Die Hard Sabres Fan

The Buffalo Sabres season has been a roller coaster ride so far.  They are currently 11-10-3 for a total of 25 points, 1 point out of a playoff spot.  Just like Buffalo’s other pro team, the Bills, it really isn’t how they got the record but how they got there.

The Sabres were one of the hottest teams coming out of the gate, but they have now lost 7 of their last 9 games.

Head coach Lindy Ruff has told his team to just erase it all today during a long meeting with his players.

Ruff said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’ve put this part of the season behind us, and we’re starting fresh. I told them that everybody’s stats are the same, and we need the type of start to this part of the season that we had at the start (of the season).”

The team met with Ruff and the coaching staff for an hour before a players only meeting, and then jumping onto the ice for an unscheduled practice, one that lasted as long as any since the regular season began.

“That puts a smile on my face,” Rivet said. “I think only Thomas Vanek was the one scratching his head on that one, because he’s gotta give up 18 goals and start over again, but you know what? He bought right into it. The guys are excited.  We had a good start to the season, and things have really slipped. They’ve slipped because of only the guys in this dressing room and what we’ve done. We’re excited to have a clean slate, start new, and we’re looking forward to next game.”

Craig Rivet, the team captain, is currently injured and had this to say on last night’s debacle to the Nashville Predators (being shut out at home to a terrible team), “The guys playing that game, the fans watching that game, it’s just unacceptable hockey.  It is a bottom point. We have not played our best hockey in the last month and a half. Guys came in today with a frustrated look on their face, and we had some meetings today that are going to give us a fresh start.”

Rivet not only just said those things, he put his money where his mouth was.

The defenseman took to the ice today to practice with his teammates despite not being able to play in the game the night before.  His head coach took notice.

“After the meeting we had today, the players had their own meeting, I think he wanted to make sure he went out and practiced,” Ruff said. “He’s been around long enough. He’s been through the wars. He’s seen long coaches meetings and he’s seen long player meetings, and I think he took it upon himself to get out there and be a part of it.”

Rivet is listed as day-to-day on the Sabres injury report with an upper body injury.  It is still unknown if the captain will return to the ice for the Sabres next game, Thursday night against the Panthers.

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The Buffalo Bills really put on a stinker yesterday afternoon, so how were the Sabres going to improve the moods of the Buffalo sports fan?

Well they didn’t and played just like their football counterpart. They also lost in very similar ways. No execution of plays, making dumb mistakes and not being able to put any points on the board despite terrific play from the defense (well the goalie in the Sabres’ case).

This game also included a former player returning home. While former Bills, Takeo Spikes and Nate Clements played pretty decent in Sunday’s game, tonight’s game former Sabres J.P. Dumont returned home and left with a couple points and a win for his team.

The Sabres came out of the gate with nothing and that continued throughout the entire game. The Sabres made another backup goalie look like a NHL All-Star.

Pekka Rinne was only playing in his 9^th career NHL game and yet he looked incredible turning aside all of the 30 Sabres shots.

While 30 shots might sound good on the box score, very few of these shots were scoring chances.

The best play came in the 3^rd period by 4 guys you never would’ve thought of. Center Paul Gaustad centered a line with wingers Adam Mair and Dan Paille that played their hearts out. Coming into the 3^rd period, the line didn’t play much but with the game in doubt Lindy Ruff didn’t send out his top lines, he sent out his most effective line of the night in Gaustad’s.

Defenseman Nathan Paetsch also played very hard. What really stuck out was the two times he hustled down the ice to touch the puck for icing when the game was, honestly, out of reach at 2-0 with 30 seconds left.

This team is suffering exactly what the Bills are going through now (minus the horrific coaching). They have a key piece, running back Marshawn Lynch and Ryan Miller but yet they don’t have consistency from everyone else playing in the game.

Both teams are also suffering some key injuries also but both are on their way to get healthy.

These two Buffalo teams might be a whole lot closer to each other than people think. Both have questionable front offices, bad owners, and lack play makers.

If you are a Sabres fan, you might just want to give up your hopes for a playoff now. Remember the Bills jumping out to a 5-1 start and then falling to 6-6. The team built up its exceptions and came back down to earth leaving a sour taste in the fans mouth.

The Sabres started off the year on fire themselves, starting off as one of the best teams in the entire league. Now the Sabres find themselves in 9^th place in the Eastern conference, on the outside looking in.

Could it already be the time to be thinking about next year in Buffalo?

Random Final Thoughts on the Game: Boy could the Sabres have used a guy like Max Afinogenov and his chance to create a few play to maybe put a goal on the scoreboard. While he is still on the Sabres payroll, they should at least use him… What is with the fans hating on Kotalik? Did he play sharp, no, but it is his first game back from injury. Of course the guy is not going to play great. Sorry he is not Tim Connolly who is so used to coming off of injuries that he plays well no matter what… Ryan Miller is back! After fans have called him Mr. Softie, the Sabres net minder played very sharp and no way was his play the cause for the loss tonight. Too bad he didn’t have a team in front of him…

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The Buffalo Sabres announced that their AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates, will take on the Albany River Rats in a regular season game at HSBC Arena on Tuesday, February 10 at 7 p.m.

Individual tickets for the game are on sale now! Ticket prices range from $15-25, with groups of 15 or more receiving $5 off the box office price at the box office.

The Pirates currently sit atop the AHL’s overall standings in second place with a record of 13-5-1-1 (..700). Three Pirates are among the league’s leading scorers.

This game will give the Sabres fans a chance to see some of the teams young talent.  The tickets are at a bargin price too, which of course helps.

Incase you were wondering how you can show some Pirates support, you can purchase Pirates’ jerseys, player t-shirts and pucks in the Sabres Store at HSBC Arena. For more information on the Pirates, click here. You can also listen to the radio action of Pirates hockey using the “Live Pirates Radio” listed in the Multimedia section on sabres.com.

If you have a chance, everyone should come see this game.  Good hockey, a look at the prospects and all for a cheap price!  Doesn’t get much better than that.

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The Buffalo Sabres lost a hard fought effort to the Montreal Canadiens, 3-2.

1^st Period

The Sabres started out of the gate quick, with Thomas Vanek netting the 1^st goal of the game on the power play.

Vanek was left wide open in front of the net on a botched clearing attempt and he made a nice move, and put it between the legs of goaltender Price.

Sabres going into the 2^nd, leading by 1.

2^nd Period

After only one goal in the first, the fans in Montreal were treated to 4 total in the 2^nd, and they enjoyed which team was doing the majority of the scoring.

The Canadiens got the game tied up at 1, with Andrei Kostitsyn netting a back hand for his 4^th goal of the season.

Thomas Vanek put in his second goal of the night, on a wrist shot to put the Sabres back up by 1.

Montreal countered right away though, Steve Begin and Andrei Markov scored before the period ended, to give them the lead 3-2 heading into the final period of play.

3^rd Period

There was no scoring in this period as the Sabres tried to battle back and tie up the game. After a strong period, the Sabres were not rewarded for their efforts, dropping the game 3-2.

Game Notes:

• Thomas Vanek netted two goals in this game to help build his lead in the NHL scoring department. Vanek is now up to 18 on the season, which is good to regain first place in the NHL.
• The Sabres were out shot 34-28 in this game.
• Patrick Lalime got a start in his home providence, and played a pretty strong game. He stopped 31 of the 34 shots that he faced.
• The Sabres have lost nine of their past 12 games (3-8-1), despite winning the previous two games in a row.
• Sabres goalie Ryan Miller had appeared in 12 of Buffalo’s past 13 games, including 11 starts, going 5-5-1 over that stretch. He got the night off tonight.

NEXT GAME: The Sabres return home to HSBC arena Monday night to take on the Nashville Predators. You can catch the game on MSG or WGR550 AM (if you are not in the Buffalo area, you can listen live to WGR play-by-play by going to WGR550.com).

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The Buffalo Sabres took down the Pittsburg Penguins with a solid all around game, winning 4-3. The Sabres have now won two games in a row, taking down the 2^nd and 4^th best teams in the Eastern Conference in back to back games.

In a time in which a Sabres fan like me should be happy, I run into a huge problem.

What do you do with Russian speedster, Maxim Afinogenov?

Now before I begin, I do not share the same views of most Sabres fans (or at least on this topic). I have personally liked the game of Afinogenov. He is a play maker who can either come out taking shots and setting up plays like clock work or he could come out and turn the puck over time and time again. I guess I have just learned to deal with it, what most Sabres fans do not do.

However, no matter what my personal view of Afinogenov is, he will not be a Sabre at the end of this season.

Max was benched for two straight games as a healthy scratch a few days ago and he told reporters that Head Coach Lindy Ruff never spoke to him about it. If a head coach does not even make contact with one of his players, what is that telling you about their relationship?

Not only doest the benching come in as a factor, but it really does make sense for both sides. Afinogenov is most likely not very happy with his role on the 3^rd line in Buffalo. He probably wants to go elsewhere to see if he can get on one of the two scoring lines, which I believe he can do.

The Sabres on the other hand have two many forwards on their roster to get everyone in the game. Injuries to center Tim Connolly and winger Ales Kotalik has given Max a little bit of wiggle room but even with the two out, he was still benched. Now with Kotalik returning in tonight’s game against Montreal, his time with the Sabres might be getting shorter and shorter.

Not to mention that enforcer Andrew Peters and rookie Mark Mancari still do not have a full time spot. Peters will dress as needed, while Mancari is fitting to stay with the pro team.

Since being recalled the Portland Pirates, Mancari has played extremely well for a player with fewer than 10 games of experience in his young career.

Through the 4 games he has been up, Mancari has play a physical game using his big frame (6’3”. 225 lbs.) to muscle opponents off the puck and throwing checks, something that the team could really use. Mancari has also showed he can score too, netting a goal to go along with an assist in his current stay.

And I still haven’t brought up the other top prospects in Portland. Center Nathan Gerbe and winger Tim Kennedy are both averaging over a point per game as they light up the AHL and are chopping at the bit to get up in the big league.

As much as I would like to see it all work out, it is time for a change.

The longest tenured Sabre, Afinogenov is only signed through the end of the year and will not resign again with his current team.

Afinogenov played one of the best games of the season and in recent memory, against the Penguins but that is not his consistent level of play. If he played like that every night then there is no reason why Max couldn’t find a way to stay, but he doesn’t. He can be very streaky at times and he still has troubling finishing.

The Sabres really do need to cut their ties with Max and move on. Their only move is to trade him for a draft pick.

Some teams out there with a struggling offense will look to the 29 year old winger to try to give them a boost. It is sad for him, but Buffalo just doesn’t need him anymore.

A change is in place not only for Max but for a Sabres team looking to be competitive for at least the near future. Max is no longer a part of that blue plan.

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The Buffalo Sabres are getting some good news on the injury front heading into tonight’s game against the Pittsburgh Penguins at HSBC Arena.

Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said that an extra forward will be dressed in tonight’s game just in case the NHL’s leading goal scorer, Thomas Vanek is unable to go.  Vanek took a hard hit in Wednesday’s game against the Bruins.  The forward suffered a leg contusion that is still ailing him.  Ruff on the subject, “He should be able to go, we’ll make sure he’s ready for tonight so we’re going to dress an extra forward.”

Ruff also said that forward Ales Kotalik is almost ready to go also and might have even started tonight.  Kotalik will be benched tonight and there is a pretty good chance he will return to the line up tomorrow night.  Kotalik has been out the past few games due to a pull hamstring.

At the morning skate today,  Dan Paille skated on the wing with Adam Mair and Patrick Kaleta.  Paille missed the game on Wednesday because of the flu.

The last forward position will be between Max Afinogenov and enforcer Andrew Peters.  Who ever doesn’t play will be scratched.  On defense, Nathan Paetsch will be the odd man out.  Ryan Miller is making the start between the pipes.

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The Buffalo Sabres season was going downhill after starting off so promising and they ran into a team last night that has had their number and was no first place in the Eastern Conference in the Boston Bruins.  With the way they were playing, their 6 loss in a row seemed very probable.

But this was not the same Sabres team of the past few games, this was a team who looked like they were playing together and came out of the gate throwing their bodies around, something they have not done in the past.

They finally played that grit game that head coach Lindy Ruff loves.

An interesting stat is this game, the Sabers were outshot 29=23 in this game, but out hit their opposition for one of the first time this season.

In the first period the Sabres got out to a quick 2-0 start on two goals by Derek Roy.  The 1st goal occured when the Bruins lost control of their puck right in front of their own net.  Roy cam in from the point, stoll it away and slapped it in to the back of the net to put the Sabres up 1-0.  His second goal of the night came almost 11 minutes later when he wristed top shelf.  It was his 5th and 6th goals of the year.

In the second both teams traded goals as Matt Hunwick and Jochen Hecht both scored for their teams.  Hecht’s goal was only his 2nd of the season and it came on a slap shot, shorthanded.  Bruin goalie Tim Thomas didn’t play the puck very well and found himself staring at a 3-1 defict heading into the 3rd.

Phil Kessel scored his 11th of the season on a wrist shot back Miller but in the end it just wasn’t enough, Sabres hold on to win 3-2 in delight of their home crowd in HSBC Arena.

The three stars of the game in this one was as follows, Derek Roy, Jason Pomminville and Patrick Kaleta (led all skaters with 8 hits and played a sharp game all around).

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Wondering when the Buffalo Sabres play next?  Well here on the site we would like to make it easy for you.  Here is who and where the Sabres play over the next week (along with where you can catch the game on TV and/or Radio).

NOTE: All times are in Eastern

Wednesday, 11/26

Where: @ HSBC Arena against the Bruins.

Time: 7:00 PM

TV: MSG

Radio: WGR 550 AM

Friday, 11/28

Where: @ HSBC Arena against the Penguins.

Time: 7:30 PM

TV: MSG

Radio: WGR 550 AM

Saturday, 11/29

Where: @.Montreal against the Canadiens.

Time: 7:00 PM

TV: MSG

Radio: WGR 550 AM

Monday, 12/1

Where: @ HSBC Arena against the Predators.

Time: 7:00 PM

TV: MSG

Radio: WGR 550 AM

If you are a Sabres fans looking for a cheap way to get into the stands, there are tickets available still for the all games (including the road game in Pittsburgh).  You can find them by going to the Die Hard Sports Fan ticket site.

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The Buffalo Sabres need your help in the polls in an election more important than that of our president, the All-Star ballot.

Currently the Sabres are low on the list.  The closest player to a starting spot is Thomas Vanek (currently in 8th in forwards).  Goalie Ryan Miller is also close, but is currently in 3rd place.  Defenseman Teppo Numminen is 7th in defensemen.

The top 3 forwards, 2 defensemen and top goalie all get the starting nod in the 2009 All-Star Game.  To vote for your team, go to http://fanballoting.nhl.com/.

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Play making center Tim Connolly can never find himself injury free throughout a season.  His bad luck streak continued after news broke today that Connolly has a broken rib.

In the 6 games Connolly has been able to give it a go, he has 2 goals and 5 assists.  When Tim is on the ice he creates plays for his team, but that is the problem, keeping him on the ice.

Connolly has not played a full season since the 2002-2003 campaign.

Here is the breaking news coming from John Vogl and Mike Harrington from the Buffalo News  buffalonews.com):

Buffalo Sabres center Tim Connolly, who has missed four straight games, told The News during Saturday’s meeting with the New York Islanders he suffered a broken rib when he was checked by St. Louis’ Keith Tkachuk.

Connolly was hit hard by Tkachuk on Nov. 12, but an initial diagnosis failed to reveal the crack. The Sabres have described the injury only as an “upper body-musculoskeletal” problem.

Connolly actually played two nights later against Columbus and skated a team-high 21:06. He knew, however, something was wrong.

“I’ve never played through that much pain in my life,” he said.

Connolly went for another examination, and X-rays showed a clean break. He was told the recovery time for the injury would be approximately two weeks, and from there it’s a matter of starting the season all over again and getting back into game shape.

Connolly has long been beset by bad luck on the injury front, including missing the first 10 games of this season because of two fractured vertebrae in his back.

“You can either be positive of negative, so I’ll be positive,” Connolly said.

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