swordplay

Which Do You Prefer? 3 of the Last 5 or 6 of the Last 10?

Since Trevor and Jon already gave their "season over" posts, I figured that I wouldn't bother giving my take on it. I convinced myself that it would have just been redundant, having no choice but to repeat most of the things they already said.

But since then, there has been plenty of news surrounding the Buffalo Sabres. And honestly, I still found myself not really wanting to write about them, but the more I sat and thought about it the less I could help myself.

If you're not aware of what the numbers above indicate, I'll give you a clue: The three and the five relate to how many times the Sabres have missed the playoffs, and the five and the ten explain out of how many years it took to reach those previous numbers, respectively.

So which ones look better to you? The smaller numbers or the bigger numbers? Either way you choose to look at it, both sets of numbers say the exact same thing: Every five years the Sabres only make the playoffs twice. But if you read Darcy Regier's latest comments, he's optimistic because they've actually made the playoffs twice in the last three years. Holy-splitting-fucking-hairs. So we'll just forget that in those two playoff appearances, his team was given the grand honor only eight teams per season get to share: a first round exit. [golf clap]

I guess we can look at the bright side about the last decade as we officially can't say this team's play is completely inconsistent anymore. [yawn]

One thing we can say is the what most of the Buffalo media has already taken care of: How can this team finish such a high-expectation yet disappointing season without explaining themselves in an end-of-season press conference?

Lindy Ruff had already taken care of his guys during their final practice of the season. He berated his players twice -- before and after their longest (and most pointless) workout of the season -- pointing out missteps and errors that ultimately cost them a berth into the playoffs. He singled out veterans for lack of leadership and production but applauded some of the younger players for stepping up and helping their late push.

After this information hit the Buffalo News, some fans that commented were enraged that Ruff spent so much time criticizing his own guys while not taking any time to put some of the blame upon himself.

I definitely understood where these fans were coming from but I felt differently. While I hardly think the perfect time to call out players is in a meaningless practice succeeding the game that found you eliminated from the playoffs, Ruff is still entitled to handling his players as he sees fit. Would it maybe have been a little more beneficial to take this action before the season spun completely out of control? Sometime in December, perhaps? Of course, but nonetheless Ruff was well within his rights. He doesn't answer to his players; he's their boss.

Granted, when I was thinking this at the time, I was expecting that Ruff would have to answer the tough questions from 1) his boss(es) and 2) the media -- with some of these questions taking place in the setting of a press conference.

But the answer was nay to both. I guess we all know now that it doesn't go down that way in Buffalo these days. By the Sabres organization letting Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier cover their faces with their sport coats and run off to their limousines while dogging hordes of pocket recorders and notepads, it gave me the proof that these two men are untouchable; that they basically answer to no one.

It's a funny feeling as a fan when you know there could be a possibility of great upside if a change was made, but with every new failed season, you still retain a certain fear and somehow know in the back of your head that nothing will ever change. Well not ever, I guess; everybody dies eventually. But still, it's a slap in the face of the fans who pay money to watch this charade -- I know, I know, there are strangely still just as many R&R supporters as there are haters. I'm still working on understanding that one.

But for people like me who figure things won't change (yet still reserve that place in my brain where I hope that I might be wrong someday) feel even more disrespected [enraged] when that fucktard Ted Black rushes out to WGR three days after the season ends so he can announce his unchanged faith in Ruff and Regier.

I mean, couldn't you at least wait a month and fool us into thinking that you looked long and hard for their replacements but couldn't find any suitable prospects? Believe me, I probably wouldn't have bought that either, but it would still beat listening to Black's pompous/cunty -- I'm smarter and better than everyone -- explanation behind announcing the inevitable so quickly.

It leaves me little hope that there will be any success in the near future. I almost want to go out on a limb and say this team won't win anything substantial (even a division title) until they get yet another owner.

Remember, Pegula once said that his daughter would quit playing tennis if she were under the same scrutiny as the Buffalo Sabres are at times. Obviously this belief has trickled down on how he treats his coaching staff, management, and players altogether. And Ruff and Regier's names might as well be Jessie and Kellie, because they now have a boss that is just as comfortable pampering them as if they were his own daughters. This belief has undoubtedly been reflected onto everyone from the top down. And I don't know about anyone else, but common sense would say that this very belief will hold the Sabres back from ever reaching the highest level in one of the most intense professional sports.

So it's a good thing that tennis and hockey don't have too much in common. Because if Pegula really wants to deliver on his initial promise, eventually he'll most likely be forced into changing his outlook on criticism first. And only time will uncover if he'll actually ever be open to that idea.

But currently at least, it doesn't appear to be the end of the world to some fans, but one day even the most loyal Ruff, Regier, Black, and/or Pegula supporters will find themselves turning on one, two or all of them. Patience only lasts so long, and I don't know many people patient enough to wait through another decade of only making the playoffs 40% of the time.

And if your mind works anything like mine does; where a first round exit isn't even noteworthy of making it, you can go ahead and lower that number to 20%.

Yes! Finally Some Accountability

THIS is what I wanted to hear from Ryan Miller.  I wanted to see some humility, some ownership.  Spelling mistakes aside (a little editing, please, WGR), I'm glad to hear that Ryan Miller recognizes that he was having issues prior to the Lucic hit, and that he has to play better. 

I feel like at least one comment was directed squarely at me (I know it wasn't... Ryan Miller doesn't even know this blog exists) when he mentioned being called a Prima Donna.  Yeah, I've called him that quite a bit this season. 

I can't argue with the guy when he says he hunkered down and played his best hockey.  There's no doubt that from January to the end of March, he was arguably the best goaltender in the NHL.  Since he's not going anywhere in the offseason, I sincerely hope that he finds a way to maintain that level of play throughout the course of the season next year.  If he does, his comments today went a long way in restoring my faith in him and I'll hop right back on his bandwagon.   But man, the play HAS to be there.  And I'm not backing off my comment the other day... fix that glove hand in the off season!

Afterthoughts

In what may very well be my last post until free agency opens up, I'd like to get a few more random thoughts out of my head now that I've had a night to sleep on it. 

What upsets me most about this season is how the Sabres sqandered it early on.  They went from 1st in their division, to dead last in the East, and then found themselves dominating through February and March to claw their way back into the picture.  Did injuries contribute?  Absolutely.  This past week proved, to me at least, that this team cannot function without Tyler Myers and/or Christian Ehrhoff.  Having both out at the same time was a recipe for disaster.  HOWEVER(!!), injuries cannot be blamed for a three month stretch from early November to the All-Star break where the Sabres couldn't win a game to save their lives.  You can't blame injuries for laziness, sloppy play, bad turnovers, etc.  At some point the rest of your team needs to act like professional athletes, and step up and take over.  Tell me again about how injuries wrecked the season.  Then explain to me why Pittsburgh, who had the same if not worse injury problems this year, is squarely in the playoffs while Buffalo is not.  Go ahead... I'm waiting to hear the logic.  The Pens had injury after injury after injury.  They went huge chunks of this season without the best forward in hockey.  Period.  Did it slow them down?  Sure, but they still managed to win enough games to get in.

I will give Darcy credit.  He pulled off another of his patented amazing deals that brought Cody Hodgson and Alexander Sulzer from Vancouver for Kassian and Gragnani.  I was unsure about Sulzer.  I'm not anymore.  I like his style of play a lot.  Hodgson had a slow start, but he came around nicely during the final push and I think he's got a lot of potential.  Darcy also (and I still can't believe this) stole a 1st round draft pick for Paul Gaustad.  I would LOVE to have heard how that conversation went down!  And I wouldn't be surprised if Gaustad didn't end up back in Buffalo this off season, which would mean Darcy got a 1st round pick for a rental!  Like I said in January in this post, I've always like Darcy's style.  He does make shrewd moves.  But in no way does he get a pass for his inaction when this team was floundering.  For example, I'll be the first to admit that I had no idea Marcus Foligno was going to make the impact he has in such a short time.  (But, then, it's not my job to know such things.)  Darcy clearly knew what he had waiting in the wings or he would never have traded Kassian.  Why, then, did he wait so long to call up Foligno for some much needed offensive help?  Why did he wait so long to try to make a trade?  Why was Lindy kept when the team clearly wasnt' responding? 

The way I see it, Darcy has one last chance to prove he should keep his job.  I want to see how he drafts, and I want to see what he does in free agency.  In that post I referenced a minute ago, I mentioned a few other things that the Sabres need to do.  First and foremost, they need a legit #1 center. Whether they accomplish that through the draft or free agency doesn't matter, but they absolutely need to address it.  I'd also like to see them go after another center as well, as they are very weak at that position.  And, I would still like to see them go after TJ Oshie in the off season.  To date, he has played 78 games for the Blues and has 19 goals, 33 assists, 52 pts, and is a +16.  Got that?  A PLUS-16!  The moves Darcy makes in the off season should determine his fate.

My next complaint is the treatment of Luke Adam.  Yes, the kid struggled, but the entire team was struggling.  How do you single him out of that mess and make HIM the whipping boy?  Rookie player, struggling team, and frequent line changes didn't help him at all.  He's now been relegated to Rochester with no hope of coming back up.  The Sabres took a talented kid and broke him.  Some of that is on Adam, but much, much more of it is on the management and coaching staff.  I don't know that he will bounce back in Buffalo/Rochester.  I think his only hope now is a fresh start in another system.  Sad, because I had high hopes for him.

As for Lindy, I really do still like the guy, and there's no doubt he somehow managed to turn this team around in the second half, but I still believe his tenure in Buffalo should come to a close.  Too many mistakes, too many excuses, and not enough passion from his players for much of the year.  A big run at the end does not make up for pissing away an entire season.  As I've said before, I'll still be sad to see him go. 

Ryan Miller.  I have to say, he played like a champ down the stretch.  When he's firing on all cylinders he's unbeatable.  But I have BIG problems with his disappearance for fully one half of the season.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again.  Don't blame the Lucic hit because his problems started a full two weeks before that.  I don't know what caused it, and I don't know what got him back on track, but when you're paid like an elite netminder then you'd better freakin' act like one, and that means being a leader, and it means not pouting like a 4 year old when your team does something you don't like, or isn't playing the way you think they should, or when the media has the temerity to actually question your months-long string of bad play, or whatever your complaint of the day is.  Suck it up, keep your mouth shut, and play like a leader.  And, for the love of all that is holy, PLEASE work on your glove hand this off season. 

I'm really torn on Miller now.  Half of me wants him to stay and the other half is completely over him.  The problem is, it depends on consistency.  As a fan, I can tolerate a lot more of his antics when he's playing like a Vezina candidate than I can when he's playing like a sieve.  Bottom line, I really do like Miller, but I'm not gonna cry if he goes elsewhere.  Not that THAT would ever happen.

Unfortunately, I can almost guarantee that, because of the late run, the team will still go after a top line center but no other changes will occur.  We'll hear all summer long how injuries hurt the team, and how management is happy with the core group of guys and how much grit and determination they showed down the stretch, and blah blah blah.  They'll gloss over the fact that there was ZERO grit and determination from November to January.  They'll ignore how utterly lazy the team was.  They'll forget about the complacency.  They'll tell us how this team, when healthy, can accomplish anything.  You know what?  I call shenanigans.  If you need to have every single player on your roster healthy to win then you might as well hang up the skates and throw in the towel. 

This team needs major changes in the off season.  Period.  And if you reeeeeally like the core, then you at least better get a couple more top tier defensmen, and some backup forwards that can step up and play when guys like Vanek and Pominville get hurt.

One more thing... If Jochen Hecht is in a Sabres uniform next season I am going to lose my sh*t! 

Yeah, I know I rambled, and I probably said nothing that everyone doesn't already know.  Tough.  I'm still busy being bitter about what could should have been.

Sabres @ Flyers Live Blog

Well, here we go. Big game tonight. Hoping for a Sabres win and/or a Caps loss. I'm going to actually try to keep up with a live blog tonight. We'll see how it goes. Time for the anthems.

By the way, why is Sulzer a scratch tonight? Is he hurt? No good can come from this!

Update: First minute of play and both teams have already had good chances! This isn't good.

Update: 14:03 1st - Nathan Gerbe is tiny. That is all. Oh, and penalty to Buffalo.

Update: 10:10 1st - Huge save by Miller on 3-on-1 break by Flyers.

Update: 5:15 1st - Can someone please explain why Sulzer is a scratch but Leino isn't? Ever? He might be the only person on this team more useless than Jochen Hecht.

Update: 4:29 1st - Sabres playing well in the neutral zone! Standing up several Flyers and forcing an offside call.

Update: 2:58 in 1st - Hartnell goes high on Hodgson after the whistle. Weber throws Giroux to the ice and refuses to let him up. Sabres end up on power play.

Update: 2:07 in 1st - Miller absolutely ROBS Read with a poke check on shorthanded breakaway. Completely sick play by Miller!

Update: :40 in 1st - Flyers are getting waaaaaay too many chances. Miller isn't gonna stop all of them. Simmons comes off bench and immediately goes after Weber for his mugging of Giroux earlier. Offsetting penalties.

Update: :10 in 1st - Sabres blow a great 3-on-1 chance.

Update: 1st Intermission - Well, things got a little chippy at the end there. Overall, it's been run and gun hockey by both teams. The Sabres can't hang with the Flyers (or anyone) in that type of game. They gave up way too many chances. If they're going to win this game, they need to lock it up and start controlling the pace. They were lucky to escape the period with no score. Kevin Sylvester just said that it was a "buttoned up period by the Sabres for the most part." I didn't see it that way at all. They had their moments, but it's been downhill both ways for the most part. We'll see what happens in the second.

Update: Start of 2nd - Got our answer on Sulzer. He returned home for personal reasons. That can't be good news for him to miss such a huge game. Thoughts with him and his family.

Update: 16:15 2nd - Sekera makes the save of the game after Mr. Softee let's one trickle by. Sabres get a couple good chances shortly thereafter.

Update: 13:20 2nd - Leopold makes great recovery to break up a good opportunity by the Flyers.

Update: 6:45 2nd - Bryzgal... Brzyg...Brgzxq... The Flyers goalie pulls out a huge save to keep it scoreless.

Update: 2:34 2nd - Ville Leino finally earns his paycheck. 1-0 Sabres! I begrudgingly take back my "scratch" comment earlier.

Update: 2nd Intermission - Some more scary moments, but the Sabres got the bounces and Leino scored a big one with 2-and-a-half left in the period. I'll repeat what I said at the 1st break... the Sabres need to tighten things up or they're gonna get burned.

By the way - 3-1 Caps after two. I'd rather see the Caps lose, but Fla losing helps the Sabres, too, so whatever.

Update: 16:40 3rd - Sabres just kept the puck in the Flyers zone for a solid 2 minutes. THIS is what they need to be doing!!

Update: 15:48 3rd - Vanek just made a great play. Puck went up in the air. Simmons caught it in his glove at the Sabres blue line and Vanek leveled him and took the puck. Nice play by a guy who typically isn't the most physical player.

Update: 13:55 3rd - Bourdon scores on a rocket from the point. Dammit.

Update: 11:02 3rd - Bryzgal... Brzyg...Brgzxq... The Flyers goalie robs Ennis on a pretty give and go play between Ennis and Stafford.

Update: Stafford earns 50th point of season and Vanek earns 60th. Not too shabby.

Update: WHY does this team's power play refuse to score goals?? WHY????

Update: 4:22 3rd - GOD DAMMIT! There's the season right there. Regehr gets completely twisted up by Read and gives up a breakaway resulting in a goal.

Update: End of Game - Well kids, there's the season. The ONLY chance the Sabres have is if FLA scores to take that game to OT. If the Caps win in regulation, the Sabres are eliminated. I have nothing else to say right now. At least it wasn't Toronto.

Update: 4-2 Caps. Sabres are eliminated. I'll save the lecture on how this kind of effort all season would have prevented the need for last minute heroics for a later time. I'm a Blackhawks fan the rest of the way. Go Yanks!

Pretty Sure I Lost Ten Years off My Life Last Night

I'll admit it.  When the Sabres went down 3-0 to Toronto in the first period last night, 40 years of being a Buffalo sports fan kicked into overdrive.  I immediately abandoned ship.  Well, not really.  I kept watching, but it was the way you watch a movie for which you already know the ending... an ending you know you hate, but you can't stop watching anyway... like Old Yeller, or Braveheart.  I immediately gave up all hope and resigned myself to an early start to my baseball watching months. 

When will I learn to stop giving up hope?  I've seen this team do it enough times... down by a goal with under a minute left and BAM - we're going to OT.  I seriously can't count the number of times they've done it over the years.  But honestly, I held zero hope that they'd bounce back from a three goal deficit last night.  My resignation grew each time they'd score a goal only to give up another.  But that comeback last night was amazing.  Not because they locked it up and shut down Toronto (they certainly didn't do that) but because of the dogged determination they showed in never giving up.  The best part, though, is that Toronto wasn't the team that knocked Buffalo out of contention, because I can think of very few scenarios worse than that.

I am not sure what will happen over the next two games.  The Sabres certainly have their work cut out for them.  What I do know is this...

• It's been a hell of a ride the past two months
• They can't allow 5 goals against Boston or Filthadelphia and expect to pull out wins.  They have GOT to limit the chances on net.
• The power play needs to start clicking ASAP
• They should immediately extend Marcus Foligno to a fifty year, Four-Hundred-Bajillion-Dollar contract with a clause that prohibits breaking up his line... ever.
• I will not give up on them again until the final horn. (Repeat until in a trancelike state)

Now, go sit down, strap in, and put on your big boy pants, cause the next few days aren't gonna be for the feinthearted fan.

That's All She Wrote

Sadly, the title above holds dual meaning. The Sabres are done and so are we -- at least for this season.

After a weekend that saw Erik's computer shit the bed while the Sabres failed to earn even one point over two games versus backup goalies, our respectives seasons have come to a close.

I'm not shutting the blog down, per se, but this might be the last post until the summer. For now, I'm looking at a solid month of helping my wife recover from surgery, and this is the time of year I just enjoy playing outside with my boys instead of sitting at a computer.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to read our ramblings, especially those who did so more than once. A couple months ago when we were in the thick of things, we had around 100 unique visitors per day -- not too bad for a few slapdick Buffalo transplants who think they know hockey.