Posts Tagged ‘angry eyebrows’

Rebuttal Stuff

Aug 18, 2008 NHL

The Washington Times is doing a series of those ‘30 teams in 30 days’ articles, and the Buffalo Sabres’ number came up.  It’s good to get some insight on how others see your favorite teams, but there’s a few things to take issue with (starting the the silly stuff and getting more serious):

  • As pointed out in the comments, it’s Connolly.  To be fair, I always have to repeat ‘two Ns, two Ls’ to make sure I get it right.

the Sabres were no longer one of the most feared offensive teams in the league

  • They WERE still fourth in the league in scoring (whether you like goals per game or total goals for that measure).  The scoring is still there, despite the lack of Drury and Briere.
  • For a guy who went from being a threat on the third line to being expected to lead the team in scoring, Vanek did OK.  Bonus points to the Times writer for not calling it a $10 million year and using the overall cap hit for Vanek.

Things I agree with:

  • Roy and Pominville did indeed step it up.  I expect great things from them this year.
  • Yeah guys, which Max WILL show up?  I’m hoping for the one that brings the crowd to their feet and then actually finishes with a goal (or at least an assist for someone else).
  • The D-men could be ’sneaky good’.

Beyond that, it could be Paille and not Stafford that steps up, though both playing well would be HUGE.  And yes, Miller was a workhorse and showed he could shoulder that load for a time if needed, I’ll be more comfortable with Lalime getting sprinkled in a bit more.  We want training camp!

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Angry Eyebrows ON TOUR

Aug 7, 2008 NHL

Eyebrow crew REPRESENT

Drew Stafford got the chance to travel with one of his favorite bands, Every Time I Die, as chronicled at Sabres.com.  They first connected after Staffy dropped their name in an interview after jamming with Ronan Tynan.

I can’t tell if that is Jack Black or a skinny John Rhys-Davies on the left there.

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Sabres Storm Back in Third to Win 7-4

Mar 20, 2008 NHL

You almost feel bad for the Lightning, who probably thought they had this game in the bag after 2 periods.  Buffalo looked downright terrible at times, with giveaways and gaffes costing them goals early.  However, strong play from their current captain and the newly-reunited Roy-Vanek-Stafford line pulled it out for em’.

Jeff Halpern and Martin St. Louis staked Tampa Bay to a 2 goal lead midway through the first, before Jason Pominville netted his first of the night to cut their lead back to 1.  Buffalo gave up two more in the second period, leaving the ice to a chorus of boos from the HSBC Arena crowd.  The team responded in the third period, outshooting the Lightning 16-4.  It was Pominville again with the first goal of the period, as Gaustad pushed forward with the puck on a faceoff and passed it to Pommers for the tap-in on a set play that had worked for them once before.  Pominville and Goose worked the puck to Jochen Hecht for his 20th of the season less than 20 seconds later, and after that it was the Vanek show, co-starring Angry Eyebrows and Derek Roy.  Roy ripped one toward the net that Vanek tipped (only credited with it after the game), and then picked up two more for good measure for the natural hat trick.  Jochen Hecht got an empty netter to seal it.

You know, I had all but given up on this game, my wife sent me downstairs to watch it so she could watch Food Network uninterrupted on her pregnancy bed rest.  I sat down for the start of the third, ready to change the channel if the pain got any worse.  I perked up when the faceoff play worked, and I may have let out a whoop when the next one seemed to deflate TB.  All in all, this was a MUCH better ending to my night than I thought it would be after the first two periods.  Oh, and even better, the Caps lost so Buffalo has 9th place back, one behind the stupid Flyers.  Toronto is in town on Friday, how about we go for 8 on them?

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Sabres Playoff Hopes Limp On

Mar 9, 2008 NHL

Buffalo got a point from taking the Hurricanes to OT, but sit 4 points out of the playoffs as of now.  Hecht returned to the lineup, but Tallinder did not make the trip.  Roy, Angry Eyebrows and Lydman had the Buffalo goals, and Miller was instrumental in keeping the Sabres in it at the end, making key saves in two late short-handed situations.

The Sabres have a busy week coming up, and not to sound like a broken record, they need WINS to stay relevant in the playoff discussions.  Monday night’s visit from the Rangers is a 7pm start, on Versus if I’m not mistaken.  Should at least be able to park both vehicles in the driveway by then.

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Gameday - Canadiens at Sabres

Feb 29, 2008 NHL

Montreal is in town tonight for a 7:30pm game at HSBC Arena.  The Sabres are coming off their first win of the post-Soupy era, with a huge contribution from Steve Bernier.  Bernier has fallen in love with Buffalo, and after that game, the feeling is mutual.  If he can keep the energy up like that more often than not, he will be a great contributor.

Adam Mair has a knee injury and may sit out tonight.  Thankfully, Angry Eyebrows (Stafford) and Max return to the lineup tonight, with Clarke MacArthur as a healthy scratch.  Hecht left practice early yesterday and is out again.  Montreal is now relying on young goalie Carey Price after trading Huet away.

Taking a look at the standings, Montreal can take over second place in the East (and first in the Northeast) with a win, which the Sabres need the points to get back into a playoff spot after Boston, Philly and the Rangers all won last night.  Montreal is a sterner test than Nashville was but at least they most likely will not try to sucker-punch our team.

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