Shutdown Pair

Category: NHL

  • Gameday 2011-2012 – Flyers at Sabres

    Hmm, so not only do we have former Flyer Ville Leino centering the first line, but Roy is at the point on the power play, with Gragnani out of the equation.  Might we get a Mike Weber sighting?  Lindy wouldn’t say, but it wouldn’t be a huge surprise.  The Flyers come in without Danny Briere who is nursing sore ribs.  Sorry, boo-birds, your ownly chance to boo him will be when they announce the scratches.  Pronger is also out after nearly having his eye scooped out.

    I know that it’s the first meeting after the Flyers eliminated the Sabres from the playoffs, but I just don’t feel any great anger at them for it.  I mean, I always dislike the Flyers, and that didn’t increase it any.  Maybe it’s the hangover from the Pegula effect.  Leino will doubtless have some butterflies playing his old mates, perhaps moreso because it hasn’t gone that well here.

    It’s another 7:30pm start time tonight, and it’s on Versus, so plan accordingly.

  • Calder Watch – Luke Adam to the Second Line

    It happened even faster than I figured, but Leino has taken over the top C spot with Pominville and Vanek, while Luke Adam gets put on the wing with Derek Roy and Drew Stafford.  Still, it’s not a bad place to be, as Derek Roy is a point per game guy when healthy, and Stafford can be a solid goal scorer.  But it’s still not the same as being between two guys in the top 10 for scoring in the entire league.  This could be a short-lived experiment if Vanek and Pominville look lost with Leino out there, but Lindy’s thinking is to get both lines going.  I can’t fault him for that.  Roy is an important player who hasn’t gotten going yet (1G 3A) and it’ll be interesting to see if Adam can help with that.  It’s a good test to see if he’s really a benefit to his linemates, or he was simply the beneficiary of sitting between two of the best point producers on the Sabres.

  • While you were sleeping…

    I don’t check the standings religiously this early in the season, but I saw them today and did a bit of a double-take.  In case you haven’t seen them either, Buffalo is now behind both Toronto AND Ottawa in the Northeast division, with Montreal 2 points behind.  There’s still plenty of time, no question there, but it’s a bit disconcerting to say the least.  Ottawa is supposed to be terrible, but they’ve won 6 straight.  They haven’t exactly been taking on intimdators (Columbus, Florida, Carolina, the Rangers) but you beat the teams you play and they are doing that.  Buffalo can’t afford to lay eggs when playing all the middling to bad teams, especially at home.

    So what’s wrong?  I think you have to start with the defense.  Myers has looked unsure of what to do at times, which is unlike him when he’s playing well.  He’s waiting too long to decide on whether to go for a pass or just clear the puck, and opponents are reaching him and making the decision for him.  Ehrhoff isn’t great defensively, but Canucks fans could’ve told us that.  He’s gotta be scoring if he’s not going to be defending.  Gragnani has just been a train wreck out there recently, passes to nowhere, difficulty in breakouts, pretty much everything seems hard for him.  Will not be surprised to see Mike Weber get a shot Wednesday.

    It’s not time to panic and trade everybody, but Buffalo can’t afford to be standing still for too much longer.  They just might end up where they were last January,with no new ownership boost available to save them.

  • Poll: Your Feelings on Jhonas Enroth

    (hey, if they are going to blame calls for Enroth on blogs, might as well make it official!)

    [poll id=”5″]

    Meant to be tongue-in-cheek, as we all know Miller is the guy.  Just curious.

  • Panthers VS Sabres Game Notes

    First period thoughts:  Passing is squirrelly at best.  Miller made some solid saves.  McCormick/Ellis/Boyes did some good work out there but they can’t be the best line.  Sekera had some good plays, Gragnani needs to learn how to receive a pass.  Myers is still having a rough go, with the penalty and some tough plays around his own net.  I’m fine with the goal not counting, could’ve gone either way but when the foot moves forward, and the refs started discussing it right off.  Personal note:  I almost cheered in the pressbox.  Bad Tick.

    Second period thoughts:  Vanek went Atlas on his goal, but the D is still just slinging pucks all over the pace and hoping the right guys get them.  They are lucky this is the Panthers and not the Capitals.  The Sabres seemed to pick up their play and operate a bit more coherently after Vanek’s goal, so hopefully that can continue on into the third.  Theodore has looked beatable, but they’ve gotta get more shots – only 14 after 2 periods.  Not enough.  Personal note:  I like the hot dogs up here better than the ones they sell at the concession stands.  Which isn’t saying much.

    Third period thoughts:  Silent J fizzled on a breakaway.  Gragnani is still a wreck.  Just when you thought it was safe to plan for a win, the wheels fell off.  Perhaps the retaliation penalty by Stafford was a sign of things to come.  Gerbe getting the extra 2 was deadly.  There were still too many passes that were sent on their way with no thought to destination.  While they got a few more shots in, it was in no way enough.  Miller definitely could’ve been better but you can’t lay it at his door, not totally.  Seemed like no one was on the same page, except maybe McCormick/Ellis/Boyes.  A tough loss to swallow.  Personal note:  Not sure I want my first post-game press conference to be with Angry Lindy.

    Post-game presser thoughts:  Lindy was ticked with their effort, using words like pathetic, disjointed and the like.  Didn’t want to say too much about the calls.  On a personal note, Vogl works blue and I had a difficult time not throwing down a #feces reference.  It’s interesting to see the regulars operate there, there’s a hierarchy in place for questioning, though I don’t think too many wanted to gamble on getting an earful back for a dumb question tonight.

    Anyway, it was a great experience.  I want to thank Ian Ott, Kevin Snow and the Buffalo Sabres for the opportunity.  I think I will do this again, though it’ll be easier once my wife is off work again.  Philly comes to town on Wednesday, a 7:30pm start game on Versus, so plan accordingly.

  • Gameday 2011-2012 – Panthers at Sabres

    I’m in the pressbox for this one, as the Sabres host the Panthers this lovely evening.  Florida is in the building at 5-4-0 having just lost to the Senators (ugh).  They might have something in young goalie Jacob Markstrom, who has a 2.11 GAA and a .945 save percentage so far.  Positively Enrothian numbers, that.  I’m going to focus in on Tyler Myers and Luke Adam as much as I can, I’m really curious to see how much of the top line’s performance is due to the youngster and how much is just him being in the right place at the right time.  Myers, well, I just want to see what he’s doing wrong to maybe figure out how hard it will be for him to change it up.

    I’ll be active on twitter tonight, though I might save my best stuff for my game recap.

  • Calder Watch – Luke Adam

    I did this for Tyler Myers during his eventual Calder winning season, so I thought I’d bring it back for Luke Adam with his hot start.  Centering Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville certainly agrees with the young man, as he is second in rookie scoring with 8 points (3G 5A).  He’s getting solid minutes, including 2 minutes a game of power play time.  With what amounts to the top line center role, he’s facing tough competition each night.  He’s had a few offensive lapses, but it seems Lindy is going to stick with the kid through them.

    Adam’s main competition for the Calder trophy so far would be Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (5G 4A) and Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog (4G 2A).  Both have more goals early on, but what they have on Luke that would really help them is name recognition.  Assuming both stay with the big club and don’t get sent back to a Junior team (where applicable), both are recent high draft picks that are highly touted.  I feel Adam and other lesser known potential candidates like Craig Smith or Raphael Diaz would have to significantly outperform RNH and Landeskog to get the trophy.  Still, it’s not out of the question for it to happen, especially if Adam keeps getting time between Pominville and Vanek.  I’ll be updating this weekly throughout the season.

  • Sabres Hold Off Jackets

    Giving up 40+ shots isn’t how you want to win, but a strong performance from Jhonas Enroth allowed the Sabres to do just that last night.  Vanek/Adam/Pominville continue to dominate, with Pommers scoring twice, Vanek assisting on 3, and Brad Boyes scoring again.  There were penalties and giveaways, guys named Cody fighting, and a Kaleta goal celebration.  It was the sort of game where you are happy you won but you still work the team twice as hard so they don’t get it in their heads that this was okay.  Still, it was entertaining as hell to watch.  Two of the goals came on the powerplay, which looked to have better puck and player movement.  That’s one thing they don’t have to forget, at least.

    The Sabres will be back at it tomorrow night against the Panthers, and I might be in the pressbox for that one.

  • Gameday 2011-2012 – Blue Jackets at Sabres

    The Columbus Blue Jackets come in for a visit tonight at the First Niagara Center, coming off their first win of the season.  It was the first game back for James Wisniewski after his long suspension from the Shan-hammer.  The Sabres, of course, are still looking for their first win at the FNC, but they should have a decent chance to get one tonight or Saturday against the Panthers.  For all the Miller talk in the Yahoo game preview, Jhonas Enroth gets this game.  A good place to get him in, and a good sign that Lindy is going to actually play him 25 games as it’s NOT a back to back situation.

    7pm start.  Time to get on a roll.

  • A Fighting-Friendly Visor Solution

    Thanks to Chris Pronger nearly getting his eye popped out of it’s socket, the mandatory visor debate has started up again full force.  Fighting always gets lumped into this argument at some point, since fighting with a visor is considered by many as unseemly.  You can have the pugilists doff their caps before the bout, but that removes an important layer of protection for when one or both combatants fall to the ice.  I imagine orthopedists recommend not punching a hard plastic face shield with your fist also.

    ANOTHER TIME, GAUSTAD!

    So what’s the solution?  I say go ahead and make visors mandatory…and replace fistfights with stick battles.  Now, you’d still have to have a rule against striking someone in the head with your stick, but imagine the sight of Zdeno Chara skating in on his target, holding his monstrous stick in front of him like a broadsword. His opponent (Paul Gaustad, let’s say) deftly deflects Chara’s first few swings but is hard pressed.  However, a wild swing from the brute leaves him exposed, and Goose knocks the stick from the Kurgan – er, Chara’s hands and wins the day.  You can’t tell me you wouldn’t want to see that.

    In all seriousness, I don’t know how much longer fighting will be considered compatible with a league lurching toward caring about player safety.  I enjoy a good hockey fight that happens for a reason other than “well, I’m a good and you’re a goon, and we’re both out here, so…”, but if it were decided that the game would be better without it, I would be fine with it.