Sep

29

Well, the tables were turned against the Sabres last night, as they fell to the Minnesota Wild in a shootout. Back up to the third period, though, and there was a very good chance that they would succeed in putting together back-to-back wins. Enter Spacek. Without being able to see the game, I can’t comment on how bad it was. R.J. made it seem like it deflected off of Jaro’s skate, but other reports, like Sabres Edge, put it a little differently:

9:16 p.m.: Jaroslav Spacek scores with 2:57 left to tie the game. How? Because he scored into his own net. Oh well. It’s just preseason.

I was a bit ho-hum over listening to the game, since I was also attempting to watch Sunday Night Football and take part in my fantasy league’s draft. I’ll leave that for another time, because my methods of choosing players is nowhere near professional. I did end up with the first round pick, though, which was not wasted.

Buffalo has been playing very well, if I may say so. Jochen Hecht scored the only goal during regulation time, which was set up by Clarke MacArthur. Yet another person vying for a spot on the roster. There are a lot that are either on the line, or close to it: Weber, Zagrapan, Mancari, Kennedy, Gogulla, Butler, Schutz, Sekera, and now MacArthur. Fortunately, I think that the team has a good foundation of veterans and semi-veterans, affording them the opportunity to take on some younger talent. The preseason hasn’t been perfect, yet I’m confident that we’re in store for a great hockey season in Buffalo.

The post-game notes, courtesy of the official Sabres web site, told a somewhat depressing story:

Lindy Ruff reported that Dan Paille suffered a “bruised thigh” after taking a hard hit from Marc-Andre Bergeron midway in the second period. The winger left the game following the play.

“It just tightened up on him,” Ruff said. ““He’ll be okay in maybe a day or so.”

Paul Gaustad also did not return to the ice following the play. After Paille was hit, Gaustad circled back at the blueline to stand up for this teammate, “jamming his thumb” in the process according to Ruff.

“X-Rays are negative,” Ruff said. “We will see how he is in the next couple of days too.”

Anyone with me in opening up a Sabres hospital? It appears to be the best way to meet the players with all the random injuries sustained over the last week.

Sep

27

So I missed out on another preseason game, all in the name of higher education and cleaning. Believe me, after hearing the highlights of tonight’s game, it was NOT worth it. The Sabres were down 2-0 with around four minutes remaining in the third period. Derek Roy got the team on the board with assists from Afinogenov and Kotalik. My initial thought when the Sabres score their first goal of every game is, “Yes! There goes the shutout for the other team!” So ridiculous, but it makes me happy.

Anyways, as I sit here wondering why I didn’t tune in to WGR 550 to listen to this game, allow me to say that Paul Gaustad (one of my favorites, although I’m somewhat against favorites) scored the tying goal with five seconds left in regulation. A comeback that I’ve been dying to witness? Yeah, I missed it. But I suppose the fact that Buffalo won, thanks to Ales Kotalik’s goal at 1:03 of overtime, trumps all else.

Technically, I guess the preseason isn’t extremely important in the grand scheme of things. I watch the few games I get to see with a sort of haphazard, third-degree attitude… Aside from the moments when the Sabres score. It’s like good ol’ Pavlov: I automatically cheer whenever I: a.) hear the Sabres goal horn, b.) see any Sabres player celebrate a goal (even if it wasn’t a goal), or c.) witness an Andrew Peters fight that lasts for more than 15 seconds and results in a good smack to the other player’s face. Anyone else with me? Ha ha!

Enjoy this video of the last 40 seconds of play, which obviously includes Gaustad’s tying goal.

Sep

24

Unfortunately, I completely missed this game. Die By The Blade provided a nice re-cap, and it looks like the Sabres are slowly, but surely, improving. As with the first game, a loss doesn’t necessarily point to a failure. There are always ways to improve! Nothing else that I can really say without having been able to listen to or watch the game. Speaking of which, I have to agree with Heather B. at Top Shelf about the enormous difference between listening to a game and actually watching a game. Jeanneret does cater to my optimistic side, though!

Sep

22

It wasn’t exactly the prettiest game on the face of the planet, but I sure got my money’s worth after rushing home from night class! By the way, that test ended up in an 87, which wasn’t too impressive, yet I was content with the overall picture. Kind of like how the Buffalo Sabres played. From what I saw in the second and third periods, the Sabres have a lot of great talent still to come. I doubt any of us questioned that fact, but it’s always nice to verify the obvious. I personally enjoyed the play of both Mark Mancari and Marek Zagrapan: Nice passing, and even an assist-goal duo to show off.

On the negative side (which I can always seem to find), the Sabres’ play was quite spotty. Not enough consistency… Especially from some of the more experienced players. I’ve always felt that our defense left a lot to the imagination, and my suspicions were realized, once again. Don’t get me wrong: I think Sekera is maturing into an amazing player who will help bolster the blue line. My nickname/tag line hasn’t been the nicest: “Sekera, Don’t Make an Erra” (It rhymes, if you throw in a Jersey accent and some imagination). I sometimes closed my eyes last season when the puck went near him. All the same, I thought he did quite well against Toronto, minus the play where Moore passed him and scored a short-handed goal.

Decent game? Yes. The Sabres had a chance at pulling off a win if there were fewer mistakes. That’s not to say that I was impressed, but it was a nice way to start the preseason. This is the time when a lot of guys have to push forward to show that they are capable of playing at the top level. Now to see if those players who have been there all along can prove that their summer vacations are over.

Stop by Die By The Blade for the open threads: I usually stop by every few games when I’m home. Take a look: D.O. has done a great job with the site, and it’s quite nice to have live posts and responses!

Sep

20

With the end of each hockey season, especially the disappointing ones, I go into hockey hibernation. That’s not to say that I completely forget about the best sport of all time, but without some sort of Buffalo title to celebrate, I focus on the non-ice aspects of the world. Which pretty much amounted to work, college, and the occassional baseball game.

All that changes now, though! Today marked the first day of the Buffalo Sabres training camp for the 2008-2009 season. Not only is my team returning, but so is Teppo Numminen. Yes: That blue-liner who only played in the very last game of the previous season has been cleared to play. Not only were his skills missed terribly, but I also believe that he brings an air of leadership to the team that is well-needed. Numminen may only be signed for one more year, yet his desire to continue playing in Buffalo after his heart surgery in 2007 points to a dedicated player that will always be welcome in the Sabres ranks.

What else is there to look forward to this season? In an abbreviated format:

In other news, Quinn said that play-by- play man Rick Jeanneret has signed a two-year contract extension. His contract and the contract of analyst Harry Neale now will expire at the end of 2009-2010 season.

The first regular season game for the Sabres is scheduled for October 10 @ 7:30 PM against the Montreal Canadiens: Start counting down the days!