Puck Over The Glass

A little shred of optimism in my life.

2012-01-27T12:36:00.002-05:00

Last night, my eldest brother Jason and his wife Kathryn gave birth to a beautiful baby girl last night by the name of Morgan Theresa Margeret Griswold.

It's weird, seeing myself as an aunt now. I've been planning out for a few weeks now how I would react with a little niece (and soon to be nephew when my other sister-in-law has her first child along with Corey). I want to be that aunt that gets my little nieces and nephews into sports right from the start, buy them plenty of gifts that are the norm for children (Morgan already has a little Sabres jersey ready for her when she fits in it).

In fact, Corey asked me yesterday as we were watching her squirm around during testing 'so what jersey is she getting?' I had it planned out from the start after finding out we would have two babies in this family that one would receive a Myers jersey and the other a Gerbe jersey. Morgan popped out at nine pounds and four ounces so if the little guy is born smaller than that, then she gets the Myers jersey. Of course, she was born on the 26th of January so there may be a Vanek jersey in her future if he's still around when she's old enough...

I truly think sports has taken sort of a step back now so I can fulfill my duties as 'Weird Aunt Shelby' as I have been dubbed. It's even my new Twitter handle. A child can really change how you look at things even if it's not your own but a part of the family now. I'm excited to enter this new stage in my life.

Oh, and go Sabres.

Housecleaning

2012-01-20T10:39:00.003-05:00

Yeah, it's been awhile for me.

I don't know what brought me back to my personal blog to write about the Sabres, but I feel like I know how to write about them best here when it comes to raw heart and emotion. Maybe that's it. I haven't written anything here in almost a year because of the other two blogs I write for but I've truly been thinking that I should try maintaining where I came from a little more. I used to post so much when I first got on the blogging scene. I've dwindled a lot recently possibly because of school and work taking up much of my time. I feel like with the recent happenings in Sabreland, I couldn't avoid my own blog anymore. I just have way too many emotions about this team where I don't want to clog up other websites with my ramblings or unconditional love for this team. I swear to God I just torture myself watching them play but I can't look away. I can't stop watching.

No, not even this Time Warner fiasco is keeping me from trying to find all the feeds possible to watch the Sabres. Considering their piss poor efforts in recent games, I don't see why I give them the time of day anymore. Watching this team had become a huge part of my life and I'll always be connected to the team in some way or form. Even if it kills me. At this rate, it probably could. Thanks, Sabres.

But really, what the hell is wrong with this team? We're all asking the same questions over and over again. Not even the players can answer what is going on. The fact is that we might never know what is going on in there until something changes. As fans, we have no idea what goes on in that locker room behind closed doors and we can speculate all we want to, to no avail. We've speculated that Derek Roy is really a cancer on this team but we don't know how the other players feel about him. Hell, Thomas Vanek could be the cancer and we don't know it. God forbid he is because that will ruin my picture perfect of image of him but you get what I'm saying. None of the bloggers, none of the media, none of the outsiders that aren't involved with the team can possibly know what is going on.

Ryan Miller says that a trade won't change this team because it'll be mostly the same group of guys. Does he feel this way because he's been with the same four or five guys his entire career or he truly believes that one person does not change a team? I feel like for most of the season the team has been led by three different guys all at different points, and that's probably not a good thing. Jason Pominville is leading this team on the ice but what effect does he have in the locker room? Can Vanek psychologically lock it down and get back into his torrid point-per-game pace from the first half of the season? If Stafford or Roy are in trade talks, what kind of value can we get back and can THEY make a difference? It's a bunch of questions that make my head hurt and make me wonder if this team can get in the right direction at all this year.

I refuse to give up on the Sabres, though. A friend of mine started a small but effective movement with the hashtag #BuffaloStillBelieves on Twitter and I believe Jhonas Enroth and Marc-Andre Gragnani have at least noticed it. Compared to the Tweets they probably receive, I'm sure they appreciate the support even with the recent losing streaks popping up all over the place. I'm going to keep using it even until the end of the season because I refuse to give up now.

Not yet.

Glasscast #5: Quick Summer Recap.

2011-09-16T22:25:00.003-04:00

Oh hi, I'm back again! Here's my most recent podcast talking a little about the changes that took place this summer with the Sabres.

http://kiwi6.com/file/937il2ede8

The Evolution of Thomas Vanek.

2011-06-19T17:20:00.002-04:00

Some of you may already know this but I now write for BuffaloWins.com and I just published my first post there. Here's a link if you would like to read it.

The Evolution of Thomas Vanek

Winnipeg gets their team back.

2011-05-31T16:49:00.003-04:00

It was officially announced today that the Atlanta Thrashers were moving to Winnipeg to give them back another NHL team for a second shot. This also made the count of Canadian teams go up to seven. It's a great day for Winnipeggers but an extremely sad one for the Thrashers fans who made an effort to try and save their beloved team down south. It's really a shame that the NHL wasn't able to do more for them. Personally, I have family members who live down in Georgia and while they were Sabres fans, they were also Thrashers fans. My uncle and I especially spoke about what was going on with the Thrashers and having an NHL team in town meant he could see the Sabres twice a year. Now that is no longer the case.

It's amazing how these events unfolded so quickly. Only about two weeks ago was it mentioned that Atlanta could possibly move up to Winnipeg. Phoenix had been in a ton of danger for maybe three years prior to that and when they were told they would stay in Phoenix for another year, the NHL looked elsewhere. I had a feeling in my gut that the Thrashers or Panthers should be moved over the Coyotes to Winnipeg, mainly because I thought moving them back to where they have previously been was just stupid. I'm sure it would have been an entirely awesome experience for Shane Doan though. Regardless, this deal going down in only about two weeks was really crazy and you have to wonder how Gary Bettman feels about all of this. I'm sure Winnipeggers don't care in the slightest, they're just glad that they have a team back.

The thing that confuses me the most is this unnamed Winnipeg team playing in the Southeast division for next season only so that they can get used to the change. Considering that they are more North than the Wild and they're playing for the East is strange to me. I'm sort of looking forward to seeing them twice next year but I just wonder how much those ticket prices are going to be. Also, which team from the West will make a move to the East? Columbus, Nashville, and Detroit are up for talks. I would personally love to see Nashville in the East to create a bit more competition. I don't like Detroit but Columbus' time zone is Eastern. It would be easier to add that onto the Eastern Conference. I guess that will be all decided within the next coming season.

Congratulations again on this, Winnipeg fans. Also, congratulations to Canada on their seventh team. You finally got it.

National teams that struggle - they can only blame themselves.

2011-05-10T13:57:00.004-04:00

With the recent departure of Team Austria in the A-Division of the World Championships, it got me thinking about an article that I had read which was posted on the IIHF website prior to them being ousted. It was a little snippet into the life of head coach of the national team, Bill Gilligan, which had the wheels in my head going.

Within some European countries who do not develop many NHL players (like Austria and Slovenia for examples), they do not have many rinks or hockey programs because hockey is not the number one sport of even close to that. If you look at who has come out of Austria such as Vanek, Grabner, and Nodl – all three of them came over to North America at a young age to reach their dream of making the NHL. Do you think at this day and age; the young kids in Austria with a lack of guidance and proper hockey experience will get them to the NHL by staying in their country? Probably not.

Vanek came here when he was 14 to play in the ECHL and then played for the Gophers. Grabner came and played for the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL and was quite the star there. Then Nodl pretty much took the same route Vanek did and played for the same team he had in the ECHL. I did some research to see if Anze Kopitar had developed within Slovenia but then learned that at either 16 or 17, he left to play in Sweden. He had been told he would not have a chance in the NHL unless he ‘left the country’.

There’s probably major concern for this; seeing as if Austria, Slovenia, and some other countries could perhaps get more hockey schools, they would develop a lot more players within the country. The kids are becoming more interested in the sport thanks to the guys mentioned above but they’re only being motivated to leave the country when they get to be older. I would personally love to see Austria get plenty of rinks and schools to help kids there. I think they could be a hockey powerhouse if they tried.

Vanek actually made comments on the current situation with how the national team is run in Austria:

Now let’s talk about the Austrian squad. I’ve read Matthias Trattnig’s interview with Laola1 today and have to completely agree with his criticism. I am and always have been proud to play for Austria, the state of things in the national hockey federation just makes it hard to do so. You feel like at a summer hockey-camp when you join the national squad not like in a professional team. While it’s an important factor it’s not only to do with getting food and water but with other basics like wearing the same uniform already in practice. Other “small” hockey-countries like Italy and Norway warm up in the same tee-shirts. We do the warm-up completely mixed up. Matthias is wearing a Red Bull-shirt, Bernd Brückler a Russian shirt from his club and I warm up in a Buffalo-shirt.

Of course, that’s not all. What’s really bad is the fact that there’s just not enough staff. We have just on physical therapist and one equipment manager – by far not enough for a national squad, especially at times like a world championship where you play every other day. 15 or more guys would need a massage after a game, but there’s only time for like 3 or 4 to get one. The equipment manager is also overstrained with so much work in so little time.

The players are supposed to be professionals. True, but the same should be said about Hockey Austria. We want to come and play well, but, as I said above, the officials don’t always make it easy for us.

It’s hard to say for us why that is so. We as players don’t have any insight into the finances of the hockey federation. We have no idea if all the money is getting to where it should really end up. But I think it’s alarming that similar hockey nations like Italy and Norway can do so much better than we. We’ve talked to Hockey Austria manager Giuseppe Mion and president Dieter Kalt sen. last year but nothing much has changed.

It’s interesting to see his thoughts on everything and how truly upset he seems to be over how unprofessional the national team is. It makes me wonder if he’s going to try and make a difference after his career is over.

If you’d like to read the article I mentioned earlier, check it out here if you’re interested: Have Puck, Will Travel.

Ho hum.

2011-04-26T23:21:00.001-04:00

What went wrong in this game?

To be honest, I have no idea. You can point the finger at a lot of the players on the Sabres squad and claim that they hadn’t stepped up in this game. You can look at the overall series and pick and choose at individual players; dissecting their stats. For instance, before Brad Boyes just scored in this game as I’m typing, he did not have any points at all in this series. In fact, he was the only player that played in every game (besides Miller) that did not have a point in this series. The acquisition was huge because we as Sabres fans did not expect anything like this so soon within the Pegula Era. He immediately had an impact in the New York Rangers game after the trade deadline and scored a huge goal. Throughout the rest of the regular season for the Sabres he would score a total of 14 points in 21 games. He has one more year with the Sabres so I’m hoping he shows up moreso during the regular season but we could have used his help during this entire series.

You can turn to look at the defensive play…Steve Montador, who was a +16 during the regular season, was a -1 during this series and was scratched in game seven. Chris Butler looked lost most nights and had ten minutes in penalties. If we compare Game 5 to Game 6 and also to Game 7, the defense was entirely non-existent on the ice. There was a reason Ryan had two shutouts during this season. The defense and Ryan himself had been spectacular. Injuries affected them, sure, but the defensive breakdowns were inexcusable. It’s something that will have to be looked at in the offseason.

Top six not showing up at crucial points, especially tonight’s game. If you read numerous quotes, the Sabres claimed they were ready for this game. They didn’t show up until the third period. The Flyers poured on the offensive power like they know best and proved why they are the better team. Maybe not the most respectful team out of the two, but the better one, and unfortunately that’s what counts in the playoffs. The Sabres just couldn’t match up to the adversity in the most important game when they needed it the most.

The thing that will be stuck in my head this summer is Game 6, at home. Crucial point where you could’ve wrapped things up. The Sabres were up 3-1 and then the Flyers ended up coming back from that deficit and won in overtime. I’ll be honest and say that after that loss, I lost a little faith in the team if only because they would come back to a loud building – I was right. Maybe it was my lack of faith that caused me to lose, or perhaps it wasn’t. We won’t know what the Sabres could have done to the Caps if they have moved on in this series. Now we’re left to wonder what could have been for another season. Locker clean out will come and go, then the long offseason. I think it’s going to be an exciting one, Sabres fans. Terry’s first as the owner and we’ll see what he can do. Let’s hope it instills some newfound hope into this organization that goes on for the entire season.

Let’s go, Buffalo.

Two Headed Monster: Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider.

2011-04-13T16:49:00.002-04:00

The goaltending duo in Vancouver was awarded with the Williams M. Jennings Trophy to have the fewest goals scored against between the both of them. The Canucks also won the President's Trophy this year and I don't think it was any accident. The team has played just as such - a team. There have been contributions from every line, the defense has been figuring into the scoring and even though there were plenty of injuries to have happened during the season, the team played well. It helps that both Schneider and Luongo had nearly an even number of games to play so that not one goaltender was hit by fatigue. It makes you wonder if this is the key to success for a hockey team.

Now not every goaltending duo is on it's game like these two are. Not every year are you going to find a lot of teams that can play both goalies every night and have much success. The thing is, many backups tend to play better as they play more often. Let's use Patrick Lalime as the case in point. When he went down to condition in Portland last season, he came back up and won a stellar game versus Chicago. He went on to win a few more last season. When Lindy played him more frequently, he became better as time went on. Only a few goaltenders are still excellent when they sit for a long time. Nearly every other game, Schneider and Luongo switched roles to lead the team to an impressive 54-19-9 record. I really think that Canucks have a great chance to take it all this year, and I would see the even time between the two goalies to be a huge factor in that. When they're both on their game, they are on. The only case where I would hope they're not is if the Sabres make it to the Stanley Cup Finals along with the Canucks - then I hope both goaltenders are fatigued.

The hunt starts tonight as the Canucks take on the Blackhawks with a 10 PM ET puckdrop. I'm hoping the result this year is different from the past two seasons. Go Canucks, go!

Columbus Shenanigans.

2011-04-11T13:05:00.002-04:00

It's nice to have slept in my own bed last night but this weekend seemed unreal. A huge win by the Sabres on Friday along with clinching a playoff spot made the trip to Columbus that much more exciting since we didn't have to be nervous about maybe not making the playoffs. Tamara and I left early Saturday morning for Ohio and arrived in the early afternoon. I have never seen so many things on the highway closed for renovations. At least it wasn't like when Denny's was closed when we were heading for Ottawa last season...

We arrived at Nationwide Arena pretty early and could already see about 40+ Sabres fans across the street at a local restaurant. There were jeers at Columbus fans of course, and one fan replied back that we could 'go back to the empty arena'. I replied to him that he should come up for a game and then see how empty it is.

The Rivet jerseys were worn for this game and we received several snide remarks from Sabres fans. Tamara and I never had this problem at home but considering we seemed to be the only Sabres fans in attendance who were wearing any sort of Rivet jersey, we were being heckled. It's about the logo on the front, not the name on the back. Of course, after his little scuffle with Tyler Ennis we took the jerseys off. I had my Vanek shirt underneath, it was all good.

Now the Columbus fans...I admire their dedication but yelling at Sabres fans that we're going to get out of the first round and saying 'let's go, Flyers!' is...well. I guess since they had nothing else going for them, they had to say that. There was an old lady one row in front of us a little ways down that was pointing and yelling at me, saying we were going to lose the 'first game'. First sweetie, a playoff series is a ROUND. Secondly, I know some badass elderly women in Buffalo who could kick your ass so sit down. Seriously, Ottawa and Montreal was fine regarding opposing fans. Columbus was brutal. Coming from a team who was only in the playoffs once during their ten years as an NHL team, they think they have a lot of firing ammunition against other team's fans. Please get out of here. It was nice to see the Sabres win their first game at Nationwide, though.

The Philadelphia/Buffalo series is bound to be a good one if Friday night's game is any indication. A lot of aggressiveness and goal-scoring I'm sure. I can see the Sabres winning this round because of their playoff surge, let's just hope I'm right.

The Hardware.

2011-04-08T10:07:00.002-04:00

The Vancouver Canucks gave out some team awards last night in their 5-0 win over the Minnesota Wild and watching it reminded me the Sabres are doing the same thing this evening before the game. Within an otherwise very important night (the Sabres can clinch with at least one point), there's some fun to be had this evening too. For instance, at least 80 members of the Sabres Alumni are attending the Red Carpet Event to sign things for fans. The fact that a ton of them haven't been back to this city in a long while makes this all the more special.

I was thinking to myself about who might win what awards and I figured it would be fun to try and guess. Let's see what the awards are first:

2010-2011 MVP of the Year
Rookie of the Year
Hardest Working Player

My choice for MVP of the Year goes to...

Drew Stafford.

I called it in the beginning of the season that he might get more than 35 goals (he currently has 30, I'm close). This was the first time in his career he's hit the mark. Drew has come a long way since his rookie season and perhaps he finally has become the player we wanted him to be his sophomore year. He's helped a lot in killing hopes and dreams (preferably Boston) and I believe that he has been one of the highlights of this season. I say he gets this award.

Runner Ups: Jhonas Enroth, Thomas Vanek, Nathan Gerbe.

My choice for Rookie of the Year goes to...

Tyler Ennis.

He's 5th on the team with 48 points and is one goal shy of the 20-goal mark. A lot of people were doubting him near the middle of the season because of work ethic and his size, but I think that he's coming into his own just fine. I'm excited to see what he has in store for the playoffs again.

Runner Ups: Nathan Gerbe, Jhonas Enroth.

My choice for Hardest Working Player goes to...

Thomas Vanek.

He's grown up. He had the A sewn onto that sweater and he's become an immediate presence in the locker room and on the ice during games. You're looking at your (possible) future Captain of the Buffalo Sabres. He has worked on all areas of his game. His assist total is higher than goals for the first time in his career. You can see him mature throughout each and every game. Bank on this one.

Runner Ups: Drew Stafford, Nathan Gerbe, Derek Roy.

Again, the most important thing tonight is getting at least a point so we can clinch. It'll be comforting to go to the Columbus game tomorrow already knowing we're going to the playoffs. Let's hope the boys make tonight more fun with a win. Go Sabres.

Expectations.

2011-04-04T10:10:00.003-04:00

In 2003, Thomas Vanek was the 5th overall pick for the Buffalo Sabres. He was already deemed as 'a natural goal scorer' but many scouts considered him to be lazy on some nights. Regardless of this being the European stereotype or it being the typical terminology used with some college players, the Sabres still took him and expected huge things from him. He had a pretty good rookie season with the exception of the playoffs where he was scratched for the Eastern Conference Finals against Carolina. As we all know, he came back the next season with 43 goals, a +47, and an impending 7-year, $50 million contract in the summer.

Ever since that contract most of us have expected a lot of Vanek. We expect more than fifty goals a season, we expect him to be on the scoresheet every night, we expect him to play in every situation. Expectations go a long way with this guy. Jeremy White Tweeted the other night that he will remember this season as the year most Sabres fans finally embraced Vanek and what he's become in the past few years - except for those who still claim he's lazy and wish we had gotten the draft picks instead in the summer of '07.

Here's the problem with Vanek: it's the kind of person he is. This reflects on how he plays, the decisions he makes. It's no secret that Vanek has been my favorite player since 2006 so I've been watching him particularly close over any other player on this team which I believe causes me to over analyze on the type of person he is. I think I've only heard him throw someone under the bus in two of his interviews out of them ALL, while also throwing himself under the bus. He consistently puts himself down over and over again, even about plays he wasn't involved in. It's to the point where it's ridiculous.

He wants to work in all areas of his game which is what Lindy has wanted to do for so long, but there are Sabres fans who just want Vanek to be 'the goal scorer'. Nothing else. They don't expect more assist than goals (in fact, they abhor it). If he isn't right on a guy's ass on a backcheck, he's lazy. If he's coasting near the blueline to try and score on a breakaway, he's lazy. I always wonder if the Vanek haters have colored glasses on that block out all the positive aspects about him or what. I know I am biased but I think even if I hated the guy, I could see that he has changed quite a bit from the 22-year old who was stuck sitting in the pressbox; knowing he had to change something about his work ethic and self to be better in the fall of 2006.

This is the guy who stayed calm and collected after the Washington game to say that the game last night was more important - and they won. You have to wonder if he said anything in the lockerroom to get the guys going or if they already knew it by the look in his eyes. The faint outline of a 'C' should be stitched in Vanek's jersey in a light, gold color. Whether you guys like it or not, he has indeed grown up. You should, too.

Birthday Shenanigans.

2011-03-27T15:34:00.002-04:00

LindyRuffsTie on Twitter last night decided that for Terry Pegula's birthday, a bunch of Sabres would go to the arena to sing happy birthday. Now all of us figured Terry wouldn't be there but the thought of it was still cool. Tamara and I had went and there were maybe about fifteen to twenty people present at the event. Tamara even mentioned to me when we were leaving that the sort of power Twitter has on the media and everyone else goes a long way. I think everyone at this thing was on Twitter. Scott has a picture and a nice writeup on what went down today so I hope everyone goes to check that out. Everyone should also keep an eye out on WIVB, WGRZ and YNN to see clips and interviews from today. Being a Sabres fan in this day and age are exciting times. I really wish more people had came but hey, if you think that we're taking the love too far...than you are welcome to continue being a party pooper. Myself, I'm just going to enjoy this time with being a Sabres fan.

Terry was also shown clips of it by his daughter Jessie so I consider this to be a successful event. I really hope we can do some more crazy stuff. Maybe if the Sabres win the Cup...but until then, my fellow fans. Go Sabres.

The Little Train That Could: Sabres Win 2-0.

2011-03-23T10:05:00.003-04:00

Nathan Gerbe is a man on a mission these past few weeks. He scored both goals yesterday as the Sabres shutout the Habs, 2-0. His first goal had been a beautiful tip-in by a Tyler Myers shot. The second goal was all hard work as he dove to get the puck out of the zone, then won a battle versus a Habs player to ultimately shoot it into the empty net at the other end. A lot of Sabres fans have been getting on his case that he's too small and tries to act like he's a tougher player even though he tends to lose some battles no thanks to his size. Tyler Ennis is the same way but both of these guys have shown a lot of heart for the Sabres in the past few games. The two smallest players are certainly getting a lot done for the team, in a good way.

You can't say that the stellar play of Ryan Miller had nothing to do with this. He stood tall and made about three HUGE saves from what I remember. He kept the fort secure during the last minutes of play and it didn't turn into another Nashville fiasco even though the Sabres were pinned in their zone for a long time at the end of the second period. I personally thought Montreal would tie it up at some point but Miller stopped that from happening. Carey Price was great as well, and I can see why he is a candidate for the Vezina this season. Minus the almost goal he gave up, but he appeared calm and collected during that ordeal. Harry Neale mentioned Price tends to 'daydream' when he does moves like that. He clearly wasn't thinking when he gave the puck away. Good thing the Sabres sometimes forget they have an offense!

The next time the boys play is on Friday and I'll be missing it because of work. Florida isn't really a threat to us for a playoff spot but I hope that we won't treat them as a lowly team. Those always come back to bite us...

Crowd Control: Taking the trash out of games.

2011-03-21T10:00:00.005-04:00

This is going to simply be a post about respect in arenas. After witnessing some really stupid antics last night, it got the wheels in my head turning and I wondered really how often this happens. More than likely a lot more than it should.

Last night at the Sabres/Predators game, there were four people sitting in our section that were pretending to be Predators fans. Now at first I thought one girl was truly a fan, until I saw her shirt ripped to shreds - as if she were thinking about attending a strip club after the game was over - with it saying on the back 'Buffalo Sucks'. Classing it up. It turns out the four of them were from the tri-county area since as we were leaving the game, three of the four people were fans of the different teams in that location. Now not only are they giving Predators fans a bad name, but their own team's name as well. It was an absolute joke. It's different if you're jokingly jabbing at fans of the other team but yelling at them and making asinine comments should not be allowed when visiting an away arena.

It all goes back to the World Juniors from this past December. Several Sabres portraits were pushed in and/or broken from fans. I don't care if you were American, Canadian or even Swedish - you do not DO that in an opposing arena. Respect it as if it's your own. No one can prove exactly who had done all that damage and it doesn't really matter. Sporting events are meant to be good times, not times where you ridicule other fans or just wreak havoc on an arena that you've never been to.

I have been to three away arenas in the past few years and I treated everyone with respect. I wanted to see this girl, hooting and hollering about the Predators to go to Montreal and yell how much their players suck. Then we would see who would survive.

My general point is, again, respect for the arena and the opposing fans. I don't care if you crack jokes but threatening another person's life or acting like an idiot gives someone the right to kick you out. There are so many joke fans in this league, it's ridiculous. Yes, this goes for you too Sabre fans.

The Invigorated HSBC Arena.

2011-03-11T09:59:00.004-05:00

That carpet cost $20,000.

You cannot say enough about Terry's idea to change how the arena looks and other things that have to do with the Sabres as a team. That carpet adds a lot more to the character of the team than you can imagine. The locker room was incredibly bland before that carpet was placed there. It's the symbol of the team and it wasn't shown enough in that locker room. It was definitely a great investment by Terry to have it furnished in there.

Some other things that will be changing:
-The 'slug' logo will soon disappear from the arena all together. The logos on the Jumbotron will be gone over the summer.
-A new pregame show for the Sabres will be starting before the game on March 19th. It will be a half hour long.
-Dominik Hasek is making an appearance at the beginning of the game that takes place against the Atlanta Thrashers. I think it's known to all of us that his jersey number will more than likely be retired.
-Miscellaneous arena renovations will be performed as well over the summer.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely ecstatic for these changes. I'm attending the game on Sunday and I already want to see if there's any changes that the fans can see. The pregame show is something I've been wanting for awhile and I'm already wondering if it will include segments of seeing the Sabres actually having personalities. Sort of like BHTV (Blackhawks TV), where they have a show every once and awhile and it has funny segments with the players. If we can't have Drew Stafford on Twitter, then I will accept this as an alternative.

My biggest hope is that these changes will bring a new atmosphere to every Sabres game. The fans really haven't been into the games for the past few years; even when the team is doing well. My favorite thing about attending games was the people. I hope this shoots some immense excitement into everyone.

As a personal side note not relating to hockey at all, please pray or those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. The world has been literally turning upside down and we need to stand united. Take a moment and count your blessings. Don't take anything for granted. Live your life.

Huge Win In Minny, postgame 3-6-11.

2011-03-06T21:28:00.002-05:00

I didn't see any of the game yesterday but of course, I missed a good one. That's why I didn't have a recap of that. I'm pretty sure I would've died by the time it was over anyways.

Tonight, I was able to sit and watch tonight's game that took place between the boys in blue and gold and the Minnesota Wild. There was a beautiful tic-tac-toe play between Vanek, Pominville, and Montador that led to Jason getting his 17th goal of the season. If you haven't seen the highlights then I suggest that you do for that goal. The second Sabre to score? Rob Niedermayer. I shit you not! Rob Niedermayer does exist ladies and gentlemen, and he scored after a nice feed from Reggie. Before we know it, he'll have two on the season! Bank on it.

In all honesty, I was glad to see that he scored. It was getting ridiculous and now Sir Christopher is the last to score for this season. All is right within the world. Funny story with Rob scoring tonight...once I upload my photos from the Bandits game from last night against the Rochester Knighthawks, I will explain further. It's amusing to me, at least.

The pooper play continued to be just that - poop. The Wild had two great shorthanded chances that Jhonas easily kicked away. Speaking of the baby Swede, how confident is he looking now? I'm happy for him. I want Patty to play but at the same time, I'm glad that he is looking better and better in the net. I mean this game didn't go to a shootout SO this is clearly a sign of progress. You go, baby Swede.

The Sabres did squander another 2-0 lead though so that is sort of a dilemma. At least it was against a team that's in the other conference. Two points is huge for this team right now and with that, they moved into eighth. Hey Rangers - we're coming for you.

He does exist!

2011-03-04T10:11:00.002-05:00

Tamara was doing some searching this morning to see if our beloved Rob Niedermayer has actually done something in his career, and here you go. He scored in the Stanley Cup clinching game and actually did work in the playoffs. Let's hope that if the Sabres actually make it then he'll score big goals then. Maybe that's his plan all along! Not scoring at all during this season just so that he can explode with 50 goals in the playoffs. Yes, he will have multi-hat tricks in every game. Watch out for Niedermayer. He's coming for you.

Playing Like You Want It, Postgame 3-3-11.

2011-03-03T22:04:00.003-05:00

It's too bad that this postgame is actually going to be the opposite of what my title says.

The Sabres came out playing well in the first and for the beginning part of the second. There were a lot of Sabres fans in the crowd and I'm sure it made the Sabres feel right at home. There were plenty of hits and some good, missed chances. For instance, Thomas had a great chance that he just missed to put in the net since it went behind Cam Ward and across the crease. There were huge saves at each end of the ice but the first period turned out scoreless. You go to the second period, and Steve Montador scores the first goal of the game. Then the Canes came right back on a horrible, defensive breakdown. Brad Boyes managed to get his second in as many games as a Sabre to make it 2-1 again and then - you guessed it! - the Canes came back after Ryan Miller mishandled the puck and got stuck spun around in his net and facing the other way. If you look at both of those goals, they were terrible reads by Miller himself but the defense gave him no help at all, either. I just wonder how Ryan reacted to this on the postgame...I never listen to the WGR postgame after away games but perhaps I should start to hear what the players have to say. I'm sure it wasn't at all pleasant.

The game unfortunately went to overtime and it wasn't even a minute in when McBain scored the game winner for the Hurricanes. The shot easily went through his pads (five hole) and into the net. People saw my Twitter reaction to that goal...let's just say, that damn five hole needs to stay closed, Ryan. Seriously.

I am significantly less angry than I was as soon as the game had ended just so I could write this blog post with some logic. I realize, you Miller apologists out there that Ryan has played 38 of the Sabres last 39 games. You know how crazy that is? I bet his body is fatigued. It isn't his fault that Lindy is making him play, but maybe he should step up and say 'hey, maybe this is taking a toll on my body. I believe that my backup can win a game or two for us.' ...Or he's a hockey player, and a lot of fans don't believe that they're human in the slightest.

The Leafs won tonight so they're one point behind us, while we are now two points behind the Rangers. Looks like it's time to catch the blue shirts if anything. Also, just read on Alex's Facebook status that Ryan had indeed admitted to playing the puck badly. You sir are starting to realize that you can indeed make mistakes. Hopefully your fans start to realize the same.

Glasscast #4: Let's Hear It For The Boyes.

2011-03-02T21:24:00.002-05:00

Boyes Boyes Boyes, postgame 3-1-11.

2011-03-01T23:01:00.002-05:00

After the lack of exciting trades in the NHL yesterday (seriously, the Sabres had one of the biggest ones), the Sabres came to the Big Apple to scrounge two huge points against the Rangers. Carolina won their game against Florida so they are still two behind, but continue to have two games in hand on the Hurricanes. They play against them Thursday so this should be a good game we have in our sights. At least, I hope so. I'm going to assume that it'll be a pretty tight affair with a lot of hitting and chances. At the same time, I don't think a lot of scoring will happen. Both teams aren't going to want to give up much...there's much at stake for this game.

Brad Boyes scored his first as a Sabre tonight and I'm pretty excited. Yes, we've seen this happened with Steve Bernier when he came here and scored two goals in his debut. At the same time, Boyes has been productive even in St. Louis so I certainly hope that this isn't just a flash of something that won't exist in the future as well. He had a number of hits during the game and made some pretty good plays. I say that this was an excellent debut for him. Tim Connolly got an assist tonight so I think that him and Boyes together is a good combination.

So Thomas Vanek likes to scare people (not just with his intense sniffling action) and when he limped off the ice, I was mildly concerned that it was extremely bad. So I didn't see him come back because I was searching for some things in my basement with Tamara, then I came back up to see that - BOOM - number twenty-six was back out there and being a boss. He had a great backcheck on Dubinsky I think, and overall had another great game. I think that A does something to him. Whatever it is, I like it. Lindy says he shouldn't be out at all but he was still limping when he got off the ice. I can't imagine if it's painful or just uncomfortable but I admire him either way for deciding to play through it. I just hope it doesn't hinder his game too much.

I'm thinking about making a new blog that combines both the Sabres and Canucks since I rarely talk about my second favorite team here...I've been trying to come up with a name but I lack in creativity. Also, I would switch to Wordpress if anything. I just feel like a need a change to spark my ability to write more here. I use school as an excuse too frequently. I miss blogging, you guys.

Let's talk about LAX.

2011-02-05T15:30:00.003-05:00

I attended my first professional lacrosse game at the Bandits home opener a few weeks ago and had the time of my life. It helps that the game went to overtime so it was even more exciting than it already was. Against a divisional rival, the Bandits played strong in front of the home crowd and they always say it's fun to play at home and I could see why! The fans have way more fun at Bandits games than they do Sabres games; probably because the Bandits are champions unlike the latter.

It took me no time at all to have a lot of the chants down and I immediately got into the game. Ironically, I chose Brett Bucktooth as my favorite player because it's an awesome last name, but then I found out he was number twenty-six. I laughed when I found out. It was coincidental, I swear. So of course, I decided I had to go to more games this season and we had gone last night to the game against the Minnesota Swarm. That's when I saw my first lacrosse fight.

I remember a time when hockey fights use to be that real and aggressive, so seeing something like this in person got me on my feet right away. There were about ten fights last night I think, and each one turned out to be pretty awesome. Seeing the players throw one another against the boards; you can tell that they almost hate one another. I thought that a whole brawl might bust out and I was kind of hoping for it, to be honest. I watch hockey fights in Sabres games now and some of them aren't that great because a lot of the punches miss. In the game last night, there were a lot of hits and the next game I go to, I'm going to want to come back for more. I don't know when that will be but I think I have officially become a Bandits fan.

I didn't watch any of the Sabres game last night except for their two goals, but I hope they can get the W tonight. The Leafs are going to be looking for something to pick themselves up tonight for obvious reasons but the Sabres do need this win with Carolina and Atlanta playing one another. Let's go, Buffalo.

Rest in peace, Brendan Burke.

The Pegula Era, Part Two.

2011-02-04T13:49:00.002-05:00

On a continuation of yesterday’s post (it was late so I had to cut short since I had a quiz today and needed sleep), I’m continuing to dissect the press conference that made the sale of the Buffalo Sabres to Terry Pegula official. I spoke a lot about facts last night so instead, I think today I’ll write about some thoughts I had while listening in on the presser.

I took notice that Golisano had said Ryan Miller and Tyler ENNIS had won awards (the Vezina and Calder, respectively). He corrected himself shortly afterwards, but he seemed to be making a lot of mistakes during this press conference if you paid enough attention. I’m not saying that ‘oh, maybe he’s been away from the Sabres too long’ but I feel like he had enough time to prepare for this media onslaught so why do you sound so nervous, Tom? Maybe I’m just displeased at him screwing up that much of a height difference. Seriously. One guy is tall enough to be a hobbit, and the other is tall enough to be the Jolly Green Giant. It’s hard to screw that up.

On the shovel matter – I had absolutely NO idea that Larry Quinn possibly came up with the idea for that with the entire league. It makes me wonder how they got rid of all of the ice shavings in the first place before the ice crew was formed. Yeah, there was zamboni, but I’m sure that not all of the shavings were off the ice after a quick sweep of that. I’m sure skating on that is a major pain. Regardless, apparently he created the whole idea and should get a lot of praise for it. If he really did then great job, Larry Quinn. Thanks for not brainwashing us with the whole ‘ice girls’ thing. There’s no need for that, at least in this city. (Watch as all the men and/or independent ladies attack me for that last sentence.) There’s a place for cheerleaders but I don’t think that place is hockey…sorry.

Dan DiPofi wasn’t asked any questions this conference and considering I don’t know much about him, I can’t say anything on him. When Larry Quinn began to tell of his sendoff, I could hear a sincere remorse in leaving his position as a managing partner up for grabs. Now, I never really liked the guy because I believed he was what held Darcy back from a lot of things but at the same time, you could tell he cared about the team and community. He took a lot of the heat while Golisano was out of town as well so I give him an abundance of credit for that. It’ll be interesting to see how Larry’s departure will affect how this team does during the Trade Deadline (even though this year he’ll still be around at the time, it appears) and also during Free Agency.

A VERY interesting portion of the press conference was when the trade deadline was being discussed, and Larry mentioned there was a note given to Terry that there are certain players on this team that are untradeable – but the list is small, and they could not reveal who those players were. It makes you wonder who they want this team to be formed around. To be honest, I don’t think it’s the guys that people are most likely to think it is. Examples are Vanek and Miller. I believe that they’re tradable (not like anyone wants Vanek’s contract, but you never know) and it could be other guys; the ones who seem like they would make excellent tradebait but are also great leaders and are still developing. Oh look, I did just describe Vanek. My bad. Either way, it gives us things to think about as the trade deadline fast approaches.

I don’t know if I’m just very observant or what, but during the press conference, Tom Golisano talks about how Drury and Briere left Buffalo because they were offered contracts that paid significantly more money than they were willing to pay them. During this little tirade, either Larry or Dan (though I believe it was Larry) begins to cough abruptly. Here I am getting too analytical about facial expressions/body language but seriously – who thinks Larry is a little upset that no deal could’ve been made with those two? Briere and Drury were actually compared to Vanek and Roy by Golisano and I believe that’s a lopsided comparison. Briere and Drury are a few years older and more experienced. Also, Vanek and Roy were, at the time, on the third line when Briere and Drury were here. Totally different caliber level players. I just think the comparison is a little unfair and believing that Roy or Vanek were soon going to turn into one of them is ridiculous. This might be why Vanek’s capabilities as a sniper are being hindered back by Lindy but that’s a whole ‘nother rant I can get into. Which I won’t.

Anyone else thought it to be unprofessional that Tom still had his phone on during the presser? As soon as you heard it go off, I rolled my eyes. Turn that off when you’re giving an important press conference such as this one, or at least turn it on silent. That just pissed me off for reasons unknown, maybe it’s because I’m a Business student and slowly learning the ways of being a professional. Meanwhile as I type this, I’m slouching and awkwardly on my couch.

My favorite part of the whole presser though? The Mike Harrington/Tom Golisano faceoff. I was waiting for a microphone to smash into one of their heads; if I had been there, I would’ve grabbed some popcorn and made myself comfortable. Talk about putting a little drama into things. It figures that the owner would’ve put a lot of blame on the players and the coaching staff for missing the playoffs two years in a row but I think collectively as an organization, you have to feel like you did something wrong. Maybe that’s me but there is no ‘I’ in team and while there are 23 guys who play on this team every night, there are others involved. It isn’t just one person’s fault, everyone is to blame. Maybe Tom Golisano can think about that as he heads back to his little ranch in Florida and take care of his business there. Thanks for saving my team, Tom – in more ways than one.

A new era of the Sabres begins today as they take on the Penguins at 7 PM. I won’t be watching since I’ll be at the Bandits game tonight, but I hope that long break helped them prepare for this crucial run to try and make the playoffs. Operation: Pegasaurus is a go. Let’s go, Buffalo!

The Pegula Era, Part One.

2011-02-03T21:58:00.001-05:00

I’ll admit it. This season, I have had no interest whatsoever with writing anything on my blog and it’s been bothersome to me. No matter how much I wanted to shell out some new material; nothing ever came to my mind. I began to question whether or not I just wanted to shut down the blog for good considering how school and work have kept me pre-occupied. Until now.

The impending sale of the Sabres is what has kept me on the edge of my seat as of late. Terry Pegula is a business man but he is also a hockey fan, which just makes this whole ‘buying the team’ greater than it already is. It’s what us Sabres fans have been wanting for a long time since it seems like Thomas Golisano has found other interests besides the Sabres. Not according to him though.

I spent about two and a half hours watching that one hour press conference because I was dilly dallying. I sat down with a piece of Post-It and took notes as if I were one of the media reporters sitting in front of that conference.

The first thing I noticed about Golisano in particular was how he approached this very businesslike and professionally. He brought about a lot of great points with his opening statement of the selling of the team and the purchase by Terry Pegula. It was mentioned that talks of purchasing the team were brought up before but they declined any offers, and then suddenly accepted them again because of personal reasons amongst the three managing owners (Golisano, Quinn, and DiPofi). Golisano said that he enjoyed most of his time being the owner of the Sabres, but there was one percent that he didn’t like. In my belief, I think that was not being able to win the Stanley Cup for all these years he’s been the owner. Someone brought up the Briere/Drury debacle as what might’ve been that one percent but I don’t think that’s it. In fact, Larry Quinn pretty much busted a blood vessel explaining to people that the whole thing was a two-way street and they could’ve signed the contracts they were offered. Instead, they decided to go a different route. I saw this as refreshing because I’m sick of the Briere/Drury thing being brought up over and over again. It happened nearly four years ago everyone needs to get over it.

I never knew that other NHL teams might have asked their communities for money to help out, so Golisano noting never asking for ‘public money’ kind of shocked me. I guess that in some cases (especially if your team is about to go bankrupt) you have to do whatever you can in order to keep the team in the area it was originated in. While he had done his part to keep the Sabres in town, he had then moved to Florida to take care of other matters. He claims he watched almost all of the games while he was in the Sunshine state and when he was up here, he attended all of them. Ironic considering ho most reports and other things showed him as being disinterested in the team; which is why many people thought he would sell it in the first place.
Another way to defend himself was saying how high the attendance had gotten for the Sabres. Currently, they are sixth in attendance from the Eastern Conference which is pretty damn good considering the other franchises in this conference. He also mentioned how they tried to get close to the salary cap during free agency; something fans consistently complained about in the summertime as the free agency market opened and numerous amounts of good players were gone under the Sabres radar. Many fans (and the media as well) could argue this with Golisano. Perhaps under the new era of Pegula, this could change? We shall see.

Part two of my analysis will be written tomorrow.

Glasscast #3

2011-01-14T10:15:00.001-05:00

Glasscast #3 Hurricanes vs. Sabres

Astronomical.

2011-01-09T18:06:00.003-05:00

Last night, I watched the Sabres/Coyotes game at my eldest brother's house. Some if not most of you know Corey, who has been on WGR 550 and now writes periodically for the Goose's Roost. During the game last night, he had compared Vanek to an asteroid - in that with his inertia, it never looks like anyone can stop him. Well, maybe besides the sun. So after hearing that, this is what I came up with today.

Photoshop skills aren't what they used to be, but there you have it. VANEK. IN. SPAAAAAAACE.

A podcast should be up shortly. I have some stuff I want to dish out against people because they suck. Go Sabres.

Glasscast #2: Talking Slovaks and Germans.

2010-12-28T11:21:00.001-05:00

Glasscast #2

She's back - with audio.

2010-12-25T22:07:00.001-05:00

2010-12-25 21-36-50.466

It's good to be back for the holiday break, folks. Bring it.

PotG is on a hiatus at the moment if you couldn't tell.

2010-11-18T18:50:00.001-05:00

For the meantime:
We'll be back to our original programming soon.

Time to Panic? A Reflection on the Season So Far.

2010-11-04T15:13:00.000-04:00

I haven't written a blog post in awhile; specifically because I just have not been interested in typing up post game after post game about nearly the same thing. The Sabres have so far lost ten games this season and have only won three. All of those wins have been on the road. There has been a lack of motivation within me to write up stats or analyzing how the boys might have played one night. Not only do I work some game nights now, but I literally cannot pay attention to some games because they're either boring or the team just doesn't deserve that attention. I can easily be doing something else.

After attending the game last night with Tamara (and talking with my brother and Ryan from The Goose's Roost during the first intermission), I gained the motivation to write a post about the season so far. I don't even really know how to make of it, to be honest. Most people are hitting the panic button already thanks to their lackluster performances on the ice at home of all places, and it doesn't seem like anyone is putting much emotion into the game anymore. The defense is mediocre at best and I think Tyler Myers should be sat for at least one game to clear his head. Will Lindy make that moves? Who knows. He seemed to think that putting in Jhonas Enroth last night, a guy who has had the starter job taken from him in the minors, was a great idea and look what happened to him. It was his first game all over again. Ironically, that was also against the Bruins.

I could literally write maybe five posts about the power play and penalty kill on their own but I won't. The power play has taken off from where it ended last season and still looks horrible. It makes me question how Brian McCutcheon is still a part of this organization. No matter how many times you mix up those power play lines; if you don't shoot on the net, nothing is going to go in. Ryan made a good point to me last night during our discussion "Why is Paul Gaustad on the first power play unit when we have another guy who does the same thing, only a thousand times better?" As much as I love the Goose, he is no deflection master. The only one who is actually good at that on this team is Thomas Vanek even though the likes of Gaustad and Stafford can place themselves in front of the net and get hit on a nightly basis. They just can't score goals from that position. No comment on the short handed goals...

Last night also proved how awful our penalty kill has been this season. I think at the beginning it was all right since it took a few games for us to let in a goal on the opposing power play, but now we just can't seem to get it out of the zone. I believe that for the last few games we've at least let in one power play goal per game. Our defensive effort is a disaster so far. The only defenseman I've been impressed with at all this season is Jordan Leopold since he has seemed to be pretty consistent so far in that I only notice him when he's been on the score sheet.

I think everyone who reads my blog knows how much I despise Derek Roy, but I can't even find it within myself to make negative comments towards him anymore. I have to give credit where credit is due and say he has been our best player thus far because of his points. It actually pained me to type that up, ugh. Maybe I should actually appreciate him more since he is consistently getting points. Amazing what having a terrible team can do to you!

Thoughts on the captaincy - it looks like Rivet isn't going to give it up, and I think we have to try and remember that the guys on this team had chosen him as captain. As weird as that whole thing was, I think Craig has been a good voice when speaking in interviews. There are other guys in the locker room who have voiced their opinions too and could take on a leadership role. I don't think changing the captain will do this team any good, though. The 'C' is just a letter and nothing more. Maybe some more guys in the locker room should step up and admit that they haven't been playing as well as they should be. None of this 'oh, let's change the captaincy' crap.

Then there's the whole 'fire Lindy' option. If we look as some recent teams who fired their coaches and ended up going to the Finals (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia come to mind). Lindy Ruff can only work with so much and the guys at the helm are Larry Quinn and Darcy Regier. If anyone should be fired from their job, it's the guys at the top and not the bottom. If you give Lindy Ruff a good team to work with, he will work with them and teach them. Right now it is obviously not a good team and they can't even seem to work out any of their problems as of this moment.

I know that it's been nearly one month of hockey with only three wins, but my finger is hovering over that panic button. It hasn't been hit yet. How about you?

Postgame: 10-24-10.

2010-10-24T10:00:00.002-04:00

I don't understand how the Sabres can play so well on the road and then look horrible when they're playing at home. I didn't see the Ottawa game because I was at work but I was intermittently listening to it on the radio so I knew they lost. I have no idea how they played since I didn't read anything up on it either. They went 0-4-1 for the times they were at home and right now are looking like road warriors. I guess that's a good thing but at the same thing, it's a really bad thing. You need to be able to win at home too...Maybe they'll figure things out when November comes around.

Ilya Kovalchuk was scratched last night for reasons that continue to be unknown to the fans perspective. Also, the media doesn't seem to know what's going on because the Devils' GM is keeping his mouth shut. The fact that he is getting paid $100 million and was now scratched for a game should be a concern for the Devils. A HUGE concern. Who knows what is going on behind closed doors but it feels as if the organization is going to crack soon. That's what happens when you practically sign a guy for life...

The Sabres beating Hedberg last night was comforting since he's had our number in Atlanta for years. The Devils just did not look good either, even though for the beginning portion of the game they did look like the team with fresher legs. I think Niedermayer and Gerbe got their first points last night so good for them! It looks like this year the goals will be coming from all different guys again. At least it won't just be two or one guys...speaking of which, I won't be surprised if Thomas takes over the goal scoring lead on the team. At least pucks are starting to go in for him now. It's nice to see him be rewarded for his effort.

The Sabres don't play again until Tuesday in Philadelphia so they're getting a nice break. Hopefully they can take it to them. Go Sabres.

Postgame: 10-21-10.

2010-10-21T18:43:00.003-04:00

There is nothing more refreshing than seeing the boys finally get a win over a team that they should beat night in and night out. It was even better to see that they took advantage of a team that just got back from their west coast adventure. We as Sabres fans know how that goes when the boys get back home...yeesh. Those this year might be different since they don't even know how to win at home. AWESOME.

Tyler Ennis started off the scoring by getting a shot past Chris Mason. Now, the shot would have been a totally easy save if Mason hadn't dropped down early. It was definitely a weak goal but nice to see that the Sabres got on the board first. Tyler Myers added one on the power play in the second period and that was his first goal. Cody McCormick got his second of the season just a few minutes after that, and then in the third period, Thomas Vanek FINALLY ripped a shot from about twenty feet out and it went right passed Mason. He looked up to the ceiling after he scored, you could tell he was happy something finally went in. Maybe this now means that he can be on a streak.

I think that overall, the boys played well yesterday. There were a few times where I was questioning their skating ability because it just looked like the game was slow. Or maybe it was just Atlanta. Seriously, they along with the Blue Jackets got a record for the lowest attendance at a hockey game in the NHL (I think) yesterday. My one brother suggested we fly to Atlanta and sit near the glass because no one clearly had tickets to that game. I bet being a fan of someone other than the Thrashers and going to see your team for cheap is very nice. I would adore that. Not the weather, but being that close every night. I have family that lives down there that are fans of both the Sabres and Thrashers but I think they only go when the Sabres come to town. Totally understandable. My uncle keeps me updated on in game stuff that they do and he says he can't stand it.

The Sabres are playing the Senators tomorrow, and I'm actually looking forward to this game. I'll be at work and maybe I'll be able to listen to it on the radio, so I can hear if the first game was just a fluke or that they might actually be able to compete against this team. Remember boys, the Senators are not that much better than you. Don't let them continually get to your heads. You've got this.

Go Sabres.

It begins.

2010-10-17T08:30:00.005-04:00

I'd like to thank the creator of Twitter for coming up with the idea for it. You see, especially during hockey games, I'm a raving lunatic. I need to express my anger or my complete happiness somewhere and I can't do it outloud at my house because of my mother usually being in bed during hockey games. I swear up a storm, use all caps. I am that type of person when it comes to watching this sport. For all those people who still follow me even after reading my obscene comments, thanks for sticking around. I think I use Twitter to get out all of my frustration and if I want to write a blog post the next day, I'm extremely calm. So thanks for that, creator of Twitter. You had people like me in your mind when you came up with the concept.

The Sabres lost their fifth straight game yesterday, and Phil over at Black & Blue & Gold had mentioned on Twitter if anyone remembered the ten game losing streak. To be honest, that came into my mind after the Devils game. I didn't really think they would lose the next two games after that but it just doesn't seem like ANYTHING is going right for this team right now. Both goaltenders can't seem to steal a W (though Ryan did steal a point for the boys against New Jersey). We can't seem to score more than three goals a game and that's only happened two out of the six games. Thomas Vanek can't get the puck in the net. Most shots on goal but nothing to show for it which is just REALLY, REALLY weird. It isn't like he's not trying, he is but the puck keeps avoiding to go in the net when he shoots it. Our defensive pairings are really screwed up. I don't know what happened to Tyler but I think he is now a minus seven. Guys, that's really bad considering I think he was a plus player last year. I hope this is just a fluke and he doesn't have the dreaded sophomore slump.

It was comforting to see more guys than Derek Roy score last night, that's for sure. Drew, Goose, and Cody all got on the board. Thomas got an assist (WOO HOO) but that could not stop the Hawks. I said it on Twitter, I said it on Facebook - time to get more goal songs. Obviously you're going to love it because it pisses off opposing teams and fans and if you're a Hawks fan, but if you plan on having this song 20+ years into the future then have fun with that disaster. I don't even care about the Hawks in terms of I do not love them or hate them but I HATE that song during the hockey season. It's too bad I'll have to hear it more while watching the Canucks play them this year, ugh.

The Sabres next game is on Wednesday and I think fans deserve a break from this. I wonder if Lindy will be able to light a fire under their butts so they come out flying because the Thrashers have our number badly. It's time to take care of teams who are less talented than we are - or are they?

Go Sabres.

Postgame: 10-11-10.

2010-10-12T19:24:00.003-04:00

No one wants to see a player get hurt, no matter what team it is. Unless you're Flyers fans but that's a whole 'nother story for a different time. As most of us know Jason Pominville got hit from behind by Niklas Hjarlmasson last night. Niklas isn't a dirty player by any means but the hit itself was quite dirty and left Jason motionless on the ice for a little bit. Lindy says he has a concussion and will be out for a least a week. Niklas received a two game suspension for it.

...Wait, only two games?!

I think it would be different if the James Wisniewski/Sean Avery incident didn't happen earlier yesterday too. If you haven't heard about that, Wiz made a very inappropriate gesture towards Avery and that caused a ruckus. Now, he was also suspended for two games. Are you telling me the league is putting inappropriate gestures in the SAME category as getting a concussion and thankfully not being hurt worse? You bet they are.

This league is a joke and frankly, I don't wonder why anymore they don't show it on national television. Colin Campbell doesn't understand how to hand out suspensions. Neither do I, but I'm sure there's a better person out there for the job. If anything, Niklas should stay out until Jason comes back as punishment. An eye for an eye so to speak. It would just make sense.

I know I put 'Postgame' in the heading, but I don't know what to say about last night other than I'm glad Jason is all right. I don't know what happened to the boys out there and so far, I've only listened to one interview about what went on. From reading others' Tweets, it sounds like they said the right things after the loss. Hopefully they can turn it around for tomorrow night's game when they face a familiar looking dude - Henrik Tallinder.

TEAOTAS is going to the game tomorrow too so look out for matching Rivet jerseys if you want to say hi. Go Sabres.

TEAOTAS crashes the home opener.

2010-10-10T11:04:00.003-04:00

And the Sabres manage to crash it too, in a horrible way.

They dropped a 6-3 decision against the New York Rangers and decided to let Derek Stepan get his first NHL goal PLUS a hat trick in his first NHL game. For the record, congratulations Derek! He is only the fourth rookie to ever do that in his first NHL game which is pretty impressive. He capitalized on his chances which the Sabres did not do for most of the night last night. He is now the answer to a trivia question.

Tamara and I made it to the arena rather early and got our magnet schedules (!!!). We then did the usual, watching pregame warm ups and whatnot. The Sabres decided to change the Sabres In Traffic photos around the arena so now I get to see this whenever I get up the stairs:

*wiggles eyebrows*
Moving on.

My brother and mom were at the game too, FUN TIMES. My mom hasn't been to a game in a couple of years, and it's sad she had to see that monstrosity of a game last night. Seriously, they had almost forty (if not over) shots on goal and could only score three. Their power play units need to be shot. Everyone would not skate last night. WHAT GIVES? I understand back to back nights but you can't always use that as an excuse.

I was so angry by the end of the game that I was yelling at Rangers fans to go back to the city. Like, literally screaming it. Also calling the Sabres bastards but I never booed them once since I don't roll like that. Yesterday was just SUCH a sloppy game. I started laughing in the third just because that's all you can do when your favorite team plays like that. I'm pretty sure all of my screaming helped me feel much better though.

For the record, Thomas Vanek has the lowest +/- on this team with a -5. Go figure. Haha, man, I hate life right now.

The Sabres face the Stanley Cup champions tomorrow and I hope that it'll be more exciting in that both teams will score a lot of goals. With the Sabres coming out on top, of course. Someone needs to wreck Patrick Kane's life too, that would be spendid.

Go Sabres.

TEAOTAS returns for the preseason.

2010-10-04T14:53:00.003-04:00

Tamara and I actually attended the Leafs game together too, but since I made a video for that game I figured it was unnecessary for the TEAOTAS post. So for the first time this season, TEAOTAS has returned! I know you're all excited to hear about our ~~stupid~~awesome adventures throughout this season as we go to games. We sat fairly close at the game yesterday and neither of us brought our cameras. Can you say epic fail? Ah well, I'm dangerous with a camera to begin with and sitting up close would have been more of a disaster if I had it on me. Tamara and I apparently were on the Flyers feed at one point if you were watching online or on the NHL Network, and were seen talking. Honest to God, that's not different from how we usually are during games anyways.

The Flyers got off to a quick 2-0 start and the annoying Flyers fans that were sitting near us caused a ruckus. Then that's when the onslaught began with eight straight goals. I was hoping for ten, but I GUESS nine is okay. :P It was a good way to end the preseason with a huge win like that, but as Flyers fans would probably say 'YOU BEAT OUR B-TEAM!!!111' That's your B-Team? They need some work. Better get on that, Phantoms.

Can we talk about Drew Stafford for a minute? You already have? I'm going to talk about him again anyways. I'm talking about the goal. You know what I'm talking about. As soon as the puck went into the net, I turned to Tamara and went 'that was an Ovechkin goal'. There's no video of it online as of yet, but it reminds me of the goal he scored against the Leafs two seasons ago. I stand by my statement that I said on Twitter that the guy is going to get 35+ goals this season. Not good in a contract year? I don't care, the guy deserves a good season and everyone to get off his back. He also got the first star which we were happy to see. :) Aww, Drewseph.

It's weird to think that the real season starts on Thursday for the league. It's about time, to be honest. I just wonder how the boys are going to come out against Ottawa on Friday...we shall see, won't we?

As an end to this post, I am leaving you with the new Ryan Miller ad. If you haven't seen it yet, please do. There's something about the frustration in his eyes when Don LeGreca says over the commercial 'but do you think they can be a Stanley Cup contender?' It speaks for this city, those eyes. Enjoy.

This isn't working out as nicely as I thought it would.

2010-10-02T08:41:00.002-04:00

For the oddest reason, my videos refuse to upload within a first attempt and I have to keep trying. They keep not working and it's NOT because they're corrupted. It happened with my Ottawa video and now it's happening with my Montreal one so I'm basically saying 'fuck it' and plan on not doing them for awhile. Besides, I sort of miss writing down all of my thoughts and acting like a real blogger.

I was working at Timmy's last night and thankfully since I was put on dishes, I could listen to the Sabres game on the radio. From what I could hear, it sounded as if the Sabres got a LOT of dumb penalties that cost them considering both non-empty net Flyer goals were on the Power Play. I thought our penalty kill was solid for the most part this preseason but if you're going to continue to take a bunch of penalties in the game, you're eventually going to get scored on. Especially with giving two 5-on-3 advantages. Unless you're the Sabres and you're playing the Sens but that's a whole 'nother story.

I also heard that Tim Connolly possibly got hurt last night because his leg twisted in a weird angle and scared the crap out of all of Buffalo, as per usual. He ended up coming back later on and apparently looked fine. I'm going to make a bold prediction right now and says he plays all 82 - YES, ALL OF THEM - games this year. He won't have any back problems, no concussions, no fractured discs of the sort. It'll be a smooth year. He was close last season and then he had that mishap at the end of it, but I really believe that he'll be fine considering this is also a contract year for him.

I'm going to the game on Sunday so if any lovely bloggers want to meet up at some point, send me an email or Tweet at me. I'd love to say hello and/or finally meet you!

Vlog: Postgame 9-29-10.

2010-09-30T17:44:00.002-04:00

This is incredibly late but the video wouldn't upload for me last night. Yes, I am very hostile in this video and it's only the third one in! Yeah man.

Vlog: Postgame 9-28-10.

2010-09-28T17:30:00.001-04:00

Unlike last time, I actually put the correct date.

Vlog: Postgame 9-26-10.

2010-09-26T20:31:00.003-04:00

My first video. Go me. Also, go Sabres!

Edit: Thanks to Phil over at Blue, Black & Gold for noticing the title. I suck.

Training Camp: Day One.

2010-09-19T19:18:00.005-04:00

For the record, I always keep forgetting that the Sabres split up the boys into three groups - the practice squad for the day and then the two teams who are playing in the scrimmage. Team Seymour (I think) was out for the practice squad today. Stafford has been looking extremely sharp these past few days and I heard that he lost quite a few pounds for the new season. I think he wants to prove everyone wrong because I do believe he just had a rusty season last year. It happens to every player.

For some reason, Miller was wearing his light blue mask during practice. I never took a liking to that one mainly because it clashes against the navy blue of the home jerseys. I don't know if he'll wear it with the third, which it might look better with, but I'm just not a fan. I much prefer the one he always wears. Leopold looks like Lydman when he takes off his helmet and that kind of bothers me too. Toni. *sad face*
I heard Team Norty won the game today in the shootout (go Lalime!) and that was the team I was cheering for. We had left early for food and so that I could get my brother's away jersey and I found a new little buddy for my car.I won't be at practice tomorrow because of school, but I'll be there on Tuesday when they're at the Northtown Center since I don't have my class in the morning. Can't wait!

Puck Drop 2010 and it's festivities.

2010-09-18T22:39:00.003-04:00

Puck Drop 2010 has come and past, but it had it's moments. The day long event gave fans a chance to see their favorites in action on the first day of training camp while also letting them finally see the new jerseys that were coming out today. I'm pretty sure everyone left the arena happy as I know that I did. I think I am just eagerly awaiting for the real season to begin and it was nice to catch a glimpse of some hockey again.

The practice squad was the first group that was on the ice and consisted of guys like Vanek, Rivet, Montador, and others. The practice squad was out on the ice for about an hour and a half; just practicing a few drills and other miscellaneous things. I was impressed with a few guys especially during the drill where you had to battle the puck of of someone. Vanek was going all out against a few guys and I hope that has to do with him being in amazing shape this season.

At 11:45, each Sabre was announced and came out one after another in the home, away, and third jerseys respectively. It was neat to watch them skate around in the new garments. It's going to take time to get used to the style (especially the cross stitch on the numbers), but I think that I'll be able to come to love the look. I definitely like the shade of blue used for the jerseys. I can't wait until they wear them during a game. Those are going to look super flashy on the ice.

After the unveiling, they had a scrimmage go on. Sekera ended up going to the penalty box twice, while Connolly, Stafford, Foligno, and another rookie who I can't think of at the moment were also in there. Unfortunately, I don't remember who scored either but there were some sweet goals at both ends. For the shootout, Myers almost killed Leggio as he actually had to jump over the poor guy in the net. Ennis had an extremely nice goal that went top shelf while Pominville scored his only goal this season. Just kidding - at least I hope. Team White ended up winning the entire scrimmage.

There's a practice tomorrow which I'm attending so if you happen to see me, feel free to stop and say hello! You can't miss the girl with bushy hair and a Vanek jersey.

Hockey's back! Kind of.

2010-09-08T19:45:00.003-04:00

Tonight starts the beginning of the top Sabres games from last season, and as I write this, it's about fifteen minutes away from puck drop. The first game they're showing is when Tyler Myers scored on the shootout and pretty much sealed his fate with the Sabres that night. I don't remember much from the game other than the shootout to be honest so it'll be nice to catch the things I missed. I think for the occasion I'll put on a jersey or something, and curl up to watch the game. I'm pretty excited. It's only because I haven't seen these boys on ice since the 26th of April and this is the only kind of hockey I have until next week Saturday when Puck Drop happens. It's so close but still so far away!

Speaking of Puck Drop, I'm sure most of you have already seen the new duds. Rather, a leak of the 'supposed' new duds. My take on it? I like the third jersey, I really do. I think that the homage to the Buffalo Bisons team in the old days is great. The only thing that may concern me is the supposed checkered numbers that I'm hearing about and I hope that isn't true. The image in my head that I have right now of them is NOT pretty whatsoever. I'm mildly concerned about that but I guess we'll all see once Puck Drop happens, right? I really have no opinion on the away jerseys because I personally don't like away jerseys. White isn't my color and plus, I would get a bunch of crap on the jerseys when I ate something.

A week and a half left until training camp. Thank the Hockey Gods.

Hockey season is RIGHT THERE.

2010-09-04T17:59:00.003-04:00

Puck Drop is two weeks away and I know these days are going to go by slowly until then. I would like to thank the Sabres for deciding to put up several games on MSG during the month so that the craving for hockey won't be as intense. Also, lord knows I'm sort of sick of having to see Tweets about Game 6 versus the Bruins and all my Bruins friends making remarks about 'how great Satan is'. Kill me now.

They've chosen some pretty awesome games to be shown over the month of September. The epic Tampa shootout where it was then set into stone that Tyler would stay up here, then Carcillo being a bitch with Craig and complaining even though he technically won their scuffle. Then you have the Chicago game where Patty won his first game, and the Pittsburgh and Atlanta games that were amazing in their own ways. I just hope that never happens again where they have to come back from such big deficits. Later is the Phoenix game (before Thomas' birthday when I made Austria cupcakes!) and then the awesome Ottawa game. I wish I had DVR because I would tape it if I did and keep it forever.

So now I have a lot to look forward to and it gives me something to do on school nights. It'd be amusing to see if I missed anything during the games too. The only game I actually attended out of all of those was the Chicago game and I'm sure I missed something along the way. A terrible habit Tamara and I have is making up a ton of crap during games and talking through it. It's about the Sabres of course but regardless, we miss a lot going on. I think we have to tone it down this year depending on how many games we go to and if we go to many at all. Maybe then I won't have to say 'WHOA! When did they put in the back-up?' IE; me not knowing that Henrik Lundqvist was pulled in the home closer. My bad.

Get ready, folks. Hockey season is upon us and training camp is only that much closer.

V-logs.

2010-08-22T17:12:00.002-04:00

I decided that this year, I might actually do some v-logs for recaps of games instead of written posts. I obviously would not have time to do v-logs ALL the time because of school and work, but I would try to make videos as much as I could. I know a lot of people who do it and I would try to make it more fun than just all facts. I've been pondering the idea for most of the summer so I think I'm going to go ahead and do it.

I wish I had something to ACTUALLY write about but there's no news that's getting me going. I would have a report about how epic Hockeyfest might have been but I wasn't able to go because I worked all weekend. Tamara and I were supposed to get our Rivet jerseys but alas. I'm starting to wonder if maybe we should even get them because they'll probably only be useful for a year. Then again, my ex bought herself a Bernier jersey a few weeks before he was traded and now I own it. No one would buy it off me so I'm sure it's collecting dust in my closet. Awesome buys!

This Friday, I think I'm going to go to the Amherst Center and see who is starting to skate for the Sabres. A few of them start to skate around this time. I know Connolly was there early last summer and so was Rivet. Also, Buffalo favorites like Biron and McKee skate there too! I just never know what time they skate at. Hardly very many people show up to see them but it's fun if you have nothing else to do.

On how I might sort of watch the Florida Panthers this season.

2010-08-05T16:03:00.005-04:00

This isn't some late April Fool's joke. I have been contemplating over the past month whether or not I should try watching the Panthers this season. With the departure of Michael Grabner from Vancouver to Florida, that gives me a good reason to watch how he develops with the team. At least he's on the East Coast now and I can see him play more if he stays up with the club, which I think he will. Even if he doesn't he'll be on Rochester, and I would LOVE to go to a game just to see him. That would be awesome. Then Rochester would've had the pleasure of having two Austrians on their team, OH MY GOD?!

Breathe.

This morning before work I decided to go on the Panthers site to see if there was any information on Grabner, when I thought to myself 'hey, I kind of like David Booth too...' He seems like a sweetie and I nearly forgot Mike Richards almost killed him with his elbow last season. If I'm not mistaken, I THINK he played with Ryan when he was still at Michigan State. He's also one of the better players on the Panthers. This made me contemplate even more 'should I give in? Should I just watch if Grabner's up? Why would I follow a team from the Sun Belt?'

I don't even know any Panthers fans so I have no idea how this is going to work. I'm diving in head first.

Stay healthy, k?

We Sabres fans thought that Vanek contract was bad.

2010-07-19T19:19:00.002-04:00

Tamara is always awesome with informing me with hockey news, especially because of me working now often. I work through all the exciting stuff to happen. So she texted me and when I got out of work, I learned that Ilya Kovalchuk had signed with...

New Jersey.

For real? Okay, so I had a feeling that he might pull this sort of stunt to screw with our heads. Keep sitting on his hands until the RIGHT deal came up and it was with the same team he was on at the end of the season. I just never thought it would go through like that. So I thought to myself 'Okay Ilya, you're the ultimate douche and I hope the system kills your playing ability' etc. etc.

This was before I heard what the contract was. Seventeen years at nearly $150 million. I have no idea what the cap hit is per year, but to put it bluntly, holy shit. What happened to the salary cap? Could the NHL possibly go into a lockout mode sooner than they expected, again? This is ridiculous. I saw on Twitter the other day that maybe each team should have a maximum number of years they can sign a guy. I mean, who really thinks Ilya is going to play for seventeen more years? Anyone? He upped my shock face from when the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa to that fifteen year contract last summer. I wasn't that surprised when Ovie was signed to a thirteen year deal though...

And Sabres fans were afraid of that Vanek contract. Some people still are. It makes me wonder if that was the contract that started everything. I hope not.

Non-hockey season is sooooooooo boring.

2010-07-18T19:39:00.003-04:00

I wish I was able to come up with things to post about but I can't. Ilya Kovalchuk still has not signed with any team and at this point, I don't think anyone really cares anymore. In fact, if he signed with an NHL team, that team's fans might not even give a flying bleepity bleep. I use to respect the guy as a hockey player too because I think he has immense talent (or maybe that was just Atlanta making him look like a superstar)? Unfortunately this stupid waiting game has cost him my respect so whatever Ilya, go do what you want to do. Go to the KHL for all I care.

The Sabres summer has quickly gone from boring, to exciting, to boring again. I need news on anything. I will TAKE news on anything. The last thing they did was sign a forward for Portland, Tim Conboy, and I read he destroyed little Nate during a game here at HSBC? DISLIKE. Welcome to Buffalo/Portland Tim, etc. etc. Just don't kill any of your teammates now. I'm sure Nate is just THRILLED about this.

About a month left until some of the boys will show up at the Amherst Center to warm up for training camp, thank God. I need some hockey in my life. I hope that I'll be able to go out there for a few of them if work doesn't happen to tie me up. If not, then I'll just go the days that I can.

ALSO, the most important news of the day that's actually old news: Ryan Kesler has a Twitter. Have fun kids.

In His Defense: Patrick Lalime.

2010-07-10T22:06:00.007-04:00

I don't exactly know where to start on Patrick Lalime. When he had first come to the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008-2009 season, I didn't know much about the guy. All I knew was that he was a veteran goaltender who had previously had stints with Pittsburgh, Ottawa, St. Louis and Chicago. At the time when Ryan Miller went down and Lalime was in for quite a few games, I felt sorry for him. It wasn't because it was the backup being thrown into a starting role all of the sudden. I had a feeling that if things didn't go well for him or for the team, HE would be blamed for losses and the possibility of not making the playoffs. That's exactly what happened.

From what I can remember, he only won four games out of a thirteen game stretch that Miller was out. Was it all his fault? No of course not. Can he be blamed for some games? Maybe. The thing that has irked me with this team is that you can tell they don't play to their full potential in front of the backup. With Miller behind them, they know they don't have to worry much about a puck being stopped if they screw up. With a backup, it's like it's a whole new thing. They don't know who is back there. The forwards can't keep possession of the puck if their lives depended on it, and the defense seems to have brain farts all over the place. A backup goaltender needs more support than that, and Lalime never seemed to got it last season. Not making the playoffs last season was not his fault (and this is for those that might blame him. Get over it, it's a new year.)

This season seemed to be entirely different. Now, after Lalime had his short stint in Portland we began to notice changes. He got progressively better because he had played often in a short amount of time. The boys seemed to be comfortable with him in the net and they were starting to help him more often. He wasn't hung out to dry on goals and he was making spectacular saves. It was as if a new team (so to speak) had begun to show up in front of us when Miller wasn't in net.

The Minnesota game was a HUGE back step from all that Lalime had done. There were the boo birds chiming down on him because he let in three goals against a weak Wild group. Not even the two goals from Vanek late in the third period could soften that for anyone. The boos continued as you left the arena. Drew Stafford's Twitter account later read that evening as such:
Why is that such a big deal? How could a teammate who didn't even play that night, saying how the backup is the hardest worker on the team possibly mean something? It's the fact that someone said anything. Then Steve Montador said something. Then Miller mentioned it too. This is no time to hash out the 'accountability' word with me because I think standing up for your teammates is one of the most important things to do when you're on a professional sports team. The players didn't have to say a thing about what had happened. The fact they did goes a long way for the guy who was the victim. Again, I think the players realize that maybe they're the reason he can't win a game. The fact they cannot play consistently well in front of him might be getting to their heads.

Lalime was able to win his 200th game and make sure the Sabres clinched the playoffs in the same night. No one remembers it was the backup who did it, but why should they have to? I remember it because I believe in him and I know he's a great goaltender. That's why it matters to me. It was like redemption; having him come back from those jeers and being able to win a game that meant something for the fans. It's not like we wouldn't have won another game had he not won that one, but it was still special to see him clinch the spot.

With him re-signing here, I have seen nothing but mass amounts of hatred towards it. News flash Sabreland: Jhonas Enroth isn't ready for the big time yet and Marty Biron wouldn't have come back anyways. Lalime was our best bet and I think Darcy made the right decision in keeping him for another year. People are complaining about how he's just 'not great' and again,
bring up how we should've signed Biron. It's the life of a Sabres fan, thinking about what was and they're just STUCK IN THE PAST. When both Chris Drury's and Daniel Briere's contracts are up, I guarantee people are going to petition for those two to come back in a Sabres uniform. Get over it, people.

Also, if my Olympic goaltender is giving a shout out to a certain guy for helping him grow and keeping him happy, I'm on board to keep him around. If only to keep Miller happy, but also because of the locker room presence and the reliability. Before you completely throw him under the bus, give him another chance. Your starting goaltender always believed - you should too.

Quick thing.

2010-07-09T16:14:00.003-04:00

That Patrick Lalime defense post will come up shortly (Tamara wants it NOW) but I'm lazy and I'm trying to figure out how to properly word everything to make it right. The guy deserves a GOOD post in his defense so I need a bit more time.

As a filler and because I need my Vanek news during the summer, his website announced that the man himself will be the father of TWINS! So now there'll be three children in the Vanek family and I couldn't be happier. The twinsies are due in November. I hope this doesn't take a toll on him like it did when Blake was born but I know in his life, family comes first. I'm okay with that.

Also, he's getting a plaque placed on a stadium near Olympic names in Zell am See, Austria. They had a ceremony for him yesterday and that's where he announced the news of the twins. He had a book signing too, which, someone needs to get on that and translate it into English. Just reading the excerpts from his website makes me want to read more of it.

I swear I'll have that Patty post up, eventually. Even if it kills me. Maybe.

Sabres go for two: Sign Rob Niedermayer and re-sign Patrick Lalime.

2010-07-07T22:07:00.002-04:00

While it's been quiet in Sabreland for the past few days with the minor exceptions of salary arbitration, the signing of some prospects, and development camp going on at Dwyer Arena at Niagara University; something finally went down today. The Sabres signed Rob Niedermayer earlier this afternoon. I for one did not know he was up for a contract. I thought for sure he had signed longer with the New Jersey Devils after leaving Anaheim.

It was amusing when the news broke because most people were immediately thinking of Rob's brother, Scott. While Scott is an awesome player who has unfortunately hung them up for good, it's pretty cool to have his brother on the team. He is less awesome but still awesome. I used awesome too much in this paragraph, forgive me.

Word has it that two other teams vying for Niedermayer's services were the Oilers and Penguins. I understand passing up the Oilers because of their current state but the Pens, really? I love it when players come to Buffalo BECAUSE THEY WANT TO, not because it's their only option. Welcome to Buffalo, Rob!

What else happened today? Oh that's right.

PATRICK LALIME SIGNED FOR ONE MORE YEAR, WOOOOOOOOO!
Yes I'm excited, what of it? I think I might have to do a full on rant tomorrow about how I feel about the guy's playing and why I'm glad he's sticking around. For now, I'll just wish the guy a very happy birthday and a welcome back!

Day 1 of Free Agency: How Swede it is not, a not so great Finnish and...hey Jordan Leopold!

2010-07-01T22:37:00.003-04:00

Pun totally intended on that whole title. Except for the 'hey Jordan Leopold' because I couldn't think of anything witty to do with that. Give me a break, it's late when I'm writing this post.

I was home for most of the fireworks from earlier today but was at work when our Swede and our Finn departed this team. Tamara had to come into Tim Horton's to inform me of the horrible news. I'm not saying I was completely shocked because most of us know how Darcy rolls by now. Apparently he did everything he could to keep the two of them but I don't know if I believe that a hundred percent...

So Toni is off to California while Hank is only going to New Jersey (which is ironic in itself, considering that goal he scored against Marty...). I know that they'll both be in good hands but they were on this team when I started to get back into hockey so I'm extremely sad. I just wish them the absolute best with their careers now.

Now Jordan Leopold was influenced to come here by the one and only Thomas Vanek. Not totally, but I guess when the Sabres showed interest, he talked to Thomas and their wives conversed as well. I think that's pretty awesome how players that are friends can talk to one another and ask if it might be a good decision to go to so and so place. I think the real thing that sealed the deal was Thomas mentioning how the wings were good here. Oh, you sly man you. Leopold was signed to a three year contract so he'll be here for a bit. I just hope that he's good.

The NHL and it's sex appeal.

2010-06-03T12:27:00.002-04:00

Oh hello, I'm back again. The Stanley Cup Finals hasn't interested me much at all thanks to me being bitter towards Chicago, and I just dislike Philadelphia. Thus equals me not watching very much hockey lately but Twitter has managed to keep me up to date on everything - including a very disturbing article I just read on how the NHL has 'a lot of sex appeal' and that's why a ton of women are beginning to watch it as of late.

Being a woman myself, I can't disagree with the fact that there are many good looking hockey players out there. There's a lot more attractive guys if you happen to love bumps and bruises on a person. The scars, the scraps, are in my opinion sort of sexy. However, I know very many intelligent female hockey fans who enjoy the sport for THE sport, not for the guys. You may have your favorite players, but you tend to love them for their skills instead of how they look with their equipment off.

Now yesterday, the NHL's Twitter retweeted the article I mentioned above which...I don't exactly know how that's supposed to make me feel. The NHL should know that not all of the women who watch the sport are like some of these people who were quoted in the article. For example:

“I watch the games with my husband and I have no idea who anyone is,” says Sue Loeb, a mother of two from Clifton, New Jersey, whose husband, Dan, is a rabid New York Rangers fan. “But then I see pictures of these guys in magazines and online without their equipment on, and you see how good-looking they really are.”

Perhaps, but you could at least try to understand the game and get to know who the players are. Everyone starts out not knowing who anyone is, I mean, that's how I was. Then after a few games I could name all the players and understood most of what was going on.

Also, the article talks about how various celebrities are now finding love with hockey players such as Carrie Underwood and Hilary Duff. Oh, so I guess we have them to thank for getting their fans to see their sexy boyfriends which causes a mass amount of females to start watching the sport? No thanks. How about growing up in a family that just happened to love hockey or live in a hockey town? It's more than just celebrities and looks that attracts fans to sport - at least the ones that actually give a damn. For shame on the NHL for even retweeting that article in the first place. I felt embarrassed reading through the entire thing. I just think that all female fans shouldn't be placed into one group because a lot of us have different reasons as to why we watch the game.

Here's the entire article for those who wish to read up on it: Hockey's Hottest Men and Hollywood Wives.

This series isn't going to be easy.

2010-05-02T13:58:00.002-04:00

With the Buffalo Sabres being out of the playoff picture, the only team I have left that I am truly rooting for is the Vancouver Canucks. I've had people ask me before why I decide to root for a Canadian team over an American one after the Sabres get out, but I don't have a real answer for that. I don't even know how I began to like Vancouver to tell you the truth. It was not because of Ryan Kesler. The love for the team came before the love for the man. I want them to win the Cup but then the Sabres would be the only team inducted in 1970 that would have not won a Cup yet. It's such a struggle in my brain.

Last night, the Canucks spanked the Hawks by a score of 5-1. All four lines contributed offensively which was different from the first round against the Kings. Also, the Hawks only managed to score on one of their power plays and they had quite a few of them. It's nice to see the penalty kill become progressively better as opposed to what it looked like in the first round. Michael Grabner scored his first ever playoff goal and I was pumped as hell. Watching him play this year made me realize how fantastic of a skater he is. He's the complete opposite of Thomas except they both drive to the net. That's how he scored his goal. Damn, I love these Austrians.

I'm expecting the Hawks to come out flying the next game. Last year, Vancouver won the first game of the series too...I want to see if they will be able to steal two on the road. Then I think I'll feel a little better about this series. I really hope it's different from last season.

What if?

2010-04-27T12:56:00.002-04:00

This post is not one for the negative nancies or those who want the entire roster changed up. When I say the entire roster I MEAN the entire roster, and I'm so glad we don't have fans as the GM.

This is a post about the positives I took away from this season. We ended up short obviously and I expected the Sabres to at least make it past the first round - we were even thought to be Cup contenders because of Ryan Miller as the goaltender. We just didn't have the pieces up front to do the job.

One positive is how great Ryan played during the whole season. Thanks to him extending his contract last summer, we now have him for at least five more years back in the net. I know that as a fan, I'm pretty comfortable with that.

Secondly, the play of Tyler Myers. I wasn't impressed with him when he was still in the 'is he staying or going' stage and a little bit after he stayed either. As the season progressed, I started to see what all the fuss was about. What an amazing player. It was as if he didn't miss a beat in the playoffs. I'm excited to see what he's going to bring in his sophomore year next season.

Finally, the baby Sabres. I cannot say good enough things about Tyler Ennis. Watching him with the puck, he did magical things. He continued to battle for the puck even when he was on his knees. I have a feeling he's going to make the roster right from the get go. Nathan Gerbe also had better stints up here than he did last season and that was great to see. I feel like he'll be up here at the start of next season as well; along with Ennis.

The offseason is the time for fans to complain about what went wrong and who needs to go, I know this. I'm going to wait until it's officially the offseason for that though. Still a ways to go before July 1st people. Enjoy the rest of the playoffs.

I don't get it.

2010-04-25T14:08:00.002-04:00

News was released today by several sources (The Buffalo News, Sabres.com and Yahoo! to name a few) that stated the decision is now left on Thomas' shoulders about whether or not he's going to play in tomorrow's game. I'm not the only one who found this to be a dumb move by Lindy to at least publicize this. Now that it's gotten out to various news sources, the shit may hit the fan tomorrow if Thomas deems that he is unable to play at the moment because of lingering soreness. The guy can't work at 90%. In his interview today, he says he doesn't want to take someone out of the lineup to put him in if he can't work at 100%. I like his attitude.

I think what really boggles my mind about this is that Lindy should know how the fans will react if Thomas says he can't play tomorrow. Especially because of this being an elimination game, they're going to be a lot worse than they would otherwise. This brings up the whole debate with some people of Ruff vs. Vanek. Allll because Lindy sat the guy in the playoffs during 2006 and look how he bounced back the next year. I don't think this is another one of those moments but surely, Lindy has realized what he's done...not very good.

Whatever, I know I'll be sticking up for the guy if it comes down to him saying no tomorrow. He will have valid reasons for not playing. It's obvious how much he wants and needs to get back out on the ice so everyone needs to chill out.

You need to believe.

2010-04-22T16:10:00.004-04:00

After the thriller that was double overtime last night, you have to wonder how frustrated this team is and if they should be more frustrated with themselves. People are blaming bad calls (myself included), others are blaming players for not being able to score. The thing that sickens me the most is that you can tell this team misses Thomas at the moment. I'm not saying he would solve all of the problems and he shouldn't because one person, a team does not make. I guess the energy really was sucked out of everyone after he went down. They don't even know if he's going to be ready to go for tomorrow so the Sabres may be screwed yet again. I am trying to keep my hopes up as much as possible though. I don't want him to play at half health.

Another frustrating thing is the lack of scoring on the power play. Wasn't it last year where we were in the top five almost all year? I mean, Thomas had twenty power play goals and a lot of other guys scored on it too. We haven't scored once yet this playoffs on it. I don't know what the problem is, whether they aren't cycling the puck well enough or not enough traffic is in front. Then again, I don't think these guys like to even shoot at the net so guys like Goose and Thomas can't get rebounds or attempt to stuff it in. We had a good chance to end the game yesterday on a power play but didn't use the opportunity to our advantage. Meanwhile, Boston scored on a 'too many men' penalty...

This team isn't done yet. There is another chance for the Sabres to step up tomorrow and I know I am going to be on a rollercoaster of emotions. We're going to the Party in the Plaza tomorrow and I really hope the Sabres fans bring their A game. We as fans were brutal this year, the energy was not there. I would give us maybe a C on how much we cheered on the team this year. Come on Sabres fans, I know you can do it.

Ryan Kesler: Selke Finalist

2010-04-20T13:40:00.003-04:00

The NHL today announced their finalists for the Selke Trophy, or the most defensive forward in the league. Yesterday they announced the Vezina Trophy finalists so congratulations to the Sabres own Ryan Miller for getting the nod as one. I personally think that he will either win the Vezina or the Hart but not both. That's my own opinion though.

The other two finalists for the Selke are Pavel Datsyuk (of course) and Jordan Staal. Datsyuk has gotten the award a thousand times in a row it feels, and I don't know if he deserves it as much now with Detroit not playing too well this year. It shouldn't matter team wise and I never watch the way he plays...though he'll end up winning again, I'm sure. Jordan is Jordan and has always been defensively minded. Ryan has a good chance of winning it but I'm not sure if his defensive skills are going to be looked at so much simply because he had career numbers in the offensive categories. I would absolutely love to see this man get an award but I know that the shiny Cup is a better award than the Selke. The Sabres have to win it first Ryan, sorry.

Speaking of the Sabres...I didn't pay very much attention to last night's game only because it bored me. I had known this was going to be a very defensive series but considering we've only scored six goals in the past three games...Yeah, I'm kind of concerned. Thomas is not the only offensive guy on this team and I want to know where the balanced scoring had disappeared to since the beginning of the season. I believe in this team and I know they have it in them. I just wonder if they believe in themselves.

Came back from the dead just in time.

2010-04-18T11:02:00.002-04:00

I think after seeing the numerous Chinese comments appear in my inbox, I decided to get this thing up and running for the playoffs again. I figured 'why not?' My blogging for this year has been pretty bad, at least with having a sense of consistency. I hope I can talk about my thoughts during the playoffs this year more on here just because so far it's been a redonkulous time of playoffs.

This particular post is going to have my biased thoughts on Thomas Vanek show all the way through it. If you haven't seen the incident that happened yesterday with Johnny Boychuk then please go on Puck Daddy or YouTube. Even the Sabres website has video up of what happened. From what I could see on the replay (DOES THIS MAKE ME AN EXPERT?), Boychuk deliberately slashed Vanek's right knee and it caused him to go awkwardly into the boards. According to Mike Harrington yesterday on the good old Twitter feed, Vanek was favoring his left leg and not the right. The slash wasn't the direct cause of the pain but it lead to Vanek falling into the boards in the first place.

Ironic how Boychuk the other day complains about how he believes Tyler Myers should have been suspended on a hit he laid out on him in Game One, and then this just happens to occur. Hmm. I'm not saying he went after Thomas on purpose but my biased opinions are blinding me in the circumstance to decide whether or not that was a cheap slash. I think it was cheap. Will anything be done? No. We just have to hope that Thomas won't be out long. Lindy was quoted as saying that he would 'make the Boston trip for games 3 and 4'. He has no idea how long he could be out for though. It looked like he was in a lot of pain as he limped on his way to the bench.

Anyone who was at the game have any thoughts? I'm sure you guys saw much more unfold than the people who were watching on the televisions did. It's disappointing to see him come back and do so well only to watch him get injured again.

Something new.

2010-03-22T18:33:00.002-04:00

I was emailed by a fellow Sabres blogger to start writing for another site, so I accepted it. It's Sabres Hockey Central. I know that my lack of posting on this blog doesn't make me very worthy of joining another site to write articles on that one since I've been busy with school, but I'm going to try it. I encourage you guys to check it out if you would like.

The Epic Adventures of Tamara and Shelby: Thanks for playing.

2010-03-13T14:03:00.004-05:00

Patrick Lalime STILL has not won his 200th game. The guy is going to get it, I just don't know when. It's getting really irritating to watch this team flop in front of him and forget how to score for 55 minutes of a game. Thanks to our savior, Thomas Vanek, he scored twice to make it 3-2...but unfortunately they could not complete the comeback. The Sabres fell 3-2 to the Wild.

One thing that really irked me was the ignorance coming from Sabres fans. I hope you guys know that jeering your own backup goaltender doesn't help him one bit. He was quoted as saying that he felt like he 'was playing at an away game'. I don't blame him one bit for saying that. Maybe if some of our fans weren't such dicks (to put it mildly) he could play better and at least have confidence in himself. None of you booers are helping him out there by your remarks so shut your face.

There is nothing I hate more than fans booing their team or booing the backup. I know the players say it puts some life into them but I don't see the point and as much as the Sabres piss me off some nights, I'm not going to go around booing them. I know I wouldn't take it well if I were being booed if I were in there shoes. At the same time, this is why I am not in the NHL or playing a sport...

The Swedish Nation is tonight. I am hoping for the same outcome as it was in the beginning of the year BESIDES Thomas injuring himself. None of that, mister.

Postgame: 3-10-10.

2010-03-11T12:22:00.003-05:00

The Sabres finally scored more than two goals to take this game in regulation away from the Dallas Stars. The Stars haven't won in this building since...you guessed it! Brett Hull's 'No Goal'. I'm pretty sure what he did is some karma for the Stars in this building. I'm just kidding...but maybe I'm not.

Tyler Myers was a beast last night by recording four points in the game He had a goal and three assists (please correct me if I'm wrong). If this kid doesn't get the Calder Trophy, then I don't have faith in this league anymore. Then again, he has awesome competition in both Matt Duchene and Jimmy Howard who are thought to be the other two Finalists for the trophy. I'm expecting to see an incredibly goofy acceptance speech from him!

Does anyone have any idea as to when Mike Robitaille is coming back to do the Sabres games? I don't mind Danny Gare one bit but I really miss him. I just don't know if he isn't coming back at all this season. Any information will ease my heart a little bit, haha.

Minnesota comes into town on Friday. It's the second game of a 'Western Conference' week for the Sabres. Considering their record before their west coast trip was awesome against the West, I hope the Sabres can get back into that winning groove against the conference.

Mark Mancari, you're up.

2010-03-07T12:26:00.002-05:00

According to this Sabres Edge article, Mark Mancari has been called up to play with the Sabres since Drew's injured and is playing with Thomas and Derek for tonight's game. Looks like Lindy has a lot of confidence in him tonight to put him on that line and I know with those two guys, he can maybe get something going. I wasn't impressed with him when he was up here earlier in the year (also against the Rangers) but maybe tonight will be different for him.

The Pirates are also playing here today in Buffalo, so best of luck to them so they can defeat Rochester! Go Pirates! Let's go, Buffalo!

Does this mean Raffi Torres will get a hat trick?

2010-03-05T14:18:00.004-05:00

I really love the first week after trade deadline day for many different reasons. Usually it seems the new guys have a ton of pressure on them and fans of a team wonder 'what can this guy do? Is he going to perform well or poorly? What can he do for this team?' Some of the new guys can go right out there and score goal or maybe even two. Steve Bernier did that his first game playing for Buffalo. Scott Walker scored twice last night for the Capitals. Even Clarke scored for Atlanta last night against the Islanders (with Max getting an assist no doubt!). I'm not expecting Raffi to score a goal, but I want to see his presence on the ice. I want to see him make a hit or two; get a little chippy. If he can do any of those things, I will be extremely happy.

What this team needs is someone to give them a little spark, and Raffi seems to be the guy to do it, if anything. Hopefully his physical game will cause other guys to want to go and do the same thing. The Sabres need to get back into the groove that helped them win games in the beginning of the season. I hope Raffi Torres can be the one that helps bring that swagger back.

Trade Deadline Day recap (extra late)

2010-03-04T19:27:00.003-05:00

Considering I had a lot to do yesterday, I wasn't able to make a post about what the Sabres did on Trade Deadline Day! I freaked out on Twitter about how the Sabres were probably going to do nothing except move maybe a draft pick or two since it was narrowing down to the last hour of the deadline but they made a couple of moves. Addition by subtraction so to speak.

So let's welcome Raffi Torres to the team! He was drafted by the New York Islanders and played for them while also playing for the Oilers and the Blue Jackets. From what I've heard, he's a power forward - he can score some clutch goals but tends to get physical too. He's a little bit better than Goose with the goal wise, but I think physical wise they're around the same. He's the leading goal scorer on the team now...yeah, I said that. Time to step it up Thomas!

Leaving were Nathan Paetsch and Clarke MacArthur. Patches went to Columbus while Clarke went to Atlanta. I'm going to miss the both of them - Patches for always being there when we needed him at defense or at forward and Clarke for his awesome fro. It's just too bad things didn't work out here. I wish them the absolute best with the rest of their careers.

And we're back.

2010-03-02T12:01:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure that The Coldffalo Train has ended up in the grave, so I decided to come back to my lovely, little home here at Puck Over The Glass. I know all of you have missed me. Maybe? Eh, why not.

Still on an Olympic hangover, I'm pretty excited to see the Sabres play the Penguins tonight. Too bad it won't be a matchup of Ryan Miller against Sidney Crosby again but do we really want to see that? Not this girl. Good thing this game isn't on Versus otherwise they would be milking the highlights of Sidney scoring on Ryan over and over and over again. I think Tamara would appreciate it.

Patty said yesterday in his interview that he's in tonight, and my Twitter feed has erupted after learning that Brent Johnson will get the start tonight for the Penguins. Back up against back up tonight! I don't get it considering Marc-Andre didn't even get a second of playing time during the Olympics, but okay Dan Bylsma.

I hope the Sabres can come out strong and beat the Pens tonight. Especially because they have a tougher opponent in the Capitals tomorrow and the Russians on the team are going to be upset. Let's go, Buffalo!

Things just got a lot scarier.

2009-12-13T09:50:00.003-05:00

The Coldffalo Train.

Tamara and I decided to combine forces on a blog, and this is the product. You can tell there isn't much going on yet, but we're working on it. I may start making more posts on there and leave this blog for random things that don't include the Sabres if I remember. If you want, feel free to read and add us! :)

The Epic Adventures of Tamara and Shelby: PATTY!

2009-12-12T09:18:00.003-05:00

Tamara and I have been to every game Patty has started this season. Let alone he only started three games, but one was an away game. We've really made the effort to see him play and the boys played well in front of him and Patty made some huge saves in the beginning of the first period to keep the Sabres in the game. He deserved his first win tonight (as he had the other games too) and the excitement this team had after they won made me smile and yell my lungs out for the record. This is why Patty should maybe play on Fridays depending on the team. The team isn't tired in front of him and there's a better chance that he would get a win. I'm sure this game helped amp his confidence up a ton. He definitely needs it.

Melissa from Hockey Is Life met up with us during warmups, and we also sat with her during the game because there was NO ONE at the top of section 302. Or 301. I can't remember the section we were in. Anyways, no one was around us for the second and third periods so we yelped and screamed about everything, haha. I'm assuming some people didn't show up to the game because of the snow, or the game just didn't sell out. I don't remember hearing an announcement about whether or not the game had been sold out.

I am sort of not surprised that most of the arena booed Brian Campbell last night, but you know what? I'm still surprised. Keep it classy Buffalo, as always. The poor guy was traded away and you boo him? It's so stupid. If he had left I would understand but even then, if the team didn't want the guy and he wanted to stay, you shouldn't boo him. I know Tamara and I were yelling 'GO SOUPY!' the whole time and I also made a comment about sweaty hands, but it was supposed to be positive, haha.

The surprise we have planned for everyone is happening TONIGHT! So be on the look out people.

PATRICK. LALIME. WON. A. GAME!!!!

2009-12-11T23:51:00.002-05:00

I have nothing else to say for the rest of the night. I'm too exhausted. It was a great game to attend, and it was so great to see Patty finally get a win in person. More tomorrow when I can actually think.

My condolences extend to the entire Mike Grier family as he lost his mother to an illness earlier in the week.

Postgame: 12-9-09

2009-12-09T22:30:00.003-05:00

Ryan Miller got a shutout. Thomas Vanek was a presence on the ice, even though he didn't get any points. Nathan Gerbe scored his first NHL goal. Overall, a pretty damn good night for the Sabres! I was certain Alex Ovechkin would score in this game only because he always seems to score on the Sabres in every single game he's played against them. Out of all the games he's played in against the Sabres, he hasn't scored in four of them. Simply insane. It seemed every line that was put out against him played well though. I was equally excited when they showed Thomas give him a little bump to knock the puck away. Glad to see he didn't get on the scoresheet.

I had been beginning to miss the wonderful pan shots of Thomas and him spewing the f bomb everywhere. I got my wish tonight. They just always seem to put him on the screen when he's yelling at himself or just in general. Love it.

If the Sabres played like that every game, they would have a good chance to win night in and night out. It was a good response to two pretty bad games on Saturday and Monday. I hope they can do the same against 20 Cent and the Hawks on Friday, since Tamara and I are going to that game. I'm really glad that I've been getting to see a lot more western conference teams than I ever have in person this season. It's a nice change.

'...and den the Aussie go to Portland, NOT ME!'

2009-12-09T12:36:00.003-05:00

Our favorite little guy is back as Darcy Regier recalled Nathan Gerbe from the Pirates this morning. Since there has been a lack of scoring the past two games, hopefully Nate would be able to bring some spark to the Sabres tonight against the Capitals, and however long he may be up here. I hope it's awhile and I really hope this stint is better than the one he had last year, where he had one assist in ten games. He's a feisty young one too, so it'll be interesting to see him play against the Caps. I can't remember if he had the chance to play against them last season.

Oh, and apparently Simeon (Semyon) Varlamov has a lower body injury, so he isn't playing tonight. Jose Theodore is. Since Varlamov had a shutout against the Sabres last time, I'm hoping this outcome will be different...

Make sure to watch out for this blog later! Tamara and I have a surprise for everyone. (: Hopefully one you'll like.

Postgame: 12-7-09

2009-12-08T22:22:00.003-05:00

Uninspired hockey. Boring. No pride whatsoever. Say what you want, but we could all agree that the game last night was a hundred percent pure awful hockey from the Sabres. My poor brother went last night for his birthday game or what he calls 'guaranteed loss night'. Tamara and Connor went together to watch a clunker for value game prices. They were cheap seats, but it still sucks to be there to witness that. It was like what we got for the Florida game...but at least they scored in the Florida game.

I listened to Lindy on the radio this morning and he said he was particularly upset with the lack of leadership coming from Connolly, Roy, and Pominville. Lindy has a point saying that he needs his best players to step up and do something. For the record, Vanek was mentioned but Lindy made note that he was one of the better players last night in the third period. Speaking of Vanek, he had a quote that Kevin Sylvester mentioned on his blog from earlier today. Apparently he was quoted as saying that the fans come to games and pay good money to see them win. That they deserve a lot better than what they're seeing. I like that, coming from him. I know I know, my bias side is soooo coming through and I will defend him until the day I die, but it's good to hear that someone is saying it. I'm sure that other guys are too, but this was just placed into print.

The Caps are tomorrow. Here's to hoping it won't be unless scoreless game...from the Sabres that is.

Postgame: 12-5-09

2009-12-06T13:21:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned last night, losses like these are always better when you watch them with people who can make you laugh. Watching it alone can send you into hysterics; yelling at your television every so often or just turning the game off completely. Last night we sat through the entire game and watched as the Sabres gave up two points to the Rangers while I believe they are second in the division yet again.

If you were at the game, they showed a stat last night that I didn't even think of during the third period. The line of Vanek-Kennedy-Grier? They all won the NCAA championships when they played in college. I thought to myself 'Wow, that's really neat.' and decided also that I would call them the Wheaties line. The breakfast of champions!

Watching Tyler Myers play lately has been a headache. Ever since he was able to stay up here, he's been on a rollercoaster ride. I understand that rookies are always going to make mistakes but it seems to me he's been making the same mistake every so often in a game. He was definitely the reason for the first goal last night. Don't remember much about the second. I would just like to see him stay calm with the puck and not try and make a play all the time. It's not necessary.

Maybe for Monday there can be a Fabian reunion, eh Zach and Drew? Just need Jordan and some bad clothes, and you're all set.

Tssssss.

2009-12-05T22:25:00.002-05:00

It seems whenever the Sabres lose, they refuse to show up for the first two and a half periods and then kick it into gear halfway through the third period. This is only one loss when they had previously won four in a row, but this was a pretty bad loss. Henrik Lundqvist suddenly ends up hot, and no one can get the puck into the net. At least being with my family made the loss a little better since we were joking around the entire time.

The Epic Adventures of Tamara and Shelby: The streak is broken.

2009-12-04T13:10:00.007-05:00

Look at the Swede and I! Wooo, thanks to Tamara for taking the picture. :D

Since a friend of ours gave Tamara's ticket away for a stupid reason, we went to the game together last night. In my last TEAOTAS post, I mentioned how Tamara and I never go to the exciting games, and yesterday was pretty damn exciting. Four goals from Buffalo to start it off, and even though Montreal started to come back, it was good to see Buffalo not let up and get two more to put the Habs away for good.

Little things of note from the game last night:

-We saw Goose sitting up in the pressbox. Poor guy looked so bored last night. We betted on the fact that he more than likely wanted to be on the ice playing the whole game. I really hope he makes a fast recovery.

-Sabretooth attacked me for the third time when we walked past Sabretooth's House. At the Carolina game, he attacked me. Last night, he did it. Tamara made note that he always goes after me and I think she's right. His nose took out my ear yesterday!

-They had a montage of the Sabres being named an NHL team anniversary before the game last night instead of the video opener. They showed the Chris Drury goal (you know the one) and we both got chills. I got chills just typing it out, oh man. I miss that feeling.

-Every guy we called scoring (which was like, ten between the both of us) didn't score last night! One of us usually names one of the guys but this time, no one. Boo.

-Tamara's Lalime jersey is now uncursed! It had never been to a winning game, but last night, it was present. :D

Silly post.

2009-12-02T18:59:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Tamara for the heads up on this interview.

Postgame: 11-30-09

2009-12-01T18:44:00.002-05:00

I would have much rather watched a Ryan Miller shutout game on MSG so as to hear Rick call it, but you can't always get what you want. He played very well last night once again. He may not have had to make the stellar saves he had done against Carolina (except for a few shots by Phil Kessel) but he kept the Sabres in the game for the first forty minutes as they couldn't find the back of the net until Tim Kennedy scored. I wonder if he's ever going to score at home this year, yeesh.

It's very excited to have seen Hank score too! We were hoping to see his little dance he did like he did last year when he scored against St. Louis, but I guess it doesn't help that they weren't at home when he scored. We didn't even realize he had scored until they announced it. Good stuff though, and good for Hank!

For the record, I really REALLY like the Vanek-Kennedy-Grier line. It was weird to see the combo on Saturday in person but even my brother said that was probably the best line on Saturday once they started scoring. I like it. I don't care if that means Thomas is on the third line. Whatever works is perfectly fine with me.

Happy birthday, Jason!

2009-11-30T15:12:00.003-05:00

Look at you, turning 26 years of age today! Lucky that you boys get to play on your birthday. Hopefully if you hit a goal post, the puck will actually go in this time. Just kidding!

...Or not.

Either way, have a very happy birthday, Pants! Don't get too much birthday cake on that schnozz of yours.

The Epic Adventures of Tamara and Shelby: For once, we go to an exciting game.

2009-11-29T10:59:00.003-05:00

PotG is back in business after I took a short hiatus with moving and everything. Most of our things are unpacked and I hooked up the internet yesterday (mostly on my own, go me), so here I am!

Tamara and I bought tickets to last night's game following the win against Philly. We grumbled about it because these boys make us spend money when we might not want to, but it's worth it if they end up playing a good game. Now we always seem to pick the games where it's 2-1, 3-2, etc. etc. This was the first exciting game we've been to all season long. It only took the Sabres two periods to wake up, but when Ryan made that one spectacular save, they were ready to go. The crowd was certainly energized last night that's for sure.

During the first intermission, Tamara was able to meet my brothers and one of my sister-in-laws because they were also at the game. It's weird being there with most of my family in attendance as well, but these are one of the only times I'm able to see them. If I have the chance to spot them at a game then I will go see them. Unless I'm in the 100s, then I am not making the walk up there through strings of people, haha.

Some people at games need to learn that you cannot get up and leave until there's a stoppage in the play. So many people were getting up to leave yesterday when there were about three minutes left in the game and kept getting in the way. It was ridiculous. I was about to punch one of them. People are just so stupid.

I am so glad that the schedule for the Sabres is changing up now though I'll probably forget that there's a game on tomorrow until Tamara reminds me about it. I'm too used to this Wednesday-Friday-Saturday thing going on.

The Epic Adventures of Tamara and Shelby: TEAOTAS take on Ottawa.

2009-11-24T07:48:00.005-05:00

I warn you that this is going to end up being an extremely long post. I could always break it up into smaller parts but I know if I did that, then I would never finish my explanation of what went down. You understand that, right?

Okay.

So we got up at 3:30 in the morn' on Saturday to get ready to leave by 4. Tamara woke me up by telling me the Sabres lost in OT to the Bruins and I was like 'k'. I mean, we figured that they at least got a point so it was no biggie. We drove over to Tim Horton's after we were all packed and ready to go, and got some much needed caffeine and sugar for the hours ahead of us. Then we were on our way to Ottawa.

The drive was not bad at all. I thought for sure we might hit traffic or tons of construction at one point (thank God for it being a weekend though). The only hiccup that occurred was that the Denny's we were planning on going to had been closed for 'training in progress'. TRAINING IN PROGRESS! Who the hell closes their Denny's because of that? You're supposed to have people train by serving customers, that simple. We had to opt for a McDonald's instead. Poor Tamara didn't even eat her McMuffin and I don't blame her one bit.

We made it to the border and the second lady we had to go through asked who was the Sens fan in the car. Tamara and I looked at each other, and were like 'neither of us.' We could have said there was one in the backseat with Patty the bobblehead being back there but then that's when they would have pulled us over.

At one point on the road, this massive bus had passed by us on the highway in Canada. Both Tamara and I looked, and it was the Kitchener Rangers bus! Their logo was on the side and it through us off because we just saw the 'RANGERS' and thought it was the New York Rangers for a second. It was pretty neat. We tried to follow them since we figured they knew where we were going but that didn't go quite as planned.

After not that much time, we ended up in the city of Rideau, which is a part of Ottawa and headed to our hotel. Not the best thing in the city but we're college students and we're cheap. It had to do. We couldn't check in yet so we went to the Rideau Shopping Centre that was a few blocks down from the hotel. This Centre was HUGE! It had three floors and definitely puts the Galleria to shame. They even had a whole store dedicated to the Senators. We went in there and Tamara wanted to ask about any Heatley shirts but then we probably would have gotten killed.

I tried my first thing of poutine at a place in the food court, and it was delicious. Tamara told me that it's an acquired taste but when I tried it, I liked it immediately. I'm not even fond of gravy. It was extremely yummy and I almost ate the entire thing if it hadn't filled me up so quickly.

After we ate, we headed out to Stiddville to pick up one of Tamara's friends that she went to college with. She was incredibly nice, and showed us a shortcut of how to get to Scotiabank Place, haha. It is seriously just over a hill and out in the middle of nowhere. It's also EXTREMELY huge. I couldn't believe how big of an arena it is, but we're getting to that later.

We swung back over the hotel and hung out a bit before then going to Swiss Chalet for lunch. You have no idea how much I adore that restaurant. It might be my most favorite one ever. It's a shame that there's like, three left in the Western New York area but they have amazing food. I was so excited when I found out we were going there. When we arrived, we noticed how on the wall they had a little wooden plaque that had a few of the Senators from the pre-lockout years and Patrick Lalime was on it. We were going to try and buy it off of them but that didn't turn out as planned.

Parking for Scotiabank Place sucks for the record. It was crazy getting out of there after the game. We saw a few Sabres fans while getting out and heading to the doors, and we walked in. It's a beautiful arena and we walked around the entire place (I think). They only had two floors and to get to the third level, you had to walk up some stairs from the second level to get up there.We sat in the kiddie section so I think that saved us with the heckling. We DID get the occasional 'Buffalo sucks' comments though, but whatever. The only time we said anything against the Sens fans was how Dany Heatley had more goals than Daniel Alfredsson.

Let me tell you something though. I'm sure this is the same with all Canadian arena, but Scotiabank Place put the HSBC Arena to shame with the noise in there. It was incredible. We should be ashamed of ourselves for not being loud enough. I loved the atmosphere there, and even though the Sabres lost, I think I would love to go back and watch a game there again sometime.

The next day was full of fun filled events as well, but Tamara pretty much covered what happened then. This trip was loads of fun and when I officially unpack at my new house and get the desktop computer up and running, I will have videos and photos.

You blew it.

2009-11-22T00:05:00.003-05:00

What an awful game to be a part of. Not only am I not letting the Sabres ruin my trip to Ottawa, but I am going to try and forget how atrocious this weekend has been for them. Losing three games in a row is disgusting. I think the Sabres are like, 1-5 against Northeast Division rivals. What a joke.

I'm so glad the Sabres helped out Patty tonight. I'm so glad they decided to crap out after the first period. Don't give me this back-to-back bullshit. They need to learn how to start winning some games back-to-back. It's getting a little ridiculous now.

Also, maybe learn something new on the power play for once. I don't care if Thomas got a power play goal, it fucking sucks. Take people off the power play. Jason Pominville should not be on the point on the power play because he can't keep the puck in if it meant his life.

I am about ready to tear half of this team apart besides Patty, Patches, and Drew. I think I'm only majorly upset because Tamara and I woke up at 3:30. THREE THIRTY. To drive out here only to witness that. Absolutely disgusting.

Fuck 'em.

We're in Ottawa!

2009-11-21T15:41:00.002-05:00

Tamara and I successfully made it to the great capital of Canada in one piece. With one little mishap with a Denny's near the border of Canada (it was closed) it's been a pretty smooth journey thus far. We're in the hotel room now, chilling before hitting the road to go to Swiss Chalet and then to Scotiabank Place. We have confimation from WGR 550 that Patrick Lalime is playing tonight and Tamara is extremely excited. We're going to get killed with our Lalime and Pominville jerseys tonight, just saying.

I will be sure to take plenty of pictures and videos for everyone to see. I will also be sure to somehow make it out of Canada alive...

Almost time.

2009-11-20T19:04:00.003-05:00

Tamara and I are officially drugged up on the Tylenol PM and are getting ready to fall asleep. Hopefully I will be able to fall asleep by like, nine, but I'm not even sure. We head out tomorrow at around four and will probably arrive in Ottawa at nine. I will then update this again when we get there. Maybe.

Wish us luck and hope for saftey on our travels!

The Epic Adventures of Tamara and Shelby:...And Morgan and Connor!

2009-11-19T19:54:00.003-05:00

The photo was shamelessly taken from Tamara. It's hers!

Instead of just Tamara and I going to a game together, we went with two other of our friends. We had some pretty good seats in one of the corners of the arena. The view was great! The game wasn't, but we won't talk about that. Steve was on the poster last night and Tamara and I bought it of course. The only two posters I have are Craig and Steve. I think there is going to be a pattern here with them. I could've bought Derek and Mike too but I hate Derek and Mike was injured that game.

We saw Morgan's twin sister at one of the food places, said our hellos and got food, and then went to our seats. We had made signs (or should I say Tamara made them) and they had three ducks and a picture of Goose on one of the posters. So it went 'Duck. Duck. Duck. GOOSE!' We got on the jumbotron in the back at one point and apparently we ended up on TV. I have no idea, haha.

I wish Sabretooth had danced or the Timbits had skated the whole time because that would've been worth more of the money I spent on a ticket than watching that game. Horrendous.

Ottawa is not far away! I will more than likely update this before we leave but if I don't have time, then pray for us!

Of secrets and benching.

2009-11-18T14:01:00.002-05:00

Toni Lydman is pretty much ready to make a comeback on the ice, and what's going on? He is being benched because of how the play of Andrej Sekera has been impressive at most the past few games. Really? Really? While I have nothing against Reggie in the slightest, Toni has not played for the past ten games. He is one of our most consistent shotblockers on this team, for the record. Unfortunately, if the Sabres took Tyler out of the lineup then the fans would go nuts and probably burn down the arena. So stupid. All I'm saying is he better be playing on Saturday when Tamara and I go to Ottawa.

In slightly better news, Thomas updated his blog today and said something very interesting:

Hi folks, sorry to have kept you waiting, but there was a lot going on in the last month. First the injury, then… But, no, that’s still a secret. You’ll get to know soon enough.

Any guesses with what the big news might be? I think I may know but I'm not sharing my thoughts because knowing me, I'll be wrong and feel like a total idiot.

Also, over the summer he had coached a team called the ITR26ers. How cute is it that 26 is in the name? Aww. I also think that he's the part owner of the team too, and they ended up winning an entire tournament that happened in Minnesota. They have a website here if you want to check it out. I think it's awesome of him to dedicate his time like that to a team already, and he's still pretty young.

Shit.

2009-11-15T16:21:00.003-05:00

Tamara and I were at the Boulevard Mall today to go look for a picture of Goose in poster size. We ventured into LAUX Sporting Goods to see if they had any (which apparently, the only huge posters they seem to have are of Ryan, Thomas, and Sidney Crosby. What the hell.) Anyways, Tamara noticed a '10' on a jersey that was on a rack and we got all excited. Then we saw the price.

It went from $169.99 to $79.99. Needless to say the jersey was a CCM and not a Reebok type but still! We sort of freaked out a little because of how cheap it was. He was on the rack with Jaro and Max. I'm sure this doesn't mean a thing, but I don't want to see the Swedish defensemen traded or anything of the sort. He's really starting to play well again with Tyler. If he can keep this up, then I hope the city will give him another chance...

Postgame: 11-14-09

2009-11-15T10:55:00.004-05:00

It seems like forever go since a Sabres won a back-to-back game and somehow, they took it to a team yesterday that was rested and ready to go. I was completely stunned by the effort through the first two periods. The Sabres came out flying and dominated the first period. Seriously, I think the first period went by too fast. I don't even think the Flyers knew what was going on.

The power play played well last night, if you forget about the short handed goal by Jeff Carter. Two for six is not bad at all. I'm saying this in how we haven't seen power play goals come often from the guys lately. Nice to see them tally some up on the PP.

I was so excited for Tyler Ennis when he scored his first goal. I really like him and the style he plays, and he's been playing well in Portland so it was a good move by Darcy to bring him up. He probably won't be here long if Drew's hip heals quickly but I have a feeling that he's going to do well with the time he has up here. Good for him!

Overall, a good game from the Sabres last night. They didn't let the league's leading power play score again and they showed a lot of toughness in the beginning of the game. Considering they were on back-to-back nights, they were bound to get tired in the third and you could see it. Now they have off until Florida on Wednesday.

The Epic Adventures of Tamara and Shelby: Jaroooooome!

2009-11-14T17:16:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since one of these posts have happened. Tamara and I hadn't gone to a game together since Atlanta last month, but we went last night, and are going to two games next week. Exciting!

We got to the arena pretty early and after completely forgetting to hang out in the lower bowl for warmups and going up the escalator, we headed back down to the 100s. We stood by where the Flames were warming up because we see the Sabres enough as it is (Tamara a hell of a lot more than I). I was really excited to see Jarome Iginla in person. He's one of those players that us Easterners don't see enough of and I was glad to see him skating around up close. I heard he is an extremely nice guy. Speaking of Calgary, either a lot of fans live in Toronto or people just had a Calgary jersey and decided to switch up today. The fanbase turn out was incredible. Good job Calgary!

We headed up to our seats and lucky us, we sat next to some weird ones again. One guy who claimed to be a Leafs fan (and also a Calgary fan) was so blasted he went down to the Sabres store and bought a blank Sabres jersey. It was pretty funny but other than that, we hate being bothered by drunk idiots as such. I wonder how much we're going to encounter in Ottawa...pray for us.

I realized something as we were watching the game. We don't pay much attention to it, but instead, we talk the whole time about random stuff. We pay more attention to it when it's on TV. It's the weirdest thing but the games we've been to haven't exactly been exciting...maybe except the Atlanta and Leafs game. I hope the Florida and Ottawa games are super exciting.

Now after the game, we headed downstairs to wait in the lobby to see who would come out. Apparently the Sabres have started this thing where three players come out to sign autographs (but you have no idea which three they are). I had my picture taken with Sabretooth finally (thanks again Tamara!) and then we waited until Matt Ellis and Chris Butler came out. I was all ready to have Matt sign my ticket when all of the sudden, the couple in front of me backed up into me and Matt went over to the next part of the rope. At that point I was just like 'screw it'. People of Buffalo: If you get something signed by a player and are done getting something signed by them, then get the hell out of the way. Thanks!

Next up: Philly.

What in the tarnation is going on?

2009-11-13T11:43:00.005-05:00

Tamara and Caroline went to the morning skate today and I would have gone too if I didn't have college to deal with. Silly school. Anyways, when I parked at the Pepsi Center to start walking to class, I saw that Tamara texted me saying something very unnerving to me. She said that it looked like Thomas Vanek was taken off of the power play unit.

NOW WAIT A MINUTE HERE. I realize he only has five goals in thirteen games. I also realize that he has only one power play goal. I think so anyways. But you need his presence in front of the net. Goose is a big guy too and plays well in front of the net, but that's on the power play unit. They tried Drew Stafford out last year when Thomas was out and it didn't work out too well. We know he has a great pair of hands and I don't understand why Lindy would take him off. If it's because of the three penalties he got, I will (to put it bluntly) shit a brick.

This news may not be true since Tamara wasn't too sure, but I hope it really isn't. He thrives on the power play. If this means that he has to pick up his game though to earn a spot back on the power play then I know he'll do it. He's been pressured like this before. Most of the time, he delivers. He will be back.

Guess whose back? Back again? Patty's back!

2009-11-12T19:49:00.002-05:00

Patick Lalime's groin has been feeling a lot better, and now he is resuming his position as Ryan's backup, woohoo! Since the Pirates are up here today playing in a game (right now, actually), Jhonas didn't have to go very far. Probably only in the locker room next door. I have no idea if the Pirates locker room is the Sabres locker room when they're up here. I have to find that out. Anyways, this whole this is great news simply because Tamara and I have a feeling Patty is going to play against Ottawa when we go. It'll be the first meeting between the two teams, so who knows what Sabres team is going to show up against them. Hopefully it'll be a big ol' W on the board.

I had no idea of this until last night, but Mike Grier hurting his groin too? Tamara put it well saying good thing we didn't get rid of Adam...Mike was supposed to 'take his place' too. I like Mike and all, but Adam has a place on this team too still. I don't think Tim Kennedy fits his role, that's for sure. At least not yet. Maybe in a few years. I'm glad that Adam is still here. I have a weird infatuation with him and I don't know why. Maybe it's the blonde hair...yeah.

Postgame: 11-11-09

2009-11-12T07:41:00.003-05:00

While this game wasn't as interesting as the blow out against the Oilers, it had it's moments. Tamara, and I called Drew scoring against simply because it was Edmonton. He had a stellar game against them last season and he put the first one on the board after a rebound. Then when Monty score, Tamara, a friend of ours and I all were jumping around because we were so excited for him. We love Monty, haha. I'm really glad he got his first goal! Now Craig just has to get his. He should do it against Florida next week...just saying Craig.

Let's talk about Thomas Vanek's game last night. Somehow had more than ten minutes of ice time even after all those penalties. THREE PENALTIES! Jesus, I would've rather seen him go for fighting or something instead of diving (?!), slashing, and hooking. At least he got an assist last night? I never want to see that type of game from him ever again. Bad hockey folks.

I really hope Clarke MacArthur isn't suspended for what happened to Reddox. From the replays that I see, Clarke tapped him a little bit and Reddox just fell awkwardly into the boards because of the position he was in. You can clearly see in the replay too that Clarke tried to help him until the Oilers started to come after Clarke. Here's to hoping that the guy is okay right now. That small hit looked scary because it looked like he wasn't moving at first...nothing you ever want to see in this game. Ever.

I love Christopher Butler.

2009-11-09T13:39:00.004-05:00

I wasn't at the Catwalk yesterday, but thanks to Tamara and her lovely photos AND keeping me updated throughout the event, I got my fill of it yesterday. This picture was the icing on the cake for me. Chris Butler was born in the wrong era - so was Drew Stafford, who definitely was into last night. Oh, and Steve Montador.

That's all I really have to say. Hopefully last night's activities cleared their heads (literally, with drinking) and they're ready to go on Wednesday against the Oilers.

I hate the Flyers.

2009-11-07T14:23:00.003-05:00

This picture describes last night's game perfectly. Craig Rivet's fall represents the Sabres epic fail against the Flyers' third and fourth line. Daniel Carcillo represents everything I hate with Philadelphia and their organization. Oh, and he hasn't scored a goal since January 18th or something like that - WHEN HE WAS WITH PHOENIX! Come on boys. You did this last year too. If some guy has a goal scoring drought, they could score against the Sabres and get all excited. We don't want that to happen, like, ever.

The only Flyer I might semi like is Brayden Coburn and I don't even know why. I think Tamara influenced that one on me, like with Dany Heatley, but that's besides the point. We were kind of stoked at first because we thought he had scored the first goal but THEN we saw Daniel Carcillo being all smiles. Disgusting. For the record, please keep your mouthguard in your mouth when you skate. Having it hand out like you do is just plain weird.

I really want to know where Tyler Myers had come from on the rush where he scored. We didn't even realize he had scored until Rick had said something about it. Jesus, that boy appears from nowhere.

Oh, and I loved Robi's tie from last night. It must have been from the Fruit Stripes gum collector's edition. His choice of ties always tend to make me happy.

'Coldston' is up next on the schedule tonight. It'll be good to see a familiar face again.

Boooo!

2009-11-07T00:54:00.003-05:00

Tonight was not a very good night at all. First, the Sabres lose to the Flyers in a quite horrible fashion. I am never saying what the score of the game is going to be outloud ever again. I said that it would eventually be 4-1, Flyers and it was. Stupid brain and stupid psychic moments in hockey.

Then my dry skin on my hands begins to act up again. Every winter for the past three years or so, I've been getting red rashes on my hands from dry skin. They're weird patches too so my hands always look messed up in the winter time. Lotion doesn't even help me out one bit.

And then, Thomas Vanek got a freaking haircut and shaved off his semi beard! When I thought to myself 'Yeah, he's going to get it cut before the next game'! Sadly, that might be the most awful thing that happened to my little heart tonight.

More tomorrow when I can collectively put my thoughts together on this game and how I really dislike the Flyers and Daniel Carcillo's missing teeth.

Jim Corsi's eyebrows are weapons of mass destruction.

2009-11-06T12:54:00.003-05:00

According to Steve Montador in his '2 In The Box' interview (I'm really going to love that segment by the way), Brian McCutcheon could beat Jim Corsi in a fight...but then he mentioned how Jim Corsi's eyebrows are pretty 'sick'. I would have to agree on this. The eyebrows are really stellar, and as Steve said, they could cushion his face if a puck hit him there. Maybe the Sabres should incorporate this into their plan of attack. It would scare the opponents completely and the boys would win every game. Hence, weapons of mass destruction!

Or not.

Why is your ice time so...low?

2009-11-05T18:55:00.002-05:00

If any of you have watched Thomas Vanek's interview today, you saw the awkwardness that was the question 'Did you talk to Lindy about why your ice time was so low last night?' He paused and then answered 'He didn't say anything.' More of an awkward pause and stifled laughter. 'We're just rolling with four lines.'

Lindy and Thomas didn't have a very nice way to end the season way back in 05-06 with his butt being benched in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and we all know how he turned it around the season after that. I still have the feeling these two have some problems with one another...which is evident in the fact that when Thomas does one thing wrong, he seems to get benched. If the Primadonna Cuntnugget does something wrong, he doesn't get benched. I'm not even saying this because I'm biased, it's pure fact.

Yesterday, Thomas Vanek had a little over 11 minutes in ice time. 11. Minutes. Considering he's been the leading goal scorer on this team for the past three seasons, I don't want him to be playing only that much time per night. You have to factor in PK time because he doesn't play that (he used to...remember that, Lindy? Remember those short handed goals?)
Anyways, Heather from Top Shelf mentioned it in her most recent post, and I commented on how when Thomas seems to be playing well in a game, his ice time is less. If he isn't getting points on the board but is still playing well then he has at least 15 minutes of ice time. Lindy keeps saying Thomas has to keep working to get his ice time higher, but what does he have to do? Be Alexander Ovechkin every night?

I love Lindy, I really do. I just hate this relationship between the two of them.

That was some good redemption there, boys.

2009-11-04T23:32:00.003-05:00

A nice shutout for Ryan and some goals for the offense made tonight turn out to be quite nice for the Sabres. I was over at my brother's house watching this game, and the other time I went over there to watch a game this season, Ryan Miller had his first shutout against Nashville. Maybe I should watch Sabres games with him more often...just kidding, Tamara.

It's about time the Primadonna Cuntnugget scored his first goal of the season. I was really hoping that it tipped off of Thomas' stick, but alas, no. My brother made me incredi bly happy tonight because he was bitching about how people always say that Thomas does absolutely nothing in front of the net. He defended him all night, with the standing in the crease and how he isn't lazy, but he just isn't a fast skater. I don't meet too many people now that defend him quite like I do but I occasionally find people who don't put the guy down so that's always nice.

It was good to see the power play in action tonight. I don't know how many power plays they had, but they scored two goals on it, and it's a start. It's time to get it cranking out. Remember when the Sabres were in the top five last year for the PK AND PP? Insane.

Flyers on Friday. I hate these games against them. Or I just hate their fans...one of the two.

News Flash: Patrick Lalime is not a 'dueche'.

2009-11-04T14:03:00.002-05:00

Most fans already know of Patty going down with a groin injury and Jhonas Enroth being called up to replace him. This doesn't bother me at all. It's what I was reading from other Sabres fans that threw me off. 'Oh, I hope Lalime is injured.' 'Maybe they got rid of Lalime.' 'That dueche Patrick Lalime is leaving.'

Really? Really?

Do people not remember when Ryan Miller went down and for most of those games, Patty was standing on his head? Do we not remember the team sucked in front of him and that caused them to only win four games in that long streak of Ryan being out? Oh no, we're just looking at his stats from this season...A GAME AND A HALF. You have a lot to go on from there, apparently.

The Sabres started off flat footed against Atlanta and it was a miracle they scored a lot in the game before that one. The same thing happened against the Islanders on Saturday, a game in which Ryan Miller WAS PULLED and Lindy put Patty out there. You can not go off the handle and say he's a bad goaltender on just nearly two games. It just doesn't work that way.

And if we're talking about that 7-6 win over the Leafs in preseason, good job - both goaltenders were awful that night. Patty made one more save than Vesa Toskala did and that's the only thing that mattered. THE PRESEASON DOES NOT MATTER.

Rant = done.

Jason and Jayden.

2009-11-03T17:46:00.004-05:00

Jason Pominville and his wife welcomed a baby boy into the world maybe three or two days ago that they named Jayden. How cute are those names together? Jason and Jayden. If he has another boy, it'll be James and if it's a girl, it'll be Jamie. I bet his full name is Jayden Jason Pominville. Hey, Thomas Vanek did it with his son, Blake. Blake Thomas Vanek! Sooo cute.

Speaking of which, Thomas was on NHL Live today and talked about how the Sabres are doing so far. He was also asked about head shots and basically said that things should be taken care of now. I completely agree. They also asked about the Olympics, which I cringed at. People forget that Austria is not that good at hockey. Well no, that isn't true. Austria is good enough to beat A and B pool teams but not good enough to beat teams in the World Championships. They're really in the middle of the pack. He mentioned how even though with his dad being Czech and his mother being a Slovak, he was born in Austria and he wouldn't change the team he played for, for the world. I love his loyalty. I just wish he would be there for the Olympics, but oh well...

Not going to Long Island was worth it.

2009-11-01T12:54:00.003-05:00

As a spur of the moment thing, Tamara and I were going to head to Long Island for one reason and one reason only. That was because WE THOUGHT Patrick Lalime was going to start the game. Our assumption was completely wrong. Really good thing we didn't go to the game. Also, Lindy foiled our costume idea. Tamara was going to be Patty while I would be Marty. Ugh. It would've worked from the second period onward.

This game was awful from all ends of the spectrum and you can't even justify anyone's game last night, from the offense all the way to goaltending (except Patty because he had to replace Ryan). The offense just didn't show up and Marty was excellent. The defense backed up way too much and gave a lot of room to the Islanders, and Ryan did not look good. At least on the second goal. That was all him.

There's a quote that Thomas Vanek had last night that bothers me.

"This one falls on me. I'm the goal-scorer here, and I could have put the Islanders away in the first period myself, and I didn't."

Shut up, Thomas. Just shut up, please. There is more than one guy on the team that has the capabilities to score. I'm just sick of him taking all the blame when it either wasn't his, or wasn't entirely his fault. I feel like he needs a hug. All the time. I love you Thomas, but don't start the blame game on yourself this early.

"You had two penalties, and the Sabres keep rolling."

2009-10-30T23:20:00.004-04:00

Not exactly the prettiest win of the season, but the Sabres still pulled out with two points in overtime. For the record, Tamara and I chanted Timmy's name throughout the OT and called him scoring the game winner. We are obviously psychic, yo.

While it was nice for the boys to get the extra point in OT, the last few seconds of regulation were BAD. Point number one, don't screen your goaltender. Point number two...reflections are bad. Ryan really had no chance on it considering it was a deflection, but when you end up giving up the equalizer when they pulled the goaltender AND you're on the power play? Come on guys. Though, it could've been 3-1 if they counted Timmy's little hand pass empty netter, but those are the breaks. It's not like the Leafs were right behind us in points where it's bad that they got a point.

They get back in the groove tonight on Halloween, and I hope the Islanders don't 'scare' them away, per say.