swordplay

Okay, I'm a Little More Excited

I have to admit, upon writing my post two weeks ago, I wasn't sharing the same excitement that the rest of the Sabres faithful seemed to find glory in then, but I honestly didn't foresee this team eventually playing the way they have in the past five games.

I guess I took the wrong approach to the post. While this team was obviously playing far and away better hockey at the time (more to the level they should have been playing all season), I felt that the focus was still more about "what everyone else is doing around you; their fates will determine yours."

I failed to mention the most obvious solution to success, something Lindy Ruff challenged his team with less than a week later: Just win the rest of your games.

In my own defense, I guess it would've been easy to just go out and say that. But realistically, who would have actually believed it? I remember not believing it when I read it in the Buffalo News that day. And if I could actually talk hockey to anyone on a daily basis down here in Texas, I'm pretty sure I would have found a way to incorporate Lindy's comments into a couple of jokes here and there.

But the team since has proved me wrong. They're doing all of the things I've bitched about them not doing since this blog started back in November. They've actually taken their own advice from weeks and weeks of frustrating post-game interviews and are now working for the solid 60 minutes -- Look what happens when you show up and give a shit once and a while.

It's a shame that the uber important showdown with the Capitals Tuesday wasn't the last game of the regular season. It would have been an extraordinary high to go straight into the post-season with, but beggars can't be choosers. Plus, that scenario wouldn't afford any time for Christian Ehrhoff to get healthy; and that guy is one of the more important pieces to the current puzzle. Now we just have to wait and see if this team can finish the job they started, without him.

It always seems like there's a setback in Buffalo though, with injuries or whatever it may be -- What would life be if we didn't have to hold our breaths once and a while? But this team is playing for each other right now, and it looks like they're having a hell of a lot of fun doing it. A characteristic I always saw with the Penguins throughout the latter half of the ten years I spent there.

So I really hope they can pull it off. As much as I've said in the past that this team would benefit greater in the long run from missing the playoffs, I'm still a true fan at heart. And April will be loads more exciting with the Sabres in them rather than not.

Year after year it seems that professional sports are going more the way of "the team that gets hot at the right time wins it all." In the NFL alone we've seen it 4 times in the last 7 years; with the Steelers, Packers, and twice with the Giants. When you look at the level the Sabres are playing at right this moment -- and the projected first-round playoff match-ups -- it isn't hard to think that teams like Buffalo could share that same fate.

Still, I'm not totally pumped. But I can't keep myself from becoming a little more curious [excited] as each new day passes.

Let's just make sure we get there, because the possibilities are endless once you're in.

Eff You, Dale Hunter

My apologies to all respectable Caps fans. I've just wanted to be able to write that in a public forum since I was 12.

It's rare to see a beatdown like the 5-1 treat Buffalo put on Washington last night, so that makes the loss of Christian Ehrhoff a little easier to stomach in the short term. But worry not, Caps faithful. I still think the Sabres will miss that playoffs.

If they make it, though, watch out. No one's playing better than Buffalo these days, so if they can sneak in a stay healthy -- with the final two games against Philthy and Boston, that's not too likely -- there's no telling what could happen.  

Random Thoughts Prior to a Shellacking

I probably shouldn't even write that title because my luck it would mean the Sabres win two games in a row since ... forever? I can't even remember. But anyhow, it's a good segue into some random thoughts before tonight's matchup against Les Habitants.

- OK boys, you're basically fully healthy. Let's see whatcha got.

- The fact that Buffalo hasn't fallen assbackward into at least a couple wins in row since I started this blog -- that is, in over two and a half months -- is almost shocking. This team is a train wreck.

- Terry Pegula & Co. have spent a lot of time talking about bringing Stanley Cups to Buffalo, so this is going to sound a bit perverse. But if I were him, my directive to the team for the remainder of the year would be very clear: Every win from here on out will be met with a $25,000 fine. Per person. It's time to play for the first pick next year. On the bright side, it should be an order that's pretty easy to follow.

- There's been a lot of comments by Sabres fans on blogs and chats about how Ville Leino is untradeable because of his salary ($4.5 mil/yr). But these same people say Ryan Miller should be traded. NEWSFLASH: Ryan Miller cannot be traded because there are currently about 30 goalies in the NHL who have better numbers and make about four million less per year. At least Leino would save a team almost two million a year more than Miller would.

- The biggest loss this season could be the retirement of Rick Jeanneret. If the Sabres give us this little to get excited about, what incentive will there be for RJ to stick around?

- I really like Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, but he scolded Tim Thomas during yesterday's chat for not visiting the White House with the rest of his teammates, saying he should "respect the office." Well, fuck that office. Should Thomas respect other criminals like police officers and congressmen too?

Oh, wait. You expected a radical libertarian to just ignore that one?

- Just announced that Luke Adam is a healthy scratch. How much more evidence is needed to illustrate that Lindy Ruff is the biggest reason there's no chemistry on this team? The one good decision he made was to start the year by putting Adam in between two veterans on the top line. So it stands to reason he just couldn't stick with that recipe for success. And you wonder why Adam's confidence is shot?

- Many people figured Drew Stafford would light it up this year after a career year last season. Count me among the people who thought he was, like many players, just turning it up in a contract year.

- Speaking of contracts, sometimes a GM only has one card to play these days if he really wants to land a free agent, such as front-loading contracts that make guys like Christian Ehrhoff the highest paid player on the team (for a particular year, at least). But it's a mistake to think this doesn't have an effect on players who've been there for years. If you're part of the pampered "core" and your GM throws a ton of money at players who haven't proven themselves to the team yet, you might let your pissiness interfere with your performance.

- I'm so tired of watching these guys skate up to players after sucker punches or cross-checks like they're going to retaliate, then do nothing about it. Typical Ruff in his playing days.

Sabres 0-2 Since Return of Tyler Myers

Well, technically they're 0-1-1 but whatever. Looks like the team is going to have to find yet another panacea du jour for getting back to the win column, because anyone with an IQ above room temperature knows the Sabres' injuries have played a very minimal role in their lackluster performance of late.

Obviously injuries aren't irrelevant, but what's pissed off Sabres fans the most over the past month or so is twofold: 1) the club's propensity to place more emphasis on making excuses for losses than on finding ways to win, and 2) the front office's insistence upon pussyfooting around with a GM/head coach tandem that has overstayed its welcome while yet another (potentially salvageable) season washes down the drain.

As I've mentioned several times before, injuries are not the problem. No one wants to be without guys like Tyler Myers and Christian Ehrhoff, but players get hurt; good teams can accommodate short-term injuries.

Take a look at the D right now. The Sabres are absent Christian Ehrhoff and Andrej Sekera. If you plan to argue that Sekera is any sort of significant loss whatsoever, please pass the hooka now because I need some of what you're having. And Ehrhoff wasn't even on the team last year yet it found a way to make the playoffs without him.

So this year -- right now, even without Ehrhoff -- the Sabres' defensive corps has Myers, Leopold, and Weber -- all holdovers from last season -- only they've exchanged guys like Morrisonn, Butler, Montador, and Rivet for Regehr, McNabb, and Gragnani.

Would anyone out there actually take last year's lineup over the one that will take the ice tomorrow night against Toronto, even absent Ehrhoff and Sekera for now? I sure as hell wouldn't.

Injuries are not the problem. Hell, most Sabres fans would tell you that the reason the team got it together last year was because Derek Roy missed most of the season. If that's the case, what's the excuse now? That underachiever Tyler Ennis is still out? Please.

When Lindy Ruff has the luxury of making Zack Kassian a healthy scratch -- which, if you ask me, is just plain stupid -- you can't really bitch about injuries. I love Matt Ellis. Would that even half the team had his fucking heart. But the guy looks like a cat in a bathtub when he stickhandles, and you play him over Kassian? If anything, maybe try playing him in addition to Kassian and benching any forward not named Vanek or Pominville for a game or two. Gee, there's a thought.

Injuries are not the problem. However, Ryan Miller sucks. The forwards making $4 million a year couldn't hit a 25-cent whore with a roll of quarters in their pocket, much less the back of a net. Lindy Ruff allows/encourages soft play and from what I can tell has essentially lost his team. Blah, blah, blah.

So what cosmic events have conspired to cause this perfect storm of shittiness? Who knows? Probably a lot of things, and most likely many intangible ones at that. I've never been the kind of person to advocate change simply for the sake of changing, but you can't fix intangibles without changing the tangibles. It's already 2012. They're long overdue.

There's a reason a team with the third-highest payroll in the league can't win. There's a reason it doesn't retaliate against a team that runs its goaltender. There's a reason it refuses to lay bodychecks on an equally weak team that's obviously travel weary.

There's always a reason for everything. I'd love to get paid to figure it out if the Sabres would like to give me a shot. After all, I'd love the job security.

DVR-blogging: Oilers/Sabres

I almost never have time most nights to sit down and watch anything real time, but I managed to take some notes during Tuesday night's game while I was watching the tape. I figured I'd post my exact comments as I jotted them down and then elaborate now if necessary.

First Period

- T.J. Brennan is good and is going to be very good. Sweeps puck out of the crease less than three minutes into the game and saves what certainly would've been an easy tap-in for Edmonton.

(Buffalo is without Ehrhoff, Sekera, and Myers but I really don't see any gaping holes in the D that weren't there prior to the injuries. Sekera is tremendously average and Myers was hardly playing his best hockey when he broke his wrist, so that leaves Ehrhoff as the only loss that could noticeably impact the production of the defense. He logs huge minutes and is generally steady, but keep in mind that injury replacements aren't always the detriment they may appear to be on paper. Whereas teams key on Ehrhoff every game and keep him in check, guys like Brennan and McNabb aren't nearly as well-scouted yet, so good teams can take advantage of this, um, advantage.

- Good idea by Ruff to play Kassian with Vanek and utilize his talents as a top six forward

(Well, that didn't last long. Maybe two shifts.)

- There's a lot of talk about M.A. Gragnani's subpar performance. Yes, you'd rather have Ehrhoff and Myers, but if Grags isn't capable of filling in to the point where the team expects to win, he shouldn't have made the roster in the first place.

(Translation: I'm tired of listening to this club blame losses in part on injuries. If Ruff thought Gragnani was good enough to make the team, he should expect him to be good enough to play in this league, even if his ideal role at this point is to be used as an injury sub. I know, shocker.

- Injuries are not the problem. Buffalo is getting outplayed by a team on its sixth game of a roadie that got into town at 2 a.m. the day of the game.

(If anything, Buffalo has impressive depth that would render this rash of injuries essentially moot on many other teams, namely those that realized that body checks are a part of hockey. Not to mention, injuries really only impact specific parts of the game, like special teams or shootouts. If guys like Vanek are playing, you should be fine. Most other players are filler. That said, if Vanek goes down, the Sabres' season is all but over (if it isn't already).

- Speaking of injuries, we're into the part of the season where guys need to start playing with pain. I'd be interested to know how many guys on the shelf right now could play if they really wanted to.

(Tyler Ennis, I'm looking at you. High ankle sprains suck so I could be wrong. However, note to Christian Ehrhoff: If you can't fight without putting yourself out for "weeks," don't fucking fight! It's not like you can win anyway. Kudos, however, to Jason Pominville for sucking it up when he probably felt pretty shitty after having the flu. Very captainly.)

- Great goal allowed by Miller. WEAK!

(Hey, lots of goalies allow goals under their glove arm from bad angles. Just not ones making $6 million a year!)

- Zack Kassian's passing is not good in the first period. Then again, this has been a pretty shitty period by the Sabres in general.

Second Period

- Brennan loses the puck and turns it over in his own zone but recovers to make a nice shot block.

(I think Brennan's actually better than Gragnani already.)

- I seriously can't remember a single body check thrown by Buffalo.

(I think that's because there weren't any to that point.)

- Weak goalie interference call on Hemsky. Edmonton didn't protest too much, but that's probably because they're out of breath.

- Equally shitty charging call on Kaleta for what appeared to be a perfectly good smack on Ladislav Smid. Maybe I just missed the part where the refs outlawed hitting tonight. That would at least explain Buffalo's lethargic approach to the game.

- I'm so tired of Ryan Miller and his soft over-the-shoulder goals.

(Given Miller's salary and atrocious season, I honestly doubt he'd get picked up even if he were waived. No shit. So anyone thinking Regier would be able to trade him even if he wanted to may as well stop dreaming.

Third Period

- Buffalo looks like the team that got in at 2 a.m.

- These guys just refuse to hit and take control of an opponent that almost seems to be waiting to be steamrolled. The Oilers weren't even willing to kick Roy's ass after he shot a puck on Khabibulin well after the whistle at the start of the third.

- Against ANY other team not in Edmonton's situation, the Sabres would easily be down 5-2 at this point.

- Sabres used to play down to their competition's level. Now they just don't really seem to give a shit against anyone.

- Whee, "victory"

Injury Bugs and Underlying Diseases

Fifteen years ago I would be freaking out about the Sabres recent spate of injuries. But I guess there's just something about pushing 40 that makes you realize there's more important things in life than worrying about the respective fates of charmed 20-somethings.

Or maybe it's just that I can barely bring myself to care much about sports these days after realizing that I'm now too old to play pro hockey even if I were once good enough (which I wasn't).

Whatever the case, there's a certain amount of satisfaction that comes with my newfound sobriety towards the Buffalo Sabres (however depressing its genesis may be). Whereas I was unable to approach my Sabres analysis with little more than unbridled emotion back in the day, I now find myself capable of applying the same type of rationality that I bring to virtually any other situation. (Okay, most of the time.. fuck off.)

Like every other Sabres fan, I've had a long time to assess and digest the abilities of Lindy Ruff and Darcy Regier. A looooong time. These guys are clearly two of the best in their field at what they do. They're both Grade A talents with A-Class character. I don't think that's ever really been in question. One thing that is in question, however, is whether these guys are the right men for the job in Buffalo.

After all these years together, Ruff and Regier might as well literally be joined at the hip. Regier is not going to fire Ruff. If Ruff ever goes, Regier will be going with him. Regier will never fire his best friend. Never. You just don't do that sort of thing, and as a man I can at least respect that.

I'd be willing to bet it's Ruff and Regier's relationship over the past dozen years that's been the primary cause of most of the good that's come to the Sabres organization during that span, nearly all of which probably goes unseen by the fans and in some cases even ownership. Building trust between employer and employee is crucial to performance; treating subordinates as peers often breeds respect. However, too much trust can lead to complacency. And if you're not careful, being too friendly with your players can extinguish respect for authority. You get the idea. Every benefit has a cost.

And so it is with the injury bug.

As I think we've all written a couple times, I don't like the team's reliance on all the injuries as the reason for its poor record the past few weeks. If anything, it's primarily the roster players who have made untimely decisions that have cost the Sabres wins. That said, Ruff has done a good job managing the lineup and lines during a stretch that no coach would ever want to endure. Although hardly tough decisions, he has rewarded Kassian for his outstanding play with increased ice time, and he's also made the right call in keeping Brayden McNabb in Buffalo despite Mike Weber's return to the lineup. Similarly, the fantastic play of guys like Kassian, McNabb, Tropp, and Brennan -- especially given their NHL inexperience -- is a testament to Regier's ability to draft and develop top talent. These two guys will have jobs in the NHL as long as they want them.

Ironically, however, we're nevertheless left to wonder why the Sabres play so inconsistently night in and night out. (This is not unique to the Sabres, but not every coach enjoys a 13-year tenure with one club either.) Why they refuse to finish checks unless they feel like it. Why Thomas Vanek, Cody McCormick, and Pat Kaleta have trouble finding teammates who will actually bust their asses every goddamned shift like they do. Why a system that has lost effectiveness after taking teams by surprise six years ago seemingly hasn't adapted even though the rest of the league has caught on to the secret. Why a power play has, on balance, buh-lown! for years. These are the responsibilities of the coach. Ruff has undeniably done very good things with subpar NHL talent over the years -- if we're to believe Regier's hands were tied under Golisano and Quinn, that is -- so I don't question his ability to coach; I question why he has not gotten better results considering he's had the luxury of knowing his team better than anyone save perhaps for Barry Trotz.

That said, even more interesting amid all these injuries is the Darcy Regier situation. Will GMDR finally move assets before they've overstayed their welcome now that we almost unquestionably know that the kids on the farm can play and perform? The silver lining to the injury bug is that Regier now knows (or should know) he has the luxury of dumping salary to gain cap space while simultaneously improving the team. (I know, right!!) Does anyone even remember Brad Boyes? Zack Kassian not only outperforms him right now, he costs over three million a year less. (Oh, and he kind of resembles that nasty Milan Lucic guy, who I would love to have on my team.) Corey Tropp is going to be awesome, so Regier could likely shop Kaleta right now before his propensity for injuries renders him damaged goods. Finally, even though Jochen Hecht brings intangibles and leadership, you can't tell me Szczechura isn't an even swap offensively if Hecht and his four million could be packaged to land one more big gun up front. By the way, we've still got Marcus Foligno in Rochester.

And I know Buffalo can never seem to have enough defensemen, but right now we have Ehrhoff, Myers, Leopold, Sekera, Gragnani, Regehr, Weber, and McNabb with Brennan, Finley, and Schiestel in the immediate pipeline. Seriously, there is no reason teams even score on us, much less any reason our D can't put the puck in the net every effing game. We have an imbalance of offensive defensemen already with more ready for promotion, so there's at least two that can be moved tomorrow. Myers-McNabb can be Niedermayer-Pronger in a few years, but anyone else is fair game. I think Sekera would look good in Ranger blue.

The tragic irony here is whether you actually want Darcy Regier at the controls when it comes to making decisions that will impact the team for years ahead. Ted Black should have his hands full right now, but if there's one thing that has to change for Regier to keep his job, he has to learn to cut his homegrown players loose. He won't fire Ruff, but if he refuses to acknowledge the opportunities before him and act now, we will have substantive proof that our addiction to untimely injuries is nothing compared to our deep-seated disease that is a complacent GM.

Jordin Tootoo's Hit on Ryan Miller

The great part of living in this country is that we are all free to "call 'em as we see 'em."  So it is with this post, in which I'm going to amicably disagree with Erik's take on the Tootoo/Miller hit.  Although I didn't get to watch the game, I've watched the hit five times now, thanks to the link from James Mirtle's article in the Globe and Mail.  I respectfully disagree that Tootoo was directed into, pushed into, guided into, or had nowhere else to go but into Ryan Miller.  Best case, it was a poor decision by him to cut that hard to the net with a defenseman on him.  He knew where he was on the ice, he knew the angle he had to take to get in front of the net, and he knew there was no way he was getting there given Ehrhoff's position on him.  Worst case, it was an intentional cheap shot on a goalie in the crease.  I'll agree it wasn't as bad as the Lucic hit, but given Tootoo's history, you'll never convince me that he didn't take full advantage of a marginal push to fling himself headlong into Miller.  Just my two cents.  By the way, I liked Goose threatening the opposing goalie on his way off the ice. 

UPDATE: In retrospect I wanted to add that, while I disagree with Erik's take on the intent of the hit, I fully agree with the premise of his post.  Just wanted to throw that out there.

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.