Shutdown Pair

Tag: Hockey

  • Should the Sabres play for next year?

    No, this is not a panic button post, but more the other team in town getting me thinking:  Should Buffalo target next year as the year to make a cup run?  There are some good reasons why they should:

    • Connolly, Niedermayer, Grier, and McCormick off the books – should open some top 6 minutes for Gerbe and Ennis, and possibly an FA center who is more consistent.
    • Next year could mean Luke Adam or Zack Kassian (or both) making the team, upping the size and tenacity of the team.
    • Seriously, read this about Kassian (h/t to Sabres Prospects):

    At the Memorial Cup (in Brandon), neither one of the western teams wanted any part of him. They wouldn’t look him in the eyes.

    • I can’t imagine Jhonas Enroth not being the backup here next year.  Either that or trade the guy.  Tomorrow’s game might be a big factor in that.  If he starts again, I’m seeing the writing on the wall for Lalime, no matter how much Miller and the rest of the guys love him.
    • The biggest question for me is what to do with the defense.  Hopefully a partner for Myers is settled by the end of the year, so whoever that is has to be kept (if it’s not Morrisonn).  Montador and Rivet are UFAs, while Weber, Sekera and Butler are all RFAs.  Someone (or preferably two of them) need to take the next step this year.

    So there you have it.  What does that change about this year?  I’d be hesitant to trade for a ‘rental’ player at the deadline, especially if there is a prospect moving out.  I like our prospects a lot more than I do most of the guys Darcy has brought in at the deadline recently (though a lot of that is hindsight).  I might change my view on that as the season wears on, though.  I do think this team can still make the playoffs, but I can’t imagine a true cup run.

  • 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.

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Canadiens at Sabres

    Another day, another chance at a home win.  It won’t be any easier than beating Boston, however, as Miller may not play, and it’s the same crew of lackadaisical scrubs giving pucks away like candy on Halloween.  I still feel they can stand in with any team in the league, but I won’t expect it until I see it more than once.

    I don’t want them to feel any undue pressure, but another start like last game that ends in a bad loss could be what triggers the proverbial bomb getting set off in that locker room.  And I don’t know if I’d really be against it.  Yes, I’ve acknowledged that the panic button is in the room, and might’ve even flipped the up the protective plastic cover.  I bet if I update my ‘untouchable players‘ list, it’s going to be really short.

    You know what, let’s do that now…currently untouchable (and I don’t mean because they are injured or suck):

    • Ryan  Miller.  Duh.
    • Tyler Myers.  Yes, giveaways, but he’s had some bad luck too.  He’ll come around.
    • Uh, Derek Roy?  He’s probably been the most consistent forward so far.
    • Thomas Vanek.  He’ll score.  Needs help though.

    Goose is off the list.  At one time, he seemed to be developing a bit of leadership, but I haven’t seen it at all this year.  Faceoff prowess isn’t enough to keep you on a team.

    Interesting to think of Kaleta, who other Sabres bloggers wanted on the list.  I haven’t noticed him making much of a difference.  I want him on the list, but there’s nobody else doing enough for me to put them on there.

  • Mauled by Bears

    I intentionally did not write this game up last night, in hopes that some distance would be good for the analysis, but honestly I’m just as angry now as I was after the first period.  How you can play with so little passion, especially after giving up TWO short-handed goals?  You can’t just keep doing the same things, making the same plays when they are NOT WORKING so spectacularly.  The team didn’t even get shaken out of the ‘funk’ or whatever you want to call it until midway through the second, when Cody McCormick fought.

    I’ve been fairly non-commital on Tim Connolly this year, but if he’s going to turnover the puck  repeatedly, there is absolutely no reason for him to be here.  Newsflash, your power play won’t improve if you keep giving up breakaways and odd-man rushes the other way!  Not even getting into Lalime/Enroth, weird decisions abound there.

    There are a few guys worthy of praise, but I’m not going to do it (beyond McCormick).  The whole team needs to be accountable.  If I’m Lindy, I bag-skate these lame-o’s until the whole lot of ’em are curled up in the fetal position.  Ruff has nothing to lose at this point.  He’s going to be the scapegoat so he needs to pull out all the stops, all his tricks.

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Bruins at Sabres

    Buffalo gets another crack at getting their first home win tonight when the Bruins visit, but it’s not going to be easy.  Boston is 6-2, having only allowed 11 goals on the year.  Tim Thomas is back in the saddle, with a ridiculous .50 GAA.  Ryan Miller is questionable tonight with a ‘lower body but not groin’ injury, so Enroth has already been recalled in case he can’t go today.  The assumption is Lalime would get another start but nothing is set in stone.

    On the plus side, Jason Pominville is set to return tonight, having finally mastered the neuro-psych test.  Craig Rivet is also back from being a healthy scratch.  The biggest improvement needs to come from special teams, where they have a middling power play and a bottom five PK.  When you are taking a ton of penalties (especially when already on your own power play), a horrible PK will end your chances of winning pretty quick.

    I tweeted this yesterday, but it’s worth mentioning this article about Tyler Myers by Kent Wilson of The Score again.  He shows that Myers has been pretty unlucky so far this year, unsustainably so, which bodes well for his production here on out.

    When we look at Myers’ PDO (on-ice SV% + on-ice SH% at even strength), that’s exactly what we find: the kid has suffered from horrendous fortune thus far. The team has shot at just 3.64% with him on the ice and Ryan Miller has a .880 SV% behind the kid. That’s a PDO of 91.3 and so unsustainably low that it can’t possibly continue indefinitely. To extend the poker allusion, he’s not going to be dealt sevens and twos all night.

    Steve Montador, as a comparison, sees an 11.85% shooting percentage and a .929 save percentage when he is out there, against weaker competition, which is boosting his numbers.

    Edit:  Miller is OUT tonight, no word on Lalime/Enroth, according to multiple reports on Twitter.

  • 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…

  • “Angry” Teams

    I don’t buy the whole ‘angry team after a loss’ thing that’s being attributed to the Flyers last night, at least as it pertains to them beating the Sabres.  Yes, the Flyers came out ‘flying’ so to speak, but it was undisciplined.  It seemed like Philly was going fbeor the body at the expense of everything else (sort of like year one Kaleta) and as a result, the Sabres were able to get the lead.  The Flyers felt that the first period fight gave them a boost, but I don’t buy that totally.  I can see it providing a boost for them to score that Briere goal, but you should be able to recover from that and fight back after the intermission at the very least.

    At the end of it, they got out-worked by the best players on the Flyers, and couldn’t cover for Miller having a less-than-stellar night.  He in particular blamed himself for getting upset on the uncalled goalie ‘contact’ by Briere.  I like that even after Flyers took a 5-1 lead, Buffalo kept working and got some goals back (Tyler Myers!  and Vanek had another goal), but it was THAT effort level they need to win their games.  They don’t work like that at home, and only worked that hard for about half of the game last night.  Still not time to push the you-know-what since there’s plenty of season left. (I know Adrian Dater hates those cliches, eff him)

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Sabres at Flyers

    Buffalo is visiting Flyers for the first time tonight, with a 7:30pm game on everyone’s favorite channel, Versus.  Buffalo is flying high after a resounding win on Saturday against the Kovy-less Devils.  The boys are on the mend, with Shaone Morrisonn and Craig Rivet both practicing and Pominville steadily improving.  Only Rivet *might* play tonight, as there’s no need to rush anyone back with the way Butler, Sekerea and Weber played in their absence.

    Philly lost last night to the Blue Jackets, with an effort that made their coach angry.

    “The first 40 minutes there was nothing there,” Laviolette continued. “There was no jam to our game. We played mindless hockey without any energy, without any passion.”

    ‘Mindless’, ouch.  It’s possible that Philly (being who they are) come in with bodies (and elbows) flying.  Just noticed that there was some rough stuff at the end of the CBJ game, as noted by Broad Street Hockey:

    Something to look out for, though: Scott Hartnell received a ten-minute misconduct at the end of the game, possibly for hitting a ref with his stick.

    Yeah, sounds about right for him.  For the rest of the team, it appears that Pronger is still feeling the effects of knee surgery and is not at full speed, and Danny Briere was a penalty machine against the Jackets.  Also, wondering if we’ll see any fisticuffs from Jody Shelley, assuming he doesn’t end up in the press box.

    Just found out Luke Adam is called up for tonight, but not sure for who.  Stay tuned.

    edit:  Rob Niedermayer is out, didn’t travel with the team as per WGR550.  Well there you go.  Good chance for Adam to shine with the goalie sinkhole of Philly on tap.

    edit again:  The Niedermayers had a baby!  Congratulations, guys.

  • The Road Warriors

    That’s what the Sabres are lacking, a dog (sorry Sabretooth)

    It’s kind of ridiculous, really.  We’ve seen plenty of ‘good signs’ for the Sabres at home, but they still haven’t gotten it done.  Then we see them blast the Devils, without Kovalchuk (seriously what the heck?) and Brodeur on the road, and it doesn’t tell us anything.  Tim Connolly, Tyler Myers, and Thomas Vanek are all scoring now, which is good, right?  But will it last?  Again, good signs abound, but these guys have to get it through their heads that they can do that to any team in the league, any given night.  We can see that they are capable of it, they have great passers, solid finishers, guys with great point shots, and a dominant goalie.  They just need to get things done.

    ***

    Okay, what the heck is up with Kovalchuk?  I’m not sure what the Devils and John MacLean hope to accomplish by sitting him – goal scorers don’t score/break slumps wearing a suit.  I can appreciate the desire to sit an underperforming player, but I feel that scorers just need to play out of it.  It’s also a PR NIGHTMARE for a team that also had tons of negative press over his contract to begin with.  Look at it this way:  before the bizarre Kovy benching, I would’ve shrugged off an NJ slump and assumed they’d get back in the mix by Christmas.  Now, I have a few more doubts, wondering about locker room issues and MacLean losing the team/getting fired.  Wouldn’t be the first time Lou has dumped a coach and taken over…

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Senators at Sabres

    The Senators are in town tonight, sitting last in the NHL with 3 points.  Brian Elliott will be facing Ryan Miller.  I will be juggling (figuratively I assure you) the three kids tonight by myself so don’t expect a lot of tweets, but I will if I can manage it.

    Let’s go Buffalo!