What Vanek Said

by Ryan



“At the end of the year, we’ll be in the top eight, and that’s all that matters for right now”- Thomas Vanek, 2/17/08

He said it, and I'm still okay with it. In fact, he said it again today.

One of the big terms we've thrown around this year has been leadership. We've lost both captains to free agency and since that day many have wondered who will take over leadership on this team. Each new moon we look to the alphabet to tell us who is leading this team, on ice or otherwise. We all have opinions on the issue, but one thing we do know is this:

Thomas Vanek has balls.

Whether you agree with him giving "the Namath" or not, you have to admit the surge in confidence we've seen from him can only be good. It also is a form of leadership we haven't seen on this team all year. There have been so many times games have been chalked up to bad bounces or tired legs, Vanek is the first person I've seen step up and say flat out that they are a playoff team. It's a pretty startling change from a player who started out so flat in October.



Vanek has grown a lot this year, and each game that goes by makes me feel better and better about the events of this summer. We were bamboozled into signing Vanek to a huge deal, and yes, he isn't worth $10 mill this year, but after next year a $6.4/mil per year deal doesn't seem so bad. If he continues to grow we may be more than okay with those initial signing bonuses he got during the warm months.

I think it's pretty obvious that his contract has worn on him, the status as "the man" being too much to take so young. He also started his family last summer, a huge undertaking in anyone's life. The stress was there, and no one put more pressure on Thomas Vanek then he put on himself. Those f-bombs we joked around about so much was his frustration in what he wasn't doing, not just unsighted anger.

So what changed? Hell, I have no idea. What I do know is that the change is evident, both in his words and his play on ice. Seeing him rip that shot past Ray Emery last Tuesday was an epiphany of sorts. Vanek's numbers are creeping up, and while they won't get anywhere near last year's breakout figures his line has been a force on ice lately. If that continues I have absolute no complaints about what Vanek has to say, if only because he will be playing us right into the postseason.

According to Mirtle, the Sabres only need to go 14-9 to make the playoffs. The Sabres have games in hand, a relatively easy schedule, and a fairly healthy team that is starting to peak at the right time.

I say forget this weekend, move past all that contract garbage we fans talk so much about, and do it. Make Thomas Vanek right. He may not have a letter on the uniform, but he just set the bar for this team.



Do it.

The Snow Game

by Ryan


The Sabres don't play until Wednesday. That means the final score of 8-0 will sit with me for a long time.

I'm not sure what there is to say about yesterday's game. It was one of the more frustrating Bills games I've ever watched. Weather was most certainly a factor, and with conditions the way they were it's hard to take anything away from the game other then the final score.

8-0. The Bills allowed eight points and lost. Sometimes that's just how it goes.

The fact of the matter is that this team is not playoff worthy. Heck, this team plus 14 players on IR may not be a playoff team; but you know what? I'm okay with it.

The Buffalo Bills are 7-7, and more than likely will finish at .500. After the devastating start to the season we had, I'd say there is most certainly a silver lining in that number. As we always say around here, next year will be different.

Still, today I'm not thinking about numbers. My thoughts rest on the emotions I'm left with after yesterday's game. The excitement that came with that first glimpse of snowy chaos in Cleveland, and the feeling deep in my stomach when Josh Reed missed that block and I realized it was over.

We will miss the playoffs once again. For those that can't handle change, it will be very comfortable around Buffalo the next two weeks.

Footprints and Tiebreakers

by Ryan


Unless you are an actuary it is pretty hard to figure out the Bills' playoff tiebreakers. Yeah, overall record, head to head, conference record... but after that it gets pretty fuzzy for most fans.

What is crystal clear about tomorrow is this: the Bills have to win.

Sure, some rocket scientist may be able to swing a way for a playoff birth with the aid of natural disasters and ancient runes, but the fact of the matter is that a win tomorrow is the reality of the situation.

It's a tough match up to say the least. The Browns score a lot of points, and until recently we did not. Their defense is a bit lackluster, and so we may be able to match them if we execute properly. I look back to the early season Browns/Bengals game where they both scored 40+ and the way we put up points against the Bengals earlier this year for that stunning conclusion.

Still, I would rather have a match up against playoff caliber team in order to make the playoffs. It may sound a bit unorthodox, but think back to the last time we were in serious playoff contention.

In 2004 the Bills won six straight games against lackluster teams to give themselves a shot at a wild card spot with one game remaining. That last game was against the 14-1 Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the last test of the season, and the Steelers even rested most of their starters for that game. What happened?

The Bills lost 29-24, eliminating them from the playoffs and proving they simply weren't good enough to compete with playoff caliber teams, even with backups in.

This year the situation seems a bit similar. We have beaten the teams we are supposed to, and lost to the superior teams (Dallas, Pittsburgh, New England, etc.). The difference is that left on the schedule are good teams. The game of the year has become every game we still have a shot, including tomorrow, next week against a 9-4 Giants team, and a season ending match up against an underachieving Eagles team.

I guess what I'm saying mirrors what I said before the Jacksonville game, if the Bills win enough games to put them in the playoffs, based on who they have had to face they deserve to be there. Beating teams like Cleveland will erase the doubt early season match ups and crushing losses like Denver and Dallas have put in the minds of many fans. Sure, it may be wishful thinking, but the truth is once you make the postseason the standings no longer matter.

It's common sense. I know it sounds stupid to say "if you win games and make the playoffs you deserve to be there." But the difference is the teams you play. In 2004 we played who was in front of us and had a good record. The same thing can be said for this year with Miami and Cinci and such, but the next two games are the benchmark. You beat the Browns and Giants and not only are you in a position to make the playoffs but compete in postseason play. For all the times we've said "please just make the playoffs", It would be nice to maybe win a game if we get there.

So are we a playoff team?

I guess we'll find out in the snow tomorrow.

Padres/Rockies Live Blog

by Rich

In honor of the Padres and Rockies going that extra mile to bring us one more game of baseball this season, we're unveiling a new wrinkle: Live blogging. I mean, there's no way I was missing this game so...why not blog it, right?



7:32 : I am jacked and ready for the one-game playoff! Coors Field is sold out, possibly for the first time ever. It's October baseball in Colorado, which means....alright, you got me. I have no idea what that means. But I'm guessing a decent number of Rockies fans are going home happy no matter what happens.

7:41 : Not the greatest effort in right field as Hawpe butchers a catch. After a few text messages are exchanged with a friend across the country, we decide that at least 20% of the crowd is high. Hope your concession stands are stocked, Coors Field.

7:44 : Fogg gets Adrian Gonzalez swinging on a nice pitch to end the inning. He leaves the mound with a fist pump as the home crowd roars. Unfortunately, they are not cheering because of the emotional lift of an inning-ending strikeout, but rather because the ball, like, totally just went like that, man. Did you see that? It was crazy.

7:46 : Holy crap, Kaz Matsui is still in professional baseball? Ah, the National League. If it weren't for the playoffs, I wouldn't know you exist. And yes, I do live in an NL city.

7:47 : Alright, Kaz. You made your point. Leadoff double.

7:50 :After Tulozitzki reaches, Matt Holliday is greeted with chants of M-V-P, M-V-P. Peavy walks him to load the bases for Todd Helton, who is sporting a Youkilis-like face-squirrel goatee. 1-0 Rockies on a Helton sac fly. What happened to his power?

7:55 : 2-0 Rockies as Tulowitzki is singled home by Atkins. Peavy is throwing a lot of pitches so far...they're not exactly getting hit hard, but everything's flat and in the middle of the plate.

7:57 : Who the hell is Ryan Spilborghs? I mean, he flied out to end the inning so I guess it doesn't matter.

8:00 : Can someone explain to me why MLB has Dane Cook shilling the playoffs? I really would like to know. Also, Khalil Greene looks completely clueless at the plate.

Josh Fogg came into this game as "The guy who's pitching...no, not Peavy." Two innings, two hits, three strikeouts. Not a bad start for "the other guy."

8:06 : TBS lets us know that the ball has a tendency to carry in Coors Field. Thanks guys, I had no idea.

8:09 : I just watched Johan Santana teach his changeup to a right-handed girl at the Boys and Girls club. Well, if you hear about some 12 year old going 53-0 with 690 strikeouts in her junior high's softball league next year...you'll know what's up.

8:10 : His name is Yorvit Torrealba! 3-0 Rockies. Wait a second, are they really playing the music from those 6 Flags commercials? I swear, if that creepy old guy in the tux appears and starts dancing, I'm out of here.

8:16 : Batting to lead off the inning, Peavy loses his bat into the crowd swinging at the first pitch. The camera cuts to Josh Fogg laughing. No word if anyone died when the bat flew into the stands. Oh, and Peavy singled.

8:21 : Fogg could be in some trouble as Peavy's single, a walk, and a bloop hit by Scott Hairston have loaded the bases with no outs for Kevin Kouzmanoff...who promptly flies out. Peavy doesn't try to score, even though he could've walked home.

8:23 : Well, I guess that didn't matter too much. Adrian Gonzalez just bombed a grand slam to right. 4-3 Padres.

8:25 : This could be snowballing quickly, a "Hey-that-chick-looks-like-Khalil-Greene" single followed by a double by Josh Bard, and Geoff Blum gets a free pass to load the bases and put the double play into effect.

8:27 : A lame throw from Matsui keeps the Rockies from turning an inning-ending DP. Instead, it's 5-3 SD with 2 outs. Peavy lines out to second in his second at bat of the inning. Shudder.

8:30 : Thanks, TBS. I would have had no idea who this "Cal Ripken" guy providing analysis is were it not for your helpful highlight package. Evidently he was a player of some consequence for a few years? If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go slam my head in a car door.

8:34 : Todd Helton metahporically suggests I go to hell by hitting a ball right about where Gonzalez did for a solo jack. 5-4 Pads, and cue the 6 Flags music.

8:38 : Remember a couple of innings ago when I asked who Ryan Spilborghs is? He's the guy who comes to bat to Gwen Stefani. Oh, and apparently flying out to kill a rally is his other "thing."

8:43 : The home crowd boos San Diego's Scott Hairston for calling time on a 1-2 pitch before striking out. Either these Rockies fans are feistier than I thought, or their collective contact high is fading early because the first few innings have been so long.

8:45 : Fogg looks like he's back on track, getting the last two batters looking to wrap up his first 1-2-3 inning of the night.

8:50 : Peavy also looks to have gathered himself pretty well, and gets his first 1-2-3 inning.

8:53 : The Rockies' outfielders do play their home games in this park, right? Brad Hawpe just butchered another read in right, and it'll chase Fogg from the game as Gonzalez leads off with a cheap double.

8:55 : Did I just hear "Where Padres reliever Trevor Hoffman breaks down how to pitch with Alyssa Milano?" Once again, what the hell, TBS? Who is this meant for? I blame Ted Turner.

9:05 : Brady Clark misplayed that crap out of that ball to put a runner on second to lead off the inning.

9:06 : MVP, MVP indeed. Nice hit. 5-5.

9:10 : Peavy might not be totally on tonight, but he can still make a nasty pitch for strike three when he has to.

9:13 : Ryan Spilborghs continues to impress, striking out with 2 men on to end the inning. Is it too late for his valiant run at the J.D. Drew LVP Award?

9:18: Jake Peavy just popped up while failing to bunt. The Rockies respond by going to the bullpen again.

9:20 : Holy crap. A Jeremy Affeldt sighting.

9:27 : And with that, he is gone. Back to the pen from whence he emerged.

9:30: Random Rockies Reliever #2 ends the inning with a strikeout. Solid performance so far from the pen. Which I guess is a good thing, because I think I just heard the announcers say that they have 23 pitchers on their roster tonight. Ah, September call-ups.

9:35 : Someone named Seth Smith just hit a pinch-hit one out triple for the Rockies in his 8th at-bat of the year. That's great, I'm happy for the guy, but...shouldn't the Rockies have someone, I dunno, better than that to throw out there in a win-or-go-home game?

9:37: Kaz Matsui sac fly scores Smith. 6-5 Rockies, and all jokes aside, the Launching Pad is decently loud

9:39 : Okay, Brady Clark should not be playing center field. That's the second ball this inning that was hit dead to him yet somehow ended up bouncing back past him for a triple. This one puts Tolowitzki on third for Holliday (MVP, MVP). Was that a guy ripping a bong in the center field bleachers? Maybe he's smoking Clark out between innings. That's pretty much the only explanation for his god awful play in center tonight.

Holliday strikes out. But it's still 6-5 at the end of 6.

9:44 : Man, Latroy Hawkins? This Rockies bullpen is a veritable "who's who" of veteran relievers. Okay, maybe not. Maybe more like "hey, I sorta remember that guy!" Either way, they're getting the job done so far.

9:49: Hawkins gets a tall blond girl who's pinch hitting to strike out looking. Oh, wait. That wasn't a pinch hitter, it was still Khalil Greene. Sorry, my bad.

9:56: Holliday hits a ball off the top of the wall; the umps huddle to determine if it's a double or a homer, then give the universal "I have no idea" signal by shrugging and then ruling it a double. Clearly the best of the best are working this game Looks like that'll do it for Peavy after 6 1/3 and 118 pitches.

10:02 : Heath Bell is now pitching for the Padres. Apparently he's their setup man. Couldn't prove it by me. Also, our boy Spilborghs The Rally-Killer is up. I assume he's going to hit into a double-play, cause...that''s what he does. End innings. Although he's apparently hitting .341 with RISP? There are lies, damned lies, and statistics that say Ryan Spilborghs doesn't suck.

10:05 : Wow. I'm impressed. Spilborghs just struck out. For the first time all game, his at bat does not end the inning. You know your expectations are low when you're impressed if a player makes only one out in his at-bat. L-V-P, L-V-P!

10:08 : Alright, now I believe that Heath Bell is a legit setup man. Nasty pitches to strike out Torrealba.

10:10 : I've never seen that Just for Men commercial before, but it really made my night. Alright, it wasn't even the commercial as much as just hearing Keith Hernandez say "I'm Keith Hernandez."

10:11 : Wow. TBS just interviewed a middle aged woman who claims to have seen Holliday's ball go over the wall for a home run. Thank you, TBS, for that "local cable access channel" moment.

10:14 : Hey, it's Michael Barrett. He looks much more comfortable in San Diego. Maybe because 270 pounds of Zambrano isn't trying to break his face here.

10:23 : The Matt Stairs impersonator on the mound looks annoyed after the ump calls ball four. This has been a strangely umpired game so far. A lot of questionable third strikes, and more than a few pitches that have you wondering "where did that one miss?"

10:24 : Kaz "The Other" Matsui tries to bunt, but instead takes out an old lady 70 rows down the left field line. Then does it again. Then advances the runner by chopping a ball back to the mound. Just textbook execution.

10:29 : MVP strikes out, followed by a cut to that Ripken guy, who concludes that the ball that was hit off the top of the wall may have been a home run. Or it may not have been. Riveting stuff, Cal.

10:30: The Rockies have turned the game over to their ostensible closer, some guy named Corpas. Isn't that Spanish/Latin for body? I'm sure there's a "warm bodies in the bullpen" joke in there somewhere, but...I'm not willing to look for it.

10:34 : Tulowitzki is a really good defensive shortstop. Lots of range, good balance, and enough arm to make plays look easy.

10:35: Why? Why will Chevy not let John Melloncamp go away? Thiiiis is ouuurrrr one game playoff. I hate everything.

10:36 : Dane Cook says something with emphasis. EMPHASIS!

10:37 : Helton leads off the inning. Did you know he was the quarterback at Tennessee immediately before Peyton? Fun fact. Also, I wish there was a mic somewhere in the outfield bleachers. You have any idea how many desperate phone calls are being made right now?

"Hey, what's up...you got anything?...No, no, what we got earlier was great, but uh...I'm at the Rockies game, and it's going to extras, so...yeah, could you stop by?"

10:37 : Helton strikes out. Heath Bell is tearing through the Rockies right now. Maybe he wants to get back to the dugout and call his guy.

10:40 : Now I know I'm tripping. There's a purple stegosaurus or something standing behind home plate.

10: 41 : Maybe it's a rhino?

10:42 : Somebody popped out. I don't remember who. There's a dog next to the dinosaur now. Is this really happening? Am I imagining this telecast?

10: 44 : Extra innings in an extra game. Yeah, that about fits the current theme. In other news, the "This Will Be A Memorable Game" factor just shot way up.

10:47 : Kaz Matsui just tripped while throwing someone out. I wonder why Mets fans ever hated him?

10:51 : Mike Cameron is in to pinch run. This game would have been very different if he'd been in center field all night.

10:53 : Barret singles, and things are looking rocky for Colorado. I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Let's just move on.

10:56 : Mercifully, a broken-bat force at second ends the inning. We go to the bottom of the tenth.

11:00 : Coming back from commercials, they showed a cut of a bunch of kids wearing rally caps...does that work in a tie game?

11:02 : Long out from Sullivan, and Mike Cameron appears to be on life support in center field.

11:06 : End of the inning, followed by some incredibly detailed analysis in which Cal Ripken reminds us that the score is tied. We'd be lost without you, Iron Man.

11:08 : Hairston reaches on an error. That really better not be on Helton, because the throw was awful.

11:13 : Bunt, intentional walk, inning-ending 5-3 double play. Khalil Greene may think he's getting overtime if the game goes past midnight.

11:16 : Alright, seriously. What the hell is that thing, a rhino? It's staring at me. I can feel it.

11:18 : Actually, the thing behind home plate is a Triceratops, and his (her?) name is Dinger. Thank you, Wikipedia.

11:19 : There was some question if Padres pitcher Doug Brocail was healthy after he was shaken up fielding a Tulowitzki bunt earlier in the inning, but he's apparently still good enough to strike out Holliday.

11:24 : After a Helton walk, Jamey Carroll chases Brocail from the game with a single to right. He is replaced by the apparently Amish Joe Thatcher, who strikes out Hawpe to end the threat.

11:37 : Some kid whose name I didn't even hear just got caught looking with two men on for the Padres. Two out.

11:42 : Okay, I take back what I said about Barrett. I looked it up and he's been really bad since getting to San Diego. Conveniently, he backs up my new knowledge by grounding out to short to end the inning.

11:53 : After a completely uneventful bottom of the 12th, Jorge Julio comes into the game for Colorado. Apparently the broadcast mentioned that the Rockies traded BK Kim for Julio. I can't confirm this, because as soon as I heard Julio's name, I immediately sought refuge under a desk in a windowless room on the first floor of my house.

But hey, good for them. If the guy's better than a bucket of pine tar, he's worth more than BK.

11:55 : Slightly better than pine tar. Walks Giles, and the San Deagons (San Deigoans? San Deigoites?) have the leadoff man on for the third straight inning. Maybe this time it'll matter?

11:56 : Okay...much, much worse than pine tar. Hairston homers to left, and it's 8-6 San Diego. Trevor Hoffman starts warming up.

11:58 : Someone named Chase Headley singles, and Julio is removed from the game, presumably to set fire to the locker room. He's replaced by Ramon Ortiz. Man, the barely competent journeyman relievers just keep on comin', don't they?

12:04 : I'm going to be honest with you. I'm completely out of Khalil Greene jokes. I only planned for nine innings. Anyhow, he sandwiches a fly out between a Gonzalez strikeout, an Ensberg flyout, and about 37 shots of mortified Rockies fans contemplating the various merits of the noose and the tall building.

10:06 :The bottom of the 13th starts, but not until after we're jerked to another painful segment of "analysis" in which Calvin Edward breaks the news that the score is no longer tied. I really hope that TBS isn't going to continue trying to shoehorn these segments into the Division Series games, but I'm assuming the worst.

12:08 : Matsui against Hoffman to start off. Woof.

12:10 : What is this? Everybody I call out tonight comes through...maybe I should start calling out Kyle Wright ten or twenty times a day. Leadoff double to deep right for Matsui.

12:12 : Tulowitzki rips one juuuust foul down the first base line.

12:13 : Tulo doubles home Kaz, and this one ain't over yet. 8-7, tying run in scoring position, and MVP himself, Matt Holiday is up. There's just something about playing baseball in October, isn't there?

12:14 : Wow. Holiday triples home Tulowitzki, and the Rockies are 90 feet from the playoffs.

12:16 : An intentional walk robs us of the possibility of watching Mr. Rockies, Todd Helton, put the team into the playoffs for the first time in his 11-year career. Not that I'm arguing. I'd rather pitch to Jamey Carrol too.

12:18 : Fly ball to right field, medium deep, Holiday tags...throw's on the line but Barret can't hold it. Safe! Rockies win! Is Matt Holiday dead? What happened?

12:20 : Well, Holiday looks to be alive, but he also clearly didn't touch the plate. I guess it doesn't matter?

12:22 : They're still showing clips of Holiday not tagging home plate, but the game is over. I liked how Jamey Carrol was asked about Holiday's injury while celebrating, and he didn't know about it:

"Wait, Holiday's hurt? I didn't see anything, I was celebrating? What happened? Explain it to me."

I don't know why that seems so funny. Maybe I just need to go to sleep. In fact, that's what I'm going to do. Finance beckons at 7:30.

Hopefully you've enjoyed this little experiment as much as I enjoyed furiously typing for 30 seconds every 2-8 minutes for three hours. Up next on the Roost: Islanders Week!

Morning Musings: Porn, Drugs and Portis

By Chris

Just some quick thoughts on a beautiful Wednesday morning:

-Steeler’s offensive line coach Larry Zierlein reportedly sent what the Steelers are calling an “inappropriate e-mail” from his Pittsburgh office to “unintended recipients” throughout the NFL last Friday. Zierlein, as Buffalo fans may recall, was an assistant line coach for the Bills last season. Mike Florio’s blog, ProFootballTalk.com broke the story and it was finally confirmed yesterday. Apparently, according to Sports Illustrated’s rumor site FanNation, the porn message made its way up the ranks from important Steelers officials all the way up to commissioner Roger Goodell himself. It’s nice to know that the players aren’t the only ones who don’t know how to handle themselves in the NFL.

-Jason Giambi failed a test for amphetamines within the last year, according to the New York Daily News. So I guess when he said he was wrong for doing “that stuff,” amphetamines weren’t included. There’s also a rumor that the Angels would like to trade for him. Owner Arte Moreno always likes to look for a big move and Giambi would be an upgrade offensively over any of the first baseman currently on the Halos roster. Unfortunately, with all of the trouble Giambi was now dug himself into, who knows if he’ll even be in the game much longer. With the positive amphetamine test, Giambi subjected himself to six additional tests for one year, making his statement to USA Today about being “tested more than anyone” all the more true. The Daily News couldn’t have picked a hotter time to leak those test results and they couldn’t have done it at a worse time for Giambi.

-The Ducks advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals with a win over Detroit last night. Now I can have a rooting interest and I may be able to stomach watching this series. Ottawa has the ability to adapt to Anaheim’s defensive style from the blue line out, but it will ultimately be the goaltending that will keep Canada from its first championship since 1993. It’s very hard to see Ray Emery outplaying former Conn Smythe winner J.S. Giguere on the biggest stage of all. I see the Ducks taking advantage of all those juicy rebounds Emery will leave on the doorstep and taking the Cup in five.

-Clinton Portis makes me laugh. From his goofy disguises in post game interviews to his recent comments about Mike Vick and dog fighting not being a problem, I just can’t wait to see what he does next. I love how he couldn't even keep a straight face during that dog fighting interview. A reality show is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, such a series might jeopardize Goodell’s efforts to keep the image of the league clean. And those efforts are working out reeeeeeeeally well right now.

-The Spurs are up 2-0 against the Jazz already? Really? Does anyone even expect Utah to win a game? And notice that since Bill Simmons’ ESPN the Magazine column was published last week, everyone is now praising Tim Duncan as “the greatest player in the past decade.” Coinicdence? And also, is there is a reason as to why there needs to be a four day lay-off between games in that series? I blame Tom Bergeron.

-The University at Buffalo finally finished their new 12,000 square foot training facility last month. The old weight room inside Alumni was a joke for a Division I program and hopefully the new facility will help sway athletic recruits to the Bulls program. The Morris Sports Performance Center will actually be able to house whole teams! And it’s good to hear they’re not settling with just this new facility, as Rodney McKissic writes in The Buffalo News today: “The Morris Center is a precursor to a projected 200,000-square-foot indoor multipurpose field house that will include a 120-yard football field and an estimated 20,000-square-foot weight room, which would be one of the biggest in college athletics. The field house, nevertheless, is in the embryonic stages of planning.”

Wake Up Call

By Chris

If you ever have a chance to go to a playoff game in which your team is facing elimination, please take my advice: Don’t. It is one of the most stressful things I think you can do to yourself short of taking your road test three times in a row. Your time literally lives and dies with every shot, every save. And if that game goes to overtime? Forget it. You’ve already taken six years off of your life by just sitting there. I started writing this column over 12 hours ago and I'm finally just able to rationalize my thoughts here on Sunday morning. It is a great experience to go to the arena and the game was fun while it lasted, but like the 2006-07 season of the Buffalo Sabres, all good things must come to an end.

Daniel Alfredsson wrote perfect poetry when he scored the overtime winner to eliminate the Sabres yesterday. After all, it was Alfredsson whom Jason Pominville danced around to score the series clincher last season. In Game Five. On the road. In overtime. Sound familiar?

The Sens captain is playing the best hockey of his career, and is finally letting people forget about his past postseason failures, much like Peyton Manning was able to do on his road to a Super Bowl Championship. He stepped up and scored when it counted. It didn’t matter than three Sabres were on him or that the winning shot went in off of Brian Campbell’s stick, which he claims it did. The fact is that the shot went in and he got credit for it. His line was huge all series and they definitely came to play on Saturday. Alfredsson, Heatley and Spezza contributed on all three Sens goals, picking up a combined seven points. That’s unbelievable, to get that much production out of one line. And they’ve been doing it all playoffs. No one has been able to effectively shut them down. But of course now they’re just asking for trouble. Why did you touch the Prince of Wales Trophy, Alfie? Why?

Herb Brooks once said, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” And that was the difference in the Sabres-Senators series. Talent-wise, the teams were pretty much even, but Ottawa displayed that extra drive and a little more desire in their play. The Sabres claimed that the Stanley Cup was supposed to be theirs last season and that they only had one goal this season: to win it all. However, they didn’t play like champions this postseason. They weren’t the same team we fell in love with last year. They were the favorites and couldn’t live up to the hype. Ottawa on the other hand, with the least amount of pressure on them in years, took advantage of the underdog role they assumed and came into the playoffs hungrier than anyone. They played like we did last season, scoring timely goals, capitalizing on special teams, and blocking shots like no one’s business. The Senators just flat out worked harder than the Sabres did and earned every win they got.

I’m still not sold on Ray Emery, though. After all, John Muckler’s plan at the beginning of the season was to have their free agent signing Martin Gerber in net. But Gerber and his 3-year, $11.1 million salary faltered early on in the regular season, and Emery took over as one of the best goalies all year. He was the back-up plan. And so far he’s been just good enough to win games behind possibly the all-around best starting defense in the NHL. He hasn’t stolen a game for the Senators yet this playoff, and it’s unclear if he can. But I can see Anaheim and Detroit cashing in those rebounds like Buffalo, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh largely were unable to.

As for that Ottawa defense, they’re not going anywhere soon. Tom Preissing, the corps’ supposed weak link of the Sens defense, who finished the Sabres series with an even +/- rating, is their only free agent in the starting six. Redden and Meszaros enter their contract year next season and Corvo, Phillips and shot-blocking monster Anton Volchenkov are all locked up for the next 3-4 years. The Senators lost their horse, Zdeno Chara to free agency last season and remarkably, they got stronger in their own end this year. The Sabres will play this Sens defense eight times in the regular season, and this year certainly won’t be the last time they play Ottawa in the playoffs. Buffalo will need to find the right players that will be able to crack the Ottawa defense, or build up their blue line to become more physical against that Alfredsson line.

A key component in the Buffalo system that will not need to be reinvented is the goaltending Ryan Miller is an elite playoff goalie. This series, he solidified himself among the best goaltenders in the game today. I hear people saying how he’s “on the cusp of stardom” and he’s “close to becoming a great goalie.” Sorry, folks, but he’s already there. The soft goals we saw in the regular season are far and few between in the playoffs and he has a knack of putting out his best saves when his team needs them the most. If it wasn’t for Ryan Miller, Ottawa would have eliminated Buffalo in three games. But Miller kept coming to the rink and showing up when it mattered. His team was able to rally around him and pulled out an inspiring Game Four win on Wednesday. Miller has been huge for the Sabres since the postseason began and is easily the team’s Conn Smythe winner.

Two Miller saves from this year’s run will forever stand out in my mind because they exemplified what he has meant to this team:

1. Round One. Game Five. You know the save I’m talking about. It was right there on the front page of the paper the next morning and on the highlight shows all day. With the Sabres squandering a three goal lead heading into the third, the Islanders made it a game, pulling within one with 6:53 remaining in regulation. The game was put on the shoulders of Miller, who made a career-defining save with under a minute to play. Former Sabre and current villain Miroslav Satan cut in on goal with twelve seconds left and seemingly deked Miller out to put in the tying goal. But Miller’s positioning and fundamentals are so good, that it’s very hard to completely take him out of any play. While on his back, Miller’s outstretched glove smothered the shot and the Sabres held on for the win. Miller doesn’t make that save and the entire series could have been turned on its ear.

2. The stick save in overtime yesterday. Simply unbelievable. I was watching from the other end of the ice, and all I was able to see were bodies in front and sticks slapping away at an invisible puck. I had a sick feeling in my stomach that the red light was going to be shining bright any moment. It’s an awful feeling to watch your season possibly go down the drain in an instant. I was like Rory Fitzpatrick, unable to find the puck in my skates in last year’s Game Seven as Rod Brind’amour put home the winning goal, only I couldn’t see where the puck was because of the chaos in front of Miller. The red light was going to be the determining factor for me. And then the puck came out and we started back down the ice. It wasn’t over yet. I didn’t know what happened or how that puck didn’t find the back of the net. It was right there for Ottawa’s taking. The Jumbotron’s replay of the save was brief and I thought I saw Miller’s stick bat that away but I still wasn’t sure. No way he stopped that shot. But he did, and the team was still alive, if only for a few more minutes. Two bad bounces cost the Sabres two games in the Conference Finals. Other than that, I don’t know what else you can ask for from Ryan Miller.

Miller gave his team a chance to win every night, much like Hasek did in the late nineties. Sure the team in front of Miller is more skilled, but they don’t have the defense-first attitude of those Goathead teams. The Ryan Miller Sabres have been free-wheeling offensively, which makes it all the more important to have consistently solid goaltender if “The System” breaks down. I believe Miller has the potential to be a better goaltender in the playoffs than Hasek was when he was here. However, we still haven’t seen Miller advance past the Conference Finals to get a shot at the championship that eluded Hasek while he was in Buffalo. The window may be closed this year, but I have a feeling this won’t be the last time we see Ryan Miller have success in the postseason.

The Legend of Chris Drury also continued to grow on Saturday. When Chris Drury took that puck to the face in the third period and skated off for repairs, there was no question that he was coming back. The biggest concern in the building was whether or not he’d be back by the end of regulation. And that’s what Drury brings to the table. That is what he means to his hockey club. There was no way he would allow anyone to shut him down. Stop the bleeding, stitch it up, get me back out there. That’s Drury’s mentality. And as fans, we’ve come to expect it. I was watching the bench just as closely as I was the play on the ice to see when he’d make his return. His team needed him and there was no way he was going to let them down. We believed Drury would not only come back, but would touch the ice and make an impact. After all, if you’re on the ice than you had better give it your all because anything less is unacceptable. It’s that mind-set that has allowed the fans of Buffalo to change from pessimistic naysayers to optimistic dreamers like never before.

Of course Drury returned to the bench. It just took him a little longer than we expected, rejoining his teammates just after overtime began, but he came back. On his first shift in overtime, wearing what looked like a mouth guard straight out of an orthodontist’s office, the puck came to Drury in front of the Ottawa net and the Sabres just failed to score. The guy sitting two seats away from me leaned over to his wife and said, “How storybook would that have been?

That’s when it hit me. We don’t have storybooks in Buffalo. Buffalo has nice stories where the hero always falls short. We always fall short. But instead of expecting the Sabres to miss that shot, as the puck slid across the crease, we expected the red light to go on. We believed. That’s what this Sabres team has done for us. That’s what all of the miserable defeats have done to us. One day, that red light will go on for us. We’ll get that bounce or catch that pass or make that kick. But not this year. The story is over and we don’t have that fairy tale ending. The Red Sox had to wait 86 years, the White Sox’s drought lasted 88 years, and the Cubs are still waiting for their first title since 1908. I pray that the people of Buffalo don’t have to wait that long.

So what’s next? We don’t know and only time will tell. Briere and Drury are both free agents and it’s clear that the four-man rotation of defenseman Ruff used in the final two games isn’t going to cut it come next season. Special teams will need retooling and possibly their own coach. There are some key unrestricted free agents on the market, including not only Briere and Drury, but Ryan Smyth, Jason Blake, Bill Guerin, and Scott Gomez, as well. And oh yeah, both Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff are essentially free agents. Getting them under contract first should be the top priority of Tom Golisano and Larry Quinn.

While we may not know what the coming months have in store, we can be sure of one thing: as long as Ryan Miller is between the pipes for the Buffalo Sabres, we have a shot at being a contender every year.

Not Dead Yet

By Chris

We're still alive. Take a deep breath and enjoy the moment.

The Sabres left it all on the ice for most of Wednesday night and came away with a 3-2 victory in Ottawa at Scotiabank Place, the building Don Cherry said we couldn't win in. Guess what, Canada. We're coming for you. The Sabres were loose and came out flying and now the pressure is all on Ottawa.

"We could curl up and cry about it and go home," Chris Drury said after practice yesterday. "Or we could fight like dogs. There's no other way to think about it. We can't save anything for Thursday or Friday or Saturday."

Drury was the alpha-dog in Game Four, scoring the game winner and picking up the lone assist on Derek's Roy goal nine seconds into the contest. Backing up his words is something we've come to expect from Drury, mainly because he doesn't send out public messages like that often. So we notice when the team steps up.

It was the most complete game we've seen from the Sabres so far this playoff season. The Senators came on strong late in the third with their two quick goals and stunned the Sabres a little bit. But they perservered and walked away from a win. The powerplay still wasn't great, but we'll all take the goal. The penalty kill was the story, shutting the Ottawa power play out for the second straight game.

Ruff decided to shorten his bench late in the game, rolling with what was working. Kalinin and Vanek saw just one shift in the third period each. Kalinin didn't touch the ice in the second period and Maxim Afinogenov played just 1:44 in the third. Even Jaroslav Spacek saw a dramatic reduction in ice time, playing only 8:22. The crackdown on ice time is an interesting decision, considering the team was playing without Dainius Zubrus, who left the game late in the first period with what the team is calling a "lower body injury." Hopefully the extra day off will aid in the healing of whatever is ailing Zubrus.

Oh yeah, and Ryan Miller was outstanding again between the pipes.

Among 9,815 fans inside HSBC Arena watching the game on those huge 12 x 9 foot televisions, I got a small taste of what it should feel like in the Arena on Saturday afternoon. I'll be among the lucky fans in attendance and hopefully continue to watch history in the making.

Enjoy tonight. Because another Game Seven is coming up on Saturday.

Remember Red

By Ryan

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.- The Shawshank Redemption

I've seen this before. I'm a Red Sox fan, and anyone who is a real Red Sox fan will tell you when it happened.

I was in my basement on the computer. It was a half hour until Game Four of the American League Championship Series, a series in which the Red Sox trailed 3-0 to the Yankees. Being a Sunday in October, I was clad in my finest Buffalo Bills merchandise, save for a Red Sox cap. Hours ago, the Bills had won, giving a bit of joy to what had to be a sorrowful day.

Not 24 hours before, the Yankees had come into Fenway Park and and murdered Game Three, 19-8. No, really. There were blood stains all over the place. I personally was amazed that the grounds crew had kept the grass green enough to play on after all that bloodshed. Nevertheless, there was still a game to be played the next night, whether a mere formality or otherwise.

As I sat in my basement killing time before the series finale, trying to avoid thoughts of the inevitable, I tried to remember what I hadn't done. What superstition did I mess up? Did I do everything right? It was then that I had a striking revelation.

"There is nothing you can do, Ryan." I said to myself. "The only thing you can do is watch and hope."

It was a revelation to me, yes, but also to many other die hard fans. The problem with us is that we feel way, way too involved. Through this feeling we also believe we can somehow affect the outcome of games. When thinking rationally, this is impossible, and wishful thinking at best. But put an entire regular season and extended playoff run into the equation, and there is no such thing as rational thinking.

And so I looked at Game Four with different eyes. I understood that whatever happened had to, and there was nothing I could do. I watched, and of course I was freaking out the entire time, more nervous than I ever have been in my life, but it was not an impending doom nervousness, it was a hope that it would not end that night.

The rest is history, but a history that starts and ends with one man: Dave Roberts. Without one stolen base, one monumental moment in Red Sox history, one beating of the odds, the comeback would not have happened. What followed Roberts' stolen base is arguably the greatest two weeks of my life, and something I will never forget.

So will the Sabres do the impossible? None of us can answer that question. All we can do is watch. My hope is that somewhere on that roster is a Dave Roberts. Maybe it's Chris Drury. Maybe it's Nathan Paetsch. Maybe it's The Goose. Until it happens, all we can do is hope.

Apocalypse Now

By Chris

All around me are familiar faces, worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races, going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses, no expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
And I find it kind of funny, I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very mad world

-Tears for Fears, Mad World

It's a depressing time in Western New York right now and we're standing at a crossroads. We can still believe. Or we can jump off the bandwagon. Each seems like the trendy thing to do. I'm in a place somewhere in-between. I want the Sabres to pull a 2004 Red Sox and make history because I want to watch this team succeed. Then again, they haven't played well enough this playoff to deserve to make that history and I hope they get blown out 8-0 on Wednesday night. Try to swallow that going into an off season where all three guys wearing letters on their chests could be gone come September. Game Three in Ottawa was the apex of my frustration with this Sabres team.

They showed no heart. No passion. It felt I was watching the team play just some regular season game on the road. My stomach was in knots and I was doing everything in my power to not throw my full glass of Pepsi across the restaurant I was at. When Briere failed to score early in the first, on a play he waited too long on, we knew we were in for a long night. "That's probably the way the rest of the game will go," my buddy Jay said. How right he was.

It was the first time all year they've been shut out. And they got shut out by Ray Freaking Emery, who made all of 15 saves. They needed to come out and play a great road game and they failed miserably. They don't like to hit. Our two crash-and-bangers, Gaustad and Mair played all of 11:13 combined. They look like they play scared but they look like they expect teams to roll over and die because hey, we're the Buffalo Sabres, we're more talented than you, so just quit now, we'll get our late goal and we'll win.

We've been spoiled here in Buffalo the last two years. We've been on a roller coaster ride and it's been a helluva time. It's looking like our window has closed. Only two teams have ever rallied from an 0-3 deficit in NHL history. This team has the potential to be the third, but whether or not they decide to show up is an entirely different story. Game Three was a demoralizing victory. The Sabres looked stunned leaving the ice and it's a serious question if they're mentally tough enough to come back. Sure they've done it in the regular season but the playoffs are a completely different animal. The pressure of being the favorite seems to have taken over. They're forcing bad passes, losing battles on the boards, and are unable to keep steady pressure in the offensive zone as a result.

It's an all-time let down. If they lose on Wednesday night, we're not going to remember this team ten years from now. They're just going to be another Buffalo team that let us all down. 1975. 1999. 2006. Those are the teams we'll remember and endear forever. The 2007 Buffalo Sabres put the pressure of winning a Stanley Cup on themselves as soon as they got back from Carolina last year. "One team. One goal." Last night was one player (Miller) and no goals. And now they're on the cusp of letting an entire community down. Then again, maybe we all will remember this team. As the biggest disappointment of them all.

Coming into this series, I was OK if we lost in seven games. Ottawa is a great team. Alfredsson is finally stepping up and his line with Heatley and Spezza is unbelievable. The Senators defense has been outstanding. Anton Volchenkov blocked another four shots in Game Three. But the way the Sabres are losing? It's got me thinking about next season, sadly. The heart we thought the Buffalo Sabres had just doesn't seem to be there anymore. It's enough to wonder how much of the Buffalo roster will even be back next season.

Ryan Miller is the only Sabre worth a damn right now. He didn't quit. He played his heart out last night and he's the reason why it was only a one goal game. No one else showed up. Briere played maybe a total of two good minutes all game, most of it coming with only seconds left. His co-captain, the great Chris Drury, wasn't much better, going 7-11 on faceoffs. It just isn't enough. This team thought it knew what it took to win a Conference Final after last season's disappointment. Now we're all not so sure, and it sounds like the players themselves are among the doubters.

Dmitri Kalinin was awful again. I almost wonder if the Sabres didn't pick some random fan from Buffalo, flew him in with the team, slapped a #45 jersey on him and let him play. His pinches into the offensive zone, which have been great at times, were completely off in Game Three. He made a lot of bad decisions and forced Miller to make a lot of tough saves that could have easily been avoided had he just played smarter.

Afinogenov looked like the only guy on his line that was trying. Roy and Vanek looked uninterested most of the game and that's confusing in itself. But when Afinogenov over-tries, that's when trouble comes knocking. The times when he tries to do it himself are the times when he's most useless because he ends up just skating around in circles, taking time off the clock. Not very effective at all when you're down by a goal in the third period in a game that puts your entire season at stake. Roy himself has been a mess. I'd consider benching him if I were Lindy Ruff and putting a little scare in him. Remember, he was in Rochester when last season began. Nothing has ever been gifted to him.

Hecht-Briere-Pominville
Gaustad-Drury-Zubrus
Vanek-Connolly-Afinogenov
Kotalik-Mair-Stafford

Lydman-Tallinder
Campbell-Spacek
Numminen-Paestch

Give it a shot Lindy. What do you have to lose besides one more game?

Corey Griswold on WGR550's Post-Post-Game Show reminded me of a play that I forgot I was so angry about when I originally saw it. Tallinder's selfish and flagrant foul on Alfredsson was inexcusable. There's no other adjective right now to describe it. To take that high sticking penalty is simply uncalled for when you're supposed to be desperately trying to when a hockey game. That play said a lot about that game. The Sabres lost their composure. They made a dumb plays that they normally wouldn't have made. They're falling apart at the seams before our very eyes and there's nothing we can do about it. Sure they might win a game, maybe even two if we're that lucky, but it just appears that this series is out of reach.

If you are one of the few Believers, however, I'll give you two things to hang your rally cap on:
1. The Sabres have played like absolute crap the last three games and have lost two of them because of one bad bounce. One good bounce the other way, and it's a completely different series.
2. Ryan Miller. 'Nuff said.

I want to still believe, but I think it might just be over for Buffalo. I hope to the Hockey Gods that I'm wrong.

It ain't over till it's over

By Chris

The Buffalo Sabres are in trouble. I know it. You know it. Everyone seems to know it. The team is down 2-0 in their series with the Ottawa Senators and history is not on their side. The Sabres are 0-16 all-time when losing the first two games of a best-of-seven series. But history has not seen these Sabres yet. This team jerked fans around so many times in the last two years that it's impossible to ever count them out.

They've done it before, from Briere's late goal on Friday to Drury's miracle against the Rangers, back to that game in Boston on November 2 when the Sabres rallied back from a three goal deficit mid-way through the third period. They came back in stunning fashion in the Game One of the second round last year when Tim Connolly scored on Ray Emery with less than a minute remaining in regulation. There’re probably at least a dozen more comebacks that have all since blurred together. If anyone can pull this thing off, it's this team. And if not? Well then, it's been fun, but we'll have to deal with the fact that the ride's over.

"Over? Did you say 'over?' Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! And it ain't over now. 'Cause when the goin' gets tough...the tough get goin'! Who's with me? Let's go!" -Bluto Blutarsky, Animal House

Who will be the Sabres' Bluto Blutarsky? Who's going to step up and take over tonight and get the job done?

---Daniel Briere finally had his clutch moment. Although he’s averaging about a point a game, his play before Friday just simply wasn’t good enough. Being reunited with Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville after some rocky games in Manhattan seemed to rejuvenate him and he definitely elevated his play in Game Two. Briere needs to continue to skate hard and create offensive opportunities if the Sabres are going to win four out of five games.

---Dainius Zubrus has been invisible since the Rangers series, where he played his best hockey in a Sabres uniform. He controlled the boards and was the hardest working Sabre on the ice. He took the body to Jaromir Jagr and frustrated the Rangers’ captain to the point where he hit Zubrus with a gloved punch. Was the agitator role out of character for Zubrus? Why not try those tactics on Daniel Alfredsson, who up until this year was the poster boy for playoff failure? Get inside his head and maybe he’ll regress to the choker we all know and love.

---Henrik Tallinder might just be the warrior the Sabres need. He took a cheap shot from Alfredsson in the first overtime of Game Two and was down on the ice for a few minutes, writhing in pain. He got up nursing his shoulder and returned later on to literally finish the game (he was on the ice for Joseph Corvo’s second overtime winner).

Now, Lindy Ruff says it’s possible that Tallinder may miss tonight’s game. Granted, he might legitimately be hurt. It was a brutal hit and, as Ruff said, it would probably warrant a suspension if it had happened the regular season. But come on, Hank! This is the playoffs and your team needs its best defenseman now more than ever. The blue line truly fell apart when he broke his arm last year. It’s frightening to think of what will happen if he’s out of the line-up now: more ice-time for the heart-attack pairing of Dmitri Kalinin and Teppo Numminen.

While they played well in the early parts of the post season, this Ottawa series has been most unkind to the Teppo-Tri duo. Kalinin can’t handle the puck and Numminen looks like he’s 70, or ten years older than he actually is. The Numminen turnover on the Game One winner was the worst pass a Sabres defenseman has made all season. These guys do anything in their power to avoid getting hit. It's almost embarrassing to watch and anyone with high-blood pressure needs to turn away from the TV anytime they're on the ice.

If Kalinin is put on the top penalty kill unit, then Dany Heatley must be licking his chops. With the man advantage, Heatley must have burned Kalinin 239,084 times during the regular season. Kalinin is a good defenseman, don’t get me wrong. He flourished when playing with Alexei Zhitnik on the number one pairing before the lock out, but since then, Tallinder and Brian Campbell have blown by him on the depth chart, and Nathan Paetsch might just be next. Kalinin is signed through next season but his time to prove himself as a top defender is running out.

And then there’s the obvious reason as to why Buffalo is down in this series: the power play has been horrendous. Atrocious. Downright terrible. It's been bad all year, dating back to the team's first game of the season. The Sabres went 0-9 with the man-advantage against Carolina in the season opener. So it’s not like this is a new problem. It’s all about execution and it’s a mystery as to why such skilled players can’t put the puck in. Maybe teams are just better penalty killers now against the Sabres system, taking away the low cross ice passes that used to be Buffalo’s bread and butter. But it’s mind-boggling to figure out how a team that scored 308 goals in the regular season can only go on to have only the 17th best power play in the league.

Now, the power play is only operating at a 12.7-percent success rate through 13 playoff games. Six teams that have already been eliminated sit above the Sabres in post-season power play percentage. Of teams remaining, Ottawa has the second best penalty killing unit, and if they continue to take penalties against the Sabres, and it seems reasonable to believe that they will only climb to the top of that list.

It’s also reasonable to believe that the Sabres can win this thing. Ruff has reminded his players that Carolina rallied from a 2-0 hole against Montreal last season. I know how that ended. You know how that ended. And the Sabres definitely remember how that ended. They feel that the Holy Grail was taken from them last year and this season has been sort of a revengeful sequel to what happened in 2006. It’s time for them to show that intensity and that desire they all say they have about winning it all on the ice. Ruff and general manager Darcy Regier have finally been given the tools to finish the job. It’s time they used them.

The Sabres have done things the hard way for two years now. The only thing to stop believing is that they’d take the easy route now.

KEYS TO TONIGHT'S GAME FOR THE SABRES (7 p.m. Versus and CBC)

1. Skate, skate, skate. Play the full 60 minutes like the first period of Game Two. Don’t let up on the gas like in the second period on Friday, when Ottawa was able to climb back into the game.
2. Just get the puck on net. Danny Briere may be the Cookie Monster, but Ray Emery is a Rebound Machine. He never seems to be in position for the second shot and if pucks just keep coming at him, he’ll eventually crack.
3. Ryan Miller. ‘Nuff said.

Anatomy of an Overtime Winner

By Ryan


I have no panic button. No, really. No matter how bad things are looking at the moment, no matter what others may be screaming about, I’m not going to be "that guy." I don’t like how it feels, and I’m not one to jump to conclusions. Besides, David Ortiz destroyed my desire for a panic button in 2004.

That being said, I am okay with the Sabres/Senators series as it is. I am certainly not happy, in fact, I’m furious with how things have developed, but I understand how it happened. In fact, the most surprising part of this series, Corvo’s overtime winner, was something that in a way I expected to happen.

Before the start of the second intermission, I said to the very nice woman sitting next to me "The next goal isn’t going to be pretty. With this ice, it’s going to be a kooky bounce that one team capitalizes on." She politely nodded in agreement.

Now I’m no prophet, almost anyone could have expected that to happen. Ice problems in spring hockey are nothing new, and while the HSBC Arena ice crew did a much better job with the rink last night than they did for Game One, you cannot expect good ice to last five periods. For the record, the ice was in good shape at the start of the game, and even held to form until the end of regulation. (In a related story, the building was freezing last night.)

However, 80 minutes of hockey takes it’s toll on an ice sheet, and to start the second overtime, the ice was noticeably choppy. Within the first 30 seconds of the period, a pass out of the Senators end bounced and rolled up on end with no one around. It wasn’t the first sign of bad ice, but was telling of what was to come.

Couple the disgusting ice with a disgusting play in overtime, and the setting is perfect. The Sabres committed one of the mortal sins of overtime hockey, icing the puck twice in a row. With consecutive face offs in your own zone, even which an ace like Chris Drury taking the draw, you are tempting a fate no coach wants a part of.

And so fate prevailed, Spezza wins the draw. Just like the face off win to open the period, the puck bounces back to the defense. Corvo winds and fires the bouncing puck. Knuckles down, hits the ice, bounces high. Game.

It’s the anatomy of an overtime winner. Fight exhaustion, take advantage of mental mistakes, and have a little luck. Sabres fans know the formula well, we’ve been living by it for a long time. Without bad ice and a rookie mistake Chris Drury doesn’t win Game One against Ottawa last year. (Over-flooding in that case) Without a lucky bounce J.P. Dumont doesn’t win Game Three of the same series, and Briere doesn’t force a Game Seven against Carolina.

So I understand how it happened, and maybe that’s why I’m okay with it. When Corvo’s shot went in I was as shocked as everyone else in the building, but it made perfect sense. Perhaps that’s why I’m okay with this series, and why I’m okay with what is ahead. This team has work to do, and I expect them to take care of business. Work on the power play. Make good, smart plays in your own zone. Dominate the boards and don’t take stupid penalties. Play two good, solid road games.

It all sounds so simple, but it’s never that easy. The important question is this: can this Sabres team do what the Senators couldn’t last year? The Senators couldn’t overcome two gut-wrenching overtime losses in last year’s series. This year, the Sens claim to be a more mentally and physically tough group. Sabres fans will tell you this team has what it takes to overcome anything in their way, but they’ve yet to prove capable of getting past a 2-0 series deficit.

Then again, they haven’t had the chance.

Keep the faith, boys.