Shutdown Pair

Tag: Tyler Ennis

  • 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.

  • Lovable…Winners?

    It was a great (FANTASTIC) weekend for the Sabres, with them winning both games, including another shutout for Miller, and the Canes losing to push them 5 points back.  New York and Montreal are both within reach, 2 points ahead.  I don’t even want to talk about 5th place, with Tampa Bay going 1-2-2 in their last 5.  Pittsburgh is the team I’d want the least to do with in the first round, what with them about to get Crosby back and all.

    What’s great to see is how much love the Sabres players are starting to get as a result of their performance.  The Pegula effect kick-started it, building excitement with the fanbase, but the team held up their end, winning games.  Not just winning games, but beating the teams they need to beat.  The ones they ‘should’ beat, and the ones near them in the standings.  They are getting shutouts (PLURAL) for Ryan Miller, who is making the saves he needs to make in close games.  Nathan Gerbe has gone from a guy that people thought should be back in the AHL to a big-time producer.  Of his 14 goals, 3 are game-winners.  He has 6 goals in his last 7 games.  Tyler Ennis has 19 goals is rolling along at a point per game pace over the past 9 games.

    The player that’s probably gained the most appreciation is Thomas Vanek.  He was a lightning rod for criticism after the huge offer sheet he signed in the wake of the Drury/Briere exits.  Over the past few years he earned his nickname “Atlas” when he’s tried to carry a less-talented team into the playoffs.  Now?  He has a cast around him, guys playing roles and chipping in, so that if he goes four or five games without a goal, who cares?  They’ve got his back, and he’s got theirs.  He’s got a letter on his sweater, and his quiet, earnest determination each and every night is rubbing off on his younger teammates.  Thomas cares deeply about the success of the Sabres, and it shows on the ice, whether it’s talking to himself after hitting the post or shooting wide, or the obvious relief and understated celebration after finally breaking through.  The fans are behind Vanek as well, starting a Vanek for Captain hashtag on Twitter, and I can’t remember the last time someone brought up his contract immediately after mentioning his goal total.

    It’s probably the best time to be a Sabres player since 05/06.  The future is bright, with the playoffs looking more and more certain, a new owner with a commitment to winning, who is already trying to improve both the fan and player experiences here, and a talent pipeline that looks to be stacked.  Everyone is having loads of fun right now, so let’s enjoy it and hope it lasts deep into the spring.  Let’s go BUFFALO!

  • 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.

  • Lost Points and Positive Developments

    So, the Sabres scored 6 goals against the Islanders, and lost.  Ryan Miller had a post-game meltdownafter a question from noted feces enthusiast John Vogl.  A bad question, a worse answer after a horrible game.  Buffalo is still in the driver’s seat as far as taking a playoff spot, but Ryan’s issues, whether mental, physical or a combination make you wonder if the push is a good idea.  Should he play game after game after game if his numbers are suffering, just to squeak into the playoffs and go out with a whimper?  I know the hope is that you become last year’s Flyers, but as a fan that’s tough to swallow after winning the division.  Would any trade even fix this?  You’re not getting a better goalie than Miller, and it’s obvious no backup is getting played unless Miller’s car gets set on fire by some Montreal fans prematurely celebrating a playoff spot.  I suppose the best bet is to trade for more scoring and hope you can outscore your opponents.  Not easy.

    There are some nice things to talk about despite them being overshadowed by Millsygate.  Drew Stafford had his fourth hat-trick of the year and continues to muddy the trade him/sign him debate.  Tyler Myers has scored twice in as many games, he needs to be appearing on the scoresheet more if his team is making that playoff run.  Ennis and Gerbe are both contributing (a few giveaways there too but hey, rookies).

    Does Miller getting shelled (and NOT pulled) have any effect on whether or not he plays tomorrow and Wednesday?

  • Vanek, Stafford Overwhelm the Lightning

    The Sabres recovered from a bad start (and a few tough goals given up by Miller) to roll over Dwayne Roloson and the Lightning 7-4.  Drew Stafford notched a hat trick, Vanek scored twice, and Jordan Leopold and Tim Connolly had the other goals.  Mike Weber and Tyler Ennis both had 2 assists.  A Vanek goal late in the second to make it 3-2 Tampa was the turning point, and the Bolts came completely unraveled after Stafford bumped Roloson on Leopold’s goal (he was pushed into him).

    I was listening on the radio and tracking it on the phone, and was shocked when I saw the score jump from 3-3 to 6-3.  Now the big discussion point while we await Pegula-mania to kick in is what to do with Stafford.  Did he finally ‘get it’?  My feeling is yes, knowing how hard he worked in the offseason and seeing the pace he is on (37 goals in 64 games after last night).  His longest stretch held pointless is 3 games, and it’s only 4 games for goals.  He’s shooting more, and I’m having a hard time thinking of a bad game for him.  Sign him to a Roy-like contract, $4mil a year for as many years as he wants.  I’d be A-OK with having Angry Eyebrows around long-term.

  • Nathan Gerbe: Saving the Season

    It might be a bit of an exaggeration, but there’s no denying the impact the diminutive winger is having on the Sabres right now.  He had a goal against the Islanders yesterday, and had the only 2 scored against the Isles in the previous 5-2 smack down the Sabres endured.  In that game, it seemed only Ennis, Gerbe, Gragnani and Vanek even played.  Gerbe has 5 of his 6 goals in the past 6 games, is on a 3 game goal scoring streak, and has no problem mucking with guys who double his weight.  Nathan registered 18 shots in the past 3 games.  He’s playing like a kid that wants to stick, and they’ll need his scoring while Roy is out if the Sabres still think they can make the playoffs.

  • In my experience, there’s no such thing as luck

    Tyler Ennis did what he was supposed to do.

    He went to the net, created traffic, but unfortunately instead of deflecting a goal in, he stopped it.  Of course, some still think it went in, but doesn’t show as such because of the angle of the camera above the net.  Until we have cameras IN the goalposts, there’ll never be a better angle, so we live with it.  Unfortunately for the Tiny Tyler, he followed up that ‘save’ with a high-sticking penalty in OT, and the Avs capitalized for the game-winner (4-3).  Both Budaj and Miller had stretches of spectacular saves, sandwiched around a goal or two that made you roll your eyes.

    The game was definitely a spiritual successor to the Bruins game from the other night, defense optional.  I don’t think there was one d-man that was really any good, Montador got a goal from a bad angle thanks to Budaj brain-farting on the shot.  Thomas Vanek scored on a 4-min power play (yay!), but then the team gave it right back by allowing a shorty after that (boo!).  Hecht scored, Vanek had 1G, 1A, and Drew Stafford had 2 assists.

    Buffalo travels to San Jose for a game tomorrow, a painful 10:30pm start.

  • Gameday 2010-2011 – Leafs at Sabres and Clarke MacArthur

    It’s a post turkey day game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have former Sabre Clark MacArthur as their leading scorer.  You are hearing a lot out of this article by James Mirtle, with this as the money quote:

    “In Buffalo, I didn’t really have the opportunity to do this,” MacArthur said. “You look at the minutes I was playing, like 12 minutes a game on average. What are you supposed to do with 12 minutes a game?”

    As you might imagine, this generated some snarky responses from Sabres fans.  Let’s deconstruct this a bit, shall we?  Clarke showed promise in his early cups of coffee with Buffalo, in particular getting 8 goals and 15 points in 37 games in 07-08.  He followed that up with an uneven 08-09 where MacArthur would show up for a few stretches and then vanish.  That included a 17 game and 20 game goalless streaks.  He had 5 goals in the last 8 games of the year, and 6 goals in the first 13, and ended up with 17.  His average TOI was actually 13:50, though he was definitely getting the Lindy doghouse treatment at times with some 6-8 minute games.  Those are balanced out though, even during the bad streaks he was given ample playing time (16min + more than once) to get going and couldn’t.

    His 09-10 season was more of the same, a burst of goals to start the season, then long stretches of inactivity, which lead to Clarke getting traded to the Thrashers for a couple of mid-round picks.  Atlanta didn’t accept the arbitration agreement (they specifically allowed the arbiter to set it high so they wouldn’t have to do a Tim Kennedy-style buyout) and he signed with the Maple Leafs.  MacArthur currently is on pace for 28 goals and 73 points for them, and good for him.  I just take issue with him acting like 187 games and 12 minutes 14 minutes a night is not enough to prove yourself.  The Tiny Tyler is making quite an impression with 15 a night, is that extra shift that huge a difference?

    Anyway, Miller and Roy are both in tonight as per the esteemed Mike Harrington.  Rivet is still sitting in favor of Weber.

  • One, Two, THREE Periods! Ah-ah-ah!

    Now the Count, HE can backcheck

    Hey guys, that first period was not a glorified warm-up!  Those goals counted!  But seriously, it wasn’t a terrible game despite it being a loss.  Right now Washington is still better, so winning one of two games with them is not bad.  What I liked:  seeing Ennis/Roy/Vanek continue to play well, more D contributions, and not giving up when down 3-0.  Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth was very good, he was definitely the difference after Buffalo scored their two goals (which he didn’t get much help on).

    It’s not getting any easier for Buffalo, as they have a Friday/Saturday schedule at home, with the LA Kings and Steven Stamkos’s Tampa Bay Lightning in town.  Tampa had lost 3 in a row before facing the coach-firing, injury riddled New York Islanders.  If you are a Vanek fan, by the way, watch Saturday.  He’s got 16 goals in 20 games against them.

  • Atlas and the Two Tylers

    What a snipe from Tyler Myers!  After the puck rolled away from the defender, Myers picked the top corner of the net to end the game in the last minute of OT.  The Tiny Tyler had a goal also, along with Cody McCormick and Steve Montador.

    This was one of the most entertaining games I’ve seen this year, Vancouver deserves all their accolades.  That power play is insanity.  I thought the Sabres did a decent job on them, but the Sedins are some of my favorites to watch.  Shouldn’t have given up the lead in the third, but the Myers steal almost caused me to wake the kids.  Could’ve been a loss, but what a way to win.

    Would be nice to get one in regulation but hey.