By Mike Haim
Two nights after pouring in five goals, the Buffalo Sabres followed it up by making Minnesota Wild goalie Josh Harding look like an all-star.
Harding, playing for a second straight night in place of injured starter Niklas Backstrom, stopped 43 shots as the Wild posted a 3-2 win over the Sabres, ending Buffalo’s three-game winning streak.
The game really wasn’t as close as the score indicates. The sellout crowd of 18,690 consistently targeted Buffalo goalie Patrick Lalime with boos after he allowed a couple of quick goals in the first period, but the blame should hardly be placed solely at Lalime’s door.
The Sabres once again coughed up too many pucks, committing 19 turnovers compared to Minnesota’s seven. Buffalo also failed to take command against an opponent who lost 5-1 the previous night in Detroit.
On the positive side, the Buffalo power play finally came through, ending a seven-game stretch without a tally. But Thomas Vanek’s one-timer early in the third period only made it 3-1 and only masked the Sabres’ lingering ineptitude with the man-advantage.
After going 1-for-6 against Minnesota, the team is still only two for its last 39.
“Shots and chances aren’t going to win games,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We liked the number of shots we got, but some of the situations definitely have to turn into goals.”
“It’s not good enough,” said Vanek, who scored both Buffalo goals. “We showed up for the last 20, and that’s disappointing.”
Vanek drew the Sabres back to within one goal when he scored an extra-attacker goal with 1:58 to play. Buffalo again pulled Lalime in the final minute, but had a 15-second spell where they once again couldn’t get the puck out of their own end.
“Sometimes when you play from behind like this, you’re going to get burned,” said Lalime, who finished with 30 saves but failed in his fifth bid for a 200th career win.
Lalime got torched twice on Minnesota’s first 10 shots. Andrew Ebbett scored on the power play at the 3:02 mark, keeping a wrist shot along the ice and getting it past Lalime’s pad. Then Guillaume Latendresse, an offensive marvel for the Wild since coming over in a November trade from Montreal, netted his 24th of the season about seven minutes later. He intercepted a Lalime pass behind the net and easily flipped the puck into the net as the Buffalo netminder was late getting back.
From that point, boos and sarcastic cheers cascaded from the bowl every time Lalime came close to the puck.
“It felt like I was on the road,” Lalime observed. “You just want to shake it off. You make mistakes, but there’s nothing you can do except turning it on. The rest was better, but not enough.”
“When you give up the first two, it makes it extremely tough,” Ruff said. “The energy is sucked right out of your building. We didn’t do anything to get it back. Our answer should have been go get a goal before the end of the first period, get it back, and we didn’t. We created that problem ourselves.”
Minnesota scored its third goal on a pinball-type goal late in the second period. Andrew Brunette and Lalime each went after a puck in mid-air, but Brunette got a better piece on the puck and it sailed into the net.
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The Sabres fell to 10-5-2 in games against the Western Conference. Buffalo will round out the inter-conference part of their schedule Saturday at Detroit, the first stop of a five-game road trip.
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Vanek’s multi-goal game was only his second of the season. His other came on October 13 in a 6-2 win against Detroit.
He now has 29 such games in his career, and the fewest he’s ever had in one season was four in both 2005-06 (his rookie season) and 2007-08.
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Harding also picked up an assist on Ebbett’s goal, the second of his NHL career. He also notched a helper during the 2007-08 season, on January 13 in a 4-1 win against Phoenix.
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www.twitter.com/mikehaim
Thursday, March 11. 2010
Myers’ career night helps Sabres find net against Stars
By Mike Haim
It had been over two months since the Sabres scored more than three goals in a home game. It had also been that long since the club won three straight games.
Both spells ended Wednesday night in a 5-3 win against the Dallas Stars, even if the Sabres did revert to old ways and had to protect a slim lead in the final half of the game.
Buffalo wowed the sellout crowd at HSBC Arena with a three-goal first period, but concerned them too, as that was the same number they allowed.
Thomas Vanek came through to break the tie midway through the second period, and Buffalo clinged to that edge until Derek Roy’s empty-net goal with 17.7 seconds remaining.
The win extended the Sabres’ winning streak to three games, something they had not done since a six-game stretch between December 27 and January 8. The three-goal first period was the club’s first since they netted three in the first 2:11 of a 5-3 win against Tampa Bay on January 6.
Wednesday’s offensive hero was defenseman Tyler Myers, who bolstered his bid for the league rookie of the year award. He netted the game’s first goal and followed that with three assists for his first career four-point game.
“I was feeling good,” Myers said. “I was able to see a lot of opportunities to jump in, and luckily was able to capitalize a little bit.”
The Sabres could have had a lot more, if not for the stellar play of Dallas goalie Marty Turco, who made 38 saves overall and 25 in the last two periods.
“If there’s a four-by-eight piece of plywood and you get that many shots on it, I wonder if five will go through eventually,” quipped Dallas forward Steve Ott. “He let in four goals, he’s human. He’s playing his heart out for us.”
The teams furiously lit the scoreboard in the first period, with Myers and Mark Mancari giving Buffalo short-lived one-goal leads. Jamie Benn put Dallas up 3-2 with 2:04 left, but Jason Pominville got it back 67 seconds later.
“We’re not used to getting five goals in a game,” Myers said. “It felt good, especially to go in after the first tied 3-3. We came out in the second and third and made sure we played a full 60 and were able to get the win.”
“The game was there,” lamented Stars coach Marc Crawford. “We were guilty of turning over a few too many pucks and making the game a little bit more complicated than it needed to be, especially on attack.”
Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller wasn’t severely tested and made 17 saves in the win. He stopped all five Dallas shots in the second period and turned aside six in the final stanza.
………
Mancari gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead on a one-timer from the slot after being fed by Craig Rivet from behind the goal line. The goal, scored four seconds after a power play concluded, was the second of Mancari’s NHL career; the first came in his second career game last season against the New York Islanders.
The rookie also assisted on Vanek’s game-winner, delivering a crisp pass from behind the net. It gave Mancari his first NHL multi-point game.
“He’s played really well for us,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He played well (Sunday) in New York and I didn’t want to mess with Roy and Vanek and him. They were our best line. They could have had even more. He did a lot of nice things. He made some nice plays.”
………
Dallas was making its first visit to Buffalo since December 2005. The Stars have not won a regular season game at HSBC Arena since October 7, 1997 and are now 0-7-1 in their last eight regular season road games in the series.
In that time, however, the Stars did record a win in Game Six of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, the triple-overtime game clinched when Brett Hull scored his controversial “skate in the crease” goal. Mercifully, there were no “No Goal” signs in the crowd, indicating that maybe Buffalo fans have let time heal that festering wound.
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The win prevented Crawford from earning his 500th career win. The Dallas coach is 499-386-168 in his NHL career, which has seen stops in Quebec/Colorado, Vancouver, and Los Angeles before landing in Dallas before this current season.
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www.twitter.com/mikehaim
It had been over two months since the Sabres scored more than three goals in a home game. It had also been that long since the club won three straight games.
Both spells ended Wednesday night in a 5-3 win against the Dallas Stars, even if the Sabres did revert to old ways and had to protect a slim lead in the final half of the game.
Buffalo wowed the sellout crowd at HSBC Arena with a three-goal first period, but concerned them too, as that was the same number they allowed.
Thomas Vanek came through to break the tie midway through the second period, and Buffalo clinged to that edge until Derek Roy’s empty-net goal with 17.7 seconds remaining.
The win extended the Sabres’ winning streak to three games, something they had not done since a six-game stretch between December 27 and January 8. The three-goal first period was the club’s first since they netted three in the first 2:11 of a 5-3 win against Tampa Bay on January 6.
Wednesday’s offensive hero was defenseman Tyler Myers, who bolstered his bid for the league rookie of the year award. He netted the game’s first goal and followed that with three assists for his first career four-point game.
“I was feeling good,” Myers said. “I was able to see a lot of opportunities to jump in, and luckily was able to capitalize a little bit.”
The Sabres could have had a lot more, if not for the stellar play of Dallas goalie Marty Turco, who made 38 saves overall and 25 in the last two periods.
“If there’s a four-by-eight piece of plywood and you get that many shots on it, I wonder if five will go through eventually,” quipped Dallas forward Steve Ott. “He let in four goals, he’s human. He’s playing his heart out for us.”
The teams furiously lit the scoreboard in the first period, with Myers and Mark Mancari giving Buffalo short-lived one-goal leads. Jamie Benn put Dallas up 3-2 with 2:04 left, but Jason Pominville got it back 67 seconds later.
“We’re not used to getting five goals in a game,” Myers said. “It felt good, especially to go in after the first tied 3-3. We came out in the second and third and made sure we played a full 60 and were able to get the win.”
“The game was there,” lamented Stars coach Marc Crawford. “We were guilty of turning over a few too many pucks and making the game a little bit more complicated than it needed to be, especially on attack.”
Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller wasn’t severely tested and made 17 saves in the win. He stopped all five Dallas shots in the second period and turned aside six in the final stanza.
………
Mancari gave Buffalo a 2-1 lead on a one-timer from the slot after being fed by Craig Rivet from behind the goal line. The goal, scored four seconds after a power play concluded, was the second of Mancari’s NHL career; the first came in his second career game last season against the New York Islanders.
The rookie also assisted on Vanek’s game-winner, delivering a crisp pass from behind the net. It gave Mancari his first NHL multi-point game.
“He’s played really well for us,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He played well (Sunday) in New York and I didn’t want to mess with Roy and Vanek and him. They were our best line. They could have had even more. He did a lot of nice things. He made some nice plays.”
………
Dallas was making its first visit to Buffalo since December 2005. The Stars have not won a regular season game at HSBC Arena since October 7, 1997 and are now 0-7-1 in their last eight regular season road games in the series.
In that time, however, the Stars did record a win in Game Six of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals, the triple-overtime game clinched when Brett Hull scored his controversial “skate in the crease” goal. Mercifully, there were no “No Goal” signs in the crowd, indicating that maybe Buffalo fans have let time heal that festering wound.
………
The win prevented Crawford from earning his 500th career win. The Dallas coach is 499-386-168 in his NHL career, which has seen stops in Quebec/Colorado, Vancouver, and Los Angeles before landing in Dallas before this current season.
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www.twitter.com/mikehaim
NHL notebook: GMs address headshots; Stamkos and Niittymaki go streaking for Lightning
By Mike Haim
In years to come, I’m sure this current NHL season will not be known as the “year of the headshot,” but the topic has been at the front of conversations this week.
The latest exhibit came Sunday, when Boston’s Marc Savard received a blind-side shoulder check to his head from Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke. Savard, removed from the ice on a stretcher, hadn’t improved in the two days following the hit and could potentially miss the remainder of the season.
Cooke was not penalized on the play and will not be suspended, as he was earlier for a similar hit on the New York Rangers’ Artem Anisimov.
Cooke’s headshot, the latest in a season seemingly full of them, thus falls under the category of “unsafe but legal.” League general managers, meeting in Florida this week, decided to propose a rules clarification which would make blind-side shoulder hits to the head subject to penalty and suspension.
It’s easy now for general managers to come up with a way to punish players for their misdeeds, but the trouble emanates from that same group. GMs look for players who have that extra snarl to make opponents think twice before taking a run at a star player.
Funny, we saw Alex Ovechkin deliver a solid check to Sidney Crosby in the Olympics and didn’t see some joker try to get equal. Good hard physical play is an accepted part of the game, but in a 30-team league there’s bound to be a good population of yahoos who know they’ll earn their keep by being stupid and not respecting their opponent. The proof: GMs keep giving these guys jobs.
Teams can talk about wanting to play with four quality lines, but the reality is that many fourth-line players aren’t really NHL caliber. Yet we know who they are when they deliver a cheap shot and receive their suspension.
On balance, I’d rather see players like Marc Savard every night over ones like Matt Cooke. It’s too bad the NHL, as currently constituted, treats them as equals. The rule change can’t come quickly enough.
………
Steven Stamkos might not have made a huge impact as a rookie in 2008-09, but he’s sure making up for lost time this season.
Stamkos, who posted all of 46 points last year, already has 41 goals and could possibly become the second member of the Tampa Bay Lightning to record a 50-goal season. Vincent Lecavalier netted 52 to lead the league in 2006-07.
But more impressive of late is Stamkos’ points streak. Tuesday, he recorded a goal and an assist to extend his streak to 17 games, the second-longest in the league this season. He’s also the youngest player in NHL history with a streak of at least 16 games – Stamkos reached that level on Saturday against Atlanta, when he was 20 years and 25 days old.
Crosby, during his 19-game streak in November 2007, reached the 16-game milestone at the tender age of 20 years and 95 days.
By the way, Stamkos has also already set the Lightning single-season record with 17 power play goals.
………
Lightning goalie Antero Niittymaki also notched a neat achievement Saturday night in the win against the Thrashers.
Niittymaki improved to 17-0-0 in his career against Atlanta, an impressive feat to say the least.
But the Tampa Bay goalie is actually only tied for the NHL’s longest current winning streak against one team. Detroit’s Chris Osgood has also won his last 17 outings against, ironically enough, the Lightning.
Niittymaki, as well as Osgood, will have to wait to extend their respective streaks – Tampa Bay has concluded their season series against both Atlanta and Detroit.
………
My vote for “dumb broadcasting comment of the week” goes to the Washington radio announcer – sorry, I didn’t get his name – who made this statement during the Capitals-Stars shootout on Monday night:
“Here comes (Dallas forward) Brad Richards. He knows Washington, since he played against them quite a bit when he was with Tampa Bay.”
The statement may have made sense during the course of the game, but not during the shootout. Richards was facing Semyon Varlamov, a matchup which had never occurred before. The announcer was prophetic, though: Richards scored.
………
www.twitter.com/mikehaim
In years to come, I’m sure this current NHL season will not be known as the “year of the headshot,” but the topic has been at the front of conversations this week.
The latest exhibit came Sunday, when Boston’s Marc Savard received a blind-side shoulder check to his head from Pittsburgh’s Matt Cooke. Savard, removed from the ice on a stretcher, hadn’t improved in the two days following the hit and could potentially miss the remainder of the season.
Cooke was not penalized on the play and will not be suspended, as he was earlier for a similar hit on the New York Rangers’ Artem Anisimov.
Cooke’s headshot, the latest in a season seemingly full of them, thus falls under the category of “unsafe but legal.” League general managers, meeting in Florida this week, decided to propose a rules clarification which would make blind-side shoulder hits to the head subject to penalty and suspension.
It’s easy now for general managers to come up with a way to punish players for their misdeeds, but the trouble emanates from that same group. GMs look for players who have that extra snarl to make opponents think twice before taking a run at a star player.
Funny, we saw Alex Ovechkin deliver a solid check to Sidney Crosby in the Olympics and didn’t see some joker try to get equal. Good hard physical play is an accepted part of the game, but in a 30-team league there’s bound to be a good population of yahoos who know they’ll earn their keep by being stupid and not respecting their opponent. The proof: GMs keep giving these guys jobs.
Teams can talk about wanting to play with four quality lines, but the reality is that many fourth-line players aren’t really NHL caliber. Yet we know who they are when they deliver a cheap shot and receive their suspension.
On balance, I’d rather see players like Marc Savard every night over ones like Matt Cooke. It’s too bad the NHL, as currently constituted, treats them as equals. The rule change can’t come quickly enough.
………
Steven Stamkos might not have made a huge impact as a rookie in 2008-09, but he’s sure making up for lost time this season.
Stamkos, who posted all of 46 points last year, already has 41 goals and could possibly become the second member of the Tampa Bay Lightning to record a 50-goal season. Vincent Lecavalier netted 52 to lead the league in 2006-07.
But more impressive of late is Stamkos’ points streak. Tuesday, he recorded a goal and an assist to extend his streak to 17 games, the second-longest in the league this season. He’s also the youngest player in NHL history with a streak of at least 16 games – Stamkos reached that level on Saturday against Atlanta, when he was 20 years and 25 days old.
Crosby, during his 19-game streak in November 2007, reached the 16-game milestone at the tender age of 20 years and 95 days.
By the way, Stamkos has also already set the Lightning single-season record with 17 power play goals.
………
Lightning goalie Antero Niittymaki also notched a neat achievement Saturday night in the win against the Thrashers.
Niittymaki improved to 17-0-0 in his career against Atlanta, an impressive feat to say the least.
But the Tampa Bay goalie is actually only tied for the NHL’s longest current winning streak against one team. Detroit’s Chris Osgood has also won his last 17 outings against, ironically enough, the Lightning.
Niittymaki, as well as Osgood, will have to wait to extend their respective streaks – Tampa Bay has concluded their season series against both Atlanta and Detroit.
………
My vote for “dumb broadcasting comment of the week” goes to the Washington radio announcer – sorry, I didn’t get his name – who made this statement during the Capitals-Stars shootout on Monday night:
“Here comes (Dallas forward) Brad Richards. He knows Washington, since he played against them quite a bit when he was with Tampa Bay.”
The statement may have made sense during the course of the game, but not during the shootout. Richards was facing Semyon Varlamov, a matchup which had never occurred before. The announcer was prophetic, though: Richards scored.
………
www.twitter.com/mikehaim
Monday, March 8. 2010
Buffalo Sabres: What To Love & What To Hate About This Team
By Joe Pinzone
I'm not exactly going to say "what a relief" when it comes to the Buffalo Sabres recent two game winning streak. But hey...two points are two points, and you can't award style points in the NHL. It's funny though, I don't know what's more shocking, the Sabres giving up a 13-point division lead to the Senators or the team somehow finding its way back into sole position of first place? It's not exactly breaking news to figure out what's right or wrong with the Sabres. But, in case you're too wrapped up in Ryan Miller being on the Today Show, here are some reasons to love and hate the Buffalo Sabres.
Showing the Love
1) It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the reason for the Sabres success is. It all starts with the NHL's top goaltender, Ryan Miller. Honestly, I don't know what to write about the guy that hasn't already been written. He's the real deal and is proving that the Olympics haven't effected his recent play. You can tell he's playing with the most confidence he has ever had in his career and he should be. Think about this, including the Olympics and the four games after the break - Miller has allowed 14 goals in his last 10 games. I don't care if it's against the Swiss or the Rochester Americans, that's a sick stat line. The guy's the MVP of the team and is their biggest star attraction since Dominik Hasek.
2) Even though the Sabres let in the game tying goal on the power play against the Rangers, they are still among the lead leaders in penalty killing (Ranking 4th as of today). I don't know how much that's going to help in the playoffs though. It seems more often than not, referees elect to swallow their whistles during the playoffs. But, it's always good to see what makes Lindy Ruff one of the best defensive minded coaches in hockey. His penalty killing units have always been..well..killer. Over the last 10 years the average Sabres PK unit has ranked 9th in the NHL. From Stu Barnes to Mike Grier to Paul Gaustad, it doesn't matter who Ruff puts out there because he teaches his players how to play defense on the penalty kill (Power Play? We will get to that in a bit).
Showing the hate:
1) Hate doesn't describe my attitude towards the top six forwards of this team. Hell, they aren't even considered top six in my book...more like four through 10. Tell me if you haven't heard this one before - "Where was Jason Pominville last night" or "Thomas Vanek should have had a hat trick." It's either the guys show up and can't put the puck in the back of the net or their still on Olympic Break...or summer break for that matter. All you had to do was look at Derek Roy's scoring chance in OT against the Rangers. He was fed a great pass in front of Lundqvist and fired the backhand about three feet wide (almost taking out the stupid "Subway eat fresh" logo). That's the epitome of the Sabres offense this season...they just can't finish.
I know it's taboo to mention Chris Drury or Daniel Briere (Eye roll, I know), but one of these current Sabres needs to look in the mirror and say, "Hey, I'm going to carry this team on my back tonight. I'm NOT going to look for someone else to make a play. I'm the top forward on this team!" When someone can do that, then I'll shut-up about the ex co-captains.
2) Man, for the Sabres sake, they better hope that the referees in the playoffs decide to swallow their whistles, because the power play has been a disaster. Is it too much to ask for the team to just set-up the power play? Hell, it's becoming a moral victory if the team can get three passes off in a row inside the offensive zone. Honestly, maybe the Sabres should consider putting Vanek on the point. Seriously, they've tried everything else and nothing seems to work.
Read more of Joe at Joe in NYC
I'm not exactly going to say "what a relief" when it comes to the Buffalo Sabres recent two game winning streak. But hey...two points are two points, and you can't award style points in the NHL. It's funny though, I don't know what's more shocking, the Sabres giving up a 13-point division lead to the Senators or the team somehow finding its way back into sole position of first place? It's not exactly breaking news to figure out what's right or wrong with the Sabres. But, in case you're too wrapped up in Ryan Miller being on the Today Show, here are some reasons to love and hate the Buffalo Sabres.
Showing the Love
1) It doesn't take a genius to figure out what the reason for the Sabres success is. It all starts with the NHL's top goaltender, Ryan Miller. Honestly, I don't know what to write about the guy that hasn't already been written. He's the real deal and is proving that the Olympics haven't effected his recent play. You can tell he's playing with the most confidence he has ever had in his career and he should be. Think about this, including the Olympics and the four games after the break - Miller has allowed 14 goals in his last 10 games. I don't care if it's against the Swiss or the Rochester Americans, that's a sick stat line. The guy's the MVP of the team and is their biggest star attraction since Dominik Hasek.
2) Even though the Sabres let in the game tying goal on the power play against the Rangers, they are still among the lead leaders in penalty killing (Ranking 4th as of today). I don't know how much that's going to help in the playoffs though. It seems more often than not, referees elect to swallow their whistles during the playoffs. But, it's always good to see what makes Lindy Ruff one of the best defensive minded coaches in hockey. His penalty killing units have always been..well..killer. Over the last 10 years the average Sabres PK unit has ranked 9th in the NHL. From Stu Barnes to Mike Grier to Paul Gaustad, it doesn't matter who Ruff puts out there because he teaches his players how to play defense on the penalty kill (Power Play? We will get to that in a bit).
Showing the hate:
1) Hate doesn't describe my attitude towards the top six forwards of this team. Hell, they aren't even considered top six in my book...more like four through 10. Tell me if you haven't heard this one before - "Where was Jason Pominville last night" or "Thomas Vanek should have had a hat trick." It's either the guys show up and can't put the puck in the back of the net or their still on Olympic Break...or summer break for that matter. All you had to do was look at Derek Roy's scoring chance in OT against the Rangers. He was fed a great pass in front of Lundqvist and fired the backhand about three feet wide (almost taking out the stupid "Subway eat fresh" logo). That's the epitome of the Sabres offense this season...they just can't finish.
I know it's taboo to mention Chris Drury or Daniel Briere (Eye roll, I know), but one of these current Sabres needs to look in the mirror and say, "Hey, I'm going to carry this team on my back tonight. I'm NOT going to look for someone else to make a play. I'm the top forward on this team!" When someone can do that, then I'll shut-up about the ex co-captains.
2) Man, for the Sabres sake, they better hope that the referees in the playoffs decide to swallow their whistles, because the power play has been a disaster. Is it too much to ask for the team to just set-up the power play? Hell, it's becoming a moral victory if the team can get three passes off in a row inside the offensive zone. Honestly, maybe the Sabres should consider putting Vanek on the point. Seriously, they've tried everything else and nothing seems to work.
Read more of Joe at Joe in NYC
Saturday, March 6. 2010
Connolly almost gives away game, but comes back with OT winner
By Mike Haim
With the Buffalo Sabres in the throes of an extended funk, the last thing they needed was for one of their go-to players to give away yet another game.
It nearly happened Friday night, as Tim Connolly made a heinous pass at his own blue line midway through the third period. The resulting turnover was converted by Mike Richards into a breakaway goal which put the Philadelphia Flyers up 2-1.
But this wasn’t going to be like those other nights.
Adam Mair scored the equalizer with 5:58 to play and Connolly netted the winner with 2:29 remaining in overtime, giving the Sabres a 3-2 win to move them back into first place in the Northeast Division despite recording just their fourth win in 16 games.
“Whenever you’re on a little bit of a lull, it seems like it’s harder to crawl out and get those wins,” Mair said. “Bounces seem to go against you. We were able to find a way after being down 2-1 in the third. That was a big turnaround for us.”
Connolly’s winner developed after Raffi Torres – making his Sabres debut - got the puck up the left wing to Toni Lydman, whose point shot was kicked away by Flyers goalie Michael Leighton but directly to Connolly in the slot.
“He actually fanned on the puck, trying to go high,” Leighton explained. “He kind of flubbed it into the net.”
“I tried to throw it at the net and hope for a bounce,” Lydman said. “This time, the bounce happened to be perfect. (Connolly) did a great job burying that.”
And just like that, the Sabres established some distance between themselves and the Flyers, who rank sixth in the Eastern Conference race. Buffalo leapfrogged from fifth to third because of their division lead and increased their lead over Philly to seven points.
The win was sweet vindication for Connolly.
“When I got back to the bench (after the bad pass), a lot of the guys told me not to worry about it,” Connolly said. “(They said) we’ll get one back. Mairsy was able to get one back quick, and that gives you a little boost.”
“He came back and focused on his next shift and ended up winning the game for us,” Mair said. “A lot of guys would have hung their head. He went out and rebounded, played his best.”
The first period was rather exciting, featuring 25 shots (15 by Buffalo) but no goals. The scoreboard finally got an update 4:01 into the second, when Philly’s Simon Gagne took a pass from Lukas Krajicek and got just enough momentum off his stick to trickle the puck past Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.
A couple of minutes later, Thomas Vanek got the equalizer after Leighton misplayed the puck in his own end. Vanek recovered the loose puck in the left corner and, with Leighton scrambling back to the net, fired a shot off the hapless goalie. The point was the 300th of Vanek’s career.
………
The win ended Philadelphia’s four-game winning streak at HSBC Arena. The Sabres last win at home in the series was also a 3-2 decision on Dec. 21, 2007.
………
Forward Drew Stafford suffered a first-period groin injury and will be evaluated before it’s determined how any games he’ll miss.
“It looks like he’s going to miss some time,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We’ll wait until we get what the doctors come up with. If he’s going to miss some time, we’re going to need somebody (from AHL Portland).”
………
Torres started for the Sabres on a line along with Jochen Hecht and Mike Grier but spent most shifts with Derek Roy and Jason Pominville.
However, due to Stafford’s injury and Tim Kennedy playing limited time after becoming ill before the game, Torres was matched with at least six different forward combinations.
“He maybe tried to do a little too much at times,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He was in on the winning goal, which was important for us. It’s going to take time. I don’t think that’s an easy one to step in right away. … He’s got to get used to the system.”
With the overtime assist, Torres extended his point streak to six games to match his career-high set early in the 2005-06 season with Edmonton.
………
www.twitter.com/mikehaim
With the Buffalo Sabres in the throes of an extended funk, the last thing they needed was for one of their go-to players to give away yet another game.
It nearly happened Friday night, as Tim Connolly made a heinous pass at his own blue line midway through the third period. The resulting turnover was converted by Mike Richards into a breakaway goal which put the Philadelphia Flyers up 2-1.
But this wasn’t going to be like those other nights.
Adam Mair scored the equalizer with 5:58 to play and Connolly netted the winner with 2:29 remaining in overtime, giving the Sabres a 3-2 win to move them back into first place in the Northeast Division despite recording just their fourth win in 16 games.
“Whenever you’re on a little bit of a lull, it seems like it’s harder to crawl out and get those wins,” Mair said. “Bounces seem to go against you. We were able to find a way after being down 2-1 in the third. That was a big turnaround for us.”
Connolly’s winner developed after Raffi Torres – making his Sabres debut - got the puck up the left wing to Toni Lydman, whose point shot was kicked away by Flyers goalie Michael Leighton but directly to Connolly in the slot.
“He actually fanned on the puck, trying to go high,” Leighton explained. “He kind of flubbed it into the net.”
“I tried to throw it at the net and hope for a bounce,” Lydman said. “This time, the bounce happened to be perfect. (Connolly) did a great job burying that.”
And just like that, the Sabres established some distance between themselves and the Flyers, who rank sixth in the Eastern Conference race. Buffalo leapfrogged from fifth to third because of their division lead and increased their lead over Philly to seven points.
The win was sweet vindication for Connolly.
“When I got back to the bench (after the bad pass), a lot of the guys told me not to worry about it,” Connolly said. “(They said) we’ll get one back. Mairsy was able to get one back quick, and that gives you a little boost.”
“He came back and focused on his next shift and ended up winning the game for us,” Mair said. “A lot of guys would have hung their head. He went out and rebounded, played his best.”
The first period was rather exciting, featuring 25 shots (15 by Buffalo) but no goals. The scoreboard finally got an update 4:01 into the second, when Philly’s Simon Gagne took a pass from Lukas Krajicek and got just enough momentum off his stick to trickle the puck past Sabres goalie Ryan Miller.
A couple of minutes later, Thomas Vanek got the equalizer after Leighton misplayed the puck in his own end. Vanek recovered the loose puck in the left corner and, with Leighton scrambling back to the net, fired a shot off the hapless goalie. The point was the 300th of Vanek’s career.
………
The win ended Philadelphia’s four-game winning streak at HSBC Arena. The Sabres last win at home in the series was also a 3-2 decision on Dec. 21, 2007.
………
Forward Drew Stafford suffered a first-period groin injury and will be evaluated before it’s determined how any games he’ll miss.
“It looks like he’s going to miss some time,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We’ll wait until we get what the doctors come up with. If he’s going to miss some time, we’re going to need somebody (from AHL Portland).”
………
Torres started for the Sabres on a line along with Jochen Hecht and Mike Grier but spent most shifts with Derek Roy and Jason Pominville.
However, due to Stafford’s injury and Tim Kennedy playing limited time after becoming ill before the game, Torres was matched with at least six different forward combinations.
“He maybe tried to do a little too much at times,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “He was in on the winning goal, which was important for us. It’s going to take time. I don’t think that’s an easy one to step in right away. … He’s got to get used to the system.”
With the overtime assist, Torres extended his point streak to six games to match his career-high set early in the 2005-06 season with Edmonton.
………
www.twitter.com/mikehaim
Thursday, March 4. 2010
Buffalo Sabres Trades: Will Raffi Torres Make A Difference?
By Joe Pinzone
Well, Darcy Regier has done the unthinkable. He's actually improved the Buffalo Sabres via the trade deadline...and he did it with a rental. Torres automatically becomes the Sabres top scorer on the stats sheet, and gives the team some muscle with a little bit of a scoring touch. As for sending Nathan Paetsch and a 2nd rounder, it doesn't seem that much to give up.
To be frank, I don't know what the Blue Jackets were thinking in giving up Raffi Torres for garbage like Paetsch and a 2nd rounder. Now Torres is a good player, not a great one, but he's definitely an upgrade over MacArthur. I just wrote the longest blog ever and boasted about Darcy's greatest accomplishments have been his deadline deals. Lets hope that Torres works out like Steve Heinze did. That's all I've been asking for.
As for MacArthur, I actually didn't hate him as much as everybody else did. But this move was long overdue. The guy took too many nights off and he had obviously run his course with Ruff. You know Lindy, you better play both ways or not at all. Clarke didn't get that.
Now, I still think Regier could have been more active. Sorry, but I don't want to hear about the state of the market. You can only get away with the market excuse once in a while. Darcy has overused the excuse way too many times over the years.
I don't get why Toni Lydman is still on the team because he's going to be good as gone for next year. I don't know about you, but I don't think Ryan Miller is going to run into Darcy's office and beg for Lydman to stay on the team. Since Darcy loves the draft more than Corporal Klinger, I would have thought they could have gotten at least a draft pick for him.
The biggest thing that I don't understand from Regier is that he keeps talking about how all these kids from Portland are NHL ready. Then why on earth is Adam Mair still playing and not Tyler Ennis? Forget guys like Ellis and Mair that play five minutes a game. Why not get some of those kids (That you've been praising) actual NHL playing time. Oh, and Darcy, if you're going to say that it's going to be the summer of changes with the Sabres, it better not consist of signing Steve Montador-version 2.0. I'm marking those words down, my friend.
As for keeping the top 6 forwards in tap...Eh. I still think before next season the Sabres have to address a guy like Roy or Stafford. I know they act as if their top 6 forwards are their version of the Edmonton Oilers of the 80's. However, like MaCarthur, these guys just haven't come around to play effective for all 82 games. Plus, the passivity of the top 6 forwards just irks the hell out of me. I don't know what makes the Sabres front office think that Roy is all of a sudden going to see the light and stop being a freelancer on the ice. He hasn't proven he can play in Ruff's system and he's not going to change.
As for Darcy...still not a fan. I think he completely overvalues his top 6 forwards. He has built a mostly soft team through his vision, without consulting Lindy Ruff's system of rugged forechecking. I also don't like the fact that the teams around the Sabres have gotten extremely better. Hell, the Caps who are light years away from the competition in the East aren't satisfied. Makes me think back to the 05-07 years, when Darcy didn't really feel fit to make the team better. Yeah, I know...get over it, and Hossa never guided the Penguins to the Cup.
Even still, I'd like to think that with Ryan Miller in net, Regier could have at least given up youth for effective players. Miller is your wild card here. As long as he plays like this the Sabres shouldn't be on the outside looking in for the next 7 years. BTW- I'm still waiting for that email about a deadline deal where the seller ripped off the buyer.
But, I do understand what Darcy is trying to build. He's building the team through youth and drafting. "His" way is extremely boring and makes me want to punch a wall. I guess you have to admire his moxie for sticking to his plan when everyone else questions it. I still think the general public has overrated his ability to scout talent. There have been times when I think Darcy uses his prospects as a crutch to not make moves. I'll say this, those guys he's been touting in Portland better be as good as they have been advertised. If one or two of them become Tyler Myers types I'll be eating crow. However, if Ennis becomes Derek Roy...not even the biggest Regier apologist will have a leg to stand on.
All in all, it wasn't a great deadline day, but it was a lot better than what I had envisioned in the morning. Still, the Sabres will lose in the first round if they play the Penguins regardless of this trade.
Read more of Joe at Joe in NYC
Well, Darcy Regier has done the unthinkable. He's actually improved the Buffalo Sabres via the trade deadline...and he did it with a rental. Torres automatically becomes the Sabres top scorer on the stats sheet, and gives the team some muscle with a little bit of a scoring touch. As for sending Nathan Paetsch and a 2nd rounder, it doesn't seem that much to give up.
To be frank, I don't know what the Blue Jackets were thinking in giving up Raffi Torres for garbage like Paetsch and a 2nd rounder. Now Torres is a good player, not a great one, but he's definitely an upgrade over MacArthur. I just wrote the longest blog ever and boasted about Darcy's greatest accomplishments have been his deadline deals. Lets hope that Torres works out like Steve Heinze did. That's all I've been asking for.
As for MacArthur, I actually didn't hate him as much as everybody else did. But this move was long overdue. The guy took too many nights off and he had obviously run his course with Ruff. You know Lindy, you better play both ways or not at all. Clarke didn't get that.
Now, I still think Regier could have been more active. Sorry, but I don't want to hear about the state of the market. You can only get away with the market excuse once in a while. Darcy has overused the excuse way too many times over the years.
I don't get why Toni Lydman is still on the team because he's going to be good as gone for next year. I don't know about you, but I don't think Ryan Miller is going to run into Darcy's office and beg for Lydman to stay on the team. Since Darcy loves the draft more than Corporal Klinger, I would have thought they could have gotten at least a draft pick for him.
The biggest thing that I don't understand from Regier is that he keeps talking about how all these kids from Portland are NHL ready. Then why on earth is Adam Mair still playing and not Tyler Ennis? Forget guys like Ellis and Mair that play five minutes a game. Why not get some of those kids (That you've been praising) actual NHL playing time. Oh, and Darcy, if you're going to say that it's going to be the summer of changes with the Sabres, it better not consist of signing Steve Montador-version 2.0. I'm marking those words down, my friend.
As for keeping the top 6 forwards in tap...Eh. I still think before next season the Sabres have to address a guy like Roy or Stafford. I know they act as if their top 6 forwards are their version of the Edmonton Oilers of the 80's. However, like MaCarthur, these guys just haven't come around to play effective for all 82 games. Plus, the passivity of the top 6 forwards just irks the hell out of me. I don't know what makes the Sabres front office think that Roy is all of a sudden going to see the light and stop being a freelancer on the ice. He hasn't proven he can play in Ruff's system and he's not going to change.
As for Darcy...still not a fan. I think he completely overvalues his top 6 forwards. He has built a mostly soft team through his vision, without consulting Lindy Ruff's system of rugged forechecking. I also don't like the fact that the teams around the Sabres have gotten extremely better. Hell, the Caps who are light years away from the competition in the East aren't satisfied. Makes me think back to the 05-07 years, when Darcy didn't really feel fit to make the team better. Yeah, I know...get over it, and Hossa never guided the Penguins to the Cup.
Even still, I'd like to think that with Ryan Miller in net, Regier could have at least given up youth for effective players. Miller is your wild card here. As long as he plays like this the Sabres shouldn't be on the outside looking in for the next 7 years. BTW- I'm still waiting for that email about a deadline deal where the seller ripped off the buyer.
But, I do understand what Darcy is trying to build. He's building the team through youth and drafting. "His" way is extremely boring and makes me want to punch a wall. I guess you have to admire his moxie for sticking to his plan when everyone else questions it. I still think the general public has overrated his ability to scout talent. There have been times when I think Darcy uses his prospects as a crutch to not make moves. I'll say this, those guys he's been touting in Portland better be as good as they have been advertised. If one or two of them become Tyler Myers types I'll be eating crow. However, if Ennis becomes Derek Roy...not even the biggest Regier apologist will have a leg to stand on.
All in all, it wasn't a great deadline day, but it was a lot better than what I had envisioned in the morning. Still, the Sabres will lose in the first round if they play the Penguins regardless of this trade.
Read more of Joe at Joe in NYC
NHL notebook: Sabres make modest gain at trade deadline; league should take lessons from Olympics
By Mike Haim
Imagine going shopping with a list of what you want, and for the most part you get it at a nice price. That’s what Sabres general manager Darcy Regier did Wednesday at the NHL’s trade deadline.
Regier shipped underused defenseman Nathan Paetsch and a second round draft pick to Columbus for winger Raffi Torres. With 19 goals, the 28-year old Torres with a $2.75 million salary immediately becomes the Sabres’ leading scorer.
While the Sabres took a little salary hit, this is a trade that if offered 100 times, I would accept it 100 times. I’ve liked Torres since his days as a consistent 20-goal scorer with Edmonton.
Regier made another deal later, sending underachieving forward Clarke MacArthur to Atlanta for third- and fourth-round draft choices. By the time the deadline passed, the only thing remaining on the proverbial wish list was a proven power play quarterback.
“We looked at three different players,” Regier said. “In one case, the price was way too high. One player did not get moved. We tried, but in the end the ability wasn’t there.”
The Sabres weren’t alone. Without any marquee trades, it proved to be an underwhelming deadline day, with the biggest names getting dealt being Torres, Peter Mueller and Wojtek Wolski, the latter two being the principals in a Phoenix-Colorado trade.
“This is not the time of year to make big-player acquisitions,” Regier said. “The summer is when you need to make the big changes. It’s not at the deadline. … There are so many teams in the playoff hunt and very few sellers.”
Regier gave no indication about a desire to ink Torres, an unrestricted free agent after this season, to a new deal. The dressing room, however, appears to be glad to get some bolstering.
“Hopefully he comes and fits in here,” Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller
said. “We needed to shore up that wing a little bit. He’s certainly a great player and what we need now. We need a little bit of a presence and be good around the net.”
“I think he’ll help,” added Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. “He’s a power forward who’s having a good year. He’s a bull around the net. He’s got a great shot. It’ll be a little adjustment period, but he’s going to help us.”
………
Short of scaling the league back to 12 teams, it’s wishful thinking that the NHL can match the pace and intensity of Olympic play in its regular season games.
To put it simply, there are too many slugs on the 30 NHL rosters to make every game truly interesting. If there will ever be talk of contraction (and I’m not holding my breath on that one), a video collection of the 2010 Olympics should be Exhibit A.
The NHL, however, should take a closer look at a couple of things used in Olympic play. One is making every game worth three points. In the Olympics’ preliminary round, a regulation win earned a team the full three points. In games requiring overtime (or a shootout), the winning team got two points, with the loser receiving one.
Especially as the NHL gets into the playoff stretch run, it’s absurd that some games are worth more points than others just because there was a tie after three periods.
The other Olympic rule which should be implemented is four-on-four overtime in playoff games. Sure, people love games that go three or four extra periods, but folks deserve the opportunity to see a decision within the first overtime period. That would be much more likely in the wide open style accommodated by four-on-four play.
Plus it really isn’t fair to expect teams who played the equivalent of two full games in a Game Six, for example, to come back strong for a series-deciding game two nights later.
………
www.twitter.com/mikehaim
Imagine going shopping with a list of what you want, and for the most part you get it at a nice price. That’s what Sabres general manager Darcy Regier did Wednesday at the NHL’s trade deadline.
Regier shipped underused defenseman Nathan Paetsch and a second round draft pick to Columbus for winger Raffi Torres. With 19 goals, the 28-year old Torres with a $2.75 million salary immediately becomes the Sabres’ leading scorer.
While the Sabres took a little salary hit, this is a trade that if offered 100 times, I would accept it 100 times. I’ve liked Torres since his days as a consistent 20-goal scorer with Edmonton.
Regier made another deal later, sending underachieving forward Clarke MacArthur to Atlanta for third- and fourth-round draft choices. By the time the deadline passed, the only thing remaining on the proverbial wish list was a proven power play quarterback.
“We looked at three different players,” Regier said. “In one case, the price was way too high. One player did not get moved. We tried, but in the end the ability wasn’t there.”
The Sabres weren’t alone. Without any marquee trades, it proved to be an underwhelming deadline day, with the biggest names getting dealt being Torres, Peter Mueller and Wojtek Wolski, the latter two being the principals in a Phoenix-Colorado trade.
“This is not the time of year to make big-player acquisitions,” Regier said. “The summer is when you need to make the big changes. It’s not at the deadline. … There are so many teams in the playoff hunt and very few sellers.”
Regier gave no indication about a desire to ink Torres, an unrestricted free agent after this season, to a new deal. The dressing room, however, appears to be glad to get some bolstering.
“Hopefully he comes and fits in here,” Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller
said. “We needed to shore up that wing a little bit. He’s certainly a great player and what we need now. We need a little bit of a presence and be good around the net.”
“I think he’ll help,” added Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. “He’s a power forward who’s having a good year. He’s a bull around the net. He’s got a great shot. It’ll be a little adjustment period, but he’s going to help us.”
………
Short of scaling the league back to 12 teams, it’s wishful thinking that the NHL can match the pace and intensity of Olympic play in its regular season games.
To put it simply, there are too many slugs on the 30 NHL rosters to make every game truly interesting. If there will ever be talk of contraction (and I’m not holding my breath on that one), a video collection of the 2010 Olympics should be Exhibit A.
The NHL, however, should take a closer look at a couple of things used in Olympic play. One is making every game worth three points. In the Olympics’ preliminary round, a regulation win earned a team the full three points. In games requiring overtime (or a shootout), the winning team got two points, with the loser receiving one.
Especially as the NHL gets into the playoff stretch run, it’s absurd that some games are worth more points than others just because there was a tie after three periods.
The other Olympic rule which should be implemented is four-on-four overtime in playoff games. Sure, people love games that go three or four extra periods, but folks deserve the opportunity to see a decision within the first overtime period. That would be much more likely in the wide open style accommodated by four-on-four play.
Plus it really isn’t fair to expect teams who played the equivalent of two full games in a Game Six, for example, to come back strong for a series-deciding game two nights later.
………
www.twitter.com/mikehaim
