Bleacher Report - Articles by Adam Huczel

Maxim Afinogenov's No Goal Against Caps Still Baffling

Adam Huczel — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 10:37:05 -0400

Yes, the Sabres beat the Capitals in overtime this past Friday night. It was a game the Sabres "needed to win." But looking at the game in more detail is still leaving me baffled. And one play could have changed that, and helped the Sabres in a much bigger way.

In the third period Maxim Afinogenov had appeared to score a goal that would have tied the game at 4-4. The referee behind the net quickly signaled NO GOAL. His reason was that Afinogenov had interfered with Capitals goaltender Simeon Varlamov.

If that was the case, wouldn't there be a penalty on Afinogenov? NOPE! Afinogenov skated to the bench and play resumed.

This proved to be an important moment as the Sabres had the game go into overtime. It may have also proved to be costly the following night as Buffalo came out sluggish in the first period against the New Jersey Devils.

What is hard to believe is that in the Capitals game, none of the referees reviewed the goal from Toronto. If the league instates a replay rule, why don't they use it in "just in case" situations.

While not related in any way, Arizona Cardinals fans are saying the same thing after the final play of the Super Bowl. Whether the Warner pass was a fumble or an incomplete pass, the referees didn't review it.

The Sabres now find themselves four points behind the Florida Panthers and New York Rangers for the last playoff spot. It doesn't get any easier either. The Sabres play the defending NHL Champion Detroit Red Wings tonight and if it comes down to the last game of the season, the Sabres play the Boston Bruins who have clinched the top spot in the eastern conference.

Why Jochen Hecht Is the Buffalo Sabres' Biggest Woe

Adam Huczel — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 10:45:10 -0500

Most of the discussion recently regarding the Sabres is the key injuries to Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek and all the rumors going around as the trade deadline creeps closer and closer. Names that are appearing most frequent are Tim Connolly, Ales Kotalik, Maxim Afinogenov, and Daniel Paille...and Jochen Hecht.

But wait just a minute. This is Jochen Hecht. This guy wears an A on the front of his jersey. Isn't this the guy who re-signed in the offseason for four years at $14.1 million?

Jochen Hecht, where art thou?

Hecht has just 19 points this season (7G, 12A) and has a minus-13 rating. Last season, he had 49 points and a plus-1 rating. At times this season, he has been put on the fourth line by Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. Even after the slap in the face, has he responded? NO!

Hecht has been the guy this season that can't clear the puck in the defensive zone. That doesn't look very impressive when he's killing penalties either. He's been the guy who gets open but doesn't expect the pass to come his way.

He never looks set to make a play. It's hard to tell what style of play fits Hecht the best. He definitely hasn't been a sniper this season, he's an average play-maker at best and he's not the most physical guy to be considered a grinder.

So the question is what do you do with this guy? The Sabres' organization has not been known to let guys who are signed long-term just go, either by trade or waivers. The Sabres are a "wait it out and see theory" organization. They will obviously be looking at dealing the free agents before anything is done with Hecht.

So for now, Hecht is a Sabre and will most likely remain a Sabre, but he needs to step up his game soon or more squawking is going to continue about him. And it won't be the squawking coming from the Pidgeon Award that the Sabres' players have going inside the team.

Braves Can't Reach Deal With Griffey Jr.

Adam Huczel — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 10:17:42 -0500

Braves managers, players, and fans alike all seem to be confused these days as to what exactly the Braves franchise has done wrong, and why players seem to be turning their backs on the organization.

Wednesday night, Ken Griffey Jr. became the fourth high-target player this offseason that has failed to sign with the Braves. The key point being that, however you look at it, only three key additions have been made, and all three are in the starting rotation. And don't forget, the Braves also lost team icon John Smoltz to the Boston Red Sox in the process.

The storyline for Griffey Jr. was that at the beginning of the week, he contacted Braves third baseman Chipper Jones about his urge to become a Brave.

Griffey Jr. stated that the Braves spring training site at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Walt Disney World is located just twenty minutes from his home. He also wanted to play in Atlanta because it is much closer to his family than Seattle, which was also interested in Griffey.

On Tuesday, an article came out in the Atlanta Journal Constitution saying that Griffey had already made a deal with the Braves. Seemingly upset by the report, Griffey stalled to reach an agreement Tuesday, which was his initial plan.

By Wednesday evening, he had signed a deal with the Mariners that included some post-career incentives for him.

So Griffey is added to the list of Rafael Furcal, A.J. Burnett, and Jake Peavy as players who the Braves had heavily targeted, but failed to acquire.

While the additions of Derek Lowe from L.A., Javier Vazquez from the White Sox, and Kenshin Kawakami from Japan should be an improvement over the injury-plagued pitching staff of last year, it is questionable how the Braves will compete in the N.L. East this season without having made changes to their outfield.

The Braves outfielders were last in the majors last season in home runs. Some reports still have the Braves interested in a deal that would bring either Xavier Nady or Nick Swisher from the Yankees, but little has been said of that since the Griffey pursuit began.

So, being three years removed from an N.L. East championship, Bravo Nation is getting a little antsy to get back to the postseason, where they once were 14 times in a row before!

Buffalo Sabres' Christmas List

Adam Huczel — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:58:59 -0500

Looking at the NHL season so far, the Buffalo Sabres find themselves currently in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 16-13-5 record.

With every team entering the season with Christmas off, here's a list of things the Sabres should be asking for.

1) A un-injured Tim Connolly

He has not played since taking a hit against St. Louis on Nov. 14. He has played in just six games this season—but in those six games, he has recorded seven points.

2) Afinogenov's scoring

Maxim Afinogenov has been benched by head coach Lindy Ruff this season a few times. He has just one goal in 30 games played this season, and he is having significant trouble finding the net and a lack of appreciation for Ruff's new offensive game-style.

3) A re-do a week

Specifically, one that would be good Nov. 14 through 21 (or 22) of 2008. The Sabres went 0-5 during that span, and were outscored 25-9.

4) Send Vanek to the All-Star Game

No Sabre is more deserving to play in the game than Thomas Vanek, who is second in the league in goals with 24. He is the most consistent player the Sabres have had this season.

5) Better success against Conference rivals

The Sabres lost to both Ottawa and Toronto, and they have just a 2-2 record against Boston and and 1-1 against Montreal.

Atlanta Braves Lose To Cubs Again: Panic Mode Setting In

Adam Huczel — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:14:48 -0400

While the baseball world is watching to see if Chipper Jones can have a season-ending batting average above .400, Atlanta fans have more serious questions on their minds. Call it bad luck or whatever you'd like, but the baseball Gods have not been kind to the Braves this season.

Jeff Bennett, making a spot start for the injured Jair Jurrjens (who missed his start after falling down stairs at Chicago's Wrigley Field), allowed seven runs on seven hits in just two-plus innings.

The bullpen of Phil Stockman, Jeff Ridgway, Royce Ring, and Blaine Boyer held the Cubs scoreless, but Chicago handed the Braves a 7-2 loss on a complete game, four-hit performance by Ryan Dempster.

It was only Corky Miller's pinch-hit, two-run homer in the seventh that provided the runs for the Braves, who are 2-8 in their last 10 games and a league worst 7-23 on the road this season.

Bad news and injuries started this season almost immediately and have lingered on so far into June:

-Starting pitcher Mike Hampton was placed on the disabled list with a strained left pectoral muscle and has not pitched a single game for the Braves this season.

-Matt Diaz was placed on the DL on May 28 with a strained ligament in his left knee.

-Mark Kotsay was put on the 15-day DL with soreness in his lower back on May 30.

-The biggest news to shock Braves fans this season: starting pitcher John Smoltz announced on June 4 that he would need season-ending shoulder surgery, putting the future of his pitching career in jeopardy.

-Just six days later bad fortune struck again: starting pitcher Tom Glavine left the game against the Cubs with elbow soreness; he, too, was placed on the DL.

-The strangest injury was Jair Jurrjens, who missed his start Wednesday due to tweaking his ankle after falling down stairs at Wrigley Field. He is not expected to miss additional time, but it adds to the list of injuries and raises a red flag to the Atlanta Braves and their fans.

MISL Soccer: No Cable...No Chance

Adam Huczel — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:00:18 -0400

This weekend the Major Indoor Soccer League called it quits after seven seasons.

When looking at the league and how it ran, it was simple why the league couldn't hold onL It didn't have viewers.

The big problem was the games were not on cable television. This past winter, the games could only be found on the Fox Soccer Channel on digital cable. Only the championship game was shown on ESPN2, but frankly that's not enough.

Viewers can see sports leagues such as the Arena Football League and Major League Soccer getting attention on cable channels, but they won't find an MISL featured game of the week. If indoor soccer looks to return in the United States, it better have a spot on cable television, or it'll just be another league that can't find fans or viewers.