Sabres Edge

C is for Toni

The Sabres made a sound choice today, naming defenseman Toni Lydman captain for November. Just one day before the announcement, goaltender Ryan Miller said he has noticed how often he turns to Lydman and Henrik Tallinder for advice.

Lydman isn't the rah-rah type, but he is always around the dressing room when you need him. That's always a fine quality in a leader. Although the Sabres plan to rotate the C every month, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lydman wearing it more than once.

---John Vogl

Goon hockey is back in Philly

The Flyers are off to a 7-3 start and are atop the Atlantic Division. Marty Biron is tied for the league lead in wins (7), is third in save percentage (.948) and fourth in goals-against average (1.78). Daniel Briere leads the team with 13 points.

That's the Buffalo connection report. But to the rest of the hockey world, the big Flyers topic is their apparent return to goon hockey. Saturday's head-first drilling into the boards of Boston's Patrice Bergeron by Philly defenseman Randy Jones was the third major incident involving a Flyer this season. Jones quickly issued a statement of apology but he's looking at least a 10-game suspension and probably more as Bergeron has a concussion and broken nose. It could have been much worse.

You can check out video of the hit here.

The Broad Street Bullies of the 70s weren't cowards. They met you face-to-face and you paid the price. This team hits you from behind -- sometimes with a stick -- and then runs away. Three times in a month. It's a disgrace. Jones is going to hear from the league about Saturday's hit. It's about time coach John Stevens does too.

---Mike Harrington

The Sabres after 10 games

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Scoreboards, noise and Ice Girls

The St. Pete Times Forum has received some tweaking since the last time the Sabres visited. There's a new LED scoreboard set above center ice, and like Buffalo, the screen is dynamic.

The more obvious change, however, is a new audio system. Holy cow, it's deafening in here. Seriously, it's of the ear-damaging decibel level. Can't wait to get outside and stand next to a jet engine or jackhammer or something that makes less noise.

As usual, there's a large contigent of fans wearing blue and gold, so noise should come when both teams score.

Oh, and like Florida, Carolina and Long Island, Tampa has Ice Girls. Based on the travels this season, the Sabres might be one of the last to hire some. Should they?

---John Vogl

Sabres vs. Panthers: Readers report card

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Feel the excitement

The Sabres-Panthers game tonight is Buffalo's first in front of a half-empty arena, and what a difference fans make. The excitment level for the games in Buffalo, Long Island, Montreal and Carolina was off the charts compared to this.

On the plus side, Florida has Ice Girls dancers to break up the monotony.

Basically, visitors to HSBC Arena should enjoy the fact they have 18,689 other people around to make the games an event.

--John Vogl

Defending the "D"

Coach Lindy Ruff today defended defensemen Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman, who were each minus-4 against the Hurricanes.

"The support from the five-man group, that’s something that has hurt them," he said. "You can blame that on the defense, you can blame that on whatever you want, but it’s a five-man unit that has to get the job done.

"Sometimes the wrong person is looking bad."

Nonetheless, the night dropped the Sabres’ top defensive unit to a combined minus-7 this season. Tallinder is minus-4, while Lydman is minus-3.

--John Vogl

Nice to see opponents' true colors

Two thumbs up to the Sabres' announcement today that they'll be wearing their white jerseys for their four November home games against Northeast Division foes (Nov. 7 against Boston, Nov. 9 against Toronto, Nov. 21 against Ottawa and Nov. 23 against Montreal).

I say it's about time we see some color from the visitors. NHL teams haven’t worn white jerseys at home on a full-time basis since the 2002-03 season, when the league switched its tradition of white at home, dark on the road that had been around virtually since the Sabres' birth. Because of the switch,  we've lost our chance to view the Habs' classic reds, the Bruins' black and gold or the Leafs' blue and we've mostly seen the visiting teams in white. Boring. Boring. Boring.

The Sabres made this request and are proposing the NHL consider it for all divisional games in the future. Traditionalists rejoice.

---Mike Harrington

The star of the game: Sabres vs. 'Canes

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Genius!

Just after the anthem and before the opening faceoff, Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly appeared on the Jumbotron. And he uttered: "Let's go Canes. No. 1."

Of course, the clip was really the University of Miami product cheering on the Miami Hurricanes football team, but well-done nonetheless.

--John Vogl

Florida Sabres?

Let's start by saying this is not a knock on Carolina residents. In the five-plus years covering the Sabres, and especially over the past couple of seasons of the Sabres-Hurricanes rivalry, I've met plenty of people here who know hockey.

The guy in the press box just now was not one of them. The non-media member said, "Sabres are from Florida, right?" Um, no. The Bills might be from Toronto, but the Sabres are definitely from Buffalo. Well, at least until they agree to play a few home games in Hamilton. (Just kidding.)

And as the big Roman numeral X on the ice indicates, this is the 10th anniversary of the Hartford Whalers becoming the Hurricanes. Not sure if it seems like 25 years or just yesterday that Greg Millen was in net for the Whalers.

---John Vogl

On the road again

The Sabres had been really good at sending opponents' fans home unhappy. The Sabres went 50-25-7 on the road the past two seasons, so obviously they know how to take the crowd out of it.

So far, the Sabres are 0-2 away from home this season. So what city is going to be the first to have its residents trudge home disappointed?

Will it be Raleigh on Wednesday? The Sabres swept Carolina last season, but the Hurricanes have improved and are in first place in the Southeast Division.

How about Florida on Friday? The Panthers are only 3-5, but the Sabres historically have had a tough time with them. Last season's final game near Fort Lauderdale was probably Buffalo's worst of the season.

Then it's off to Tampa Bay on Saturday. The Lightning is 4-0 in the St. Pete Times Forum this year, but the Sabres usually strike quickly against Tampa.

The next game is Nov. 1 in Boston. Anyone think it'll take that long? That would give the Sabres a five-game losing streak.

The guess here is fans of the Panthers will be disappointed. But really, how disappointed can you be living on the beaches of Fort Lauderdale?

---John Vogl

Sabres vs. Canadiens: The three stars

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Sabres-Blue Jackets Report Card

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Silence for Peca

The first time Blue Jackets center and former Sabres captain Michael Peca touched the puck tonight -- nothing. No boos from the crowd that has gotten on Miroslav Satan and Alexei Zhitnik this season.

Maybe no recogonized him in No. 19. (And really, Manny Malhotra gets 27? He can't give it up to a former Olympian and former perennial contender for the Selke Trophy?) Or maybe it's been so long that Peca isn't on Buffalo fans' radar anymore.

--John Vogl

Foligno Part II

Nick Foligno, the Buffalo native who's playing his rookie season for the Ottawa Senators, scored his first NHL goal Thursday and celebrated the only way a Foligno can: He jumped for joy.

Foligno, the son of Buffalo Sabres Hall of Famer Mike Foligno, paid tribute to his dad by leaping off the ice after the wraparound. To see it, click here. Unfortunately for Sabres fans like Megan L. who grew up idolizing Mike Foligno, the TSN video clip shows him jumping as a Toronto Maple Leaf. Amazingly, youtube, google and a few other sites do not have him jumping in Buffalo. So if anyone can find a shot of that, feel free to point us in the right direction.

--John Vogl

Funny? Not funny?

Some people down at the foot of Main Street do not think a segment done this week by Sportsnet.ca is funny at all. A reporter from the Canadian television outlet recently filmed a spoof that was met with outrage today, mainly because the anchor reportedly didn't tell all the Sabres his plan. It's easy to tell that Derek Roy is in on the joke, but either the others are good actors or they were surprised by the questions. Unfortunately, the Sabres had an NHL media meeting after practice today, so dressing room was a rush and couldn't get official word from any players.

Take a look by clicking here, though be alert there are bleeped-out profanities. (For the record, I think it's pretty good.)

--John Vogl

Failure to sell out

Based on the number of e-mails to today's story about the Sabres' sellout streak coming to an end, it appears many of you feel fan backlash over the team's mishandling of the Chris Drury and Daniel Briere situations should have been added to the list.

So what's the biggest reason tickets are available again at HSBC Arena? Are fans mad still? Are the prices too high? Did the weekday start hurt most? Did fans just assume all the tickets were gone? Or, was it something else?

--John Vogl

Sabres 5, Leafs 4

Just another typical Buffalo-Toronto game, huh? Sabres erase three deficits. Leafs blow three leads. Winner comes with 3.7 seconds left in overtime.

The NHL should package the third period and overtime and send it to people who've never watched hockey. There'd be some new fans.

---John Vogl

The three stars: Sabres vs. Leafs

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Kalinin misses practice; tickets available

Jason Pominville was playing defense for the Sabres this morning, but not because he needed help with his point work on the power play. Defenseman Dmitri Kalinin missed practice with a minor injury, but coach Lindy Ruff said it was nothing that will keep Kalinin from playing in Monday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

There are still large chunks of tickets available for the game in HSBC Arena. The Sabres are trying to sell out their second straight season.

---John Vogl

Sabres vs. Capitals: Readers report card

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Stick safe; lead isn't

The Sabres finally got to Brent Johnson, burying four goals in the final five minutes of the second period.

To his credit, Johnson stayed calm and didn't reduce his stick to kindling.

But there's still 20 minutes to go.

---John Vogl

Goal stick safe

Well, it's 1-0 Washington after one period, which is a MAJOR accomplishment for Caps goalie Brent Johnson. He had a meltdown for the ages in his previous start, Dec. 26 of last year. He allowed four goals on six shots before destroying his stick on the crossbar and fuming on the bench.

He stopped all 13 shots the Sabres took in the first 20 minutes tonight, allowing the lumber to see at least one more period. Would have rather seen another meltdown.

---John Vogl

Miller in, Peters out

Based on the morning skate, Ryan Miller will start in goal for the Sabres tonight against Washington and will go for his second straight shutout. Andrew Peters will be the healthy scratch for the second straight game.

The Capitals lost, 3-1, to the Rangers on Friday night, so expect the Sabres to play like they did against Atlanta (which also played the night before) and try to apply as much pressure as they can early.

--John Vogl

Special win

Lindy Ruff is normally happy after any victory, let alone the season's first. But he said this one was special considering the tough few weeks Ryan Miller has endured with the illness and death of his cousin.

"I was more happy for him than anybody," Ruff said. "To go through what he went through was not easy. That's why I wanted the team to play especially hard in front of him. I wanted to see him get a shutout."

---John Vogl

Grade the Sabres vs. Atlanta

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Sabres' in-game host

The Sabres have been holding a competition since the summer to find an in-game host at HSBC Arena. They are down to the final two contestants. But really, who would want to do it?

Forget Philadelphia. Buffalo fans have become the quickest to pull the trigger on booing in the United States. They booed the Sabres into getting rid of previous in-game host Nicolas Picholas. They boo anthem singer Doug Allen. They boo the refs. They boo the opposition. They boo the power play. Sure enough, they booed the final two contestants.

The first one leads a church youth group. The second is a military reservist, who looked like he immediately regretted applying for the job. They played a clip of him singing a takeoff of the "Piano Man," with words about the Sabres that he penned himself. The words were good, the singing so-so, and the fans buried him.

Tough crowd, as expected.

**Third-period update: The Sabres asked the crowd to vote on which host they liked best. Nominee One: "Boooo!" Nominee Two: "Boooooooooooooooooooooo!"

---John Vogl

Sorrow in the crease

Ryan Miller's outlook changed when his cousin Matt Schoals was diagnosed with leukemia two seasons ago. The Buffalo Sabres goaltender had treated every game and every goal as if they were the end of the world. But when he found out the life-and-death situation Matt was facing, he realized some things are bigger.

Miller played the season's first two games knowing his cousin's health was deteriorating. A bone marrow procedure had led to graft-versus-host disease, and Schoals' lungs rapidly gave out. The 18-year-old who had beaten leukemia and become cancer-free died Monday in Michigan.

Miller got to see his cousin Sunday, and he will drive back to Michigan this Sunday for a memorial service and celebration of Schoals' life. The goalie will not miss any games; he will miss his cousin. But the words "Matt Man" and a caricature of a bulldog -- reminders of Schoals -- will remain on the back of Miller's helmet.

"It still feels like a shock," Miller said. "He really did inspire me."

---John Vogl

Kane is able against Hasek

We're naturally going to be following Patrick Kane all season and certainly all of South Buffalo has to be counting down to his Dec. 15 visit to HSBC Arena with the Chicago Blackhawks. Kane doesn't have an official goal yet but he has put the puck into the net once and it was a big one -- a shootout clincher Saturday night against Dominik Hasek that gave the Hawks a 4-3 win in their home opener. After the game, Kane got a picture with Hasek for his father.

Click here to see a highlight package from the game that ends with Kane's goal.

Click here to see Kane's postgame chat with reporters.

---Mike Harrington

Neil KOs another one

Score another KO for Ottawa agitator Chris Neil on another "clean" hit. Rangers blabbermouth Sean Avery is going to be silenced four weeks after suffering a shoulder separation when he was drilled by Neil Saturday in Scotiabank Place.

This New York Post story details the injury and what the Rangers might do with their lines in response, including putting Marcel Hossa with Jaromir Jagr and Chris Drury or a wholesale shift that would put Drury with Brendan Shanahan.

---Mike Harrington

Baby steps

The team that used to be a Stanley Cup contender now takes some satisfaction in "baby steps," as coach Lindy Ruff said tonight on Long Island after losing to the New York Islanders again.

The Sabres did play markedly better. The defense was solid for all but two shifts -- though those two shifts resulted in Mike Comrie goals that won the game. The penalty killers were immensely better.

The question is, is it surprising that the Sabres are 0-2 and looking to improve? Or was this to be expected considering the new roles for certain players?

--John Vogl

For openers

Well, the pressure is off. There will be no 10-game winning streak to open the season this year. As Sabres coach Lindy Ruff put it after Friday night's 6-4 loss to the Islanders: “There’s nowhere to go but up now.”

Offense won't be a problem -- Drew Stafford has all the moves, especially when viewed in HD, eh? -- but the PK and the turnovers will be a focus.

--- Steve Jones, Sports Editor

Excited for game time?

Michael Ryan can't wait for Friday night. He's 27 years old and never been a part of NHL opening night as a player, so he's counting down the minutes.

Nathan Paetsch is pumped up because he feels few teams are more exciting to watch than his Buffalo Sabres.

Most of the other players are eager solely because the talk will turn from who left to who's here, and what kind of job they're doing.

But how's the community? Are the fans as ready for this season as they were for the previous ones?

---John Vogl

Will money matter for Vanek? Ruff hopes not

Given the escalation in salaries over the past couple seasons, maybe Lindy Ruff should set his sights a little higher for Thomas Vanek.

"I need Thomas to play like he's a $900,000 player because it seemed to do pretty good last year," Ruff said with a laugh after this morning's practice in HSBC Arena. "That's my analogy. Just because you're making more money doesn't mean you have to change as a player. My expectations of him don't change."

Of course, Ruff was making a point with his $900,000 reference. That's about how much Vanek earned last season when he led the Sabres with 43 goals and topped the NHL with a plus-47 rating.

But over the summer the Oilers signed Vanek to an offer sheet worth $50 million over seven years, with $10 million of that due to him this season.

In the meantime, Nathan Paetsch signed a contract that averages out to $850,000 over three seasons. Paetsch was projected as the team's seventh defenseman at the time that deal was struck.

Surely, Ruff won't be happy if Vanek posts Paetsch-like stats.

"If he can be consistent with last year, that would be a darn good year for Thomas," Ruff said. "Is it realistic to think he can go from 25 [goals] to 44 to 70-something? I don't think so. But if we can keep him in that consistent area and have him be that 40- to 50-goal scorer, that would be pretty good."

---Tim Graham