Oct

15

I missed my hockey quite a lot, and to have the Sabres returning in the way that they have has been wonderful. I was a little skeptical about some of the decisions made, yet is there anything to complain about? The penalty kill has been perfect, and not just by chance. Tonight’s game against the Rangers included a four minute major penalty against Rivet that looked like a fairly normal situation. I was excited, to say the very least! Add to that a short-handed goal, and I’m in heaven with the Sabres.

The bad news comes with more injuries: Jochen Hecht underwent surgery, thereby joining the Paul Gaustad Club. He is expected to return in about two weeks, and Gaustad has another three or four weeks. Fortunately, everyone is stepping up quite a bit to fill any voids that may have been created by their losses. A 7-1 win and a 3-1 win? I’ll take those in less than a heartbeat.

In terms of what is the cause of the Sabres’ success, I don’t think there is any one specific thing. The defense has been phenomenal, and I’m usually one of the toughest critics of the blue liners. The offense and goaltending are other very strong: It’s worth noting that Ryan Miller should be able to relax knowing that he has a reliable back-up. Everything has come together perfectly, and I’m already counting down the time to the next game!

Friday, October 17th at 7:30 PM the Sabres take on the Canucks. Make sure to tune in!

Oct

11

Could there have been a better beginning to this season? Not for me. The Sabres came out strong last night, and never truly let up. Of course there was room for improvement, but is any team ever considered perfect? I was very happy with the start of the 2008-2009 hockey season. A shootout win made it even better. Six months without Buffalo meant that I was expecting something great, which I got.

The highlight of the night, at least for me, was the chance to yell “TEPPO!” every time I saw #27. With the documentary about Numminen playing before the game, as well as during one of the intermissions, it was hard not to get excited about his return.

Another thing I missed? Jaro Spacek’s interviews. Rob Ray’s questions were perfectly articulated, yet Spacek gave another wonderful performance. I do have to say that he is getting better at speaking English, but his trademark yell-into-the-microphone style is absolutely priceless!

Offensively, I think Buffalo had a few issues with setting up plays. However, there was also the issue associated with them not being able to completely figure out Montreal’s defense. To their credit, they held off the Sabres for a decent amount of time. But when you’re up against an offensive powerhouse with amazing goaltending behind it, there’s not much you can do. Hence, the shootout win.

The Sabres will next play on Monday, October 13th, at 2:00 PM against the New York Islanders. Get ready for another great game!

Oct

2

Listening to the first period, it seemed like the Minnesota goal horn was malfunctioning and making way too much noise. Nope: Not so. The Wild were simply beating down the Sabres, and it sounded like we were having some serious defensive zone issues. Then again, I’m horrible at picturing what’s going on when I’m listening to a radio broadcast. Jeanneret mesmerizes me. However, it wasn’t a complete wash: The Sabres held Minnesota to those three goals from the first period, and were able to build up a not-so-terrible showing.

It seems like Buffalo has been able to do well in the final period. As much as I love those last-minute comebacks, I’m a little worried about the team falling into that pattern prior to the season even starting. One can only go so long before the other teams focus on tightening up in the final twenty minutes, or before the energy starts to drain a little earlier than expected. I’d like to see the next two preseason games have a bit more of a level playing level throughout the entire game.

On an unrelated note, being sick is absolutely no walk in the park. Here’s to getting better in time for the final preseason game television broadcast!