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!