
7:58pm - I turn on my TV and Versus is on. They're showing fishing. *shakes head*
8:01pm - Zubaz laces 'em up. I've wanted a good Sabre to wear #15 for a long time. Hopefully he fits the bill.
8:03pm - Zubaz interview with Rob Ray......he doesn't look very intelligent on camera. And next to Ray, that's pretty hard to do. He'll be starting the game between Mair and Mike Ryan.
8:08pm - Puck drop. Aebischer and Miller.
1st Period
19:33 - Vanek robbed by Aebischer after a bad turnover, Habs come right back and Miller makes a big save.
19:00 - Miller makes a couple HUGE saves!!! Breakaway pass to Hecht misses....wow.
18:36 - SCORE! Pominville with an OUTSTANDING play and gets it to Big Tree Kalinin's stick for the goal! 1-0 Buffalo!
18:20 - SCORE AGAIN!! Michael Ryan with his first NHL goal!! Aebischer caught hanging outside the net, Mair passes to Ryan who has the open net! 2-0!
17:23 - Stafford!!! But no goal....he whacks it in with his hand.
17:03 - Vanek with a 2 on 0 break, and no goal. What does this guy have to do to score a goal? Canadiens take a timeout.....
16:28 - Kovalev to the box for holding up Roy.
15:05 - Paestch has a real cannon from the point on the power play. It's a nice hard, low shot. That's why we keep him around.
12:51 - Bonk takes a shot and goes and roughs up Miller. If we ever have a fish, we're naming it Bonk. CG used to have one named Bonk because all it did was run into the glass and float. Much like the real Bonk.
11:08 - Holy crap, Kaleta. Please don't ever change your shit disturbing ways.
8:51 - Vanek with a nice dipsy-doodle move, draws the call on Dandenault. Briere still seems a little.....disoriented out there. He's not being Briere... But it's still good enough for me.
- The clock's not working. I'll do my best to update with time, but the PP is over. Pretty uneventful.
5:30 - Sabres take a penalty in what seems to be the first sustained Montreal pressure in the Buffalo zone. Still no clock, but RJ says 5 and a half to play, so that's what I'm going with.
4:45ish - .......and Aebischer tries to catch Buffalo in a change and ices the puck.
- Sabres kill the power play, but not before a few solid chances, especially by Kovalev.
1:12 (clock working again)- A bit of end to end action the last couple of minutes, Bouillon should have had a penalty in the Montreal zone. Roysie a little upset.
Intermission - Solid first period for Buffalo. This could have been 4-0 or 5-0 though, if Vanek would have finished and/or Stafford getting the unlucky bounce off his glove and into the net. Drury interview with Sylvester. He doesn't look half as bad as he does in that picture. 9 shots for each team in the first, Sabres 0/31 on the power play this season against the Habs.
2nd Period
19:31 - Markov to the box for tripping, Sabres on the power play.
17:18 - Thomas Vanek on the tip in on the Teppo shot!!! Maybe....we'll wait for the annoucement. Teppo gets it!
13:56 - Kaleta doing his job again, mixing it up with Ryder in the corner. Kaleta ends up in the box.
12:54 - 5 on 3 Habs........nevermind. Ryder scores, Kaleta out of the box, Lydman in. 3-1 Sabres.
12:26 - MICHAEL RYAN SHORTHANDED!!!! 4-1 Buffalo!! With a great pass from Broken Jochen!!!
10:57 - Kostitsyn to Bonk......4-2 Sabres. Another power play goal.
10:34 - What the hell??? Streit..... 4-3 Habs.
9:36 - Kovalev with an excellent chance, puck behind Miller, but it doesn't go in.
5:57 - (sorry for the lack of updates, nothing really of note) Kaleta gets major-league slashed in front of the net, no call. Hey refs, great of you to put away the whistles. Maybe not, Kaleta and Lapierre to the box.
4:47 - Wow. Vanek and Roy robbed on a 2-on-1. Roy gets grabbed and pulled down by Dandenault and the Sabres have a 4 on 3 power play.
3:22 - Aebischer robs Hecht (actually more like the goalpost), after making a bone-headed play behind the net.
2:45 - DEREK ROY with the cannon wrist shot!! That's a power play goal!!!!! 5-3 Buffalo!!!
2:35 - ...........and 5-4 Buffalo. Plekanec on a 2-on-1. What the hell is going on out there???
1:28 - Power play Buffalo. Some Canadien for holding, I missed it.
End of 2. Bartender, Jobu needs a refill!
Intermission - Wow. Just saw the Janssen/Kaberle hit. Enjoy your upcoming vacation, Cam.
3rd Period
Jim Lorentz just said it was 2-0 Buffalo. Wrong period, buddy.
18:41 - Lydman with an obvious tripping call. PP Habs. They're 2 for 3 so far tonight.
16:03 - Kalinin tripped up by Johnson in the Buffalo zone after a successful PK. Penalty, Sabres still 0 for the season against Montreal on the PP.
13:33 - THOMAS VANEK ON THE WRAPAROUND!!!! 6-4 BUFFALO ON THE DELAYED CALL!!!!
12:22 - Campbell for interference right off the faceoff.
11:04 - Plekanec again off the lucky bounce off the boards behind the net. 3 power play goals for Montreal tonight....... 6-5 Buffalo.
10:24 - DREW STAFFORD!!! On the great play by Campbell!! 7-5 BUFFALO!!! Will someone stop a shot????? Please??
7:45 - I hate Jim Kelly.
3:20 - Montreal applying good pressure. Probably the desperation setting in.
1:15 - I bet Montreal will use their timeout here..........oh wait.
:25 - Vanek with the empty netter while Sheldon "Oh crap, I didn't score on the power play tonight" Souray gives him two-handed slashes on the arms. What a douchebag.
8-5 Sabres final. I have new respect for all live-bloggers out there. This was tiring trying to keep up AND watch the game. I'll have a post-game report later.
Game Day Preview: 5 lobsters, lots of ketchup
Pittsburgh Penguins @ Carolina Hurricanes, March 2nd 2007
( 33-20-9, 75 pts) - (32-27-7, 71 pts.)
As much as the Hurricanes have just stunk it up at home this season, it still is a relief to know that tonight’s game is going to be played at home. The Canes have had a bit of bad luck in the injury department on trips up to Melon Arena (Cole, Letowski) and at this point I want us to actually GET healthy, not lose more legs/arms/head/hair*.
The guys have had pretty confident wins over the Pens at the start of the season (5-1 and 6-2), but lost 3-0 during the last outing. I don’t really remember that game but it’s probably because all of the loses have blended into one long, foggy memory. Kinda like when you drink too much and can’t remember all of the night before, just bits and pieces. Welcome to my 06-07 hockey season.
Wildcards for tonight:
- Tim Gleason. He appeared to be injured during an icing rush Weds. night via an unnecessary hit delivered Chris “I’m a disgusting puke” Neil. He skated in circles holding his arm/wrist/shoulder but I haven’t heard any news on his injury. It’s not like the Canes don’t have a plethora of underachieving d-men to replace him with, but Tanabe already leads our defensemen in TOI. Our D is in trouble enough as it is.
- Anson Carter. Is he going to score, assist or even touch the puck tonight? I want to recognize his play by a dazzling goal, not by his crazy dreads.
- Are the Canes going to realize they have a game tonight? Man, I sure hope so. There is a real need to start performing/showing up/trying during games here. It can’t be said enough…..as of right now, the Canes aren’t even in the playoffs!!!!
- Sidney Crosby’s puck possession time. FSN South isn’t broadcasting the game, so I get to watch it via Centre Ice. I anxiously await every second that Crosby touches the puck being tallied.
Cole is still out for tonight (hip muscle). Cam Ward most likely in net, he has a great history against Crosby. Cairns and Ekman are out for Pittsburgh but they also have the addition of Roberts and Laraque.
Not to mention their record of 15-1-2 since January 13th. Yikes.
( 33-20-9, 75 pts) - (32-27-7, 71 pts.)
As much as the Hurricanes have just stunk it up at home this season, it still is a relief to know that tonight’s game is going to be played at home. The Canes have had a bit of bad luck in the injury department on trips up to Melon Arena (Cole, Letowski) and at this point I want us to actually GET healthy, not lose more legs/arms/head/hair*.
The guys have had pretty confident wins over the Pens at the start of the season (5-1 and 6-2), but lost 3-0 during the last outing. I don’t really remember that game but it’s probably because all of the loses have blended into one long, foggy memory. Kinda like when you drink too much and can’t remember all of the night before, just bits and pieces. Welcome to my 06-07 hockey season.
Wildcards for tonight:
- Tim Gleason. He appeared to be injured during an icing rush Weds. night via an unnecessary hit delivered Chris “I’m a disgusting puke” Neil. He skated in circles holding his arm/wrist/shoulder but I haven’t heard any news on his injury. It’s not like the Canes don’t have a plethora of underachieving d-men to replace him with, but Tanabe already leads our defensemen in TOI. Our D is in trouble enough as it is.
- Anson Carter. Is he going to score, assist or even touch the puck tonight? I want to recognize his play by a dazzling goal, not by his crazy dreads.
- Are the Canes going to realize they have a game tonight? Man, I sure hope so. There is a real need to start performing/showing up/trying during games here. It can’t be said enough…..as of right now, the Canes aren’t even in the playoffs!!!!
- Sidney Crosby’s puck possession time. FSN South isn’t broadcasting the game, so I get to watch it via Centre Ice. I anxiously await every second that Crosby touches the puck being tallied.
Cole is still out for tonight (hip muscle). Cam Ward most likely in net, he has a great history against Crosby. Cairns and Ekman are out for Pittsburgh but they also have the addition of Roberts and Laraque.
Not to mention their record of 15-1-2 since January 13th. Yikes.
It’s all about GRIT!
Grit is something you hear a lot about in hockey as something that is inherently necessary. If you don’t have it, you need it. If you have it, all you want is more of it. Grit was a popular term during the hours leading up to the trading deadline. Who has it? Who needs it? Which players can give you more of it?
And what IS grit, anyways?
And what IS grit, anyways?
Grit is hard work, effort, sticking up for your teammates, and basically doing whatever is necessary for your team to win. Players lacking grit are generally frowned upon in hockey, because grit is intwined in hockey’s fabric. While grit may be synonymous with the 3rd and 4th lines and the large amount of players that populate them, every player needs to show that they will do anything to win a game. A lot of players lack grit, and we like to call them “floaters”. For example, Jaromir Jagr lacks grit (Sorry Jaime). That doesn’t mean Jagr is not a great player. He just has the natural talent to contribute to his team in other ways. Conversely, gritty players such as Adam Mair may not contribute much to the score sheet, but he contributes to the team by showing grit, banging his body around and coming to the defense of his teammates.
Grit does not necessarily mean someone who drops the gloves every shift either. That’s not grit, that’s being an enforcer. Andrew Peters is an enforcer, not a gritty player. Ideally, you’d want a group of players that not only have the natural scoring talent, but show the gritty team attitude that really wins hockey games.
One thing is clear: You can not win a Stanley Cup without a sufficient amount of grit on your team. It comes down to what hockey really is at its core, giving 110% effort every shift and the unselfish all-for-one, one-for-all attitude.
Does your favorite team have grit?
Grit does not necessarily mean someone who drops the gloves every shift either. That’s not grit, that’s being an enforcer. Andrew Peters is an enforcer, not a gritty player. Ideally, you’d want a group of players that not only have the natural scoring talent, but show the gritty team attitude that really wins hockey games.
One thing is clear: You can not win a Stanley Cup without a sufficient amount of grit on your team. It comes down to what hockey really is at its core, giving 110% effort every shift and the unselfish all-for-one, one-for-all attitude.
Does your favorite team have grit?
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Game Day Preview: Habs at Sabres 3/2/07
Montreal (33-27-6, 72 points, 3rd NE, 8th East)
@
Buffalo (42-16-5, 89 points, 1st NE, 1st East)
Friday, March 2, 2007
8:00pm
HSBC Arena in Buffalo
This is the 7th meeting in the season series, with Buffalo leading, 3-2-1.
Last meeting: January 20th, Montreal won 4-3.
Ahhhh. The Sabres lineup finally gets a reinforcement for tonight's game with the recently acquired Dainius Zubrus from Washington. We'll definitely need him to rejoin the forward ranks, as it is not known as of this posting if Danny Briere will return from the flu bug that kept him in the hotel room in Toronto Tuesday night. There's even worse news on the flu front, as apparently Hank the Tank Tallinder also caught wind of the ailment. It's not known yet whether he'll be able to go. One player who still will not be able to go is Chris Drury. While he is now skating on his own, he has been ruled out of this weekend's games while he recovers from a concussion resulting from a Chris Neil cheap shot last week.
Other than that, the injury report remains the same. No Drury, Afinogenov, Paille, Kotalik, Spacek, Gaustad, and Connolly.
That means three things:
1) More ice time for the kids. Drew Stafford will hopefully never go back to Rochester, because he's quickly realizing his NHL potential. Pat Kaleta will keep being the shit disturber that he is, Clarke "The General" MacArthur will keep providing quality ice time, and Michael Ryan will hopefully just not get in the way. Mark Mancari was sent back to the Amerks yesterday with the acquisition of Zubrus.
2) Lots and lots of ice time for Zubrus. He's used to it, playing 19 minutes a game with Alex Ovechkin, and Lindy Ruff's already stated that he's going to be playing in all game situations. So expect him to accrue about that much ice time in a Sabres jersey. He'll be wearing #15.
3) Praying that the flu bug doesn't hit Ryan Miller.
Montreal has taken a harpooning in the media (big surprise) because of their lack of trade deadline activity. Mainly, not trading away their biggest assets, including Sheldon "One Trick Pony" Souray. They've been hampered by the loss of CG's favorite goalie, Cristobal HU-ET (really, she's got a Huet t-shirt), and have dropped to 8th place in the East, one point ahead of Carolina. If Montreal does not make the playoffs, I would not want to be in that city while it happens. Sorry guys.
Montreal has also been hit with the flu bug, with Chris Higgins, Saku Koivu and Sergei Samsonov the biggest casualties. They're one team that I can actually feel bad for between the injuries and the illnesses. Okay, maybe not....
I'd fully expect Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak between the pipes tonight, although it's a possibility that David Aebischer will be in net for Montreal. I'll try to provide updates as they happen, and I'll be around to possibly live-blog this game. I've always wanted to try that.
So we'll have about a 8:10 start at HSBC tomorrow night. Should be a good game.
(Update 3/2, 10:22am: Switched Halak and Aebischer)
@
Buffalo (42-16-5, 89 points, 1st NE, 1st East)
Friday, March 2, 2007
8:00pm
HSBC Arena in Buffalo
This is the 7th meeting in the season series, with Buffalo leading, 3-2-1.
Last meeting: January 20th, Montreal won 4-3.
Ahhhh. The Sabres lineup finally gets a reinforcement for tonight's game with the recently acquired Dainius Zubrus from Washington. We'll definitely need him to rejoin the forward ranks, as it is not known as of this posting if Danny Briere will return from the flu bug that kept him in the hotel room in Toronto Tuesday night. There's even worse news on the flu front, as apparently Hank the Tank Tallinder also caught wind of the ailment. It's not known yet whether he'll be able to go. One player who still will not be able to go is Chris Drury. While he is now skating on his own, he has been ruled out of this weekend's games while he recovers from a concussion resulting from a Chris Neil cheap shot last week.
Other than that, the injury report remains the same. No Drury, Afinogenov, Paille, Kotalik, Spacek, Gaustad, and Connolly.
That means three things:
1) More ice time for the kids. Drew Stafford will hopefully never go back to Rochester, because he's quickly realizing his NHL potential. Pat Kaleta will keep being the shit disturber that he is, Clarke "The General" MacArthur will keep providing quality ice time, and Michael Ryan will hopefully just not get in the way. Mark Mancari was sent back to the Amerks yesterday with the acquisition of Zubrus.
2) Lots and lots of ice time for Zubrus. He's used to it, playing 19 minutes a game with Alex Ovechkin, and Lindy Ruff's already stated that he's going to be playing in all game situations. So expect him to accrue about that much ice time in a Sabres jersey. He'll be wearing #15.
3) Praying that the flu bug doesn't hit Ryan Miller.
Montreal has taken a harpooning in the media (big surprise) because of their lack of trade deadline activity. Mainly, not trading away their biggest assets, including Sheldon "One Trick Pony" Souray. They've been hampered by the loss of CG's favorite goalie, Cristobal HU-ET (really, she's got a Huet t-shirt), and have dropped to 8th place in the East, one point ahead of Carolina. If Montreal does not make the playoffs, I would not want to be in that city while it happens. Sorry guys.
Montreal has also been hit with the flu bug, with Chris Higgins, Saku Koivu and Sergei Samsonov the biggest casualties. They're one team that I can actually feel bad for between the injuries and the illnesses. Okay, maybe not....
I'd fully expect Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak between the pipes tonight, although it's a possibility that David Aebischer will be in net for Montreal. I'll try to provide updates as they happen, and I'll be around to possibly live-blog this game. I've always wanted to try that.
So we'll have about a 8:10 start at HSBC tomorrow night. Should be a good game.
(Update 3/2, 10:22am: Switched Halak and Aebischer)
What we're about....
Welcome.
As you can already tell, we're a couple that loves hockey. But there's just one problem.....I'm a Sabres fan, she's a Hurricanes fan.
I know what you're thinking....how can that possibly happen? Well, things work in strange ways, and we even credit last season's Eastern finals as bringing us closer together. You know, even though the result wasn't exactly the desired one for me.
What we'll give you:
-Game Day previews for both Buffalo and Carolina
-Intelligent post game reports, analysis, and general ranting and raving about our teams
-Some random stuff around the NHL as it's relevant or important (trades, streaks, how much we hate Atlanta and Ottawa)
-Youtube links!!
-Links to other cool blogs and sites out there we'd like for you to take a look at
-How much our teams hate playing each other and our thoughts when they actually have to.....
What you probably won't see here:
-Anything positive about David Tanabe, Gary Bettman (at least from me), the Ottawa Senators, or the Atlanta Trashers
-"Personal" information other than stories about how much we hate each other's team....that's probably stuff you don't want to know anyways.
I've always wanted to do something like this, including making creative labels for my posts. So expect us to be pretty prolific at this, except on weekends that we're actually spending together. And hopefully we'll have a little fun along the way talking hockey.
As you can already tell, we're a couple that loves hockey. But there's just one problem.....I'm a Sabres fan, she's a Hurricanes fan.
I know what you're thinking....how can that possibly happen? Well, things work in strange ways, and we even credit last season's Eastern finals as bringing us closer together. You know, even though the result wasn't exactly the desired one for me.
What we'll give you:
-Game Day previews for both Buffalo and Carolina
-Intelligent post game reports, analysis, and general ranting and raving about our teams
-Some random stuff around the NHL as it's relevant or important (trades, streaks, how much we hate Atlanta and Ottawa)
-Youtube links!!
-Links to other cool blogs and sites out there we'd like for you to take a look at
-How much our teams hate playing each other and our thoughts when they actually have to.....
What you probably won't see here:
-Anything positive about David Tanabe, Gary Bettman (at least from me), the Ottawa Senators, or the Atlanta Trashers
-"Personal" information other than stories about how much we hate each other's team....that's probably stuff you don't want to know anyways.
I've always wanted to do something like this, including making creative labels for my posts. So expect us to be pretty prolific at this, except on weekends that we're actually spending together. And hopefully we'll have a little fun along the way talking hockey.
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