Shutdown Pair

Tag: Paul Gaustad

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • Miller, Gerbe, Kaleta and Grier

    …and throw in Connolly and Gaustad too.  These guys came up huge for Buffalo tonight.  The scoring forwards were quiet, but the tough guys and agitators did their work (though with a few too many penalties).  However, they were also instrumental in killing those penalties, and when the shot got through, Miller was dynamite.  A road win in a tough building against the 2 seed.  Not pretty, but it still puts them up one game to none.  James Van Riemsdyk was a beast for the Flyers, but the top line players on both sides couldn’t get much traction.  Mike Grier may be glacier-slow, but he still hits like a ton of bricks, and he had some solid shots.  Love that the boys stood in against the Flyers in that regard and gave some back.

    Steve Montador, now there’s a problem.  He took some bad penalties and at times was not in the right place.  Sekera should be back soon, but that still leaves Morrisonn in there, who is pretty unnecessary with Weber playing decent.  Still, it’s hard to fault the D too much when you win 1-0.  The PK was superb, pressuring the guy with the puck and forcing the pass, but not getting too far out of position to do so.  I can’t wait for game 2.  SATURDAY WHERE ARE YOU?  (yes, I know it’s after Friday before you say anything)

  • Sabres vs. Flyers – Grudge Match

    There’s a history in this matchup, no question, whether it’s the 75 Stanley Cup finals, the 06 playoffs (can still hear RJ’s call of the Umberger hit to this day), and Philly and Buffalo look to add another chapter this week when they meet in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Aside from fanhood reasons, who you think wins this series is probably based on whether or not there is a ‘switch’ that a team can flip to start playing well.  In the Flyer’s case, the switch is probably present in the form of lurking horror Chris Pronger, who never met an elbow to the head or stomp to the leg he didn’t like.  Having seen Philly a few times recently, you can see that without Pronger they get a little squirrelly in front of Bobrovsky at times.  If Pronger can steady things there, I can see the series going differently.

    Wild Card for the Sabres:  Nathan Gerbe.  We know what Thomas Vanek can do, but as Gerbe demonstrated against the Flyers he can be a difference-maker.  He, along with Drew Stafford, has been a big part of the Sabres’ surge in the second half of the year, scoring 9 of his 15 goals in the months of March and April after scoring only 1 from October to December.  He’s had good chemistry with Paul Gaustad, who provides the bulk in front of the net to screen the goalies.

    So, am I going full homer and picking the Sabres to win this series?  Yes.  I think Ryan Miller, even the slightly more vulnerable one of this year, is still a + over Bobrovsky (or any of the other goalies if he gets the hook).  Both Buffalo and Philly are top scoring teams in the East, with Philly having a slight edge, though Buffalo is better in that regard more recently.  I’ll tell you what, it’s going to be a very tight series, and I can’t wait for it to happen.

  • Back to Back

    Another weekend, another pair of back to back games for the Sabres.  Tonight they host the Florida Panthers (7:30pm start, take note) and tomorrow it’s the New Jersey Devils.  Steve Montador and Jochen Hecht practiced and may return, though lineup changes may be tough to justify.  Unless the Sabres burn one of the few remaining non-emergency callups they have, Mancari would have to go back if someone gets back in.  He’s played well (Lindy said Mancari/Gerbe/Gaustad might be their best line right now) so it’ll be interesting to see what is done.

    For Florida’s part, they’ve been shut out the past two games, by Chicago and the Rangers.  If I’m Ruff, and Enroth is in the plans for this weekend, I’d be tempted to put him in tonight.  Don’t think it happens though, with Miller fresh off a shutout.  Speaking of, it was GREAT to see Miller finally out-duel another good goalie.  If that can continue on into the playoffs, there’s no team they’d face in the first round that would intimidate me.

    New Jersey’s run is over, as they’ve fallen 9 points back of the Sabres and 8th place.  They’ve lost 3 of four, managing just 4 goals, and will also be on the downslope of a back to back.  I hesitate to ‘expect’ 4 points out of these games, but if I’m Buffalo, I’d be disappointed with anything less.

  • Gameday 2010-2011: Sabres at Flyers

    1pm game today at the hated Flyers.  Been back in town for a few days, but no time to watch the previous games back on DVR.  Glad they got points, not so glad about losing to Carolina.  Two today would be HUGE but it’ll be tough.  Gotta crash the net on these Philly goalies, and have Goose/McCormick/Montador clean up in front of Miller because you know the Flyers would retaliate.  Let’s do this.

  • 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.

  • Semin and other Enigmatic Hockey Players

    Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy set off quite a discussion yesterday when he referred to Alexander Semin as ‘enigmatic’.  Apparently that’s not okay.  It got me to thinking, what is it that gets you that label?  It’s a pretty common tag, so there must be some common criteria that come into play.

    First, let’s get the definition of enigmatic:  Difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious.

    Okay, so who are the enigmas?  Here are guys who came up (some repeatedly) if searching for ‘Enigmatic *position*’:

    Enigmatic wingers:  Wojtek Wolski, Alexei Kovalev, Lee Stempniak, Alexander Frolov, Miroslav Satan, Nikolay Zherdev, Alexander Semin

    Enigmatic centers:  Olli Jokinen, Derick Brassard, Alexei Yashin, Tim Connolly, Jason Spezza, Pavol Demitra, Daniel Alfredsson

    Enigmatic defensemen: Sami Salo, Joni Pitkanen, Dion Phaneuf, Marek Zidlicky, Dennis Wideman, Chris Pronger (huh?), Cam Barker (double huh?), Michal Rozsival, Derek Morris

    Looking at the list, there are a few criteria that jump out:

    1. Be European – almost all of the players on the list are from Europe.  It’s easy to be considered ‘mysterious’ or ‘difficult to understand’ if you literally can’t understand what they say or speak through an interpreter.
    2. One Good Year – some of the non-Euros on the list fell victim to having one good year.  Lee Stempniak is the best example, scoring 14 goals in 18 games after getting traded to Phoenix.  He has 14 goals in 51 games so far this year, and one previous year of 27.  Beyond that, nothing over 14.
    3. Long term injuries – A couple of the guys here (including Semin) have had injuries, some of which kept them out for a while.  But it’s the ones we find out about after the fact (like Vanek the past few games) that can feed into Enigma status.
    4. Be expected to score (and not) – Nobody pays close enough attention to the 4th line plug to care whether he’s gone 10 games without a point, or hasn’t scored in a playoff series.

    Using these criteria, you can see where the ‘enigma’ label comes from, but should it be valid for Semin?  I think it is, but only because the label doesn’t truly mean anything.  Gabe at Behind the Net broke down the Caps’ loss to Montreal as the sort of bad stretch that happens in a short sample size like a playoff series.  Combine that with being european, and you get ‘enigmatic’ instead of just saying snakebit or struggling.  You are less likely to hear about a nagging injury or something he’s working on in practice from someone like Semin with the language difference.  We KNOW what Iginla is thinking, if he goes 15 games without scoring, because he’s talking every night about it.

    This reminds me of when Maxim Afinogenov was here.  He certainly wasn’t the first Sabre to struggle and not score for long stretches, but he bore the weight of that ‘enigmatic’ label.  The thing is, we’d go weeks without hearing from Max while out fan-frustration with his performance would build.  Paul Gaustad doesn’t get the enigma label, but we see him on commercials every broadcast, he’s on the news, we know him.  He can frustrate us, but that word enigma doesn’t come into play.

  • Standing Still

    Just one of those Buffalo things, people will say.  The Sabres have put together a solid run here, going 4-1-1 in the last 6.  Vanek (3G 5A) and Stafford (5G 3A) each have 8 points during that time, and Gaustad/Gerbe/McCormick have been playing well for some secondary scoring.  And yet, they are still 8 points out of a playoff spot.  That’s the problem with being on the outside looking in – you need help.  Like I mentioned in a previous post, the Sabres can help themselves later this month with games against Boston and Montreal.  They have to keep winning other games for that to matter, though.

    Other random thoughts:

    • Wasn’t it nice hearing RJ on TV last night?  Felt so comfortable.
    • Sure wish Commander Cody got to really fight last night, was over too quick.  Really starting to like McCormick.
    • Jeff Skinner is a player.
    • I still hate Carolina.

  • 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.