Load Up the Wagon

by Ryan


Amazingly it's Wednesday already. Hopefully no one got dysentery on the trip out, and the Sabres are ready to go against the Stanley Cup Champs.

A year ago this would be the premiere game on the NHL schedule, as the Ducks and Sabres were battling for the best record in the NHL. Now both teams sit in the middle of their respective divisions and are... struggling.

TBO is supposed to make one start on the West Coast, but it doesn't look like tonight is the night. That means the battle of the brothers is on, with that smarmy little freeloader Drew shooting rubber at his brother Ryan. Honestly I have no problem with Drew Miller, but it is a cruel twist of fate that he has his name on the cup and Ryan does not. It's the hockey equivalent of Joe Christ owning a really nice winery or something, it just feels funny.

This stretch of games will all feature a late start, which is interesting to say the least. It hearkens back to a time when a West Coast trip meant I wouldn't see the games because I needed a full 13 hours of sleep to function properly. (Hey, that Sesame Street doesn't watch itself)

Thankfully, I won't be missing a second of our tour of the Pacific this time around. Sending Sparky down does limit the amount of military jokes I can make about the trip, but thankfully most of the teams out there are named after animals of some sort. We will make due.

I honestly don't have much to say about Anaheim. I watched a lot of their games last year but haven't paid much attention to the West yet this year. It will be a good test for the Sabres, and I really think we need to take at least two games of this trip to feel good about where things are overall. Montreal and Ottawa have been human in recent days and we need all the points we can get to make a show of this thing.

Also, I will be watching Max very carefully tonight. I'm praying after that goal on Saturday he can go on a nice run of being a decent hockey player, but who knows. Also, I would expect Thomas Vanek to try a bit too hard here, as this will be his first time playing in Anahiem, San Jose, and LA. He's no Sid the Kid for sure, but he is one of the names people bring up when calling for a balanced schedule.

Sabres @ Ducks
10 PM

Defend the Flying V and watch for that Knuckle Puck, boys.