Shutdown Pair

Category: NHL

  • On The New Celebrities

    It was an interesting experience the other night, during the Penguins game.  With the fanbase giddy from the outgoing ownership presser, another discovery was made – Terry Pegula’s daughters were on Twitter.  My first reaction was ‘cool’.  I didn’t think much would come of it, but then they (especially Jessie) began to engage with us.  It’s a pretty unique situation – I can’t recall ever having the children of a team owner being this publicly available (other than the grown-up ones that get VP titles).  We’re kind of in uncharted territory here.

    I laughed a bit at first at some of the concerned noises coming from the media regarding them, but honestly there are some things they should watch out for – and some things WE as fans need to keep in mind as well.  First, I’d like to apologize in advance for the morons on Twitter that will be rude, vulgar and disgusting to them, especially after the first decision their dad makes which is unpopular.  Block early and often, and don’t feel bad about it.  On the flip side, the rest of us need to remember that they will probably not be involved in running the team now, or heck, maybe ever.  I can imagine that even joking “haha, put a good word in with your dad for x player” comments will get old quick.

    Actually, on that – I was listening to WGR the other day, and one of the hosts (can’t remember if it was Jeremy or Schopp) was worried that Terry wouldn’t want to trade Roy as an example, since Derek Roy is Jessie’s favorite player.  Uh, really?  I think the billionaire businessman might be able to make a hard decision or two.  This isn’t Veruca Salt, “but I want a first line center NOOOOW!”.  Puh-leeze.

    I guess what I’m trying to say is, they are fans, like us.  They tweet, they blog, but they themselves don’t own anything.  Behave yourselves, and show them what the City of Good Neighbors really means.

  • Pegula, Vanek, and Golisano

    On a day where almost every other team played (minus one game cancelled due to the ‘storm’), several Sabres related stories dominated our discussions yesterday.  First, Terry Pegula really is buying the Sabres.  And yes, even Larry Quinn is no longer denying it.  Tom Luongo and Katebits of The Willful Caboose both say thanks to Mr. Golisano, and I’d like to pass mine along as well.  When I first moved up here, as a hockey fan but not specifically a fan of a team hardcore (I followed the Blackhawks mostly because they were good in my old EA NHL games on SNES), I attended a few games pre-lockout in a half-empty arena thanks to handouts given to my Adelphia employee buddy.  I enjoyed going, but it was tough to buy in when words like contraction, bankruptcy, and Mark Hammister were being thrown around.  I had no illusions that a Rochester businessman with political aspirations buying the team meant he would become the next Mark Cuban, but the team stayed, got some steals in trade and FA that helped the team compete, and lowered ticket prices and increased attendance.  All of which improved the in-arena experience and franchise viability, but more importantly made going to the games FUN.  While it’s been a bumpy ride more recently, we should definitely remember how far down they were back in 2003 and how far Tom has brought them.  Thanks, Mr. Golisano.

    Amidst the fist-pumping over the ‘official’ sale of the team (press conference tomorrow at noon BTW), was the more puzzling news that Darcy Regier was extended through the 2012-2013 season…and Lindy Ruff turned his extension down but wants to remain with the team.  Curious timing, as this would’ve gone down the first time (?) Pegula tried to buy the team in the fall.  I’m not sure what to make of Regier, though I’ve always felt he wants to be more of a wheeler-dealer but was being held back by those above him.  Perhaps we’ll see that at the deadline this year, and if Pegula is pleased, he can stay.  Ruff, I think, knows he has options after this year if he doesn’t like where the Sabres go after the sale but I agree with the sentiment that he’s more likely to stick around.

    We also learned that Thomas Vanek has been battling a bruised finger (as well as missing practice with the flu).  Considering he had 5 goals and 11 assists in his last 12 games, along with plenty of rest time leading up to Friday’s game, I’m not concerned.

  • All’s Quiet

    The Sabres don’t play until Friday, so posting may be sparse unless we get Pegula’d.  Let’s root for Carolina and Atlanta losses, and I’ll see you back here soon.

  • Semin and other Enigmatic Hockey Players

    Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy set off quite a discussion yesterday when he referred to Alexander Semin as ‘enigmatic’.  Apparently that’s not okay.  It got me to thinking, what is it that gets you that label?  It’s a pretty common tag, so there must be some common criteria that come into play.

    First, let’s get the definition of enigmatic:  Difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious.

    Okay, so who are the enigmas?  Here are guys who came up (some repeatedly) if searching for ‘Enigmatic *position*’:

    Enigmatic wingers:  Wojtek Wolski, Alexei Kovalev, Lee Stempniak, Alexander Frolov, Miroslav Satan, Nikolay Zherdev, Alexander Semin

    Enigmatic centers:  Olli Jokinen, Derick Brassard, Alexei Yashin, Tim Connolly, Jason Spezza, Pavol Demitra, Daniel Alfredsson

    Enigmatic defensemen: Sami Salo, Joni Pitkanen, Dion Phaneuf, Marek Zidlicky, Dennis Wideman, Chris Pronger (huh?), Cam Barker (double huh?), Michal Rozsival, Derek Morris

    Looking at the list, there are a few criteria that jump out:

    1. Be European – almost all of the players on the list are from Europe.  It’s easy to be considered ‘mysterious’ or ‘difficult to understand’ if you literally can’t understand what they say or speak through an interpreter.
    2. One Good Year – some of the non-Euros on the list fell victim to having one good year.  Lee Stempniak is the best example, scoring 14 goals in 18 games after getting traded to Phoenix.  He has 14 goals in 51 games so far this year, and one previous year of 27.  Beyond that, nothing over 14.
    3. Long term injuries – A couple of the guys here (including Semin) have had injuries, some of which kept them out for a while.  But it’s the ones we find out about after the fact (like Vanek the past few games) that can feed into Enigma status.
    4. Be expected to score (and not) – Nobody pays close enough attention to the 4th line plug to care whether he’s gone 10 games without a point, or hasn’t scored in a playoff series.

    Using these criteria, you can see where the ‘enigma’ label comes from, but should it be valid for Semin?  I think it is, but only because the label doesn’t truly mean anything.  Gabe at Behind the Net broke down the Caps’ loss to Montreal as the sort of bad stretch that happens in a short sample size like a playoff series.  Combine that with being european, and you get ‘enigmatic’ instead of just saying snakebit or struggling.  You are less likely to hear about a nagging injury or something he’s working on in practice from someone like Semin with the language difference.  We KNOW what Iginla is thinking, if he goes 15 games without scoring, because he’s talking every night about it.

    This reminds me of when Maxim Afinogenov was here.  He certainly wasn’t the first Sabre to struggle and not score for long stretches, but he bore the weight of that ‘enigmatic’ label.  The thing is, we’d go weeks without hearing from Max while out fan-frustration with his performance would build.  Paul Gaustad doesn’t get the enigma label, but we see him on commercials every broadcast, he’s on the news, we know him.  He can frustrate us, but that word enigma doesn’t come into play.

  • Take a breath

    The Buffalo Sabres come into the All-Star break on a surprisingly good note, considering where they were even a few weeks ago.  8th place is in their reach, 6 points back with 3 games in hand on Atlanta, though before the year I’m certain most of us wouldn’t have pictured being happy about that but it’s what we have.  Even though the team is rolling a bit over the last 13 games, the break comes at a good time for the health of guys like Stafford, Kaleta, Vanek, maybe Montador, and Miller who could use a rest.

    The next game is February 4th against the Pens, and the 3 weeks after that leading to the trade deadline will tell the story.  It *should* be possible for the Sabres to make up ground with multiple games against Toronto, along with games against Ottawa, Florida, the Isles (well…), and Atlanta (a great chance to help themselves).  Get your points there, do some good work against the likes of Detroit, Washington and Tampa and see what happens.

    The trade deadline is the thing, though, isn’t it?  Despite Darcy Regier’s best efforts, it hasn’t been kind to the Sabres for several years.  Heck, I’ve liked some of the guys picked up but, well, hear it from Darcy:

    “One of the hard parts isn’t just finding good players but players that fit. That’s the challenge.”

    I’m pondering the roster this year, and I’m not honestly sure what the move is.  It’s easy to say they need scoring, but what team wouldn’t want that?  Heck, who do you move?  The ones we want to get rid of, nobody wants, and I think we generally like all of our prospects that we’ve gotten to see so far (even Byron scored, and Gerbe is on fire).  I don’t envy Regier’s position this year, especially with the specter of ownership ‘changes’ hanging over.

  • Nathan Gerbe: Saving the Season

    It might be a bit of an exaggeration, but there’s no denying the impact the diminutive winger is having on the Sabres right now.  He had a goal against the Islanders yesterday, and had the only 2 scored against the Isles in the previous 5-2 smack down the Sabres endured.  In that game, it seemed only Ennis, Gerbe, Gragnani and Vanek even played.  Gerbe has 5 of his 6 goals in the past 6 games, is on a 3 game goal scoring streak, and has no problem mucking with guys who double his weight.  Nathan registered 18 shots in the past 3 games.  He’s playing like a kid that wants to stick, and they’ll need his scoring while Roy is out if the Sabres still think they can make the playoffs.

  • How an NHL Guardians Cartoon Could Work

    Having read Puck Daddy’s breakdown of the future of the Guardian Project (i.e. it’s with us for a while), and I got to thinking about ways it could be improved.  Specifically, their problem with creating a cartoon or other TV show around it.  It was mentioned that the dude from GME (Guardian Media Entertainment) balked at doing a show centered around 4 characters.  However, I think that could work, and what show do they need to look at for inspiration?  Captain N:  The Game Master.  Yes, I went there.  In Captain N, there was a core group of characters each week (for our purposes, you could have The Capital, The Penguin, The Red Wing, and another of your choice), and then have each episode center around assisting one of the other Guardians in their ‘realm’ or home rink or what not.  Include cameos from that team’s star players if you like.  The heroes bicker but ultimately come together just in time to defeat the villain, and shake hands at the end (well, not the Penguin).  Hey, if they play up the campiness like Pro-Stars or Captain N, it just might work.  What say you?

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Sabres at Bruins

    It’s these guys again, and this time no Drew Stafford to save us, who’s nursing a groin injury and is out for the next game or two.  Marc-Andre Gragnani gets the call this time instead of Luke Adam, who was sent down to Portland after Kaleta returned.  Boston’s offense has come alive of late, since losing to the Sabres 7-6 they have mixed in 6-0 and 7-0 shutouts, and a 7-5 win over Philly.

    A win tonight puts Buffalo back in 10th, and Carolina would be the next target (before today’s action they are 5 points ahead, playing the Rangers).  The Canes lost two straight to Boston (one of which is that 7-0 shutout).

  • A Bad Win

    There may not really be any such thing, but Buffalo can’t afford to give up points to division teams.  Net positive, yes, but time is running out, and 3 point games (as much as you might hate them) just don’t help enough.  Gotta get wins in regulation time here.  The Sabres have 3 teams to jump, and the more they play, the more this looks like 2 and 3 years ago – 10th place.  Blech.

  • Standing Still

    Just one of those Buffalo things, people will say.  The Sabres have put together a solid run here, going 4-1-1 in the last 6.  Vanek (3G 5A) and Stafford (5G 3A) each have 8 points during that time, and Gaustad/Gerbe/McCormick have been playing well for some secondary scoring.  And yet, they are still 8 points out of a playoff spot.  That’s the problem with being on the outside looking in – you need help.  Like I mentioned in a previous post, the Sabres can help themselves later this month with games against Boston and Montreal.  They have to keep winning other games for that to matter, though.

    Other random thoughts:

    • Wasn’t it nice hearing RJ on TV last night?  Felt so comfortable.
    • Sure wish Commander Cody got to really fight last night, was over too quick.  Really starting to like McCormick.
    • Jeff Skinner is a player.
    • I still hate Carolina.