GAME DISCUSSION THREAD

[Claude Balls]

Kaleta's role on this team is great. He lays clean hits and ticks off the other players, which ends up getting the Sabres a pp.

Peters almost screwed up the major pp tonight, according to RJ. (I was listening to the game on the internet) Peters started to make his way to "protect" Kaleta? There is no reason for Peters to be on this team. Send him a pink slip.

Sometimes having Peters is a good thing. Against the Islander after Kaleta and Rivet got the boot, having Peters on the bench kept the Isles from taking any liberties against our stars IMO. The Isles got smoked on the scoreboard and in the fights. As long as this team keeps winning with his goon asss on the bench, there is no reason to get rid of him......yet. He's like a German Shepherd. He'll protect your valubles and won't do much damage until you let him outside to go after someone. Just bring him back in once he does his duty.

 

Edit: German Shepherds do a better job of attacking though.

[SwampD]

Drury looked pretty human tonight, didn't he?

Just got off the phone with a buddy of mine saying the same thing. But we both thought that while he was here too.

[Eleven]

Eleven, I hope you have to be this picky all season. If Miller is only allowing "soft" goals on screen shots that deflect in off guys cruising in front of the net like Gomez's, they can put his name on the Vezina now. He was plenty ready to play and kept his head in it despite not being very busy.

 

As for Lindy, I hope he is not resorting to speeches after one so-so perioed 3 games in ... I hope he just said "Stick to the plan, keep working hard, it will come, boys." They allowed THREE shots in the first period, one of which, again, went in of someone's ass basically. i don't think he needed to start tossing trash cans.

 

I know the majority of your post was positive, and it was not a perfect game ... but given they are down 3 centers, it was a pretty damn good road game, allowing 9 shots through 2 periods and winning double-minor shorthanded situation 1-0 in the third.

 

BtP00, you KNOW I'll be this picky not only all season, but until I see a Sabres parade on Delaware Ave.! That said, your criticisms are fair.

[Eleven]

I really think the feel of this team comes from the captain. I think everyone is benefiting from the void of last year being filled. Vanek can just play and the rest can just develop without the pressure of having to be the guy.

 

No question about it.

[inkman]

Drury looked pretty human tonight, didn't he?

No one insults Captain Awesome! He is Mr. Win, remember! A #%^$#!ing ray of mutha #%^$#!ing sunshine!

[BetweenThePipes00]

BtP00, you KNOW I'll be this picky not only all season, but until I see a Sabres parade on Delaware Ave.! That said, your criticisms are fair.

 

Crtitcisms? Didn't mean it like THAT ... SARCASMS, maybe ;)

[X. Benedict]

No one insults Captain Awesome! He is Mr. Win, remember! A #%^$#!ing ray of mutha #%^$#!ing sunshine!

 

I haven't looked at the stats yet, but it looked like Roy had his number on the dot.

Nice to see that.

[inkman]

Edit: German Shepherds do a better job of attacking though.

Don't make me wake him up!

[Bmwolf21]

Sorry.....27 days until until I leave Iraq. It keeps mooving to the left or right a few days, but on or about 11 Nov. It's been a long 15 months.

Congrats, man - and thanks. Stay safe for the last 27 or so...

 

wow you post on the sabrespace from Iraq? lol awesome. If you ever go to a game when i go, i'm def buying you a beer, brother.

What he said. I probably won't see anyone from here at a game anytime soon, but if I see Hank, he's got a beer coming from me too.

 

Not the way to start the third period....

Love your avatar.

 

I don't know who stole # 26 but this dude is playing out of his skull.

Agreed. I hope he can keep this up and stay consistent. If so, 50+ is not out of the question.

[Claude Balls]

Don't make me wake him up!

Whoa....down boy, down.

 

I ain't walking by your house.

[McJeff215]

I hope not. This team has a weird, different feeling than most Sabres teams I remember.

 

Reminds me of the 05-06 team in a way. They seem to have an identity... most of last year it seemed as though they were reeling from the loss of their leaders.

[scottnc]

I watched the latter half of the 3rd period in awe. After Lindy took the timeout to settle them down, I don't think they allowed a shot for like 8-10 minutes and they were blocking/deflecting almost everything with the Rangers pushing near the end. I can't remember the last time I saw a defensive effort like that out of the Sabres.

[Corp000085]

Now that's a game! Solid effort from goalie to the forwards. The PP is finally clicking and we may have ourselves a $50 million man after all in vanek. Obviously, his penalty killing is outstanding. The goal he scored on the PK was a great placement. Did you motice that he one timered that pass, on the ice, into a slot between lundqvist's pad and the post not much wider than the puck itself. Paille continues to impress too. You could see that goal being scored a mile away and a few strides before the pass was even made, simply because of Paille's speed rushing the puck up the ice. Of course, it couldn't have been scored without Vanek's hustle though. In large part because of vanek, but also the stellar play of the defense and the other supporting forwards, the PK has turned into a vacuum. The thing that made the 05-06 PK units so special was that they were a brick wall playing defense and they could score out of nowhere. That Paille/Vanek rush so so so reminded me of that connolly/roy SHG in the ottawa series a few years ago in that game of the ages. Play like that really fouls up the opposition's PP unit, as was evident tonight with the Rangers.

 

Getting back to the defense... This is a solid group from top to bottom again. I think that Lydman still makes the occasional mistake, and Tallinder has some weak clearing efforts, but they are both improved and have played well apart from each other. Rivet is simply a beast. I can't wait for him to score a goal. The HSBC will rock. Numminen continues to baffle me. How the hell can a 40 year old who just recently got to 100% from open friggin heart surgery play so solid? Plus, lindy trusts him on the PP point? I know people here rag on him for being too old and slow, but the dude has played mistake free hockey so far. That cannot be ignored anymore. Sekera has improved as well.

 

 

Specific to tonight: Last July 1st, didn't drury sign with his beloved rangers? What happened to him tonight? Was he injured? did he retire? Oh that's right, the not good enough for drury buffalo sabres blanketed him. Captain America got PWNED tonight.

 

The only negative from tonight's game was that mair got hit hard in the shoulder. He returned to the ice and played well, but if it was his shoulder or back or something.

 

 

FINALLY: It will be a week on friday for the Vancouver game... Does Connolly dress?

[wonderbread]

Awesome! I'm feeling the same way right now, too. Sabres score a goal and I go nuts! I'm glad my wife can handle it. Only 79 regular seasons to go. I'm loving the play of Vanek and Paille!

 

I think my wife is filing papers tonight. I order CI last night.

 

All in all though, great game by the Sabres they made the Rangers play their game and dominated them at it. This team has some great muckers on it and plays with a chip. This is what I have been waiting for for 3 years now.

[...]

Mara on Kaleta:

 

"'It?s two hits on me that he has jumped,' Mara said. 'I just made a decision that enough is enough from that little guy. If he was a man, he would?ve dropped the gloves and stood in there. I did what I had to do.

 

'I?ll always remember that hit. And when he was in the scrum he made a pretty classless move, asking me how my face was. You don?t want to hurt guys in this league, and to have him say something like that, it?s classless.'"

 

Haha! Kaleta doing WNY proud.

[wonderbread]

Imagine how awesome this team will be when Gustaud is back to supply some extra grit.

[Stoner]

Mara on Kaleta:

 

"'It's two hits on me that he has jumped,' Mara said. 'I just made a decision that enough is enough from that little guy. If he was a man, he would've dropped the gloves and stood in there. I did what I had to do.

 

'I'll always remember that hit. And when he was in the scrum he made a pretty classless move, asking me how my face was. You don't want to hurt guys in this league, and to have him say something like that, it's classless.'"

 

Haha! Kaleta doing WNY proud.

 

I was about to post that quote. Hilarious.

 

Anyone else struck by how different this 3-0 start feels from 06-07's start?

[SwampD]

Now that's a game! Solid effort from goalie to the forwards. The PP is finally clicking and we may have ourselves a $50 million man after all in vanek. Obviously, his penalty killing is outstanding. The goal he scored on the PK was a great placement. Did you motice that he one timered that pass, on the ice, into a slot between lundqvist's pad and the post not much wider than the puck itself. Paille continues to impress too. You could see that goal being scored a mile away and a few strides before the pass was even made, simply because of Paille's speed rushing the puck up the ice. Of course, it couldn't have been scored without Vanek's hustle though. In large part because of vanek, but also the stellar play of the defense and the other supporting forwards, the PK has turned into a vacuum. The thing that made the 05-06 PK units so special was that they were a brick wall playing defense and they could score out of nowhere. That Paille/Vanek rush so so so reminded me of that connolly/roy SHG in the ottawa series a few years ago in that game of the ages. Play like that really fouls up the opposition's PP unit, as was evident tonight with the Rangers.

 

Getting back to the defense... This is a solid group from top to bottom again. I think that Lydman still makes the occasional mistake, and Tallinder has some weak clearing efforts, but they are both improved and have played well apart from each other. Rivet is simply a beast. I can't wait for him to score a goal. The HSBC will rock. Numminen continues to baffle me. How the hell can a 40 year old who just recently got to 100% from open friggin heart surgery play so solid? Plus, lindy trusts him on the PP point? I know people here rag on him for being too old and slow, but the dude has played mistake free hockey so far. That cannot be ignored anymore. Sekera has improved as well.

Specific to tonight: Last July 1st, didn't drury sign with his beloved rangers? What happened to him tonight? Was he injured? did he retire? Oh that's right, the not good enough for drury buffalo sabres blanketed him. Captain America got PWNED tonight.

 

The only negative from tonight's game was that mair got hit hard in the shoulder. He returned to the ice and played well, but if it was his shoulder or back or something.

FINALLY: It will be a week on friday for the Vancouver game... Does Connolly dress?

Great stuff. You're right, Numminen is butter. It doesn't look like he tries at all but always makes the play.

 

The good news about this game, other than the win, is that for a large part of it, we actually playd like crap. They were bumping into each other and losing the puck. It felt like they were still figuring each other out. That makes me hopeful that they can play even better. Another thing I noticed was that the Rags, even though they lost, are a pretty effin good team with a lot of very skilled players. Man our D was tight. :thumbsup:

[bills_fan_in_raleigh]

Now that's a game! Solid effort from goalie to the forwards. The PP is finally clicking and we may have ourselves a $50 million man after all in vanek. Obviously, his penalty killing is outstanding. The goal he scored on the PK was a great placement. Did you motice that he one timered that pass, on the ice, into a slot between lundqvist's pad and the post not much wider than the puck itself. Paille continues to impress too. You could see that goal being scored a mile away and a few strides before the pass was even made, simply because of Paille's speed rushing the puck up the ice. Of course, it couldn't have been scored without Vanek's hustle though. In large part because of vanek, but also the stellar play of the defense and the other supporting forwards, the PK has turned into a vacuum. The thing that made the 05-06 PK units so special was that they were a brick wall playing defense and they could score out of nowhere. That Paille/Vanek rush so so so reminded me of that connolly/roy SHG in the ottawa series a few years ago in that game of the ages. Play like that really fouls up the opposition's PP unit, as was evident tonight with the Rangers.

 

Getting back to the defense... This is a solid group from top to bottom again. I think that Lydman still makes the occasional mistake, and Tallinder has some weak clearing efforts, but they are both improved and have played well apart from each other. Rivet is simply a beast. I can't wait for him to score a goal. The HSBC will rock. Numminen continues to baffle me. How the hell can a 40 year old who just recently got to 100% from open friggin heart surgery play so solid? Plus, lindy trusts him on the PP point? I know people here rag on him for being too old and slow, but the dude has played mistake free hockey so far. That cannot be ignored anymore. Sekera has improved as well.

Specific to tonight: Last July 1st, didn't drury sign with his beloved rangers? What happened to him tonight? Was he injured? did he retire? Oh that's right, the not good enough for drury buffalo sabres blanketed him. Captain America got PWNED tonight.

 

The only negative from tonight's game was that mair got hit hard in the shoulder. He returned to the ice and played well, but if it was his shoulder or back or something.

FINALLY: It will be a week on friday for the Vancouver game... Does Connolly dress?

Great summary. I think Vanek faked out the defenders by giving the impression he wasnt joining the rush and than used his speed for the advantage. Paille has really stepped it up and him and vanek do a great job on the PK. I also thought Kotalik is playing a much more physical game this year. Lindy is still not happy with the effort from Max based on the yelling and screaming I saw during the timeout.

[...]

I was about to post that quote. Hilarious.

 

Anyone else struck by how different this 3-0 start feels from 06-07's start?

 

 

I have my doubts Kaleta actually said it; I think Mara may be making it up to justify his attack on Kaleta, but it's good mythology for Kaleta.

 

Ask in nine more games how this team "feels", because the team doesn't "feel" too different than last year's to me. They do seem more mature and hockey-wise. It seems like they are finally listening to Jedi Obi Ruff (did you see the story about shooting the puck through the hole at MSG?) instead of, as young padawans do, fight the wisdom their elders have learned the hard way.

 

They seem like a team that trimmed the fat from last season and have learned many hard lessons from last season.

 

As someone already noted (somewhere, here maybe) that third period was a clinic in defense - that's not an easy thing to accomplish against a team like the Rangers.

 

Let's just hope all of these "new" aspects of the Sabres are on a solid foundation and won't slowly erode away over the course of the season. But for now it's mighty enjoyable.

[kingcongkorab]

Great summary. I think Vanek faked out the defenders by giving the impression he wasnt joining the rush and than used his speed for the advantage. Paille has really stepped it up and him and vanek do a great job on the PK. I also thought Kotalik is playing a much more physical game this year. Lindy is still not happy with the effort from Max based on the yelling and screaming I saw during the timeout.

So that was directed toward Max? Lindy was pretty animated and I could not figure out why.

[nfreeman]

OK, having gone to the game tonight, here's my 2 cents:

 

1. That was just an outstanding win.

 

2. The Sabres are playing extremely tight, well-coached, well-executing, team-defense-oriented hockey. For all those craving Weber instead of Teppo or Tallinder or anyone else -- I like Weber too, but rookies don't play D like the way we're playing it right now. Teppo is playing very, very well. He makes the quick, smart play every time. And he's settled Lydman down quite a bit too. I've been as critical of Tallinder as anyone lately, but he's much improved as well. He made a heck of a defensive play towards the end of the 3rd -- one of the Rangers was alone in front, gloved the puck down out of the air and was about to shoot, and Tallinder completely tied him up.

 

3. Miller! Miller! Miller! I've said this a lot over the last few years -- it was hard to say it in the last 2 months of last season, but I'll say it again right now -- Miller is the best goalie in the Eastern conference. Lundy is very good, but Miller outplayed him in the playoffs in 2007 and he outplayed him again tonight.

 

4. If Vanek stays healthy he could easily score 45-50 this year.

 

5. We are 3-0 and have gotten very little from Roy in any of the 3 games.

 

6. Sekera might be as good a skater as Campbell, and in a few years he might be a better player than Campbell.

 

7. 5 and 0, my ass.

 

8. Kotalik has 2 goals in 3 games in his contract year.

 

9. I wonder if DeLuca will capitulate?

 

Go Sabres.

[Doohicksie]

Great game, great start to the season, but...

Great PP (2 tonight)

...

Kaleta is league's premier agitator

 

The powerplay is mediocre at best, so far. It looks rusty. Yeah, they got two tonight, but coming into the night they were 17th in the NHL. Great? I can't say that, at least not yet.

 

And Kaleta the premier agitator? Heh. That makes me laugh. When he's been at it as long as Avery, then we can talk. I love everything Kaleta does to get under the other team's skin, but to call him the "league's premier agitator" is getting ahead of yourself.

[eball]

Nice start. 6pts.

What a difference a year makes.

[SDS]

Great game, great start to the season, but...

 

The powerplay is mediocre at best, so far. It looks rusty. Yeah, they got two tonight, but coming into the night they were 17th in the NHL. Great? I can't say that, at least not yet.

 

And Kaleta the premier agitator? Heh. That makes me laugh. When he's been at it as long as Avery, then we can talk. I love everything Kaleta does to get under the other team's skin, but to call him the "league's premier agitator" is getting ahead of yourself.

 

 

You need to temper your enthusiasm... The next thing you know - you might crack a smile or at least a short grin. :thumbsup: