Jan

1

Today was truly an inspiring day for anyone who has ever loved hockey. The Winter Classic lived up to all of its expectations, including the crazy wintery weather that dumped snow, sleet, and rain all over the ice. Outdoor games rarely come along in the NHL, and I was proud to see the Buffalo Sabres cement themselves in the history books. Of course, the playing styles of both teams had to be adjusted to meet the new conditions. Brian Campbell was able to notch a goal in the second period, but the offensive woes for the Sabres continued. There were too many opportunities with too few finishing plays. Truthfully, I was surprised that the team made it to a shootout! Crosby’s shootout goal was a heart breaker, to say the least. Buffalo may not be the best team this season, and they might not always have the determination and passion to win. However, this was a game that they wanted to win. Sadly, the Penguins had a little more fight in them to seal a win for themselves.

I also would like to take this time to say how much I love the broadcasts by Jeanneret and Neale. No national broadcast has ever come close to the talents of the Buffalo Sabres broadcast team, including those behind the scenes. Today, there was probably a total of 3 minutes of play-by-play action. Jeanneret deserves an award for the passion and committment he has put into his career for so long! He makes the game so much better, even when we lose.

The Winter Classic may be over, but the season sure is not. The Sabres next play on January 4th at 7:30 PM against the Ottawa Senators. Believe.

Dec

30

The Sabres and the Penguins have a new relationship this season that puts them at even greater odds. Recognize the name Conklin? He was Buffalo’s back-up goaltender last year, while we acquired Jocelyn Thibault from Pittsburgh. Add to that the pressure of playing in the first outdoor NHL hockey game in the United States, and the tension between these two teams is all but palpable. Unfortunately, the Sabres struggled to find any momentum last night, and truly looked tired and beat down near the end of the game. Perhaps the plan was to play a relaxing game to get ready for the Winter Classic, but it was a disappointing show of what the Buffalo Sabres are capable of. A few days off should give them the rest they need, and hopefully someone can put some inspiration into their play.

Buffalo next plays in the legendary Winter Classic on January 1st at 1:00 PM against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Be prepared for some very different hockey, and a game that will never be forgotten!

Dec

29

Once again, the Buffalo Sabres suffered from their offensive non-production in a shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils. On the other hand, going up against a goaltender like Brodeur means that very few pucks will even have the opportunity to enter the net. Fortunately, Ales Kotalik was able to solve the Devils, putting the Sabres up 1-0 early in the second period. Of course, a one goal lead that early on in a hockey game never guarantees a win. Sure enough, with about 6 minutes remaining in the final period, New Jersey beat Miller to tie the game. A late penalty taken by John Madden gave us some hope, although no one was able to toss the puck into the net. In all honesty, I was hoping against a shootout. Of course the Sabres have talent offensively and in the goaltending department, but going one-on-one with Martin Brodeur is quite the challenge. Parise of the Devils was the only one to find the back of the net during the shootout, sending Buffalo home with just one point. Look on the bright side, though! It was a point, and one that is needed in such a tightly packed Eastern Conference.

The Sabres will next play on December 29th at 7:30 PM against the Pittsburgh Penguins. This is the first part of a series that will include the Winter Classic, which is quickly approaching!

Dec

28

My opinion is pretty harsh, but I have to be honest: The Sabres played pretty poorly against the Senators, especially at the end of the third period. They were able to fight and come within one goal of tying the game. Although Ottawa beat Buffalo in many areas, the team seemed to always generate a comeback. Jochen Hecht, Brian Campbell, and Adam Mair each notched a goal, while Ryan Miller made 23 saves. Looking on the bright side, though, the Buffalo Sabres looked a lot better than I had expected. The last 15 seconds were pretty depressing, though. On to the next game!

 The Sabres play tonight, December 28th, at 7:00 PM against the New Jersey Devils. This is another opportunity for Buffalo to pull ahead in the standings, since a lot of teams are hovering at around 40 points. As of right now, the Sabres have 39 points.

Dec

22

I think I enjoyed tonight’s game more than any other this season. The Sabres played a very nice game, even though some of their chances were due to Philadelphia’s mistakes. Still, the momentum was on the right bench for the majority of the evening, owing to an excellent start. I was also very impressed with the consistency in playing styles. There were some spotty performances, especially during the second period, yet overall I think this was a very solid game for Buffalo! The defense shone brightly, where bodies flew in front of pucks and the penalty kill team was able to clear the puck many times. Toni Lydman easily may have saved the game with about 1 second left when he threw himself in front of a shot. We really need plays like that, provided they don’t damage the players. Case in point: Lydman, back in the day when he took a puck to the mouth. Ouch!

The offensive production finally came out of the woodworks tonight, generating 5 goals. Just when it seemed like the Sabres would lose 5-4 with around 8 seconds left, Jochen Hecht shot the puck and Thomas Vanek barely deflected it, sending Philadelphia into a stupor. It was almost a case of too little too late, but it worked! To finish it all off, Ales Kotalik scorched one past Biron for the only goal in the shootout. Recognition also goes to Max Afinogenov, Jason Pominville, and Jaroslav Spacek. They made the game complete, and made the holiday season a happy one for all Buffalo Sabres fans!

The Sabres will next play on December 26th at 7:00 PM against the Ottawa Senators. Go Sabres!

From all of us at Sabres Center Ice, we wish everyone a very happy holiday!

Dec

22

Last night was a spectacle to behold, and not only for the Sabres’ win. For one of the first times this season, the defense looked amazing and played a full 60 minutes. In all honesty, the blue liners are vital to any team, and Buffalo would be far from their current position, had it not been for Mr. Ryan Miller. To look at the defensive performances, though, one only needs to look at Jaroslav Spacek. That man was a machine last night, taking the fly out of Flyers! He was handed some tough penalties, leading to a comment by Jeanneret about how hockey is turning into ballet. Huge hits and physical playing styles make up the hockey world, and it was a little disheartening to see the refs penalizing the Sabres for finally stepping up a few notches. This month has been a time of complete turn arounds, as the team is on a 5 game winning streak. Drew Stafford, Ales Kotalik, and Jochen Hecht each scored some exciting goals. On top of it all, this was a win against the Philadelphia Flyers!

The Sabres next play tonight, December 22nd, at 7:00 PM against none other than the Philadelphia Flyers again. If all goes well and the same aggressive style of play is used, we should see another amazing game!

Dec

19

Tonight was no pretty win for the Buffalo Sabres. The main concern was the lack of shots on goal taken throughout the game: The Islanders finished with a respectable 43 shots, while the Sabres managed a meager 17 shots. Granted, one could see this as an example of how fewer shots can mean more quality. It was painful to see the team struggling to get anything going, although there were a few good chances. Derek Roy scored in the first period, to put Buffalo into a 1-0 lead that would last about 16 minutes into the third period. The star of the night was Ryan Miller, who kept the Sabres alive all the way through the final seconds. Perhaps even more importantly, Max Afinogenov scored his sixth goal of the season, throwing himself ahead into the leadership role we all knew he deserved! There were the usual defensive problems, but the team was able to muster up enough luck to keep themselves in a winning position. December has proven to be a pretty successful month, and it is nice to see the Sabres doing very well!

Buffalo will next play some more great hockey on Friday, December 21st, at 7:30 PM against the Philadelphia Flyers. Not to sound cliché, but this is the first match-up between the Sabres and one of the ex-captains. We shall see how things go, although it is clear that the Sabres are turning into the team we had in mind over the summer.

Dec

16

Patrick Kane may have opened up the scoring for Chicago early in the hockey game, but Buffalo stormed back to take control of the game. The second and third periods were the times to make or break the game. During the middle period, it was important for the Sabres to score a few goals to pull ahead and command a lead. Thomas Vanek and Drew Stafford responded, allowing the team to generate more momentum. Furthermore, the final 20 minutes saw the Buffalo Sabres completely dominate the Blackhawks. To seal the win, Jason Pominville scored an empty net goal with about 45 seconds left, leading the team to a 3-1 victory. These last few games have illustrated how well this team plays, and fans have been given renewed hope for a successful second half of the season. Make sure to keep an eye on these Sabres: They might just be getting started!

Buffalo next plays on Wednesday, December 19th, at 7:00 PM against the New York Islanders. This will be an away game, but by no means does that indicate that the Sabres will not be able to continue winning. All they need to do is play!

Dec

14

If the Sabres ever had an issue with scoring regular goals, now we know that they can also score some strange goals! The Capitals struck first with pesky Ovechkin, but Buffalo had something to say about that. While shorthanded, Derek Roy took advantage of a relaxed play by Kolzig to score a much needed goal. Afinogenov also scored his fifth goal of the season. He has been a bit non-existant on the scoreboard for the majority of the season, although he has a lot to offer. His goal not only helped the Sabres, but also gave him that boost of confidence he needs. Stafford, Connolly, and Hecht also notched one goal a piece, leading the Buffalo Sabres to a well-deserved victory over Washington. In fact, Connolly came back after being smacked in the face with a puck to score the game winner!

The Sabres next play on Saturday, December 15th, at 7:00 PM against the Chicago Blackhawks. Could this be the start of an extended winning streak?

Dec

12

Aggression passes off in the game of ice hockey, and the Sabres learned that quite well tonight! The first and second periods saw a great deal of shots among both teams, yet Buffalo definitely focused on simply shooting the puck at pretty good moments. During the last game, over 40 shots saw only one goal. Tonight, many shots were taken, but the difference was in the quality. Nolan Pratt, Toni Lydman, Ales Kotalik, and Derek Roy scored during the first 40 minutes to show how the Buffalo Sabres can follow through. Of course, the Islanders played pretty well, where DiPietro mainly kept them playing. Still, the game ended up pretty close about 5 minutes into the third period, when the score was 4-3. It was good to see the Sabres finally scoring a decent amount of goals, yet it was nearly useless when the Islanders were able to keep the same pace. Mistakes in the defensive zone have marred the team the entire season, and things have not been improving as much as they should be.

The third period was a mix of ups and downs, as Jochen Hecht was able to notch one for the Sabres, but Drew Stafford’s apparent goal was waived off. Not surprisingly, Ryan Miller made some awesome saves, including one while he was laying down. Quite impressive! Fortunately, the energy continued rolling for Buffalo, and although the great plays were a bit far between, there was little to complain about. No one sat back, which is a sure-fire way to lose a game. Attack, defend, and attack some more!

Buffalo will next play on Friday, December 14th, at 7:00 PM against the Washington Capitals. We shall see if this momentum will continue into the weekend!

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