Shutdown Pair

Tag: Tyler Ennis

  • Should the Sabres play for next year?

    No, this is not a panic button post, but more the other team in town getting me thinking:  Should Buffalo target next year as the year to make a cup run?  There are some good reasons why they should:

    • Connolly, Niedermayer, Grier, and McCormick off the books – should open some top 6 minutes for Gerbe and Ennis, and possibly an FA center who is more consistent.
    • Next year could mean Luke Adam or Zack Kassian (or both) making the team, upping the size and tenacity of the team.
    • Seriously, read this about Kassian (h/t to Sabres Prospects):

    At the Memorial Cup (in Brandon), neither one of the western teams wanted any part of him. They wouldn’t look him in the eyes.

    • I can’t imagine Jhonas Enroth not being the backup here next year.  Either that or trade the guy.  Tomorrow’s game might be a big factor in that.  If he starts again, I’m seeing the writing on the wall for Lalime, no matter how much Miller and the rest of the guys love him.
    • The biggest question for me is what to do with the defense.  Hopefully a partner for Myers is settled by the end of the year, so whoever that is has to be kept (if it’s not Morrisonn).  Montador and Rivet are UFAs, while Weber, Sekera and Butler are all RFAs.  Someone (or preferably two of them) need to take the next step this year.

    So there you have it.  What does that change about this year?  I’d be hesitant to trade for a ‘rental’ player at the deadline, especially if there is a prospect moving out.  I like our prospects a lot more than I do most of the guys Darcy has brought in at the deadline recently (though a lot of that is hindsight).  I might change my view on that as the season wears on, though.  I do think this team can still make the playoffs, but I can’t imagine a true cup run.

  • Some Random Thoughts

    I have a few rare minutes to sit and write, but of course, I didn’t get to see the win against the Leafs.  I am a big fan of Enroth, saw some of his World Jr. work, so I was glad to see him do well.  Watching the highlights and reading random stuff:

    • Love that even the Leafs’ arena crew were fooled by Jhonas’s stop on MacArthur.
    • Love Enroth’s mask even more.
    • Hey, Komisarek, I know fights after clean hits are stupid, but man up and actually fight.  Montador never wins, anyway.  Don’t wrestle him down and then punch.
    • Nice chipshot, Roy.
    • JOCHEN.
    • Enroth had to make some tough, tough saves on breakaways and 2 on 1’s.  Is Lalime making those?
    • Really need to work on that ‘The Two Tylers’ shirt concept.  Ennis!

    Should hopefully get to see most of the games this week.

  • 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…

  • 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.

  • I’ll Take It

    I was camping this weekend, so I didn’t get to see any hockey or football, so I have no specific insight into any of the games.  Looking at the results, I am very happy Buffalo was able to beat the Senators, which is really the only thing I wanted out of the weekend.  Very good to see Derek Roy producing, Leopold and Morrisonn contributing, and Tyler Ennis in the mix too.  Beyond that, there’s not much I can say.  Hopefully will get the game on tonight.

  • Sabres End Preseason on a High Note

    While the Flyers dressed what amounts to the roster for their AHL team last night, a 9-3 win HAD to be fun for those present.  You can’t read a lot into it, other than, the guys who were supposed to score scored.  Such as Myers, Ennis, Gerbe, Stafford (1+3, nice job Angry Eyebrows), Roy, Pominville, and so on.  Kaleta knocked out Darroll Powe apparently.  Carcillo did…something to get ejected, no idea what.  Bring on the regular season!

  • Sabres Fall To Leafs 5-4

    Didn’t end up getting to see this, but I didn’t want it to pass without comment.  The big three for the Sabres (Miller, Vanek, Myers) sat this one out, among others, while the Maple Leafs iced what amounts to their regular season lineup.  Nathan Gerbe scored twice, including one on a penalty shot, while Stafford and newcomer Jordan Leopold had the other tallies.  The power play went 2 for 5.

    One thing I like seeing, Buffalo poured on the shots again, putting 39 on Jonas Gustavsson.  That comes after pelting Gustavsson and Rynnas with 44 shots in the previous tussle two nights before.  Hopefully this continues into the regular season, as one thing that bugged me the past couple of years is the Sabres’ tendency to make one too many passes.  Part of the improvement comes from Ennis and Gerbe, who have 13 shots between them in the two games (with Ennis not playing last night for personal reasons).

    Tonight, we get the Kraft Hockeyville game, facing the Senators in Dundas, Ontario.  It’s a neat event, and this might just be viewable for us, unline the rest of these games.

  • Preseason Leafs Smackdown Thoughts

    I went to the Sabres’ 3-1 win over the Leafs on Saturday, and have a few thoughts on what I saw (my phone was out of commission so no pictures, sorry):

    1. Kassian is a beast.  Too bad there won’t likely be a roster spot for him.
    2. Vanek glove-punching a guy was great.
    3. Ennis is going to be good, could be a good addition to the top 6.
    4. Stafford didn’t look out of place on the top 6 either, though, he had some physical plays.
    5. Gerbe knocked down Luca Caputi.  He gives up 9 inches to him (save your ‘That’s what SHE said’ jokes, please).
    6. Guy who whistled like a bird all game:  no one likes you.
    7. To the Leafs fan who whined that we had to use our ‘regular lineup’ to beat their rookies:  HA-HA!  I actually gave Toronto more of a chance with some of those guys in, since they weren’t corrupted by the pre-Burke/Wilson Leafs organization.

    If I can manage to find the game on TV tonight, I’ll be watching from home.  Probably.  Here’s the lineup for this game, courtesy of the Buffalo News.  Maybe that Leafs whiner will be happy, since they will have a more ‘regular’ lineup for tonight.

  • 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: Tyler Ennis

    The wheels for this one started turning when someone mentioned that an HFBoards post had Tyler Ennis on a list of guys to watch for the upcoming season’s Calder Trophy.  I honestly hadn’t even considered him a candidate, if only for the fact that I didn’t want to be greedy and win it two years in a row (video scouting FTW).  Looking at his numbers, though, you can’t discount the possibility.

    The shorter tower in the ‘Two Tylers’ (© Mike Grier) has ten NHL games under his belt, with 9 points (3G, 6A).  He was one of the best players in the playoffs as well, though unfortunately that was a small sample size also (1G, 3A in 6GP).  Ennis had 65 points in 69 games with the Sabres AHL affiliate Portland Pirates, including 9 PPG.  He could be an intriguing option to improve Buffalo’s mediocre powerplay.  Ennis has played C and LW, but barring a move of Timmy or Roy, will mostly likely stick with the Sabres as a winger.

    What are his downsides?  Well, Tyler is yet another smallish forward in the mold of Roy or Kennedy.  It remains to be seen if he can be healthy for a full NHL season, what with the rigors of getting elbowed ‘accidently’ by Chara.  Can he get around the bigger stronger faster NHL forwards and d-men?  If he can do it, I could see him picking up 20 goals and 35 assists, continuing to get the 15min a night he was getting against the Bruins in the playoffs.