Feb

28

No need for anyone to worry about Tuesday’s trade that saw Brian Campbell become an ex-Sabre. There was no doubt that he was one of the more popular defensemen: Who else could pull off that spin-o-rama without making a fool of themself?! Steve Bernier was acquired from the San Jose Sharks, along with a first round draft choice in this year’s entry draft. It takes time for a new player to be welcomed on the team, but this right winger apparently knows how to make his presence appreciated! He scored the first two goals in last night’s game, while also picking up an assist late in the second period. Right off the bat, we now know that the Sabres have another young player to turn to for offensive production. Additionally, Bernier was difficult to ignore on the ice: He backed up Ryan Miller a few times, while also throwing in a bunch of hits. Could there be more? Take a look at the third period, when Derek Roy was tackled. Bernier was there to back up a guy he’s known for a day or two. Welcome to the team!

Both the acquisition of a powerful forward and a solid win are exactly what the Buffalo Sabres have been looking for. There were some sticky spots from time to time, such as when a 3-0 lead was cut to 3-2 in a matter of minutes. Fortunately, the Sabres had a lot of fight in them. Once again, this proves that they have the talent to score enough goals to paralyze their opponents. For heaven’s sake, Peters scored his fourth career goal! Physically speaking, Nashville was bowled over on many different occasions. I still have the opinion that the team is still maturing, but with so many young players willing to do anything towin, every Sabres fan can rest assured that there will be many good seasons to come.

The Sabres will next play tomorrow, February 29th, at 7:30 PM against the Montreal Canadiens. This is a vital divisional game, seeing how Buffalo is at 71 points and Montreal is at 77 points. Another star performance from the team could put them in a much more comfortable position within the standings.

Feb

25

Sabres (5) vs. Maple Leafs (1): Attack!

This was a game that was very much needed. With such a close playoff race, even one point can mean a huge difference. There was very little to complain about… Aside from a missed shutout opportunity! Buffalo Sabres hockey is all about scoring and continuing to attack. There is no reason to sit back, even with a three or four goal cushion. Last Thursday proved this point.

Sabres (3) vs. Rangers (4): Simply Not Enough

The final seconds of Saturday’s game were heartbreaking. After seeing the Sabres fight their way back in the game three times, the dying seconds sopped up any and all energy left on the ice. The puck barely moved, even though I was holding my breath for a tying goal at 19:59. Not tonight, apparently. The Rangers outplayed the Sabres at some points, but this was a game that we should have taken. The one saving grace was the awesome Buffalo crowd who booed Chris Drury every step along the way! Sad to see him be on the winning side of a game against the team he ran away from. The Sabres might feel a little demoralized after this loss, but there were a lot of positives. They never gave up, and are still 100% in penalty killing against the New York Rangers. Not too shabby… Aside from falling in the standings.

The Sabres will next play tonight, February 25th, at 7:00 PM against the Philadelphia Flyers. An almost reunion of those two co-captains, now known as co-conspirators. At least in my book. The Flyers have been struggling lately, and hopefully the Sabres will be able to take advantage of this.

Feb

21

Last night’s game looked like it would be another loss, up until the last 15 minutes. Truly, the Buffalo Sabres looked like they were sleeping on the job without a care in the world. I was depressed, the team was depressed, and we all needed some kind of miracle. Ladies and gentleman, that is precisely what happened. Just as I expected, Ryan Miller made a crazy stop to spark a little offensive rush. Derek Roy ended up scoring, and perhaps it was his goal that threw the Sabres into overdrive. Technically, Thomas Vanek went into overdrive reminiscent of a rampaging loon. In a good way, of course! That man suddenly woke up and went to town! He scored two goals to force an overtime period, which was something no one expected. Want more? He scored the game winner at 2:25 to give the Sabres a very surprising win! This was the opposite of what usually happens: The team plays an amazing first period, and gradually falls apart. This time around, they lulled Tampa Bay into a false sense of security, only to strike in the last few minutes. In the true sense of the saying, it is never too late to win!

The boys next play tonight, February 21st, at 7:30 PM against the Toronto Maple Leafs. As much as anyone, I would love to see a complete game, but a few miracle moves saved up for the last period will work just fine. Go Sabres!

Feb

18

What was learned this past week? The Sabres have some issues with afternoon games and Sunday night games. Or, maybe it was just the thrill of doing so well that killed them this weekend. Naturally, I was horrified at Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers. Nobody was on for the first 20 minutes, and Buffalo could not recover from such a devastating start to a hockey game. I had a few thoughts about each of the last three games, and since they tie together quite nicely, a little break-down seems appropriate. Break-dancing, on the other hand, is not included.

Wednesday, February 13th: Sabres (1) vs. Maple Leafs (0)

A little bit goes a long way sometimes! Although the scoring was virtually absent from this game, the Sabres were alive in every department. Toronto played a solid game, yet we were there to hold them off and give them a taste of their own medicine. Ryan Miller was the difference throughout the three periods, looking good on every save and coming alive whenever he was needed. As much as I hate to point out the leadership issues with the Buffalo Sabres, the loss of a stable captain has hurt the team. A goaltender is an unlikely candidate for being a leader, but Miller fills those shoes… Or skates. Many offensive rushes are the result of a big save, and he rarely disappoints. Speaking retrospectively, it was shocking to see what happened next in the Sabres’ playing history. Although this win was not the best one, it was still a continuation of a successful burst.

Saturday, February 16th: Sabres (1) vs. Rangers (5)

Numbfully painful. Maybe afternoon games are just not the right thing for the Sabres… What other explanation is there?! The Rangers attacked right off the bat, while the Sabres looked like they were ready for a nap. Ryan Miller surprised me, most of all, by simply being BAD. One easy save turned into a goal, which turned into two, then three, and pretty soon, it was a runaway game. When a goalie is not on par, it obviously upsets the team and brings about a feeling of losing before the game even begins. However, it was possible for the team to turn around and eclipse one bad period with two good ones. Not so, and I doubt I need to re-hash the details of the loss.

Sunday, February 17th: Sabres (1) vs. Penguins (4)

Anyone notice a pattern with these lone Sabres goals? Not enough in most cases! Last night was another fairly downhill game, despite the team looking much better. They could have done a lot better, though. We could blame it on Tim Connoly’s facial hairstyle, just in time for the Old West classics! Good ol’ TC, putting a smile on my face even when the Sabres have absolutely no idea what they are doing. I know I am being harsh about their losses, but it is only because this team is not a losing one. Again and again, people will point out all of the losses the team suffered prior to October. Yet, more focus should be put on the progress of new talent, in the ranks of Mike Ryan, Kaleta, Paille, and MacArthur. Back-to-back weekend losses are never all too wonderful, but this season is far from over. With a little more patience and determination on the part of everyone, Buffalo will be able to go far. A year without any playoff beards (or lack thereof) is simply disastrous!

The Buffalo Sabres will next play on Wedneday, February 20th, at 7:00 PM against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Feb

12

February has been a charm for the Buffalo Sabres, as they have picked up 10 out of a possible 12 points. For anyone aware of how close the Eastern Conference teams are, every point counts for much more than usual. Last night was another spectacular win, played all the way through with all the passion and determination that we have been looking for. Furthermore, Thomas Vanek came alive to be rewarded with his first career hat trick! A lot of controversy has been surrounding him this season, due to the infamous contract of 2007. I have been one to criticize his play and wonder whether or not he would be able to like up to the expectations. It is undeniable that he has struggled, but I am a lot more confident with him on the ice these days. Every Buffalo Sabre has struggled at one point this season, and it is important to recognize the positive aspects. This team is fighting for every play, and playing with a renewed vigor. The playoffs are still some time off, and I prefer to focus on the present, but things are clearly looking up for the Sabres!

The team’s next game is on Wednesday, February 13th, at 7:30 PM against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Keep an eye out: This is another crucial game where Buffalo must make their presence known very early on.

Feb

10

First and foremost, we would like to extend our best wishes to Richard Zednik, who was seriously injured in the third period of tonight’s hockey game. It was an eerie incident to witness, and showed just how real the game can be. NHL.com has listed Zednik in stable condition, and we will continue to keep our readers updated on the situation. The medical staff at HSBC Arena did a wonderful job, and really took control of the situation. As Mike Robitaille and Kevin Sylvester stated in the post-game show on MSG, there are no guarantees, but we hope that all will work out for the best.

Looking to the game, the Sabres played very well, despite letting the Panthers score first. The second period was, in all honesty, an explosion of goals! Patrick Kaleta scored his first NHL goal, only to be followed by Pominville and Roy. For the first time in many games, the power play unit looked very good! There is no question that Buffalo has a good deal of talent within their ranks: It just seems to take its time coming to the surface. I was also very impressed with Kaleta’s style of play, and what he represents. There are many young guys still working their way up in the minor leagues, and they all have a lot to offer this hockey club. We might struggle offensively here and there, yet Buffalo’s ability to use three or four lines effectively is quite the achievement. The third period was te determinant of the winner, although there were more factors at play than simple hockey. The final 10 minutes were played solemnly on both sides, understandably. Although it was difficult to go celebration crazy at a solid Sabres win, this puts the team in a much better position within the Eastern Conference. Two points mean everything these days.

The Buffalo Sabres will next play on Tuesday, February 12th, at 7:30 PM against the Ottawa Senators. This proves to be a somewhat difficult game, but one that our Sabres are very capable of winning. With the drive to finish off every play, we should be all set to crash the net. Make sure to tune in to MSG for the game!

Feb

8

The easy answer to tonight? A hockey game requires much more than 40 minutes of work condensed into about 5 minutes. Spacek scored with about 4 seconds remaining in the first period: Exciting and a good way to break a scoreless tie. It seemed like deja vu in the second period, when Vanek scored at 19:22. Perhaps this was an exercise to work on those last minute goals that Buffalo was notorious for last year? Not quite the positive team-building experience it might have been! Sure enough, the Boston Bruins scored their own pair of goals in the third period. To be honest, I was very impressed with how the Sabres began the game. The physical play was there, the offense was able to figure out how to get to Auld, and our own defense looked decent. It seemed to be the formula for a win, yet the team fell apart during the third period. There is no better way to describe what happened than to say that they lost their way and all the energy built up during the first two periods.

 Oh my. Any game that goes into overtime gets me worried, simply because they often result in shootouts. Minus the miraculous shootout win on Wednesday, one-on-one attempts seem to spell disaster. The one thing I should mention, however, is how good Ryan Miller is, and always has been. He has wavered here and there, but this team would be muddling about at the very bottom of the league without him. Fortunately, one point is much better than nothing. Did anyone realistically expect much more from a shootout?! Nope, sorry.

Where will the Sabres end up this year? No one really knows. However, the Sabres will next play on Sunday, February 10th, against the Florida Panthers (25-26-5). This is a team also hovering around the same area in the Eastern Conference. This game is quite important in the standings, for many reasons. Buffalo also needs a good win: They have their signature confidence every now and then, but nothing will give them that extra boost more than a notch in the win column. Go Sabres!

Feb

6

The Buffalo team looks like it is finally coming back to life after quite some time of living in the darkness. Slowly but steadily, the Sabres are coming into their own and showing us all what we knew all along: They can win! Not only is the talent limited to the one or two elusive guys some people pegged as the reasons for the problems. Both the offense and defense have been responsible for some very nice goals lately: Daniel Paille and Toni Lydman both stick out in my mind as two very useful players. Keep in mind that neither has been headlined as the go-to-guy. It is good to see all (or most) members of the Buffalo Sabres doing well, at long last! The team spirit really was not there during January, but is clearly starting to show.

The Sabres will play tonight, February 6th, at 7:00 PM against the New Jersey Devils. This is one of the more difficult teams to beat for the Sabres, but their last two games have shown a lot of promise. Tune in to MSG to see what happens!

Feb

1

It is amazing to see how a few intermissions can change a hockey team. I actually missed the first period of tonight’s game, thanks to a trip down memory lane with some old-school Playstation! I suppose it was a good choice: The Sabres played a way too relaxed game, resulting in 2 goals from Atlanta. The second period started off with a strange waved-off goal. The referee CLEARLY signaled a goal, and then waved it off a few seconds later. It was enough to send any Sabres fan into a frenzy. Of course, it did the same for the team. For the remainder of the period, Spacek, Pominville, and Paille each notched a goal. Aside from the offensive production, the Buffalo Sabres looked a lot more alive, and I decided it was going to be a good game.

The third period was not all too spectacular, especially with people dropping every now and then from injury. Adam Mair took a high stick to the forehead, and had to head off to the locker room for a fixer-upper. Equally as worse, Ryan Miller was taken down on a random check. The replays didn’t look all too bad, but he did not return for the third period. Sadly. Why? Because Thibault fell asleep for a minute, along with the defense. Kalinin made things better with a power play goal… But a few too many penalties made it certain that the game would go to overtime. The shootout made me nervous. How many has this team lost? About a million, or so it feels. But I had hope, as I always do! Thibault did pretty well, but THE BUFFALO SABRES CAN NOT SCORE A GOAL IN A SHOOTOUT. Who is their go-to guy? Kotalik, when he doesn’t deke and has some accuracy? Vanek? Not really. I love these guys, but somebody needs to step up in these shootouts. Our record is embarassing, to say the very least. Unless we want to go the route of saying how we haven’t lost in regulation time that much!

The Sabres next play on Tuesday, February 5th, at 7:00 PM against the Boston Bruins. Continue that unbeaten streak!