Shutdown Pair

Tag: Derek Roy

  • Oh, Kovy…

    Were it not for the fact he’s making a cubic buttload of money over the next 15 years, you’d almost feel sorry for Ilya Kovalchuk.  It’s obvious that he WANTS to help his team out but the harder he tries, the worse it goes.  Sort of like a Ben Stiller movie, it’s almost too embarrassing to watch.

    A lot of positives for Buffalo last night, with many of the big names contributing.  Derek Roy scored both in regulation and the shootout, Tyler Myers had a goal and 2 assists, and the +3 goes a long way towards getting him back where he belongs.  Enroth had an up and down game but made big saves when it counted (until he didn’t have to, thanks to Kovalchuk).  Is there any reason Enroth shouldn’t be the backup right now?  Leggio is killing it for the Pirates (currently 7-1), so let the Williamsville native take the reins.  How much of a loss is it if Lalime is lost via waivers, really?

  • Some Random Thoughts

    I have a few rare minutes to sit and write, but of course, I didn’t get to see the win against the Leafs.  I am a big fan of Enroth, saw some of his World Jr. work, so I was glad to see him do well.  Watching the highlights and reading random stuff:

    • Love that even the Leafs’ arena crew were fooled by Jhonas’s stop on MacArthur.
    • Love Enroth’s mask even more.
    • Hey, Komisarek, I know fights after clean hits are stupid, but man up and actually fight.  Montador never wins, anyway.  Don’t wrestle him down and then punch.
    • Nice chipshot, Roy.
    • JOCHEN.
    • Enroth had to make some tough, tough saves on breakaways and 2 on 1’s.  Is Lalime making those?
    • Really need to work on that ‘The Two Tylers’ shirt concept.  Ennis!

    Should hopefully get to see most of the games this week.

  • The Sabres in October

    October record:  3-7-2

    Overall record:  3-7-2

    Buffalo came into the season with some expectations, as a playoff team from the year before with it’s ‘core’ intact (for better or worse).  I felt that the changes that were made should at least be even swaps.

    So what happened?  Unfortunately, there’s quite a few things that have gone wrong:

    • Jason Pominville’s injury.  He still hasn’t passed his test to get back on the ice.  Perhaps someone should send him Brain Age and a DS to work his brain out a bit.
    • The power play.  6 for 46, 13% won’t cut it.  With the close games they’ve been playing, one extra goal here or there makes all the difference.
    • Tyler Myers has struggled.  He hasn’t been the difference maker he was last year, though I think he might be coming around.  He’s still scoring, including having 2 of the 6 PPG.
    • Ryan Miller has been uneven.  He’s currently sporting a pedestrian .903 save percentage.  He’s bookended starts where he sparkled with games where he…hasn’t.  Not much help in front but some stolen games could be all they need to get on a roll.
    • Craig Rivet, benched.  Not good when you have to bench your captain.

    There is reason for hope, and some positive things to build on however:

    • Derek Roy.  He’s a point per game, with 6 goals (3 on the PP), and tied the recent Atlanta game with 8 seconds left to at least get the team a loser point.
    • Steve Montador is +9, which is part his good play, and part the competition he faces.  Still, he’s been solid since last year, so it’s good to see him getting some recognition.
    • Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford have been at or above my expectations, combining for 5 goals and 14 points.  Both are solidly plus players.

    In reality, the Sabres still only sit 2 games out of a playoff spot, with 70 more to play.  They have a goalie that has yet to play his best, and injured players that will be coming back.  The leash is short, though, before a ‘shake-up’ change begins to be something that I’d agitate for.  Still looking at you, Timmy…

  • Sabres and Pominville Fall to the Champs

    Most discussion of the game action went out the window when this happened:

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-4aH7nnPjc[/youtube]

    It was worth a 5min boarding major and a game misconduct for Niklas Hjalmarsson.  Definitely warranted that, and I believe it’s worthy of suspension.  If you watch the video, especially the angle from behind 29, you can see Hjalmarsson’s elbow/shoulder land straight in Pominville’s back, between the numbers.  He had plenty of time to adjust his route, go for the puck, or just not give the upward thrust with his shoulder (a la the Drury hit).  As a first time offender, I don’t see the 5-10 game suspension happening, not for a Blackhawk fresh off the Cup win, but there WILL be a consequence.  One game off, three if Colin Campbell’s wheel of justice spins a bit more wildly.  That said, this has completely removed any positive feelings I used to have for the Blackhawks, the first time I ever rooted for, before I moved up here.

    As for the rest of the game, the power play faltered, especially when they had a 5 minute long one.  Vanek is still snakebit, Derek Roy is a beast (?!), and Miller was stuck in no-man’s land on the Hossa breakaway.  After the mess in the first period, I’m inclined to just toss the rest of this one aside and retry things on Wednesday.

  • I’ll Take It

    I was camping this weekend, so I didn’t get to see any hockey or football, so I have no specific insight into any of the games.  Looking at the results, I am very happy Buffalo was able to beat the Senators, which is really the only thing I wanted out of the weekend.  Very good to see Derek Roy producing, Leopold and Morrisonn contributing, and Tyler Ennis in the mix too.  Beyond that, there’s not much I can say.  Hopefully will get the game on tonight.

  • Sabres End Preseason on a High Note

    While the Flyers dressed what amounts to the roster for their AHL team last night, a 9-3 win HAD to be fun for those present.  You can’t read a lot into it, other than, the guys who were supposed to score scored.  Such as Myers, Ennis, Gerbe, Stafford (1+3, nice job Angry Eyebrows), Roy, Pominville, and so on.  Kaleta knocked out Darroll Powe apparently.  Carcillo did…something to get ejected, no idea what.  Bring on the regular season!

  • Question: How do you pick your favorite player?

    Always kind of curious about this, as I’ve come into liking my favorite players in a few different ways.  I’ve come up with a few ways that people seem to decide on a guy, see if any of these types fit you:

    1. The best player on your favorite team:  You probably like Ryan Miller or Thomas Vanek.  It’s a great feeling to be watching someone who is going for a major trophy, or is starring in commercials, though some people will label you as a bandwagonner.
    2. Heart and soul guys:  You probably like Paul Gaustad or Mike Grier.  You know that goal scorers come and go, but the real glue of a team are the guys who bang bodies, go to the net, kill penalties, wear letters.  They might have gray in their beards.  These fans will talk about a player for years after they are gone, even if they only spent a year or two in town (say, Guerin in Pittsburgh).
    3. Eligible Bachelors:  I get the feeling that the younger puck bunnies go for (ugh) Derek Roy or Jason Pominville, while the non-teenager ones are more about the graybeard heart and soul guys mentioned above.  They have signs (and sometimes wear wedding dresses) for their favorites.  There may be some hockey knowledge, but it’s more about the guys.
    4. Fighters:  Most likely a fan of George Laraque, or Colton Orr, or even better, a fighter from the 70s or 80s that they obsess about.  They like MMA too, with the Tapout shirt and way out of date barbed wire tattoo giving them away.  Often these fans are unaware or at least uninterested in other aspects of hockey.
    5. Pity Party:  You like Drew Stafford, or Patrick Lalime.  Sometimes you just take a liking to the guy that’s getting kicked while he’s down.  You might very well do a doubletake if you see someone wearing their jersey.  Maybe this fan followed the player in college, or watched them tear up the AHL, and haven’t forgotten the glory days.

    I think that covers most situations.  Any disagreements?  Another category I missed?

  • What to Expect: Derek Roy

    Derek Roy led the team in points last year, had 26 goals with 10 on the powerplay, and managed only 2 assists in the playoffs.  He logs a lot of minutes (as a number one/two center should)).  So what will happen this year?  We’ll get more Cellino and Barnes, that’s for sure.

    Derek Roy is nothing if not consistently productive.  25-30 goals, 45 or so assists, solid power play contributor.  I’d have no problem predicting him to be right in that range again.  He’s been healthy, another plus as compared to Timmy.  Roy is the more tradeable of these two, with a $4mil cap hit to boot, but like I said for TC there really aren’t too many better options on the market so I wouldn’t hold my breath.

    A bit of a confession – I don’t hate Derek.  Since he’s cut down on the yapping and the diving, I’m perfectly fine with him being on the team.  It wouldn’t break my heart to see him and his fauxhawk somewhere else, but there darn well better be a 30 goal scorer returning.

  • What to Expect: Thomas Vanek

    Note:  To keep things moving during the off-season, I’m starting a series of posts looking ahead to next season, trying to determine just what we can expect to get out of certain players.

    Let’s start at the top, shall we?  Thomas Vanek had what is a down year by his standards, scoring 28G + 25A to equal 53 points.  That’s still 1st on the team in goals and 4th in points.  He missed 11 regular season games, with various injuries (‘lower body injury’, sometimes ‘abdominal strain’).  I don’t consider Vanek injury prone yet, as the jaw injury was a freak accident that would knock anybody for a loop.

    Vanek might just be the toughest to figure out for next season.  He’s just entering his prime, so in a vacuum I’d have no problem pencilling him in for 35 goals, 40 assists (with a stretch goal all the way up at 45+ goals).  HOWEVER, the problem I have with doing that has nothing to do with Atlas, and everything to do with his teammates.  Vanek suffered from lackluster play from his centers and opposite wingers, and he more than anyone relies on other players getting shots on net that he can tip or scoop up on the rebound.  I hate to bang on the ‘Darcy do something!’ drum too much, but a change on the top 6 might be just what the doctor ordered for our one true goal-scoring threat.

    So where does that leave Thomas Vanek?  Right now I can’t imagine him having more than 30-35 goals with the current ‘core’.  It’s possible he’ll rediscover his chemistry with Roy or Connolly if they are still around, but I am not counting on it.

  • UFA! UFA! UFA!

    Since the Buffalo Sabres have been eliminated for a while now, I think it’s safe to take a look at the pending UFAs and see who we want to bring back.  The Sabres got out ahead of us, by announcing the signing of Mike Grier to a 1 yr, $1.4 million deal the other day.  He said right off he wanted to be back, so this was the easiest decision GMDR and company have made.  Grier is an important part of the PK as well as being the sort of hard worker you want the younger guys learning from and leaning on.

    The rest of the UFAs, with last season’s cap hit after:

    • Raffi Torres – $2,250,000
    • Adam Mair – $758,333
    • Matt Ellis – $500,000
    • Toni Lydman – $2,875,000
    • Henrik Tallinder – $2,562,500
    • Patrick Lalime – $1,000,000

    Not including the AHL roster filler guys like Joe DiPenta (although Cody McCormick did make an impression).  Looking at the forwards, I’d be fairly certain Raffi Torres is not sticking around.  He just never found ‘it’ here, and he has his sights set on other locales anyway.  Mair and Ellis are a bit different, though.  It’s easy to say ‘let them both go!’ and bring in Gerbe or Ennis or someone like that, but it’s not that simple.  Mair has stuck around longer than you’d imagine, simply due to the fact that he’s one of the few ‘tough’ Sabres.  But there are guys coming up (Zack Kassian, for one) who can provide that with more upside.  Matt Ellis seems more likely to be back, especially if he is willing/able to go on a two-way deal.  Lindy seems to be a big fan, and he has been a consistent effort guy, which you can’t always say for the top six as currently formed.

    For the defense (your honor), Tallinder and Lydman are both heading towards free agency.  Keeping both seems unlikely, but I’m not sure which one I would choose.  Lydman may be better all around, but I also have a hard time letting go of the guy Tyler Myers developed so much chemistry with.  Keeping neither is also an option, though the questions around Rivet’s shoulder might make at least one coming back more likely.

    As for backup goalie, Patrick Lalime may be the best option out there as far as a guy willing to take that role, unless Marty Biron decides it’s worth coming back.  To be honest, the numbers weren’t much different last year between the two, but Marty is still a fan favorite and has an obvious love of the area.  Management is probably comfortable with either guy, so the wants and needs of other teams may be the biggest factor here.

    A trade involving the upper half of the roster is still possible, and I know some of you are hoping it’s likely, to give the forward lines a bit of a shakeup.  I don’t think that does much to change what the Sabres do with these guys, though.  Will be looking at RFAs another time.