GAME DISCUSSION THREAD

[OverPowerYou]

I was reading on the flyers boards and they were saying how we're the dirtiest team in the NHL and how we like to take a run at their players and hurt them. They were also complaining about how many calls we had going for us... It's funny how we think the same thing about them(

[bunomatic]

I was reading on the flyers boards and they were saying how we're the dirtiest team in the NHL and how we like to take a run at their players and hurt them. They were also complaining about how many calls we had going for us... It's funny how we think the same thing about them(

Its ironic to hear that coming from Philly fans who traditionally eat that stuff up when its their own players inflicting the damage on other teams.

[Ghost of Dwight Drane]

I think Myers got his first pubes today.

[inkman]

I'm hammered. Sabres...

[PromoTheRobot]

Its ironic to hear that coming from Philly fans who traditionally eat that stuff up when its their own players inflicting the damage on other teams.

Pot, meet kettle. Wahhhh.

 

PTR

[nfreeman]

Miller's absolute greatest game as a Sabre

Interesting. You could be right. The alternative that comes to mind is game 2 vs. Ottawa in 2006, when he made 43 saves in a 2-1 win to give the Sabres a 2-0 lead in the 2nd round coming back to Buffalo for game 3. That Ottawa team was better than this Philly team (at least with Pronger out). OTOH, this was a shutout, this Sabres team is weaker than that Sabres team, and this was an absolute must win, while the other was more of a luxury win.

 

Either way, what a great game he had.

 

MAGs is getting better every game. The line change ups seemed to generate a little better pressure tonight

I thought he was shakier tonight than he has been, although more so with imprecise passes in the offensive zone than in the defensive zone.

 

We're playing with SO MUCH MORE GRIT than the Sabres teams of the past few years!

Yes.

 

Neither did Paul Hamilton, he said so during the intermission. Thought it was worth two minutes at best.

I thought it was worth 2, not 5.

 

I'm just surprised that there hasn't been any love for Weber. He played an amazing game and was in the middle of every physical altercation. He got the better of every one and I think was a big factor in tonights win.

I loved how he defended Miller, but it has to be noted that he and Monty only had 11.5 minutes each tonight. Butler had almost 28.

 

Weber is reminding me more and more of Brooks Orpik. He is going to be real difficult to play against next season. he's coming into his own, just like Myers.

He's not there yet, but Orpik is what Weber hopefully will develop into -- and Orpik is a top-4 defenseman on just about any team in the NHL.

 

A few other game notes:

 

1. I may be in the minority, but I liked the new line combos. I thought Nieds-Pommer-Ennis was the most effective line and that Gaustad-Kaleta-Vanek wasn't bad either. Both were better than TC-Vanek-Pommer was in the first 3 games of the series.

 

2. I also liked a little of what I saw out of TC-Gerbe-Stafford, and expected to see much more offense than they actually generated, but they kept getting hemmed in the defensive zone by the opposing forecheck. I think Lindy might have had them out against Giroux's line most of the time and they just seemed a bit outmatched defensively.

 

3. Did anyone notice Harry's line when they showed the replay of Timmonen (I think) giving Gerbe the cheap shot in the nuts after the final horn? He said: "he gave him the old separator move." Outstanding.

 

4. It's a low percentage approach, but it's not impossible that Miller could win 2 of the next 3 and deliver the Sabres into the next round. I still feel like the Sabres need more offense.

 

5. However, the Sabres have been a very good road team for several months now. There is a reasonable likelihood that they will win game 5 and come home with the chance to bury Philly (yessss!) and advance to the 2nd round.

 

6. Myers didn't add much offense, but he was a physical force tonight.

 

Go Sabres.

[darksabre]

Guess I can't shave this mustache now...

[Kristian]

Some posts and a missing net thanks to Kaleta. The Sabres could have easily had a few more goals if the wind was blowing a different direction today.

 

You're right, and they still won.

 

Also, while Miller was great tonight, I think more credit needs to be given to team D.

 

I counted at least 20 tipped wide shots and cleared pucks in front of the net tonight, which is exactly what Buffalo needs to be doing.

 

I really think the D stood tall for Miller tonight, and made sure any Flyers taking liberties paid the price.

 

Also liked Vanek on the backcheck.

 

Connolly needs to kill penalties only, and if Lindy plays him for over half a 5 min major ever again, he needs to be fired for THAT SOLE REASON ALONE.

[Kristian]

I couldn't understand Vanek with Gaustad and Kaleta. Niether one of them is going to be able to play to Vanek's skills

 

True, and not happy about it either, but at least they may clear some space for him.

 

Pominville and TC can neither play to Vanek's ability, OR clear space for him.

 

Sad, sad situation, I know.

[wjag]

1. The save Miller made on Briere was one for the ages. That sure felt like a game saving save and series momentum shift. Watch the replay. Briere was dipsy-doodling and Miller was a wall. He didn't move until he had to snag the pass. Danny ran out of time and had to shoot.

2. Nieds had a wide open net and inexplicably sticked handled the puck long ennough for Boucher to cover the open net.

3. Weber was as nasty as Pronger ever is. Weber on Pronger might be fun to watch.

4. Boucher continues to answer the call. He is due for a bad period though. You can just feel it.

5. I've yet to see a decent replay of exactly what Richards did. If he doesn't get a one-game suspension from the NHL today, it was a bad call. I think it was hockey karma that the Sabres didn't come close to scoring on that penalty.

6. In case you are not counting, that's three 5-on-3s, one four minute and one five minute penalty in this series (series, not team stats) where no goal has been scored.

7. Both teams PP has deserted them.

8. I knew after the Myers save on that early Flyers chance that the Buffalo goal was closed for business.

9. Loved how the NHL timed out last night. Finished watching Buffalo and switched to the Pens. They dispatch the Lightning in double OT. Switch to the Caps. They then dispatched the Rangers in double OT. All wrapped up by 11p.

10. Was there a better display of force in the game than Myers pulling Richards out of the crease like a dead body?

11. Honorable mention was Myers flattening Danny behind the crease. Or was that Weber?

12. It sure seemed like there were 7 Flyers out there in the 3rd. When they put their forecheck on Buffalo, Buffalo just coughs up puck after puck after puck. I think Buffalo should move their Blue line closer to Miller. From what I can tell, Buffalo is really good at getting the puck to about five feet short of the current one. If they move that blue line in, they can actually get the puck out of their zone.

13. One of these times, Philly is going to connect on that homerun pass.

14. Kaleta had the offensive gaff of the year.

15. Didn't really notice public enemy number one last night: Scott Hatnell.

[Chief Enabler]

So this is how we have to win, shut outs by Miller? We are not going to win this series if we can't score.

It's aparent as of now. Blame Miller or the defense scheme as a whole, but they cannot hold a high scoring game together. I'll call it off the handle coaching, lack of focus on the players part. I hate to re-iterate how spotty Miller has been this year in particular, you seem to know when he is on or off; getting the first goal for Miller is so huge.

 

Great win, really needed, as always. Hoping Miller and Lindy can keep a lid on their emotions and do the right thing tomorrow night. :thumbsup:

[LabattBlue]

3rd period...5 minutes of PP time that was as bad as it gets(they deserved the booing and then some), followed by 15 minutes of chasing the Flyers around. This was not a case of "kitty bar the door". It was horrible play. Miller bailed them out.

Either the beers at the game got the best of me or this was my best Yogi Berra impression. It should have read "Katy bar the door". :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Weave]

I'm with nfreeman. I am OK with the lines I saw last night. I though that there was more puck possession in the Flyer zone last night (at least up until the 5 min PP, when we went into a shell afterwards). In games 2 and 3 it seemed like the only line applying pressure was the Kaleta Goose Gerbe line. Last night I thought all 4 lines had good moments in the O zone. Scoring chances are few and far between, but IMO that wouldn't change regardless of the line combos. Philly's D is that good. Finding combos that at least had their share of possession time is an improvement and I say, roll with it.

 

Miller finally had his game that he needed to have. He's been sold as the difference maker. He was last night.

 

And I'm enjoying the pack mentality out there. I don't think we've really seen a good version of that ever in the Golisano era. I'm glad Philly is whining about it. I'm tired of myself whining when some other team does it to us. And they really did a nice job of reading what the officials were going to let go and took advantage of it. It seems interesting that our physical play may very well be throwing Philly off mentally. They seem to be genuinely put off by it. Kudos to Myers, Weber, Grier, Goose, Gerbe, and Kaleta for that. Holy crap!! I just realized, when was the last time we could say we have that many rats on the team?

[wjag]

Buffalo 8 goals, Philly 9 goals.

[wjag]

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

 

Welcome home Danny...

 

 

"He had a point, though, about the Sabres' approach. There is little doubt that former Sabres star Danny Briere, the Flyers' smallest player, is a special target for extra punishment. After the game, Briere walked through the locker room with a cut on his left cheek and a nasty red welt across his neck. He was at the bottom of that postgame pileup of angry players."

[That Aud Smell]

4. It's a low percentage approach, but it's not impossible that Miller could win 2 of the next 3 and deliver the Sabres into the next round. I still feel like the Sabres need more offense.

feel like i've seen that movie before -- in/around 1999. but, hey, i enjoyed the sh!t out of that movie (even if the ending was terrible). the analogy may fit quite neatly -- miller's not dom in his prime, but the skaters we have now are better in the aggregate than the guys we had in the late 90s. i think.

 

but, yeah -- we need more offense. but not the kind of offense that yields a game that gives up too many chances. i think it'll take 3 goals to win game 5.

 

10. Was there a better display of force in the game than Myers pulling Richards out of the crease like a dead body?

i've got a big ol' honkin' man-crush on that kid -- land sakes did he show another dimension to his game last night. just love watching a young franchise d-man play a nasty game in april.

 

one last thought: i'd love nothing more than for the good guys to advance to the ECSF. but, watching that game last night, i could not shake the feeling that we are out-gunned by this flyers team. that doesn't mean that we can't steal the series from them -- i just didn't have sufficient appreciation for how deep and talented our opponents are until last night.

 

go sabres.

[Stormin Norman]

Oh, what a beautiful morning when they win!

 

Though Miller has been maligned, I have to hand it to him. He's showing some serious mental toughness, and it's good to see.

 

Lindy seemed to return to the game 1 game plan: collapse everyone between the circles when Philly has the puck. There were lot of blocked shots and deflections and whenever there was a loose puck, we were able to swipe it away.

 

Of course, when Gaustad made the lazy play to clear the zone, leaving his team out to dry as they rushed up the ice, Miller was there to stone Danny. It's that kind of save that frustrates the opponent and creates confidence and momentum for the "good guys."

 

Somehow, we absolutely must get up a goal on the Flyers, preferrably getting the first one in Game 5. Aside from the Florida Panthers debacle at home late in the year, the Sabres been pretty effective "holding on" for dear life to "squeeze out" a victory -- which is why we all had to change our underwear last night!

[wjag]

feel like i've seen that movie before -- in/around 1999. but, hey, i enjoyed the sh!t out of that movie (even if the ending was terrible). the analogy may fit quite neatly -- miller's not dom in his prime, but the skaters we have now are better in the aggregate than the guys we had in the late 90s. i think.

 

but, yeah -- we need more offense. but not the kind of offense that yields a game that gives up too many chances. i think it'll take 3 goals to win game 5.

 

 

i've got a big ol' honkin' man-crush on that kid -- land sakes did he show another dimension to his game last night. just love watching a young franchise d-man play a nasty game in april.

 

one last thought: i'd love nothing more than for the good guys to advance to the ECSF. but, watching that game last night, i could not shake the feeling that we are out-gunned by this flyers team. that doesn't mean that we can't steal the series from them -- i just didn't have sufficient appreciation for how deep and talented our opponents are until last night.

 

go sabres.

 

 

The Flyers have been the superior team in four straight games and have lost two of them by shutout. Those are the facts in evidence. Has to be positively maddening... Did you ever think you would wake up and read the Flyers complaining that Buffalo was taking liberties and getting away with murder? The Flyers are way deeper than the Sabres but it matters not on the ice. They are all professional hockey players capable of elevating their game.

[darksabre]

The Flyers have been the superior team in four straight games and have lost two of them by shutout. Those are the facts in evidence. Has to be positively maddening... Did you ever think you would wake up and read the Flyers complaining that Buffalo was taking liberties and getting away with murder? The Flyers are way deeper than the Sabres but it matters not on the ice. They are all professional hockey players capable of elevating their game.

 

No, but god dammit does it feel good! LET ME SEE YOUR WAR FACE! :pirate:

[Realist]

Kaleta being Kaleta: http://yfrog.com/47hycvz

 

I hate crap like that. But I suppose that greasy scumbag Carcillo has it in his playbook, too.

What seems to be the problem, he was opening the door so McCormick could get on the bench. :rolleyes:

[nobody]

Kaleta being Kaleta: http://yfrog.com/47hycvz

 

I hate crap like that. But I suppose that greasy scumbag Carcillo has it in his playbook, too.

 

Cody was trying to get off the ice for a line change - it's the player sitting next to the door responsibility to open the door. Probably would have called too many men on the ice against the Sabres if that door wasn't opened.

[nobody]

What seems to be the problem, he was opening the door so McCormick could get on the bench. :rolleyes:

 

 

What Realist said.

[thesportsbuff]

The Flyers have been the superior team in four straight games and have lost two of them by shutout. Those are the facts in evidence. Has to be positively maddening... Did you ever think you would wake up and read the Flyers complaining that Buffalo was taking liberties and getting away with murder? The Flyers are way deeper than the Sabres but it matters not on the ice. They are all professional hockey players capable of elevating their game.

 

Jumping into the conversation late here and I'm not reading 34 pages to catch up--

 

anyway I disagree about Flyers being the superior team in all four games. I thought Philly played better in Games 1 and 3, while Buffalo played better in Games 2 and 4. Last night's game was an incredible defensive effort imo.

[james duncan]

For the life of me, I cannot make sense of what CarBomb is talking about here. He seems to be calling some of his own teammates pusses? And while they have a lot of things to improve upon, I have not seen the Sabres shying away from anything wearing orange so far.

"They're hard on the right guys," Carcillo said. "They haven't said boo to some of the other guys who they know will fight back. That's the way they play. That's the way they've always played. So we'll see what happens in [Game] 5."

[Weave]

Kaleta being Kaleta: http://yfrog.com/47hycvz

 

I hate crap like that. But I suppose that greasy scumbag Carcillo has it in his playbook, too.

 

 

I love crap like that. Gamesmanship is sooo entertaining.