Shutdown Pair

Tag: Hockey

  • On Traditional Markets

    This seems to be a topic right now, and I have a confession to make:  I am probably only a hockey fan because of Gary Bettman.  I don’t like saying, because I dislike many of his policies and changes, but his big push on ‘non-traditional’ markets was definitely a part of why I’m here now.

    When I was a kid, I wanted something different, sports-wise.  I grew up watching the Atlanta Braves with my parents, mostly because they were always on TV, a rarity for a single franchise back then.  But I wanted to be different, and hockey was on TV a lot thanks to ESPN2 getting added to our cable service.  I remember a young Buccigross, and ‘Fire on Ice’…Jim Schoenfeld, Gary Thorne, Bill Clement.  I went and saw Hampton Roads Admirals games with my dad (ECHL team back then, with players I saw in Roller Hockey International in the offseason).  I even went to an NHL exhibition at Norfolk Scope, between the Washington Capitals…and the Buffalo Sabres.  Here’s the game story from one of the newspapers.  I remember being disappointed that Mogilny didn’t play that game, but I saw LaFontaine, Hasek, Byron Dafoe, and Matthew Barnaby scored, even.  It was great.

    But what REALLY cemented me as a hockey fan, was expansion MADNESS.  The Hampton Roads area tried for several years after that to get in the league, but the cities that made up the area never could cooperate well enough.  But that didn’t stop me from obsessing over my hometown getting a real pro sports franchise.  So I guess, thanks Gary, for keeping my interest in hockey energized long enough for it to become a lifelong passion.

  • Sabres Overrun the Thrashers 4-1

    The hockey gods lobbed a hanging curveball over the Buffalo Sabres’ plate (if you’ll pardon the mixed sports metaphors) and they made solid contact, winning 4-1 in a mostly-empty Phillips Arena.  Atlanta was returning from a west coast trip, missing several key players (such as Bogosian and Pavelec) and Buffalo took advantage.  Tyler Ennis opened the scoring by getting behind the D and sniped one in off the post.  Great play by Montador on the outlet pass.  Ennis very nearly scored again after the faceoff at center ice, and was definitely working well with Rob Niedermayer and Mike Grier.  You got a little worried as the period went on, as the Sabres continued to pour on the shots but didn’t get any more goals.

    That changed in the second period, though.  Just one minute in, Tyler Myers gets his first of the year while on the power play, as he took a one-time shot off a Chris Butler pass and buried it.  Thomas Vanek was in his office providing the screen.  Butler had a great game to my eyes, including some solid defensive plays where he didn’t get panicky.  Cody McCormick got his second goal of the year soon after, cleaning up a rebound, of which there were many.

    The shutout was not to be, however, as Tobias Enstrom got one past Miller on the power play early in the third.  There was a screen in front, couldn’t make out who it was, but not a bad goal to allow.  By the way, love the Thrashers’ broadcasters getting excited for Ron Hainsey (6’3″, 210lbs) knocking someone down, when it was Tyler Ennis (5’9″, 163lbs)…yeah, he should be able to do that.  Thomas Vanek got it back, though, blistering one home after he got behind the Atlanta defense.

    The theme throughout the night was shots – Buffalo had a ton, didn’t give up many, and the guys that NEEDED to shoot did (Myers, Vanek).  There was very little to complain about.  Let’s see, though, if they keep it up back at home.  Friday, Ottawa, be there.

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Sabres at Thrashers

    Well, Lindy did the expected, and bag-skated the team, along with a line shuffle.  Here’s what they will look like according to Vogl at the Buffalo News:

    Vanek – Roy – Stafford
    Hecht – Connolly – McCormick
    Gerbe – Gaustad – Kaleta
    Ennis – Niedermayer – Grier

    Reuniting Vanek and Roy is good, and Stafford isn’t terrible so far.  McCormick might give the Connolly line a spark with some hard work and hits.  That third line could be sneaky good, as Kaleta has some offensive upside, combine that with Gerbe’s speed and Goose’s size in front of the net and you might have something.  On the whole, it’s a good balance, every line should be able to contribute at both ends.

    On D, Morrisonn is doing the lonely ‘skating on his own’ and will be out tonight.  Miller should get the start in net.

    While the Atlanta games are never easy for Buffalo, even without Kovalchuk in the mix, it’s winnable.  It could even be a get-right game, with Chris Mason and a 3.0 GAA in net.  Ondrej Pavelec is still out after collapsing on the ice, though he should be back soon, which is great.  I probably won’t get to watch the beginning of the game with family commitments, but I’ll try and get in by the second period.

  • Buffalo Sabres: The Week Ahead

    The Sabres currently have a dismal 1-4-1 record, 5th in the NE, and the panic button is being mashed by some people.  It’s still way too early to do it, though.  Their schedule is busy, some of the parts have changed, so there are some expected hiccups.  This lull from Sunday to Wednesday is the first time they’ll really have some practices where they can work on their issues.  And they do have issues, no doubt.

    Things to try:

    • Play Vanek on the PK.  He’s responded well for stretches with the extra responsibility in the past, and his defense hasn’t been bad.  Might keep his spirits up a bit to feel like more of a contributor.  Worth a shot.
    • Myers needs to just stop thinking and shoot.  I don’t know what the coaches said the to kid, but he’s falling into the ‘look for a play’ trap.  Half of his goals last year came from just saying “screw it” and shooting when he got the puck.  He needs to get back to it.
    • Sit Tim Connolly for a game.  I call this move the Stafford.  Timmy has been rough out there at times, and it’s time to make an example of him.  Roll seven d-men if you have to, or just put Pominville back in once he’s back.

    You can go ahead and add in all the stuff the coaches say duringa slump, like ‘simplify their game’, ‘crash the net’, ‘get shots through’, ‘play the system’ (Lindy approved).  You guys know all that already, though.  Anything else you think they should try?

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Canadiens at Sabres

    Buffalo is hosting their 40th anniversary celebration tonight, as 40 years ago they opened the season against the Montreal Canadiens.  Members of the Knox family are in, Buffalo is wearing their whites at home, and more.  Should be a fun time.

    Shaone Morissonn is out with a groin injury, so either Weber or Butler will be in tonight (will update if I see which one).  Pominville is still out so expect the same forwards in play.  Montreal is currently 1-1-1, even with the Sabres points-wise.

    I will be watching this game, either in the building or at home depending on the situation.  Wife and kids had a rough day yesterday so hopefully things are better tonight.

    edit:  Butler is in, Miller starts (have to imagine Lalime tomorrow night, does follow the ‘play him against his former teams’ thing they have going with him).

  • On Kaleta

    I know Kaleta has been getting slagged to various degrees for his antics in the last game.  I was in and out of the room for part of all that so I didn’t see it but it’s a bad game for Patty, no question.  I do want to give him credit, as games like this, where you maybe wince and shake your head at a play he makes, are few and far between.  On the whole, that’s pretty good for an ‘agitator’ who throws as many hits as he does.  Hopefully this won’t be a pattern, as Kaleta had reduced his recklessness a bit last year, and increased his offensive prowess in limited time.

  • Calm Down

    Just a friendly reminder that Buffalo lost (regulation and OT/SO) 37 games last year en route to winning their division.  They 3 times lost 4 or more games in a row, including a stretch of 6 in a row.  I get the feeling they are still adjusting to new linemates/defense partners, and that certainly isn’t helped by Pominville being out.  There are definitely fixes that need to be made, but they sure do have plenty of time to make them.  Let it play out.

    Speaking of Pominville/Hjalmarsson, the suspension made Woot’s news aggregation/humor post.

    CHICAGO (UPI) — Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson has been suspended for two games following a questionable hit, ESPNChicago.com reported Tuesday.

    Hjalmarsson says that his hit, a techno cover of “Free Bird”, totally has precedent and is not even slightly questionable.

    Sounds like something a Swede would do.

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Devils at Sabres

    Game four in a very busy schedule for the Sabres to start the season sees the undermanned New Jersey Devils visiting Buffalo for a 7pm game.  The Devils are icing a 16-skater lineup due to salary cap constraints, though it was 15 before former Sabres grinder Adam Mair was signed.  This will also be the return of Henrik Tallinder to Buffalo.

    All of this is well and good, but the talk is still all about Pominville, Hjalmarsson and the two game suspension.  Ryan Miller, as usual, was eloquent and should be one of the players’ most respected voices in the future.  Always look forward to his comments after something interesting happens.

    For tonight, Nathan Gerbe is in, and should see some PP time.  It seems obvious that the Sabres should try to skate fast and hard against the Devils in hopes of tiring them out, but it remains to be seen whether that will work.

  • A Pound of Flesh

    In the aftermath of last night’s horrible scene, I wonder:  where do you stand on on-ice vengeance?  There are several levels it can get to, where do you stop looking for blood?

    1. Immediately after the play.  In this case Connolly was on the ice and went after Hjalmarsson.  Not too satisfying to most fans, as a skilled player giving the offender what amounts to a hug with some face slaps isn’t what they want.  Stafford, at least, did a solid job on Neil after the Drury hit.  Goose, too, after that Ovechkin hit on Briere a few years ago.
    2. The rest of the game.  If you have any sort of tough guy on the roster, this one’s going to happen – a fight with someone on the offending team.  Not all that satisfying last night, as Hjalmarsson was kicked out and couldn’t take his lumps, which leads to…
    3. The next game.  Buffalo travels to Chicago on Saturday, which (barring a Stanley Cup Finals matchup) is the last time they’ll see each other this year.  There are two games in between, so if the disciplinary decision comes down today, and it’s 0-2 games of suspension, Hjalmarsson could get targeted then.  These fights are usually a letdown, though, if the offender is not normally a fighter.  Somebody swinging wildly at him, while he covers up and ‘fires back’ a few times to make it look good.

    That’s your choices, really.  The only thing that can complicate them is a rivalry, which is tough to build up with a team from the other conference.  How far do you want your vengeance to go?

  • 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.