Shutdown Pair

Tag: Calgary

  • Winning Weekend Fans The Goalie ‘Controversy’ Flames

    Buffalo played Jhonas Enroth in both back to back games this weekend, and won both by one goal.  It certainly won’t mute the vocal minority who are now thinking that maybe Enroth should be the one to get 50-60 games this year.  I don’t think that’s what is happening here, Ruff is giving Ryan Miller some time to clear that horrible Flyers game out of his head, get the work in at practice, and come back with a vengeance.

    As for the games, the one on Friday against the Flames was about as perfect a game as Buffalo could play.  They peppered Calgary’s backup goalie with shots, with Stafford and Gerbe scoring in the 2-1 win.  It was night and day from the difficult to watch team that couldn’t seem to buy a good scoring chance, when they weren’t too busy giving the puck away.  Last night’s game against the Senators was more even and not quite as dominant, but still showed a lot of positive signs.  Robyn Regehr was wrecking dudes, Boyes and Leino both played very solidly, and Nathan Gerbe was a stud on the Leopold goal.  Derek Roy scored the other Buffalo goal, and also had the decider in the shootout.  Vanek and Boyes both contributed in the shootout as well to keep Buffalo alive.  These two games really seem like what we were expecting from the start of the season, the right guys contributing…save for the goalie.  REALLY interested to see how Enroth gets used in the up coming week, with a Tuesday home game against Winnipeg, another Friday/Saturday combo with a rematch against Ottawa and a trip to Boston, then a Monday game in Montreal.  Is he back to one game on the weekend?  Two?  I think if Miller plays well against Winnipeg, assuming he goes in for that one, we are back to the ‘schedule’ for Jhonas.  But if he plays against the Jets…

  • Gameday 2011-2012 – Flames at Sabres

    Well, that was an interesting week.  We see line shuffling, Miller chased in less than 7 minutes, Enroth holding the line for a comeback try, but ultimately still losing at home to the Flyers.  Kaleta gets suspended 4 games, and Corey Tropp is up to take his spot in the lineup.  Ready your Tropp-ic Thunder or Tropp-ical Storm puns now.

    So, Kaleta.  He definitely hit the dude in the head, I don’t know that he was trying to head-butt ’em, but it was a reckless play that contacted the head, so 4 games works.  The people spoke and Kaleta was the popular choice for most suspended Sabre, and now he’s got quite a lead.

    The Flames come in tonight for another 7:30pm start, off a 4-1 win in Detroit last night.  That’s right, Buffalo gets to be the rested team tonight.  Calgary is pretty much on par with the Sabres right now, with solid wins surrounding painful losses.  They’ve at least had the decency to win more than one at home, though.  Lindy is playing coy about which goalie plays tonight, as for Calgary, they play Kipper into the ground so it wouldn’t surprise me to see Kiprusoff out there.  Doesn’t help that backup Henrik Karlsson is 0-1-1 with a 3.32 GAA in his limited appearances.  We’ll probably know more after practice today.

  • Now, I love Jarome Iginla…

    …but as Scott points out a BSN, this is “Iginla for Pominville!” rumor is a big pile of nothing.  This all comes from a HockeyBuzz blog post by Garth, who says things like (not linking those guys, it’s the Stafford post if you must see it):

    I’ve been told that Pommer ($5.3 million cap hit, next three seasons) and Reggie ($2.75 million cap hit, next four seasons) would be a likely trade package to Calgary for Iginla.

    I would not be surprised at all if Buffalo were to trade Ville Leino to Calgary as part of an Iginla trade. Leino’s six year, $4.5 million UFA contract came as a shocker to all observers. Perhaps Regier grabbed Leino as a pre-emptive strike, at a value price, when he knew that he Buffalo was not a consideration to land Brad Richards on July 1. Leino is the proverbial “ghost man on first” right now. Regehr and Ehrhoff were introduced at pressers in Buffalo. Why hasn’t Leino been introduced to the people of Pegulaville?

    Now.  I probably owe my renewed love for hockey to Calgary and Jarome Iginla, as I had fallen away from the sport for a few years before the lockout (save going to the games a few times due to my buddy’s free Adelphia tix).  I loved watching the cup run the Flames made, and Jarome Iginla’s style of play is exactly what I love.  But that was years ago now.  Iggy isn’t a spring chicken, and I’m not sure trading two young, talented players for one older, more talented player with a rapidly approaching expiry date, is a good idea.  I wouldn’t kill them for it, but it would be a mark against ’em.

    What kills me is the Leino part of this, well, wouldn’t call it a rumor, more of a hope or speculation.  This isn’t the NBA, where sign-and-trade deals are a thing, and I think those are a thing because of the really odd salary structure they use (or did use, before they locked out).  Seems like a HUGE risk to sign a guy as trade bait, so I’m inclined to believe Darcy figured Richards was pretty set on NYR, and went after the next best guy he could get.  Also, who said Leino’s contract was ‘a value price’?  Anyone?  It may end up being one, the way Roy’s is now, but I can’t recall seeing ANYONE who thinks it is now.  Then there’s also the whole “Sabres need centers” thing.  Would be odd to trade him because of that, too.  The “Why hasn’t he been introduced?  HMM?” aspect might be the silliest.  Maybe the guy wasn’t available…he might be in Finland.  He might be lounging on a beach in Aruba.  It seems odd to immediately jump to ‘OMG he will be TRADED for IGGY asdfasdf;lksadjf’, but then again, I don’t write for HockeyBuzz.

  • Sabres Draft Six and Land Regehr

    To be honest, I wasn’t able to be as into the draft this year as I wanted to, thanks to family obligations and time constraints.  The players the Sabres drafted are here.  Some things haven’t changed from the past few years.  Most of them are big, over 6 feet tall.  Most are North American, though they finally broke out of that by drafting Joel Armia from Finland with their first pick (at 16).  From the report by Kris Baker on Armia, sounds like a guy to watch a couple of years down the road.

    The Sabres also got their man in Robyn Regehr, acquired in a trade from the Calgary Flames.  We also got Ales Kotalik back, who might play (he DID have his best years here) or who might go to Portlan–er, Rochester, or who could always go play in Europe.  Buffalo also nets a 2nd round pick next year, while giving up Chris Butler, who showed promise at times but could never seem to get past Sekera on the depth chart, and Paul Byron.  Regehr is big and tough and migh just settle in as a partner for Tyler Myers.  It’s one of those spots people thought needed to be addressed this offseason (a veteran D, a top-flight C), and it didn’t cost the Sabres too much.  There are plenty of good prospects still stacked up, and there’s room for more deals to be done.

  • Burned to a Crisp

    Hey, I’m making a Flames joke after that game, OK?  What utter crap.  If there was any doubt that the Sabres are done for the year, I think it’s gone.  Here is another game where they the opponent is supposedly just as bad, but the team didn’t show up.  Miller wasn’t great, the power play went 0-fer, and Ales Kotalik and Olli Jokinen both scored on them.  Kind of embarrassing, really.  Love that Drew Stafford scored (might he finally figure things out?) and of course, the Kaleta.  They turn right back around tonight in Edmonton (another 9pm game).

    By the way, lay off Mark Jeanneret, guys.  He’s filling in for a legend, who is also his dad, and the biggest problem (volume) should’ve had a technical fix.  Let’s give him time.

  • That’s Decidedly NOT Great, Derek

    By now you’ve probably heard the news:  top center Derek Roy is out 4-6 months, due to a quad tendon tear.  The surgery is scheduled in the next few days.  Considering the next guy down the depth chart is Tim ‘I just had my face rebuilt from spare parts) Connolly, that leaves Buffalo extremely thin at center.  Derek lead the team in assists and points, and was second behind Thomas Vanek with 10 goals.  I guess this is one way to get Luke Adam back in the lineup.  Ugh.

    What this goes to show is how lacking this team is in the heart department.  I keep coming back to the teams from 05-07 and how they soldiered on despite player after player dropping from the lineup.  Whether it was Biron stepping in and rattling off 13 straight wins when Miller was out, or rallying around their injured captain and beating Ottawa that night and continuing to win some games after that after the infamous brawl (down 6+ players for much of that).  Why does that not happen now?  Was it really Drury and Briere that drove that?  Jay McKee?  We thought Grier was, and Rivet seemed like the kind of guy that would bring that, but look at where they are.  Back in ’06, if one guy went down, whatever, someone else will step in.  The system would adjust.  Now?  It seems like the balance is so delicate even when things are going well that one minor change sends things into a death spiral.

    Where do the Sabres go from here?  I’ve already looked at tradeable assets, and it seems more likely that Buffalo WILL be sellers.  Unfortunately, it’s hard to justify trading Connolly when he might very well be the only ‘healthy’ center here.  Goose needs to say on the third line, so Luke Adam should see time on the second.  They can trade Rivet if anyone wants him.  Beyond that, it’s just playing out the string on a lost season, and giving guys like Weber, Gerbe, and Ennis as much time as possible to prove they belong.

    The ONLY way Buffalo shouldn’t gear up for next year right now is if they can pull off a deal for one of the big-name forwards rumored to be available, Jarome Iginla or Brad Richards.  Richards makes the most sense, being a center, and if there is one thing that Buffalo has in abundance it’s picks and prospects other teams will covet.  He’s got an NTC, and is playing for a team that’s challenging for 1st in the west.  Dallas may not be able to re-sign him, and their ownership situation is unsettled, but it doesn’t make much sense for either side to move at this point.  Especially to go somewhere which has some ownership questions also.

    I’ll be watching what does (or doesn’t) happen after the freeze with interest.  We’ll find out soon whether Darcy and company have decided to go for broke, or for next year.