Eric in Akron Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 From my understanding, the starting goalie never takes the morning skate for Buffalo. I could be wrong on that, but I believe that is the case, which is why he probably was not seen. Well then that would be why... I was not aware of that policy and apparently they though it odd too. Just hoping the Miller isn't experiencing the flu or something. Thanks.
paulsinator Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 Pittsburgh announcers stated that they didn't see Miller during the morning skate... can some confirm or deny this? I can't...but I can tell you that I saw a couple games on TV in Pittsburgh a couple years ago when they had Ty Conklin, and the announcers took great pleasure in taking thinly veiled shots at Miller.
ThePebble19 Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 What a great win. I was literally 30 seconds away from playing PS3 for the rest of the night...then the penalty shot happened, and I was pulled back in for good. Love the intensity tonight, as soon as they tied it, I just knew we would win it. Lalime was playing like a man possessed.
Knightrider Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 Yes but not all teams have a goalie like Ryan miller. Ryan Miller is not nor is likely to become an effective 65-75 regular season game goalie. I don't think he has the physique for it. He has I think physically burned out in February/March the last two years. In my ideal little world he gets 50 starts, so he'll still be fresh for the finals. :thumbsup: Did I mention I hate that pros play in the Olympics?
Eric in Akron Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 I can't...but I can tell you that I saw a couple games on TV in Pittsburgh a couple years ago when they had Ty Conklin, and the announcers took great pleasure in taking thinly veiled shots at Miller. I only watched them at the beginning of the second period before the third goal. It sounded like they were making excuses for Miller's poor play. I was watching the feed because it was the HD feed for Time Warner, but I switched back to SD because I just can't watch a game without RJ calling it.
... Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 I still believe goaltending wins championships, and apparently the Sabres have scored 9 goals in their last two games, so maybe they have the firepower to compete with the Washingtons and the Pittsburghs of the world as they beat Pittsburgh tonight. Maybe there's really no need for a Kovalchuk after all. Imagine that. :rolleyes: They didn't just beat the Pens, they embarrassed them. After about 8 minutes into the second, the Penguins disappeared for the rest of the game. A very, very good comeback win by the Sabres tonight - the kind of game no one here expected at the beginning of the season.
cdexchange Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 The Sabres gave up 38 shots, way too many. Lindy must be fired NOW.
blugold43 Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 as thrilled as i am about this win, the BEST moment of the night was Myers flattening malkin behind the net with 20 secs left or whatever it was. when was the last time a sabre defensemen just took a star player like that off the puck? this guy is a star in the making.
PromoTheRobot Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 I hope Lindy gives more playing time to Lalime. Better to keep Miller fresh and Lalime will be sharper with more action. He's shown he can win games too. PTR
JJFIVEOH Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 I guess at the end of the day with Lalime playing this way, its a win- win situation. I'll give you that he deserves more starts. And it can only push Miller to another level if there is one. I just think that the stats from this year and last, coupled with payroll kind of stamp Miller as the go to guy. That's fair. We can agree to disagree. I think people came down too hard on Patty late last season when Miller was hurt because he had a string of 4 or 5 games where he was great, but the rest of the team decided to go into it's worst offensive slump of the season and Lalime had nothing to show for it. I just think you do what you gotta do to win no matter who gets paid more. The team rallied around Lalime the last 2 games so let the momentum go as long as it'll take ya. Miller will get his fair share of starts.
paulsinator Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 as thrilled as i am about this win, the BEST moment of the night was Myers flattening malkin behind the net with 20 secs left or whatever it was. when was the last time a sabre defensemen just took a star player like that off the puck? this guy is a star in the making. Agreed. The question is where will he be playing when he becomes a star?
nfreeman Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 What hasn't been said also was that Buffalo played very well against Malkin and Crosby. Malkin had the puck behind the Sabres' net with about a minute left and Myers nailed him hard and put him on the ice. Very nice. Bench Miller for a week. His tantrum is uncalled for from a team leader. Lalime has proven the last month he can still play and the team seems to play better with him in net lately. Let Miller think about it for a few games watching from the bench. fantastic job by Lalime. after the Caps game and today, maybe Miller is getting tired of bailing out this team five (isn't it?) consecutive first periods. with Lalime being on the hot form he is, does it make sense giving Miller a couple of games off to regain his zen zone? You are both on drugs, yes? Ruff pulling all the right triggers lately..... Yes he was........ :beer: No, no, haven't you heard? All Lindy knows how to do is write Miller's name on the lineup card! He doesn't add value in any other way. I await a retraction from the proponents of this abomination. That may have been the most fun game I've seen since Briere and Drury left! Talk about a confidence builder! Hecht seemed like the Hecht of old tonight. Mouse Potato!! You're gonna be good when you grow up... What a game! +1
JJFIVEOH Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 as thrilled as i am about this win, the BEST moment of the night was Myers flattening malkin behind the net with 20 secs left or whatever it was. when was the last time a sabre defensemen just took a star player like that off the puck? this guy is a star in the making. That was great! I didn't see who was involved in the play about 10 seconds before that, but there was a hit from a Pen that deserved a penalty. I'm thinking that Myers hit was payback. :D
JJFIVEOH Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 You are both on drugs, yes? Not that I'm aware of. As much as I like Miller as a talented athlete, I have never liked his attitude. He is a crybaby, he does nothing but make excuses and all that wears off on the rest of the team since he is supposed to be considered a veteran leader. (Maybe he had a bad game because the ref called him a bad name :unsure: ). With that said, his consistency has been great this year and he has earned his money. I just think he needs to grow up, man up and stop placing blame elsewhere every time they lose. Support your team when you get yanked for a bad game, don't go pouting in the corner. Beat yourself up when you get home.
Stoner Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 The Sabres gave up 38 shots, way too many. Lindy must be fired NOW. Yes. I think the only decent thing to do is let the guy go out on a high note.
... Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 Not that I'm aware of. As much as I like Miller as a talented athlete, I have never liked his attitude. He is a crybaby, he does nothing but make excuses and all that wears off on the rest of the team since he is supposed to be considered a veteran leader. (Maybe he had a bad game because the ref called him a bad name :unsure: ). With that said, his consistency has been great this year and he has earned his money. I just think he needs to grow up, man up and stop placing blame elsewhere every time they lose. Support your team when you get yanked for a bad game, don't go pouting in the corner. Beat yourself up when you get home. Perhaps being in Florida, or where ever you are, you miss a lot of Miller's interviews, but you're not describing the Miller I'm familiar with. Miller, of all the players on the team, is allowed to be so pissed at himself and the situation that he can't control himself after getting pulled. No one else on that team gets a pass - Miller does, though, because Miller's "tantrum" means something to the entire team.
repster Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 I'm glad that they get two days off in a row this week and next week and four days off in a row the week after that so they can get some rest and practice (on how to play a first period). Maybe they will get some consistency like they had in the beginning of the year with the same type of schedule. (Edit: Paul Hamilton just said the same thing about consistency). These last couple months have been nuts with all the games packed in. How does a seven point lead in the division at the end of their 2009 sound?
rickshaw Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 First post here, so here's some background: I was never a Miller fan, always thought he was overrated (they haven't made the playoffs for 2 seasons!), but this season I have to admit he's been excellent. Having said that, it looks like Miller finishes December with a .927 sp and Lalime with a .960. Lalime's win percentage is also better. I'm not saying this means Lalime is the better goalie, but I hope Ruff can find it within himself to go with the hot goalie a bit more so maybe Miller will be as good down the stretch as he has been in October and November. And I think Lalime gets credit for sparking the team by stopping 27 of 27, as opposed to giving up 3 of 11 and throwing equipment. Way to go Drew! I don't know about this post. Sounds an awful lot like JJFIVEOH has opened up another account here, just so he's not the only one harping on Miller's tantrum. Miller was off tonight. It happens to all the goalies. Lalime has been excellent and his mates are clearly excited for him and like him (see post game reaction in the crease) but Miller is the goalie and possibly he needs to play less in the near future, but to suggest they sit him for a week is silly.
JujuFish Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 Great news is that Lalime is back. I think he was dealing with some health issues last year which may explain why he was so bad. Lalime wasn't bad last year. The team just wouldn't perform for him at all.
JJFIVEOH Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 I don't know about this post. Sounds an awful lot like JJFIVEOH has opened up another account here, just so he's not the only one harping on Miller's tantrum. Miller was off tonight. It happens to all the goalies. Lalime has been excellent and his mates are clearly excited for him and like him (see post game reaction in the crease) but Miller is the goalie and possibly he needs to play less in the near future, but to suggest they sit him for a week is silly. I didn't say anything about benching him because of his performance. I also said I thought Lalime should have started BEFORE the game began. I said he should be benched because of his tantrum. I have no problem with losing your cool because of a bad performance. I do it too, it only helps make you a better player because you sit down and figure out what you could do to improve instead of just blowing it off. But you don't do it in front of the rest of the team when you're supposed to be one of the veteran leaders. Miller is supposed to be one of the players who helps the younger players keep their cool and their head in the game. You don't do that by sitting at the end of the bench and pouting like a child. The young guys don't need to see that out of their star player.
wjag Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 Just Cause: 1. Believe what you will about the cause/effect of the Stafford benching, but Lindy giving him the penalty shot bone was brilliant. 2. Shooting five-hole on the goalie never works.. Until tonight.. 3. Myers flattening Geno was an anxious moment for me. I thought for sure he was going to get called for cross checking. Tyler also cleared Crosby out earlier in the game. Crosby was in the paint banging away on a rebound and Myers moved him on out. 4. Lindy's presser made it clear that Miller was removed because he was off his game. 5. What ever ails Buffalo in the first needs to be fixed. As bad as they have played in the first the last three games, they have walked away with five points. 6. Second straight game a PP goal was scored and it was a beauty. A give and go between TC and JP with JP lifting it over Fleury's shoulder. 7. Stafford played his ass off tonight. Old habits die hard and he dangled into a turnover late in the third. 8. Lalime looks so confident in net. Maybe the true takeaway from the last two weeks in December is that the Sabres are now officially two-deep at goal tender. 9. Pominville was throwing the body around tonight. I thought he had a complete game. 10. Malkin is an absolute machine on the ice.. Pittsburgh has the horses. Their second echelon players are pretty damn good. just one more.. 11. Thank goodness it didn't go into a SO. A third SO loss wouldn't have been good for team psyche..
shrader Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 My personal favorite moment of the night was during that PK right after Lalime entered the game. That whiny little bitch Matt Cooke was screening Lalime, so Lalime slashed him in the back of the ass two or three times, making him think that he was trying to crotch him with the goalie stick. Cooke turned around, took one quick swing of the stick, then whined to the ref after the puck was cleared. It really couldn't happen to a better guy than that d-bag Cooke.
SabresRepublic Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 Got to love the play of Lalime these days.. Hold on buddy for one more period... I got a feeling we're going to be talking about this game for some time to come. Yeah! Earlier you called the game 4-3 Sabres! And, yes, Lalime - the backup we need! He's 3-2-1, 0.909, 2.6 GAA More importantly, shuts out the Pens 1.0 save percentage. I was on the phone with my bro in Buffalo and he shut the game off after it was 2-0. I said to him, .."dude, we're gonna comeback and earn a point - at least! This victory will NOT only be talked about for a while (the Pens feed announcers were disbelieving what just happened!) but this could propel the team to a level of greatness that is absolutely necessary to be SC champion! Oh and I did mention before last Pens game that this could be a preview of the ECF. HUGE VICTORY!!! Good call!
wjag Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 Is it ridiculous to think that at 52 points and just three shy of 55 (the most points of any first place team) that THIS offensively challenged team could garner a PT? Yeah probably so, but it is amazing to me nonetheless that they are THAT close at the midway point...
Eleven Posted December 30, 2009 Report Posted December 30, 2009 Just back from the Arena. For the first time this year, I had to watch it from a box. So, my observations: 1. Tulax, I've wanted Hecht gone for a couple of years now. You're right; he could be replaced easily with someone more effective. 2. WOW, Statement win, as someone said. I wanted it on Saturday, but I got it tonight. Cool. 3. Stafford was great after he was benched. Great. So, how about box seats for Connolly and Roy over the next couple of games? 4. Lalime seems to have something for the Pens, just like Kovalev seems to have something for the Sabs. Nice job tonight. I think he might have "it" back, as far as the backup role goes. Please, please keep playing him once every 3 or 4 games. It is working. 5. I hate watching games from a box. It just isn't the same. It really isn't.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.