Transitions in the Transition Game

By Chris

It looks as though Chris Butler and Ryan Miller will see the ice tonight as the Sabres take on the Detroit Red Wings from Joe Louis Arena.

John Vogl reports that Henrik Tallinder will likely watch the game from the press box and it shouldn't come as a great surprise.

Say what you will about Brian Campbell (he was a liability on defense and was overrated around the league as a physical presence) but he could get the puck up the ice better than anyone in a Sabres uniform in the last 10 years (apologizes to Richard Smehilk and Mike Wilson). Andrej Sekera has shown promise as a No. 1 puck-moving defenseman, but the defensive corps have struggled with the breakout passes for most of this season. With the first pass so important in the Sabres' system, not having a consistent defenseman pulling the trigger has obviously caused some problems.

Butler has shown the ability and will get the chance to prove himself again tonight. It's a little surprising that Tallinder is getting the sit down instead of Teppo Numminen, who you would think would like a rest every now and then (we've been saying that since he signed though). It's another statement from Ruff to Tallinder that he needs to be on his game every game.

It also shows how far Nathan Paetsch has fallen out of the coach's good graces. At this point, they should just waive him to make permanent room for Butler, who's getting close to not being protected from the waiver wire. And if a team snatches up Paetsch, then so be it. It appears he's ninth on the depth chart now anyways.

With Miller getting the nod tonight, look for Lalime to get the start in his Chicago homecoming on Wednesday.

Tonight is a good test for the Sabres. We all know what Detroit brings to the table so if the Sabres can play like they did in the third period against the Rangers and leave the other half of that abomination behind them, then we should be looking at a high-flying match. Game time is at 7 p.m.

A View From The Roost: Miller Steals One

By Chris

Ryan Miller got it done last night. That's why the Sabres were able to get two points against the Rangers. The only shot he let it was one he couldn't see. Forty-three saves on 44 shots plus three in the shootout should get the job done no matter who you're playing. Last night, it resulted in a 2-1 win and the Sabres continue to roll through the calendar year.

Watching Chris Drury come down on the shootout...you had a feeling he was going to do something. We all know what Drury is capable of. But Miller rose to the occasion and slammed the door shut. And just like that the Sabres had two points in their pocket that, as a team, they didn't deserve.

-A majority of the saves Miller had to make were outside shots that didn't have much of a chance of going in. Credit there goes to the Sabres best three defensemen last night: Lydman, Rivet and Spacek. It was tight-checking neutral zone game until things started to open up in the third period and those three helped get the job done. At times, Rivet and Lydman look like a sold No. 1 pairing but so far this year, Ruff hasn't been reluctant to mix up the pairings as the game progresses.

-I don't know what Tallinder and Numminen were doing on that Rangers goal, but they looked completely lost. Colton Orr could have had a picnic lunch in front of the net and no one would have moved him out of the way.

-The lack of a transition game really hurt the team last night. The first pass out of the defensive zone was often deflected or intercepted and that's one of the main reasons the Sabres struggled for most of the game. More on this later today.

-Connolly returned last night. He looked a little rusty as to be expected, but he was able to create a few opportunities that made you sit back and remember why the Sabres refuse to give up on him. Buffalo is a better team with him on the ice without question but, as Ryan talked about yesterday, he's not out there nearly enough.

I hope I wasn't the only one drooling a little bit when Ruff put Connolly with Vanek in the overtime period. Hopefully that's something we see more of in the future.


-If Matt Ellis continues to play with as much passion as he showed last night, then he should be in the line up every game. He has a tremendous work ethic that rubs off on the other players.

Just before the Derek Roy goal, Ellis was streaking down the right wing with the puck. He gets the puck in deep and the next thing you know, the Vanek line has possession and puts the puck in. Ellis has become a bit of a spark plug and hopefully that continues.

-The pass Vanek made to Stafford on the Roy goal was a thing of beauty. Cross-ice, through Drury's legs, right on the tape. A little lucky? Maybe, but it takes a lot of skill and confidence to even attempt a pass like that.

-It's inexcusable that the scoreboard read 10:02 into the second period when the Sabres finally got their first shot on goal in the second period. The Rangers dominated the first 15 minutes of the period, but it's embarrassing that it took Buffalo that long to get ANYTHING going. The Rangers didn't look like a team with a second gear either, but if the Sabres want to keep this streak alive and beat quality teams, they can't be coasting through half the game.

-No Rangers penalties? Really?

-I was shocked Kotalik didn't go backhand on the Rangers backup goalie.


Actually, too, if Lundqvist had been in net, I bet we would have seen a much more wide-open game. The Rangers defense hung back for most of the game to cover, instead of pinching up into the play had Steve Valiquette not been between the pipes.

-The Rozsival incident was a bit scary. They never showed it on the Jumbotron so I still haven't seen a clear shot of what happened, but seeing something like that always puts a damper on whatever is going on at ice level.

-The crowd was pretty subdued last night. Granted they didn't have a lot to cheer about until the end of the game, but even from the get go, all 18,300-some in attendance seemed as out of it as the Sabres did. So much for those rowdy Friday night crowds.

- 4-0 in 2009. *Knocks on wood*

Emerging from mom's basement

By Jon

The rumors aren't true: The Goose's Roost is not written by one man (Ryan) with four distinct personalities. Really, there are four contributors (Though one deprives himself of enough sleep and humanly contact to write 2,500 words three times a day while the other three ride on his coattails.)

Don't believe us? Then join us tomorrow at Casa di Pizza on Elmwood for a night of pizza, beverages and bloggers, emerging from the depths of their mother's basements and bravely exposing themselves to the outside world to crowd around a television watching grown men play hockey.

Those expected in attendance: Myself, Ryan, and Rich from the Roost (I'm working on Chris), the girl(s?) from Sabretooth's House, Kevin from BfloBlog, Tedd from First Time, Long Time, Peter and Andrew from USRT, and many others.

Rangers and ex-Sabres

by Ryan

Whenever the Rangers come up on the schedule, I think of Chris Drury.

I can't help it. He's still one of my favorite hockey players to this day, and I've thought about his style of hockey a lot over the past few years. I'm not filled with obsessive thoughts; I don't scan his box scores or look for articles about him, and you wouldn't catch me dead in a Rangers #23 shirsey. Still, when the Rangers highlights come on it's no longer Jagr, Leetch, and Richter that come to mind. It's Chris Drury.

That being said, I don't feel the attachment to Chris I used to. I like his game, I like what he brings to a hockey team, but he's a Ranger and that's fine. It's pretty obvious that the further we get away from that summer the more we understand what happened. To be quite honest, I'm completely okay with it. The Sabres were decidedly moving in a certain direction, and unfortunately they got burned. Then the Vanek thing happened. But whatever. The team is fine, and everyone involved is okay.

But why am I talking about that now? This is a huge game for the Sabres, who sit in 8th with quite a few teams on their heels. The Rangers are currently in 5th, six points ahead of the Sabres. You can throw in the "four point game" moniker if you'd like, but that's your call. Buffalo's been on a roll lately, and this is the last home game for quite some time. Many are already considering tomorrow's trip to Detroit in the loss column, so a good showing tonight is important before the long road trip.

Kevin sets it up much better than I did, so I'd take a look at that and get a good read on the Rangers. Chris is going to the game and will handle the View post, and I'll have a few ramblings up in a bit, including where to watch the game with us tomorrow.

GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!

by Ryan

I have no idea how Thom Brennaman and Charles Davis got into the broadcast booth last night, but Fox shouldn't give the keys to just anyone. Here's the pair losing track of what down it is. Should Oklahoma kick a field goal on third and goal? Davis gives an emphatic no. Smart.



The broadcast was a train wreck throughout the evening. Awful Announcing has a good collection of quotes and analysis and the video above, while Deadspin has The Best Sound Clip Ever About The Greatest Football Playing Quarterback of All Time.

After the third quarter I left my house and had to listen to part of the fourth in the car. I'm not exaggerating when I say the radio broadcast was at least 300 times better than the TV one. I forget who was doing it, but for the first time all night I felt like I was being told what was going on rather than being talked at in a confusing, roundabout way.

Seriously, is that team the best Fox had to offer? Somewhere between the orgasms of Thom and the dead air that is Joe Buck is a decent broadcast. Somewhere.

On Timmy

by Ryan

I'm excited about tonight's game for a lot of reasons, most of which I will get to later on. This morning I want to talk about the return of Tim Connolly. When it comes to Connolly's career, so much of the conversation focuses on things other than hockey. His injuries, his extracurricular activities, whether or not he wears a visor. Almost everything we as fans talk about has nothing to do with his play on ice.



The easy answer for this is that he just isn't on the ice enough. Over the past five seasons, Timmy has missed 249 out of 368 games. That's an incredible number of missed games, and it's easy to understand the frustration felt by almost everyone involved with his career. Whenever I get mad about Timmy and his injuries, I only imagine what he feels like; all that potential never getting a chance to shine.

It's hard for people to get excited about Connolly anymore, but when healthy he is one of the best players on this team. I've talked about it before, but the fact of the matter is that when Connolly's on the active roster he produces. That can't be said about some other question marks on this team, and for that I give Connolly the benefit of the doubt at times.

Despite all the jokes and all the frustration we've expressed over the last few seasons, the fact of the matter is that Tim Connolly is still one of my favorite hockey players. The natural ability he has is something I will always envy, and the way he plays the game is something I still respect about him. Lindy brought up an interesting point when talking about Connolly's game earlier in the week.

“He doesn’t play like he’s been hurt. I think you’ve got to give him credit for that,” Head Coach Lindy Ruff said. “He doesn’t go out and play a soft game. If he went out and played a soft game, he would have totally avoided the play against the St. Louis player. But he didn’t. He’s the type of guy that wants to take the puck into traffic and wants to draw people to him and he wants to use that ability to open people up.

“That puts him sometimes in jeopardy of suffering some tough hits.”

I think Ruff has a really good take on not only what makes Connolly so good, but also explains a lot of what happens to his body. Despite all of the injuries and risk, he works the boards hard and isn't afraid to take a hit to make plays. It's a high risk asset, but an asset that's essential to his game. I don't think Connolly would be as valuable to a hockey team if he didn't take those hits and work that hard, yet at the same time it's hard to justify his utility when he's on the shelf so often.

It's an interesting little catch-22, but one that he appears to be completely aware of. Here's what he said in that same article:

“The only thing I can control is going out there, playing the game and playing to the best of my ability,” Connolly said. “We have to go out there and win hockey games and concentrate on getting this team to the playoffs."

I'm going to be honest, I love the hell out of that quote. I really do think that Connolly does everything he can to get back on the ice, and it's obvious that he wants to be out there. If he wanted to sit in the press box and collect that salary he wouldn't have played with broken ribs, and if he didn't love the game he would just hang it up when the risk gets too great. Something tells me that's not how Tim Connolly thinks, and no matter who signs him this summer he's going to keep playing the same was he always has.

It's silly and certainly a bit naive, but every time Tim Connolly comes back from an injury I get a little excited. Maybe this is it, maybe that was the last big injury and he's going to pull it together. We all know he's valuable on the power play, and once he makes that first defenseman miss you'll remember exactly why he signed that contract way back when. If he finishes out the year and produces, then maybe, just maybe, someone will want him on their team. Maybe even here. Turn things around. Who knows, right?

I really do know better. The cynical hockey fan in me says he plays a half dozen games and gets caught with his head down. Or slips off a bar stool. Or falls down a well. Something is bound to happen, and that's not often the slogan of an optimist. Still, the hope is there, and I'd like to think I'm not the only one thinking like that today. It's not a whole lot of faith, but it's enough for me to appreciate him when he hits the ice.



Oh Tim Connolly, I find it quite hard to quit you.

College Football Post

by Ryan

Before you watch the Oklahoma/Florida BCS National Championship game, please take the time to read this. It's totally worth it.

If you don't believe me, the link is to a Slate article written by Bill James. Yes, that Bill James. The good news is that it reads a little less complex than this, which almost made me pass out when Rich showed it to me last night. To sum things up, Bill James absolutely murders the BCS, the computer rankings, and pretty much everyone involved in the entire process.



So tomorrow when you see all those "The BSC doesn't work, it just didn't feel right" columns everywhere, don't bother reading them. You already know better, and I doubt you'll see a better constructed argument anywhere else. Either way, enjoy the game tonight. It should be a good one.

What's a Jarkko to Do Tonight?

by Ryan



Tonight the Senators finish up the road trip from hell against the Boston Bruins. Based on what we saw in the last two Sabres games, this one will be a bloodbath. Missing the game will be Jarkko Ruutu, who still isn't sure why he got a two game vacation. Our advice for him is to just enjoy the time off. Buy one of these, get some snacks, grab your favorite seat on the couch, and just try to enjoy the game.



We recommend burgundy.

Vanek, Gerbe, Kennedy, Mancari: All-Stars

By Chris

Thomas Vanek will make his first appearance as an NHL All-Star when the event takes place in Montreal at the end of the month. It's no surprise as Atlas is enjoying one of the most spectacular individual seasons in recent Sabres history. Vanek will be the Sabres' lone representative on the Eastern Conference squad.

Full Roster here.

Also, down on the farm, Pirates forwards Nathan Gerbe and Tim Kennedy will represent Team PlanetUSA in the AHL All-Star Game. Gerbe is slated to start in the game. Mark Mancari will play for Team Canada.

Other notables with Buffalo ties that will take part in the event: Drew Miller, Rory Fitzpatrick and my personal favorite, Mike Ryan (MJ over at My Safety Is Harvard should be thrilled).

Full rosters here and here.

The Return - Featuring Pat Burrell & Barry Sanders

by Rich

Morning, everybody. I'm Rich, and if you've been around the Roost for long enough, you may remember me from the somewhat distant past. So yeah, I've been out of the game for a while and I'm still rounding back into form, but hopefully I'll be able to lighten the posting load on Ryan a little before the dude totally loses his mind. At the moment, the appropriate analogy for his role in this blog is somewhere between Minnesota-era Garnett and Barry Sanders...well, the whole time he was on the Lions. Actually, those are both pretty depressing. Pre-Pippen MJ, maybe? That's better, I guess (although I lack both the arm length and rebounding ability that comparison implies).

ANYWAY, on to the item that actually spurred my comeback. In the past, I've bitched about awful sportswriting quite a few times, but at the moment my issue is with the complete lack of attention being paid to one recent Hot Stove transaction: Pat Burrell's signing as the Rays DH.

If you've been within 30 feet of a television during the past month or so, you probably noticed that the Yankees got some attention for spending roughly $800 trillion on a fat guy, Carl Pavano 2.0, and Mark Teixeira. That's all well and good, and I'm not here to talk trash about King Hank I's little spending spree (there's a lot of offseason left and believe me, I will get to it). The media showing New York love is nothing new, and it's certainly not something that's going to change any time soon. I do think it's a little lame, however, when people go crazy over everything the Yankees do while ignoring the fact that the team that won their division (and the American League, for that matter) added the one thing they needed for relatively cheap.

Last year the Rays shocked everybody with their run to the World Series, and they did it with Cliff Floyd DH-ing and nobody on the team that could handle left-handed pitching. Burrell pretty much covers both of those weaknesses. Check out the head-to-head comparison (or lack thereof):


Cliff Floyd:

.268 / .349 / .455 , 24 extra-base hits (11 HR), 28 walks in 246 AB

Pat Burrell:

.250 / .367 / .507, 69 extra-base hits (33 HR), 102 walks in 536 AB


So yeah, little bit of a difference there. Some may point out that Burrell's numbers are obviously going to be much higher in "counting" stats because he accumulated more than twice as many at-bats as Floyd last year. They're right, but that's because Cliff Floyd can't play against lefties. Burrell rakes against lefthanders, OPS-ing .952 last year compared to the Rays as a team, who managed just .726 (hat tip to Tim Dierkes at MLBTR for having those numbers so I didn't have to look for them at 5 in the morning).

I guess what I'm saying is this: yeah, the Yankees added a ton of names this offseason, but the defending AL champs added the one thing they were missing; a full-time DH who murders lefthanders. Oh, and all those other guys in Tampa? They're just another year more polished and now they know how good they actually are. The AL East is going to be a war this year, no matter how much cash the Yanks shovel into the furnace.

I can already hear the cowbells.

Who Makes the All Star Team?

by Ryan

Today the Eastern All Star reserves are announced, and it's pretty obvious who will get selected from Buffalo's roster. Still, the Sabres don't play until tomorrow and there's not all that much to talk about. Here we go:



Thomas Vanek. C'mon people, it's Atlas we're talking about here. He's currently in a three-way tie for most goals (27), and 25th overall in points. If Vanek doesn't make it, Austria will invade a neighboring nation. Probably Liechtenstein. You hear that, Bettman? BLOOD WILL BE ON YOUR HANDS!!!



Derek Roy. Just look at him. He's adorable, he rarely frowns, and according to Mike Fisher up there he looks fantastic in hockey pants. Currently 24th in total points, it would seem logical that he gets in as well. His problem may lie in the abundance of centers ahead of him on that list, but for the sake of simplicity let's say he makes it so we can all be upset about it come noon-ish.

Do I think he deserves to be there? Yeah, probably. I don't love his effort the majority of the time, and I agree with Kevin when he says that, "He is the face of the Sabres problems to this point (no, he isn’t the problem, but he represents all the bad qualities with which this team is capable of playing)." Actually, that pretty much nails it.

Still, do you see Roy on a roster alongside Malkin, Savard, Backstrom, Richards, and Krejci? Yeah, me either.

So... what about Jason Pominville? He has 31 points and has been decent all year, right? While this is true, the same can be said for a half dozen other guys. He's had a good season, but the difference between 37 points and 31 points on the year is about 40 spots on the leader board. I doubt many Sabres fans really gave Pominville a second look for the team, but I thought it was interesting to see the difference between a good year and an all star performance. From the looks of this it's about six points.

When rosters get announced, we'll be sure to let you know about it.

Ruutu, Murray, and Kool & the Gang

by Ryan

Just a few things to get you through the evening:

- Oh hey look, Ruutu got two games. That was fast. I'm not going to complain about the length because a part of me is just happy he got anything at all.

- The interesting thing about this whole situation is that everyone is talking about fighting again. Um, what fighting? Even after all that drama there were zero fights last night. This bite happened in a scrum along the boards, but it never escalated into a true altercation. I really feel like this has nothing to do with fighting because even if/when they finally kill fighting in this sport, these scrums are going to continue. So will incidents like this.

- Before the Ruutu bite Peters and Neil got involved around the same area. Did anyone actually think Neil was going to drop right by his own bench? I give Peters credit for not getting carried away, but we should all know better than to expect Chris Neil actually does anything so close to the head shaking "no" on the bench. Speaking of that...

- Hey hey! The Sabres got another head coach fired! Our one coach per year quota has been filled! And Murray, too?



WOO HOO!*

*It's only a newspaper report, but still. Let me have this.

UPDATE: Not so fast, apparently. Ottawa ownership denying the firings and the eventual arrival of Pat Quinn (which would totally make sense, kind of like having secondary scorers on your team).

- Matt Ellis now has more goals than Mike Fisher. Did I mention Fisher makes $6 million this year?

- It looks like we will be seeing Brad May at bit more often.

- The rivalry between the Sabres and Senators has changed so much over the last few seasons. The two teams have had history before (as much history as a team only a few decades old can have, I guess), but since the lockout it has exploded into something completely different. This morning Chris and I were talking about it and he said something to the effect of, "It had to be Ottawa, didn't it?"

Think about it this way: most people have all but forgotten about the Briere/Ovechkin incident. Hindsight has moved us beyond arguing over whether it was a dirty play, and Briere's spearing habit and subsequent actions with the Flyers has changed just how much we care about that incident. That absolutely hasn't happened with Ottawa, and no matter who Chris Drury plays for the Drury/Neil incident will stay with Sabres fans.

It wasn't just that hit but all the games played before it, and all the events that followed it. There is only Briere/Ovechkin, but it isn't just Drury/Neil. It's Sabres/Senators, and that's what makes it a real rivalry. Today everyone is talking about Ruutu/Peters, but in time it will become just another chapter in the battles between the Sabres and Senators.

Today we look forward to Capitals games because Alexander Ovechkin is the best player in hockey. That's an aspect of the sport that everyone can appreciate, but a true rivalry is what hockey is all about. Natural goal scoring talent is one thing, but if you're not looking forward to February 7th and that awkward home and home against Ottawa, you don't have a pulse.

And just because we can:

Jigsaw Falling Into Place

by Ryan

Okay, one more time:



The scary thing is that it only took six white dots to make that happen. He really was that pale.

---

It only took fifteen seconds to decide whether the Sabres were willing to play hockey last night. The Sabres forechecked hard on a rookie defenseman, pinched to cause a turnover, and before you know it Goose makes a nice pass to Matt Ellis and it's in. Suddenly it's 1-0 and they are doing exactly what they need to do against a team like Ottawa.

Before the period is over it's 2-0, with the Vanek/Roy/Stafford line making something out of nothing. Everyone involved makes a smart play, with Vanek waiting along the half-wall just long enough to attract two Senators and still get it out. Roy skates hard to get to the puck first, then has the vision necessary to realize he had no real chance, but a trailer is coming. He makes a nice pass to Stafford, who does his job by skating himself into the play and going hard to the net. It was a soft goal and a bit of luck, but it's the kind of goal your best line deserves based on the effort.

The Sabres carried that play into the second, with that same line putting in a garbage goal. Think about the way both of those goals are scored by three of the most talented players on this team: hard work. For all the natural ability Roy, Vanek, and Stafford have; it was them giving that extra stride or taking the physical punishment in front of the net to make the plays and get these goals. You can say both goals are lucky, but that's discounting a whole lot of effort given by a team that had been lacking a pulse for some time now.



So the Sabres have a three goal lead on a team that has only managed to score 87 goals on the season. Things are looking good until Ryan Miller goes out to lunch. I'm not sure what he was thinking about on the first Spezza goal, but it was probably something important like what color fedora to wear during his charity event. He still isn't playing great hockey, and his positioning isn't fantastic; but Miller would come up big later on when it really mattered.

Going into the third I couldn't shake the feeling that the Sabres were going to lose this game. It was the feeling I had when they played Boston, and the same feeling I had on New Year's Day. It's a side effect of the hockey we've seen, and maybe we've gotten just a bit too used to this team losing leads. Perhaps I shouldn't be happily surprised when they play a period of great defensive hockey, and if that's the case then tonight is the kind of game that will help me shake that feeling.

The way the Sabres played in the third is what divides mediocre hockey teams from good hockey teams. We all know the Sabres currently have the status of a mediocre team. This isn't awful, but it certainly isn't satisfactory. They need their defense to improve, and they need to learn how to win close games. That's what the Sabres did in the third period, despite their best defenseman sitting in the press box.

Give Miller credit here, he came up big when it mattered. In the end he made 31 saves, some of them fantastic, and he kept a one goal lead from turning into another point given away. The forwards did nice work along the boards as well, but Miller looked determined to keep that lead after those two goals he let in during the second.



Before you know it Vanek has the empty netter, and it's all over. The Sabres did their job and beat a team they should beat every time. It wasn't pretty, and it sure wasn't without controversy; but good teams beat bad teams on home ice. After all the lost points we've seen over the past two years, you can't complain about the final score, and you certainly can't hate the effort.

This was another little step you wanted to see from a team that looks to be coming into its own. The Sabres are getting healthier, getting good work from its defense, and starting to see some consistent effort from the forwards. They may not have gained much ground in the standings, but games like these are the ones you forget about at season's end. You only seem to remember the games you are supposed to win and don't, not the points you expect and actually get.

No matter what we think about tonight, the Sabres sure better forget it fast. This was the easy part of the week, and if you saw the Rangers play on Monday, you know we're in for a much better opponent come Friday night.

Two Minutes for "Being the Bitee"

by Ryan



Before we talk about the game itself, we should probably get this out of the way. I'm not really sure how to react to it because I've never seen anyone get bit during a hockey game. These are the kinds of things I'm just not prepared to discuss, so I apologize if this is meaningless.



I guess we should start with what actually happened, as in "did Jarkko Ruutu bite Andrew Peters?" From what I've seen that answer has to be yes. From then on the severity of the bite, the reaction by Peters, and all that other stuff is rendered moot. Jarkko Ruutu freaking bit someone. Isn't that what really matters here? No matter how badly Peters may have been acting, the very fact that Ruutu was biting in the first place lets Peters off the hook for the potential Oscar bid.



As far as the penalty on Peters, well, I have no idea. I suppose the bite was pretty hard to see at first glance, so that's probably why no penalty was called on Ruutu. In fact, I'd say it was almost impossible to see the bite because who actually looks for that sort of thing in a scrum? After the game Lindy said he had played in games where people have been bitten, so maybe I'm just not old enough to have experience with this kind of thing.



So I guess the question left to answer is whether Jarkko Ruutu should be suspended. If what we think we see in the replay really is there, then he will get suspended for a short period of time. Since Andrew Peters still has a thumb, I wouldn't rule out the idea of Ruutu getting no suspension. We've seen crazier things go without punishment over the last few years, and if he says he didn't do it, well, that's good enough for Colin Campbell!

It's a shame that this is all you'll hear about tomorrow morning, because it really was an important win for the Sabres. Let's address this again when an announcement is made about suspensions; there are more important things to talk about today.

Defense, Defence, Defense

by Ryan

We've already talked about why the Sabres should win tonight, and after what we saw on Saturday there's no excuse not to give a similar effort at home following after two days off. To top all that off, the Sabres are getting healthy again, with Craig Rivet returning to the lineup tonight, and Tim Connolly not far behind. Afinogenov will miss some time after getting run by Chara, but at this point that's not going to be much of a factor.

The Sens are having injury issues as well, with Anton Volchenkov missing the Devils game and likely to miss tonight. Add in Kuba's stint on IR and you have a very weak defense on a team already struggling with that very issue. Ottawa is stressing the importance of this game, but when you are that far down the standings it seems like every game is that important.

Paul Hamilton has word on Teppo's status (questionable), as well as the news of Toni Lydman's illness. He's doubtful tonight, and that's bad news because he was most likely to face the Big Three all night. Craig coming back cushions the blow significantly (if he's anywhere near %100, that is) but it will be interesting to see how the rest of the blueline plays with Lydman out.

Buffalo still has a home record hovering just over .500, but Ottawa comes in with a 4-12-3 record on the road. They just haven't been scoring goals lately, and if Miller turns in a solid performance and the defense defends the Big Three tonight should be easy. The Sabres never seem to make it easy on themselves when playing the Sens, but if there's one game they absolutely should win this week it's this one.



7pm start from the Arena tonight. There aren't many home games this month, so enjoy the HD while it lasts.

WAIT FOR IT!!!

by Ryan

Which one doesn't really fit with the rest? We played this game last night while watching the Fiesta Bowl. Your turn:



What's G? These guys, I guess.

The moral of the story is that I can't drink Gatorade anymore. Not because I don't like the taste, but rather because I don't understand what the hell they are talking about.

What's Wrong With Ottawa?

by Ryan

We haven't seen the Senators since October 27th. They were slumping, but came in and dismantled a lackluster Sabres team. It was Ottawa's 8th win against Buffalo in their last 13 games. That was a long time ago, but when you really think about it not much has changed. The Sabres are still playing up and down hockey, and Ottawa has continued to struggle. A few weeks ago Puck Daddy had a good post about Ottawa's troubles, which included a quote from their Owner, Eugene Melnyk:

"Come March, they're going to talk about the miracle turnaround of the Ottawa Senators."

"I fully expect us to be in the top four teams in the conference."

That's all well and good, but the more you look at this team the easier it is to find the problems. As Wyshynski says, it's pretty obvious that Ottawa is a one line team. Their salaries show it, and their statistics make it quite evident as well. This is a system that Ottawa has used for the last few years, and while they have gotten very, very close to winning it all; this looks like it could be the death rattle of it all.

The problem isn't that the Big Three aren't producing, but that the rest of the team isn't. Take another look at those team statistics; after Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson there isn't much left. The next two players on the list are both defenseman, Philip Kuba and Alexandre Picard. Kuba has 22 assists, and Picard only has 13 points total.

Compare that to the middle of the road Sabres, who have ten players with at least 13 points, as well as Numminen and Afinogenov sitting at twelve (and considered complete disappointments to boot). Although the Sabres have struggled, they have maintained the balanced scoring necessary to follow their formula, while still having Roy and Vanek outscoring (or matching) the big three.

Point production from their other lines is an issue, but they have other problems as well. Both Auld and Gerber have struggled, both with below .500 records and a save percentage hovering just above .900. Auld has started more games despite making almost $3 million less than Gerber, which only shows just how much both have struggled.

Their defense has been dismantled and replaced with little effect. Corvo*, Commodore*, Redden, and Meszaros all either were traded or left via free agency this summer, and while Kuba has played very well (he's a monster on the PP) but he's been hurt for some time now. Jason Smith hasn't been great, and the younger players Ottawa has used like Lee and Bell haven't been spectacular, either.

What's scary about Ottawa's current situation is that it happened so fast. They sunk a ton of money into three or four players, signed smaller deals with a group of guys they thought could produce, and suddenly are stuck with a team with very little turnover and a spot in the basement of the East. Things could change and their young talent could improve, but it's getting a bit too late for that this season. Mirtle has his "Push for 90" numbers up, and the Sens would need to finish 29-16-0 to hit the magic number necessary for a playoff spot. When James says to "stick a fork" in Ottawa, I can't argue with him.

That doesn't mean Ottawa won't beat Buffalo tonight, but only that they shouldn't. The Sabres have struggled against Ottawa for the past few seasons, but for as uneven as their play has been they are still the better team. Ottawa has the fatal flaws of top-heavy scoring, bad defense, and disappointing goaltending. The Sabres may have one of those problems, but they are certainly in a position to improve before time runs out.

More on tonight's game in a bit.

*Corvo was traded at the deadline for Commodore, but still.

Are We There Yet?

by Ryan

Amazingly, I've yet to buy the right package to get NHL Network on my television. I know, I know, I'm totally missing out. I've only caught a few games during the World Juniors, and I didn't get to see Canada play once. That means I missed out on seeing our top two draft picks in action, along with Tavares and pretty much half of the first round of last year's draft.



However, I did get to see the championship game tonight, which was freaking great. We went to a bar to watch the Fiesta Bowl, which was also great, and the game was somehow on over the Rangers/Pens game. I'm glad it was, because the Pens sucked again and the hockey played up in Ottawa was much better than most of what I've seen in the NHL this season.

Canada went in search of their fifth straight championship, and Sweden sure didn't take it lying down. The checking was rough, the talent on both sides was fantastic, and despite the lopsided final it never really felt like a rout. Canada kept crashing the net and Sweden kept on the counter-attack, but it was Canada that was too much for Swedish goaltender Jacob Markstrom.



The only think I kept thinking while watching this game was this: "I can't believe this will be in Buffalo in a few years." I'm still not sure the majority of Sabres fans know how lucky we are to get a tournament like this. The level of play and the amount of international attention the U-20 gets is phenomenal, and so many of the players involved become stars in the NHL. This really is the best group of young hockey players in the world, and before you know it they will all be hanging out in Western New York.



I'm excited already.

Final Thoughts on Wild Card Weekend

by Ryan

- I like the elongated moments of silence on the Fox broadcast, but not because they are useful. I just like that I don't have to listen to Joe Buck talk. Does he think he's being a good announcer by not describing anything that's happening, or does he realize that the majority of people tuning in hate him? Discuss.

- It was hard to watch the Vikings/Eagles game, because if the Bills ever make the playoffs under Dick Jauron (God forbid) it will play out just like it did for the Vikings. Poor clock management, a defense failing at the worst possible time, and a running back doing everything he can to win despite only twenty touches. The way the first half ended reminded me so much of Dick I probably looked like him while watching it.



- In the postgame for the Miami/Baltimore game the CBS crew mentioned that Miami had a mediocre offense that can't throw deep and good defenses can lock down. Doesn't that describe the Baltimore offense as well? In fact, you could make the same argument for the Tennessee offense, too. Does that mean we're looking at a 6-3 final next weekend? When I mentioned this to Rich he responded by saying, "Unless Big Ben is concussed enough to throw touchdowns to Ed Reed." Rich makes a strong point.

- Despite Philly's win over Minnesota I don't see them getting past the Giants. In fact, based on the way both New York and Carolina played two weeks ago I'd say I'm rooting for a rematch. It seems likely, but whenever anything seems likely in the playoffs the Chargers beat the Colts and screw everything up. Freaking Sproles.

- Say what you will about purple and yellow, but this is a cool horn. I want that horn to use in real life. Anytime something relatively good I want that to play. Win a dollar on a lottery ticket? Horn. Free sub on my Subway Card? Horn. Sound the feasting horn!

- Even though neither game yesterday was amazing, I'm going to miss football when it's over. No matter how far they push the Super Bowl into February, the off season in football is incredibly long. I'm just not ready to talk about the draft, so I'm going to enjoy the last seven games of the season while I can.

Anatomy of an Upset

by Ryan

No team is perfect. No matter how many points you have or how good your reputation is, every team is beatable. It's why the Patriots didn't win the Super Bowl last season, and the Sabres didn't win the Stanley Cup two seasons ago. The formula is easy: capitalize on the other team's mistakes and limit your own.



This isn't hard to figure out, but it's important to remember because that's exactly how the Sabres beat the best team in hockey on Saturday. Everything was stacked against the Sabres according to the statistics. Boston had won 14 straight home games and hadn't allowed a power play goal in more than five games. They also have plenty of success against Buffalo recently, and the afternoon game was something Buffalo isn't used to.

So the Sabres did what good teams do. They started fast and got a goal as a result of good work in front of the net. Matt Ellis goes out with Gaustad and Pominville, and suddenly Jason Pominville wants to do work. Give Lindy credit for putting guys together that were a bit unconventional, because the mash up made guys like Pominville and Kotalik work harder than they normally may have. Even on Ellis' second goal it was Kotalik with the second effort that made it happen.



The important thing about Saturday's win was that the Sabres overcame a lot of things to get the two points. Although they never trailed they had to deal with a load of pressure from Boston, including the always-deadly Marc Savard. You knew coming in that he would make things happen, and Kessel's goal was a perfect example of this. However, the Sabres made it difficult for him to operate by working him hard on the wall and eliminating space every time he hit the ice.

Ryan Miller also helped to keep that lead, with some great saves at the most important of times. More importantly, he made the saves good goaltenders are supposed to make; the ordinary ones that he sometimes forgets about. Well, maybe not that Thornton goal, but there was some traffic on that one. Anyway, this team will rise and fall with Ryan Miller, and he still isn't playing like he can and should be. However, games like this are important for both Miller and the team as a whole to gain confidence and start climbing the standings.



It's funny to look back at Lindy Ruff's comments about the "best player on our team" after a game like this, but Ellis' performance doesn't take away from what Ruff says. If Matt Ellis is scoring two goals you better have a half dozen players skating just as hard as he is. That's what Buffalo had on Saturday, and that's the kind of effort they should be capable of every night.

Despite the fact that Kessel beat Miller again, despite the short bench, and despite the fact that Boston gave them everything they had, the Sabres held a 4-2 lead for almost half the game. No collapse, no bad luck, and no extra points given up. They played the kind of hockey we should see every night and got the win against the (former) best team in hockey.

In a season filled with such up and down play it seems like a good string of games should be counted as baby steps towards finally getting it together. You have to try not to get too upset about the losses and too excited about the wins. However, with an opponent like Boston and the run they were on, this should be considered a big step. In the standings it's only two points, but it should mean to this team that they can easily beat a poor Ottawa team, and that they are just as good as the Rangers. It should also mean that the Red Wings game on Saturday isn't impossible, because any team can be beaten if the effort is there.

It's just one little baby step, but it should make the next few stones appear well within reach.