Can They Make It?

The question still remains: will the Sabres finally get back into the playoffs? Or will they miss them for a third straight year?

The standings are pointing towards yes, but watching their games may point to no, or at least a first round exit.

The Sabres lack physical toughness, not many players finish their checks, and fights are a rarety in Buffalo. Many believe that if the Sabres enter the playoffs with this kind of toughness, they will go nowhere. All teams that are in the top eight need to have a physical mentality. That's the kind of team that wins championships. Buffalo relies on its finesse offense, which still doesn't score very much, and without hard work they will go nowhere.

Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy have the potential to do great things, when you see them out on the ice however, it seems they just don't care and they skate around waiting for the game to end.

The only players I can give credit to for coming to play every night would be the likes of Patrick Kaleta, Adam Mair, Matt Ellis, and of course, Ryan Miller. Miller is our X-factor. Without him, we would be absolutely nothing. Fans witnessed that last year when Miller became injured and the Sabres missed the playoffs for the second year in a row. With mistakes being a rarity, he comes to play every night.

Another key player for this team is Tyler Myers, who has more points than the rest of our defense and a lot of our offense. This kid is a strong candidate for the Calder Trophy, and is one of the few bright spots on Buffalo's defense. I have a feeling he might not do well under the pressures of the playoffs, though.

Many of the players have faced the playoffs before, seeing how Buffalo went to the conference finals in 06 and 07. But without captain clutch (Chris Drury) and 95 point scored Danny Briere, these guys might be lost. If the Sabres can manage to stay in the top 8 or even win the division, I don't really expect anything out of them, a first round upset at best but we definitely won't get past the second round.

Raffi Torres hasn't done much since we've picked him up. It seems he's just another one of the Sabres annual trade deadline scrub.

I'm getting sick and tired of the way this team plays. Something needs to happen. whether it be changes in the lineup or a new coaching technique (it wouldn't hurt for Tom Golisano to stop being a little baby and start spending a little more either.) If they don't change their game, making the playoffs won't mean a thing. Everyone in Buffalo wants a cup. and nothing less.

Deadline Deals

With the tradings of Ilya Kovalchuk and Dion Phaneuf long gone, trades that took place after March 1st were not of the "blockbuster" caliber. This was a record-setting trade day, yet not many recognizable names were moved.

I'll start off with the trading of Raffi Torres to Buffalo for Nathan Paetsch and a 2nd round draft pick in 2010. Torres will bring more grit to Buffalo's rugged offense and is used to back up the top offensive players. There's only one problem, the Sabres HAVE NO OFFENSE. I'm not ridiculing Torres, but this guy was a third line winger from the Columbus Blue Jackets and he has more goals (19) than any player on Buffalo!
Hopefully he continues his season, I just hope his game doesn't fall off as it does with the other players that have entered Buffalo's system.
I was not upset to see Paetsch go, but then again, I wouldn't be upset to see any of our team go (besides Ryan Miller). He has been a healthy scratch for most of this season, and nobody was really surprised to see him go. Clarke MacArthur also left for a only a few draft picks.

Another trade that I liked was that of Wojtek Wolski to Phoenix for Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. Wolski was having a good season with the avalanche along with the other young players. He will be good in Phoenix who is looking to make a playoff push in April. For Peter Mueller, things weren't working out in Phoenix, I think he'll fit very well into Colorado's system very well. He's ver agile and can move the puck well.

Phoenix was also looking for some veteran leadership, and got just that. They picked up Derek Morris, who is starting his second stint with the Coyotes. Morris played well in Boston and hopes to make an impact on the young Coyotes as they look for their first playoff birth in years.

They also picked up Matheiu Schneider and Lee Stempniak.

A late trade was Lubomir Visnovsky for Ryan Whitney. Visnovsky was facing troubling times with Edmonton, and with a team such as Anaheim, he will finally display his true potential and good shot.

Ryan Whitney has not been having the best time in Anaheim either. He's a great pcuk moving defenseman, as we all saw in Pittsburgh, and maybe a change in scenery will do him good.


Names that weren't moved that were subject to many trade rumors. Ray Whitney was the most talked about, and I hoped that Buffalo would make an offer to him. But it wasn't so. I really though he could help us if we made the playoffs or any other team for that matter.

Sheldon Souray probably would have moved also, for his age he can still play very well and his shot is still ferocious. However it was the broken hand that he suffered in a fight with Jarome Iginla that turned people off. Not just that, but an infection formed after surgery that will keep him out for the season.

Another controversy is that of Chicago's goaltending. Huet and Niemi have played well all season, but not great. Everyone though Huet might be gone.

Ray Emery's season has also ended after hip surgery and Philedelphia chose to make no moves. That means they're going to close out the seasons with started Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher, two very inconsistent goaltenders.

Olympic Men's Hockey: Gold Medal Preview

So it comes down to this, the final game of the Olympics with the two arguably best teams in the world in USA and Canada. The first time these two teams met, USA prevailed by a score of 5-3 and many were calling it the best game they had ever seen.

Could this game be any better than the last one? Well, here's the lowdown on both of these teams.

Team USA has not lost a single game and not only that, they have not lost in regulation time. Their only real test through this tournament so far, however, was Canada. Questions about the USA's offense and goaltending were answered during that game. 4 Goals were scored on Martin Brodeur (the fifth being the empty netter), and Ryan Miller stood on his head making 42 saves, proving the critics wrong that he could see many shots, as he was not tested often in the past games against Switzerland and Norway.

USA was not taken very seriously entering the Olympics, but now they are a force to be reckoned with. After defeating Canada, the team had a day off to rest and then went into the medal round facing Finland first. They made it look easy as they scored 6 goals in the first period, on route to a 6-1 win.

Much can be said about every player on USA's roster, since they have all been key players throughout. USA has very balanced scoring and more and more people begin to contribute each game. Some of the standouts include Brian Rafalski, defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings, who surprised fans with two goals and an assist against Canada (not to mention he scored the final two goals in the game against Norway).

Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan, teammates for the New York Rangers, have been phenomenal as well, and quite possibly have the best chemistry on the team.

Patrick Kane, star forward for the Chicago Blackhawks, scored 2 goals in the game against Finland, and is really starting to emerge as a great player on this team.

Not enough can be said about Ryan Miller, ranked number one on The Hockey New's "Top 30 Goalies" list. He keeps USA in every game no matter the shot count and always gives them a chance to win, not that he doesn't do that for the Sabres, but now he has people that can actually score in front of him. Ryan Miller is the best goalie in hockey today, no doubt about it, and he will be the most important player in this upcoming gold medal game.


Canada has had more a rough ride than the USA has through these Olympics. After scorching Norway 8-2, they came very close to giving up their second game against Switzerland, pulling it out in the shootout with a goal from Sidney Crosby. The next game was lost against the USA, and questions arose on whether Canada was gold medal material.

They seemingly answered those questions in their next game against Russia, blowing the lid off of them by a score of 7-3, in which Russia played a "Euro-Trash" game, as stated by analyst Mike Milbury.

Canada has got scoring from all over their roster, Jarome Iginla had a hat trick, and the Thornton, Marleau, Heatley line was reunited from San Jose.

Two surprising players though have been that of Shea Weber and Corey Perry.

Weber is a very underrated Nashville Predators defenseman, and his skills can finally displayed on the world stage along with an all-star cast. His shot can rip right through netting (literally) and his puck moving skills are great.

Perrey has been scoring under the radar for Canada throughout the whole tournament. With the help of his Anaheim teammate Ryan Getzlaf, the two have been very dangerous.

There is no question of the skill on Canada's roster, but finesse can soon be shut down by hard work and physical play. It was a close call in last night's game against Slovakia, but they managed to pull it out. The question is, can they pull it out against the high-flying Americans?

All of these questions will be answered tomorrow. Be Sure to tune in.

Player Profiles

This is just a continuation from my last blog


Jochen Hecht
6'1'', 199 lbs. -C

Pros: Usually consistent, excellent puck control along the boards, good behind the opposition net, scores regularly when put with the right linemates

Cons: Gives up easily on the play, not very strong in terms of the NHL, could add bulk, bad passer, puck control in open ice is questionable

This Season: Hecht has the same mediocre play that was displayed from him last season. The coaching staff have a lot of faith in him, probably because he's been around for a while, but in my opinion, I think he should be a deadline deal for a center with a little more skill than him. He still scores an okay amount of goals however.


Patrick Kaleta
5'11", 198 lbs -RW

Pros: Very physical, throws himself against any player, intimidates other players when chasing a dump-in, willing to drop the gloves when needed, draws penalties, good penalty killer, can display skill beyond his level at some points

Cons: Offensive instincts could improve, has trouble putting the puck in the net, defensive work could improve, takes a lot of physical abuse, concussion problems have caused trouble

This Season: Kaleta is one of my favorite players, and for good reason. It seems he's the only player on the team who's willing to go out and hit everything that moves shift after shift. Since enforcer Andrew Peters left, Kaleta is our only source of intimidation. He has been so unlucky this season with all the injuries he's endured, but when he's played he's shown flashes of brilliance. Especially in back to back games when he scored shorthanded goals against the Rangers and Canadians.

Tim Kennedy
5'10''. 173 lbs. -LW

Pros: Very crafty with the puck, good at getting out of tight situations, good behind the net, very fast

Cons: Causes many giveaways, could use a little more development, defensive awareness has yet to be seen, not always consistent

This Season: This is Kennedy's first full season with the Sabres, and it has been what you would expect of a rookie player. He has shown flashes of talent beyond his age in some games, and in others he's practically invisible. In a few years, I think Kennedy will be an important player for this team but for now he's a third and fourth line winger.


Clarke MacArthur
5'11'', 191 lbs. -LW

Pros: Good speed, nice shot, battles well, pretty good passer, tries his best physically

Cons: Not a very big or strong player, could work well if he had the right linemates, not the best stick-handler, very streaky

This Season: MacArthur started of this season very well as he lead the Sabres in scoring for a short time, but he has fallen off the wagon since. His scoring has seemed to have disappeared but he still works hard out there every game (one of the few). I always have high hopes for him and I really think he could explode offensively but he seems to get really hot and then cold for long periods of time.


Adam Mair
6'1'' 208lbs. -C

Pros: Good balance, fast skater, can be very physical, willing to drop the gloves, sticks up for teammates

Cons: Bad passing, tries to do too much, can't seem to find his place on this team, never seems to leave the fourth line, scoring is very scarce

This Season: Mair is suffering yet another disappointing season. The only role I can see him in on this team is as an enforcer, he's no good at anything else. Sure, he works as hard as he can, but that's not good enough when your team consists of rugged, board-battling players. Also, he's a very good and exciting fighter, I wish he would do more of it.


Mark Mancari
6'3'' 225 lbs. -RW

Mancari has not seen that much action with the big club but he has put up good numbers in Portland. He has looked good when he is in the lineup and I think eventually he will be a good player for the Sabres. Over the summer Mancari said he wanted a trade because he wasn't getting any playing time in the NHL, this caused Lindy Ruff to immediately send him to Portland out of training camp, he obviously isn't good enough to be playing in the NHL, he's no Ovechkin, he can't demand a trade like that.


Jason Pominville

Pros: Rocket shot, good on breakaways/shootouts, accurate

Cons: Needs to shoot more, can't get open, needs to be more physical, needs to work on passing the puck

This Season: Pominville is losing the "fan favorite" tag. He used to be one of my favorite players until he dropped off completely. After his breakout season of 34 goals his goal total has decreased dramatically. That may be because his linemate Danny Briere left but he should still be able to put up those types of numbers.

Player Profiles Part 1

In this blog, I'm going to write a short paragraph about all players on our team.

These Paragraphs will include accomplishments, pros and cons, and other information.

Forwards

Tim Connolly:
6'1'', 191 lbs. -C

Tim Connolly is known as one of the most injury-prone players in the NHL in the past several years. Past concussion problems have limited him to very minuscule numbers that don't match the underrated skill-set he possesses.

Pros: Very very calm, can control the puck as good as the best, very good passer, sets up many plays and runs the power play whether in the corners or on the point, strong and accurate shot

Cons: Lacks consistency, passes not always as good as they should be, not physical at all, needs to add bulk to his large frame, gives up on the play easily, not very good defensively

This Season: For the first time in a while, Connolly has managed to stay healthy throughout the length of a season. While the season may not be over, he is producing points on a consistent basis. He may not always consistent but he his quietly remaining Buffalo's top scorer


Matt Ellis:
6'0'', 212 lbs. -LW

Matt Ellis is a young player who constantly is improving his game. He works harder than the average player and what he may lack in skill he makes up for in heart. Usually stays on the fourth line and continues to keep a roster spot.

Pros: Very hard worker, battles well in the corners, very speedy, possesses a quick shot, good defensively

Cons: Turns over the puck a lot, has trouble passing, doesn't work well in open ice, shaky skater

This Season: Hasn't been much of a factor, never lacking consistency and comes to play every night, but hasn't put very many points up. He's been a healthy scratch a number of times to make room for other players, and 2 goals don't say much.


Tyler Ennis
5'9'', 163 lbs. -LW

I don't have much to say about Ennis, I haven't seen enough of him. I thought he looked pretty good in the one game he played this season, and he backed that up with a goal in his only NHL game.


Paul Guastad
6'4'', 220 lbs. -C

Guastad has been one of my favorite Sabres throughout the years. An extremely hard worker and not afraid to drop the gloves (one of the few). Always does big things in big moments and throws his body around no matter what.

Pros: Very large frame causes for intimidating stature, always one of the league leaders in faceoff percentage, good in puck battles, very physical and tough

Cons: Slow skater, puck control is not very good, sometimes can't keep his balance, could improve shooting

This Season: Hasn't put up numbers he has in the past, but is still trying his best every game and battling it out. He always sticks up for his teammates (especially Ryan Miller) and has dropped the gloves a few times, but could still use a few more pucks in the back of the net.


Nathan Gerbe:
5'6'', 173 lbs. -C

Nathan Gerbe is officially the shortest player in the National Hockey League. He has not played a full season but has seen quite a bit of action as a result of injury call-ups. I really enjoy his play because he brings energy to the offense and that is needed from him because of his tiny stature.

Pros: Extremely fast, can blaze past defenders, plays bigger than he is, always throwing the body around, decent shot, very crafty, can become a good player in the future

Cons: His height, sometimes seems too small for the tough game being played out there, puck control is not where it needs to be, injury-prone

This Season: Gerbe saw a lot of action last season but not to long into this one he was called up as a replacement and showed improvement from his last time up. He scored his first NHL goal this time around but just when things started to go good he went down with an injury. He hasn't seen any action since.


Mike Grier:
6'1", 227 lbs. -RW

Mike Grier has been around a long time and is coming back to his second stint with the Sabres. The rugged veteran plays with a lot of heart and leadership and has been well liked by his teammates at any of his stops during his career.

Pros: Displays great leadership, plays with a rough edge, never gives up on the play, good puck control, adapts well to his linemates

Cons: Very slow skater, not always as physical as he should be, lacks consistency, age may be taking its toll on the veteran player

This Season: Grier brings good leadership and calmness to the locker room, but on the ice he has been nothing short of a disappointment. His play has been sub-par all year and he has had to deal with the death of his mother as well (which may have contributed to his play)


I will continue this through my next several blog posts, comment on them and tell me what you think, who's your favorite player? why? what do you think will happen at the trade deadline for the Sabres this season?

Note: I'm doing these players in alphabetical order, I know it seemed like a few strange selections to open up with

Some of my Favorite Moments

I began watching the Sabres in the 2005-2006 season, and since then, there have been moments that have sucked me in to the sport and caused me to follow it as crazily as I do today.

06 Playoffs


The Sabres entered the playoffs that year expected to get knocked out in the first round. In fact, they weren't really expected to even make the playoffs that year.
After being bottom dwellers for the past few years, they almost lost their franchise before Tom Galisano saved the team by buying them the summer before.
Coming out of the lockout, they played a pretty good season and weren't expected to go very far but what they ended with was what longtime Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret called "the best season of hockey I've ever seen."

The first round was against the Philadelphia Flyers, and was quickly ended in five games and included an 8-2 blowout.



What came next was absolute domination against the Ottawa Senators, who feasted on Buffalo over the years and one of the games during the regular season ended with the final score of 10-4 in Ottawa's favor.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, including me, believed that the Sabres would pass Ottawa.

But when Buffalo won it in five, I was just as shocked as anyone.



Some of my favorite goals from that series are below.















The last one, that being Jason Pominville's series-clinching overtime winner, really made me believe that the Sabres were a Stanley Cup contender, and after seeing them play like that, I was convinced they would win.

That moment also made me realize that I was a true Sabres fan. A lot of people don't like hockey and don't really get as in to it as i do, but when a sport can pump you up that much, give you chills when such goals as that are scored, and spark some sort of emotional response out of you, it's almost like a drug.



The Sabres went on to lose to Carolina in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals.



There's no doubt that the Sabres were a better team than the Hurricanes going into the series. But it seemed that every game two more Sabres were placed on the injury list. Key defenseman such as Jay McKee were lost and eventually led to the team's downfall.

When a team can play at that high a level of intensity with maybe half of the roster being call-ups from a lower level league, you know that's when you have a great organization. The Sabres seemed possesed in those playoffs. If the roster wasn't ravaged with injuries, they would have won the Cup, no doubt in my mind.

The next season, people were calling it the "revenge" season. The Sabres were expected to once again compete for the cup or at least go deep into the playoffs.
A Cup was not one that year, in a disappointing loss to the Ottawa Senators in the Conference finals, but that season went down as the all-time best regular season in Buffalo Sabres' history.

It started out with ten straight wins, which tied the leauge record for wins to begin a season (the first one of those wins a shootout win over Carolina to open the season).

That season was probably the best I've ever seen, so many things happened that year, the blowout games, the amazing comebacks, the emrgence of many young players into our team, a full-on line brawl, and even a goalie fight.

The fist game I want to take notice of is a game on March 23, 2007, in which the Sabres were trailing 4-1 in the third period.

Incredibly, the Sabres came out with the victory, 5-4, In Regulation!




The next is personally my favorite moment in the past four years.

In a game on February 24, 2007, against the Ottawa Senators, Chris Drury was blindsided with a late hit from rugged forward Chris Neil.
This responded with Drury laying face down on the ice, bleeding from his forehead, and soon to be concussed.
Drew Stafford, a rookie at the time, dropped the gloves with Neil to stand up for his teammate and captain, and everything just erupted from there. After a long review of he hit, Neil was not penalized for the play, only for the fight he had with Stafford right after.

Lindy Ruff responded by sending out his three goons, Andrew Peters, Adam Mair, and Patrick Kaleta, against the top scoring line of the Ottawa Senators.

Immediately off the faceoff Mair dropped his gloves and sucker punched Jason Spezza right in the mouth and Peters went right after Dany Heatly. All hell erupted when the coaches had to be restrained and Lindy Ruff was in the press box screaming at Bryan Murray, who in my opinion, could use a good beating.

The goalies also dropped the gloves as Ray Emery went at it with Sabres goalie Martin Biron, and after Biron had his lunch fed to him, Peters went after Emery and tossed a few punches his way.

This led to a long, long review and hundreds of minutes in penalties.









I'll continue this "favorite moments" blog at a later time. Stay connected for part 2.

There's no "I" in team

Thomas Vanek was on pace for almost 60 goals last year before he was struck in the face with a puck in a game against the Ottawa Senators last year. He ended the year with 40, but was definitely one of the hottest goal scorers in the game.
He's the only player to register at least 25 goals in his first four seasons for the Sabres since all-time great Gilbert Perreault.
This season, not so much. Vanek has 12 goals after the midway point and is on pace for about 22. Personally, I'm extremely disappointed with his play. Coach Lindy Ruff has always had problems with his consistency but this year there seems to be an extreme lack of any effort from the Austrian-born goal scorer.
The Sabres seem to lack a "superstar," yet they have a commanding 10 point lead in the Northeast Division and are 2 points behind New Jersey for the conference lead.
How is this possible you ask?
Well, Buffalo is as healthy as a team could be at this point in the season. Aside from the injuries plaguing rough winger Patrick Kaleta, none of the team has come down with a serious injury yet.
Note too that Patrick Kaleta scored the opening goal in Thursday's game against Atlanta, his first game back after one of his many trips to the injury list.
Also, the Sabres have some of the best balanced scoring in the league.
They bring to the table a lineup of ten different 20 point scorers, and eight different players with at least ten goals. Just because there isn't a superstar such as Sidney Crosby or Patrick Marleau (the first players to 30 goals this season) on the team doesn't mean that the points won't come.
Tim Connolly, signed last year to a 2 year, $9 million contract, has managed to stay perfectly healthy all year. This is very good seeing as Connolly is known around the league as one of the most injury-prone players, especially with his past concussion problems.
Connolly is currently second in goal scoring for the Sabres and leads them in points with 38, four above Derek Roy, who is another player that could definitely step up his play this season.
There are definitely some bright spots for years to come with the new batch of rookies that have been granted the honor of playing in the big leagues.
Tyler Myers who, in my opinion, could be a serious contender for the Calder trophy come April, has surprised every Buffalo fan and fans around the league.
He is fourth in team point scoring and recently had a two goal performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Zdeno Chara is 6'9" and one of the best defensemen in the league (not to mention the tallest ever) but when he was young it took him three or four years to assimilate into the NHL's system and develop his skating to become one of the elite.
Myers, however, has some of the smoothest skating on the team, despite his 6'8" stature, it seems he has greatness in him to become a wonderful offensive defenseman for many years to come.
Oh yeah, he's only 19 too.
Tim Kennedy is a hometown favorite as well and while the scoring may not be too high this season, he definitely has potential in him.
Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe have also scored a goal each in the only game they've played this season.
Rookies galore, other veterans such as one of my personal favorites, Mike Grier, are stepping it up.

There's no question that the Sabres could use a little more jump in their game, but with the solid goaltending of USA starting goalie Ryan Miller and a sound simple game with balanced scoring and good health, the Sabres could easily make the playoffs.

Once they're in however, that's another story...