Shutdown Pair

Tag: Ryan Miller

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Sabres at Senators

    You know, what was AWESOME to type.  Yes, boys and girls, it’s hockey time again, with the Sabres opening their schedule away at the hated Senators.  The lineup is ‘healthy‘, so all 23 roster players could be in the mix.  Myers is paired with Morissonn, beyond that the defense pairings are in flux.  Sekera has the inside track to play, which would leave Butler and Weber out.  Gerbbe is the odd forward out, tonight at least.  Pascal Leclaire in goal for the Sens, probably Miller for the Sabres but haven’t seen anything for sure yet.

    For the Senators, Jason Spezza hurt his groin and may miss the game.  It remains to be seen if the Sabres will take advantage this year.  Volchenkov is gone, Gonchar in on D.  Let’s get this year started on the right foot, with a win against these jerks.  I’m probably out of posting action the rest of the weekend, and may be stuck listening to the game on the radio or following on my phone, so whoever goes on Saturday, make it loud.

    edit:  Lines and pairs here, but no official word on Miller.

  • Expected Results

    Two more pre-season games, two more wins for the Sabres.  Buffalo got a 2-1 win over ‘Ottawa’ in the Hockeyville game, wherein the Senators didn’t dress their whole top two lines.  Way to show off the game, guys.  The Sabres lineup included Myers, Vanek, and Miller, with the goals scored by Rob Niedermayer on an embarrassing misplay of the puck by 8th string Sens goal Robin Lehner, though he actually played a good game after that.  Especially considering the lineup in front of him.

    Last night saw a 5-3 win for the Sabres over the Canadiens, which you sort of expected when seeing ‘Alex Auld’ pencilled in as Montreal’s starter.  Luke Adam is making his case to be the first forward called up, scoring twice, which follows a two assist effort in the Hockeyville game.  Vanek, Connolly, and Drew Schiestel had the other Buffalo goals, with Myers adding two assists.  A bit of a penalty fest, with fourteen power play chances between the two teams, Buffalo scored twice, Montreal, none on six chances.

    Next game is tonight at Philly.  Regular season is that much closer.

  • Question: How do you pick your favorite player?

    Always kind of curious about this, as I’ve come into liking my favorite players in a few different ways.  I’ve come up with a few ways that people seem to decide on a guy, see if any of these types fit you:

    1. The best player on your favorite team:  You probably like Ryan Miller or Thomas Vanek.  It’s a great feeling to be watching someone who is going for a major trophy, or is starring in commercials, though some people will label you as a bandwagonner.
    2. Heart and soul guys:  You probably like Paul Gaustad or Mike Grier.  You know that goal scorers come and go, but the real glue of a team are the guys who bang bodies, go to the net, kill penalties, wear letters.  They might have gray in their beards.  These fans will talk about a player for years after they are gone, even if they only spent a year or two in town (say, Guerin in Pittsburgh).
    3. Eligible Bachelors:  I get the feeling that the younger puck bunnies go for (ugh) Derek Roy or Jason Pominville, while the non-teenager ones are more about the graybeard heart and soul guys mentioned above.  They have signs (and sometimes wear wedding dresses) for their favorites.  There may be some hockey knowledge, but it’s more about the guys.
    4. Fighters:  Most likely a fan of George Laraque, or Colton Orr, or even better, a fighter from the 70s or 80s that they obsess about.  They like MMA too, with the Tapout shirt and way out of date barbed wire tattoo giving them away.  Often these fans are unaware or at least uninterested in other aspects of hockey.
    5. Pity Party:  You like Drew Stafford, or Patrick Lalime.  Sometimes you just take a liking to the guy that’s getting kicked while he’s down.  You might very well do a doubletake if you see someone wearing their jersey.  Maybe this fan followed the player in college, or watched them tear up the AHL, and haven’t forgotten the glory days.

    I think that covers most situations.  Any disagreements?  Another category I missed?

  • Top 10 Goalies of the Northeast Division

    We looked at the defensemen, so let’s follow that up with a look at the goalies of the Northeast division.  The goaltender situation in the Northeast is interesting, with surprising changes (Halak out) and a whole mess of veterans running out of time to regain form.  All stats are from last season.

    10.  Pascal Leclaire, Ottawa Senators (3.07 GAA .877 SP)

    Leclaire was brought in by Ottawa to compete for a starting job with Brian Elliott, but inconsistent play and some hard luck injuries have relegated him to the bench.  Even the bench wasn’t safe for poor Pascal, as a stray puck nailed him in the jaw while he was chatting idly.  At least he had a sense of humor about having surgery for it:

    “I don’t know I might try to get calf implants or abs or something. We’ll see what the prices are.”

    9.  Alex Auld, Montreal Canadiens (2.96 GAA .895 SP)

    Auld was brought in to back up Carey Price after Client Jaroslav Halak moved on to the Blues.  Auld is a journeyman who is not a threat to take Price’s job, which is good for him, I guess.  He’s played well for short stretchs but has never been able to turn in a season that could win him a job.  If he sees significant time this year, Montreal is in trouble.

    8.  Patrick Lalime, Buffalo Sabres (2.81 GAA .907 SP)

    Ryan Miller was pushing for Lalime to be back as his backup, and he got his wish.  He’s a great guy, and Miller likes him, which is good enough for me.  He hasn’t always gotten goal-scoring and defensive support the way Miller has, but Lalime plays better with more playing time.  I would expect a few appearances by Jhonas Enroth, and if Miller were to go down, I bet they’d split time.

    7.  Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Toronto Maple Leafs (2.85 GAA .907 SP)

    Giguere is basically in a dead heat with his partner, both are solid goalies on a team that was bad last year.  Improved play around them could see one of the two jump up the list, though I give the edge to Gustavsson because of his youth.

    6.  Jonas Gustavsson, Toronto Maple Leafs (2.87 GAA .902 SP)

    See the above, I guess.  Jiggy has the name recognition, but Gustavsson should get a solid shot at being the goalie of the future.

    5.  Carey Price, Montreal Canadiens (2.77 GAA .912 SP)

    The former Jesus Price lost playing time to Jaroslav Halak last year, before getting handed the starting gig by default for this one.  He only won 1/3 of his games last year, on a team that went on a decent playoff run.  Pretty shaky situation for a team under a ton of scrutiny.

    4.  Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins (2.56 GAA .915 SP)

    His unorthodox style and the wild saves that come with it make for some fun video, Tim Thomas gained popularity quickly once he finally earned a starting job in Boston.  It comes as quickly as it goes, though, with Tuukka Rask taking over from the former Vezina winner and starting every playoff game.  Still, he can make plays and can rebound if Rask falters under the heavier load of a full season.

    3.  Brian Elliott, Ottawa Senators (2.57 GAA .909 SP)

    This guy absolutely KILLS the Sabres, going 4-0 with a 1.81 GAA against our hometown club last year.  He also went 4-0 against the Sabres the year before that.  He never seems to be playing that well, just always well enough to win versus Buffalo.  It’s good enough to put him below the top two.

    2.  Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (1.97 GAA .931 SP)

    As I mentioned above, Rask took the reins and the Bruins rode his success into the playoffs and past the Buffalo Sabres.  I’d want to see him in for 60+ games but he was great for a team that dropped off offensively from the previous season (Boston was the only team to score fewer than 200 goals).

    1.  Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres (2.22 GAA, .929 SP)

    Did you have any doubt that I would put the reigning Vezina champ (and Olympic Silver Medalist) at the top of this list?  Sabres fans will again sound like a broken record in asking for Miller to not play quite so many games, but he dealt with an intense workload last year and threw down his best numbers.  Though he can flash the leather when needed, Miller is at his best when the saves look routine, relying on excellent positioning, rebound control and anticipation to be in the right place at the right time.

    There you have it.  Agree?  Disagree?  I’m a nutjub?  Fire away!

  • Buffalo Sabres: A Look At The Depth Chart

    With training camp less than a month away, and the Buffalo Sabres roster looking pretty much set, I thought now would be a good time to investigate the lines and defense pairings for the coming season.  Starting up front:

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

    It’s an odd mix of diminutive players and size/grit, to be sure.  Zack Kassian could make things interesting when he’s off his time-out from GMDR and gets to sign.  I’m not sure what happens if McCormick gets one of the RW spots, Stafford really is the only one that can come out.  I don’t think you play anybody out of position to try and keep him in the lineup.  Gerbe, I suppose, could end up on the fourth line if Lindy wants to keep Hecht up on the third, though my hope is with cagey vets like Grier and Niedermayer taking over the fourth line will get more than 6 minutes a night.  It’s a lineup that has some scoring potential, but should help out the revamped defense core quite a bit as well.  Speaking of:

    Myers (RH) – Morrisonn (LH)
    Montador (RH) – Leopold (LH)
    Rivet (RH) – Sekera (LH)

    Butler (LH)

    Obviously Myers is the top dog, and I slotted Morrisonn next to him as he’s another more stay at home type as Tallinder was for Tyler last year.  You get a similar Off/Def pair with Montador/Leopold, leaving Rivet and his bad shoulder to mentor Sekera and Butler in the third pair.  This keeps the left hand/right hand balance, and keeps Rivet healthier so he can bulldoze some guys in front of Miller.  If Leopold can chip in points to balance the Myers pairing, the offense from the backend will be right where it needs to be.  Now, Morrisonn may not fit in as a first pair guy which blows all this up but I think this works the best.

    I don’t HAVE to go over the goalies, do I?  Miller gets more work than we like (without the Olympics thankfully), especially considering the TWENTY TWO back to back game situations.  Does Lalime get 15 games?  Lalime and Enroth combined for 14 starts last year, I’d like to see that at 20 with all the back to backs but I can’t predict it.

    Look, it’s not the wholesale changes in the top 6 we were looking for, but as we’ve investigated before, there aren’t a lot of guys available who are a for-sure improvement.  Stempniak might be a one-hit wonder, and there’s that self-imposed cap…

  • What to Expect: Ryan Miller

    What can we expect next season for Ryan Miller?  He’s coming off his best year so far, with a 2.22 GAA, .929 SP, 5 shutouts, an Olympic silver medal, the Vezina trophy, and a super-hot girlfriend.  There are some causes for concern, no question.

    First thing to look at is that the D in front of Ryan will be quite different.  Gone are Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder, in is Jordan Leopold (and most likely Mike Weber).  Definitely a few wild-cards there, barring additional signings or trades.  Tyler Myers has to mesh with a new partner and continue to progress.

    Secondly, the workload comes into play.  Since Patrick Lalime is back as the backup (with some potential spot starts for Jhonas Enroth), you can rest assured Ryan sees 65-70 games again barring injury.  Really feels like a non-issue to me now as Miller had a tighter schedule last season and did well.

    Why there is hope:  Miller’s game is about positioning, knowledge of the game and quickness.  All of which he’ll still have.  His even-keeled attitude is exactly what is needed for long term success.  For numbers, I’m thinking GAA in the 2.35 range, .920 SP.  43 wins.

  • Untouchable Players – A Followup

    Hawerchuk over at Behind the Net took a look at untouchable players, something I’ve thought about previously in regards to the Sabres.  He posits that there are no truly untouchable players in a salary cap league, but there are a few that might as well be based on the cost it would take to get them.  I like the way he puts it here for Drew Doughty:

    if the Atlanta Thrashers or the Edmonton Oilers offered you all of their draft picks for the next three seasons, Doughty still might be more valuable.  In fact, short of another team taking all of your bad contracts off your hands and giving you all of their draft picks, there may not be a set of assets in the entire NHL valuable enough to move a 20-year-old superstar.

    As far as that goes, I suppose that really only leaves Tyler Myers as ‘untouchable’.  Miller is theoretically attainable, because he’s only slightly outperforming his contract (considering he’s one of the highest paid goalies).  Although, as I pointed out, there’s no way he’s moved.  His intagible effect on the team, the confidence they have, the fact that he’s the face of the franchise, he’s a Sabre for as long as they can manage.

  • Congratulations to Ryan Miller and Tyler Myers!

    The title says it all, congratulations to Ryan Miller for winning his first Vezina trophy, along with the NHL Foundation award for his charity work.  Both well-deserved honors, and I’m very happy for him.  I’m also happy that some of the out-of-town media got to hear him give a speech, as he got a lot of praise for being thoughtful and articulate.  It’s cool that we get to hear him all the time.

    Tyler Myers took home some hardware of his own, taking the Calder trophy in a landslide.  He had 94 first place votes, and the next closest was Jimmy Howard with 24.  I’ve been banging the Tyler Myers for Calder drum since he made the team, so it’s pretty satisfying to see him up there towering over everyone with the trophy.  Sweet.

    One thing that’s always interesting is to check the voting numbers for the various awards, which you can see here.  Of note:

    • Miller was 4th for the Hart, with 13 1st place votes.
    • Tyler Myers got 6 5th place votes for the Norris trophy.
    • Jochen Hecht had a 3rd place vote and 4 5th place votes for the Selke.  Grier, Connolly and Gaustad also got votes.
    • Lindy Ruff had 2 2nd place and 7 3rd place votes for the Jack Adams.

    All in all, an impressive showing for our boys, and you can’t help but feel the future is bright for this team.  Here’s hoping for more Calder candidates, and oh yeah, a Stanley Cup in there somewhere would work.

  • NHL Awards Ceremony Pregame

    The NHL gives away it’s major awards tonight in Las Vegas, and I thought I’d toss up some notes in case you are the sort that ignores the off-season until training camp.

    The first name you need to listen for is Ryan Miller.  He is a Vezina finalist, against Brodeur and Bryzgalov.  He has a great look at winning this, especially with the crest of popularity he has from the Olympics here in the US.  Miller is also a top contender for the Messier Leadership award, where he’s up against Sidney Crosby and Shane Doan.

    Miller is also up for the NHL Foundation Award, which, well:

    is awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) player “who applies the core values of (ice) hockey—commitment, perseverance and teamwork—to enrich the lives of people in his community”.

    That’s definitely our man, what with his creation of the Steadfast Foundation and work with other charities.  Mike Green and Dustin Brown are also candidates.

    Perhaps the most interesting award for Sabres fans this year is the Calder trophy, with Tyler Myers up against Matt Duchene of the Avs and Jimmy Howard of the Red Wings.  There are good arguments for all of them, and I’m not honestly sure I could be unbiased about this one.  I think Tyler Myers did more for his team this year, as he basically allowed Buffalo to play the game differently, he came up huge offensively, was huge (heh) in his own zone as well, and soaked up a ton of minutes.  Jimmy Howard could steal this, though, with the ‘goalie is a harder position’ argument.

  • Backing Up Miller

    The backup goalie spot for the Buffalo Sabres is an interesting question for next season.  Barring injury, you can probably pencil Miller in for 65-70 starts again in the regular season, leaving 10-15 for whoever the backup is.  There are a few trains of thought out there as to who that should be.

    1. See if Jhonas Enroth is ready.  He’s progressed well at the AHL level (2.37 GAA, .919 SP last season), and could be a solid, inexpensive option for next year.  A bit more of a wild-card than an established vet, but more upside.
    2. Trade Enroth for a top-6 forward (center?) or D-man (if neither Hank nor Toni re-sign I imagine) and sign a vet backup.  I call this the Marty Biron, as that’s who most folks want back as the backup.  Probably costs a bit more than Enroth, but wouldn’t be a huge cap hit.
    3. Keep Enroth in the AHL and sign a vet backup.  Could still be Marty, Enroth would play more, but with Miller here long-term, it may be better to try and get something for Jhonas, especially with the number of teams that have goalie questions.

    Stick-tap to TheFinnishLine on Twitter for the idea of trading Enroth, as I hadn’t thought of it.  The more I think about it, the more I like the idea.  Miller is our guy, and Enroth could net us (with a pick or a prospect or two) a new center to drop next to Vanek, or a top-4 defender to fill in for Hank or Toni if neither comes back.  I’d lean toward the forward myself, and give some of the Portland guys a try on the back line, but either way it wouldn’t bother me.  If they can’t make a trade, I think I’d want him here as the backup, and not with the Pirates.  I don’t think he’s going to get too much better there, and having a mentor like Ryan Miller could be good for him.