Gameday - Sabres at Bruins
Nov 19, 2008 NHL
Buffalo travels to Boston to take on the Bruins tonight at 7pm, and will do so with a lineup that is shaken (not stirred) yet again. Tim Connolly is out again, with an ‘upper body musculoskeletal’ injury, which sounds more interesting than it really is. Kotalik is out as well, so Peters and Kaleta are both in.
The boys really need a win tonight, and it’ll be tough sledding against the Bruins, who are first in the Northeast division, and second overall in the conference. Tim Thomas has been playing very well for them in goal, with a sound defense in front. Buffalo needs to get out in front early and play their SYSTEM™. Make sure you Vote for Teppo before puck drop!
edit: Game is available online at Yahoo if you are out of market and don’t get it normally.
Tags: boston, bruins, buffalo, connolly, Hockey, kaleta, kotalik, NHL, peters, sabres, the kaleta, thomas
Oh Man
Nov 15, 2008 NHL
That was tough to watch last night…Lalime didn’t do himself any favors on a few of those goal, but in other cases, he got NO help. Why was Peters in the lineup if not to take on Boll, by the way? Put Kaleta back in if that’s what we’re going to get from Petey.
Positives? Timmy played. I thought Teppo had a decent night (he and Lydman were the ‘best’ pairing, at only -1, but of course that is when Lalime slid the puck behind the net and Loods didn’t notice). *sigh* Let’s just move on, as the Penguins are tonight’s opponent. Hope the boys are a bit more ready for this one.
Tags: blue jackets, buffalo, columbus, connolly, Hockey, Jared Boll, kaleta, lalime, lydman, NHL, numminen, peters, sabres, the kaleta
Sabres Hold On Against The Blues
Nov 13, 2008 NHL
Buffalo chased Manny Legace with 3 goals in the first five and a half minutes, but had to hold on as the St. Louis Blues rallied but fell short, 4-3. The game started with a bang as Andrew Peters and David Koci dropped the gloves 2 minutes in. It was a marathon effort with both combatants landing hard shots. Hockeyfights.com gave the edge to Koci but the crowd was energized. Twenty seconds later, Adam Mair got one past Legace for the first goal of the night. Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville followed up with goals shortly thereafter, both appearing to be stopped but eventually drifting over the goal line or sneaking out from under Manny’s pads. Wasn’t all his fault, as the defense (including Jay McKee) did a great impression of traffic cones for the first 10 minutes. David Perron scored on Miller later in the period to make it 3-1.
By the second period, it was obvious that both teams were going to play a sloppy game. It seemed like every other pass was missing it’s mark, though some of it was the intense physical play that was moving players away from where they wanted to be. There was a LOT of clutching, grabbing and interference that was not being called, as well. Patrik Berglund scored his fifth goal to bring St. Louis back to within one.
All was made right in Heather B.’s world just a few minutes in to the third period, as Henrik Tallinder ripped a shot in past Chris Mason (the only goal Mason allowed in relief of Legace) which ended up being the eventual game-winner. Hank’s celebration was very animated, I’ll have video up later today. ;) West Seneca native Lee Stempniak had the final goal for the Blues.
Positives from the game: Though the Blues’ intent to pound the Sabres into submission was clear, it didn’t work. Having a three goal lead helped, but Lindy may have been right in starting Peters tonight. Tallinder’s goal is a rarity for him but happened at just the right time.
One troubling note, Tim Connolly (who played very well) left the game after a wicked hit that had him laid out. He had one more powerplay shift after it, but didn’t come out for any more shifts. Max had been nailed to the bench up until that point, possibly due to staying late on his shifts (most over 1:10). Next up is Columbus.
Tags: blues, buffalo, Chris Mason, connolly, David Koci, David Perron, Hockey, mair, Manny Legace, Maxim Afinogenov, mckee, NHL, Patrik Berglund, peters, pominville, Ryan Miller, sabres, st. louis, stempniak, tallinder
Gameday - Blues at Sabres
Nov 12, 2008 NHL
The struggling Blues come to HSBC Arena tonight to face the Sabres at 7pm tonight. Buffalo had a few days off after the back to back losses to end last week, and Lindy did the requisite line-juggling. Peters should be in, with Stafford and Kaleta out. The Blues have a few tough guys which probably explains (but doesn’t excuse) Petey. Kevin over at BfloBlog has a good bit on Jay McKee returning, check it out if you haven’t yet. Looking forward to the game tonight, and make sure to keep voting for Teppo (and Miller and Vanek).
Tags: blues, buffalo, Drew Stafford, Hockey, kaleta, mckee, NHL, peters, sabres, st. louis, the kaleta
Did Rivet Make That Big Of A Difference?
Oct 31, 2008 NHL
A terrible, terrible effort all around last night. Nobody to move the Lightning players out from in front of the net, bad passing, and general lazy skating. Ruff held a meeting before practice today, according to WGR, and after which it appeared he had juggled the lines. Mike Weber was out, not surprising considering Tallinder was back last night. That also may be explained by the fact that Connolly practiced, centering Pominville and MacArthur. Vanek and Roy were with Kotalik (which has worked for short stretches in the past), Goose had Paille and Kaleta and Mair was with Stafford and Afinogenov. Hecht, Ellis and Peters all practiced but you may have your forward scratches for Saturday right there if Hecht isn’t ready yet.
Speaking of Saturday, Ovechkin is still out for the Caps, back home visiting his ailing Grandfather. Alexander Semin has picked up the scoring so far this year, though, so you can’t discount the Capitals. 7pm start time at HSBC Arena…if they begin the game the way they have for the past few, expect the natives to be restless.
Tags: alexander ovechkin, Alexander Semin, buffalo, connolly, Drew Stafford, ellis, gaustad, hecht, Hockey, kaleta, kotalik, lightning, macarthur, mair, Maxim Afinogenov, NHL, ovechkin, paille, peters, pominville, roy, ruff, sabres, tallinder, tampa bay, the kaleta, Thomas Vanek, weber
Goose Returns! Mair Aims For The Laughs…
Oct 29, 2008 NHL
WGR is reporting that Paul Gaustad will be back in the lineup for tomorrow’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He was skating with Peters and Kaleta, talk about a line that can bang! Wonder why he’s not on the third, letting Mair slip back to the fourth line? Anyway, speaking of Mair, he had this to say to the News’s John Vogl:
When asked what he was trying to communicate to the Senators, he said, “We don’t play those guys until January, so I wanted to wish them a Happy Halloween.”
What did they say back?
“I think they said Merry Christmas.”
The Buffalo News’ John Vogl asked if Mair was trying to talk to Chris Neil or Jaarko Ruutu?
“It’s Halloween for everybody, John.”
Special thanks to the commentariat at BfloBlog for pointing some of this out.
Tags: buffalo, gaustad, Hockey, injury, kaleta, lightning, mair, neil, NHL, ottawa, peters, ruutu, sabres, senators, tampa bay, the kaleta
Sabres Win A Shootout
Oct 10, 2008 NHL
From the AP - That's my boy, Vanek!
No, not a high scoring game, but they win in the skills competition against the Montreal Canadiens, something they didn’t do too much in the shootout last year. After Montreal newcomer Robert Lang put the Habs up 1-0, Thomas Vanek tied the game a few minutes later on a very good individual play in front of the net, where he held the puck and let the shot-blocker slide past him. After that, it was all about Miller and Jesus Price, with Buffalo piling on the shots (36 to 28). Neither team could score on the power play, combining to go 0 for 11. Hopefully that means the PK is good and not that the PP is bad. The other big news was Tim Connolly sitting out with continuing back issues, which will bear watching as the season goes forward. For now, both Andrew Peters and Clarke MacArthur are in the lineup. Kotalik (of course) and Drew Stafford both got the puck behind Carey Price in the shootout, on basically the same move, a fake shot/backhand to the top shelf.
Special Recognition tonight goes to Ryan Miller, who made numerous outstanding saves, after letting in the first goal of the game. Dan Paille deserves it too, as he had 2 thunderous hits and several scoring opportunities. Thomas Vanek should be recognized for a particular shift where he made some excellent plays forechecking on the PK. Patrick Kaleta also had some chances and threw his body around as usual, drawing a penalty.
The Sabres are off until Monday, when they travel to face the New York Islanders.
Tags: buffalo, Canadiens, Drew Stafford, Hockey, kaleta, kotalik, lang, macarthur, Montreal, NHL, paille, peters, price, Ryan Miller, sabres, the kaleta, Thomas Vanek
Depleted Bills Beat Even More Depleted Colts
Aug 25, 2008 NFL
Buffalo, minus Trent Edwards, beat the Indianapolis Colts, minus Manning and Sorgi, 20 to 7 last night. The second-biggest news of the night was Langston Walker hurting his arm (x-rays negative, just a ‘bad bruise’) which fed into the biggest news from Adam Schefter that Peters may be planning to miss regular season games in his hold out. Ugh. Anyway, the offense played well last night, moving the ball again, just like last week. The D snagged 4 turnovers, including Terrence McGee returning a fumble recovery for a TD.
“Special” recognition goes to the NFL Network crew working the game, which basically had three analysts (Sterling Sharpe, Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders) and no veteran play-by-play man. Sharpe only managed to mention what was happening sometimes, and it’s not like the other two are any great shakes as far as analysis goes. Boo, NFL Network.
Tags: bills, buffalo, colts, edwards, football, indianapolis, lorenzen, losman, manning, mcgee, NFL, nfl network, peters, sorgi, the hefty lefty, walker
Lines
Jul 7, 2008 NHL
Now that things have settled a bit, I thought I’d look at the potential line combinations for this year. Keep in mind I’m not 100% sure who can be sent to Roches…er…Portland to start the season. Anyway, what the lines will most likely look like:
Hecht - Connolly - Pominville
Vanek - Roy - Afinogenov
Paille - Gaustad - Stafford
Peters - Mair - KotalikTallinder - Lydman
Spacek - Rivet
Paetsch - SekeraMiller
Lalime
That 4th line left wing is fluid, but with all the forwards that will still be on the team (barring other deals) I can’t see Kaleta or MacArthur starting the season with the big show. I’d like MacArthur in that spot, though, with Kaleta as the first injury call-up. Heck, I’d have Kaleta up and playing just for his agitation and energy though I know not everyone agrees with that. Any better ideas?
Tags: buffalo, connolly, Drew Stafford, gaustad, hecht, Hockey, kaleta, kotalik, lalime, lines, lydman, macarthur, mair, Maxim Afinogenov, NHL, paetsch, paille, peters, pominville, rivet, roy, Ryan Miller, sabres, sekera, Spacek, tallinder, Thomas Vanek
Gameday - Sabres at Penguins (updated)
Mar 12, 2008 NHL
The Buffalo Sabres travel to the Igloo to face the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight, and they do so without Andrew Peters. Peters was suspended for one game for hitting Colton Orr while he was on the bench. Peters was retaliating for a hit that Orr put on a Sabres player that put him into the bench as regulation time expired. On the injury front, Steve Bernier and Michael Ryan both practiced but at this point their status for tonight is uncertain. Kalinin is out for 1 to 2 weeks, and Spacek longer, so Mike Weber will be on the ice.
Buffalo currently sits 4 points behind Philly in the standings, and Philly plays the Maple Leafs again tonight for the back-end of a home and home. You can just go ahead and fill in al the typical sports cliches about it being ’crunch time’ or ‘must-win’ on your own, don’t need my help with that by now.
Update: No Sidney Crosby tonight, he is sitting with that ankle injury that kept him out the past several weeks. Connolly may sit with the continuing hip soreness, getting The Kaleta back in. Bernier will play.
Tags: connolly, crosby, Hockey, injury, kaleta, kalinin, NHL, orr, penguins, peters, pittsburgh, ryan, sabres, Spacek, Steve Bernier, the kaleta, weber
