swordplay

I'll Be Dressed for This Funeral

After listening to the WGR post game show for an hour last night, I surprisingly heard the same thing over and over... the attack on Darcy Regier for signing Robyn Regehr, Cristian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino. What? Are these people high? Do they actually think that the root of all evil comes down to these three off-season acquisitions?

First off, don't even try to argue that you're missing Chris Butler and Paul Byron right now. If you seriously would rather have them still lingering around instead of getting a high-quality blue liner like Regehr, then my only advice to you is that you should probably consider laying off the pipe for a few days. Oh yeah, the Sabres got a 2nd round pick out of the deal too.

Next, you need to realize that Ehrhoff is one of the premiere defensemen in the NHL, but don't think that this guy is just going to come in and set the world ablaze right away. Why? Don't you understand that the numbers he put up over the last two years may have resulted from him being on an elite team like Vancouver? He's used to quarterbacking a system that allowed him to play an extremely free-skating, offensive game, and with a lineup filled with superstar firepower that could make up a goal or two in the outside chance that he cost them one. So until Buffalo adopts a new style of play (and some more talent), don't expect him to be putting up 50 points again anytime soon. By the way, Ehrhoff only eclipsed 40 points once as a six-year member of the San Jose Sharks.

Finally, Ville Leino. I don't have an argument for this one. I really don't know where to start. I remember talking with my brother for at least two months before the start of free agency about how much it would kick ass if Buffalo could just get Leino. Knowing he wasn't the key piece to the puzzle, just figuring he would make a significant impact. After 6 points in 24 games, I'm turning into a doubter. This guy makes $54,878.05 per game. Which means if he keeps up with this current pace, he will make a total of $3.1 million in the games where he's not a factor on the score sheet. Sorry, but all we can do on this one is cross our fingers.

I was shocked to only hear Ruff's name mentioned once or twice throughout the entire broadcast. I don't want to sound like a broken record but it's all I can focus on anymore. He is the problem, plain and simple. The team is still taking shifts (or periods) off, and is still refusing to play up to the physical level that is crucial when it comes to winning more often than not.

And I'm really starting to get sick of the post game interviews. Every game it's the same thing: [pouty face] "I think we got some good opportunities"; "I think we moved the puck pretty well"; "We missed some good opportunities." You know what? I think you should be relieved of your duties.

Unfortunately, the host of this transmission later revealed that he refused to believe Ruff is in any danger of losing his job. Considering he does this for a living and gets paid to follow the Sabres' every move, he probably has a pretty good idea of how things will go down in the end. But on the off-chance he's wrong, I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Ruff will be laid to rest no later than Monday, December 12th.

Once again, fingers crossed.

I Should Have Known!

First, let me apologize in advance. I am typing this with my thumbs on my iPhone, so please excuse the typos that are sure to follow and the brevity that is inevitable when one's thumbs are about to fall off. But, I just couldn't ignore my thoughts when I read this article from PuckDadddy: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Ryan-Miller-isn-8217-t-sure-Milan-Lucic-concuss?urn=nhl-wp18468. (Sorry... Apparently mobile posts don't allow you to hyperlink URLs to text within the post so you're stuck with the full URL.)

[Editor's note: Here's the link.]

In case the link doesn't work, the gist of the story is that Ryan Miller is now saying that he isn't sure he actually had a concussion and PuckDaddy speculates that perhaps it was all a ploy to get the league to enact a suspension against Lucic since the league takes injury into account when making such decisions. (I think I paraphrased that well enough.)

Anywho... Back to my original thought which is that I should have known!!! I should have known it was a ruse as soon as the team announced that Miller had a concussion. I mean, when was the last time this organization identified an exact injury? Seriously, think about it. It's always "upper body" this and "lower body" that, but Darcy was very quick to specifically state that Ryan Miller sustained a concussion as a result of the Lucic hit. Interestingly enough, it just happened to coincide with Ryan Miller's gigantic slump, so it's not like the Sabres were going out on a limb by giving up his services for a couple of weeks to ride a hot Jhonas Enroth. Still, I'd like to think that this team is above playing dirty pool to try and exact revenge when its players failed to do so on the ice. But it does beg the question, doesn't it?

I'd like to say more but I have to go ice my thumbs. Read the PuckDaddy article and discuss amongst yourselves.

'Tis the Season to Be Firing

It bums me out that when I wrote my most recent post about the Capitals game, I left out that I was totally thinking in the back of my mind that there couldn't be any possible way Bruce Boudreau was going to survive another week or two as the Washington bench manager. It kinda feels like when you make that once in a lifetime golf shot... alone. Not that his firing is the biggest surprise in the world (that would obviously be saved for the Sabres coaching position), it's just plain sweet to predict anything before it happens.

News also broke that the Carolina Hurricanes have shown Paul Maurice the door, which you could argue to be an even more obvious departure than Boudreau's. He's been marginal at best throughout his entire career and, realistically, the only time the Canes ever reached any kind of success was without him. Again, I do not consider reaching the Stanley Cup Finals and losing a success.

What this all proves? It's officially not too soon to start firing coaches.

To put it plainly, you've got to see what happens to a coach in another city when his team plays below their potential. Trust me, I don't watch any Caps games other than when they play the Sabres, so I don't know how often they actually look like they did on Saturday, but it's clear that the Washington Capitals organization felt that Boudreau had lost his team and they acted accordingly. I'm actually a little surprised that they waited this long; I personally would've canned him two years ago, but I guess I'm a little more radical and impatient than the average guy.

Seriously though, I'm not just out for blood all the time and I understand that firing everyone willy-nilly isn't always the best way to run an operation. The Caps let Bruce do his thing for four whole years and he failed. With the talent that this team has currently or has had over the past four seasons, they should have at least finished higher than they did on a couple of those occasions. And this season they finally get the piece they needed most -- a goaltender -- and the team just seems to quit altogether.

But this isn't about the Caps. The point in the end is that the Sabres have given Ruff more opportunities to succeed than he would find in any other hockey town in either the United States or Canada, thirteen years' worth. The most SUCCESSFUL coaches don't even keep their job for thirteen years. Scotty Bowman won five Stanley Cups in eight years with Montreal before having a "falling out" with management. So if not bringing home a championship at least once in a thirteen year span isn't considered a failure, I don't know what it's gonna take in the end to get some fresh blood in the locker room.

Capital Punishment

Over the past few years, the Washington Capitals have had the luxury of using the Sabres as their personal whipping boys. I'm not going to do any serious research on the exact numbers, I just know that the scale has been tilted severely in the wrong direction.

The Sabres and Caps play each other four times a year, and if my memory serves me right, I don't think Buffalo ever wins more than once a year. So, the one in four odds look even more devastating to a team that has just lost eight important players (I'm not counting Miller, I just don't think he's relevant anymore). I gave them more of a one in sixteen chance last night, which is actually very generous considering their recent misfortunes.

I can't say that I really hate the Caps though (I'm not real big on hating teams for the sole fact that you can never beat them). I guess that's what living in Pittsburgh for ten years does to you. If you want to know what it's like to hate a team, live there. Not to go totally off course here, but I have never been around a more undeserving group of fans than I was while living there. There isn't any more of a Sabres/Penguins rivalry than there is a Sabres/Caps rivalry -- Buffalo's had a couple important games or series against both -- but just seeing how fair-weathered those people became when they got Crosby and started winning was disgusting to me. For Christ's sake, I'm pretty sure they've been bankrupt more times than the Sabres, but at least Buffalo's bankruptcy came as result of a felony, not as result of hockey boredom. I guess it's kinda like how Washington became when they got Ovechkin. Can't say that for sure though having never lived in or around the District.

There have been certain moments when I have not liked the Caps, like when Briere was boarded by Ovi into the open bench door, or when Olie the Goalie got hot for a week and ruined the Sabres' entire year. It's just that those few and far between moments never transcended into hatred. I guess when you find yourself cheering for them to beat the Pens every year in the playoffs you tend to let some of those things slide.

But let's get back to yesterday. To be completely honest, I wasn't even going to pay attention to the game last night. I had already been physically feeling like crap since Friday morning, and follow that up with the Colombus game later that night, why give a damn about something that would seemingly amplify the pain? The reason I watched at all was to see Kassian play. I would type the other guy's name too, but I don't feel like looking up how to spell it. Also, I never realized that Kassian's name was pronounced "Cash In"; hopefully that's some awesome foreshadowing toward what kind of player he'll be one day (or maybe just is already). It would save R.J. a lot of time and effort giving him his own little tag line too. Either way, good job netting your first goal, hope to see many more of those.

The thing that made me the most happy though was watching the Capitals steal a page out of the Sabres playbook and taking the majority of the night off, obviously resulting in their eventual demise. There seriously wasn't one moment of nervousness for the entire 60 minutes. The Caps definitely lost this one more than the Sabres won it, but what the hell, it's still fun to watch a game like that once in a while. The funniest thing was that you knew the Washington bench totally heard Rob Ray criticize their focus about ten times throughout the game, and they obviously didn't care. Priceless.

If the Capitals would've come out playing with a little more intensity, the game could have ended up much differently than it actually did. Judging by the Buffalo effort alone though, I still think the Sabres win that game by a goal or two. So I have every reason to believe that if Vanek, Pommer and the rest of the Rochester Americans work this hard every night, this rough, injury-filled time of the season could go unnoticed by the time everyone is healthy. In reality, it should set the bar even higher for the others when they return. I don't know, it's just one game, but it would be nice if that actually ended up being the situation in the end.

Battle of Attrition vs. Caps

Injuries have a way of bringing a team closer together. Players are forced to dig deeper, stick together, and gut it out if they expect to win.

Of course, then they can just get plain out of control. It seems we're getting to that point with this Sabres team as nine regulars will be out of the lineup tonight. We already know Regehr was hurt last night, and now an unnamed forward has been ruled out -- good money is on Vanek or Pominville, per Mike Harrington at the Buffalo News:

So the injury rundown is this: Ryan Miller (concussion), Tyler Ennis (ankle), Tyler Myers (wrist), Cody McCormick (upper body, believed to be concussion), Brad Boyes (lower body, believed to be ankle), Mike Weber (upper body), Patrick Kaleta (lower body, believed to be groin), Regehr (upper body) and Mr. X No. 9.

Ooph.

Hey, I'm the first to admit injuries can actually be a good thing, but you can only expect to compete for so long against healthy teams while your players continue to drop. Remember two years ago how injuries reduced to mere mortals a Bruins team that was otherwise every bit as mighty as this year's squad.

The Sabres won't admit this to the media, but the truth of the matter now is that they're quickly getting to the point where their sheer lack of NHL talent is going to start costing them games.

If Vanek's the one who's out, I'm not sure how realistic a win can be against the Caps tonight given the way he and Pominville have been carrying the team. But if they can't muster any more effort than they did against the Blue Jackets last night, they really ought to just sit this one out and try to go at least one game without losing anyone for a change.

You Don't Play Games on Paper

I'd be tempted to think I'm actually a psychic if the Sabres weren't so easy to read. As I suspected, Buffalo was flat-out absent last night against Columbus. The only problem was, no one bothered to tell the Blue Jackets they were supposed to take the night off too.

The Sabres, coming off an impressive showing against the Bruins two nights prior, apparently figured they'd already put in their work for the week. For all you guys out there wondering why Sabres fans seem to be growing increasingly impatient with a team that can undoubtedly skate with anyone in the league, last night's no-show was as good a reason as any.

I had to watch the game on about an hour delay because Christmas trees apparently can't set themselves up yet -- Hello? 2011! Can somebody figure this out already? -- so a live blog was out of the question. But I did jot down some notes as the game went along. In no particular order:

- Kevin Sylvester is not a good play by play man. I consider myself a fairly nice person, so I won't say anything more. I know he's got some impossible shoes to fill, but still.

- Lindy Ruff seriously does not know when to pull a goalie. He demonstrated this in Philly when he waited one goal too long to pull Miller. Enroth was the only reason it wasn't 5-0 after the first period, but once Buffalo went down 3-0 last night in the second, that was the right time for a wake-up call. This would have given the Sabres a sporting chance to win a game that was clearly all Columbus up to that point, but it was all over once Enroth let a little squibber go between his legs to make it 4-0.

But that's basically all you could fault Ruff for last night. Even though I often wish you could pull a coach, he can't skate for his team, and it was clear the Sabres figured they could just show up and that would be sufficient to beat the last place team in the league. Even though I literally can't remember the last time they won in Columbus.

- In yesterday's post I naively let my optimistic side show when I commented that we might actually see some jump out of Buffalo because they have quite a few kids up now for the injured regulars. But then during the game I said to myself, "Apparently there's not enough injuries yet."

You're welcome. I take full responsibility for jinxing Robyn Regehr, who left the game at some point during the second period. Just for the record, though, the Buffalo Sabres are honestly the only team in the NHL that can lose players without anything noticeable happening. I was pretty bourboned up by the third period, but I couldn't see anything happen to Regehr that would've caused him to leave the game.

- Yes, the injuries are starting to pile up for Buffalo, but there's not a team in the league that wouldn't make room overnight to add Vanek, Pominville, Leino, Stafford, Ehrhoff, or Leopold. They're all still healthy (yes, I know I just jinxed someone else tonight). Great teams really only need an effective system, two great forwards, two great defensemen, and a great goalie (or a good goalie who's playing great). Everyone else essentially is filler, and as long as everyone plays with tenacity a Cup is within reach. On paper Buffalo was still a better team last night; Columbus won because they wanted it more. Much more, as it turned out.

- Gerbe was invisible.

- I think T.J. Brennan could be fo' real.

- I've essentially given up hope that Leino will ever hit someone. Thankfully all his points earn him a pass.

- No intensity, no desperation, no finishing checks.

- So, Sabre dudes ... after six hours working in the yard yesterday, could you really do no better than to give me a game that was over in the first period? I mean, yeah yeah .. I obviously expected and predicted your fate, but do I have to be right all the friggin' time? All I wanted to do was lie on the couch with my drinks and watch some good hockey, and it turns out your performance was even more painful than my aching ass body.

What's with people's fascination with trees? They're like cats that continually shit all over your carpet.

Tryptophan Bowl 2011

So it turns out I'm not that bad at predictions after all, eh? While I was only off by a goal in predicting the Sabres loss, it was hardly because they were outmuscled or outworked by the Bruins. Injuries and a little fatigue seemed to get the better of them in the end, but if the guys put in 60 minutes of work every night, things will be looking up.

That said, I'm not exactly expecting a high intensity game tonight against Columbus. If either team does anything more than go through the motions the night after Thanksgiving, I'll be entirely impressed. In fact tonight might not be a bad time to get Drew MacIntyre his first start as a Sabre.

Why's that, you ask? I went to the Sabres-Caps game two years ago the day after Christmas and I wanted to shoot myself as both teams sloughed around like they got points for not giving a shit. The highlight of the game was wondering if my wife would ever find her purse after dropping it through the seats to the ground 20 feet below.

As far as tonight goes, maybe I'll be wrong and the Sabres will play with some jump considering they've got their fair share of minor leaguers in the lineup looking to prove they belong. One of them will be Zack Kassian, who makes his NHL debut in the wake of the Brad Boyes injury.

As Erik noted yesterday, the Boyes injury probably hurts most of all because you can't trade a guy with a bum wheel, and 4 mil a year's a big price tag for a power play specialist who rarely scores and spends his time bouncing around between the third and fourth lines.

In years past I'd be stressing all these injuries, but the Sabres tend to pull it together when they're down a few regulars. November's a great month to see what you've got down on the farm, and Sabres fans have likely noticed there's often a direct relationship between injuries and intensity during the games. 

So there might be some hope for a post-Thanksgiving game yet.

Boyes Night Out

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

It was nice to see (well, hear... I stone-aged it and listened to the radio feed) the Sabres actually come out of the gate swinging for once. They've lost about twenty starters over the past eight days and now need to rely heavily on minor-league talent, yet they still seem to be able to stand up to a defending champion that has finally found themselves. The Bruins are no joke, the hangover is in the past now. They've won their last ten games after a slow start, but you saw what a little bit of hard work and determination did to the defending champs. Even the bruised and battered Sabres almost beat them. All you have to do is want it.

It makes you wonder what kind of team this would be if only they would do this on a nightly basis. They may not find themselves in the infirmary as often either... just sayin'. If you're effort and awareness is pointed in the right direction, you're able to protect yourself better against someone trying to take your head off in the corners or neutral zone.

Overall, I was impressed last night. Goose finally regained some of the manhood that he lost the last time these two teams met. It wasn't the best scrap I've ever seen, but like a crappy Christmas present, it was the thought that counted (I would also like to quickly thank Zdeno Chara for taking it easy on Regehr. God knows we can't lose another blue liner). Then there was Nathan Gerbe acting like a gnat that flies around your kitchen and drives you insane because you can never find a way to kill it. And once again Jhonas Enroth looked like he's quite comfortable (and capable) as the starting goaltender. Even though he was beaten three times in regulation, he still boasted a better SV% last night than the reigning Vezina trophy holder. And when Chara cannoned a 50-footer in which Enroth had no chance on, the fact that he waited until the shot was actually past him to drop to his knees excited me a little bit. For the most part, this team played the entire game, not just a period or two, the whole damn thing. So for that I applaud them, they better realize that they need to keep it up. And while I'm at it I might as well say congratulations to T.J. Brennan on his first NHL goal. Good job buddy. Shave the porn stache.

On a low note, it appeared that Brad Boyes sustained an injury with some significance. At the best it looked like a high ankle sprain, at it's worst it could be a torn up knee. So you're looking at a month and a half minimum. Not that I'm upset about his presence being lost on the ice (.38 points per game, BOOOOO!!!), I'm afraid that his trade value will plummet farther than it likely already has.

Hopefully they can keep up the good play though. They gave a rather valiant effort last night, and even in the wake of this loss I can still see some promise around the corner. Sure, you'd rather have an overtime or shootout loss on the road, but under the current circumstances I consider the 1 point a win.

We're also going to get a good look-see at some (possibly a lot) of the young talent that's been developing over the past few years. And these young guys have something to prove, so expect them to set a fire under the rest of the boys' asses. Maybe even Hecht will show up and play some good hockey. Hell, the last time he did was in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hurricanes... everyone was hurt then too.

Sabre Dance or Boston Massacre?

Well that sucks. So much for my plan to write an elaborate and pensive blog post prior to tonight's matchup. Time kind of gets away from you when you have to put in a day at work, go grocery shopping, and feed the kids I guess.

Anyway, I planned to delve a little deeper into why the Sabres failed to atone for Miller's molestation a week and a half ago, weigh in on the perceived bitterness that seems to be growing amongst the Sabres faithful, and lay some predictions on whether Buffalo will summon the will to take it to Boston, or whether the Bruins will have their way with us again.

Well, that gotsta wait I suppose. We're about five minutes from puck drop for the most anticipated game of the year so far.

Quick predictions? Sure, why not?

Drew MacIntyre will get the start. Just kidding. (Hey, I have to get one right.) Goose will lay it down, maybe against Lucic, maybe not. Enroth will bounce back strongly after Saturday's loss and the Sabres will put a couple past Thomas, but the Bs' physicality will still be too much for Buffalo to handle. Bruins 4-2.

UPDATE:

You know what? F it, let's rock a live blog:

19:06: Sabres starting with some good jump. Hecht just misses a tap in on his return. Nothing new there, eh?

18:37: Good job, Goose! Didn't take long. Goose-Lucic. Not much for retribution as Goose gets worked pretty easily, but you gotta give him credit. Hopefully they can play on the same line (in Buffalo) next year.

14:08: How did Stafford not stick that one in? Nice cut to the net.

12:56: Brennan's wearing #33 and has a porn stache. W.T.F. It's not even the playoffs! (We know because the Sabres are playing! Ok, low blow.)

10:45: Mr. Vanek.. in close, shoot high!

(9:40: Sorry, I realize it's a little absurd for me to tell Vanek how to shoot.)

8:32: That's what I'm talking about! Gaustad comes to Gerbe's rescue after Marchand takes a run at him. Boston's little bitches jump all over him with cross-checks after a good hit. Now Regehr's going with Chara. Thank christ Chara was nice during that one.

I get the feeling Gerbe's gonna fuck someone up tonight. Yeah baby. Maybe break Marchand's beak for good measure?

8:04: Ehrhoff scores on a sweet blast from the point! Sabres up 1-0.

(How messed up is it that nobody's reading my live blog? Just sayin'..)

I think you could expect (or at least hope) that Buffalo would come out with more jump in the first period, but if they can keep up this tenacity and pace, they'll win the game. Big "if" of course.

5:24: What a move by Stafford going in one-on-one on Thomas. Did the ol' Tim Connolly toe drag through the legs/around the stick. Oh who the hell knows. I'll need to see the replay, but he drew a penalty. (No, I will not succumb to the pun right there.)

4:47: (Note to Sabres: This would be a really shitty time for a shortie.)

4:38: Thank you for listening. Vanek rips his 12th of the year past Thomas. Sabres 2-0.

3:47: Goddammit! Boyes gets his knee rolled into by Seidenberg. Looks like an MCL. Only us.

Let me just get this out of the way for RJ: Brad Boyes has suffered a lower body injury and will not return. For two months. (That last part was my poetic license.)

End of the 1st: If Buffalo can keep up the intensity of the last 20 minutes, they'll be in good shape. This, of course, has been the Sabres' biggest challenge so far this year (as it often is for a good many teams).

2nd Intermission: Ok, for the one of you who were actually following the live blog, I decided to hang it up after the first period so I could hang out with the kids before bed. And plus, this shit's just hard work; I haven't exercised in like seven years.

It's 3-2 Buffalo after the 2nd. Buffalo could lose and it wouldn't bother me as long as they keep playing with the same amount of effort as they have the first two periods. I'd be nice to grab one here for Enroth, who's made a couple huge saves that practically went unnoticed, and for T.J. Brennan, who scored his first NHL goal in his first game and who, incidentally, is now known henceforth as "PS" (who knew he was rockin' the lucky Porn Stache?).

Smell ya tomorrow.

Primping for LucicFest

No word from the Sabres or Buffalo News yet, but I've been wondering the past couple days whether Lindarcy would call up some muscle in anticipation of the rematch tonight against the Bruins, especially with Weber and Myers already on the shelf.

Combine this with the fact that Cody McCormick's been out of the lineup and you kinda get the feeling tonight could get ugly (i.e., lots of Sabres bleeding) if anyone decides to take a run at Milan Lucic or Tim Thomas. Lucic would probably wreck McCormick fairly handily (again, Darcy, please trade for this guy), much less anyone else who decided to go toe to toe to ice with him.

The only players who even have a sporting chance of winning a fight tonight are Goose and Regehr, and even then you still have the prospect that Zdeno Chara would decide to get into the fray. Ever youtube any of his fights?

So again, I wonder if we'll see Zack Kassian or Marcus Foligno get a call. Kassian's known as more of a hitter than a fighter, but either of these guys would at least serve a couple purposes, the latter of which sounds bad but is entirely practical: 1) they bring some size and toughness to the lineup, and 2) if they end up with a broken hand you're not losing a guy off the regular roster.

Or maybe they're just banking on Jochen Hecht to fill the void, as he should make his return from a concussion tonight.

Of course, if I had to guess, I'd say we probably won't even see much attempt at retribution at all. And yes, I really hope I'm wrong. Not to the point where the Sabres take cheap shots or cost themselves the game by taking stupid penalties, mind you. But playing a full-on 60 minutes of desperate hockey and finishing checks sure would be nice.

Myers out 4-6 Weeks with Broken Wrist

So you think you have the luxury of making Mike Weber and Tyler Myers healthy scratches, huh? Apparently the hockey gods were a bunch of talented young defensemen who at times found themselves at odds with their coach.

"We give you two perfectly healthy physical defensemen," you can practically hear them scolding, "and this is how you repay us!"

No longer. Weber has already been placed on injured reserved, out for "weeks" with an undisclosed upper body injury. Now we find that Tyler Myers will be out 4-6 weeks with a broken wrist suffered during the second period of Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Coyotes.

The Sabres have summoned T.J. Brennan from the Rochester Americans to fill in for Myers Wednesday against Boston. Given that this will be Brennan's first gig in the NHL, we'll obviously have to see how he plays before we know how long he'll be able to stick around.

For a team that started the season with seven healthy, capable defensemen, the D's looking pretty thin now. We'll just have to hope Brennan can at least hold his own. We knew Shaone Morrisonn sucked, but it's pretty bad when a former NHL regular with some size isn't even the first in line to be recalled from the minor league club in an emergency.

What The Hecht?!

Since the news in Sabreland started heating up weeks ago with rumblings of a goalie controversy, the Sabres have been the topic of discussion due to a couple other situations they've put themselves in. Everyone has been caught up in so many different ranges of emotion recently, a few of the sideline notes dating back to the offseason still find themselves settled on the back burner.

The Buffalo Sabres have what I consider to be a lot of semi-valuable dead weight. Stock that can be traded away in order to succeed in piecing together that always tricky chemistry puzzle. Bundling together the correct trade package could look very sexy to another team and bring excellent return in their favor. Return the Sabres need sooner rather than later.

Up until this point, I believe that the Sabres would be a middle of the road, .500 team had it not been for the extraordinary play of Jhonas Enroth. He won in all of his backup appearances and is currently giving this struggling offense/defense some much-needed confidence as they move forward with their only capable netminder. Without knowing the extent of Ryan Miller's injury, I'm reluctant to believe that Lindy would even consider starting Drew MacIntyre, a 28-year old goaltender with only two NHL starts in his entire career. So, it's obvious to me that Darcy Regier needs to start warming up that Blackberry and dive in to some serious trade talks.

Over the weekend, we got to see what happens to a goaltender when he faces 34 shots on the road, gets on a plane, flies back home, and starts in net the next evening. Throughout the course of the 28 shots Enroth faced against the Coyotes, he ended up letting in a few inexcusable ones. For someone who appears to have as much skill, focus and confidence as anyone, that performance was a direct result of the effects from travel and fatigue. And moving forward, after the game Wednesday against Boston, the Sabres will basically be playing every other day for the next few weeks.

Option One: Trade for a capable backup goalie. It's obvious that Jochen Hecht was left on this team in order to encourage Christian Ehrhoff to sign as a free agent. There isn't any other logical explanation for his presence. He's had only three decent seasons with the Sabres (one of them in the pre-lockout era), and I don't know if any of those numbers warrant the type of money he's recieving. It definitely feels like another situation where, somehow, the journeyman of the NHL always seems to find a permanent home in Buffalo. I don't know what his current value is, especially after the concussion, but I think there would be someone out there that would pick up his contract if the deal was sweetened enough on the Buffalo end. He does fill that veteran leadership role, which is ever so valuable to the young teams (Edmonton, Colorado, NYI).

Option Two: Trade for the #1 center who this team will not succeed without. It is absolutely dire for this team to have someone like Ryan Getzlaf or Jason Spezza. A big-bodied, hard-working guy whose size equals his skill. The Sabres currently don't have anyone with both of these characteristics combined, but it has been an almost proven neccesity to winning a cup in the past decade. Players like this bring a ton of grit and pair it with enough talent to put up over 80 points a year. Obviously the price would be pretty steep, as the Sabres would have to give up at least one reputable player. Not just because the other team wants that player; they'd have to do it because they're currently right up against the cap. They don't have the same luxury that the Leafs had a couple years ago, just giving up three picks for Phil Kessel. So, Sabre Nation would more than likely wake up to find themselves without an Ennis, Myers, Leopold or Miller.

Getting rid of an up-and-comer or star goaltender may seem like a very costly price. However, in order to aquire the likes of a Spezza, Getzlaf or Nash (I realize he's not a center), you have to be willing to take these risks. Risks that this team has never quite taken during the past few "building years."

The time to win is now, and the Sabres have more expendable talent than they'd like to admit (Hecht, Miller, Kaleta, Boyes, and Sekera among them). We'll just see if Regier can pull the trigger on a deal that will send over the final gear for this engine. In reality, it may only take Enroth and one more premier player to turn this pretty good team into a great one.

It's Not about Momentum; It's about Desperation

As I was lying on my couch back on April 21 watching reruns of the 2011 first round playoff matchups on NHL Network, I wasn't expecting to hear the best hockey quote of all time (well, save perhaps for the time Jim Schoenfeld called referee Don Koharski a fat pig ... hard to top that one).

Tampa Bay Lightning coach Guy Boucher was at the podium taking questions after his guys had just lost in double overtime to go down 3-1 in their series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Then it happened. You faintly heard a reporter ask Boucher if he thought the Lightning could come back to win the series. Boucher shot him a glare as if he was imagining blowing the guy's head off with laser beams and said (and I paraphrase), "If you knew me you wouldn't even ask me that question." He said he'd seen it before, done it before.

And then he said the one thing that made me an instant fan: "It's not about momentum; it's about desperation."

Apparently so. The Lightning came back to eliminate the Pens in Game 7 and went on to sweep the Caps in round two.

Notwithstanding the fact that I think that's a great quote in general, I think it resonated with me more than it normally would have because if there's one thing that consistently seems to be missing from Buffalo's game, it's desperation. Or, more specifically, 60 minutes worth per game. The Sabres always seem to be able to pour it on in the last few minutes when they're down 4-1.

Now, I realize it might seem a bit silly to complain about this right now. At the time of this writing the Sabres are currently sitting atop the Northeast division and are in second place in the Eastern Conference with 24 points, just one behind Philly and three behind Minnesota and Chicago, who lead the NHL.

Still, to me it feels like the Sabres have this statistical advantage despite their play, not because of it. Before you dismiss me as a garden-variety cynic, consider this: a mere two points separate Buffalo from eighth place Ottawa. That means that by the next time the Sabres lace up for a game, which is two days from now, the standings could look considerably different.

Yes, it's only November. There's not even any such thing as the "playoff picture" until February. But considering the recent games against Boston and New Jersey looked like "Men vs. Boys I & II," respectively, with the Sabres being thoroughly outworked and overmatched in both contests, I see their current 12-8 record as a bit of an anomaly. If Vanek and Pominville were starting as slowly as the rest of the team, these guys would probably be mired in last place with the Islanders.

Through the first 20 games of the season, the Sabres' outings seem to be going a little like my golf game. It never fails. I'll hit a monster 300 yard drive down the middle of the fairway, then shank the approach and five-putt. And, of course, whenever it takes me six strokes to reach the green, I'll sink my first putt. In short, if I could pick and choose my best shots from each hole and magically combine them into one series every time, I'd be on the pro tour.

And so it seems to be going for Buffalo. They've tended to start slowly, especially at home, and if Miller or Enroth have been able to withstand the first 10-20 minutes, they can usually pull out a W. And just when they finally come out of the gate flying and taking the fight to the opponent, as they did Saturday night against the Coyotes in Buffalo, Enroth lets in a couple softies and turns in a subpar performance.

Thankfully for the Sabres and their fans, these guys actually are pro athletes. While there's no hope for my golf game, these guys still have a sporting chance to learn to put together a full 60 minutes of hockey every game (Psst: I'd even take 55). Maybe it's true that Leino just has to find some chemistry with new linemates and Ehrhoff has to find some open lanes to the net. Regardless, it all starts with determination. And not just by Matt Ellis and Corey Tropp.

With injuries starting to pile up -- Hecht, Ennis, McCormick, Miller, and Weber are all still out and you know the news isn't going to be great on Myers -- it's gut check time for the Sabres. No better time to start digging deep than the rematch against Boston on Wednesday.

Blue Carolina

Over the last decade or so, my brother and I have been in a constant debate over where "Carolina" actually is. An inside joke we can both pull out of the hat once in a while to conjure up a laugh or two. But last night may have actually put an end to all of the question surrounding this mysterious place.

Judging by the crowd, it seemed to me that Carolina is just a distant suburb, a little southeast of the Buffalo area, as the game last night felt more like a home game at certain points. The only difference with this home game, a notch in the win column.

Enroth's solid performance earned him his second career shutout, having to stop almost double the shots of his opposite last night. Most shot attempts were held to the outside, in low percentage areas, but there were a couple moments where things got a little hairy, as the Buffalo defense allowed the Hurricanes to play right up the middle. Still though, I started to wonder if it would have been a shutout had Miller played, as Enroth seems to always react correctly to those mid-range wristers that usually go over the glove of his current superior.

I told myself that I wouldn't over-analyze the Carolina game too much though, being that the Canes are probably struggling more than anyone right now. The big test will be tonight. Jhonas will have to start on back to back nights, after a night of travel, and deal with maybe a little more fatigue. In the end though, a win is a win, and a solid win tonight against the Coyotes would certainly help stuff Enroth's starting goalie ballot box just a little more.

Sabres at 'Canes

So the Sabres play the Hurricanes tonight. Currently residing at the bottom of their division at 6-10-3 with a 3-7 record in their last 10 games, the Hurricanes should be easy pickin's for the 1st place Sabres. SHOULD! If ever there was a game to try to get Ryan Miller back on the horse, this would be it. Unfortunately, that's not in the cards tonight as Miller recovers from his Lucic-induced concussion. I'm hopeful, however, that the team as a whole will snap out their collective funk against what should be a much weaker team. I don't even care if they lose. I just want to see some aggessive play, guys taking the body, crashing the corners, and being physical. And for the love of Christ, a night without giving up a shortie would be fantastic! My friend Heather, who lives in Charleston, SC, made the trek to Raleigh to take her son to his first Sabres game tonight. Here's hoping he brings them some luck!

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to watch the game tonight. Instead, I'll be following on Twitter and WGR's live broadcast via my phone if I can. Unless, by some miracle, things change and I get to watch, I'll leave the post-game analysis to my partners in crime.

On a side note, Tyler Myers avoided a suspension for his hit on Dainius Zubrus the other night. The fact that the hit was even in question is absurd. However, the Lucic/Miller incident aside, I've been pretty pleased with Shanahan's handling of issues that come before him. He really is an improvement over Colin Campbell. Anyway, here's hoping Myers continues his off-the-chain play from Wednesday.

Why Is It ...

... that every time the Sabres go on the power play I feel like it's the other team that has the advantage?

... that Sabres players make the same canned PR statements year after year following subpar performances like needing to "come out stronger," "get a better start," "play more physically," etc., but they rarely seem to take their own advice? I mean, after all this time, wouldn't you think they could at least fix the shit they've actually identified as problems?

... that Tyler Myers plays like dog shit after signing a career contract until his ass is sent to the press box?

... that Andrej Sekera was signed to a contract with a $2.75 million cap hit over four years yet still basically blows?

... that the Sabres still refuse to put anybody on their ass after they get too close to their goalie even after they've been outed as candyasses after the Miller hit? (Wait, I think I just answered my own question. My bad.)

.. that Tyler Ennis, Ryan Miller, and Drew MacIntyre wear little hoodlum stocking caps when they're not playing? This is hockey, boys.

... that Lindy Ruff cannot get his players to hustle and hit for 60 fucking minutes?

Feel free to add more to the list in comments.

Duck, Duck, Goose

I left my house last night around 5:45 so that my girlfriend and I could go grocery shopping for Thanksgiving. Being that I'm an hour behind in Austin, TX, I knew that I was at least going to miss the first period. I didn't sweat it too much because I knew that as soon as I got home I could just text my brother, Trevor, to see what happened. And most importantly, why whatever did happen, did.

His reply: shitty start. no hitting gave up shortie and kovalchuk scored on pp.

Trust me, I've had the NHL package for the last four years. I didn't exactly fall out of my seat when I read that. So, I turned on the TV and the first intermission report had just started. It was 2-1... I was a bit surprised by that (he was watching on DVR delay, so the Sabres hadn't scored yet). Still, the only thing that was in the back of my mind was the fear of Jhonas Enroth looking like dog shit. To no surprise, he really didn't. The first goal was a special teams trainwreck, and the second was simply Kovi being Kovi. Keep in mind, there is a reason why Ilya Kovalchuk knocks on the door as a household name in the NHL (outside of the five players that the casual hockey fan can actually list).

Then there was the first Myers goal. I was legitimately happy for him. Not happy that it took a benching to extract the type of player out of him that he should be on a daily basis, but happy nonetheless.

Now, finally being in real time at the start of the second, I expect to see the Sabres flying around, hitting (why would I think that?), and throwing every puck to the net as possible (there was actually a small amount of the latter). Instead, they were overwhelmed by a team that obviously shares none of the same strategy as themselves. Where Buffalo would have crawled into the ever-so-common shell we're all used to seeing, the Devils continued to attack, pushing the Sabres into their own end of the ice while feeling little to no push-back.

Before I knew it, the period is half over, and the Devils win a draw to beat Enroth on an impossible screen... shit balls! Believe me, I was already not expecting a comeback. Especially after the couple of really nice saves that Brodeur actually did have to make in that second period. Those saves surely just further fractured the Sabres' already fragile self-esteem anyway (poor boys).

No need to talk about any more goals. The continuing trend of being out-skated, physically overmatched, and flat out sloppy is getting tiresome to watch, at best. Why does Gaustad have an "A" on his chest anyway? And by the way, it's really irritating to me that he seems to wear it more than Vanek does. The media made an example out of him for his gutless efforts during the Bruins game on Saturday. Don't you think he would have a little bit of a chip on his shoulder from now on? And what was the deal with that one occurance where he and Kaleta came out for a ten second shift in the third? It felt like they expected the Devils to instigate a fight, but since they didn't, their time on the ice was done. Why would the Devils start a fight?! They're winning! Even that dipshit, Pierre McGuire, commented on that.

If this farce keeps up, the Sabres are going to be known as the ultimate laughing stock of the NHL. Even more than they already are. And the pin drops in the arena will be even more prevalent than they already are. I just don't get it. This is worse than what happened Saturday, because it's apparent that there is absolutely no desire from these guys to reverse their image.

If there really is a presumed "iron fist" in this organization [Ted Black] behind the curtain, changes need to be made while this season can still be salvaged. I don't think that Mr. Pegula would appreciate his name being associated with that of a chump after all the emotion he expelled during his inception. He genuinely wants this, right? Well, if not, I'll leave it to the last words that my brother and I texted to each other last night.

Me: they suck, no motivation

Trevor: same ol' shit. this blog will be fun

Apathy, Thy Name is the Sabres

It seems to me that there are years where the Sabres adopt a specific persona. In 2006-2007, they started out like a house afire, seemed unbeatable on any given night, and won the President's trophy. Last year, on an almost nightly basis, they played solid in the 1st period, completely disappeared in the 2nd period, and then came out in the 3rd and played great hockey, and maybe they pulled out a win, maybe not.

Although we're only a month and a half in, it's becoming rapidly and painfully clear that there are two traits that are going to be the hallmarks of this year's team... the first is to give up soft goals early (and lots of them), many times short handed, and then try to fight back late in the game. The second is flat, lazy play (the Vanek/Adam/Pominville line excluded), especially in the defensive zone.

As strategies go, this one sucks! The fact that this team is in first place is a fluke. At some point, the lazy play is going to blow up in their faces (like it did tonight) and they're going to find themselves in the middle of a lengthy losing streak, wondering why "the bounces just aren't going our way." Sound familiar? It should! It seems to happen every year right around this time. But this year is especially troubling. This team has more apathy than a team full of up-and-comers should have. Scratch that... it has more apathay than a bunch of multi-millionaire 20-somethings should have! I'm not going to beat a dead horse, but if you can't drum up some energy when one of the biggest goons in the league, Milan Lucic, takes your goalie's head off, you've got a serious problem as a team. Two days later in Montreal, Erik Cole took a run at Enroth in the crease and, again, no response. In tonight's game, Enroth got abused in the 1st period and FINALLY Tyler Myers stepped in and at least pretended to want to throw down, but the effort was feeble at best. (He made up for it by lighting up Brodeur twice, and by cleaning Dainius Zubrus'seseses clock in the 2nd. And for the record, show of hands, who knew Zubrus was still in the NHL? Anyone? Anyone?)

I'll give credit where credit is due, they get a little scrappy once they're down by a few, but how long can they keep winning games like that? For those of us old enough to remember watching Lindy Ruff in uniform rather than in a suit and tie, this season's going to be rough on the ticker.

About That Hit

Okay, I have a confession to make. My immediate reaction to watching Milan Lucic bowl over Ryan Miller was "Holy shit!" As in, I almost couldn't believe what I'd just seen. You just don't see goalies getting run like they did in the '70s and '80s.

But that's not my confession. My very next reaction was hoping that Miller would be shaken up enough that Enroth would be able to string at least five games together. I know, that's terrible. So for that I'm sorry.

Kinda.

Obviously I don't "want" Miller to be hurt. I rarely even hope other teams' players get hurt anymore. I think that comes from having kids of my own now and being able to empathize with other parents. But you sensed that something had to give, and soon. I have no idea what Miller's problem has been lately, but as he was being lit up during the Philly game (which Ruff lost because everyone knew he should've pulled Miller after the second goal), I just remember thinking he either 1) isn't getting laid anymore now that he's married, or 2) knows Enroth deserves to be starting.

That said, I was almost in shock when I heard Ruff was going with Enroth against Calgary on Nov. 4th. I mean, that was the first game of a back-to-back. As I wrote on the Buffalo News blog at some point earlier, Ruff not only should have started Enroth that Friday but on Saturday against Ottawa too if he won. Hey, Ruff's the one who always likes to ride a winner.

But I can understand why he started Miller in Ottawa. For starters, he may just not have his hand on the pulse of his team like I do. But more likely, he (correctly) realized that he could crush Miller's fragile psyche all on his own if he benched him three games in a row.

The Miller-Enroth scandal is nothing if not political. I get it. You can't just abandon the face of the franchise and his six point whatever the hell million dollar salary because some backup's putting up better numbers. Can you?

Well, thanks to Lucic we may not have to find out. Miller's injury should give all of us at least a couple weeks to determine whether Enroth is the real deal or not.

Until then, some quick thoughts on the hit itself and the fallout:

- Of course Lucic ran over Miller on purpose. That's the reason I've wanted Darcy Regier to trade for him the past two years (last year being the opportune time when Lucic had an off-year by his own admission in 2009-10)

- The Sabres' collective lack of retaliation for the hit literally left me in disbelief as I watched them become the laughing stock of the league. So, there are two potential reasons the Sabres did nothing after watching their goalie absorb the biggest cheap shot another team can throw: 1) They don’t like Ryan Miller; 2) Ruff prevented it (either implicitly or explicitly).

As for #1, I have no idea what the team thinks of Miller. If I had to guess, half probably hate him and half probably love him. That's generally the way it goes in a dressing room. But these are hockey players. By the time you're a pee wee, you're always looking for any excuse for a legitimate scrap. Especially when the game's out of reach, which it was by the end of the second period. Translation: Even if you can't stand a teammate, you're still a friggin' hockey player, goddammit!

As for #2, let me be clear here: Ruff's teams have never played with the grit required to win the ultimate prize. I don't think this is even up for debate. Most coaches don't have the luxury of getting two periods to plan their retribution. Lindy had full "slap bet" control for over two-thirds of the game, yet he allowed Barney Lucic to skate away unscathed. What. A. Pussy.

The Bruins and Sabres are simply two different teams. Boston's Cup fate was sealed the moment Nathan Horton was knocked the F out and they rallied around their fallen teammate. The Sabres did the exact opposite last Saturday night, doing their best impression of their coach and tucking and running when it was most important to suck it up and fight back.

Look, Lindy's a nice guy. I know for a fact. He was the celebrity guest at my hockey banquet when I was 15. His wife was pretty hot too, but I digress. In no uncertain terms, the Sabres don't have a rep around the league as a soft team for nothing. It begins and ends with coaching.

- As for Lucic not getting suspended for the hit, I think that was the right call. While the rules state that goalies in Miller's position are not fair game, it's a little difficult to prove Lucic intended for Miller to be concussed and miss time.

But who really cares? This works out swimmingly for the Sabres; it means Patrick Kaleta can steamroll Tim Thomas next Wednesday and only get two minutes. Yeah, yeah ... I realize he'll get 10 games from Brendan Shanahan if he does it because that's just the way shit works in the B-lo, but we've got Corey Tropp. Plus T-Pegs will pay his fine. No worries.

It's the suspense around whether the Sabres even care enough to even the score that has me intrigued.

My Name Is Jhonas

When the Buffalo Sabres drafted Jhonas Enroth 46th overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the last thought in their mind at the time would have been, five years from now, this guy is going to be a major threat to our eventual superstar goaltender (which, if you ask me, doesn't sound like the worst problem to have). Enroth, who stands at 5'10" and weighs in at 174 pounds, showed much promise in his first couple years after being drafted. Staying in Sweden, Jhonas eventually worked his way into the starting goaltender role for Elitserien's Sodertalje Sportklubb. In this role, he would go on to put up league-leading numbers in both save percentage and goals against average. By the end of the season, Enroth was named as the first of four finalists for the 2008 Elitserien Rookie of the Year. Only the award would eventually go to another goalie, Daniel Larsson. I think it would be safe to say he got robbed.

Nonetheless, it was enough for Darcy Regier and the Sabres to offer him a 3-year entry level contract. He was placed on the Portland Pirates 2008-09 roster where he assumed the starting role in net. Putting up respectable numbers (2.75 GAA and a .914 SV% in 58 games), he was the obvious choice to relieve an injured Patrick Lalime in the 2009-10 season. He was only given one opportunity to shine during that season, November 7th against the Boston Bruins. In this game, his NHL debut, Enroth gave up 4 goals in a losing effort. He would not get another taste of the NHL until the next season. Bummer.

Almost a year later to the date, Jhonas found himself in a familiar place. Against the Bruins and on the road. Seeking vengeance for the game a year prior, he found himself in an even worse spot, giving up 3 goals on only 12 shots, and finding himself starting the 2nd period on the bench. Pulling himself together, he got the nod to start 3 days later in Toronto, leading the Sabres to a 3-2 shootout victory. In this game, Enroth was credited with his first NHL victory. His second came 4 days later against the New Jersey Devils, also in a shootout. His third win came months later on February 15th, 2011, against the Canadiens. The result wasn't decided until the 10th round of a shootout, thus making him the first goaltender in NHL history to acquire all three of his first wins in a shootout. Enroth would not relinquish his role as the backup again. In fact, his strong play throughout the rest of the year helped put the Sabres in position to clinch a playoff spot for a second straight season.

That pretty much brings us up to date. And I need to mention that Enroth's record, dating back to his last regulation loss of 2010-11, is freakin' 13-0-1! This guy has obviously shown a steady growth pattern throughout his short career. He's been able to overcome the constant uphill battle of being an AHL, then NHL, then AHL, then NHL hockey player, which is a great stress on a guy just trying to get noticed. He's overcome a couple of bad losses, shaken the dirt off, and worked through adversity, just to prove to a team and a city sooooooo in love with Ryan Miller, that he should be the discernible choice when it comes to the starting goaltender.

It's time for you, the fans, to get to know his face, get used to hearing his name. Because if he wins tonight against the Devils, he'll be 7-0, and he will deserve just as much credit for the Sabres' record as anyone, probably more. Not many GMs in any sport are granted a gift like this very often. To look at it realistically, you could possibly have an above average, maybe elite goaltender for a lesser price tag than Martin Biron. And if our coaching staff and management, who has proven in recent years to overlook talent and make bad decisions, doesn't jump on the opportunity and use this to their advantage, then you can officially consider this post as my resignation from Sabre Nation.