Nov

10

Last night’s 3-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs was more than enough to define the breaking point for many Buffalo fans. Not only was this a home game, but the Sabres were supposed to carry on their recent success. What happened? The team has slowly been turning into those half-invisible people from the TheraFlu commercials. Only two or three players decide to show up and give 100% of their abilities each and every night. I may sound horribly pessimistic and negative towards the team, but they need to open up their eyes and see the obvious. Perhaps some players are going through individual slumps, which continue to compound and make the Sabres appear weaker than they really are. The fact of the matter still remains: All four lines are having trouble scoring, making the team look more like a hodge-podge of different people thrown together.

Tonight, the Sabres will take on the Boston Bruins at 7:00 PM. This team has brought us into overtime during both meetings, yet they have also shown that they can be better than the Sabres. As I have said before, the Sabres must be more aggressive if they are to generate a solid win. Scoring one or two goals is not my idea of a safe way to expect to beat another team. Harry Neale pointed out in last night’s broadcast that over the first 15 games of the season, Buffalo has scored 43 goals (MSG Broadcast). Breaking that down, the team averages under 3 goals per game. What happened to the 4, 5, and 6 goal games of last season? This team has to get it together if the bulk of the season is to be played well. There are some guys stepping up to the challenge, such as Paul Gaustad and Clarke MacArthur, so there is no reason to give up hope. We just need our semi-invisible guys to do two things: 1. Realize that it is not possible to skate through opponents, no matter how invisible you think you are; and 2. PLAY SABRES HOCKEY!

Nov

7

An overtime victory could not have come at a more perfect time! It is no secret that the Sabres have been struggling lately, and those same problems continued throughout the first period. It was difficult for Buffalo to even attempt to get anywhere further than center ice, due to the Bruins blocking nearly all passing lanes. The puck was also repelled from the sticks of the Sabres players, as it took a few too many strange bounces. All in all, the opening 20 minutes was pretty painful to watch. Boston managed to score from a defensive falling out, but it was nice to see the Sabres down by only one goal. Thank you, Ryan Miller!

The rest of the game saw Buffalo finally gaining some momentum, although it was a fairly slow process. Fortunately, the number of penalties taken was drastically lowered from past performances. Granted, there were not too many Buffalo power plays, but capitalize they did! Ales Kotalik, with that crazy-psycho cannon of a shot, found a way to direct the puck by Tim Thomas. Victory was not guaranteed, however. The scoring chances were few and far between for the remainder of the second period, and the final 20 minutes was relatively uneventful. Fortunately, the defense was able to cover up, despite having Dmitri Kalinin and Jaroslav Spacek out of the line-up. The crowning moment was in overtime, after a short celebration about getting at least a point. There was a positive scramble in the Bruins zone, where the Sabres were able to cycle the puck around beautifully. Then, just as it looked like the magic would end, Drew Stafford sent a puck to a wide open Clark Macarthur, who sent the Bruins packing up their things. A fitting ending to a game that showed a lot of good things! Some players still have a long way towards waking up and contributing, yet tonight illustrated several steps in the right direction.

The Sabres will play on Friday, November 9, at 7:30 PM against the Toronto Maple Leafs. An opportune time to take out a team that can not even spell correctly!

Nov

5

What a sad, sad time the Sabres had tonight. Not only were they on the wrong end of a shutout, but they were also on the wrong end of everything. The first period was very positive, and the team started off relatively strongly. Compared with the last few games, the first 20 minutes looked like a perfectly choreographed show. Unfortunately, the second period pretty much swallowed up any hope of pulling ahead after a non-scoring first period. The defense was all over the place, and Buffalo was skating around and around with no chance of even gaining possession of the puck. Granted, there were some awesome individual efforts, yet to see the team struggling so much is beyond frustrating. It was somewhat ironic to see Montreal also struggling at times, when it was expected that they would fully take advantage of the Sabres’ mistakes. Fortunately, some lucky bounces and good goaltending by Ryan Miller kept the game from taking a turn for the worse, like a nasty cold from Oregon Trail. The third period saw a good number of opportunities, but nothing making its way into the net. After the Canadiens sealed their win with an empty net goal, Paul Gaustad plowed into a few celebrating players. This team may have lost, but these guys are not taking it with a light-hearted gentility!

The next game is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7, at 7:00 PM against the Boston Bruins. Hopefully the recently injured players will be able to return, and no one else will suffer any damage. This list includes Jaroslav Spacek, newly aquired Nathan Pratt, and Adam Mair.

Nov

4

We can just cut to the truth: This season has seen a somewhat disappointing start. After two years of amazing success, it looks like the Sabres are off-balance. That is not to say that the game is any less exciting, or that the fans are any less crazy about the team. However, Buffalo needs to get back to a level of working together and making it clear that they still are a team to fear. To get is started, perhaps Sabretooth could take out another mascot. Desperate times call for desparate measures!

Aside from the off-ice antics, Buffalo has been unravelling and coming apart at the seams like a horribly stitched sweater from the discount store. It is easy to put all the blame on the defense, but at the risk of sounding anti-Sabres, everyone has had a part in the team’s losses. Why? We always point out how every single member of the team, on and off the ice, has a part in the wins, so it follows that one person or group can not be fully blamed for the losses. The offense really does not have it together, no matter how much we want them to. Scoring chances do not equate to changes on the scoreboard! Earlier in October, we saw how strong the Sabres were when they not only won, but completely dominated other teams. The potential is there: Everyone just has to see it and make a difference.

I do think that some players have tried to make that difference and bring the energy back to Buffalo. Adam Mair wrecked a few Panthers on Friday night with a perfectly timed fight. His hits were comparable to earthquakes, which shook Florida’s confidence, if only for a moment. Paul Gaustad also has been getting more and more involved in the physical play that he has always been known for, but he also has seen his name on the scorecard a few times. What does it all mean, Basil? It simply shows that Buffalo can move ahead by getting support in other areas of the hockey game. The players do need to figure out the opposition’s goaltending, but that signature fire also needs to make its presence known. The Sabres are not an antsy pantsy little team: This is a talented, powerful team that can pack the proverbial punch in every sense. The chant is no longer “Go Sabres.” Attack, Buffalo, ATTACK!

Nov

2

One bad period can spell disaster and end a game before it gets going. The first 20 minutes of the game were pretty promising, with a lot of scoring opportunities and amazing pass perception. Unfortunately, it does seem like the Sabres are on a weak scoring run because the puck usually dances in front of the net, but never actually makes it in. Frustrating, to say the least! What was even worse was the second period. Rob Ray paraphrased it perfectly: “Somebody better call the police, because someone stole our D” (MSG Broadcast). Indeed, the defense seemed almost non-existant at points. Jocelyn Thibault made his second start of the season, and did a relatively nice job of stopping what he could. Little support from the other players let the Panthers pounce on the net and race ahead to four goals, which would lead to their eventual win. What we need are some more defense-minded forwards, as well as players to find ways to capitalize on the scoring chances. Adam Mair and Paul Gaustad both gave a little hope with two separate fights, showing that Buffalo has a lot of fire left in their game. Jochen Hecht and Thomas Vanek scored for the Sabres, but it was too little to secure a win. One of the few good things about the game was that no penalties were taken, aside from the 5 minute fighting majors. It appears that staying out of the penalty box is not the way to win, contrary to previous speculation.

The Sabres will next play on Monday, November 5, at 7:30 PM against the Montreal Canadiens. The weekend should give the team time to re-group and return to the simplified gameplay that has been their winning trademark. Tonight may have been disappointing, but Buffalo should focus on the more important theme of future wins.

Nov

1

Slow starts always make for interesting games! After a scoreless first period, the second period resulted in an explosion of goals from the Bruins and the Sabres. Fortunately, the defense looked much more comfortable with the return of Jaroslav Spacek, as well as the new captaincy of Toni Lydman. One of the most important aspects of the game was the penalty kill. Unfortunately, the trend for Buffalo to continuously take penalties is not too cute. It was nice to see a lot of team work to deny Boston the chance to even get near Ryan Miller. And when worse came to worst, Lydman blocked a shot with his face. Not exactly a pretty sight afterwards, but it worked! Maxim Afinogenov and Brian Campbell both scored for the Sabres to answer a 2-0 deficit early in the second period.

The third period was another time for nail-biting, as Boston scored 3:08 in, and the Sabres looked like they might not have anything left. Then again, we know how sneaky they can be! Paul Gaustad had something to say about that, and tied up the score at 3-3. Ultimately, this would lead to another overtime, which seems to be the trend these days! A lot of chances were generated, but a lobbed shot ended up sealing a win for Boston. It was a ridiculous looking goal, and quite the way to end the game. However, the Sabres still ended up with a point! The game also showed that the power play unit is still functioning, and that the defense corps is coming back with a vengence.

The next game for the Sabres is tomorrow, November 2, at 7:30 PM against the Florida Panthers. Make sure to tune in for another good hockey night!

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