Shutdown Pair

Tag: Hockey

  • The Sabres Blogger Summit

    I was having my fun with this yesterday, tweeting a few reasons why I’m not attending, but of course, I wasn’t actually invited to tomorrow’s event.  One wonders how the attendees were picked, but we’ll never know.  Am I too nice to the team?  Do I not blog enough?  Am I not enough of a squeaky wheel?  I wonder.  Anyway, I was surprised when it was announced that we could watch the proceedings.  No better way to make the more amateur bloggers (as in, the ones that don’t go on the radio or what not) nervous than to put ’em on video.

    In all seriousness, the folks that are going are a great crew, and we should get some solid information out of it.  If it goes well, hopefully it becomes a regular thing.  Have fun guys!

  • Sabres Sign Pysyk

    Multiple reports have the Sabres signing 2010 1st rounder Mark Pysyk to his entry level contract, though he is most likely going to return to juniors next season for a fourth season.  Sabres Prospects has the rundown including Mark’s recent stats.  He captained the team, and seems likely to be on Canada’s next World Junior Championships team.

    Pysyk is active on Twitter, mostly chirping his Edmonton Oil Kings teammates, and creeping on Taylor Swift.  Were he to make the team next year (an outside shot, he can do the 9 game tryout if he really impresses at camp), he might just be the first Sabres tweeter since Drew Stafford.  That we know of, anyway.

  • Sabres Sign Foligno

    Marcus Foligno, that is.  Combine Foligno with Kassian and an increased role from Weber (and a few others on the roster now), and this is a Sabres team that is getting tough in the next few years.

    Foligno posted career highs in goals (23), assists (36) and points (59) for Sudbury of the Ontario Hockey League. The league’s coaches also named him the best body checker in the Eastern Conference.

    Best body checker?  I’ll take that.  Buffalo has some strong, talented players in the pipeline, and think I might love how this team looks and plays in a couple of years.  This year too, maybe, depending on how the offseason goes.  Let’s make some moves!

  • On Vanek and Stamkos

    Let me preface all this with:  I don’t think anyone will do an offer sheet on Stamkos, least of all the Buffalo Sabres.  I don’t think there’s an amount of money you could offer that would get him, no way Tampa let’s him go now that they finally seem ready to stay competitive again.

    That being said, the talk of Stamkos has gotten me thinking about Vanek and the Sabres.  There are two questions I’d like to put to you fine people:

    1.  Would Steven Stamkos score 50 goals as a member of the Sabres?

    2.  Will Thomas Vanek ever score 50 goals as a member of the Sabres?

    This is assuming Lindy Ruff is still coach, also.  For number one, I am thinking no, probably not.  He’d be a 40 goal guy, for sure, but I just don’t see Lindy Ruff using him in ways that would lead to 50+.  Would Ruff double-shift him?  Put him out for a whole power play?  Stamkos averages a full minute more of PP ice time than any Sabre – and that was Derek Roy.  Vanek was next at 3:15 per game.  You could look at it like this:  the Lightning had about 1 minute more per game of power play time, and Stamkos was always on the ice for it.  No, the ‘system’ wouldn’t have that happening.  Not that I think that’s completely bad – the system works when the parts are competent – but it’s enough that Stamkos would not eclipse the 50 goal mark.  He’d get the same grief Vanek got after signing his big offer sheet at that point, “we signed this guy and he’s not scoring???” even though it also wouldn’t be his fault.

    That brings us to question number 2.  I personally don’t think Vanek will ever break 50 goals, for much the same reasons as above.  Though I’d be interested to see him back with a true playmaking center now, with another working line of actual scoring to keep the pressure off.  Even with that, I think Lindy’s preference is to keep things more balanced, so Vanek would have to go OFF (think Stafford hat tricks last year with his normal tip-ins and deflections).  Don’t see it happening.

    Don’t agree?  Comment away…let’s kill off some of this ‘no Sabres hockey’ time.

  • 2011 Sabres Untouchables

    With a little distance from the Sabres’ playoff elimination, it’s time to look at what players are must-keep for next year, and who can go.  Things are changed, with the Pegula era entering it’s first offseason.  We don’t know how trades are going to go, if he wants an RFA, whether he truly likes Derek Roy or not, and so on.

    The Buffalo Sabres currently only have 12 players under contract for next year (not counting AHLers and draft picks).  8 forwards, 3 D, 1 goalie.  Stafford, Gerbe, Sekera, Butler, Weber, Gragnani, and Enroth are all RFAs.  Normally, I’d imagine all would at least be qualified but a move to clear out a D or two for a veteran wouldn’t be out of the question.  Anyway, I’m including these guys in my list as far as potential untouchables go:

    1. Ryan Miller – You can win several different ways, as the playoffs are showing.  You can have a franchise goalie (Vancouver), or a cast of thousands (Philly).  You can lose both ways too.  Miller gives stability, and the return of Enroth would finally give us a tandem to feel comfortable about going into next season.
    2. Tyler Myers – Big, scoring defensemen who can defend are rare, so keeping the Big Easy is a no-brainer.  If the physical play he had for the playoffs continues to play out next year, watch out.  Now lets get him a partner.
    3. Thomas Vanek – Still the best scorer the Sabres have, Vanek has shown more and more leadership potential each year.  A far cry from the guy getting sat down in his first playoffs.  His serious demeanor on and off the ice just seems to keep the team at an even keel.  Needs a center.

    There are a whole mess of guys on the next tier, guys I want to keep, but I’d let them go if there was a deal to be made.  You’ve got to give talent to get talent.  Is there anyone else who HAS to stay?

  • Think of Tomorrow

    I promise, I (might) still post about hockey before the Sabres get back to work.  I’m focusing a bit more on  Honk If You Love Justice! right now as it’s summer movie season, and I’m reading more.  Of cours, for this to work I need to get to more movies but that will happen, especially with Thor on the way this week.

    It’s hard to be too upset with the way things ended since the future looks so bright.

  • May You Live In Interesting Times

    Well, this had to be one of the most interesting Sabres seasons in recent memory.  Buffalo started the season with a whimper, losing at a pace that had more of us thinking draft lottery than playoffs.  The first hints of Terry Pegula gave a vague hope for the future, but we didn’t know anything about him yet, so it was only a small distraction.  November was better than October, but not by much.

    December finally had a good game or two for Ryan Miller, and the Terry Pegula rumors picked up steam.  The Sabres’ best offensive player at the time, Derek Roy, went down with an injury and only just now was able to return.  After that, many of us (myself included) counted Buffalo out.  They’d only gotten 30 points in the first 33 games, Miller was not the Vezina Miller, and Myers was looking more like a rookie this year than last.

    January, things got VERY interesting there.  You’ll remember that’s when Stafford-mania began, as Buffalo came home for a game in the middle of the WJC road trip and beat the Bruins 7-6, on the back of a Staffy hat trick.  The beginnings of the upward swing were showing, with the Sabres going 4-0-1 after a sort of bottoming out loss to Calgary.  Nathan Gerbe suddenly found his way, earning his spot in the lineup and coming up huge (er, sort of) as the team inched their way back up the standings.  The month ended with the long all-star break, but the real story was still Terry Pegula, who kept appearing in all the right places as the team sale picked up steam.

    February, yeah, February was kind of fun.  Terry Pegula really did buy the team, Thomas Vanek was in Atlas mode, Twitter met the Pegula daughters, and Tyler Myers was an OT hero.  Pegula day was AWESOME, and the team was rolling.  March was much of the same, with Buffalo in the playoffs and controlling their own destiny.  Even their deadline day acquisition contributed for more than one game.  We fell in love with these guys, and never wanted the ride to end.  The Sabres won a bunch of games to end the regular season, looking primed to upset some dudes in the playoffs.

    Well, we all know what happened there.  They took the Flyers to 7, but couldn’t get it done.  Injuries to key guys didn’t help, but in the end, it was a 2 seed over a 7 seed.  So what now?  It’s hard to say.  This is Terry Pegula’s first off-season, and the team has ‘no financial mandates’.  Buffalo will have a lot of cap room (as high as $21 million thanks to the new TV deal) but also a lot of spots up for grabs.  Defense in particular could look very different, with only 3 guys under contract (one of them Shaone Morrisonn).  Will they make a big trade?  Go hard after the biggest names?  Fill spots with guys from Portland that should get a shot?  Do Kassian and Foligno figure in?  What do they do with Enroth (RFA)?  The ride will continue, and I can’t help but think the outlook continues to be bright.

    What will happen here?  Locker cleanout usually has some interesting bits, where we find out who was injured, especially.  I may comment on the other games and series, and then it’s off-season mode.  Future posts will look at the roster, the spots and free agents.  Thank you Sabres.

  • Se7en

    Hey, I thought the title was appropriate with all the ‘mass murder’ and ‘getting away with murder’ comments going on…We’ve got the first game seven of the Stanley Cup playoffs coming up, after Buffalo came up short in game six.  I didn’t get to watch game five or six, being on the road or busy with family/Easter obligations, so no in depth discussion of what an asshole Mike Richards is.  Everybody knows, now.  I feel for Tim Connolly’s gray matter, and am thrilled to hear “That’s great, Derek” Roy might be back.


    The Sabres should have some advantages here, though whether they’d agree or not, I’m not sure.  Philly is ‘supposed’ to win as they are the 2 and Buffalo is the 7.  This season is a success no matter how you slice it, going from basement to playoffs, giving a high seed a run for their money (and maybe eliminating them!), and getting an owner with deep pockets and a deeper commitment to winning.  They had young players stepping in and stepping up, showing a brighter future there also.  These guys should just roll out there in Philly on Tuesday and have fun.  I want to see Myers with that grin on his face he had after games last year, the “holy crap, I do this for a living? AWESOME” look.  I want the Goose that dumps Briere on his ass at the faceoff dot.  I want the Gerbe who will slam into the bigger Flyers.


    I will be watching Tuesday, but my stress level is such that I may not be able to keep the game on the whole time if it’s close.  I hope to catch up with things a bit more in depth tonight, if I don’t fall asleep as soon as the kids do.

  • About that booing…

    Collecting my thoughts on the game, but I need to address this.  I was there last night, heard the cheers and the boos.  I’d like to offer an explanation for the latter, which may not be true for all who participated but I think it will cover most.

    I think the seeds of it starts back in the first period.  Buffalo carried the play, got one goal, and seemed to have the game in the bag.  The second period was more even but there were signs of trouble – too many giveaways and failed entrances to the Flyers’ zone.  We were living and dying with every save.

    The elbow by Richards gives the Sabres a chance – a chance to break the game open, plow the Philly jerks under and ride off into the sunset triumphantly.  Take the pressure off Miller.  Oh, but that power play.  I don’t think we could understand how a team that looked that good even strength in the first, could look that atrocious up a man in the third.  The frustration came to a head as, over and over again, Buffalo couldn’t even get the puck in the Philly end.  Where was this dominant first period team?  Every second that passed on that power play was more bewildering than the last.  Whether you agree with it or not (I didn’t boo), there’s only one way for people in a crowd to voice their displeasure audibly.

    It’s funny…we were exhorted by media and fans to be ‘loud’.  There was a concerted effort from all in attendance to do just that.  The crowd was all in, with deafening cheers, helpful whistles, and yes, boos.  I find it difficult to expect a crowd to be boiling with emotion…except for the 10 minutes where the team is playing like Keystone Kops.  When that happens, just sit quietly and politely.  Right.

  • Even Up

    I will be attending tonight’s game (and possibly some of the Party in the Plaza) so if anyone wants to meet up, let me know.

    A lot of noise is being made about the fact that Buffalo has never rallied from being down 2 games to 1 in a playoff series.  I am not too concerned, as it only takes one win to make it 2-2, even steven.  It’s a best of three from there if you can get it, a big test for a very young team, but has the possibility to be a big character builder for the future.  Especially for the D, which is getting big minutes from a lot of really young guys.

    We got better contributions in game 3 from the top liners, especially Vanek, and that needs to continue.  The team needs to backcheck more effectively to help out Miller, and the only ‘undisciplined’ penalties I’d like to see is Weber and Goose levelling dudes in front of the net.  The PK has been amazing, reducing the number of times short-handed could be the difference in the series.  I’m still feeling positive, and I’m going to enjoy the ride.  Let’s go Buffalo!