Back with a bang.

It is too bad that Rick and Harry did not call tonight's game. Because if they did, Jeanneret would have shouted "MILLER!!!!!" so many times that you would have thought he was advertising the beer. Ryan Miller came back with a bang tonight, making many spectacular saves, including a highlight reel. The Sabres finally won a game, and they did in a good fashion, and got tons of help from Miller. Luke Adam opened the scoring 10:00 into the 1st, putting a loose puck past Nashville Goalie Anders Lindback. Zack Kassian made it 2-0 later in the period, skating in on a breakaway and going forehand-backhand, and with a bobbling puck too. It was all Ryan Miller for the next period and a half.  Miller was solid and stopped many tough shots, a couple of which were Shea Weber slap shots, which have broken bones before. Things got interesting when Nashville pest Jordin Tootoo drove to the net, had the puck knocked off his stick by Christian Ehrhoff, and then went airborne right into Miller. Miller got up and immediately starting throwing punches at Tootoo, as did every other Sabre on the ice, and I can't blame Miller at all. I thought it was a low move by Tootoo, who earned a game misconduct, though he probably will got off easy, knowing our pal Shanahan. It was good to see that the Sabres actually responded this time. Miller had a big response too. In the 3rd, a puck flew up in the crease, it got knocked down to Nashville's Matt Halischuk, who shot for the net, only to have Miller sprawl across and rob him with the glove. That was without question the best save I have ever seen him make.
Tyler Ennis scored the eventual game-winner, but he should have had 2 goals. In the 2nd, the puck came into the Predator zone, and Lindback sprawled out at the puck but missed it. This gave Ennis a good 4 (I counted) seconds to score on a wide open net. But he missed the chance because he over stick handled trying to make the Sportscenter top 10, and as a result it gave Linback enough time to get back in the net. I hate seeing players do that. Play the game and stop trying to be fancy for the love of God!

Anyhow, Buffalo played great and Miller silenced his critics, funny how they will be back on his train now. Goodnight and thanks for the read!

Zack Kassian: Who can he be?

I've been lucky this week to have been able to go to two Sabres games in row, the Boston game and the Washington game. I got to see two players first NHL goals, Brennan and Kassian. Zack showed a lot of promise in his game on Saturday, and it got me thinking. What kind of player do we want Zack Kassian to become?

I thought about it for awhile, and came to an answer that may strike a chord with Sabres fans. I want Zack Kassian to be our Milan Lucic. Sure, he's got size. Kassian is 6'3'' and 214 lbs. But he's not a goon. He made team Canada in the World Juniors last season, and before the call-up lead the Rochester Americans in points. Kassian is the kind of guy that can make space for his line mates, which is why I loved him being on a line with Nathan Gerbe.

Kassian had a few famous "head shots" in his junior career. I'm at the point with the Sabres that I think they need a guy like that. This team has a reputation of being weak, wouldn't one slightly dirty player be a good thing for a team like that? There's a video on YouTube of a double fight for Rochester. On one side you see Kassian beating up a guy, on the other you see Foligno doing the same. I see that and think, "wow, this is the future of the Buffalo Sabres".

Kassian has a lot of potential, but is he ready yet? Many Rochester people have said he's still a project. He's getting a shot up here, as him and McNabb are the only two skaters that have not been re-assigned to Rochester. He may show us some signs of greatness. That being said, if he falters, don't get on him too fast. He's quite a project, and still only in his first season of professional hockey. Look at many players, sometimes a little time in the AHL can be a positive thing.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @GoodsOnSabres or check out my lacrosse articles at www.inlaxwetrust.com

Relentless attack.

Luke Adam came one away from getting his first career NHL hatter, and Jochen Hecht notched his 1st of the season as Buffalo took own Washington 5-1 tonight. Robyn Regehr and Drew Stafford both were added to the Sabres illustrious Injured list, prompting yet another Rochester recall.  Brayden McNabb and Paul Szczechura came up from the Genessee. Szczechura assisted on both of Adam's goals. It was "Sahara's" first NHL action in more than a year. Zack Kassian scored his 1st of his NHL career in the 2nd, beating Tomas Vokoun with a wrist shot. Jason Pominville scored 50 seconds after Adam got his first to give Buffalo a 2-0 lead. Adam scored his 2nd not 2 minutes in. Jason Chimera scored Washington's only goal on a penalty shot after Christian Ehrhoff tripped him on a breakaway and Jhonas Enroth had to go airborne to dodge him. But that was as close as the Caps would come. Jochen Hecht scored his first of the season on a shorthanded break away with about 5  minutes left in the 3rd. It was great to see him get one after all his time battling injury. It was great to see Buffalo iron out a well earned win. After getting smoked by Columbus on Friday night, they needed to win, and got a good one. Enroth made 26 saves , he looked very good too. Good Night and thanks for the read. Buffalo is back in action on Tuesday at home against the Islanders.

The "Plauge" of injuries strikes Buffalo.

Over the past few weeks, Healthiness has not been an adjective that could describe the Sabres.  The Sabres currently have 8 players that are either on the IR or battling nagging problems.  It all started with Tyler Ennis, who hasn't played since 10/22. He is on the IR with an ankle injury. The Sabres have not given an update on him so there can be no prediction made as to when he will return. Defenseman Mike Weber sustained an undisclosed upper-body injury on 11/16 against New Jersey. With Weber on the IR, Darcy Regier recalled 2007 First Rounder T.J. Brennan. Brennan quickly made an impact, notching the first of his NHL career Wednesday against Boston.

The injuries are only just beginning. Team enforcer Cody McCormick hasn't played since the 2nd period of 11/14's match-up against Montreal. It has been reported that he has an upper body injury, although Lindy Ruff hasn't disseminated that info to the public. Everyone knows what happened to Ryan Miller. Drew MacIntyre was recalled to replace Miller and saw his first NHL action on 11/16 against the Devils, coming in relief of Jhonas Enroth, who has been excellent in place of the 2010 Silver Medalist.

Jochen Hecht finally returned on Wednesday after missing the entire season due to a concussion sustained in training camp. Hecht played well, almost scoring on his first shift back, but it is doubtful if Hecht will play tonight. Maybe the most devastating loss to the injury list is Tyler Myers. Myers broke one of his wrists last Saturday against the Coyotes. He is going to miss a month at the least. Marc-Andre Gragnani returned to the line-up due to this after being a healthy scratch. Brad Boyes is unlikely to play tonight, due to what Sabres.com calls "difficulty after Dennis Seidenberg fell on his left leg on Wednesday. This prompted Regier to make the move that Sabres fans every where have been dreaming of for a while now. 2009 first rounder Zach Kassian has been recalled from the Amerks. Though it is unknown if Kassian will play tonight, I'm sure  his being here will make an impact.

Despite these injuries, the Sabres have not played badly at all. I expected them to be in big trouble after losing this many players. but luckily I was wrong. What do you think? Comment with your opinions!
Happy Black Friday! Be sure to watch tonight as Buffalo is in Columbus, playing the 'Jackets at 7:00.

Sabres lose, but respond.

Buffalo may have lost their game to the Bruins tonight, but they did something even more important than winning, they responded. Sorry for not posting in a while. I'll try to be back every night. Boston won the game, but Buffalo did something more important than winning in my book, they fought back(physically) against Boston, showing them that even though they didn't respond initially, they wouldn't accept what Lucic did to Miller. Paul Gaustad and Robyn Regher are the co-heroes of the game in my book. Gaustad challenged and fought Lucic the first chance he got, sending a message that I think the rest of the Sabres received. Then after Brad Marchand took a run at Nathan Gerbe, Gaustad railed him into the boards, starting a scrum that involved everyone except Tim Thomas and Jhonas Enroth, who lost his 1st career shootout. Zdeno Chara came over and got involved. Robyn Regher skated in and grabbed Chara, an extremely courageous move on his behalf, and they went at it. Gaustad and Regher also played extremely well in the game, helping Buffalo at least get one point out of the effort. The whole Sabres team played with more physicality, more edge, and more attitude. If they can play like this always, then they won't be pushed around anymore. Special Congrats to T.J. Brennan, who scored his 1st Career NHL goal in the 2nd Period.
Goodnight and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Stars of the Game: Paul Gaustad and Robyn Regher.

Warring back.

Back in February, Buffalo played Montreal in the Bell Centre. Jhonas Enroth was in goal for that game, as Buffalo overcame a 2-0 deficit and won 3-2. 9 Months later, it was almost a complete dejavu. Tonight, Enroth back stopped the Sabres, who overcame an early 1-0 deficit to win 3-2 in a shootout, except this time it wasn't 12 rounds. The Canadiens got goals from Erik Cole and Max Pacioretty in the 2nd after a scoreless 1st. Buffalo came back to life in the 3rd, with goals from Jason Pominville and Derek Roy coming just about 12 minutes apart. It was a game of strong defensive play from that point forward. Both team's defense was great. After both teams failed to score on PP chances into, Buffalo got a vote of confidence. Who wouldn't going into a shootout with arguably the best shootout goaltender in the league in your net?  Enroth stopped Montreal's first shooter, Tomas Plekanec. Thomas Vanek then came on and scored on a great low blocker wrist shot. Pacioretty shot next for Montreal, scoring. Brad Boyes showed that Buffalo wasn't going to quit after already coming back from 2-0. Boyes skated in and deked Carey Price out of his skates to give Buffalo a 2-1 edge in the SO. Brian Gionta was stopped by Enroth to give Buffalo the win. It was a great overall effort from the team, coming back from an early deficit and not giving up.  It was great so see them come back.
Star of the Game: Derek Roy

Insult to injury.

Ryan Miller hasn't had an easy go. I'm not even going to discuss the game, we all know what happened. Instead I'll discuss Lucic's hit on Miller.  Late in the 1st, Milan Lucic stole the puck from the point and skated in on a breakaway. Except he lost it at Miller came out to play the puck, and after he cleared it off  in the corner, Lucic ran right through him. There is no reason for Lucic's doing that. That was a dirty, deliberate hit. He went out of his way to do it, and he did  it with no other reason than to injure and disturb. I hate seeing that in hockey. I love seeing hits, but not when the guy goes out of his way to apply a dirty hit to someone not deserving of it. And as a result, Lucic only got 2 minutes for interference. He should have gotten 2 for interference, 2 for roughing, and a game misconduct. And don't say I'm biased because I root for the Sabres. I don't doubt that if that had been Kaleta doing that to Tim Thomas, than people all over Boston would be whining for hiim to be suspended another 4 games. if I were Lindy Ruff, I would've done exactly that, sent Kaleta at Tim Thomas. Let Boston see how they like it. I hate dirty hockey. Buffalo is back in action Monday at Montreal. Be sure to watch.

Who should be the Starting Goaltender?

Today I will discuss the major topic that surrounds the Buffalo Sabres right now: Who should be the Sabres number one goaltender at this point? Its not as clear as most would have predicted at the start of the season.

Ryan Miller is currently 5-5 with 1 Shut out. He has a .913 save percentage and 2.74 goals against average. Recently he has looked like a complete mess. Obviously the Philadelphia game was not the top of his game. Saying that, however, I do not blame the 5 goal preformance vs. the Jets on him. Most of the goals were caused by poor defending (i.e. Tyler Myers) and were not his fault. But, if you watch the Sabres often, you know how Ryan Miller gets. When he's off mentally, you can see it. And off is the best way I can describe his play right now. He just seems like a different player than the Ryan Miller we are accustomed to.

Jhonas Enroth has had a completely different start to this season. He's gone 4-0 with a .957 save percentage and a 1.41 goals against average. He's third in the NHL in both S% and GAA. He is the hot hand for Lindy right now. Many times this season he has stood on his head in games.

At this point, Ryan Miller should still be the starter of the Sabres. But its not nearly as big of a gap between the two goalies as many had expected. If Miller continues to play poorly and Enroth is winning, then we may have ourselves a goalie controversy.

Sabres ground the Jets in a barnburner.

Tuesday night's game was undoubtedly one for the record books. The Sabres hall of fame added 2 more illustrious members, with the induction of Rick Jeanneret and Dale Hawerchuk. Both inductees gave speeches that had the sellout that was FN Center on its feet. And the excitement was just beginning. For the first time since 1995, the Sabres dropped the puck against a team from Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was the Jets who got off to a flying start (no pun intended).  Mark Flood and Bryan Little both scored roughly 2 minutes apart in the early 1st. It looked as if Ryan Miller was going to get smoked again. But, this time, his offense came to the rescue. Derek Roy continued his recent tear, scoring on the Power Play to cut the score to 2-1 with about 10 minutes remaining. Then, about 11 seconds later, call-up Corey Tropp found the back of the net for the first time in his NHL career. Congrats to Corey for that! Then the see-saw continued as Tanner Glass connected on the PP to give the Jets their lead back again. But the Sabres battled back again. The Sabres Penalty kill continued to dominate, as Paul Gaustad got the puck at center and did a spin-o-Rama and passed to Jason Pominiville, who tapped it right in. It is arguably the best pass I've ever seen. The seesaw battle raged on. Ultimately leading to a 5-5 tie at the end of regulation. Winnipeg killed their chances of winning with how many penalties they took. Blake Wheeler took a penalty with less than a minute left in OT, setting up Jason Pominville's blast that went in of Thomas Vanek's skate to win it for Buffalo. It was a great game in my opinion. Thanks for reading!
Star of the Game: Thomas Vanek.

Enroth continues shootout dominance.

Buffalo and Ottawa provided an entertaining, back and forth, seesaw battle tonight as the Northeast division foes met in Scotiabank Place.Milan Michalek opened the scoring in the 1st, dekeing through Tyler Myers and going above Jhonas Enroth's glove for his 9th. In the 2nd, Derek Roy made his hometown return even better, deflecting Ville Leino's point shot for his 2nd. Then Jordan Leopold scored on a hard working shift from Nathan Gerbe to give Buffalo a 2-1 lead. This didn't last long ,however, as Erik Condra scored his first on a break away. The ensuing back and forth game resulted in a tie through out 65 minutes, setting the stage for  Enroth to star in his signature situation. Enroth allowed the first two shooters for Ottawa,  Michalek and Jason Spezza, but stopped the next four. Thomas Vanek and Brad Boyes kept Buffalo alive in the first two shootout rounds, allowing Enroth time to shake off the rust and dominate.  After Ottawa's last four shooters were stopped by Enroth, Nathan Gerbe, Jason Pominville, and Drew Stafford all came up short. This provided Derek Roy a rare chance, to score a game winner in his home town. And he delivered, firing into the top left to beat Craig Anderson and winning Buffalo its second straight. I can imagine it was a fun trip home for Roy.
Goodnight and thanks for the read. Buffalo is back in action Tuesday when Winnipeg comes to town. Be sure to watch!
Star of the Game: Derek Roy.

Goaltender duel for the ages sees Buffalo emerge victorious.

On Friday night, Jhonas Enroth and Henrik Karlsson combined to give the fans at First Niagara Center one of the best combined Goaltender performances that I've ever seen. Enroth and Karlsson faced a combined 74 shots on goal, and stopped a combined 71. Both goalies made phenomenal saves through out the game, but it was Enroth who won the battle, despite that I honestly think Karlsson was the better of the two. Drew Stafford opened the scoring, which was scarce, in the first, with a "slap-snipe" that went in the top right corner. It was Stafford's 4th with great assists from Andrej Sekera (3) and Derek Roy (4). Nathan Gerbe gave the Sabres a 2-0 advantage early in the 3rd on a funky goal.  It looked as if Calgary was about to clear the puck from the zone, but Marc-Andre Gragnani held it in and passed to Gerbe, who was wide open with more than enough time. That would prove to be the difference maker seeing as Alex Tanguay brought the Flames to within one less than four minutes later. It was a goal Enroth could do nothing about, as it was deflected by Calgary's leader in goals before it reached Enroth. Calgary is my 2nd to favorite team, so I will honestly admit they played well, but not well enough. Their goaltender was amazing, he definitely held them in it.
Star of the Game: Henrik Karlsson.

Sabres fight valiantly, come up short.

Ryan Miller got smoked. Plain and simple. He got smoked. He was beaten on the first 2 that he faced and was pulled not even 10 minutes in. The goals he let in weren't bad ones, but atill, he let them in. however, his defense didn't give him much help on the first one. Jhonas Enroth came in and provided a heroic relief in net,stopping all 15 shots he faced. But the 3-0 deficit drawn by Miller proved to be too much to overcome.  Andrej Sekera and Luke Adam scored to give Buffalo a semi-rally, but that was all the offense to muster. I must commend Buffalo's effort however. They fought back valiantly and stole back the momentum from the Flyers, who got off to a potent start in the 1st. Despite the loss, they gave a fantastic effort, which was starting to become a real problem. Buffalo faces Calgary on Friday night. Be sure to watch.
Star of the Game: Jhonas Enroth.

Sabres pull off the 4-2 Victory vs. Columbus

The Sabres managed to overcome sacrificing a 2 goal lead for the second game in a row by scoring to late goals to win 4-2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Sabres (6-3-0) got goals from Pominville (3,4), Boyes (2), and Kaleta (1), while Columbus had goals from Prospal (4) and Tyutin (1) in the loss. Columbus has had some real early problems, suffering key injuries. Their season may already be done.

Vanek is on fire right now. As one of the Vs. Commentators said during the Tampa game, he has never seen Vanek look this good. Now, I know it isn't reasonable to expect Vanek to stay on the crazy pace that's he's setting right now. He's not scoring 60 goals this year. But 30+ goals seems very reasonable for the Austrian forward, who already has 7 goals after 9 games. He leads the team in points currently, with 14 (7+7).

Pominville is another guy who is on a hot streak. I'll be the first to admit, I'm not Pominville's greatest fan. I didn't like him being named Captain, I've never really liked his game. But there is no disputing he is having great success, currently second in points behind Vanek with 13 (4+9). The Pominville-Adam-Vanek line has been out of this world, far better than anyone would have expected. I'm very excited to see Adam playing so well, he has a ton of potential. Every time he's on the ice I notice how big he is. If he can learn to use that big frame, we are set.

It appears people are already jumping off the Ville Leino train. After nine games he has 1 goal and 1 assist, and with the big contract we gave him this offseason he needs to produce much more. Maybe its because he was at Center, maybe he doesn't have chemistry with his linemates yet. No matter what, he needs to get back on track if this team is going anywhere.

I'd like to say sorry for being gone for so long, things have been crazy busy. I'll be back as often as I can. In other hockey news, the Panthers traded Cal O'Reilly to Phoenix for a 4th round pick in next year's draft.

Sabres shutout Panthers, Tampa returns the favor.

Sorry for the lateness of this post, I've been busy as of late.
Thomas Vanek scored twice and Ryan Miller stopped 22 shots for his first shutout of the season on Thursday as the Sabres phased Florida 3 nothing. Jason Pominville added the other goal, deflecting in a beautiful pass from Ville Leino. Miller looked good, but Thomas Vanek deserves the "Star of the game" title for his hard work which resulted in his tying for the league lead in goals.

I'm not sure if Tampa and Florida have an alliance, but the Lightning went vice-versa, Saturday, shutting out the Sabres by the same score. Martin St.Louis scored a goal on a semi-breakaway, which I was disappointed in from Miller. All he had to do was poke-check the puck right off St.Louis' stick, but instead he tried to stay with him and got embarrassed as a result. The Sabres looked very out of tune in the game, missing many passes and not doing well with team coordination. But on the bright-side, they have a chance to pay the Lightning right back on Tuesday in Buffalo. With 2 days rest going into the game, the Sabres should be better. Be sure to tune in on Tuesday at 7:30!

10/18/11 Miller shuts down Montreal.

Ryan Miller did not shut out Montreal last night, but boy did he look a sharp. I am not the biggest Miller fan, but I will admit that he looked as good as I have ever seen him on Tuesday. He single-handedly kept Buffalo alive in the 1st, when the Sabres were out-shot by the Canadians, 14-3. Miller's lone error on the night was a lone goal to Montreal's Raphael Diaz, his first of his NHL career. Montreal took the lead on Diaz' goal early in the 2nd. After that, it was ALL Sabres. Buffalo tied it with Jordan Leopold snapping in a rebound after a beautiful 2 man play with Drew Stafford and Tyler Ennis. Stafford carried the puck in and fired a sharp angle shot whilst Ennis rushed to the front taking the 2 Montreal D-men with him, allowing Leopold to sneak in for the rebound. Late in the 2nd Montreal iced the puck. Sabres play by play man, Rick Jeanneret, said that would come back to haunt Montreal. He was right. Thomas Vanek faked and then scored on a slapper to put Buffalo up for good, with 2.8 seconds left! Miller continued to keep Buffalo alive in the 3rd. He finished with 40 saves in total. Christian Ehrhoff scored on an 180 feet empty net shot to keep Montreal out of reach. It was Ehrhoff's first as a Sabre. Buffalo takes on Florida tomorrow night. be sure to watch!
Star of the Game: Ryan Miller

(Sorry for the late post. I was very busy!)

Young Guns propel Sabres to win over Pittsburgh.

Nathan Gerbe and Luke Adam's combined 4 points, and Jhonas Enroth's 29 saves propelled Buffalo past Pittsburgh for the first time since 12/29/09. Gerbe and Adam both chipped in 1 goal and assist, and Enroth stopped 29 of 31 from a stark Penguin offense. The game itself was very entertaining, with only 3 penalties in the entire game. Both teams took turns peppering the opposing goaltender. Enroth and Pittsburgh's M.A. Fleury faced a combined 59 shots, 31 from Pittsburgh. Enroth won the duel with great help from his defense. Pittsburgh's first goal from James Neal wouldn't have even gone in if it hadn't bounced in off Robyn Regehr. Not that I mean to malice Robyn, he has been phenomenal thus far. Jordan Staal added Pittsburgh's last tally with a late 3rd Period goal. Buffalo all around looked very good and played very disciplined. Drew Stafford scored the winner, with Christian Ehrhoff adding 2 helpers. Buffalo's next game will be on Tuesday at Montreal at 7:30.
Star of the Game: Nathan Gerbe.

Goodnight and thanks for the read!

Cam Ward spoils innaguaral game at the FNC.

Cam Ward. Enough said. The Sabres just could not crack that man tonight. Jeff Skinner (who should NOT have won Calder last year, not at all) took advantage of a very dumb penalty on Thomas Vanek's part.  For the second straight year, it looks like we will be shaping up to be more happy to see our penalty kill than the Power play. Roy and Stafford provided Buffalo's goal. But the "sensational" "18 year old phenom" "Next Sid the Squid" Skinner ruined Buffalo's hopes. But Carolina is on way worse a hot seat than the Sabres. Carolina, yes, did defeat the Sabres in 2005-06 in route to cheaply defeating Edmonton for the Cup. Carolina's problem since then? They have made the playoffs once since!(Thank You to Josh Edwards for pointing that out). If Carolina doesn't make the playoffs this year, then who knows, maybe we'll see THEM on the road to a knew home.  Tim Gleason got his (expletive) handed to him tonight, trying to engage Paul Gaustad and paying for it dearly. About 10 seconds after that, Gleason was down on the ice with a fairly large gash over his left eye. It's good to at least see that Buffalo isn't a pansy-filled team anymore. Never loose hope Sabres fans, Sheep-Skinner won't be so lucky next time. Buffalo takes on Pittsburgh tomorrow.

10/8/2011 Sabres finish European Trip with a victory over LA.

Rookie Luke Adam didn't let the 2 hour layover in Helsinki crush his playing spirits in Berlin. Adam continued his impressive start by scoring 2 times in the span of just 2 minutes and 20 seconds as the Sabres defeated LA 4-2. Adam now has 4 points and is a +3 in 2 games. Thomas Vanek(2) and Jason Pominiville also chipped on assists, further proving that they are the Sabres' most lethal trio in this young season. In just 2 games, the 26-72-29 line has contributed 11 of the 23 points the Sabres have scored. Talk about chemistry!! Also scoring for the Sabres in the win were Paul Gaustad, on a perfect deflection of a Nathan Gerbe shot, and Drew Stafford. Gerbe had 2 assists, and Derek Roy and Marc-Andre Gragnani also chipped in assists, rounding out the score sheet for the Sabres. Ryan Miller looked sharp once again, going 31-33. Anze Kopitar scored both goals for the Kings. The Sabres have looked very good so far, scoring 8 goals combined in 2 games while only giving up 3 goals against. It was also very remarkable to see the support that the Sabres got from the German crowd. During the game, chants such as "Let's go Sabres!!" and "Here we go, Buffalo!" were heard. That undoubtedly helped the team in the win. Both the Sabres and the Kings had to battle with the ice in O2 arena, which was perfect other than that. The puck looked like it was bouncing an awful lot, not to mention the players looked to be exerting a lot of energy just to skate a few yards. But never the less, the Sabres played well and won. Good night and thanks for reading! Be sure to tune in on MSG this Friday at 7:30 as the Sabres will play their first ever game in the newly named First Niagara Center against the Hurricanes.

10/7/11 Sabres coast past the Ducks in Helsinki.

Thomas Vanek's 2 goals and 1 assist, along with Ville Leino's first as a Sabre, proved to be the difference maker as the Sabres beat Anaheim 4-1 on Friday. It was a great way for the Sabres to open their season. Though I did not see the game on television, listening to it on the radio was enough to tell that they looked good.  Jason Pominville chipped in the last goal for Sabres. Rookie Luke Adam wouldn't be denied the score sheet, tacking on 2 assists. Jason Pominiville added 2 assists, and Christian Ehrhoff added a helper, giving him his first point as a Buffalo Sabre. Ryan Miller looked very sharp in net, only allowing one goal to Anaheim Nate Guenin. As a team the Sabres played very well. It looks like it's shaping up to be a season of promise.
Star of the Game: Thomas Vanek.

Goodnight and thanks for reading!

The "C" is back.

This morning in Helsinki, Lindy Ruff announced that Jason Pominiville will wear the Captain's "C" this year. This is a move that I, in all honesty, do not think very high of. Pominiville is a good leader, but I think as far as his play goes, over the last 3 seasons he has been a major let-down. in 2007-08, it looked like Pominville turned into an essential cog in the Sabres. He had 27 goals, 53 assists, 80 points, and +/- +16. He was the captain that year too for the last month and half (Buffalo rotated the captaincy that year). But his numbers have decreased drastically since then. In 2008-09 he went 24-38-66, and was a -4. In 2009-10 he went 24-38-62 with a +13, and last season he 22-30-52 and was +1. Now yes you can argue that Pominiville was out for 10 games last season, but that still doesn't cover for his drop in points in the 2 seasons prior. So you can argue that he is a defensive forward. That is no excuse. Every player on the team needs to contribute on offense and defense.
Also named alternate Captains were Paul Gaustad, Derek Roy, Thomas Vanek, and Drew Stafford. Here's to hoping that Pominiville will be right for the team. They have the guns, now all they need is a good leader,

Outlook and Optimism: Predicting the Sabres 2011-12.

Hello everyone. We're happy to say that Ultimate Sabres is back with the NHL on the verge of starting its 95th season. The Bruins defeated the Canucks in 7 games last June to capture their first Stanley Cup since the days of Bobby Orr. Now, a new sun is rising on the NHL. So many NHL GM's and owners made monumental strides this summer to improve their teams as best as possible. In my opinion,(biased or unbiased) the Sabres were at the very top of that list, adding Christian Ehrhoff, fresh off a run to the Stanley cup finals, and Robyn Regher. Both defense-men are extremely good additions to the Sabres defensive core. Both very tough, and excellent skaters. Ehrhoff can move the puck very well and has a wicked slap shot. Robyn Regher is a great physical player who can also shut down opposing forwards. Up front, the Sabres added the man who crushed their dreams of a 2nd round playoff berth last spring. Ville Leino is a very swift forward who also makes net crashing look easy. Returning to the blue line for the Sabres are: Tyler Myers, who can be summed up in 2 words, "6:8". Mike Weber: a rough and rugged d-man who had a very solid rookie season last year with 14 points and +/- of +13. Andrej Sekera: a talented puck mover who is overshadowed by his tendency to be a bit clumsy. If partnered right, he can overcome that. Jordan Leopold: The Sabres Defense scoring leader last season with 35 points(13 goals). His tragic flaw? +/- -11.  And Marc-Andre Gragnani: a late season call up last season that turned out working out beautifully. Gragnani had 3 points in 9 games and was a +/- +2. He was even better in the Playoffs, leading the team with 7 points and +/- 0. Gragnani (if he plays the same as the post-season) has a shot at NHL rookie of the year. Shoane Morrisonn was recently sent to the Amerks. Ryan Miller returns to goal, with Jhonas Enroth backing him up. Enroth was sensation last year. The Sabres definitely have something to prove: Can Terry Pegula's dedication to the team and this new and improved Defense-Tender staff translate into a Stanley Cup? My Prediction: Yes.

In memormy of the victims of the KHL Plane crash.

On September 7th, just over Yaroslavl, Russia, the airplane carrying the KHL's Lokomotiv Yaroslavl set on fire and crashed into the Volga river just after 5:05, killing all but one on board. On the plane were such former beloved NHL stars as Ruslan Salei, Pavol Demitra, Josef Vasicek, and Karel Rachunek. Our deepest sorrows go out to the families of the victims and the lone survivor. RIP.

Season Rerun: Paul Gaustad

Today we'll look at Paul Gaustad's 2010-11 Campaign.

Since his Rookie season, Paul Gaustad has consistently been one of Buffalo's toughest forwards. He is always willing to hit people and be hard nosed. Sometimes he's the only Buffalo forward who is. Other than his toughness,Gaustad also is arguably the NHL's best face-off man.  On November 3rd against the Bruins(a game in which Buffalo lost 5-2) Gaustad was a perfect 11/11 on the draw. He was 15/24 on game 6 of the playoffs. In the regular season Gaustad matched his career best in goals with 12 for the 3rd straight year. He also had 31 points, 5 shy of his career best set in 2007-08. He was a +7 and had 3 game winning goals. He is one of Buffalo's MVP's without a question.

Good Afternoon and Thanks for the read!

Season Rerun:Jhonas Enroth

Sorry for not posting in a while. I have been away and very busy. Now we take a look at Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo's(in my opinion) rookie of the year for 2010-11.

Enroth started out slow in 2010-11. His first game of the season wasn't until November 3rd when he was charged with the loss against Boston. He started to show promise after that. In his next game, against the Maple Leafs on November 6th, Enroth recorded his fist career NHL win in a shootout. But It wasn't until February 15th at Montreal when Enroth established himself as a dominant shooutout Goaltender. In a game where Buffalo was reeling, due to Ryan Miller needing rest desperately and no-one trusting Patrick LaLime anymore, Enroth was recalled, and boy was his return one for the ages. Enroth made 32 saves in regulation and stopped 7 of Montreal's 10 attempts in the most exciting shootout that I've ever seen. Here is the video

I'm going to go off hockey for a minute here.  If anyone wants to follow the story of an American family visiting Europe for a month, check out this blog: engle-arewethereyet.blogspot.com
Two of them are  great friends of mine and it will surely give you an awesome look at European life.

Good Night and thanks for reading. I will try to get the rest of the season reruns done soon as Hockey season looms nearer and nearer. Farewell.

BuffaloMusic

Hey guys, GoodsOnSabres just checking in. I wanted to let people know that I just started up a new music based blog, BuffaloMusic. The link is here: http://buffalonymusic.blogspot.com/ . I have a new post up about the two concerts I am going to see this weekend. Check it out!

Season Rerun: Jochen Hecht/Andrej Sekera

Today we'll look at both Andrej Sekera and Jochen Hecht.

Jochen Hecht stayed consistent and had a solid 2010-11 campaign with 12-17-29 in scoring.(goals-assists-points). He was also a +4 and had 4 game winning goals. Hecht gives you a full effort every time he plays, which earns him respect in my book. The highlight of his year was probably his shootout winning goal in Montreal in the "Epic Shootout game". He is a good fixture for Buffalo.

 

Andrej Sekera had a successful year as well, collecting 3 goals, 26 assists, and 29 points. He was a +11 as well. The only thing that i don't like about Sekera is that he can be very stupid with the puck sometimes. He makes me nervous every time he touches the puck. I hope he will work on that over the summer.

Goodnight and thanks for reading! Up next: Jhonas Enroth

Jets get new logos

In the next chapter of the return of hockey to Winnipeg, a logo had to be announced. A few days ago a logo leaked onto the internet. It was on the front of a t-shirt, which had many people questioning its authenticity. Today, we learned it was a leak. True North and Entertainment announced the logo on the team's website, as well as the secondary and wordmark logos. The logos here are obviously the one's they decided on.

Since being unveiled, there has been an interesting reception from fans. Some like the classic look to it, but many seem very critical. Some say it looks like it belongs on the cap of a beer. Others say it looks too much like the air force logo, that it is unoriginal and boring. Many people really wanted them to just go back to the same logo they had when they left for the desert.

What do I think? Even though I have been so happy about almost everything that has gone on during the return to Winnipeg campaign, I'm not with them on this one. It looks very bland to me. Its another circular logo on a blue jersey, the real fad of the past few years. Let me tell you the teams that have this: Buffalo, St. Louis (Alternate), Florida (Alternate), and Columbus (Alternate). That's a lot. I understand why they wanted to go for a new look, they want to sell more merchandise. I just think they could have done something better. Even some concepts I've seen have been more interesting. There are some rumors they may have an alternate next season that looks very similar to the old uniforms. I hope they do. Even though I may not be crazy about the logos, I'll still be supporting the Jets big time. Now we just have to wait for the jersey unveiling which we probably will have to wait a while for. GO JETS GO!

Season Re-run: Drew Stafford

Now we'll take a look at the Season that saw Drew Stafford record a career year. In SNM's NHL preview, they predicted Stafford to be the Sabres lead breakout candidate, and boy did he have just that season. Stafford had a career high 31 goals, 21 assists, 52 points (also a CH) and was a +13. He also tied for the NHL lead with 4 hat-tricks, scoring all of them within 60 days of one another. He finally became the 30 goal, 50 point man that the Sabres need him to be. And if he plays like this for the rest of his career, then the Sabres are bound to succeed. It seemed if there was ever a game this year where the Sabres needed a big goal, Stafford was always the go to guy. Here are the videos of his 4 hatters.

12/15 vs Boston(I was at that game.)

1/1/11 vs Boston

2/8/11 @ Tampa Bay

And 2/13/11 vs Islanders

Stafford certainly did prove himself to be a great player this year.


Good morning and thanks for reading!
Up Next: Jochen Hecht

Season Rerun: Cody McCormick

Today we'll look over the year that was Cody McCormick first as a full time Sabre.
Cody was signed as a free agent in 2009. When the Sabres announced the move, I thought to myself "Oh, well, that's nice". I didn't really know who he was. He played all of the first year of his contract in Portland. When he was called up in the playoffs, he instantly made an impact on the team.

When it was announced that Cody was going to play as a regular on Buffalo, I praised the move. I believe that one area that Buffalo highly lacks in is toughness. And Cody adds to that perfectly. He is a hard nosed forward who instantly brings attitude, willingness to take one to give one, and great team play. Cody is one of the best team players on the Sabres, if he ever saw someone get knocked down, cheap shot, or any other conduct that isn't acceptable, he would be the first to go after that person and teach them a lesson. He also played very well for a guy who makes 650,000$ for 2 years. Cody had 8 goals, 12 assists, 20 points, and a +2, while leading the Sabres with 142 PIM. In my opinion, of Cody's many fights this year, this one Vs Mike Komisarek was undoubtedly the best. He is definitely a valued member of this team.

Good night and thanks for reading! Up next: Drew Stafford.

Season Rerun: Ryan Miller/Patrick LaLime

thanks to Jack for filling in for me on the Myers' Post. Today We'll look at Ryan Miller's 10-11 campaign. After coming off a career year in 2009-10, highlighted by an Olympic Silver Medal/MVP award and the Vezina trophy, Miller got off to a slow start this year, as did the whole team. But he stayed consistent throughout the whole year. He finished the year with a 34-22-8 record with 5 Shutouts and  .916 Save Percentage.He also notched his 200th career NHL win on December 28th against the Oilers. He was  very strong in the 2nd half of the regular season. And in my opinion, there was no better goaltender than Miller in the 1st round of the playoffs. Miller had 2 shutouts of the Flyers keen offense. His highlight of the playoffs was with no question his ROB on ex-captain Briere in game 4.

It was unfortunate that Miller couldn't have had help from Patrick LaLime, whom Lindy Ruff completely shut the door on this season. LaLime had no wins this year. But it largely wasn't his fault. I think that LaLime isn't given enough credit at all. Every person in Buffalo thinks that LaLime is terrible. He isn't terrible when he plays, it's the team in front of him that is!! Every game LaLime played in last year, it seemed as if he was playing with a bunch of cardboard cutouts for teammates. He never got any help at all. I feel bad that he had to go through all that.

Good Morning and thanks for reading! Next time we will look at Cody McCormick.

Season Re-run: Tyler Myers

I'm filling in for Matt with today's Season Re-Run. Today we focus on young Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers. This season was his sophmore season after an incredible rookie season that ended with a Calder Trophy.

This year did not start out great for the former Kelowna Rocket. His +/- was not great, and he just didn't seem to have the offensive flair that he had shown in his rookie season. But, as the season progressed, he grew up. By the end of the year he scored 10 goals, one off of his total last season. Most importantly his physical play developed. I expect him to develop into more of a shutdown defenseman in the next few years. The video below is from the Flyers series, where Myers hit then Flyer now Panther Chris Versteeg



One of the highlights of the season for Myers came against Versteeg's current team, the Florida Panthers. Myers ripped a shot from the point with only 4.5 seconds left in overtime to pull of the victory for the Sabres.

Free Agent and Trade Extravaganza.

Sorry that I haven't posted in like 2 weeks, I've been away. But the Season reruns will have to be on hold for the time being in order to address all these moves the Sabres have made. We'll start by their first move. A block-buster trade that saw the Promising Paul Byron and Chris Butler get shipped off to Calgary, and an all star defense-man and an old friend came in return. Buffalo received Robyn Regehr and Ales Kotalik in return. When Buffalo traded Kotalik to Edmonton 2 years ago, I always had a feeling that he would come back someday. Well, that prophesy came true. Regehr is a great addition. He is a strong, physical, defensive defense-man. This gives Buffalo a tank on their Blue line. The only problem i have with the move is I think that Paul Byron showed promise for the future. Butler on the other hand...He was good, but he'll do better in Calgary. Calgary is my 2nd Favorite NHL team, so seeing Butler and Byron there will be nice.

Buffalo wasn't done with their Blue line bolstering yet, however. Less than a week after trading for Regehr, Buffalo put another tank right next to him named Christian Ehrhoff. Adding Ehrhoff is an awesome move in my opinion. It gives Buffalo another defense-man that can be physical, has a hard slap shot from the point, and can skate well. Ehrhoff helped Vancouver get to the Stanley cup this year(not going to get into that.) Christian collected 50 points last year, including 36 assists. Ehrhoff has played with Jochen Hecht on team Germany, which gives the team a new chemistry.

Even after all this,Buffalo still had one last move up their sleeve. The Sabres signed Philadelphia Forward Ville Leino. It is ironic how Buffalo has added 2 players that helped their team to one of the last 2 Stanley Cups. Both lost unfortunately but it still gives you great veteran experience. Leino was a key part to the Flyers reaching the Stanley Cup in 2010. His 21 points in 19 games in the 2010 playoffs were a key reason the Flyers pulled an '04 Red Sox, and reached the Cup. He is a hard nosed forward who can DRIVE TO THE NET!! I think many Buffalo players need to take a class on how to do that! His toughness and hard nose attitude will most certainly bolster the Sabres forward lines next year.

That's all for now, but with July just beginning, I think Buffalo has a lot more in store. Be sure to keep up with the Free agent tracking. Good Morning and thanks for the read!

Season Rerun: Nathan Gerbe

Today we'll review Nathan Gerbe's 2010-11:

The season started off slow for Gerbe. He didn't begin very well at all. He didn't score his first goal until his 21st game of the year. But the little guy awoke after that. Gerbe is only 5'5, but he is one of Buffalo's most hard nosed players. He is willing to bump people off the puck, he will go into the corners to win battles, and most importantly, HE SHOOTS THE PUCK! Tyler Ennis was a great rookie, but his one tragic flaw is that he spends too much time dicking around with the puck, which cause turn overs at the most inopportune times.

  Gerbe had a total of 16 goals on the year, almost all of them were in the 2nd half of year. He had 15 assists, 31 points, and was a +11. And the Sabres benefited from his strong play. The Sabres lost only 1 game when Gerbe scored a goal. When he scored, they had 10 wins, and 2 OT/SO losses. How good was Gerbe this year? Good enough to break the Sabres record of the fastest 2 goals by the same player. 5 SECONDS APART!! He missed the NHL record by a second.

Gerbe may be short, but If I had to trust anyone with the Future of the Sabres, it would undoubtedly be him. My cousin made a joke that if the Lindy Ruff wanted to show most of the Sabres how to play smart hockey, he would sit them down with popcorn and watch Gerbe and Thomas Vanek play. Gerbe is a very smart player,and  the his teammates can learn from him.
Good Morning and thanks for reading!
Up Next: Tyler Myers.

Hockey Returns to Winnipeg

Today it became official that hockey would be returned to Winnipeg, as the board of governors passed the relocation from Atlanta. This was the last hurtle that needed to be passed before they officially left Atlanta. They still however, do not have a name. Some have said that it may be unvieled at the draft this firday night, that can be watched live on Vs. if anyone is interested. They pick 8th.

If you've followed my videos, you know how I feel about the return of hockey to Winnipeg. I am completly for it. I've always wanted the Jets to return because I believe the people of Winnipeg loved hockey enough to support the team in their new arena. Atlanta was only filling about half of Phillips Arena in their twelve years there. It took Winnipeg only 15 minutes to reach their 13,000 season ticket mark. There was a waiting list of 800. The arena fits 15,000, so they could sell out every game this season. And these season tickets aren't only for this year. They need to commit for 5 whole seasons of season tickets. That's alot of cash.

As for the name, i think it needs to be the Jets. It is just so fitting, having it be a different name just wouldn't feel right. The Manitoba Moose has been considered, but I think that's too minor league. Another name is often brought up, the Falcons. Then it comes down to whether they should be Winnipeg or Manitoba. I am for Winnipeg, it just has a better ring to it.

Check TSN for the latest details about the Winnipeg (Insert Name Here). They launched their official website today, which you can visit at http://winnipeg.nhl.com/

Free Agent Profile: Thomas Vokoun

Season Rerun:Derek Roy

Today we look over Derek Roy's 2010-11 Campaign.
Roy started out his season with a bang. Roy had 3 goals in the 1st 2 games(which led the league at one point). Roy was on track to probably what would've been his best year ever. On December 23rd, Roy played in his 35th game. And by that point, he was scoring at point-per-game speed. He had a point for every game he was in. But then, bad things happened.

In the game that night against Florida, Roy was carrying the puck down the ice. He was driven into the boards by Florida's Dmitri Kulikov. Roy left the game with an "undisclosed lower body injury." It turned out being a torn quad. That ended Roy's year. In 35 games, Roy had 10 goals, and 25 assists. You can do the math. After Roy got hurt, the Sabres play surged and they became one of the year's top Second-Half teams. This led many people to think that Roy was the reason that the Sabres were playing so bad. Hearing that aggravated me. Derek Roy was not the reason Buffalo was playing bad. With Roy scoring so much, everybody else on the Sabres sat back and cruised along, thinking that they don't need to score since Roy was. After Roy was hurt, the Sabres played better because the players on the team that should be scoring regularly finally stepped up and started pulling their own weight (Ex. Drew Stafford, Jason Pominville, Tyler Myers). Then, when Buffalo learned that Roy would return for game 7, all those fans who were trash talking him welcomed him back with open arms. It was unfortunate that Roy's game 7 return couldn't help the team.

In all I think Roy is a great part of the Sabres. I want fans to learn that.
Good night and thanks for reading!!


 Up next:Nathan Gerbe

NHL Draft: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

Today we start off the NHL Draft buzz by covering the top name in this year's draft, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. This year there is no Taylor vs. Tyler debate, and really as a whole the draft is thought of as being very weak this year. Nugent-Hopkins is the top ranked skater and most likely to be drafted first overall by the Edmonton Oilers.

Nugent-Hopkins is a Center for the Red Deer Rebels. He stands 6'2'' 153 lbs., so he's not a big kid at all. His first year of WHL hockey he played 67 games scoring 24goals and 41 assists. He won WHL rookie of the year honors.

Last year his totals went way up, netting 31 goals and 75 assists. He is expected to make the jump to the NHL right away, maybe playing for Edmonton with top wingers Jordan Eberle and as previously mentioned, Taylor Hall. He's said to have great vision and really understands the game of hockey. Don't expect him to fall anywhere near where the Sabres are picking, but remember this name. He could be big someday.

Season Rerun: Thomas Vanek.

Time to recap the Sabres season, player by player. We'll start with the unquestioned MVP for 2010-11, Thomas Vanek. Vanek had a spectacular year for the Sabres, leading the team in the "Big 3" offensive categories. Vanek finished the season with 32 Goals, 41 Assists, and 73 points. He puts those numbers up every year, there is no way the Sabres loose.  The best of those 32 goals was with out a doubt his "Highlight reeler"  back in November against Washington. The goal is on the Highlights of the year post.  Good morning and thanks for reading!
Sabre Up Next: Derek Roy.

Free Agent Profile: Kevin Bieksa

Today we look at another upcoming free agent, Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kevin Bieksa. More info in the video! Expect an article from me very soon.

Stanley Cup game 7 and Sabres in Europe.

First off, I apologize for neither of us posting in a while. But now that school and exams are over, we're back.  Game 7 between the Bruins and Canucks is tonight at 8 PM ET. I want Vancouver to win. In order for this to happen, Roberto Luongo is going to have to be spectacular. I turned on Game 6 right as it began. After Boston scored 2 in the first 5 minutes, I turned it off. He has a chance to become a hero in his home arena again tonight. He already helped Canada win the Gold medal in the Olympics last year(not that I liked that) and can win the only other thing as sweet as an Olympic Gold medal, The Stanley Cup. Another Crucial factor for Vancouver to win, The Sedin Brothers and Ryan Kessler are going to have to show up big time. None of them have done a thing in the Finals. Vancouver has been carried  by their small guys in Maxim Lappierre, Alexandre Burrows,and  Alex Edler. But if they want to win the Cup, Daniel and Henrik and Ryan are going to have to be more than ordinary. Be sure to watch tonight at 8 PM ET!

Moving on. I'm sure everyone knows by know that the Sabres are going to open the 2011-12 season in Europe. I think that's awesome for them. It's about time the NHL starts giving them the attention they deserve. I think that if Buffalo does well in the Premiere Games, it could help teach the NHL that Buffalo is a better team than they get credit for.  The Sabres will open 2011-12 on Friday October 7th in Helsinki Finland against the Anaheim Ducks.  Then on Saturday the 8th, they play Los Angeles in Berlin. The Premier games surely will be exciting.  Thanks for Reading. Again, be sure to watch Game 7 tonight at 8 PM ET!

Sabres 2010-11 Highlights of the Year.

These are in My opinion the Sabres highlights of the year.
Goal of the Year:

Without question Thomas Vanek's OT winner against Washington on November 13th. The goal gave the Sabres their first home win and Put Thomas Vanek in  Consideration for The NHL 2010-11 Goal of the year.

Passing Play of the Year:

 

 Tim Connolly, Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford's passing play that lead to Stafford's 2nd of 3 in the game on February 13th vs the Isles. The Play occured on Stafford's  2nd goal.

Save of the Year:

 

 Jhonas Enroth's helmet-less pad save against Carolina on April 3rd. Enroth's mask came off but that didn't stop him from robbing Jussi Jokinen.

 Hit of the year:

Steve Montador's bone-crusher on Jeff Skinner against the Hurricanes on January 13th. (A game I was at.)

A View from Portland

The Sabres' season may be done, but their AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, are still alive. They lost game one of their second round series to the Binghamton Senators, the Ottawa Senators' affiliate. They're a team full of young talent, with a lot of potential. In today's article, I will discuss some of the players that played most of the season down there, as some of the players played some time up here as well.

We start off with Luke Adam, the 20 year old Canadian Center.Adam tied for the most points (62) and goals (29) in the entire league, as well as won the award for AHL rookie of the year. It is actually the third year in a row where a Portland Pirate won AHL rookie of the year. It was won last year by Tyler Ennis and the year before by Nathan Gerbe. Adam is 6'2'' 215 lbs, so he's a big guy. I think his biggest problem that he has to face before making it as an NHL regular is using his size. In his time up here there were points where it looked to me like he was adjusted to his body yet, he was still trying to work things out. Although he was a tad inconsistent for the Sabres, he was far from it for the Pirates. He actually had an 11 game point streak at one point this season. Adam will be on the Sabres soon, don't worry.

Next we look at a guy whom most Sabres fans have come to know recently. Marc-Andre Gragnani, the young offensive minded defensemen from Montreal. Gragnani finished the year as the AHL leader in points (60) and assists (48) for a defensemen. He, like Adam, was rewarded for his efforts. Gragnani was named the AHL defensemen of the year, the Eddie Shore Award. Although the list of players who have one this award aren't the most exceptional, the most notable recent names are Johnny Boychuck of the Bruins and Andy Delmore of Edmonton, its expected when some veterans are in the league. What many people forget is that Gragnani is not that young, he's actually 24 now. He's gotten alot of experience in the AHL in the four seasons that he has played, and don't be suprised if he is on the team at the beginning of the season next year.

The third name is one that has been mentioned for years when you talk about the Sabres prospects. Mark Mancari has now played 6 AHL seasons for the Sabres farm teams, starting with Rochester and now with Portland. He led the Pirates in points this season, with 32 goals and 32 assists. Those 32 goals placed him fourth in the league in goal scoring. Mancari has gotten his greatest opportunity to make it in the NHL this season, and hasn't really impressed. Mancari is a free agent this off-season, just like he was last year. Even though he is one of their top AHL players, I don't think its a certainty that he will be back next season. The Sabres may be ready to move on with some of these new young prospects.

Paul Byron was a player who impressed in a short stint in Buffalo, scoring his first goal in his first NHL game. This season was Byron's second AHL season, finishing with 26 goals and 27 assists. Those 53 points where 20 points more than he had recorded the season before. He's another player in a long line of short speedy players that has been drafted by the Sabres. I don't expect him to be on the team at the start of next season, but expect him to be up here in the near future.

The final player in today's review of the Pirates is a guy I've had my eye on since he started in the CHL. T.J. Brennan was the second highest scoring defenseman for the Pirates in his second AHL season. Brennan excells on the powerplay, and may be the future anchor of the Sabres'. The former first round pick, Brennan excelled in the QMJHL, now has moved on the the AHL. How much longer until he brings his game to the NHL?

Once again, thanks for checking out today's article and the blog. There will be at least one new video on the Youtube channel this weekend. Either I'll do one tomorrow for the draft tonight and one Sunday for the Bandits or I will just combine them together into one big video on Sunday. Remember to subscribe and follow me on Twitter.

4/26/2011-Game 7 Flyers-5 Sabres-2 Final

All great things have to come an end at some point. This was the case for the Sabres, whose 40th anniversary season came to an end last night. But I am damn proud of my favorite team, and all the other Sabres "fans" should be too. Back in October the Sabres looked like this was going to be their worst season ever. They were a woeful 3 and 9 in October. The improved buit by bit as 2010 came to a close, but they were still one of the leauge's worst teams. After the 2nd half of the season began , the Sabres were back, adn they brought a vengence with them. Their was no better team than the Sabres in the second half of this season, don't try to tell me other wise. Buffalo roared back in the east, climbing all they way to the 7th seed and there they stayed. If the Sabres played the way they did in October for the entire season, their season would've ended about  2 weeks ago, not last night. I don't think a lot of Sabres "fans" see that. They took the 2nd best team in the East to a game 7, you should be proud of them for that! And they have better days ahead. They ran out of gas in their last game(we all knew they would at some point). thYou could tell they weren't trying anymore after Philly went up 3-0. (When Coburn scored on a slap shot from the point, Miller didn't even lift his glove.) They have an off season to do alot of stuff. And when their 2011-12 season opens this October in Europe, they will be back with a vengence, and a belief(winning).

Overtime losses, Draft buzz, Pre-Playoff excitment, and More!

To game seven we go!

With the Flyers victory, 5-4 in overtime, the series it set to have a game seven in Philadelphia Tuesday night. Its looking like we will see Derek Roy in the lineup, but no Tim Connolly. I wouldn't be suprised if it was another concussion. That's actually the first thing that I said when the hit happened: "Concussion." Not a huge loss anyways. Connolly hasn't produced in the playoffs since 2005.

Today's game was full of bad signs. Last game was too, they just got lucky that they survived. Giving up two or three goal leads, especially in the playoffs, is a terrible sign. That not only shows lack of skill, but its a mental thing too. They run the goaltender, but let Philadelphia get the mental edge back by relaxing because they have a big cushion. Even if the Sabres win game 7, they have to stop with these mental lapses, because they won't make it much furthur. Washington may have young goaltenders, but Varlomov and Neuvirth aren't going to give them these gift goals that the Flyers goaltenders keep giving them.

There's a new video up on the youtube channel, make sure to check it out. Has some Sabres, some Bills, and some Bandits. Draft is on thursday night. Anyone else excited?

Easter Sunday-Game 6 heart breaker

Game 6 was a heart breaker. Without question Buffalo should have won that game. The loss seemed to be all but detrimental to Buffalo, with game 7 in Philly and Philly riding the momentum they got from the win. But Buffalo will win game 7. I'm sure of it. I know this because the Sabres will have their own boost by the return of an old friend. Derek Roy will return for the game. And his return will boost Buffalo to the win and to the Semis.  Don't butter the Sabres yet they're not toast. Buffalo will win game 7, you can count on it.

4/22/2011 Game 5 OT Thriller.

Buffalo blew a 3-0 lead,yes. But they won in OT, and in the playoffs, that's all that matters. Tyler Ennis slammed in the rebound from Mike Weber's point shot with just under 6 minutes gone in the 1st OT to give Buffalo the win. Now they have a chance to finish off the Flyers on Easter Sunday at home. Ennis had a pair of Goals while Thomas Vanek and Marc-Andre Gragnani also scored for Buffalo, who got off to an early 3-0 lead , only to have Philly rally to tie it at 3-3.  James van Riemsdyk, Andrej Mezaros, and Former Sabre-turned cherry picker- Daniel Briere scored to even it 3-3 for Philly. Ryan Miller had some 10 bellers to keep Buffalo in the game. Gragnani leads Buffalo in playoff points with 5(1+4). Be sure to check in on Easter at 3:00 ET to see if Buffalo can pull off the Epic Upset!
3 Stars:
3-Marc-Andre Gragnani
2-Thomas Vanek
1-Tyler Ennis
Flyers-Andrej Mezaros

4/20/2011 Game 4 Goaltender Extravaganza

Buffalo won game 4, and I kept my promise of keeping my faith in them. It was a goaltender show down for the ages. I will be the first to admit I am not the biggest fan of Ryan Miller, but boy was he a phenom tonight! Miller made an astounding 32 saves for his 2nd playoff shutout of the season and 3rd of his career. Philadelphia's Brian Boucher was also outstanding in net for Philly. Jason Pominville scored the game's lone goal on a nifty passing play with Tyler Ennis. Tyler Myers contributed big time with the most physical game he's ever played. It has become apparent that there's bad blood between these teams. Tonight was no different from the others games, there was plenty of physicality. Game 5 in Philly is shaping up to be huge with the series dead locked at 2-2. Be sure to watch!
3 Stars:
3-Tyler Myers
2-Brian Boucher
1-Ryan Miller

Good night and thanks for reading!

4/18/2011 Game 3 Let down.

The title says it all. game 3 was a bummer. Buffalo couldn't score. I am not counting them out yet. If they can win game 4, I will keep my faith. If they loose, then I'll throw the towel. Don't loose faith yet. Game 4 means it all. be sure to watch.
Goodnight.

4/16/2011 Game 2 Flyers-5 Sabres-4

Referees and Philadelphia's potent offense teamed up yesterday to beat Buffalo. the Flyers scored 5 times, 3 in the 3rd, and the Refs screwed Buffalo hard enough to make someone cry. I don't know how many bogus penalties Buffalo received but I can tell you they shouldn't have gotten them. Ryan Miller got 2 minutes for pushing Mike Richards out of the crease after Richards bumped him? Come on!!! Scott Hartnell 2 hands Gerbe across the leg and Gerbe gets 4 for cross checking him back? What the hell is up with that??? Thomas Vanek, Andrej Sekera, and Cody McCormick scored for Buffalo. Claude Giroux and 4 other guys scored for Philly(I could care less).  The Sabres take the series back to Buffalo at 1-1, well at least it's better than being down 2-0. Buffalo plays game 3 tomorrow at 7:00. Be sure to stay tuned!!

Game 1 4/14/11- Sabres-1 Flyers-0

Ryan Miller must like saving his clutch performances for the biggest games. Miller's 2nd career playoff shutout and Patrick Kaleta's 2nd career NHL playoff goal were all the Sabres needed to pass the Flyers 1-0. Marc Andre Gragnani scored his 1st career NHL playoff point and Paul Gaustad also assisted on the goal. Sergei Bobrovosky was also stellar in net for the Flyers, who bombared Miller with 35 shots. Buffalo now has a 1-0 edge in the series that will continue on Saturday in Philly again at 5:00. the ghame was fast and physical for both teams. Be sure to tune in on Saturday for game 2!
3 stars
3-Patrick Kaleta
2-Sergei Bobrovsky
1-Ryan Miller

1st round Playoff Predictions: Western Conference

Here are my Western conference predictions.

1 Vancouver Canucks VS 8 Chicago Blackhawks:
Chicago won the Stanley Cup last season, but The Canucks are one great team, and Chicago won't be able to stop them this time. Vancouver in 5.

2 San Jose Sharks VS 7 LA Kings:
San Jose is always a hell of a team in the regular season, but they're never much in the playoffs, LA will prove they're capable of pulling off an epic upset. LA in 6

3 Detroit Red Wings VS 6 Phoenix Coyotes:
Detroit's days of the NHL's premiere team are numbered. They didn't have such a good regular season and Phoenix's speed and young guns will prove a big factor. Phoenix in 7.

4 Anaheim Ducks VS 5 Nashville Predators:
Corey Perry really came into his own with goal scoring this year, but even his great efforts won't be enough to stop the likes of Martin Erat, Shea Weber, and Steve Sullivan. The Predators will prove the better team. Nashville in 5.

Be sure to tune into the playoffs to see if these predictions become true or not!!

1st round Playoff Predictions: Eastern Conference.

The 1st Round of the playoffs begin Wednesday. Here are my predictions.

1 Washington Capitals VS 8 New York Rangers:
Henrik Lundqvist is the NHL's goalie of the year in my opinion, but he is really all that NY has, and he won't be able to stop Washington's high potent offense on his own. Washington in a sweep.

2 Philadelphia Flyers VS 7 Buffalo Sabres:
I am not biased because I'm a Buffalo fan. I honestly believe Buffalo has the guns to pull off an epic upset if they can stop Philly's highly talented forward lines. Buffalo in 7.

3 Boston Bruins VS 6 Montreal Candiens:
 Montreal pulled off some great upsets last year, but they won't get past the High flying Bruins, backed by Timmy Thomas. Montreal will play well, but Boston will be better. Boston in 5 games.

4 Pittsburgh Penguins VS 5 Tampa Bay Lightning:
Tampa has had a phenomenal year, being lead by Steven Stamkos and Martin St.Louis.  Pittsburgh is a good team, but let's not kid ourselves, they're nothing with out "Sid the Squid" and Malkin. Tampa in 6 Games.

Be on the look out for West predictions coming up soon!!

Derek Roy

Ever since Sabres forward Derek Roy got injured, the Sabres have been on a rampage. It might make a fan question how valuable Derek Roy really is to this team. That is today's blog question.

When Roy got hurt, he was playing the best hockey he'd ever played in the NHL. He was at a point a game, but the team as a whole was not very successful at all. At one point the Sabres were the worst team in the entire league. Since his injury, Vanek's play has risen tremendously. He finished with 32 goals, leading the team. I like many, believe this is no coincidence. When Vanek doesn't feel he needs to get the puck to anyone, he carries it in himself. This causes the play to flow much smoother. Vanek played better with a guy like Hecht as his center than a player with more skill. Even though statistically Roy appears to ve an important part of the team, he may be hurting them more than helping them. If the Sabres traded Roy, I believe in the long run it could help the Buffalo Sabres.

2010-11 A season in review.

The 2010-11 season for the Sabres started off looking as if it would be there worst season ever, at least in my eyes it did.  Buffalo in October was a lousy 3-8-1. In November they were a bit better at 6-6-1, but they were still among the NHL's worst. In December the were an even 6-6, which was better but again still bad. January was where things started to turn for the better, as they were 8-3-1. Buffalo really picked up their game and gradually played better and better, which was what game me faith that they were going to come back. In 2011 Buffalo was a remarkable 27-11-6 in the second half. Buffalo captured the 7th place title in the East , and will face the Philadelphia Flyers, who coincidentally enough was the team they beat to clinch the spot. Here were Buffalo's leaders in the Regular Season.
Points: Thomas Vanek=73
Goals:Thomas Vanek=32
Assists:Thomas Vanek=41
+/-: Steve Montador= +16
PIM: Cody McCormick=142
Game Winning Goals: Tyler Myers=5
Wins: Ryan Miller=34
Save Percentage: Ryan Miller= .916

4/9/2011 Sabres-5 Blue Jackets-4 Final

Buffalo ended their season with a bang tonight. Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford, Tyler Ennis, Paul Gaustad, and Chris Butler scored, and Brad Boyes added 3 helpers as the Sabres brought their 40th anniversary regular season to an end. And in doing so they also ended on a 4 gamer winning streak, their longest of the year. Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth split time in net. Derek Dorsett,Jared Boll,  and Kristian Huselius(2) scored for the Blue Jackets, who also brought their 2010-11 campaign to an end. Buffalo will face the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarter Finals, the schedule is to be released tomorrow. Philly will hold home arena advantage in the series, but Buffalo is assured at least 2 home games in the series. Later posts on the Playoff series, Season Recap, and Season MVP's are on the way soon!
3 stars:
3-Paul Gaustad
2-Chris Butler
1-Brad Boyes
Blue Jackets-Kristian Huselius
Good night and thank for reading. GO SABRES !

4/8/2011 Sabres-4 Flyers-3 Final OT

Every fan in HSBC Arena was on their feet after the buzzer at the end of regulation went tonight. Even the ones in the orange jerseys. Buffalo and Philly both earned a point they needed tonight, and in the final 45 secs of the 3rd, both teams stood still to let the buzzer go. That guaranteed both teams at least one point and that one point sends Buffalo back to the post-season, a place that we  thought they would never see at the beginning of the season. Jason Pominville, Nathan Gerbe(2), and Thomas Vanek scored for the Sabres, who capped off what started as a terrible season to a chance at the Stanley Cup. Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell, and Kris Versteeg scored for Philly, who lost their chance to finish 1st , which makes me feel bad for them(I like the Flyers). But they will go to the playoffs. It was nice to see even their fan satisfied with the OT. Who Buffalo will face in the postseason remains unknown for now. Gerbe scored a spin-o-rama highlight reel goal in the 3rd to tie it. Vanek scored the winner on a breakaway in OT. It was a great game all around, especially for the fans.
3 Stars:
3-Jason Pominville
2-Thomas Vanek
1-Nathan Gerbe
Flyers-Daniel Briere
Thank you Sabres!!

4/5/11 Sabres-4 Lightning-2

Timmy Connolly, Jhonas Enroth, and Thomas Vanek grounded the Lightning storm tonight. Vanek registered his 6th career hatrick,  Connolly had a goal and 2 helpers, and  Enroth got his 8th win of the season as Buffalo took down Steven Stamkos and the Lightning.  Vanek has been a Lightning killer for as long as I can remember.  Tonight was Vanek's 3rd career hatter against the Lightning. Ryan Malone and Vinny Lecavalier scored for Tampa Bay. Vanek now has 31 goals. Buffalo now has two 30 goal scorers in Vanek and Drew Stafford. Mike Weber played his part in the victory, dropping the gloves with Malone in a fight that lasted for 50 seconds. I like to see that in players, even if they get theirs handed to them, I give them credit atleast for trying. I wish more Sabres would be like that. One thing that I notice about Sabres fans and Connolly is that they're never satisfied with him. I know he's inconsistent but he is a good player. He could be a 50 goal scorer and you still wouldn't be satisfied. Be happy that Buffalo is doing good.
3 stars:
3-Jhonas Enroth
2-Tim Connolly
1-Thomas Vanek
Lightning- Ryan Malone
Goodnight and thanks for reading!1

Enroth

It's come up constantly since Enroth started playing do well. What do you do when Miller is healthy again. It was the main topic on Schopp and the Bulldog today, and will also be my topic of discussion.

Enroth has been slowly moving up the Sabres organization for years, with the,Sabres taking time to mature their young goaltender. This year he has finally gotten a chance to play in the NHL, and he has made the most of it. He's gome 7-2-2 in his 11 games in Buffalo, as opposed to Lalime's 0-5-0. He has a 2.53 GAA and a .915 save percentage. The NHL named him 3rd star of the week today. It is obvious that Enroth has earned the backup job, but is he better than Miller?

Now, there is something that many people are forgetting. Before Miller got hurt, he was playing as well as he had played all season. The Sabres are in 7th place due to playing games that he was in goal for, not Enroth. I'm not to the point where I'm ready to name Enroth the new starter yet, but I'd ride him for the time being. He's hot right now and its just working. I don't want to disrupt something that is working so well. I'm not ready to get all over Miller yet, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciative what Enroth is bringing to the table. Putting him in this position is not ridiculous at all.

4/3/11- Sabres-2 Hurricanes-1 Final OT

Buffalo's young guns came up huge tonight. Two Portland Call-ups and one young-blood played huge roles in a crucial game for the Sabres. The butler took out the trash as Chris Butler got his 1st. Jhonas Enroth played a spectacular game in net. Most importantly, Marc-Andre Gragnani scored his 1st NHL goal, and it being OT winner made it all the more special. Drew Stafford(2), Tyler Ennis, and Nathan Gerbe all picked up assists as the Sabres regained 7th place. Eric Stall scored for Carolina.Buffalo plays Tampa on tuesday.

3 Stars:
3-Chris Butler
2-Marc-Andre Gragnani
1-Jhonas Enroth
Hurricanes-Eric Stall
Goodnight and thanks for reading!

3/30/2011 Sabres-1 Rangers-0 Final

Over the last 5 games for the Sabres, 3 of them have been shutout victories. 2 came from Inconsistent Ryan Miller, and the latest coming from Rookie Phenom Jhonas Enroth.  Enroth and Rangers 'tender Henrik Lundqvist put on a goaltending show for the years. Enroth made 23 saves, while Lundqvist had 25 of his own. Timmy Connolly put the only puck past either goalie in the game, with a wire that went top shelf. It was his 12th. Call up Marc-Andre Gragani assisted for his 1st career NHL point.Thomas Vanek also assisted. Buffalo is now in 7th due to 2 less wins than NY. They now have 3 off and will face Ovie and the Caps on Saturday on the road.  be sure to tune in.
3 stars-
3-Marc-Andre Gragani
2-Timmy Connolly
1-Jhonas Enroth
Rangers-Henrik Lundqvist
Good night and thanks for reading!

3/26/11 Sabres-2 Devils-0

Ryan Miller got his second shutout in 3 games tonight as the Devils were shutout for the second consecutive game. Nathan Gerbe and Thomas Vanek scored for the Sabres. Brad Boyes, Tim Connolly, Jason Pominville, and Paul Gaustad all picked up assists as Buffalo won it's last series of  back-to-back home games.  The team played great defensively, which is good after loosing #1 D-man Jordan Leopold for the rest of the year with a hand injury. Steve Montador, returning from an injury of his own, played well in his place. Leopold had a career high in points this year (35) and goals(13). Hopefully he'll be back for the playoffs. Buffalo now has a 5 point lead on Carolina. THis is a comfortable lead but they still need to build on it. New Jersey looked as if they were sleep walking in the 1st, but they came out roaring in the 2nd.  Despite New Jersey's turning on the Turbo, they still couldn't beat Miller, who has let in 2 goals in his last 3 games.Miller will have to continue his dominant play if Buffalo wants to see the 2nd round. Buffalo will visit Toronto one last time on Tuesday at 7:00. Be sure to tune into that!
3 stars-
3-Thomas Vanek
2-Nathan Gerbe
1-Ryan Miller
Devils-Marty Brodeur.
Goodnight and thanks for reading!!!

3/25/2011 Sabres-4 Panthers-2

Buffalo again played well as a team tonight, another game that was crucial for them (but hey, every game is now). Drew Stafford scored twice, Jordan Leopold got his 13th, and Jason Pominville "upped the population by another" as the Sabres won 4-2. Sergei Samsonov and Evgeny Dadonov scored fro the Panthers, who were eliminated from Playoff contention for the who knows how many time in a row. Ryan Miller was good in net, but let in a couple softies. The Sabres played a great team game, which they will need to be doing a lot more of in the future. The game's unsung hero was Mark Mancari, who played solid physically and provided good forward play.
3 Stars:
3-Jason Pominville
2-Jordan Leopold
1-Drew Stafford
good night and thanks for reading!!

3/22/2011 Sabres-2 Canadiens-0 Final

 Okay I will be the first to admit I am not the biggest fan of Ryan Miller, especially after the 2 softies he let to allow Nashville to tie Sunday's game. But he most certainly made up for it tonight with his first shutout in almost 2 months. He made great saves against a rouse Montreal offense. Mike Weber contributed with a huge defensive game, the best I've ever seen him play, and Nathan Gerbe tallied twice to give the Sabres the win. Gerbe's last shift of the game was one for the ages. Gerbe dove to knock the puck out of Montreal possession, then he stripped P.K. Subban of the puck and fired to the empty net. It was a great shift for the 5'5 Gerbe, who is maturing into an excellent forward for the Sabres. It was a game Buffalo needed to win.
Tonight's 3 stars:
3-Mike Weber-Excellent defensive game, which helped Miller's shutout.
2-Nathan Gerbe-2 goals, including an excellent empty-netter.
1-Ryan Miller-31 save Shutout.
Montreal-Carey Price- only one GA.

Goodnight and thanks for reading!
-Sabresbyfan out.

New Video Up

There's a new video up at http://www.youtube.com/user/GoodsOnSabres#p/u about the Sabres victory over the Atlanta Thrashers last night, 8-2. Make sure to check it out!

Once again I'm impressed with Brad Boyes and what he is bringing to the table. Some may say he's just been getting lucky, but what I think it comes down to is he is staying infront of the net. Not a ton of players on this team are willing to do that. Its starting to look like a very good trade for Darcy, and its great that he's signed through next season as well.

GoodsOnSabres

3/19/2011 Sabres-8 Thrashers-2

The Sabres "thrashed" Atlanta tonight and boy did they do it in dominant fashion. Tyler Ennis, Rob Niedermayer(2), Tim Connolly, Brad Boyes, Mark Mancari, Nathan Gerbe, and Jason Pominville all scored for Buffalo, who honored former Hart trophy Winner Dominik Hasek in a pre-game ceremony. A total of 14 different Sabres were on the score sheet tonight. Ryan Miller had a stellar game in net as the Sabres bought themselves some insurance against Carolina in the playoff hunt.Former Sabres prospect Chris Thorburn and Alexander Burmistrov scored for the Thrashers who fell 6 behind Buffalo. Buffalo will be in action tomorrow evening against a rare foe in the Nashville Predators. Be sure to stay tuned for that!
3 Stars:
3-Tim Connolly-1 goal and 1 assist.
2-Tyler Myers-3 assists
1-Rob Niedermayer-2 goals.
Thrashers-Chris Thorburn-1 goal
Goodnight and thanks for reading the Inaugural post of Ultimate Sabres!
M