... Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 It figures, a good night for Buffalo sports ruined with a star being injured. It will be interesting to see if the level of play remains the same. Vanek only showed up for this game - so the Sabres CAN achieve a respectable record without him. Obviously it would be nice to have him, but they don't need him like they need Miller.
shrader Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Vanek only showed up for this game - so the Sabres CAN achieve a respectable record without him. Obviously it would be nice to have him, but they don't need him like they need Miller. So he doesn't show up and they put up 4 goals in 3 games. Then he does show up and they put up 6 in one night. If that's what happens when he shows up, they could use more of it.
BetweenThePipes00 Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Vanek only showed up for this game - so the Sabres CAN achieve a respectable record without him. Obviously it would be nice to have him, but they don't need him like they need Miller. Yeah but the issue is the trickle down effect ... MacArthur scores on the second line when the other team's best checkers are matched up with Vanek ... can he do it on the first line? Hecht and Grier have been better with Kennedy than with Goose ... if Kennedy moves up to replace MacArthur and Goose moves up, what happens there? Kaleta seems to be good with Gaustad, but now he will be on the 3rd line ... etc, etc, etc ... Just Vanek's presence makes a difference. I'm not saying they can't win, just that the guys involved in the questions above need to step up a little.
wonderbread Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Tough loss losing Vanek just when he looked like he was ready to break out. Man that play where he lazily entered the zone and wristed it past Osgood was sweet! Hecht really needs to do something, at this point he is the biggest floater on the team. The 4th line looked really good tonight. Kaleta keeps being at the right place at the right time. Myers is a bonified stud IMO. He skates so smoothly. Pommers netted 3 assists and had a rocket of a slapshot hit Howard i thought it was gonna go thru his chest. All in all a very very solid preformance.
... Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 So he doesn't show up and they put up 4 goals in 3 games. Then he does show up and they put up 6 in one night. If that's what happens when he shows up, they could use more of it. Then someone needs to visit Vanek at home and wave their magic wand over whatever is ailing him. All I'm saying is that they can win games without him. Clearly they're going to have to. The Tim Man and JJ Pommers need to step up in the goal-scoring department. Stafford and The General will need to remember where the net is now that they have found it. BetweenThePipes00 makes a great point, but I wonder how lethal they thought Vanek was before tonight. AFTER tonight, yes, I could see the game plan revolving around Vanek, but not beforehand.
SabresFan526 Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Yeah but the issue is the trickle down effect ... MacArthur scores on the second line when the other team's best checkers are matched up with Vanek ... can he do it on the first line? Hecht and Grier have been better with Kennedy than with Goose ... if Kennedy moves up to replace MacArthur and Goose moves up, what happens there? Kaleta seems to be good with Gaustad, but now he will be on the 3rd line ... etc, etc, etc ... Just Vanek's presence makes a difference. I'm not saying they can't win, just that the guys involved in the questions above need to step up a little. Yeah, there's definitely cause for concern as it is expected Vanek may miss a few weeks. But, I think Lindy's got some options here. He could put the General with Roy and Stafford, he could put Kennedy with Roy and Stafford and not change anything with General-Connolly-Pominville, or he could put Connolly on wing with Roy and Stafford and have Kennedy play with General and Pominville like it was to start the season. I actually thought the Hecht-Goose-Grier line was a very good line, and Lindy still puts that trio together in end game situations like you saw against Phoenix, and he did the same thing in Nashville as well. With 20 seconds left, the Hecht-Goose-Grier line were together even though they had not played a shift together the entire game. I'm not terribly concerned, but my expectation would be: Connolly-Roy-Stafford MacArthur-Kennedy-Pominville Hecht-Goose-Grier Ellis-Mair-Kaleta There's a lot less firepower without Vanek, but this team still has enough grinders to prevent the other team from scoring, and I think we need to expect the blueliners to step up and contribute on offense. This is how Tyler Myers can really step up his game over the next few weeks and provide the offense that will be missing. I think if the Sabres can score 2-3 goals/game over the next few weeks, that may just be enough to win games with the defensive, puck possession game they are playing right now. No Vanek hurts, but I think this team can survive. Having said that, I fully expect a regulation loss on Saturday to Atlanta, especially if Lalime is in net.
North Buffalo Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 I re-ran the replay from the NHL clips of Vanek's second and still can't tell what happened http://www.nhl.com/index.html. Given an earlier replay I saw on Versus with him holding his wrist/elbow afterwards it is hard to tell. He may just have landed awkwardly on his left elbow??? Hope nothing is broken but the replay doesn't show much.
Ch0rt Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Vanek only showed up for this game - so the Sabres CAN achieve a respectable record without him. Obviously it would be nice to have him, but they don't need him like they need Miller. http://www.nhl.com/ice/boxscore.htm?id=2009020036
Eric in Akron Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 I re-ran the replay from the NHL clips of Vanek's second and still can't tell what happened http://www.nhl.com/index.html. Given an earlier replay I saw on Versus with him holding his wrist/elbow afterwards it is hard to tell. He may just have landed awkwardly on his left elbow??? Hope nothing is broken but the replay doesn't show much. I think Vanek got whacked on the wrist just after he tapped the puck in.
BetweenThePipes00 Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 BetweenThePipes00 makes a great point, but I wonder how lethal they thought Vanek was before tonight. AFTER tonight, yes, I could see the game plan revolving around Vanek, but not beforehand. Really? One goal in 3 games and he's not a threat despite averaging 40 goals? Sorry but all they had to do was watch the ridiculously quick release on the PP goal against Phoenix and I think they would remember 26 is a bigger worry than 41 or anyone else. But again, I totally agree they can win ... just not 6-2 probably very often. Miller needs to stay solid.
Eric in Akron Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Well I will say that unlike last year, I felt comfortable with the lead. The Sabres are just playing sound defensively right now. Last year, I would've been thinking that the other team is going to come back and force overtime. Tonight, I never felt that we were going to give up the lead.
BetweenThePipes00 Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Faces offs won: Buffalo 33 Wings 20. WOW ... I swear I heard it was 12-4 wings after the first ...
SabresFan526 Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Faces offs won: Buffalo 33 Wings 20. That's a sign that the Sabres were firing on all cylinders tonight. They have been horrible on faceoffs so far, and they bested one of the better faceoff teams in the NHL. We need more nights like tonight the rest of the season. Unreal. And did I mention, Tallinder +5. Unbelievable.
biodork Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 ahem... a few props please... Mucho props my friend -- you hit it right on. Wish I could've watched this one (DirecTV)... at least I got to see the highlights on NHL Network On The Fly. Hopefully we get good news about Vanek tomorrow but there are a bunch of guys in Portland hoping to hear their phones ring (Gerbe?).
VansTheMans Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Great game, the goals finally came. Sabres DOMINATED the Wings the entire game. Sucks the big one that Vanek is out. The team will do fine without him though, they just have a bit less firepower at their disposal. I'm more bummed than anything else; I was hoping Vanek could reach the 50 goal plateau this season and really make a stab at becoming an elite player.
Corp000085 Posted October 14, 2009 Author Report Posted October 14, 2009 Great win. Too bad about Vanek being hurt, but I'm not too too concerned right now. They have depth to fill in at forward, other guys are scoring goals, and this team is winning because of grit and defense, not cause of Vanek's goals. He can recover and the Sabres will be just fine. I'm totally in love with their play so far this year. Beating the tar out of the Wings on national TV (TSN in canada), should turn some heads. Hopefully we can turn 3-4 points on the first back-to-back situation of the season this weekend.
grinreaper Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 WOW ... I swear I heard it was 12-4 wings after the first ... No, it was 12-4 Sabres after the first period. Damn, I love their defensive play! First time i got to see them on HD, It looked sweet!
Stoner Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 No, it was 12-4 Sabres after the first period. Damn, I love their defensive play! First time i got to see them on HD, It looked sweet! Harry got it wrong then. Hard to believe.
JujuFish Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Butler and Myers lead the team in TOI. Tallinder was +5 without getting a point. The team still leads the league in S/G and GA/G and is only down to 2nd in SA/G. The goals finally came, wooooo.
... Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Really? One goal in 3 games and he's not a threat despite averaging 40 goals? Sorry but all they had to do was watch the ridiculously quick release on the PP goal against Phoenix and I think they would remember 26 is a bigger worry than 41 or anyone else. But again, I totally agree they can win ... just not 6-2 probably very often. Miller needs to stay solid. Please don't put words in my posts that weren't there. I didn't say he wasn't a threat, nor implied he was not - I wondered, and still wonder, HOW LETHAL Vanek was considered BEFORE TONIGHT'S GAME since he did not show up for preseason or the first three games. How much did the game plans of the first four revolve around Vanek, versus how that would change after the game he had tonight (assuming, obviously, that he wasn't now injured). On another note, NOW would be the time for DR to make the big trade we were hoping for all summer. Tallinder looks good with his +5, send him with Paille somewhere and maybe a pick and get someone they need up front, especially with Vanek out. Maybe dump Hecht for some picks to clear up cap space.
wonderbread Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 On another note, NOW would be the time for DR to make the big trade we were hoping for all summer. Tallinder looks good with his +5, send him with Paille somewhere and maybe a pick and get someone they need up front, especially with Vanek out. Maybe dump Hecht for some picks to clear up cap space. Keep banging that drum. Nothing will happen with the team as long as the wins keep coming. DR is patient to a fault.
LabattBlue Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Game thoughts... - I was at the game and they WON! :D - Myers rush leading to Kaleta's goal....I don't know if he caught the dman off guard, has a very nice second gear or a combination of both, but that was impressive. - Miller on the penalty shot! :thumbsup: - The Sabres with a dominating 2nd period. - I tried a couple of weeks ago to say that the Sabres box office pricing is out of control and tonight was a sign I was correct. A game against the Stanley Cup runner-ups and the crowd is 1100 or so below capacity. - Pominville did a real nice job along the boards just prior to MacArthur's goal. - Quality win against a Western Conference powerhouse tempered by an injury to Vanek. - Kennedy looked very nervous with the puck. Made several questionable plays. - Stafford getting rewarded with a goal after playing extremely well the past couple of games. - Connolly with another lackluster game. - Kaleta with a goal and an assist! If his upside can be 10-15 goals a year on top of being a pain in the ass to play against, he will be a Sabre for a long time!
deluca67 Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 There was a lot of talk about Ruff this off-season. Tonight really showed that the message of playing out of character is hitting home. They had MacArthur and Connolly crashing the crease. Roy played a controlled game in the offensive zone. It's early and a lot of hockey is left to be played. Ruff now has a benchmark to point to the rest of the season. When players start to slip into old habits he can pull out this game footage as a example of what can happen when players adhere to the system.
BetweenThePipes00 Posted October 14, 2009 Report Posted October 14, 2009 Harry got it wrong then. Hard to believe. LOL yes it is ... I enjoyed when he said that Richie Cunningham (RON Howard) was taking over in goal ....
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