TWO STRAIGHT SHUTOUTS
Nov 3, 2008 NHL
I’m going to keep up these titles as long as Ryan Miller keeps throwing down shutouts. The Buffalo Sabres blazed a fiery trail through the Devils in the first period, but it was strong goaltending and a fantastic PK that ultimately won them the game, 2-0. Kevin Weekes played out of his mind for the first 19 minutes as Buffalo took shot after shot, until Jason Pominville finally roofed one on the power play on a tic-tac-toe play. Buffalo had 20 shots to New Jersey’s 3.
The second period had the Devils rebound a bit, though an assist does go to the zebras for putting Wyshynski’s team on the power play a few times. ;) Miller and the defensemen were equal to the task however, and the Sabres survived being outshot 12-5 in the second with the score still 1-0.
The parade to the penalty box continued for the Sabres in the third, but they managed to extend the league on a booming shot from Andrej Sekera that Patrick Kaleta redirected at the net. There were some tense moments at the end, but Ryan Miller clamped it down and got his second consecutive shutout, the first time he has done that in the NHL.
The Gaustad-Kaleta-Paille line deserves some praise, as they carried the physical play all night. Patrick Kaleta, in particular, continued to show that he can contribute even when he’s not pissing someone off to the point that they try and fight him or kick him while he’s down. Rivet was a surprise addition to the lineup, and looked very good in playing just under 17 minutes.
For negatives, well, Max continues to frustrate. He just doesn’t have the finish he had from two years ago…he skates into the zone, past defenders, behind the net, and just backhands a weak shot in the general vicinity of the goaltender. He and Stafford both appeared to ride the pine toward the end of the game. (edit: Stafford seemed to be taking a regular (albeit infrequent) shift, but Max only had 2 in the third) Also, the official attendance according to NHL.com was 10,567. What the hell NJ.
The next game is Friday, as the Thrashers come to Buffalo for a 7:30pm game. They play at the Bruins the next night, so look for Lalime to get one of these games (I’d keep Miller in for Friday myself, let’s see how far that shutout streak can roll).
Tags: buffalo, devils, Hockey, kaleta, new jersey, NHL, pominville, Ryan Miller, sabres, sekera, the kaleta, weekes, wyshynski
No Brodeur Tomorrow
Nov 2, 2008 NHL
It’s confirmed, Martin Brodeur is out for tomorrow’s game against the Sabres. He’s having whatever testing the Devils can throw at him today to determine the extent of the injury. Backup goalie Kevin Weekes may start, and helpfully noted that the torn biceps he suffered last year was first diagnosed as a bruised elbow. Looked more like a hyperextension, according to those who saw it, but we’ll see. H/T to (and shoelaces/belt removed from) Greg Wyshynski at Puck Daddy.
Tags: brodeur, buffalo, devils, Hockey, injury, new jersey, NHL, puck daddy, sabres, weekes, wyshynski
Raising the Cup
May 22, 2008 NHL
The NHL’s newest commercial, and a cool one at that. Via Mirtle, who got it via Wyshynski.
Tags: commercial, Hockey, mirtle, NHL, stanley cup, wyshynski
