Shutdown Pair

Tag: Jason Pominville

  • Winning Weekend

    I only got to see bits and pieces of the Sabres games in Europe, since I was at work for one of them, but you can’t ask for much more than what they did.  Two wins, including one after a terrible night of travel.  Contributions from Ehrhoff and Leino, Thomas Vanek doing his Atlas thing, Luke Adam making a case to stick with the big club long term.  Oh, and your new captain Jason Pominville leading by example with 4 points already.  The Sabres got a bit squirrelly in the 3rd periods, but Miller seems ready to take care of business in the Buffalo end, so you’ve got that too.  The next game can’t come soon enough, though I understand they need time after the trip so I will manage to wait until Friday.  😀

  • One Small Step Back

    Yes, the team looked like crap much of the game.  Yes, Miller whiffed on a few.  And Yes, it was the Leafs, who I will ALWAYS hate losing to.  At the end, it’s still one game.  The Sabres are still solidly in their playoff position, and can improve their chance to hold on to it immensely tonight by beating the Rangers.  It would help if the Habs could beat the Hurricanes, too, but they should focus on what they can do.  Besides, the game after is against the Canes, best to look at beating them directly when the time comes.

    Any positives?  Vanek and Pominville scored, putting the Population at 20.  Drew Stafford was noticeable again, and so were Gerbe and Ennis.  Reimer made some big stops on those guys at times, and they missed on their own a few others.

    I would like to give a big eff you to the officials last night.  They didn’t cause the Sabres to lose, though they tried, but their inconsistency was almost laughable.  They went most of the game calling very little, then called a very weak hooking penalty on Vanek.  That was followed by an obvious make-up call in Buffalo’s favor when they called the same penalty on Boyce a few minutes later.  There were blatant dives and embellishments missed, again on both sides, but it’s got to be tough for the players to play in a game where you have no idea what’s going to get called.

    I’ll be away from home tonight as my son’s Cub Scout troop is going to Lasertron.  I’ll DVR the game and check in on it between matches.

  • Character Wins and Subsequent Losses

    A come from behind win against the East-leading Philadelphia Flyers is an event to be celebrated.  Some even declared the weekend a success just by getting these 2 points.  While that’s true enough from a certain point of view, I’d like to see Buffalo take the playoff spot by the throat and not let go.  Win tomorrow, behind Enroth (who they have won for before), and show the league they are not an easy out.  Take that 7th spot, gain points against a couple of good teams in Pittsburgh and Boston, then roll the Leafs in front of their own fans.  I want waffles on the ice, guys.  Too many times this team has impressed and regressed.  The move needs to be made now.  Make it so.

    As far as the game goes, you have Pominville, Ennis, Stafford and Sekera scoring, with Nathan Gerbe getting the empty netter that many of us missed (see below).  Brad Boyes and Thomas Vanek both had 2 assists, and Vanek played more than 20 minutes.  Tim Connolly, by the way, 17 min, -1, ‘winning’ just over a quarter of the draws he took.  So valuable.  Montador, +3.

    By the way, Time Warner Cable and MSG combined for a horrible series of gaffes in the broadcast today, twice causing those of us on the SD feed to lose the game, including with 2 minutes to go when MSG switched back to…halftime of a Women’s College Basketball game.  You just can’t be that asleep at the switch on such an important game.  I’m smart enough to have my DVR record 30 minutes past the normal end time, you’d think they could have a guy you know, watching the game to make sure the right broadcast stays on.  Terrible.

  • Miller and Myers

    You’re still smiling about last night’s game, admit it.  Nerves to start, especially after Atlanta tied it, but Terry Pegula got his first win.  The Thrashers are a team the Sabres should beat, one that was struggling as much if not moreso than Buffalo the past few games, and they took care of business.

    It’s interesting to see the names popping up on the scoresheet now, such as Gaustad and Pominville.  We’ve kind of been waiting for these guys to chip in regularly all year, and now would be a great time for them to do so.  Most important, though, is the play of the two guys in the title, Ryan Miller and Tyler Myers.  Miller, after having a couple of rough games, has been very good in the past several, despit some of them being losses.  His save percentage in the last four is .947 and he’s been bailing the team out with some sick saves when needed.  Tyler Myers scoring on a booming shot on a rush down the right wing is becoming a thing, basically daring goalies to stop it.  So far, only the post has been successful.  It was also a Myers shot that lead to Pominville’s goal as he cleaned up the rebound.  A run that involves actual playoff wins is going to need these two guys on their game, along with the scoring Buffalo has been getting from Vanek and Stafford.

    The Sabres play two games this weekend, which I will be tracking by phone as I’m headed to Virginia for the week.  I’ll pop in on Twitter, especially to follow potential deadline deals that pop up, but won’t be blogging (or even able to see the games).  Have fun, guys.

  • Enroth Battles for the Win

    It doesn’t get much more exciting than that, does it?  Enroth weathers a storm as the Sabres give up 18 shots in the first period, with Stafford and and Pominville scoring to tie the game up and send it to a shootout.  And what a shootout it was, 10 rounds, and coming back from being down 2-0 there as well.  Vanek and Ennis scored on their shootout attempts to extend it, as did Gerbe after Montreal scored a few rounds later.

    I will say that Montreal has some great players coming up, and will be interesting to watch and battle against.  Max Pacioretty had a goal, an assist and a shootout goal, and PK Subban is nothing if not entertaining.  Add in Jaro Spacek, who is still a favorite of mine, and I like ’em.  Like beating them more, though.

    One other note from last night:  Seriously, can Pierre McGuire just shut UP?  He talks way too much, and he can’t mention a player without giving us where he went to school or played in juniors.  Every time Myers touched the puck, Kelowna got mentioned.  Has to be the most times the city was ever mentioned on an American TV station.  We get it, Pierre, you watch a lot of hockey.  I can’t remember ever sitting and watching a pro game and wondering “hey, where did he play junior hockey?”.  Add in the close talking and bothering Lalime, and I am really not looking forward to hearing more of him now that he’s going to be on VS more often.

  • You Just Don’t Know

    Really, you just can’t know how a team, any team, will respond to an injury to a key player.  Many of us wrote off the season after Roy got hurt (myself included), but all the Sabres have done since then is go on a run.  Since the 5-2 loss in Calgary, Buffalo has gone 4-0-1, including a 7-6 barnburner highlighted by a Drew Stafford hat trick, and a 3-0 real shutout of San Jose, and a 2-1 win against the Coyotes, games in which the Vezina quality Ryan Miller made appearances.

    Players and coaches will always throw out the ‘other guys need to step up’ cliche when an injury like this happens, but it really is true, and it’s happened here.  EX:

    “Since Derek’s (Roy) gone, there’s a chance for a lot of guys to step up and play some extra minutes. Guys are trying to take advantage of that.”  Jochen Hecht

    Stafford is on a tear (in addition to the hatty he had an OT game-winner in Phoenix), Jordan Leopold has 10 goals, Shaone Morrisonn has brought an increased physical presence, Mike Weber has too (in addition to a few goals!) and there have been goals by Jochen Hecht, Luke Adam, and Jason Pominville, all guys who are in that ‘needs to step up’ category.

    Looking at the standings, Buffalo is currently 10th, 8 points behind Boston and Montreal (catching both would jump them all the way into 3rd).  The schedule for the month means Lalime will be keeping the bench warm quite a bit, as there is only 1 back to back set of games as part of a 3 in 4, with two of them against the Isles.  Gotta get him in once there, I’d think.  There’s a game each against the teams they are chasing in the Northeast, how successful January is probably turns on how they do there.  It’s a tough lead to make up, but a team that plays the way they have in the past few games can do it.  They are making it interesting, at least.

  • Goose Bites Sharks

    Paul Gaustad has taken a ton of flack, really dating back to the end of last year, for not contributing more on the score sheet.  Last night had to be pretty satisfying then, as the Goose made some plays (and got a lucky bounce of Dan Boyle’s melon) including keeping a close eye on Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley (combined -6 on 4 shots).  Thomas Vanek continued his dominance, scoring 2 and very nearly netting a third.  Jason Pominville even scored on a shorthanded break.  A lot of positives, even if they kept letting the Sharks back in.

    I have to say, I’m impressed with Logan Couture.  He’s putting up Calder trophy numbers, including 6 goals in his last 5 games.  I remember hearing his name 10 times before I heard Heatley’s.  I actually forgot Dany-boy played for the Sharks for the first 10 minutes or so of the game.  A great win for the home fans.  The Sabres are 6-2 in their last 8 home games, by the way, with wins over Washington, Vancouver and LA.

  • 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…

  • 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.

  • 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?