December 23, 2009
Live from the Phone Booth: Sabres-Caps
WASHINGTON -- This has been quite a day already as we get set for the Sabres' final pre-Christmas game, a battle here in the Verizon Center against the Washington Capitals. As you may have read earlier, I walked into the building for the morning skate and there were no hockey players, just a Georgetown basketball game about to break out. It's cold. There's tons of snow still around from the weekend. Ice and cobblestone don't mix, as I took a header near the rink walking back from the practice I didn't see.
And now, to top all that, comes word that Nuke LaLoosh and Annie Savoy are kaput.
(No, I don't normally read People.com. It was linked from USA Today). Excuse this baseball guy while I mourn that one. Would love to post my favorite "Bull Durham" video here but can't find one without any R-rated stuff in it. 'Tis a family blog, remember.
So with some extra time on my hands this afternoon, I made my first trip to the Newseum. It's the wondrous, 2-year-old museum that tells the story of the press. And it should be a must-see for any DC visitor. The place is huge, six soaring floors high. There's a great view of the Capitol and Pennsylvania Avenue from the top-floor balcony. Videos and interactive exhibits all over the place. One highlight was an entire gallery on 9/11, featuring front pages from around the world and a portion of the antenna mast from atop the World Trade Center.
Above right, you can see the centerpiece of a new exhibit replicating the office of Buffalo native Tim Russert, the moderator of "Meet the Press." Featured many of his old books that were around his office, plus family momentos. There was a Bills pennant (it's on the far left of the shot -- click to blow it up), a Bisons baseball, a book on the Rockpile. Great stuff Russert's son, Luke, now an MSNBC correspondent, had several school projects on display. The display was tastefully done, with a video running in the background, and it was fascinating.
There was also a personal element to the trip as I visted the third-floorJournalists Memorial, which included a display on our beloved late colleague Tom Borrelli. A victim of a fall down a staircase at All High Stadium, Borrelli died 12 days after his accident in Nov., 2008. He has a plaque in his honor here in DC (click picture at left for a better view), his name is etched in a glass wall and a video kiosk shows a picture of him at work covering the Bandits. Awesome stuff and an awesome tribute.
But I have a hockey game to cover and Borrelli would have already complained that I spent the last paragraph on him. So it's on to that, and to the work that would lead with that trademark Borrelli "we got your story" note over the phone at the end of the night.
A word of advice if watching this one on MSG: Don't leave your TV during the first intermission. Be sure to watch the main feature. The good folks in the broadcasting department have sworm me to secrecy -- after giving me a sneak peak. It's worth your time. Trust me. We'll have updates from the warmup when the teams take the ice
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
Pregame: Same lineup as Monday in Toronto. That means Miller in goal, Vanek and Kaleta scratched and Paetsch in.
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Postgame: You can't shy away from what happened in the first period and the Sabres didn't
Miller: "You can't spot a team a period. We didn't come out the way we need to. We want to run with the big dogs, we're going to have to show a lot more composure and a lot more attention to detail. Just call it like it is."
Ruff: "We didn't go to work. You play like that, you've got no chance of winning in this league. We weren't on the puck, we didn't compete for pucks, We just decided not to show up the first period. That was shocking. Can't hide it."
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Third Period
18:11 left: Another good start from the Sabres as Kennedy misses an open chance from in front after a great backhand feed from MacArthur.
17:31 left: Neuvirth robs Roy alone from in front after a Hecht feed.
10:40 left: Caps maintaining their lead and get a power play as Rivet goes for hooking. A much tighter period with the Sabres holding a 4-2 edge in shots.
9:31 left: Here comes trouble. Gaustad goes for tripping and the Caps have a two-man advantage for 51 seconds.
9:05 left: Trouble arrives as Backstrom bangs home a Semin pass to Miller's left to make it 4-2.
7:50 left: And there's a coup de grace as Ovechkin pounds home his 24th to make it 5-2 and this place just explodes.
A 5-2 final: Shots were 38-34 for the Capitals.
Second Period
17:08 left: A much better start. Knuble off for interference as Sabres already have four shots. The Roy line, which was on the ice for both first-period goals, had two great chances on its first shift, by Stafford and Hecht.
16:39 left: Stafford goes for roughing as he crashed Neuvirth while going to the net. Dubious call and Lindy Ruff was not happy. We've seen Miller bowled over plenty of times this year with much more contact than that and nothing gets called.
15:52 left: Brendan Morris goes for interference. So it's 4-on-3.
14:56 left: The Sabres make it 2-1 as Gaustad converts a 2-on-1 on a neat Roy feed. Shot trickled through the five-hole on Neuvirth, who looks pretty shaky. Ten seconds earlier, Roy had him beat but the shot hit the post.
13:02 left: Sabres stay close as Green's floater hits the post behind a beaten Miller. Sabres have 9-4 edge in shots in this period. Guess there was some talking inside that locker room -- as there should have been.
9:58 left: Gaustad stopped by Neuvirth after great work by Montador and Sekera to get the puck up ice. Also great work here on the scoreboard. They put up replays almost instantaneously on a big save right while the play is going on. Don't have to wait for a faceoff and other assorted silliness minutes later.
9:12 left: Goal of the night by Brendan Morrison, who flips one over Miller to the left of the crease with a sensational between-the-legs flip with the puck behind him. Miller had stopped Tomas Fleischmann but couldn't corral the rebound and Morrison got a hold of it before Miller or Tallinder could. Look for that one on SportsCenter.
7:08 left: The Sabres get back within a goal as Tim Connolly -- yes, Tim Connolly deflects Montador's drive from the right point out of mid-air. Bucky Gleason chronicled Connolly's troubles today: No goals since Nov. 27 and that was the only time in 25 games since Halloween he had scored.
4:28 left: How different is this period? Shots are 18-11 for Buffalo.
End-2nd: Big saves by Neuvirth on Grier and Pominville in the final 10 seconds keep the Caps in front. Sabres had a 20-14 edge in shots in a wild period. It's 29-24 for Washington through two.
First Period
18:42 left: Roy-Hecht-Stafford-Sekera-Montador have a brutal shift and the puck is in the Buffalo net. Nicklas Backstrom does the honors with a one-timer from the slot on a beautiful pass from Alex Ovechkin. Backstrom had been stopped a few seconds earlier. Miller threw his arms in the air as if to say, "faceoff already happened, boys."
14:56 left: It's only five minutes in and I'm already sick of the guy blaring the trumpet leading the "Let's Go, Caps" chant. Fine for everybody else but dude sits right below press box. Ear-ringer.
13:13 left: Green makes it 2-0 from the point as his slapshot hits the shaft of Roy's stick and flutters past Miller. Great crossice pass from Eric Fehr set it up. That's two goals on three shots. That will do damage to Miller's save percentage.
11:56 left: Sabres go to the power play as Alexander Semin goes off for tripping Ellis. Of course, that may not help as the Sabres are just 3 for 46 on the PP in the last 12 games.
9:48 left: Make that 3 for 47. The Sabres had some good possession in the Caps' zone as Pominville and MacArthur did some work holding the puck in. But no shots on goal. You don't get the point shots through and not much happens. Shots are 6-1 for the Caps thus far.
7:36 left: Forgot the lines. It's been Connolly-Gaustad-Grier, Stafford-Roy-Hecht, MacArthur-Kennedy-Pominville and Mair-Ellis-Paetsch. Defense pairs unchanged: Tallinder-Myers, Sekera-Montador and Lydman-Rivet.
3:22 left: Miller makes two saves, including a highway robbery job on the doorstep on Chris Clark. It's 14-1 on the shot counter and that reflects how this one has gone. Sabres haven't shown up.
End-1st: Thanks to Miller, the Sabres do well to only be down, 2-0, after what ranks as one of their uglier periods all season. Shots are 15-4. Connolly had Buffalo's first one 31 seconds into the period -- and the Sabres didn't get another for nearly 17 minutes. Remember to watch that intermission feature to soothe that period!
Quiet morning in DC
WASHINGTON -- Went to the Verizon Center as usual for the Sabres' gameday morning skate today. Been there before (George Mason's 2006 regional upset of UConn was a big highlight). Same routine: Through the Gallery Place concourse, check. Back door, check. Security table, check. Down the stairs, check. Basketball court on the arena floor. Say whaaaaaa?
Yep. No ice. Georgetown has a noon hoop affair with Harvard. Sabres apparently didn't get the memo on that one, or at least get it to me. A Sabres spokesman said there was some thought about skating at the Capitals' facility -- which is across the river in Arlington, Va. -- but it's unlikely that will take place.
The Caps did skate and the Washington Post reports that rookie Michael Neuvirth, called up two weeks ago from Hershey of the AHL, is expected to make his fourth start. He's 1-2 with a 3.70 goals against average and .872 save percentage but coming off his first win in Saturday's 4-2 victory at Edmonton.
The Sabres should go with Ryan Miller since they had Tuesday off and have the NHL-mandated two-day break coming after this one before Saturday's grudge match against Ottawa in HSBC Arena. Patrick Lalime is almost certain to play Sunday in St. Louis.
---Mike Harrington
December 22, 2009
Myers, Kaleta miss practice
The Sabres returned to practice today without rookie standout Tyler Myers, who appeared to suffer a shoulder or arm injury in a 3-2 overtime victory Monday night over Toronto. Myers played through discomfort in the third period but missed the workout this morning.
Patrick Kaleta also missed the workout today. He's been suffering from neck pain since Jarkko Ruutu nailed him when the winger wasn't looking last week. There was no word yet on whether Myers or Kaleta would be available for the game Wednesday night in Washington.
Chris Butler skated for the second straight day. Thomas Vanek had a limited workout while skating mostly with the fourth line.
UPDATE
Myers was giving the day off to rest and is expected to play Wednesday night against the Capitals. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said Myers had been battling discomfort in his groin but it was not considered serious. As for the appearance that the defenseman was dinged up in the arm-shoulder area, Ruff said, "It was nothing."
Kaleta was getting treatment for his neck. It was not clear whether he would play in Washington. Butler was feeling good but has not set a timetable on when he would return.
--- Bucky Gleason
December 21, 2009
Live from Sabres at Toronto
TORONTO -- Ryan Miller, probably the most intellectual person I know, admonished a few Toronto folks for thinking too much today.
The Sabres goaltender has 20 wins against the Leafs, 11th all time and most among active players. Martin Brodeur and Chris Osgood are second with 17 victories. A few media members in the Centre of the Hockey Universe asked Miller after the morning skate what his secret is and why he has such success against the Leafs.
"We play them more than other teams," Miller said. "You guys are getting way too deep with this."
Indeed, as members of the Northeast Division, the Sabres and Leafs have met six or eight times a season during Miller's career. Since Toronto hasn't made the playoffs since about 1980 (or so it seems), Miller should have more wins.
Speaking of winners, I went to see "Up in the Air" this afternoon in the funky Scotiabank Theatre. It was entertaining for everyone, judging by the laughter and other reactions throughout the movie, but especially for anyone who travels a lot. As for me, it was the most biographical film I've ever encountered. The only real difference is George Clooney uses Hilton instead of Marriott, has more cash and is (arguably) better looking. Go see it. It's worth it.
Back soon with the puck drop -- unless the ACC Internet crashes like last time.
FIRST PERIOD
7:13 p.m.: And we're off, with Jonas Gustavsson in net for the Leafs and a "Go, Leafs, go" chant already started.
7:17 p.m.: Leafs have taken first five shots, with an obvious plan: crowd and bump Miller. Tim Connolly gets Sabres' first attempt with 15:47 to go.
7:22 p.m.: Sabres open the scoring with 13:49 left on a goal by an unlikely source: Nathan Paetsch, who's playing forward with the absences of Thomas Vanek and Patrick Kaleta. Matt Ellis did a nice job absorbing a hit to get Paetsch the puck, and he shot it five-hole.
7:31 p.m.: And with 5:08 left, we get the first commercial break -- which usually comes at first whistle after 14:00. Lots of skating with no whistles, obviously. But back to commercials. I'm big on getting to movies on time so I can see the previews (although I only go to about one movie a year) but take your time in Canada. The first 10 minutes were commercials, then they got to previews, then they got to the movie.
7:36 p.m.: Sabres fall to 3 for 46 on the power play in the past 11-plus games. They also almost gave up a short-handed goal, but Miller bailed them out with a breakaway save on West Seneca's Lee Stempniak with 3:40 to go.
7:42 p.m.: The Paetsch-Adam Mair-Matt Ellis line almost gets its third goal of the game with 1:18 to go. As it is, it remains 1-0 Buffalo.
7:46 p.m.: The Sabres head to the dressing room with a 1-0 lead. Shots are even at 13-13, with Miller looking good and Gustavsson shaky. Shocker, eh?
SECOND PERIOD
8:09 p.m.: Once again the ACC is not A-OK. While I couldn't log on, the Leafs' Viktor Stalberg tied the game with 16:19 to go.
8:15 p.m.: We're down to 11:58 left, with the Leafs holding a 17-15 shot edge. Place is a little lively, but I'd still like to see how it is with a playoff-making team.
8:19 p.m.: Steve Montador misses a glorious chance to put the Sabres back in front with 9:59 to go. Six players plus Gustavsson are down in the crease, with puck still free at top of crease. Montador pinches, gets puck, stops and takes time to shoot -- then doesn't find the net.
8:27 p.m.: Another close call for the Sabres, this time as Tyler Myers works a give-and-go with Jason Pominville and doinks one off the post from close range with 8:25 to go.
8:34 p.m.: Tim Connolly, who took a hard hit in the Pittsburgh game, gets crunched into the boards by Luke Schenn with 4:15 to go. He is fine, but you always wonder.
8:37 p.m.: Stempniak sets up second Toronto goal, giving the Leafs a 2-1 lead with 2:40 to go. The forward streaked down the left side, waited for Ian White to reach the front of the net then fed him for a redirect.
8:40 p.m.: This time, it's the Leafs heading to the dressing rooms with a one-goal lead. They also have a 22-21 shot advantage and took over the latter stages of the period.
THIRD PERIOD
9:03 p.m.: The players have been back working, but the Internet stayed in the dressing room till now -- there is 15:50 left, no change in score.
9:13 p.m.: Leafs fans riding Miller with chant, but it's the Buffalo offense that could get catcalls this game so far (except for fourth line).
9:22 p.m.: Jochen Hecht scores with 7:01 to go, tying the game. Drew Stafford's shot was deflected to Hecht, who cruised in front and put a backhand past Gustavsson.
10:08 p.m.: With the Internet available at the bottom floor of the ACC we can now tell you Derek Roy scored with 1:25 left in overtime to give the Sabres a 3-2 win, their ninth straight over Toronto and eighth in a row in Ontario.
---John Vogl
Vanek, Kaleta out for Leafs
TORONTO -- Thomas Vanek has always had a simple theory.
"As long as I could walk I could play," he said.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff convinced him Saturday that theory needed tweaking. Further evidence comes tonight in Air Canda Centre.
Vanek will miss his second straight game tonight when the Sabres visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was struck in the abdomen by a shot recently and struggled through a few games with the ailment. Ruff told him half speed was no good and sat the left winger when the Penguins visited HSBC Arena over the weekend.
The Sabres' perennial goal-scoring leader is better than half speed now, but it's still not full speed.
"Obviously, I hate missing games," Vanek said after the game-day skate. "I’m not a big fan of it. My theory, I guess, was as long as I could walk I could play. But Lindy came to me and said it’s not good enough, which is tough to argue. I didn’t feel right out there, but at the same time it’s tough not to play.
"When I try to take off it doesn’t feel right, so we’re going to keep working on it. It’s better than it was two days ago, so hopefully it keeps progressing."
Vanek will be joined on the sidelines by Patrick Kaleta. The right winger was hurt Wednesday in Ottawa when Jarkko Ruutu drove his head into the boards. Kaleta missed one game then returned against the Pens, but he was able to play fewer than five minutes.
"He’s still hampered by the neck," Ruff said. "It was bothering him pretty bad the other night when he played, so he won’t be able to play. [Playing] didn’t make anything worse. It’s just not right yet."
Defenseman Nathan Paetsch will play on the fourth line with Adam Mair and Matt Ellis.
Another change will come on the struggling power play, with Steve Montador joining the blue line on a unit with Craig Rivet, Jochen Hecht, Derek Roy and Drew Stafford.
"I’m grateful for the opportunity," said Montador, who enters with a simple philosophy: shoot. "As much as I used to think I could be on the pond, I’m not a dangler playmaker as much I’m able to get the puck on net. That’s what I want to do.
"Sometimes it just takes some fresh blood, a new look. We haven’t been creating the chances we want, so the personnel needs a change. I’m happy to be a part of it."
---John Vogl
Live from the Sabres' morning skate
TORONTO -- The Sabres are on the ice in Air Canada Centre, and early indications are Thomas Vanek is questionable and Patrick Kaleta is out for tonight's game against Toronto.
Kaleta, who played just 4:57 Saturday after missing one game due to a head shot taken in Ottawa, is not on the ice as the Sabres go through their game-day preparations.
Vanek, who missed Saturday's shootout loss to Pittsburgh with an abdominal injury, is skating but only as a spare for the fourth line. He was twisting his body and bouncing up and down when he first took the ice in an attempt to test the injury.
It appears if neither Vanek nor Kaleta meet the Maple Leafs tonight, Nathan Paetsch will play at forward. He has dressed for just one of the past 10 games.
Defenseman Chris Butler, who has missed nine games with an ankle sprain, is skating with the team as a spare defenseman.
We will get official word on the injuries from coach Lindy Ruff after practice.
The lines:
Tim Connolly-Paul Gaustad-Mike Grier
Jochen Hecht-Derek Roy-Drew Stafford
Clarke MacArthur-Tim Kennedy-Jason Pominville
Paetsch-Matt Ellis-Adam Mair
---John Vogl
December 20, 2009
Sunday morning papers
Here's a look around the league, starting in the B-Lo:
*Bucky Gleason writes about head shots in Inside the NHL.
"The league for years has dropped hints that it was going to crack down on hits to the head but very little has been done. The NHL players' association has done almost nothing. For every day the NHL and its so- called union waits to implement better, stiffer rules, players show less respect for one another."
*Pittsburgh beat the Sabres, 2-1, in a shootout, and Saturday's sellout crowd in HSBC Arena saw a breakaway competition only because neither team could take advantage of the breaks the refs gave them. Buffalo went 0 for 8 on the power play, including 0 for 4 in the third period and one in overtime. Pittsburgh was 0 for 5, with three failures in the third period.
*Patrick Kaleta was back but Thomas Vanek was out for the Sabres.
*When the defending Cup champions called, it was clear Jay McKee's wants coincided with the Pittsburgh Penguins' needs.
*A Brodeur not named Martin almost recorded a shutout in his NHL debut.
*Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger after another loss: "We have to be desperate each shift we're out there - whether it's the first period or the last period. We can't wait until we get down and all of a sudden flip a switch. We've got to do it for 60 minutes."
*A little yelling got Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals moving.
*The Sabres were among those who pledged to chip in and save the downtown ball drop on New Year's.
---John Vogl
December 19, 2009
Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Pens
Time for the Sabres' first meeting of the season with the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, who are tied with New Jersey for first overall in the NHL at 49 points. But oddly enough, the Pens are officially just fourth in the East because the Devils have a higher point percentage and thus lead the Atlantic Division. As division leaders, the Capitals (48 points) and Sabres (44) are rated ahead of Pittsburgh.
The Bay City Rollers' 70s anthem "Saturday Night" is blaring through the arena right now. If I have to be subjected to that, I expect to hear "Piano Man" during the second period ("It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday"). Music aside, it's always entertaining to watch the Pens. Sidney Crosby is fourth in the NHL in scoring (22-20-42) and don't forget Evgeni Malkin (10-24-34). Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is tied for second in the NHL with Ryan Miller with 20 wins. Miller, of course, won't be playing tonight as Patrick Lalime gets the start in goal.
We'll be sure to give you the line combinations as we get going. The Sabres are starting Gaustad between Grier and Connolly. Old friend Jay McKee is starting on defense for the Penguins.
Nathan Paetsch took the warmup but is listed as a scratch. He was apparently skating in case Patrick Kaleta couldn't go. So Kaleta is in and Thomas Vanek is out. What kind of upper-body ailment affects skating like Lindy Ruff said this morning? Abdominal? Back? Wonder if it could be anything else?
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
Shootout
Pens win: Pominville miss, Letang backhand goal (just like at the Ralph), Roy pokechecked, Crosby STOPPED by Lalime as the puck just stays out. He went for the five-hole just like at the Ralph! Stafford misses on deke.
OT
Of note: Pens are 8-1 this year in OT -- including 5-0 in shootouts. Sabres are 3-2 (2-0 in shootouts).
4:31 left: Yikes. Malkin just tips one wide.
3:17 left: Sabres get -- yep -- another power play as Alex Goglioski goes for high sticking Stafford. So it's 4-on-3. Let's see.
1:59 left: Three point shots by Connolly and none hit the net, either blocked or wide. Key problem on the power play tonight.
1:15 left: You didn't really think a power play would solve this one, did you? Sabres 0 for 8, Pens 0 for 5.
On to shootout: Lalime foiled Crosby twice in the final 30 seconds. Both teams were credited with one shot in the OT and the final count was 32-24 for Buffalo. Crosby is 5 for 5 in shootouts this year. Fluery has allowed just one goal in 16 attempts. Wow. Bad omen -- It's a 1-1 game, just like it was at the Ralph on Jan. 1, 2008.
Third Period
Of note: We got NFL Network up here. Cowboys have a quick 14-0 lead in the first quarter at unbeaten New Orleans. The Penguins have been firing the puck all over the place tonight. They've taken 44 shots but only 13 are on net (15 blocked and 16 missed). ... Pens are 6-0 when tied after two periods, Sabres are 5-0-2.
18:11 left: Malkin goes for tripping Sekera at the Pens' line. Both teams are 0-3 on the power play tonight.
17:12 left: Wild sequence ends with Fleury spearing a Connolly laser. It came after Lalime robbed Staal on a breakaway. That came after Connolly's bolt from the point cranked off the goalpost.
16:08 left: Malkin must not have liked his time in the box. He goes right back for interference coming out of the box by putting his stick into Stafford. The Sabres' 0-for-4 tonight leaves them 3 for 41 with the man advantage in the last 11 games.
14:00 left: That makes 0 for 5 and 3 for 42.
13:16 left: Looks like the penalty parade will keep going until somebody scores. Now Hecht is off for holding. Pens' turn.
13:07 left: Tough hit on Grier by Crosby. Grier looks like his back is hurting as he goes off.
12:40 left: Lalime dedicates huge stop on Malkin to Greg B. in the comments section.
9:46 left: Orpik gets a cheap holding call but it was the result of great work in the Pens' zone as Fleury had made big saves on Pominville and Sekera earlier in the shift and Kennedy had a great chance deflected over the net.
7:41 left: Some zone time but not many chances for the Sabres. That's 0-6 for Buffalo and 0-10 for the teams combined tonight.
6:07 left: Lalime stops Malkin again. Shots are 9-8 for the Pens in this period and 28-22 for Buffalo in the game.
4:39 left: MacArthur goes for high sticking. How many chances do these teams need?
2:30 left: They need another. Still tied. Pens 0 for 5.
2:06 left: Cooke to the box for interference on a high hit that stunned Connolly.
On to OT: Shots were 11-10 for Buffalo (31-23 overall). Sabres were 0 for 4 on the PP in the third period, 0 for 7 overall. Crazy.
Second Period
Of note: Sabres spokesman Mike Gilbert just visited us to clarify Vanek's "upper-body" injury. The explanation is that Vanek has taken some pucks to the midsection the last couple games and the soreness from those blows are affecting his skating. ... The Sabres lost 14 of 21 faceoffs in the first period. Gaustad split his six but the rest of the team went just 4 of 15.
16:54 left: Uh-oh. Rivet and Michael Rupp plow over Lalime, who's face-down behind the net. Looked like Lalime got a glancing elbow to the head but he's up.
15:41 left: Lalime is OK. Huge save on Letang to thwart a 2-on-1. Shots are 6-3 for the Sabres thus far in a much more open period.
15:22 left: Rivet off for tripping but I hate the call. Malkin dove over his stick and went down. Brutal. Rivet's stick was definitely out. I could see tripping on him and unsportsmanlike on Malkin.
13:00 left: The Sabres survive a wild power play that saw Crosby buzzing around. On one cross-ice pass, Malkin had a wide-open net and fired it wide.
11:10 left: Kaleta's fine. He just destroyed McKee with a crunching hit in the Pens' zone and a few seconds later McKee took a silly retaliatory roughing penalty.
9:00 left: Still tied at 1-1. Stafford and Connolly had decent chances for Buffalo but the Pens had a 2-on-1 off a M yers giveaway that was actually the best. Staal and Talbot actually overpassed on the play and Myers got back to help Lalime keep the puck out of the net.
5:51 left: Kennedy off for tripping a few seconds after Fleury robbed MacArthur with a diving safe. MacArthur took a feed from Kennedy and was pulled down on his shot but no call was made. Then Kennedy took a ticky-tack call in his own zone. Suffice to say, Lindy Ruff was not happy with that call.
4:29 left: Crosby and Malkin are dominating on the power play but the Pens can't score if they keep firing wide. Malkin and Sergei Gonchar are chief culprits on that count. Malkin just pounded his stick on the ice in frustration.
2:27 left: Shots are 11-8 for Buffalo in an entertaining period. Kennedy stopped again by Fleury while Lalime turned back Staal on a 2-on-1.
End-2nd: Still tied at 1-1. Shots were 11-8 for the Sabres and 20-13 overall. Hard to complain a wit about Lalime. Two goals in five periods the last two weeks against the Blackhawks and Penguins. Gotta get him some offense.
First Period
17:43 left: Kaleta welcomes himself back by taking a foolish goaltender interference penalty behind the play. Bumped into Fleury on the way out of the Pens' zone. The lines went this way: Connolly-Gaustad-Grier, Hecht-Roy-Stafford, MacArthur-Kennedy-Pominville and Mair-Ellis-Kaleta. Same defense pairs: Lydman-Rivet, Tallinder-Myers and Sekera-Montador.
15:40 left: With all this mega talent, how in the world can the Penguins' power play be 29th in the league? We just saw how. No shots. Are they trying to be too pretty with it? The Pens entered the game at just 14.8 percent and this failed chance drops them to 9 for 74 on the road (12.1 percent).
14:00 left: Fleury makes a routine save on Stafford on the first shot on goal for either side. Not much happening, other than Sidney Crosby getting the Danny Briere treatment every time he touches the puck.
12:23 left: Hometown boy Brooks Orpik goes to the box for a silly interference penalty. Orpik entered the game with no goals, 13 assists and a plus-2 rating thus far this season. He also ranks fifth in the NHL with 106 hits. As for the crowd, the place is packed -- as it should be for the Cup champs. Folks clearly picked a gold game with the Pens over platinum last night vs. the Laffs. Lots of Pens jerseys in the crowd, including an entire row of youths in whites three rows from the top of Section 311.
11:28 left: With nothing going on, MacArthur breaks to the goal and draws a hooking call on Kris Letang. So it's 5-on-3 for 65 seconds.
10:29 left: Sabres sure miss Vanek in this situation. Some blocked shots and a Stafford misfire into the screen.
9:25 left: Fleury made a nice save on Roy but that was it for the power play. Shots are 3-1 for the Sabres as Matt Cooke got credited with the first for the Pens at this point. Looked like it was going wide of Lalime on the right post. Whatever.
5:45 left: Shots are 5-4 for the Sabres. Lalime made the best save of the period thus far with 7:04 left, robbing Tyler Kennedy on a deflection from close range.
4:55 left: The Sabres take a 1-0 lead on a Pominville goal and it all started about 15 seconds earlier with great forechecking from Tim Kennedy. Lydman eventually fed MacArthur, and the rebound of his shot was potted home by Pominville. The Population is at eight (but no sign of the sign above 312 that keeps track of the total).
38.3 left: The Pens tie it up. The Sabres lose the puck inside the line and Crosby then loses it in front of Lalime. But No. 87 recovers with a beautiful back pass and Chris Kunitz's screened shot from the circle to Lalime's right gets past the Buffalo goalie. Bill Guerin in front but for now it's Kunitz's goal.
End-1st: Shots are 9-5 for Buffalo. Too bad the Sabres didn't get out of the period with the lead.
Bulletin: Kaleta good to go but no Vanek
The Sabres have just taken the ice for the pregame warmup and, just as he promised me this morning, Patrick Kaleta is out there going through his paces. So is Nathan Paetsch. What's Paetsch doing out there?
Well, Thomas Vanek is not on the ice. Lindy Ruff volunteered to us this morning that Vanek has some sort of upper-body injury that's apparently affecting his skating. That's the latest. Stay tuned for tonight's live blog.
---Mike Harrington
Kaleta wants to play tonight
Patrick Kaleta says his head is fine and his neck is only a little stiff. So he wants to be on the ice tonight in HSBC Arena when the Sabres host the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
"It could happen. We'll see. I've got to talk with a couple guys but I wouldn't be surprised if I"m running around out there tonight," Kaleta said after being one of a small group of players to take an optional skate. "My head's all right. I know all my math facts."
Lindy Ruff termed Kaleta "doubtful" and said he wanted to see how the rugged winger felt after skating but it should be noted the coach spoke to the media before Kaleta took the ice.
Kaleta didn't have much to say about the fact Ruttu wasn't suspended for the hit, which earned only a five-minute boarding penalty.
"I can't control things like that," he said. "I just go out and play. If it happens it happens. If not, then I just worry about the next team we're playing and moving forward. I give out my share of hits and I take pride in my hits and having them be clean. I'm all up for a good, clean hit. Sometimes you put yourself in position when you have to take a hit ... I'm all for physicality. It just caught me in kind of a vulnerable position there. He just came from the side and caught me."
In other news today, Ruff revealed that Thomas Vanek is battling another injury that has curtailed his effectiveness the last two games. Ruff called it an "upper-body" injury, then said it was affecting Vanek's skating. Hmmm.
Vanek, who scored his 10th goal of the season in the third period of Friday's 5-2 win over Toronto, was one of several players who didn't seem to have much energy over the first 30 minutes or so of the game.
"He hasn't been himself the last couple of games. I had a long meeting with him today already," Ruff said. "He can't play like that. He just can't. And if you're hurting that bad, you may have to come out of the lineup. You're going to have to let me know."
Ruff used Drew Stafford on the fourth line Friday and was happy with his response, which included a key setup on Derek Roy's tying goal. He also said that rookie Tim Kennedy, who has three goals, three assists and a plus-4 rating over the last 11 games, is playing himself into bigger roles that might include power-play time.
Both teams are hot. The Penguins have won four straight and are 10-3-1 in their last 14. The Sabres have won five of six and are 9-3 in their last 12. As revealed earlier in the week, Patrick Lalime will be starting in goal for Buffalo tonight.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
December 18, 2009
Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Leafs
Greetings from HSBC Arena as the Sabres try for their eighth straight win against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are only really playing like Laffs against Buffalo. Have to give it up to them -- from 1-7-5 to the thick of the playoff race in a little more than a month. Regulars to this space know I rag on the Leafs a lot but the bottom line is that it's good for the NHL to have Toronto not be a sadsack. Remember how crazy things were around here during the 1999 Eastern Conference finals? I rest my case.
Before we get to tonight's action, I first send a high-five to all of you. The Sabres Edge blog passed the 4 million mark in page views Thursday, an amazing mark for a site that began in March, 2007. We've had over 100,000 views this week alone -- and more than 10,000 for 10 of the last 11 days. So we thank you for reading and encourage to keep coming back and to bring your friends. Just imagine how much this blog could be burning if there's still hockey in these parts in May. But that, of course, is a long way away.
Big for the Sabres to have Paul Gaustad back in the lineup tonight after missing 10 games with a knee injury. His drive for Team USA can now continue. (7:30 update: Gaustad starting between Hecht and Grier). The Leafs are putting defenseman Luke Schenn back in the lineup after a three-game benching and starting Vesa Toskala, who usually looks less than ordinary against Buffalo, in goal. Toskala is 5-6-2 this year with a 3.68 GAA and .875 save percentage. Ugly. Especially when you compare those figures to Ryan Miller's league-leading numbers (19-7-2, 1.88, .937).
Keep it here for your live updates. Onward to five million!
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
Postgame
Read my account of tonight's game here, complete with comments from the locker room.
Third Period
16:04 left: Sabres on cruise control still with their 4-1 lead. Shots are 6-1 for the Leafs and 28-13 overall. Doesn't matter.
13:42 left: Tight print deadline on these 7:30 games but I'll give you updates if something is going on. Nothing to report other than more saves by Miller. He's made 30 tonight and is 101 of 104 in three games against the Leafs this year.
12:12 left: Gustvasson was the scheduled starter for the Laffs Saturday night in the ACC against Boston and he's definitely looked sharp since he came in. Nice save a couple seconds ago on Pominville.
8:51 left: Vanek makes it 5-1 with a wrapround from behind the net as he beat the Monster to the right post. Vanek's 10th, tying MacArthur for team-high honors.
3:59 left: Leafs have 14-13 edge in shots in a loose period. That makes 36-25 overall. Toronto leads the NHL in shots on goal.
It's over: We're off to the locker room after a 5-2 win, Buffalo's fifth in six games. Nice answer to the tough one in Ottawa. Final shots were 42-27 for the Laffs. West Seneca's Lee Stempniak got the second Leafs goal with 19.2 left.
Second Period
18:28 left: After Miller makes four saves to push the shot count to 14-4, the Sabres get even on Roy's 25-foot slapper from in front on a nice Stafford pass. Unscreened even though Hecht was close by and clearly had one eye from Toskala. That said, it's a save NHL goalies have to make.
12:58 left: Toskala belongs in the AHL. The Sabres take a 2-1 lead as Toni Lydman flips a 60-footer from the left boards, it hits Toskala's catching glove and dribbles into the net. Lydman's first of the year. Toskala, it should be noted gave up a YouTube-famous 195-footer in Long Island a couple years ago. Watch this one.
10:46 left: The Leafs should make a goalie change. Toskala is completely out of the net as Grier taps home a Kennedy feed to make it 3-1. That's three goals on five shots in this period (and I'm trying to figure out why I can't get the underline out -- I'll work on it).
8:40 left: The whole building -- both Sabres and Leafs fans -- gives Toskala a mock cheer when he gloves Pominville's flip shot from center ice.
7:12 left: Matt Ellis joins the party and Toskala has no chance on a quick snap shot to the top corner to cap a 2-on-1 and make it 4-1 and four goals on six shots. . Great feed by Myers to set it up. AND THAT"S IT FOR TOSKALA. Jonas Gustavsson is in. And this is truly a Laff-like period. "Take This Job and Shove It" blares over the loudspeakers. Funny. Ellis' second of the season. Gustavsson, aka "The Monster, has missed eight games with a heart problem. Just a thought: Shouldn't you do something in the NHL first before you have a nickname?
5:00 left: Miller robs Nikolai Kulemin in the slot. That's how quality NHL goalies do it. Shots are 20-10 in the game for Toronto. Doesn't matter.
4:03 left: Adam Mair -- repeat, Adam Mair -- jumps away from Luke Schenn and goes in alone but is stopped by Gustvasson. The Laffs have just fallen apart in this period.
End-2nd: 4-1 Buffalo even though shots were 12-8 for the Laffs. It's 22-12 for Toronto through 40 minutes.
First Period
16:45 left: The Go Leafs Go chants are out early as Toronto takes the 1-0 lead on Viktor Stalberg's shot from the right over Miller's left shoulder. Nice backhand pass from Jamal Mayers. Stalberg was just called up today from the Toronto Marlies. Good way to make a quick impression.
15:44 left: Miller stones West Seneca's Lee Stempniak just off to his left.
13:09 left: Shots are 4-0 for the Leafs. The Buffalo lines are noteworthy because Connolly, a woeful faceoff man, is now on the wing with Gaustad's return. So it was Hecht-Gaustad-Grier, Connolly-Roy-Vanek, MacArthur-Kennedy-Pominville and Mair-Ellis-Stafford.
10:17 left: What a disastrous start. Miller just robbed Stempniak on a 2-on-1. Now Montador goes off for hooking. Shots are 7-0. Guess the Sabres thought this was an 8 p.m. start like it used to be on Fridays? Sheesh.
7:15 left: Big Bronx cheer for Sabres' first shot, a good chance from the slot by Connolly with 7:20 left. Nice left pad save by Toskala. Shots are 8-1. Kaberle off for slashing so Sabres go on the power play.
5:15 left: Sabres get one shot, by Stafford, against Leafs' 30th-ranked power play. Ugly.
4:05 left: Sabres get to try again as Garnet Exelby goes off for delay of game for a clearing pass into the net in the Leafs' zone.
2:00 left: So much for that. Two shots on another unsuccessful power play.
37.4 left: Miller spears Niklas Hagman's bullet on a 2-on-1 after a brutal pinch by Tallinder set the Leafs away.
End-1st: This one's mercifully over. Still 1-0 for the Leafs and shots were 10-4.
Wild gear on fire in Ottawa
Think the Sabres have trouble in Ottawa? Get a load of what happened to the Minnesota Wild this afternoon in the parking lot of Scotiabank Place.
Seems the truck carrying the team's equipment back from an practice at a nearby rink caught fire and much of the team's equipment is damaged or destroyed -- including all of standout goaltender Nicklas Backstrom's gear.
The shot at left of tossed gear is floating all over the Internet and Twitter.
The team is scrambling to get more gear shipped from back home but understand this is quite a calamity. Hockey players spend weeks breaking in new pads, gloves, skates and sticks. You just can't start from scratch, especially the goalies. Here's a picture of a goalie mask damaged. Don't know if it's Backstrom's.
Update: The Wild is having a 6 p.m. meeting and several players are concerned about playing with replacement medical devices as items such as knee braces and shoulder harnesses were also lost.
The Wild and Senators are scheduled to play in Ottawa Saturday night. It will be interesting to see if the league decides to give Minnesota a few days break to get back in gear so to speak.
---Mike Harrington
Christmas video with Buffalo hockey flavor (and more)
Alyonka Larionov, the daughter of former Red Wings star Igor Larionov, was a guest on NHL Live this afternoon.
Alyonka -- one of the hosts of "NHL in Russian," a radio show -- spoke about the music video she and her sister, Diana, have put out in an attempt to raise money for Hockey Fights Cancer. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the single benefit the charity.
The song is called "What Christmas Means to Me." The sisters convinced a number of NHLers to appear in the video, holding signs indicating what Christmas means to them.
Three with Buffalo connections include East Amherst's Brooks Orpik (2:36, Snowed in in Buffalo), former Sabre Brian Campbell (3:50, Seeing Kids Smile!) and South Buffalo's Patrick Kane (3:51, Going home to Buffalo).
Remember, the only reason you are watching this video is to check out the Buffalo references.
---Geoff Nason
Anger is good for Sabres
After spending plenty of time in the Sabres' locker room the last couple days, I can report there's plenty of anger in there. And that's a very good thing. Now, frankly, I wish there was some anger taken out on the ice Wednesday in Ottawa against Jarkko Ruutu but you're still trying to get two points. And since the wheels of NHL justice didn't spin, the rematch here Dec. 26 could get quite interesting.
But the anger I'm talking about comes in the wake of Wednesday's 2-0 loss. It's easy to whitewash that one away. At least seven guys down with food poisoning (Tyler Myers told me today it was the chicken at the Ottawa restaurant that's been targeted as the culprit), and the fact it came at the end of a three-game trip makes it a somewhat excuseable loss. And it came at the end of a trip that already featured wins in New York and Montreal. In the past, those thoughts might have been palatable.
But when I threw the two out of three theory around the room, here are some answers I got:
Ryan Miller: "There's not much separation and you can't think so highly of yourself. You have to be just a little bit paranoid and do the work and know there's a team trying to breathe down your neck, creep up behind you and steal your spot. We've had a good start. I'm happy with it. But you look at the standings and if you have a bad week, you're back with everybody else on the outside of the playoff bubble. That's how it is."
Patrick Lalime: "You want to win every game in this league. You can't be satisfied with two out of three. Your mindset has to be to win them all and not take any days off. That's what we're trying to achieve here and that will help us in the future too."
Derek Roy: "We always want to say when we've won three or four in a row that we're good, we're good. But it's easy to lose three or four in a row too. Every night is a battle, a tough grind. We slip points away like that when you're on a winning streak, you want to keep riding it and not go the other way. Millsy gave us a chance. He was playing unbelievable. Third period we gave up that goal when we still had a chance to pull him and get the game tied. Not good enough. The effort has to come from that first shift to the last shift."
Myers: "Three out of three is a lot better. I wasn't here last year but a lot of guys talk about how close they were to getting in the playoffs. That don't want that feeling again this year."
---Mike Harrington
On road to Vancouver, Miller has baffled Toronto
Ryan Miller has been completely dominant against Toronto this year -- stopping 71 of 73 shots in two Buffalo victories against the Leafs and giving Toronto coach Ron Wilson and GM Brian Burke a first-hand look at what they'll have at their disposal for Team USA in Vancouver.
Wilson was asked Thursday how his team can be better against Miller tonight in HSBC Arena and joked, "I would be facetious and say, 'run the goalie,' but I can't do that. I might need him later. I don't think he has to audition for the [Olympic] job. "If he can just settle down and be sub-par or less than average, then we would have a chance."
The Sabres have won seven straight against the Leafs, who have been dramatically better after a 1-7-5 start. Miller and Vesa Toskala will be the goaltenders tonight at 7:35.
Miller continues to lead the league in goals-against average (1.88) and save percentage (.937). He was the focus of the Toronto media crush at today's morning skate and they quickly relayed Wilson's comments to him.
"I appreciate that but I wouldn't be doing what got me to the Olympics," Miller said. "I focused on my team early in the season. I've done a good job of keeping everything in very good order and focusing on the next challenge and that's the Maple Leafs."
***
In other news, Lindy Ruff said Patrick Kaleta remains day to day. He won't play tonight and hasn't officially been ruled out of tomorrow's game against Pittsburgh but he's not expected to play in that one either. Ruff said he was disappointed there was no suspension to Ottawa Jarkko Ruutu for Wednesday's hit on Kaleta.
"Maybe they didn't feel it was a deliberate blow to the head," Ruff theorized. "I really feel those are the ones, when somebody's head goes into the glass, that you have to look at. I know they're tough but we've lost a player now for the remainder of that game, at least another game and possibly again tomorrow on a hit that we feel should be looked it. But those are tough calls."
The Leafs were not at the arena this morning. They skated at home and then took an early-afternoon bus ride.
---Mike Harrington
December 17, 2009
Fuming Tortorella scratches Kotalik, Redden
Former Sabre Ales Kotalik and ex-Ottawa defenseman Wade Redden, a pair of big-ticket busts, are going to be healthy scratches for the Rangers tonight in their rematch tonight against the Islanders in Nassau Coliseum.
Kotalik is a great guy but anyone who watched the Sabres over the years knew the Rangers were making a huge mistake by giving him three years and $9 million and thinking they were getting a power forward. Great on shootouts, great blasting away on the power play from the point but what else? Didn't any of Glen Sather's scouts point that out? Maybe that's why the Rangers are where they are.
Coach John Tortorella went nuclear as only he can after Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Isles at Madison Square Garden, with a press conference that included a string of f-bombs capped by the typical coach walkout. He promised changes today. And he apparently had a heated exchange today with Redden, a scratch for the first time in his 13-year career.
The Rangers are 7-15-3 since a 7-1 start. They've won just once in their last nine games (yep, the one was Dec. 5 in HSBC Arena). They're tied for 11th in the East and just one point away from being in 14th. They're getting nothing from Chris Drury. And as New York Post columnist Larry Brooks wrote today, "Now is the time for the head coach to justify the badge on his chest by figuring out how to reduce Chris Drury's minutes and responsibility without embarrassing the earnest but painfully ineffective captain, no easy task at all."
It's a good thing for this league that the Rangers, Flyers and Canadiens are going in the tank this season. Just shows you can't buy success. You still have to buy the right players, not just any big names.
Here's Tortorella's presser from Wednesday night. The guy is a piece of work.
---Mike Harrington
TSN's McKenzie clueless on Kaleta/Ruutu
Here's how the TSN broadcast crew talked about the Ruutu/Kaleta hit during last night's second intermission in Ottawa.
Very disappointing that TSN veteran and Hockey News maven Bob McKenzie, one of the most widely known media figures in the sport, could be so off base here on a broadcast that goes nationwide through Canada and all through the United States on Center Ice. McKenzie first says it should be a suspension, then his train of thought gets completely off track. Here are his three key points with my responses.
"The fact that it's Patrick Kaleta probably doesn't help the cause very much." -- While probably true, shame on the NHL for letting that come into play. We've already seen that though with Alexander Ovechkin and the TSN crew than goes on to say the book should be thrown at Colorado's David Koci because his hit from behind was against Washington star Mike Green. Boo.
"And you never know whether he's hurt, he's really hurt." Say what? Kaleta missed how many games last year because of head and neck trouble? Shame on you for that accusation. That one should never be played.
"The fact that Kaleta came back and played [might mitigate a suspension]." End of argument, dude. Plain wrong. He wasn't seen or heard from again. Wasn't at practice today. No excuse to have that fact wrong, especially when it's a basis of your argument. Guess he really was hurt, huh?
Terrible job by McKenzie.
Thanks to Kevin at BfloBlog for the link.
---Mike Harrington
Gaustad back, players furious at hit on Kaleta by Sens' Ruutu
The Sabres were only on the ice for about 25 minutes today in HSBC Arena but there was plenty of news to delve into around the locker room. Here's the rundown:
---The NHL is not -- repeat, not -- suspending Ottawa's Jarkko Ruutu for his hit last night on Patrick Kaleta. Lindy Ruff and the players are extemely upset about the hit and expected a suspension (they spoke to the media before news leaked out that Ruutu is only getting fined). As for Kaleta, Ruff said he's having some vision issues and there's no timetable yet on his return but did seem to indicate Kaleta may be back sooner than you thought first watching the hit.
"We'll wait and see how he's doing tomorrow," Ruff said. "[Having no timetable] doesn't have to mean he has to miss time."
"He has a background for that type of stuff," captain Craig Rivet said of Ruutu, who got suspended for taking a chomp out of Andrew Peters' finger here last year. "How he's not ejected from the game is beyond me. They're talking about taking head shots out and you look at it on the replay, it's just a total blatant [hit] that he was going for his head."
---Paul Gaustad will be back in the Sabres' lineup Friday against Toronto after missing 10 games with a knee injury suffered Nov. 27 in Philadelphia. That should be a huge boost for the Sabres' power play and their success rate on faceoffs, which has suffered a huge drop since Gaustad went out of the lineup.
---Kaleta did not skate today. Neither did the injured Nathan Gerbe and Chris Butler as well as Henrik Tallinder, Tyler Myers, Steve Montador and Jochen Hecht. Ruff said Tallinder and Myers were both in the group that suffered food poisoning from a meal Tuesday night in an Ottawa steakhouse.
---Patrick Lalime, who was also in the group sticken, said he's not playing in goal Friday as Ryan Miller will face the Leafs, a team he's stoned twice this season. Meanwhile, Ruff reaffirmed he's using Lalime one of the two games this weekend. Lalime smiled but would only say, "We'll see" when he was asked to confirm he's playing here Saturday against Pittsburgh. Bottom line: He's in Saturday, folks.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
Good eaters
OTTAWA -- The following Sabres were the only ones on the ice at Wednesday's optional morning skate, which Lindy Ruff did not attend, and therefore unlikely to be stricken by food poisoning before the 2-0 loss to Ottawa:
Tim Kennedy, Paul Gaustad, Nathan Paetsch, Thomas Vanek, Clarke MacArthur, Jason Pominville, Andrej Sekera, Matt Ellis and Ryan Miller.
You could probably exclude Tyler Myers (a whopping 28:32 of ice time), Derek Roy (21:28), Henrik Tallinder (21:33) and Tim Connolly (19:41).
Anyone else may have been suffering from the bout of food poisoning the coach mentioned. Among the likely candidates are Patrick Lalime (who skipped the morning session), Toni Lydman (13:41 of ice time) and Drew Stafford (12:38).
---John Vogl
Hockey sounds of the season
It is a Sabres off day wedged between matchups with the Senators and Leafs, so here goes ...
CBC Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean and TSN's Dave Hodge (who handled play-by-play duties in the Sabres' inaugural season) played bit parts during a Holiday Jam benefit concert at Toronto's Phoenix Concert Theatre earlier this week. The two were squaring off in cards in sort of a Western saloon setting as Sam Roberts (intermission performer at the '08 Winter Classic) led a group rendition of Kenny Rogers' "The Gambler."
Hodge also took part in a duet with noted Senators fan and Ottawa native Kathleen Edwards. The two sung -- although Hodge was mainly using spoken word -- a racy version of Linda Ronstadt's "We Need a Whole Lot More of Jesus (and a Lot Less Rock and Roll)."
Edwards is no stranger to mixing hockey with music. Marty McSorley, Paul Coffey and others starred in her "I Make the Dough, You Get the Glory" video and she has another song titled "Hockey Skates."
Oh yeah, the show was kicked off by the Tragically Hip's Gord Downie. We will close with the Hip's 2006 effort, "Lonely End of the Rink" before returning to your regularly scheduled hockey blogging.
---Geoff Nason
December 16, 2009
Live from Sabres at Senators
OTTAWA -- I'm not a big fan of the Celsius scale, especially in winter. It's minus-10 up in Canada's capital. That equates to 14 degrees American. See, doesn't that sound warmer?
It's going to be minus-25 tonight with the wind chill. That's minus-13 American. OK, I guess that's frigid either way. (And, yes, I know it's Fahrenheit, but we're about the only ones who use it.)
Did you know on this date in 2006 the Senators beat the Sabres, 3-1, in front of 18,690 in HSBC Arena? Thank you, Ottawa PR, for the sheet titled "This Day in Ottawa Senators History." Did you also know that back on Dec. 16, 2000, goaltender Patrick Lalime had a 26-save shutout as the Senators beat the Islanders, 6-0, in the Corel Centre?
Lalime will not be getting a shutout for the Sabres tonight in the building, since renamed Scotiabank Place. He will watch from the bench as Ryan Miller tries for one.
One more note from this date: Back in 1924, J. Frank Ahearne sold ownership in the Senators to Tommy Gorman for $50,000. I'm guessing now you can't even buy one suite for one season at that price.
FIRST PERIOD
7:40 p.m.: As Lyndon Slewidge leaves the ice, we're under way.
7:41 p.m.: This is by far the quietest I've ever heard this building in my eight seasons. It's even quieter than HSBC Arena lately.
7:44 p.m.: Scoring sensation Patrick Kaleta, who is still getting some grief from teammates about his goal celebrations, is back on the fourth line with Matt Ellis and Adam Mair. Mike Grier has moved up to join Tim Kennedy and Jochen Hecht -- at least through the first two line cycles anyway.
7:48 p.m.: And on the third go-round, they switch.
7:49 p.m.: First commercial break, it's 0-0 with 11:19 to go. Miller has made two nice stops, one on Filip Kuba on a two-on-one, and another when he got his left pad on Jonathan Cheechoo's close-range shot.
7:53 p.m.: Another commercial. It should be for the Clocktower Pub, Had dinner and sodas there last night for the first time (I usually have four places I frequent here, but I went outside the plate, er, box). It was superb. I'd never ordered meatloaf before (my grandfather used to do so), so I gave it a whirl. Here's the description: Oven-roasted & bacon wrapped, served with mashed potatoes & seasonal vegetables, topped with our brown-ale mushroom sauce. OH MY! The bacon flavor seeped into the meat, and it was awesome. So was the sauce. Of course, it had beer in it, so that's probably why.
Can you really beat bacon and beer?
7:58 p.m.: Much slower start for the Sabres than their last visit. I think they had 17 shots in the first period last month. So far, with 7:30 to go, they have four. Ottawa has seven.
8:01 p.m.: Eighth save by Miller is spectacular. Sens get three-on-one, with Ryan Shannon and Chris Campoli perfectly working a give-and-go. A shot by Shannon goes through Miller's pads, but the netminder reaches back with his stick to stop the puck at the goal line and pull it into his body.
Half a minute later, Peter Regin gets a close-range shot. Sabres are loose.
8:08 p.m.: Five of the Sens' 10 shots could be considered scoring chances, as Miller makes a blocker save on Regin with 2:20 left. Luckily for the Sabres, they have Miller. But luck doesn't always hold for 60 minutes.
8:10 p.m.: As evidenced by the Sens scoring with 1:37 to go. Defenseman Alexandre Picard moved in from the point and took a shot from the top of the circle. Miller couldn't see it with Cheechoo and Andrej Sekera battling at the top of the crease.
Right off the next faceoff, the Sabres turned the puck over in their own zone, giving Chris Kelly nothing but Miller in front of him. The goalie again reached back with his stick to knock the puck away.
It's end of one, and outclassed Sabres are in a 1-0 hole and an 11-5 shot deficit.
SECOND PERIOD
8:31 p.m.: Second period starts with a vicious five-minute baording penalty on Jarkko Ruutu, famous for allegedly biting Andrew Peters and various other infractions. He drives Kaleta's head into the boards just 29 seconds in, and the Angola native is helped off the ice by athletic trainer Tim Macre and Jason Pominville.
8:34 p.m.: I'd doubt if Kaleta could return.
8:37 p.m.: Sabres get only one shot before power play is short-circuited 1:53 in by Tim Connolly's slash.
8:39 p.m.: Sabres get two shots in three minutes of power-play time, which is now over.
8:41 p.m.: Another odd-man rush by Sens, with Regin going around Steve Montador with 13:25 to go. Miller again there to make the stop. Ottawa, though only holding a 1-0 lead, well on its way to 22-6-4 against the Sabres since the lockout at this rate.
8:46 p.m.: Sabres almost -- almost! -- get a scoring chance. Thomas Vanek was hanging and took a long outlet pass at the blue line, but Chris Phillips got back to break it up before Vanek could get moving with 11:30 to go.
With 10:26 left, Ottawa has 17 of the 25 shots.
8:52 p.m.: Phillips off for hooking Grier with 7:40 left. Wake-up call?
8:54 p.m.: Nope, power play shortened one minute in when Derek Roy trips Daniel Alfredsson.
9 p.m.: Sens goalie Brian Elliott makes his save of the night on a three-on-two with 2:50 left. Grier sends a cross-ice pass to Clarke MacArthur, and Elliott slides across to get his arm on the one-timer to keep Ottawa in front.
9:05 p.m.: The period ends the way it started, with Ottawa up, 1-0. Shots were 7-7, bringing the Sens' advantage to 18-12.
9:20 p.m.: Just got official word: Kaleta will not return
THIRD PERIOD
9:23 p.m.: Sens start the period with a power play, after Adam Mair was called for charging as time expired in the second.
9:25 p.m.: Sabres -- ie, Miller -- had to kill 24 seconds of a five-on-three after Jason Pominville went off for interference.
9:28 p.m.: Sabres' penalties expire naturally, but only because Shannon hits the post just before Pominville exits.
9:41 p.m.: Sens kill off a hooking call with 11:34 to go, and now they're back on the PK. Ruutu pushes Roy in the head on way to bench with 9:04 to go, drawing a roughing call.
9:52 p.m.: Mike Fisher scores with 1:36 left.
POSTGAME ALERT
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said the following after the 2-0 loss to Ottawa: "I knew last night when we got the call at midnight and you’ve got seven guys with food poisoning you don’t have much chance of winning. I’m not going to make an excuse, but we had guys this morning that couldn’t come to the pregame, couldn’t come to the pregame meeting, and it showed. There were guys who typically skate a lot better who couldn’t skate. End of story."
---John Vogl
World Juniors chatter
Never too early to start thinking about the 2011 World Junior Championships in HSBC Arena -- which actually begin Dec. 26, 2010. Last year's event was in Ottawa (be sure to check out John Vogl's post from Scotiabank Place on the reeling Senators as they face the Sabres tonight).
This year, the World Juniors are in Regina and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Next year, it's HSBC and Niagara University's Dwyer Arena.
USA Hockey has announced the NHL Network's television schedule for this year's tournament and it's a big one -- all Team USA games, all medal-round games and six other matchups. That's 16 games in all, and they'll be in HD. Click on the link and you get an idea of the kind of games we'll be seeing here next year. USA vs. Canada on New Year's Eve at 8 p.m. Something tells me that might be the case on Dec. 31, 2010 in Buffalo! Other than the 1993 World University Games, this is easily going to be the biggest international sports event ever held in these parts.
This year's Team USA candidates are arriving in Grand Forks, N.D. for a pretournament training camp that opens Thursday. There are 29 players on the roster -- including seven first-round draft picks from either 2008 or 2009 -- and it will be trimmed before the team heads to Saskatchewan. There are no Sabres prospects on Team USA. Here's a link to USA Hockey's World Junior tournament page.
Meanwhile, Canada has completed a roster that includes 10 first-rounders in its quest for a sixth straight gold medal. Last year's team featured John Tavares and Tyler Myers and the headliners this year include defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, the No. 4 overall pick by St. Louis in 2008 who has seen NHL time with the Blues, and London forward Nazem Kadri, who was No. 7 overall this year to Toronto. He was sent back to juniors at the end of training camp even though many people say he was perhaps the Leafs' best forward in the preseason.
Center Luke Adam, the Sabres' second-round pick in 2008 who plays for Cape Breton in the Quebec League, is also on the Team Canada roster. Adam had a four-goal game last week and left for the junior camp leading his league in goals with 25 in 32 games. He was second in points with 52 in a big bounceback year after a ruptured spleen prematurely ended his 2008-09 junior season.
Two of Buffalo's '09 draftees, top choice Zack Kassian and third-rounder Brayden McNabb, were part of Canada's summer evaluation camp but were not in this week's main camp. But that puts them in position to be contenders for a spot on Canada's roster next year when the tournament hits Buffalo.
---Mike Harrington
More breaks for Sabres
OTTAWA -- Things keep aligning for the Sabres to finally get payback against their biggest tormentors.
The Senators, already without center Jason Spezza, forward Chris Neil and goalie Pascal Leclaire, will be without forward Nick Foligno tonight. The son of former Sabres captain Mike Foligno has a lower-body injury.
He will be replaced in the lineup by Chris Campoli, a defenseman who hasn't played forward since he was 5 or 6 years old.
"I told him you can turn the puck over a few times and the defense will back you up," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said with a smile.
He was serious, though, when he said the Senators will be OK despite so many key absences.
"We feel good about the team we're going to put on the ice," Alfredsson said.
The Sabres had an optional skate in Scotiabank Place, with only eight players joining tonight's starting goaltender, Ryan Miller.
---John Vogl
December 15, 2009
Lindy has Vanek's back
OTTAWA -- Thomas Vanek was the only "healthy" Sabres regular to stay away from practice today in Scotiabank Place.
"He’s in the shop for maintenance," said coach Lindy Ruff, who added Vanek will be fine to play against the Senators on Wednesday.
There are Vanek critics who might look at his absence as a sign of laziness. But he took a beating in Montreal, and Ruff said the game was part of a quality run. The left winger has just one goal and four assists in his past eight games, but the coach is looking beyond that.
"His play the last 10 days has been the best I’ve ever seen him," Ruff said. "It’s been the most physical. It’s been the most dedicated. He has really played hard away from the puck.
"I think sometimes you get in situations where you get a label. It can come from his younger days. It could come from some plays away from the puck where he’s thinking offense and it looks lazy, but he’s thinking one thing and the perception is another. I think that happens a lot with skill guys. There’s a lot of skill guys that criticized for those plays. But I think these last five, six games is the best I’ve ever seen him play."
---John Vogl
Senators lose Spezza
OTTAWA -- The Sabres' greatest nemesis -- the Ottawa Senators and their longtime "Big Three" -- is suddenly just one-third of the threat it used to be.
Senators center Jason Spezza could miss two months after suffering a "fairly serious" knee injury during Monday's game in Toronto. Spezza, along with Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson, has helped the Senators to a 21-6-4 record against Buffalo since 2005-06.
Heatley, though, was traded in the offseason. With Spezza out for Wednesday's game, that leaves just Alfredsson from the dominant trio.
"It means that more than ever we're going to have to be a team," Senators coach Cory Clouston said today in Scotiabank Place.
---John Vogl
December 14, 2009
Riding the storm out
MONTREAL -- The Sabres, in their quest to show everyone they are for real, added ammunition Monday. The game against the Canadiens had four ties and four lead changes, but the Sabres didn't get rattled and earned a 4-3 victory.
When things got shaky in the past two years, the Sabres often looked like they were in an origami class and folded.
"We knew we were in tough, and there was never any time that whole game where we felt panicked," captain Craig Rivet said. "That’s a real good sign. Guys have matured in that sense of the game, and we’re coming out with some big wins."
---John Vogl
Live from Sabres at Montreal
MONTREAL -- Greetings from Bell Centre, where the Sabres are just 3-6-1 in their past 10 games. What is a winner in this building is the HD scoreboard. It's ridiculously huge and clear (I've seen it numerous times, yet it always catches me off-guard). Still, it pales in comparison to the monstrosity in Cowboys Stadium. I'd love to see that thing.
The players just ended their pregame skate, and the starting goalies will be Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak. More when the puck drops.
FIRST PERIOD
7:40 p.m.: So much for Patrick Kaleta's stay on a scoring line, as coach Lindy Ruff said Sunday. He started the game on the fourth line with Adam Mair and Matt Ellis, and they created an immediate scoring chance.
7:41 p.m.: Never mind. He still might be up higher. Ruff has double-shifted him already, putting him with Jochen Hecht and Tim Kennedy. Mike Grier skated with Ellis and Mair on their second shift, just three minutes in.
7:47 p.m.: The Canadiens, who had killed 33 of their past 34 penalties, start this game with another kill. A shot by Tyler Myers that trickled past Halak and was swiped away by a Habs defenseman was Buffalo's only real chance. It's 0-0 with 13:32 to go.
7:51 p.m.: As usual, it's the most raucous crowd in the NHL. For the first time in eight seasons, though, I see a few empty seats. I'm sure it's a sellout, but there are never no-shows.
7:53 p.m.: The B-Lo connection almost scores at the midway point. Kaleta keeps the puck in and feeds Kennedy alone in front, but his backhand goes wide.
8 p.m.: The Ellis line continues to buzz the net. Steve Montador banks a pass off the back boards, getting Mair a shot from close range that Halak stops with 8:36 to go.
8:01 p.m.: Craig Rivet, a former Hab, gets some boos whenever he does something, thought it's nothing like the Brian Campbell treatment last week.
8:06 p.m.: Scrum in front of the net with Rivet, Kennedy, Kaleta, Maxim Lapierre and Scott Gomez results in a roughing penalty on Rivet, and the Habs score on the power play with 3:57 to go. Andrei Kostitsyn one-times Tomas Plekanec's cross-ice pass.
8:11 p.m.: Rivet is now getting the Campbell treatment.
8:13 p.m.: End of one, it's Habs with a 1-0 lead. Shots are even at 9-all. I'm a fan of traditions, and I still have the train whistle and U2's "Vertigo" ringing in my ears after Montreal's goal. They've been playing them after goals for years, and you always know it's a good time in the Bell Centre. I couldn't even tell you what the Sabres' goal song is anymore.
SECOND PERIOD
8:31 p.m. The second period starts on a testy note, with Mair and Ryan O'Byrne dropping the gloves on the opening faceoff. I'd score it a draw, though the Montreal fans were chanting "O'Byrne, O'Byrne" as if he were Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. And I cannot wait for that superfight. I already told Mike Harrington he gets the game in Detroit that night because there's no way I'd miss that match.
8:43 p.m.: Mike Cammalleri almost makes it 2-0 with 13:10 left. Miller saves Marc-Andre Bergeron's blast, and Camallerri banks the rebound off Miller's right leg and off the post, and the puck then rolls along the goal line before being cleared.
8:54 p.m.: I have a feeling The News may be in the market for a new laptop. First, my batteries haven't been charging all trip (the computer guru knows about that one) and now I can't stay connected to the Internet. I'd blame it on the building, but Paul Hamilton is next to me and was on at the exact moment I was off. Had to retart.
Anyway, the Sabes tied the game on a blue-line blast by Andrej Sekera with 7:02 left. Cheap Plug Alert: Read about Sekera's upcoming adventure in Tuesday's notebook.
9:02 p.m.: I'm tired of the Canadiens' 100-anniversary celebration, which has been going on for two seasons now. Ads for magazines, jerseys and tons of other stuff all the time.
9:05 p.m.: Who needs Alexander Ovechkin when you have Kaleta? The Angola sniper scores another short-handed goal with 58.6 seconds left, giving him two shorties and three goals in two games. This one comes on a nice feed from Tim Connolly, who waited for Kaleta to create room from Cammalleri on an odd-man rush. Kaleta then came in alone went five-hole with a nice breakaway move.
It's the end of two, and it's 2-1 Buffalo. If you read today's story, you know all about the Sabres' success in one-goal games and when leading after two. If you didn't read it, shame -- shame all over you.
THIRD PERIOD
9:24 p.m.: Time to find out if the Sabres can stay perfect with the lead.
9:25 p.m.: Another Montreal tradition -- the soccer-style chant of "Ole, Ole" -- finally comes up. Don't know what they were waiting for.
9:38 p.m.: Another Internet issue, another restart. Anyway, the Habs have tied the game at 2-2 on another power-play goal by Kostitsyn. The goal came on a disputed too-many-men call with 17:24 left. I had a lot of wit and wisdom to describe the play, but the words washed way when I hit "Publish" and I don't have time to type them again. You'll live.
There's now 10:30 to go.
9:49 p.m.: Two goals in 18 seconds brings the score to 3-3 with 7:09 to go. Tim Kennedy strikes first, finding the net after Hecht battled near the net to get him the puck. (Looks like there's something to this drafting of Buffalo-born guys.)
Cammalleri answered almost immediately with a far-side wrister from the slot.
9:52 p.m.: Sabres call a timeout after being given a five-on-three for 1:23 with 6:26 to go.
9:55 p.m.: Clarke MacArthur capitalizes with 5:19 to go, giving the Sabres a 4-3 lead.
10:04 p.m.: Sabres' penalty killers come through in final two minutes, hold off Canadiens after Toni Lydman's hooking call to give Buffalo a 4-3 win, its fourth straight.
---John Vogl
To be the best ...
MONTREAL -- Ryan Miller's goal entering the season was to be an elite goaltender. He's certainly achieved that so far, leading the NHL in goals-against average, save percentage and shutouts.
But with big numbers come big questions, as Miller found out today at the morning skate in Bell Centre. Miller was asked consecutively what he has to say about teammates calling him the "best goaltender in the world" and whether he believes he should be the MVP.
He said that while he's improved his game, he's benefiting from a more detail-oriented team, too. Later, after the cameras left, he explained how he avoids getting thrown off by such heady words.
"You just don’t let yourself buy into it,'' Miller said. "The best players in the world, they play entire seasons. They don’t 26 of 30 games with their team; that’s not even half our schedule. You get to Game 82 and we have a playoff berth, and we start competing for the ultimate prize, even then I’m not going to believe.
"If the season ends and it ends with a win, then maybe you can start believing it."
---John Vogl
December 13, 2009
Grier back, Gerbe out and Mancari gone
MONTREAL -- The Sabres welcomed back Mike Grier with an optional skate today after the veteran winger missed four games due the death of his mother. He is expected to play Monday when the Sabres play the Canadiens and try for their fourth straight win.
"I would think he would be ready in a limited role," coach Lindy Ruff said. "I don’t think we could ask too much out of him after having these five days off. I would hope to get him in 10, 12 minutes."
Ruff will likely use Grier as the right winger on the fourth line with Matt Ellis and Adam Mair, allowing red-hot Patrick Kaleta to stay up on a scoring line.
"Now that he’s our hottest goal scorer, we’ll leave him up on one of the top lines," Ruff said of Saturday's two-goal scorer.
Nathan Gerbe, who missed Saturday's game with a groin strain, could not skate today, won't play Monday and is unlikely to dress Wednesday when the Sabres visit Ottawa.
"I would doubt if he’ll be able to play the rest of this trip," Ruff said.
Mark Mancari was called up to fill Gerbe's spot Saturday, but he's been returned to Portland after seven uneventful minutes and the return of Grier.
---John Vogl
Words from Kaleta
A note to out-of-towners and online-only readers: A web publishing error resulted in an early-edition story on the Sabres' win over the Rangers appearing at Buffalonews.com this morning. That error has been fixed and you can go to this link to read John Vogl's complete report with comments from the locker room that appeared in today's print editions.
A career night for Kaleta, the Angola kid who has plenty of skills. Lindy Ruff wants Kaleta to play hockey more and not just run wild on the ice looking for unnecessary hits. Kaleta is a physical player who has a nose for the action and should be looking to play the puck more. And that roof shot on his shorthanded breakaway? The kind of play guys on this club making a lot more money haven't done enough of lately.
That said, for all the "problems" on this team (lack of top-six scoring, backup goaltending, inconsistent power play), the Sabres have 19 wins in 30 games and are third in the East. And lots of other teams below them have far greater problems.
---Mike Harrington
December 12, 2009
Live from Sabres at Rangers
NEW YORK -- I was too busy checking out Rockefeller Center, the Macy's Christmas windows, eating roasted chestnuts from a vendor and doing a laundry list of other Big Apple activities to have a big lead-in to the blog, so ...
7:08 p.m.: Game on!
7:10 p.m.: Mark Mancari, recalled because of an injury to Nathan Gerbe, is playing right wing for center Tim Kennedy and left wing Jochen Hecht.
7:13 p.m.: The press box in the World's Most Famous Arena is seven rows from the ice rather than the skybox perch everywhere else. (I'm Spiked out, I could trip a referee.) It's something how much faster the game is down here, something I'm reminded of during every visit.
7:17 p.m.: If they didn't have the netting above the glass, I wouldn't be sitting here or I wouldn't be blogging, one or the other. The puck whistles at you, and looking down to type would not be wise. (They have a media room with TVs).
7:19 p.m.: The New Yawker behind me is still chirping about a hit Tyler Myers put on Sean Avery with 3:15 gone, says "he's gonna get it." There is 6:13 gone.
7:21 p.m.: Myers got it, all right. He got an assist. His point shot was deflected, Thomas Vanek tried a backhand that was stopped, and Derek Roy and Avery chased the puck, which slid past Henrik Lundqvist. Roy gets credit for giving Buffalo a 1-0 lead with 6:25 gone.
7:27 p.m.: The Rangers even the score at 1-1 on the power play with 9:38 to go. Old friend Ales Kotalik feeds Marian Gaborik down low, and he one-touches a pass to a wide-open Ryan Callahan in the slot.
7:29 p.m.: Commercial timeout as Craig Rivet goes to box for tripping with 8:38 left, giving New York another power play. So, this morning, I took my SUV to the airport, a plane to lovely Newark, a train to the rental car area, a shuttle bus to the rental car headquarters, a car to the Manhattan hotel, and since all that took too long, I took a cab to MSG to barely make it to the morning skate. I haven't taken a subway -- yet.
7:33 p.m.: New York scores on power play with 7:43 left, though it was a four-on-three after each team had a player go to the box. Myers allowed Gaborik to walk in too close from the point, and the sniper had his 22nd of the season with a glove-side laser.
7:37 p.m.: Gaborik goes to the end of the bench after getting the worst of a collision with Derek Roy.
7:42 p.m.: Battery and computer issues (no plugs in the press box) delayed me in telling you the Sabres tied the game at 2-2 with 5:32 left on a goal by Patrick Kaleta.
7:50 p.m.: End of the period, and it's all even almost everywhere. The score is 2-2, and the shots are 14-13 for the Rangers. I'm glad when I sprinted -- yes, sprinted -- to the media room to get a new battery I didn't almost barrel anyone over. I did that once, during Mark Messier's final game. I almost buried one of my favorite basketball players, Isiah Thomas, who was standing nearby and clapping as Messier's career wound down. Although I was in a deadline hurry, I had to stand next to Zeke for a moment and think, "Wow, this is pretty cool."
SECOND PERIOD
8:07 p.m.: They're back. I wonder if Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon are, too. Walked to the elevator with them after the Messier game, which was another bonus since "Shawshank Redemption" is probably my favorite movie.
8:15 p.m.: Sabres take two close-range shots on a power play with 16:12 to go, but Lundqvist makes the stops. Cheap Plug Alert: For more on the Sabres' power play, check out the Sabres Notebook in Sunday's paper.
8:17 p.m. Quality atmosphere in here, despite pockets of empty seats in the lowest level. Speaking of the lowest level, sat down in Section 54 a few summers ago to see a Kenny Chesney concert. Have I ever mentioned I love New York? It's mostly because we both have way better things to do than sleep.
8:21 p.m.: Speaking of Section 54, Steve Montador goes to sit under it after a tripping call with 11:25 left.
8:24 p.m.: Kaleta ... the goal scorer? The agitator gets his second of the night, and it's a beauty. Kotalik missed the puck at the blue line, and Kaleta zips by for a breakaway from center ice. He got in close and ripped a shot over the glove of Lundqvist, raising both a water bottle and the Sabres' score. It's 3-2 with 10:30 to go. It's the Sabres' first short-handed goal of the year.
8:37 p.m.: Rough night for Kotalik, who heads to the box for cross-checking. It follows a stellar stop by Lundqvist, who stones Montador after he joined an odd-man rush with 2:45 to go. Still 3-2.
8:38 p.m.: Chris Drury, though he gets booed now, is still one of the purest hockey players in the game (though his offense is offensive lately). He knows Mancari has a blast, yet he didn't hesitate to block the slap shot from mere feet away.
Penalty and period come to an end, with Sabres holding a 3-2 lead and Rangers taking a 28-25 shot advantage.
THIRD PERIOD
8:58 p.m.: As the third period gets started, Kaleta has played 10:30. That's more in two periods than he played in 16 of his games so far this season. A pair of goals will get you ice time. He has five for the season, a career high.
9:13 p.m.: Sabres are dropping back and clogging the blue line, hoping Miller can stop any chances New York manages to get. It's worked so far. It's still 3-2 with nine minutes remaining, with the Rangers holding a 5-2 shot edge so far.
9:20 p.m.: Pominville just misses a chance to give the Sabres breathing room, ringing one off the post with 7:17 to go.
9:26 p.m.: Tripping penalty on Connolly with 5:08 to go.
9:31 p.m.: Sabres dominate while short-handed, as Rangers get nothing but boos.
9:33 p.m.: Sabres win, 3-2.
---John Vogl
Mancari gets the call
NEW YORK -- The Sabres have recalled right wing Mark Mancari for tonight's game against the Rangers in Madison Square Garden.
Mancari, who wanted a trade this summer and held out of training camp as a restricted free agent, hasn't let being in the Buffalo organization dissuade him from scoring. He is tied for the team lead in Portland with 23 points, including a team-high 11 goals.
The big 24-year-old played seven games for the Sabres last season, recording a goal and an assist.
---John Vogl
Gerbe to miss Rangers game with injury
NEW YORK -- Rookie Nathan Gerbe, who has a goal and assist during his two games with the Sabres, will not get a chance to play his third tonight against the New York Rangers.
"He played very well, but he's nursing a bit of a groin now that is probably going to keep him out of the lineup tonight," coach Lindy Ruff said after the morning skate in Madison Square Garden.
The absence of the left winger leaves a hole in the forward ranks, and it may be close to the 7 p.m. start before it's clear who will fill it.
Mike Grier, who has missed three games due to the death of his mother, is expected to rejoin the team today but will not play. Ruff could use defenseman Nathan Paetsch at forward, and the coach added the team could recall a forward from Portland. The Sabres' minor-league team played Friday night in Hartford, Conn., and plays tonight in Springfield, Mass.
"We'll see come game time about Nathan," Ruff said. "We're in that process right now [of trying to call someone up], so we'll see."
--John Vogl
December 11, 2009
Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Hawks
Greetings from HSBC Arena, which has all kinds of red and white Chicago Blackhawks jerseys in the crowd for the Patrick Kane/Brian Campbell show. Gotta love that legendary Hawks red sweater and their black '09 Winter Classic duds. Too bad the NHL is still stuck in the white-on-road scheme because that's what the Hawks are wearing tonight; Sabres are in their throwback blues.
We await the fans' reaction to Campbell and Kane. It was a busy, busy day at the morning skate with lots of media around. If you haven't done so already, this would be a good time for you to review today's earlier posts for lots of info and audio from Kane and Campbell.
Especially with Patrick Lalime in net, this figures to be a huge test for the Sabres. The Hawks' 41 points through 29 games (19-7-3) is their best mark in 27 years; the 1982-83 team began 18-5-6 for 42 points. Chicago goalie Cristobal Huet is 7-5-3, 2.52 with 1 SO in 16 games against Buffalo -- most against any opponent.
Something will give tonight as the Blackhawks are 5-0-1 against the East while the Sabres are 5-0-0 against the West. Should be an interesting night. Keep it here for all your live updates, crowd reactions, etc.
7:28 update: Kane and Campbell are both announced in the starting lineup with only a small reaction for either. A few boos, a few cheers. Let's see what happens when everyone is in their seats watching the puck. Campbell is on defense with Niklas Hjalmarsson while Kane is on right wing with Troy Brower and Patrick Sharp.
7:35 update: The Sabres held a moment of silence for Mike Grier's mother, who has passed away. We have no further information at this time. He was scheduled to return tomorrow in New York. We'll see if that holds.
---Mike Harrington
Third Period
19:30 left: The Hawks get the quick goal they need. Kane sets it up, feeding Patrick Sharp for a tap-in to make it 2-1.
16:41 left: Kane is flying in this period. Lalime just robbed him with a glove save on a wrist shot headed for the top corner.
16:24 left: More bad news. Roy off for hooking. More chances for Kane coming.
13:00 left: Sabres can't expect to hold on the entire period. Shots are 8-0 for the Hawks. Kane and Kennedy met for the first time with Kennedy issuing a bump in the corner and Kane nearly wriggling free of him in front of the net for a loose puck a few seconds later.
11:13 left: Sabres get first shot of the period, a slapshot from center ice by Vanek that Huet gloves.
9:29 left: Sabres in full hold-on mode with Hawks holding a 9-2 edge in shots and a huge edge in territorial play.
8:28 left: Kennedy goes to the net on the end of a 3-on-1 and draws a high-sticking penalty of Byufglien.
1:57 left: Sabres still holding on. Lalime survives a scramble in front after Toews pulls down Myers (no call). Shots are 13-4 for Chicago in this period. No way to complain about Lalime on this night. He's stopped 36 of 37.
1:39 left: Huet out. Faceoff to Lalime's right.
1:33 left: Sabres get it out and Kennedy would have had a break on the open net, drawing a hooking penalty on Duncan Keith. Huge play by tonight's "other" South Buffalo guy.
16.5 seconds left: Time out by Buffalo with the faceoff at center ice after the Hawks shot it into the net in the corner to Lalime's right.
It's over: Sabres hold on for huge 2-1 win. Shots were 16-5 for Hawks in third, 40-33 for the game. Lalime's first win since March 12. I don't even need to hear the stars announced. Lalime is No. 1.
Second Period
From the first: Gerbe, Roy and Pominville had three shots apiece for Buffalo. Kane and Toews likewise for the Hawks. Sabres again getting beat up on faceoffs, 10-5.
17:45 left: More good early pressure from Gerbe and Roy but Huet is up to the test. Patrick Sharp draws a holding penalty for tackling Montador so Buffalo goes back to the power play.
16:18 left: Vanek pots a Connolly rebound for a power-play goal to put the Sabres up 1-0. Looked like Buffalo got a huge break a few seconds earlier as the puck entered the zone offside (Pominville went in ahead of Myers) but the linesmen blew the call. Vanek's team-high ninth of the year. MacArthur also gets the assist. Shots are 7-0 for the Sabres in this period -- and 16-3 in the last 14 minutes.
14:30 left: Huet stops Pominville on a breakaway set up by more offensive pressure from Tallinder, continuing to take a cue from his career goal Wednesday night.
9:20 left: Sabres to the power play again as Hawks nailed for too many men on the ice.
8:15 left: Huge save by Lalime on a breakaway against Hossa after weak play at the point by Myers.
7:17 left: Great glove save by Huet on Roy from the slot after a neat set-up by Gerbe, who continues to make things happen. Sabres have a 12-5 edge in shots in the period (23-22 overall).
3:35 left: Huet doing the job keeping the Hawks afloat in this period. Just stopped Vanek on a wraparound and then robbed Connolly with a glove slot on a drive from the slot headed to the top shelf.
1:21 left: The Sabres get the goal they richly deserved this period as MacArthur swats home a beautiful cross-ice pass from Kennedy to make it 2-0 on their 17th shot of the period.
End-2nd: Brouwer shot wide in the final 35 seconds after a beautiful Kane feed so Buffalo holds its 2-0 lead through two. Shots are 17-7 for the Sabres and 28-24 through two. That's six straight scoreless periods against Buffalo and almost seven; the last goal was 39 seconds into the second period Monday night by New Jersey.
First Period
18:24 left: Stafford goes off for hooking. Lalime has already made two big saves, on Jonathan Toews and Cam Barker. Campbell is getting booed loudly (he got his first one three seconds into the game right after the puck was dropped). Scattered boos when Kane touched the puck too. Campbell, however, isn't getting it from the fans nearly as much as Daniel Briere does.
14:58 left: Ben Eager and Patrick Kaleta go off for roughing (Kaleta turtled and didn't throw a punch). Lalime made a shoulder save on Kane and stopped Duncan Keith on a point shot. Hawks have a 6-1 lead in shots and have dominated so far.
14:28 left: Now it's 4-on-3 as Tallinder goes for tripping Marian Hossa.
13:02 left: No complaints whatsoever with Lalime so far. Sensational pad save on a Brent Seabrook one-timer. He then stopped Seabrook again and Patrick Sharp. Shots are 12-2 for the Hawks already.
12:16 left: The Sabres killed the penalties -- as the Hawks got eight shots on goal. The count is up to 14-2.
9:53 left: Huet makes his best save on a long slapper from Pominville as Tallinder got into the Hawks zone to cause trouble. Sabres should look to fire from long range as Huet looks awfully sloppy with the puck. Shots are 14-5.
5:32 left: Dustin Byguglien goes for high sticking. Let's see if the Sabres can do anything on the PP. Interesting PP combination: Pominville up front with Roy and Vanek. Myers on the point with MacArthur. Hmmm.
2:50 left: Plenty of PP pressure for the Sabres with Huet having to make big saves on Gerbe (same play as his goal Wednesday) and Stafford, who overpassed when he was alone with a good shot in the slot. Shots are 16-11 now as the Sabres have made a nice comeback.
1:46 left: Lalime stops Kane on a backhander after a nifty spin move put the South Buffalo kid around Sekera's outside.
End-1st: No score through one. Shots are 17-11 for the Hawks. Much better second 10 minutes for the Sabres. Gerbe again has a lot of jump and is one of the best Buffalo forwards.
Check out view of Fenway rink
Here's a site to bookmark: NHL.com has a webcam running from Fenway Park showing the construction of the Winter Classic rink for the Jan. 1 game between the Bruins and Flyers. The work began Thursday and the site will have plenty of updates on the progress. Here's today's report.
Be sure to come back later this evening for our Sabres-Blackhawks live blog. Faceoff is 7:35.
---Mike Harrington
Kane meets the media
A must-read from today's sports section is Bucky Gleason's look at how Patrick Kane and Tim Kennedy came from the street hockey games in the parishes of South Buffalo to a Friday night in the NHL.
"It's going to be a battle of South Buffalo," Lindy Ruff said today. "Kane and Kennedy head to head. We'll try to get that matchup and see which one's tougher, which one's more skilled. We'll see what happens. I think it will be a great matchup. I'm looking forward to it. See which one has the better bite tonight."
Kane has purchased two suites tonight to house his family and friends for this game. Cracked Kennedy: "I don't think it will be too tough for him to cover that with that new deal he signed."
Kane did a stand-up 10-minute session with the media after the morning skate in front of his stall in the Hawks' locker room. Brent Sopel serenaded Kane with the "Lone Ranger" theme as the media piled over to his locker and Dustin Byfuglien, in the next locker, made sure to make some faces at a clearly nervous Kane to keep his mood light.
So what's going to be the reaction tonight in the wake of his summer arrest in that infamous encounter with a Buffalo cabbie?
"I'm a little interested to see what happens and what the reaction will be," he said. "It will probably be the same as last time: Half the people love you, half the people hate you. That's just the way it is. That's hockey and what it's like coming from Buffalo. I have great pride coming from the city. One experience isn't going to affect my whole reaction of what I think of this city and hopefully not the reaction of what people think of me. It's going to be interesting but it should be fun nonetheless."
Kane talked about a variety of subjects, such as the wild flight into Buffalo yesterday, the matchup with Kennedy, the growth of the Hawks as an NHL power and the reaction to not seeing Ryan Miller in the Buffalo net tonight. Click below to hear the entire interview.
---Mike Harrington
Soupy in his own words
Here are some of Brian Campbell's comments following his morning skate in HSBC Arena.
---John Vogl
Lindy: Reaction to Soupy should be good, but this is Buffalo
As part of Brian Campbell's farewell to Buffalo after getting traded in February 2008, the defenseman said to fans, "Please don't boo me when I come back." Well, he's back. We'll find out tonight what the reaction will be when he takes the ice with the Blackhawks.
Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has an opinion on what the welcome should be.
"I would think the reaction would be good," Ruff said after today's morning skate. "But we've got Buffalo fans, too, so ..."
Sabres fans have decided that prominent ex-players should be booed at all times, though J.P. Dumont has escaped that treatment. We'll see whether the same folks who made Soupy the leading vote-getter for the 2007 All-Star Game will pay homage to his time, treat him as a bitter enemy or both.
"He had a lot of great moments here," Ruff said. "First and foremost, Brian is a good person. He’s got good character. He worked hard. He cared about the way he played. He competed hard. I think if you start there, you can go up pretty fast."
---John Vogl
Lalime will start tonight against Hawks
It's official: Patrick Lalime will start for the Sabres tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks in HSBC Arena. It will be his fourth appearance of the season and third start. He has not played since taking the loss Nov. 21 against Ottawa and has not appeared at home since the Oct. 17 loss to Atlanta.
It's a big start for Lalime. His numbers are brutal this year (0-2, 4.54 GAA., .836 sv pct) and he hasn't won a game since March 12 against Florida. He's just 5-15-3 in his season-plus in Buffalo and that's clearly not good enough.
"We play to win hockey games and that's what I want to do for this team when I get a chance," Lalime said after today's morning skate. "At the same time, I want to go out and do my job, do what I can do and hope the rest can take care of itself."
Lalime tried to downplay the notion that this is a huge start for him, coming after his two-game conditioning stint in Portland.
"I don't want to think about this or that, what could happen or what should happen," he said. "I just want to go and play and the rest will take care of itself."
Lalime was the Sabres' choice largely because he played for the Hawks and the Sabres want to use Ryan Miller Saturday in New York.
"Ryan needs a break," said coach Lindy Ruff. "It's a back-to-back you can look at a lot of different ways. As a staff, we decided to give Patty this one."
We're going to have plenty more from HSBC in the next 90 minutes or so. The Blackhawks take the ice at 11:30 and we'll post comments from Patrick Kane and Brian Campbell, making his first appearance in Buffalo since his 2008 trade to San Jose.
---Mike Harrington
December 10, 2009
Holiday season at the arena
The spirit of giving is expected to fill HSBC Arena when the Chicago Blackhawks visit Friday:
*Broadcaster Rick Jeanneret will sign bricks from Memorial Auditorium in front of the Sabres Store from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., with proceeds of the $49 and $69 sale going to the team’s foundation.
*The Sabres’ winter clothing drive – in which fans are asked to donate new or slightly used jackets, gloves, hats and sweaters – continues during this and every December home game.
*The team will conduct its annual Christmas ornament sale, which also benefits the Sabres' foundation. Each $20 ornament is signed by a Sabres player.
---John Vogl
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