PTS Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 God I love West Coast games! This should be a great game. Oilers are very Sabre-like. I think we have a better offense but Edmonton has the defense. Hopefully we can start off the road trip with a win and go from there.
LabattBlue Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 Go Sabres. Hopefully Miller is in the net and Biron is an Oiler or a Canuck before the west coast swing ends. ;)
Stoner Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 Yep, let's ride the Miller Train. There's no looking back now, but the way Ruff handles his goalies, Mika will probably be the number one by the time they get home. Just kidding. Sort of.
shrader Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I think they should go out and score 10 again. Make it happen.
gregkash Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 Miller is obviously our goalie.. I mean, Biron had a great freaking run, but we're even better with Miller in net.
hopeleslyobvious Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I think they should go out and score 10 again. Make it happen. Can't disagree with you there...I'd even settle for 5.
Stoner Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 You guys are talking for the whole trip, right? :huh:
Two or less Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 Edmonton is a very good skating team, but their ice is ranked #1 in the NHL, so i'll be interesting to see how our Sabres do there. This is definetly the easiest game of the next 6, so i hope they don't come out flat because of the flight, and come out strong and set the momentum for the rest of the week. That being said, 3-1 Sabres. Afinogenov, Campbell and Kotalik.
gregkash Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I think we're going into this game with a lot of confidence... Don't forget, our homestand, wasn't that bad... we still had a winning record and came away with 7 of 12 points. We're riding high right now... Edmonton has been on fire but I really think we're gonna douse them tonight.. Then again, if it were up to me, I'd be predicting 82-0 seasons.
Corp000085 Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I know i'm opening a can of worms, but i do think that Ruff has changed his goaltending coaching philosophy this year for the better. The guy had the luxury of having a demi-god in goal for the first few years, then two mediocre goalies, which he had to juggle. Biron was, and still is, a headcase, mika is a powderkeg, and before his season, miller was unseasoned. Now, miller is a bona fida all-star and ruff knows this. I have had a lot to complain about Ruff's previous goaltender coaching abilities, but not this year. I'd say he's done a great job. Not to start a new debate, but wouldn't a jack adams trophy put to bed all negativity about Ruff??
pwner Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 Biron is starting according to TSN. http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=151056&hubname=nhl I hope they are wrong.
Corp000085 Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 Biron is starting according to TSN. http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=151056&hubname=nhl I hope they are wrong. I'm all for the start if he's traded by tomorrow morning.
hopeleslyobvious Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I'm all for the start if he's traded by tomorrow morning. If that isn't showcasing, I don't know what is.
LabattBlue Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 Biron is starting according to TSN. http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=151056&hubname=nhl I hope they are wrong. I thought I just heard them say on WGR that Miller is getting the start tonight.
hopeleslyobvious Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I thought I just heard them say on WGR that Miller is getting the start tonight. I would prefer to see Miller get the start. While Ruff has to work out some sort of a rotation, I don't know if a every other game rotation is the best idea.
Taro T Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I know i'm opening a can of worms, but i do think that Ruff has changed his goaltending coaching philosophy this year for the better. The guy had the luxury of having a demi-god in goal for the first few years, then two mediocre goalies, which he had to juggle. Biron was, and still is, a headcase, mika is a powderkeg, and before his season, miller was unseasoned. Now, miller is a bona fida all-star and ruff knows this. I have had a lot to complain about Ruff's previous goaltender coaching abilities, but not this year. I'd say he's done a great job. Not to start a new debate, but wouldn't a jack adams trophy put to bed all negativity about Ruff?? I'd like to see Marty continue to get ~every 4th start until he gets traded. He hasn't gotten a W in his "rotation" starts, but he has played well and definitely deserved a better fate against Phoenix. Ryan has definitely earned the majority of the starts, but I don't want to see the Sabres go back to "play Ryan until he drops or breaks". If he continues to develop as he has, then in 2 years (heck, maybe even next year) I wouldn't mind seeing him get 6 or 7 consecutive starts. For now, I think getting ~3 out of 4 should work out well for him and the team even after Mika becomes the backup.
hopeleslyobvious Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I'd like to see Marty continue to get ~every 4th start until he gets traded. He hasn't gotten a W in his "rotation" starts, but he has played well and definitely deserved a better fate against Phoenix. Ryan has definitely earned the majority of the starts, but I don't want to see the Sabres go back to "play Ryan until he drops or breaks". If he continues to develop as he has, then in 2 years (heck, maybe even next year) I wouldn't mind seeing him get 6 or 7 consecutive starts. For now, I think getting ~3 out of 4 should work out well for him and the team even after Mika becomes the backup. Even though Marty played well on Thursday (well it sounded like it anyways), I don't think he should have gotten that start. I think the point of the rotation should be to give Miller a rest when he needs it. He had plenty of rest going into Thursday's game. Of course that's just my opinion. The opposite argument is, how is Marty supposed to provide effective relief if he doesn't get a start every now and then...even in slower stretches of the schedule.
Taro T Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 Even though Marty played well on Thursday (well it sounded like it anyways), I don't think he should have gotten that start. I think the point of the rotation should be to give Miller a rest when he needs it. He had plenty of rest going into Thursday's game. Of course that's just my opinion. The opposite argument is, how is Marty supposed to provide effective relief if he doesn't get a start every now and then...even in slower stretches of the schedule. If it weren't for a horrible 4 game debacle following Miller getting injured earlier this season and Miller's less than stellar play in the AHL playoffs the past 2 seasons, I'd agree with you. I want Ryan to be relatively fresh when the playoffs begin and I want the backup (whoever he is) to be mentally and physically ready and the team to have faith in him if he is forced into service.
LabattBlue Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I want Ryan to be relatively fresh when the playoffs begin and I want the backup (whoever he is) to be mentally and physically ready and the team to have faith in him if he is forced into service. This is why if they are going to trade Biron, do it now so that Mika can get 10 or so starts in before the playoffs roll around, so that he will be ready if needed.
Don Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 This is from ESPN's John Buccigross "Look to move Biron and some prospect/draft pieces. Think about Glen Murray, Leetch, Bertuzzi, Adrian Aucoin, Martin Lapointe and other pieces that won't cost much. The Sabres need to be proactive, or the second half could see them plummet quickly, although perhaps Ryan Miller makes them immune to long slumps. Verdict: Don't be afraid to trade a young chip along with Biron to get a really good player. It doesn't matter what position, as there are no gluts among the skaters." I think he is really out of touch. No way Muarry/Bertuzzi will come cheap.
inkman Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 This is from ESPN's John Buccigross "Look to move Biron and some prospect/draft pieces. Think about Glen Murray, Leetch, Bertuzzi, Adrian Aucoin, Martin Lapointe and other pieces that won't cost much. The Sabres need to be proactive, or the second half could see them plummet quickly, although perhaps Ryan Miller makes them immune to long slumps. Verdict: Don't be afraid to trade a young chip along with Biron to get a really good player. It doesn't matter what position, as there are no gluts among the skaters." I think he is really out of touch. No way Muarry/Bertuzzi will come cheap. Come deadline time, some big names will come cheap. Now it's just a matter of Darcy being proactive and be the first one to make a move. Do it Darcy! :angry:
JujuFish Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 I think they should go out and score 10 again. Make it happen. I think they can do it. Last season they scored 21 goals over a 3 game stretch. The first game in that streak was also a home game against LA. :D Not to mention the 0-6-2 record in the last 8, so the Sabres are due for a win; hopefully it's another big one.
hopeleslyobvious Posted January 16, 2006 Report Posted January 16, 2006 Come deadline time, some big names will come cheap. Now it's just a matter of Darcy being proactive and be the first one to make a move. Do it Darcy! :angry: Thinking about the last few posts some more. I am worried that he might take too long to trade Biron. If Biron is traded, Noronnen has to be ready to play, especially after the Olympic break, because he's going to get some playing time. Maybe trade Biron right before the roster freeze and assign Noronnen to Rochester for a reconditioning stint during the break? I know he was opposed to a reconditioning stint earlier in the year, but with Biron out of the picture he might change his mind. Anyone know if the roster freeze would prevent such a move?
deluca67 Posted January 17, 2006 Report Posted January 17, 2006 Thinking about the last few posts some more. I am worried that he might take too long to trade Biron. If Biron is traded, Noronnen has to be ready to play, especially after the Olympic break, because he's going to get some playing time. Maybe trade Biron right before the roster freeze and assign Noronnen to Rochester for a reconditioning stint during the break? I know he was opposed to a reconditioning stint earlier in the year, but with Biron out of the picture he might change his mind. Anyone know if the roster freeze would prevent such a move? As long as the Sabres don't trade Marty for a rent-a-player.
hopeleslyobvious Posted January 17, 2006 Report Posted January 17, 2006 That's exactly what I was getting at. Maybe if Marty is dealt, Mika would go to Rochester during the break to get into shape and prepare to get more starts up here.
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