Bleacher Report - Articles by Brenda

Twelve Games In: My Thoughts on the Sabres' Season

Brenda — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:42:00 -0500

Three nights off! The Buffalo Sabres have three nights off, and I don't know what to do with myself. There's no breaking news coming out of HSBC Arena; there's no game to recap; no predictions to make. What's a Sabres fan to do? How about some thoughts of the season based on twelve games?

First, the Sabres are winning. They are sitting in first place in the Northeast Division with a nice little record of 8-2-2. If the playoffs were to start today, they'd be playing the Pittsburgh Penguins.

They are currently ninth in goals for, with 38, and tied for third in goals against, with 25. They are seventh on the power play, and third on the penalty kill.

They look like the team they were a few years ago, when no one predicted they would make the playoffs, and basically wrote them off from the beginning of the season.

They may have been written off at the beginning of this season, but they are showing, once again, why they should be taken seriously.

Let's break down the season so far.

Who's Hot

Thomas Vanek

Thomas Vanek is off to the best start of his short career. He currently leads the league in goals, with 11. He's scored short-handed, he's scored on the power play, he's scored at even strength, he's scored game winners, and he's scored in the shootout.

But more importantly, he's playing well in his own end. He's making smart plays and helping out the defense. He's getting the puck out of the zone, and not turning it over in front of his goalie. And he's being rewarded for his play with more ice time, time on the power play, and time on the penalty kill.

Sure, he still makes mistakes, but who doesn't? He's becoming the on-ice leader that the Sabres organization knew he could be when they signed him. He is most certainly becoming a very good two way player, and things can only get better

Ryan Miller

Miller is showing why he is one of the premier goaltenders in the league. He is leading the league with a 1.62 GAA and recently registered back-to-back shutouts for the first time in his career.

With the exception of one game, he has looked stellar. He is in the game. He is seeing the puck well, and he's making the stops he needs to make. He said before the season started that he was looking forward to a long career with the Buffalo Sabres; he liked the way they looked and he liked what they were doing to build the team. And I think that has helped him immensely.

He knows his future is secure in Buffalo. Buffalo has signed a capable backup goaltender, and has lightened Miller's workload. This has allowed some of the weight of the world (or at least the team) he was carrying to be lightened, and has allowed him to play the way he should be playing.

Clarke MacArthur

Drafted in the third round in 2003, MacArthur has spent most of his career with the Rochester Americans, the former Buffalo Sabres AHL team. Last season, he played in 37 games and registered eight goals and seven assists.

This year, he has started in all 12 games, and has registered five goals and three assists. And he's playing smart hockey. He's averaging about 15 minutes of ice time per game, and is currently skating with the second line. This young man may be about to have his breakout season.

Andrej Sekera

This young man has been playing some amazing hockey. Drafted in the third round in 2004, he played in 37 games for the Buffalo Sabres last year, gathering two goals and six assists. In his 12 starts this season, he has eight assists.

He is playing some very smart hockey, and is very good at getting the puck out of the zone and down the ice. He is very good at reading the play and setting up goals. I expect he will be rewarded with a notch in the goal column very soon. He is still making some young mistakes, but he is certainly maturing and is proving to be a real bonus to this team.

Who's Not

Derek Roy

Roy has been slow out of the gate this season, with only two goals and four assists. After he posted great numbers last season and showed some maturity, Buffalo was expecting more from this young man. And while he's not playing terrible hockey, he's not finding the back of the net.

Buffalo prides itself on its depth on offense, and while it hasn't affected them yet, they really need better production out of players like Roy.

Drew Stafford

Selected as a first round pick in 2004, Stafford played in 64 games last year, amassing 16 goals and 22 assists. This season, he has only found the back of the net twice, and has only one helper. It's time for him to step up.

Jason Pominville

Another player that is not off to the fast start that we expected from him. Four goals and five assists is not what Buffalo expects from the player they rewarded with a long-term contract in the offseason. He needs to start playing the type of hockey we saw from him last year.

It's tough to find too much to complain about with this team. They played a few bad games that they lost, and they played a few bad games that they won. But they have played some very good games as well.

They look like a new team. They are playing very well in their own zone. Lindy Ruff has stopped focusing on the offense and is trying to create a successful two-way team. And that is critical in this league. You are going to face teams that are great offensively and teams that are great defensively, and in order to win the ultimate prize, you need to be able to play against both types of team.

The addition of Craig Rivet on defense has helped immensely. Not only has the team accepted him as a leader, making him the captain, but he has provided some much-needed veteran experience. That, coupled with the return of Teppo Numminen has been a huge helper to this team in their own zone.

Miller has been amazing thus far, as has Lalime. Each goaltender has one loss, but they are both showing good numbers. Having Lalime as a backup is going to help Miller immensely—not only in the nets, but behind the scenes as well.

I can only see good things for this team, provided they continue to play as the team they are. If the first 12 games are an accurate predictor of things to come, Buffalo's season is going to extend far beyond April.

Sabres-Devils: Ryan Miller Blanks New Jersey

Brenda — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:36:27 -0500

Ryan Miller recorded his first shutout of the season Saturday night, beating the Capitals 5-0.

Two days later, he accomplished something he'd never done before. He recorded the second of back-to-back shut outs, when his team defeated the New Jersey Devils by a score of 2-0.

Buffalo started the game with a fire in their bellies. New Jersey was having a difficult time getting in the game and Buffalo dominated. They fired 20 shots at back up goaltender Kevin Weekes. Jason Pominville was the only one to get a goal past Weekes in that first period—a power-play goal coming at the 19:26 mark.

New Jersey had five penalties in the first period, including two in the last three minutes of the game. It was this five-on-three that lead to Pominville's goal. The goal came just after the first penalty expired—however, the 1:36 of five-on-three hockey proved to be too much for Weekes, who let the 20th shot on net get past him.

Weekes managed to keep New Jersey in the game in the first period, which saw Buffalo outshoot New Jersey 20-3. It was a stellar performance for Weekes, seeing his first start of this young season with Martin Brodeur out with an elbow injury.

In the second period, New Jersey came out looking a little more alive. They only took one penalty, which resulted in four-on-four play when Brian Gionta tripped Maxim Afinogenov, who was called for diving. Buffalo took three more penalties in the second period.

Although New Jersey had significant more power-play time in the second period, they were unable to solve the riddle of Miller. They put up 12 shots, but none were able to reach the back of the net. Buffalo produced a mere five shots in the second period.

In the third period, the Sabres were protecting a one-goal lead and looking for a little insurance, when Patrick Kaleta tipped a shot by Andrej Sekera past Weekes to give Buffalo a two-goal lead. The Sabres proceeded to lock down in their own zone and protect the shutout.

New Jersey threw everything they had at Buffalo in the last three minutes of the third period. They pulled their goaltender, and fired shot after shot at Miller. The Sabres, however, wouldn't have any of that, and blocked or deflected shot after shot, standing behind their goaltender and giving him another shut out.

Even with that three-minute barrage, the Devils only managed nine shots on goal in the third period, and simply could not find a way to get one past Miller.

In what was a typical Devils-Sabres game—low scoring and defensive—the goaltenders on both ends of the ice played exceptional hockey, making some incredible saves. With the offensive barrage the Buffalo Sabres exhibited in the first period, the game could have easily been a blow out, had it not been for the excellent goaltending of Kevin Weekes.

Likewise, Ryan Miller saw plenty action in the second and third periods, but managed to keep the puck out of the net.

Game notes: Patrick Kaleta scored his first goal of the season...Andrej Sekera added another point to his collection, and has amassed eight points already this season, all helpers...Sabres captain Craig Rivet was back in the lineup tonight, after missing five games following knee surgery...There is still no word on the return date for Broduer, who has what the team is calling a "bruised elbow".

Buffalo Sabres: The New Cardiac Kids?

Brenda — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 02:35:45 -0400

Back in the '90s, the Buffalo Bills were known for their last minute, come from behind heroics. They were nicknamed the Cardiac Kids. And Buffalo both loved and hated them for it.

It appears the Buffalo Sabres have decided to follow a similar track lately. Three games, three come from behind victories.

Thursday night, the Sabres travelled to Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota to face the undefeated Wild.

A rather uneventful first period saw no penalties, and even shots: 10 for the Wild and nine for Buffalo. Drew Stafford scored about 15 minutes into the first period on a beautiful shot after receiving a pass from Derek Roy. He faked the forehand shot, and flipped a backhander over the top of goalie Niklas Backstrom.

The game got ugly after that. Minnesota outshot the Sabres 15-9 in the second period, and capitalized on two of those shots. Benoit Pouliot scored 10 minutes in. Miller stopped Pouliot on the initial shot, but was unable to get in front of the rebound. Five minutes later, Stephane Veilleux buried one in the net, going top shelf with Miller out of position.

The Wild led by a score of 2-1 after two periods.

The third period started out with a terrible mistake by Miller; putting the puck in his own net.

A carryover penalty on Jaroslav Spacek had the Sabres starting out shorthanded in the third period. Out near the left circle, Miller was attempting to clear the puck from an oncoming Brent Burns, when he accidentally backhanded the puck into his own net.

The Sabres were down by a score of 3-1, and not looking very good. The Wild, it appeared, were on their way to another win.

However, Adam Mair, with exactly four minutes to play in the third period, deflected a shot from Nathan Paetsch past Backstrom and, just 46 seconds later, Thomas Vanek deciding that one game without a goal was enough, flipped one past Backstrom from the left point.

In overtime, it didn't take Derek Roy long to score his first goal of the season. Just 44 seconds in, he fired a wrister past Backstrom to end the game.

Despite being outshot and essentially outplayed, the Buffalo Sabres managed to pull another one out, and win in overtime. And as exciting as it is to watch, the Buffalo Sabres can't expect to make the playoffs if they can't play an entire 60 minutes of hockey. Come from behind victories are often dependent on lucky breaks and fluky goals—and those don't happen every game.

Other Notes: Lindy Ruff has told Ryan Miller, laughingly, that he'll have to buy dinner for the whole team every time he scores...Nathan Paetsch played 14:24, had an assist and an even plus/minus in his first game this season...Tim Connolly, Jochen Hecht, and Craig Rivet did not play—all with injuries.

Craig Rivet Has Knee Surgery

Brenda — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:36:07 -0400

From the Sabres head office comes the news that newly acquired defenseman and captain Craig Rivet underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee today. He is expected to miss at least two weeks.

Rivet had an assist in last night's game against the Boston Bruins.

Rivet was acquired in a trade from San Jose in the offseason and was named team captain for the Buffalo Sabres during the preseason, voted in by the players.

*Update - Apparently this surgery was for an existing condition that had been bothering him and not a direct result of any play during the Boston game. Head Coach Lindy Ruff says, “We knew it was coming. He’s been playing on a pretty sore knee that hasn’t been settling down and decided to get [the surgery] done.

“He’s been hobbling pretty good. I thought in the Vancouver game it was really noticeable. He got through that game and it felt a little bit better… but it was something that needed to be done because it wasn’t going to go away.”

source

Ryan Miller Saves the Day

Brenda — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:13:11 -0400

Ryan Miller managed to keep the Buffalo Sabres in what looked to be the worst game of this short season.

Buffalo faced Boston last night for the first time this season. They will meet a total of six times this season. Every point they earn is important, and even more-so when facing a northeast division rival.

While watching the first period, I was transported in time back to last year. The Sabres were slow, unorganized, and did not have that cohesive look they have exhibited this year. They couldn't keep the puck in their own end, and they managed a mere six shots on backup netminder Manny Fernandez.

The Bruins were able to put up 16 shots on Miller in the first period, and about half way through, Dennis Wideman managed to zing one past Miller. The first period would end with the Bruins up by a score of 1-0.

When the Sabres came out in the second period, they started to look a little bit like their new selves. They were playing a little bit better, and looked to be a bit more of a team. They started to put pucks on the net and had a few good chances. However, with Drew Stafford in the box for a goaltender interference penalty, the Bruins Phil Kessel stuffed another one past Miller.

The play started when the Sabres pressed their luck shorthanded and got caught behind the play. Kessel's wrister shot right past Miller.

Less than two minutes later, however, the Sabres were on the power play when Craig Rivet took a shot from the point that Clarke MacArthur got his stick on and whipped past Fernandez.

The Sabres were back in the game, and looking for more. The second period ended with the score 2-1 in favor of Boston. Buffalo did manage to outshoot Boston 12-10 in the second period.

By the third period, the Buffalo Sabres were looking good, and looking for that tying goal. It would come just over five minutes into the third period when Drew Stafford put a wrist shot past Fernandez for his first goal of the season.

With the game tied up, both teams became a bit more conservative, not wanting to make any mistakes. There was good defensive hockey by both teams, with Buffalo managing 9 shots and the Bruins just five.

Buffalo came on strong in the overtime period, but just couldn't get one past Fernandez to end the game before the shootout.

During the shootout, both goaltenders were strong. Ales Kotalik and Kessel were both stopped in the first round. In the second round, Stafford put one past Fernandez and Miller stopped Patrice Bergeron cold. In the third round, Derek Roy was stopped, however David Krejci was able to put one past Miller. In the fourth round, Jason Pominville and Zdeno Chara were both stopped. Finally, in the fifth round, Thomas Vanek scored and Marc Savard lost the puck off his stick in front of Miller to end the game.

The best part of the whole game was the play of Ryan Miller was amazing. The best save of the game came in the third period when he came back across and snatched the puck out of the air on a rebound shot by Krejci. He stood on his head and kept the Sabres in the game. It was good to see him play like the old Ryan Miller again and I am very impressed with his improvement in the shootout. He stopped three shots, allowing only one past him.

The Buffalo Sabres are off to a 5-0-1 start, surprising some people, but not this loyal Buffalo fan.

Other notes - Thomas Vanek did not score in regulation for the first time this season...For some reason, the Buffalo fans felt it was necessary to boo Zdeno Chara every time he touched the puck...The new center ice logo at the arena looks even better in person than it does on TV.

Lindy Ruff Captures Another Milestone

Brenda — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 03:55:38 -0400

Lindy Ruff set no records on the ice.

He was a tough left winger, a solid player, and good leader. He served as captain of the Buffalo Sabres for three years before being traded to the New York Rangers. 300 points over the course of 691 games, including 105 goals.

It's true—he was no superstar.

At least not the first time he was a part of the Buffalo Sabres organization.

On July 21, 1997, Lindy Ruff was named as head coach for the Buffalo Sabres, joining the organization after Ted Nolan, despite winning the Jack Adams Award, was shown the door. It was an immediate success.

The first year with the team, the Sabres made it to the conference finals; the second year, they were beaten by the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals. It was the first time they'd made it to the finals since they lost to Philadelphia in the 1974-75 season.

Lindy Ruff is currently the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, and will be with the Sabres for at least a few more years. In his ten years with the Buffalo Sabres, they have made the playoffs six times, including three times as conference finalists, and the one time as Stanley Cup finalists.

He won the Jack Adams award for the 2005-06 season, and was nominated for the same award in the 2006-07 season.

And, most recently, against the team he was traded to so many years ago, became the 23rd coach to win 400 games—only the seventh to do that with just one team.

So, while he and his team have yet to win the Stanley Cup, Lindy Ruff certainly shows he knows how to win.

Congratulations on 400 wins—and here's to 400 more.

Paul Gaustad Out Three to Four Weeks

Brenda — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 06:55:32 -0400

Paul Gaustad will miss the first three to four weeks of the season due to thumb surgery. He had surgery on Monday, Sept. 29 to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.

Gaustad, affectionately known as Goose, signed a four-year contract with the team over the summer. He has played four seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, and posted a career high 10 goals and 36 points in 82 games last year.

He is a fan favorite and provides a strong physical presence for the Sabres.

Jason Pominville Inks Five-Year Contract Extension with the Buffalo Sabres

Brenda — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 09:52:44 -0400

The Buffalo Sabres released a statement Friday announcing that they have come to an agreement with right winger Jason Pominville.

A five-year contract extension, reportedly worth $5 million per year, will keep Pominville with the Sabres through the 2013-2014 season. He was due to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Pominville was second in scoring on the team last year with 80 points, including 53 assists and 27 goals.

This signing is great news for the Sabres. Pominville's signing, coupled with the signing of Ryan Miller, locks up two very important players who would have become free agents at the end of the season. Pominville has continued to improve since he first joined the Sabres, and this contract certainly shows that they believe he will continue to improve, and be a leader on the team.

This offseason signing will allow the Sabres—both the players and the management—to focus on playing hockey this year. There will be no issues of a player being distracted because of contract talks (or lack thereof) and the media coverage of such issues.

Why the Buffalo Sabres Are the Best Team in the NHL

Brenda — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:48:38 -0400

OK, first of all, I'm not a professional sports writer. I'm not a statistics geek. I follow hockey, all the teams, but I just LOVE my Sabres. So, this article isn't based on stats, facts, or experts.

It's all in my gut. It's how I feel my team is going to do this year. OK, sure, there are some stats and what not in my brain, so it's not ALL gut, but, basically, this is what I think about my Sabres.

Offense

First and foremost, we need Thomas Vanek to wake up. I know, last year wasn't horrible, but it most certainly wasn't the play we need from the $10 million man. He had some insane +/- in '06, like +45 or something like that. That's just crazy.

I don't expect that every year. But I do expect 40 or 50 goals from him. That's what he's being paid to do. I also expect leadership from him. I know he's young. So is Crosby. So is Ovechkin. They lead their teams. Our little Austrian should be able to as well.

I'm looking forward to excellent seasons from Derek Roy and Jason Pominville again. I'll be the first to admit, I was ready to send Roy packing two years ago. Stupid diving calls and the inability to produce anything decent earned him the nickname "stupid little gnat" from me.

I'll also be the first to admit that I was wrong. I thought he had played very well last season, and his numbers certainly attest to that. If he keeps it up, I may have to buy him a beer or something.

As for Pommers, I have had complete confidence in him since his first trip from Rochester to Buffalo. He's got good talent, and I expect this year to be even better for him than last year.

There are a few more young guys that I think will have great years: Stafford, Paille, Guastad. They've got talent. I don't think any of them are ready to be star players, and I don't know if any of them will—maybe Stafford.

Hecht will hopefully have another solid year. Kotalik—not a favorite of mine—is OK in the shootout (by OK I mean, probably the best Buffalo has to offer, which isn't saying much).

Defense

I think defense is the weakest link in Buffalo's game. They need to get better. They need to be able to get the puck out of the zone. They need to know when to dump it and when to skate it out. They need better knowledge of where the puck is, where the other team is, and where their own guys are.

I don't know if it's a communication issue, or what, but they really need to know what is going on more.

I, for one, am glad that Teppo is back. He's got excellent on-ice presence and awareness. Not to mention the veteran leadership he can provide in the locker room, which I really think Buffalo has been lacking in the past years.

I think the addition of Rivet is a good one. He's solid, and he's got experience. The young guys like Weber and Sekera can learn from him. Lydman and Tallinder should be solid; they need to be solid.

I don't think Buffalo will suffer much from the loss of Campbell. Personally, I think he was overrated in Buffalo, and, while I wish him all the best of luck in Chicago, I think he's overpaid, and I'm sure that money does a lot to dry up any tears that might flow.

Goaltending

Ah, goaltending. The quintessential position. Much like a quarterback in football, the goaltender is THE name on a team (for the most part, and especially in this city). If they win, Miller played a great game. It doesn't matter how many goals he let in, if they were good goals, bad goals, weak goals, as long as they win. And if they lose, he is beat up on. Again, if he only let one goal in all night, he'll take them blame for the loss.

And for Miller, I think this is a problem. He is on. He is focused. He is the game. And every single thing that happens, is said, is implied, whatever, he takes to heart. He knows how important he is to the team. I think he played with much more confidence when he knew he had Marty Biron sitting behind him.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for Marty. He deserved a starting spot and wouldn't get it in Buffalo; but when he left, I saw Miller's confidence crumble. They brought in Ty Conklin. And we were all saying, "Who?" I think Miller, once Biron was gone, took on the feeling that he HAD to do well, there were no other options, and it was too much stress. Too much pressure.

And I think it continued on through last year with Thibault. While I'm sure Thibault would have been a fine backup, he wasn't given the chance. He never got to play, so his confidence shattered. And with that, Ryan now knows, once again, that he is THE MAN, and I think the pressure got to him.

I hope that Lindy learned his lesson, and is going to play Lalime more than he played Thibault. I'll get to more of than when I get to coaching.

As for Mr. Miller and his new contract: I'm glad they signed him before the season started. He can focus on hockey. He can, and will be, an excellent goaltender. His team needs to help him, especially defensively. And he needs to know that Lalime can play hockey; he doesn't have to do it all himself.

Coaching

I think the Buffalo Sabres coaching staff is a good one. I don't always agree with the decisions Lindy Ruff makes, but I mostly respect them. I don't think it is advisable to start one goaltender all season long.

I think that last year, he effectively destroyed the confidence of Thibault, which in turn caused undue stress on Miller. I think this year, Lalime needs to start at least 20 games. Especially when we have those four games in six nights or three games in five nights, or four nights or whatever.

Start Lalime for one of those games. Give Miller a chance to ride the bench; watch the game from a different angle. In a perfect world, he'd learn from it, and the team will be better because of it.

The other thing the drives me NUTS about Lindy is his rotating captains. A team needs a leader. They need someone in that locker room to kick 'em in the rear side if they are underperforming and to encourage and cheer them, but not let them become complacent when they are winning.

That is the captain's job (amongst others). I think you need consistency in this position. It may have worked for a while, when we had a core of veteran players. But we are young. We need someone to lead. We need that face, that voice in the locker room. Pick somebody and stick with them.

It SHOULD be Vanek, but I don't think he's ready for the "C" yet. Hecht, maybe. Teppo, probably, at least an "A." But get a captain and a few assistants and go with it.

Well, there you have it. My stand on the Buffalo Sabres. I will admit a major fault I have. I am uber-optimistic when it comes to my beloved Sabres. I always believe they can go the distance. Maybe I think if I believe enough, it will happen. Oh, and I know it will happen. I just want it to happen now.

And, I also say to the rest of the hockey world: Keep underestimating the Sabres; that's when they play their best!