Refresh

by Ryan

Is it just me or do we play the Caps every December 26th? I know we played (and lost) against Ottawa last year, but doesn't the last Sabres/Caps game on December 26th feel a little significant?

To recap: it was their first meeting after the Ovechkin hit on Briere. The Sabres scored six in the first period to chase Brent Johnson, who didn't take it well and smashed his stick and helmet on the way off the ice. Ovechkin scored a goal and taunted the Buffalo crowd, which was actually pretty cool. Oh yeah and this happened, which was only the first spearing incident for Danny Briere that year. Yeah, that was a fun one.

The last time Buffalo played Washington, Ovechkin was out of the lineup and the Sabres put on a show. Since then Buffalo has settled into the bottom tier of the Conference while Washington has risen to the top. Once again it looks like the Southeast is theirs for the taking, and the three seed looks like a safe bet for number eight's men in red. Yes, I am looking at the conference standings this early, because before you know it the trade deadline will pass and the postseason will be upon us. The Sabres can't let the playoffs pass them by, so they better start looking at that board as well.

The Sabres will pick up right where they left off, giving up two leads late in very winable games. Despite that and the controversy over certain goals, the Sabres did put themselves in a good place as far as the playoffs are concerned. After a fast start and a bit of a tailspin they sit directly in the middle of the pack. Tonight is a great time to start climbing up the ladder, and after a long break they need to to get some points out of a busy weekend.

Oh, did I mention the Caps have a 13-1-1 record at home? Yeah, this will be a fun one. 7:00 pm faceoff from the Phone Booth. Let's hope the boys aren't afraid of red.