Tag Search Results for "vanek"
Throughout the season, the Sabres haven’t done had much to criticize. One characteristic about their play that has popped up from time to time is that at times they tend to play too cute.
It hasn’t been uncommon to see “the extra pass” from Vanek… after you just saw “the extra pass” from Roy. They are just not a team who likes to pepper the opposing goa...
Tonight starts the quest for the Cup
Lord Stanley will come to it's rightful place in BUFFALO, NY
Thomas Vanek will score 2 goals
Other scores: Connolly, Drury, Briere
Tonight starts the Journey that will be finished when Buffalo Wins the Stanely Cup right here in BUFFALO,
Join Sabres fans during the game at [b]www.sabreschat.com/chat.shtml [/b]to talk a...
The Sabres put forth a much better effort in Game 3, resulting in a 3-2 win and the lead in the series. Finally, the Sabres forwards scored all 3 goals, including goals from Briere and Vanek. Zubrus currently leads the team in points, with 4 (all assists). He was great again tonight, providing good offense and defense along with a strong physical game. Both of the goal...
The No Walk Rangers had much to say before game one of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, but very little to say after it. The Sabres won the opening game handily, 5-2, with two goals from Tomas Vanek, one each by Ales Kotalik, Jason Pominville, & Drew Stafford, and another solid performance by Ryan Miller. The Rangers were clearly outplayed in every facet of the game; f...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Looking Ahead (already) to Next Season's Sabres Lineup.
Posted Friday | Comments 0
The Rangers have NO chance. In addition to the Sabres being the overall superior team in every facet of the game, this series is a terrible match up for the Rangers. Sabres in 5 at most.
Since I’m confident that round two is “in the bag” already… Let’s spend a little time looking forward to next season. Here’s how I think the line up will look on openi...
Despite a disappointing conclusion to the Sabres season it was one of, if not the best season in Franchise history. The Sabres have played in the Stanley Cup finals twice but had never won the Presidents Trophy in franchise history. The Stanley Cup is obviously the most coveted prize but it is equally as difficult to be the best team in the league over an 82 game span. I w...
When asked about his approach to signing #1 RFA Tomas Vanek, Darcy Regier held firm.
“I don’t believe in operating out of fear,” said Regier. “Tomas is a Restricted Free Agent and will have a market value that we’ll go from there.”
Interesting stance by Darcy but I can;’t say I’m surprised. It’s going to take a $4million plus offer to get Vanek ou...
SabreCrazy07 writes...
Buffalo's Silence Speaks Volumes. But what does it say??????
Posted Monday | Comments 0
The recent lack of information out of the Sabres camp in regards to Daniel Breire, Chris Drury & Thomas Vanek speaks volumes. But what does it say exactly? Everyone knows Darcy doesn't show his hand to often. Are there problems amongst the troops? The brass? Or is simply they don't know what direction this team is headed?
This should be the Sabres off-season checklist:...
TSN is reporting that the Edmonton Oilers have signed Buffalo Sabre forward Thomas Vanek to a $50 million dollar 7-year offer sheet.
Looks like another example of the big market teams going crazy and taking advantage of the small market teams.
Oh wait a minute forget everything I just said.
Well it appears we have gotten to the point where I will write a blog on my 2nd favorite team...the Buffalo Sabres.
Thomas Vanek has been offered a 7 year 50 million dollar offer sheet by the Edmonton Oilers. If I'm Darcy Regier, I take the picks and run. Why? Vanek is a franchise player you might say. Look at it this way. He's going to get Edmonton's picks not the Anahei...
It seems as though the Sabres franchise knew this was coming. Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe needs to bring in a marquee player, and Thomas Vanek was on his hit list. Buffalo GM Darcy Regier said no way, Vanek is staying in town, and we'll match any offer sheet you throw at him.
Well, Lowe tried to call Regier's bluff, but Darcy wasn't bluffing. The 7-year, $50 million pi...
Thomas Vanek will be in a Buffalo uni for the next 7 years and the deal was a must if your Larry Quinn and the Sabres Management. It would have been a PR nightmare at games neat year if you had to come off loosing you 3 best forwards. Is he worth the money only time will tell. If the Sabres had signed vanek to a 2 or 3 year deal vanek would have recieved probably a 8 mill ...
Lowe is a crazy man sparing nothing to improve his team (in a way I kinda admire that). On the other hand, I get the 'strategy' aspect of what he did and it isn't good for the league. In getting the Sabres to sign Vanek at the average hit of over $7mil per year, the arbitrators will award some crazy contracts to the likes of Parise, Ryder, and Hunter (probably Roy too). Ex...
After the Thomas Vanek signing the sabres have a face to build their young core around and the question left is what happens next. Are the sabres willing to sign some second tier free agents, trade, or release current players? I dont know if that right now would be a great time to jump into those situations.
I think after the arbitration process has been settled, th...
[b]Le Affaire Du Vanek[/b]
As we all know, Thomas Vanek signed a seven year, $50 million offer sheet from the Edmonton Oilers on Friday, which was matched in about 13 second by the Buffalo Sabres.
The surprise is not the offer sheet, the player, or even the amount, really. The surprise is the team making the offer and the reaction it elicited from the Sabres front o...
[i]In response to Larry Brooks column in the NY post on July 8th; Really Lowe[/i]
9 million dollars for Henrik Lundqvist....wow. Don't get me wrong, Henrik is an amazing goaltender, but 9 million dollars. I can think of about 4 million reasons why he is not worth 9 million dollars. And especially to the Oilers, where reason 4,000,001 is a guy named Dwayne Roloson. S...
With the past few weeks the NHL has seen some outragious signings. There have been questions about how healthy is the NHL and is the new CBA working? We will know the answer about the CBA next year if the salary cap stays around the same and the teams that spent alot of money with long term contracts(Flyers, Avalanche) will not have the cap space to spend next year. Explai...
Deke2194 writes...
Someone call the Wah-mbulance, this baby's out of control.
Posted Monday | Comments 4
[i]EDIT: After reading some comments made, I just want to add that the Sabres are my second favorite team after the Oilers. Most of the reason I became a Sabre fan was because I love Chris Drury as a player, but now I like the rest of the team as well.[/i]
That baby of course is Darcy Regier, GM of the Buffalo Sabres, who is mad that some big kid tried to steal his toy...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
Admit it… You Considered the 4 1st Round Picks from Edmonton
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Larry Quinn made a great point in the press conference when asked whether or not the Sabres considered taking the four 1st round picks as compensation from the Oilers on the Tomas Vanek deal.
[i]“In the 37 year history of the Sabres, there haven’t been 4 players picked in the first round better than Vanek.”[/i]
I think that’s pretty accurate. The Sabres have ...
After reading all of the Negative Blogs on the Sabres and All of the Press of the Former Captains Whom Will Remain Nameless. I figured I would write about something that could get the fans Smiling again. See We have a Terrific Team, Two players dont make a team and as far as Im concerned this team is headed in the right direction THE FUTURE.
So thinking in the future....
Let me start of by saying that in no way is Kevin Lowe a jerk for giving overpriced offer sheets to Thomas Vanek and Dustin Penner. He was acting within the rules so Darcy and Burke should have better prepared for the possibility of this occurence. However, looking forward, this rule does not seem to make much sense. It would be best for the sport of hockey if this rule wa...
The stir up the Kevin Lowe has caused has made fans all across the league wounder why and get angry. I my self as a Sabres fan wounder why but for a tottaly diffrent reason. Why if your going to go through all this trouble to take a player from a team not make it a markey player as in a Thomas Vanek or a Zach Parise? He lost out on Vanek cause the sabres matched but still ...
I re-edited this post because I thought it was a fun discussion!:
I feel bad for Buffalo, because Lowe basically forced their team into overpaying for Vanek, though he did sign the offer sheet. But still, I think if a player signs an offer sheet, let him go. He obviously isn't willing to sacrifice for the sake of his own teams benefit.(Meaning, go into arbitration and...
First of all thanks to Tim Panaccio for giving us the down low of this article.
Is it hard to believe that the Sabres are right up there at the top of the list for jersey sales in July? Yes & no. You would almost think that with the horid begining to July would stall Sabre jersey sales to a screaming halt. Obviously not. The Sabres are represented with 3 of the top 7 se...
Cleon_Daskalakis writes...
4 Sleepers, 4 Busts for your Fantasy Hockey Draft
Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
It's about that time for Fantasy Hockey drafts and I have a few ideas on sleepers and busts for the upcoming season. A bunch of us Hockeybuzzers got together and created a yahoo league and had the draft last night. It was good fun and if you'd like to take a peak inside the draft results, have a look-see at the link below.
-[url]http://hockey.fantasysports.yahoo.com/hoc...
today after the skate lindy ruff held a brief presser (http://sabres.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=337685). in this news conference he stared that he intends on keeping one of the most exciting lines for the sabres last year(RAV) together. this article also states that the rest of the forwards will look like this opening night.
Vanek...
That, my friends, is what we Sabres fans have paid Thomas Vanek in the last 3 weeks. Well over have half a million already (that's probably more than you make in a whole year combined!) to, effectively, replace Drury and Briere (who made approximately as much together, last year, as we're paying the goat-herding, Edelweiss picking, Super G loving Vanek right now. Oh, and f...
In addition to Eklund's rumor today that the Sabres are extremely interested in Brian Rolston - and why wouldn't they be based on the veteran leadership the team has lacked since Chris Drury departed - I found an interesting tidbit.
What do he and Thomas Vanek have in common?
Same agent.
Steve Bartlett of Rochester, N.Y., just down the Thruway from Buffalo, repres...
It's Sunday morning and you spent all of last night basking in drink after drink. You were the life of the party, from what you remember anyway, and even that's a blur - almost seems like a lifetime ago. You're still gaining your senses this morning and you have a horrible feeling in the gut of your stomach. You don't want to do a THING today.
Now you know what the S...
I did a little breakdown of the Sabres lineup from last year to see how we did when our big guns score. Last year we had 5 players that broke the 20 goal mark. Vanek-36, Roy-32, Pominville-27, Kotalik-23, and Hecht-22. I figured it by percentage of points secured in games that were scored in.
1. Roy - 25 games 19-4-2 80%
2. Kotalik - 20 games 14-5-1 ...
Hats off to the Buffalo Sabres for starting the season 4-0-0-1. Many people were predicting the Sabres to finish anywhere from 7th to 12th in the standings this year and this team is trying to prove all of them wrong.
In the first complete week of the season (Monday-Sunday) the Sabres finished 3-0-0-1 and had some individual dominant performances. I took the liberty of...
If anybody has read any of my blogs they may have realized that I love stats. My day job has been pretty slow lately so I spend alot of time scanning NHL.com and hockeybuzz. My newest here is compiling a list of the early season power players. I have ranked them by counting goals as 2 points and assists as 1.
WP is weighted points
WP/G is weighted points per game
Pl...
AlexanderScharf writes...
Early Season Predictions: What Will Change and What Won't
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
There have been many surprises so far this season, and the following is judgement of which occurences are "real" so to speak and will continue throughout the season, and which are abberations and won't last very long:
[b]Thomas Vanek will lead the league in goals[/b]
This young star is off to a quick start and is the real deal. After scoring 43 goals in his sophmore se...
Buffalo Sabres looked dead for most of the game but they found a way to win.
Checking: Most say the checking by the Sabres has been very good this season so far
Vanek: 8 Goals now.... Lets keep counting them. This would make I believe every game he scores in Regulation that this team wins.. correct me if im wrong
Roy: Great sacrifice in front of the net during OT ...
[img:left]http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20081024/capt.738c262e1cf3423496b1292413cdaaa0.sabres_wild_hockey_mnpb103.jpg[/img]
Rising like a phoenix from the ashes, the Sabres came back from two goals down inside the last 5 minutes of the 3rd period to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in overtime.
The Sabres one line was the story of the night after scoring 3 out of the...
Week 3 started pretty rough for the Sabres. 2 dismal 5-2 losses to the Senators and Lightning. They looked like they did not deserve to be playing in the NHL. Then when you get down on them they throw you a 5-0 domination over Washington. Lindy got them back to basics with the defense first style and it paid big dividends. So they finish the week 1-2 with Gaustad and Conno...
[b]9-5-3 21pts H(5-3-1) A(4-2-2)[/b]
[img]http://www.letsgosabres.com/images/players/photos/ryan_miller.jpg[/img]
Week 5. What a disappointment. 1-2 with Miller making an appearance in all 3. What happened to Patrick Lalime? 6 goals against on 23 shots. Miller was not a lot better. 7 goals against in just over 2 games.
So we picked up 2 more points in the standings...
They've paid all the bills, and they've given some key personnel hefty raises, but at the one-quarter mark of 2008-2009, it's not paying dividends for the Buffalo Sabres.
It has to be highly disconcerting for Tom Golisano, Darcy Regier, and Co. to witness this promising young core underperform. They have to be scratching their heads, and as the Sabres' losing streak ha...
9-8-3 21pts H(5-5-1) A(4-3-2)
Week 6. Wow, just where are the Sabres headed? 0-3 this week, and I do not know what to think of this team anymore. We gave up 14 goals and only scored 6. The lone bright spot of the week was AHL callup Mark Mancari. Scored a goal and was a +/- of 0. We pick up 0 points in the standings and now sit at 9th place in the East, out of the playo...
11-9-3 25pts H(7-5-1) A(4-4-2)
Week 7. Riding a 5 game slump coming into the week who would have thought we could win 2 out of 3 from Boston, Pittsburgh, & Montreal. 2-1 this week, and they looked a lot better as of late. We gave up 8 goals and scored 9. We pick up 4 points in the standings and sit at 9th place in the East, still out of the playoffs but only by 1 p...
13-1-3 29pts H(7-6-1) A(6-5-2)
Week 8 + Monday. (Added Monday because I was not at work yesterday and had no opportunity to do my report) Well, they let the first 2 games get away but came back strong in the second half of the week. 2-2 this week, and it seems like they might have some scoring touch back.. We gave up 10 goals and scored 9. We pick up 4 points in the sta...
Record 9-5-2 H 4-3-1 A 5-2-1
GF – 52 3.25/g
GA – 42 2.63/g
Leaders:
Roy 21pts
Vanek 9G
Roy 13A
Stafford +7
Mair 29PM
Vanek 4PPG
Roy 5GWG
Lydman 34Hits
Against current playoff teams we are 2-3-1. Against non-playoff teams we are 7-2-1. Tallinder has 1pt in 16 games. If we extrapolate our current record out over the 58 game schedule we will fin...
Miller who?
Of course, I say that facetiously. Ryan Miller is the key to the Sabres hopes if they can pull it together to get into the playoffs.
But who would have expected Patrick Lalime to step up the way he has in Miller's absence?
He's done exactly what you want from your backup goaltender - step in and give your team a chance to win every single night he pla...
[img]http://www.thehockeynews.com/imgs/dynamique/photos/original/article_12553_2.jpg[/img]
Someone asked me a fair question the other day: Is Buffalo Sabres #26 Thomas Vanek a superstar? After 4 years of NHL play, can Vanek be considered in the same league as Ovechkin, Crosby, Datsyuk, Malkin, Zetterberg or Iginla? To that question, I'd have to say, "No". But can he g...
Looking at the rankings for this coming season, I'm surprised at how lowly ranked the Sabres are by the people who are doing it. I, by no means, believe that the Sabres are a Stanley Cup contender, but I do see a playoff team in the current roster. This team has the potential to finish anywhere as high as the 6th seed and is 100% capable of winning a playoff round.
By t...
[img]http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nhl/teams/1/50x50w/buf_2.jpg[/img]
The Sabres shutout the Islanders last night 3-0, avenging their 5-0 loss at the Island Saturday night.
My partner Kevin already gave a recap of the last night's game, but here are some quick thoughts on the game, and some insight on a few key players:
[b]Thomas Vanek: "On Switch" Has Been Flipp...
[img]http://www.flickr.com/photos/sabre11richard/3362526735/[/img]
A two goal game may not be a career night for many players, but for Patrick Kaleta it was just that.
Buffalo was up for another big challenge on Saturday night. Although the Sabres had Ryan Miller in net, the Rangers have had a day off in between games. The Sabres played their third game in four night...
Buffalo (28-11-4) vs. Colorado (24-15-6)
The Sabres enter the night with a perfect 7-0 record against the Western Conference. Buffalo is looking to extend their current win streak of six games while Tim Connolly hopes to extend his eight game point streak.
Patrick Lalime starts between the pipes for Buffalo, allowing Ryan Miller to rest after making 48 saves last nig...
Thomas Vanek was drafted by the Sabres in 5th overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, making him the highest draft pick in Austrian history.
Vanek signed a three-year deal with Buffalo on September 3, 2004, and began playing for the Sabres in 2005-2006 after a season with their AHL affiliate. He had a promising rookie season with 25 goals and 48 points in 81 games for the ...
Buffalo (29-11-5) at Islanders (20-19-8)
With a 7-1-2 record, the Sabres headed onto Long Island looking to win their second of seventh game on the road trip. The Islanders came in having won their last two, including a convincing 6-0 win over Detroit.
Rick DiPietro started in net for the first time in over a year at Nassau Coliseum. There no surprise seeing Ryan Mil...
So here we are as hockey fans in late January. There are only a few short months of hockey left, and shortly we'll be able to tell if our teams are poised for a playoff run, or for golf season. It's this time of the year that teams must make a good run in order to establish prime playoff position.
The Sabres, for the past couple weeks, have not looked like the playo...
Buffalo hosted the Bruins looking for its second win in a row. Boston will have Marc Savard back in the lineup, which is a big relief for the Bruins. Without Savard, the team went 1-6-1 and only scored 13 goals.
Boston has won the first two meetings between these teams, but trail Buffalo by 15 points. Despite being 11th in the conference, Boston can jump all the way up ...
As the midway point of the season came and went, the Buffalo Sabres were sitting comfortably atop the Northeast Division. Boston was the closest team team, but still trailed Buffalo by 12 points. Now, the Sabres have hit the biggest road bump of the season.
The west coast trip was just the beginning of the Sabres recent woes. The team has gone 2-8-1 in its last 11 games...
The Sabres currently sit third in the Eastern Conference, although they are not far behind New Jersey for second, who they trail by just a point. Buffalo is well on its way to the playoffs, but some people don’t expect them to go very far.
Is there room for improvement on the Sabres team? Normally, a team that finishes third in the Conference would seem to be a good b...
[img]http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/02/17/alg_olympics_ryan_miller.jpg[/img]
[quote][u][b]That is the question![/b][/u][/quote]
For the first time since 2006-2007, the Buffalo Sabres will reach the post season. They are on their way to clinching the Northeast Division (albeit a weak one), and Olympic All Star goalie Ryan Miller can pass the 40 win mark for ...
Sabres Leave Ottawa With Two Points
This was the final meeting of the season between these teams, and Ottawa has won the first five. Ever since the brawl back in 2007, the Senators have had the Sabres number.
Buffalo is fighting for the second spot in the Conference, so a win tonight was important. These two teams could also meet in the second or third round of the p...
On a Toronto radio station earlier this week, Leafs GM Brian Burke indicated that defenseman Tomas Kaberle is generating some interest throughout the league. Local Toronto radio is reporting that Buffalo was one of two teams that have contacted Brian Burke about acquiring defenseman Tomas Kaberle.
This is a move by the Sabres that makes a great deal of sense. Kaberle i...
The Sabres lineup has not seen many moves since the beginning of the off-season. The loss of Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman didn’t surprise many fans. The addition of Jordan Leopold and the expected call up of Mike Weber will replace the openings those openings.
The Sabres have depth at forward but do they have enough scoring power remains the question. The team is ...
As Sabres fans look at this year’s team after the offseason moves (or lack of them), most likely they will be disappointed. Fans have been very critical of the management’s moves over recent years. With a deeper look at the team, has the team improved? A quick comparison may not look better, but even with the lack of acquisitions, the Sabres may be set for a deep run ...
There has been a lot of criticism of Craig Rivet’s play over this past season, and let’s be honest: most of it had merit. There has also been some recent unrest in his captaincy and leadership of the team. Should Rivet be the Captain? How has he done so far? And who could take his place? Let’s take a look.
Craig Rivet came to the Sabres in the summer of 2008 after...
[b]Primary Staff:[/b] Darcy Regier (GM) Lindy Ruff (Head Coach)
[b]2009-10 Stats:[/b] 82GP 45W 27L 10OTL 100PTS
[b]Place:[/b] 1st Northeast, 3rd East, 11th NHL
[b]Top Scorer:[/b] Derek Roy – 80GP 26G 43A 69P
[b]Captains:[/b] Craig Rivet (C)
[b]OFF-SEASON MOVES
OUT:[/b]
Henrik Tallinder (Signed with New Jersey)
Toni Lydman (Signed with Anaheim)
Tim Kennedy ...
Frazier writes...
My Two Cents: Underrated Rookie of 09-10, and Rookie Preview
Posted Sunday | Comments 0
The 2009-2010 season wasn't a very good year for rookies. No star breakouts.
Being a Buffalo fan, I love Tyler Myers. And I believe he did deserve to be the rookie of the year. However, I think that someone that could really have given him a run for his money is (*Cough* Tyler Ennis *Cough*) the NY Islanders' own John Tavares.
Let me break this down into why he's an...
The Sabres dispatched Kovalchukless Atlanta by a final score of 4-1. Buffalo completely dominated the Thrashers, pouring 42 shots on Steve Mason. Atlanta could only whimper back, putting up a paltry 18 shots on Mr. All Star Ryan Miller.
Here are some quick thoughts on tonight's game:
-Butler may have played his best game as a Sabre tonight. He was excellent. Fantast...
[b]Vanek scores twice, Sabres earn two points in 6-1 victory over New Jersey[/b]
What a difference 10 days can make. Last Wednesday, the Sabres were shutout 1-0 by the Devils. On Saturday night, Buffalo went into New Jersey and made it look easy, winning 6-1 at the Prudential Center.
Martin Brodeur was expected to get the night off, since the the Devils were playing ...
If there’s one criticism that probably won’t apply to Sabres fans this year, it’s the idea that they’ll be harboring unrealistic expectations for their team; not after what occurred in the first month of the regular season.
Loyal followers of the blue and gold have likely realized that this current Sabres team has plenty of struggles to still overcome. After a t...
This NHL season has been unpredictable so far to say the least. Here are some thoughts as to what has been going on with the Sabres.
Buffalo are currently ranked 27th in the NHL with just seven points through 10 games. Derek Roy has been the hottest player on the team, scoring 11 points (5G, 6A) to begin the season.
Thomas Vanek has recently picked up the pace. It fe...
1. There’s a lot of ways to make sure you come out as the victor in a one-goal decision; but one guaranteed strategy is to maintain strong special teams. Prior to the game in Toronto, the Sabres were 3-9-2, with a lot of those losses being by a single goal. A lot of those losses also featured a miserable penalty kill, which at one point was ranked 27th in the NHL.
It ...
Buffalo came into this game coming off a big win against the Blue Jackets 5-0 and Miller gaining his first shutout of the season.
The first two meetings between the two squads were split. Buffalo winning 2-1 and then dropping the 2nd meeting in Buffalo 4-2. This time, there was no scoring in 65 minutes of action, meaning that Ryan Miller and Brian Elliot each recorded ...
One night after the Sharks rallied to win from a 4-1 deficit, San Jose found themselves in a similar position. Buffalo took a 3-0 lead over the Sharks Thursday night at HSBC arena, but the Sharks didn’t have enough to come back and win it.
Paul Gaustad and Thomas Vanek put Buffalo up 2-0. Jason Pominville upped the lead after scoring shorthanded on a breakaway. Toward...
The Sharks worsened their HSBC Arena record to 1-13-1, losing to Buffalo tonight by a final score of 6-3. Flukes and turnovers mixed with a tired San Jose squad to spell a loss to end their road trip.
The scoring was opened at 12:18 of the 1st period with a fluke goal off a faceoff being shot by Cody McCormick, deflecting into the air off Paul Gaustad's skate, and hitt...
As President Obama was finishing up adressing the nation, the Buffalo Sabres were putting the finishing touches on the Ottawa Senators. the 3-2 win in Kanata Tuesday night put the Sabres at 51 points, 4 behind eighth place Atlanta. We have reached the All-Star break, which marks the half way point of the season for most of us. Buffalo can easily catch Atlanta, who has p...
thomas_vanek26 writes...
How Brad Boyes will Affect the Sabres Postseason Chances
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Sabres acquired for Blues forward Brad Boyes late Sunday evening for a 2nd round pick in next year's draft. The move has garnered quite a bit of attention in both markets involved. It's obvious the Sabres were in need of a top 6 forward who can score, skate hard, and check harder. Boyes can backcheck and forecheck with the best of them. He skates with intensity that I ...
Nine games into the Terry Pegula era and the Buffalo Sabresboast a 6-1-2 record under new ownership. Coincidence? I think not.
Ever since Pegula officially took over the ownership of the Sabres, they have been a different team. If you remember correctly, one of Pegula’s first quotes as the owner was, “Winning is not a goal. It is a belief.”
The Buffalo Sabres h...
It is safe to say that the Sabres have recovered from a poor start to the season. Sabres Hockey Central took a look back at what the viewpoints were during the first half of the season.
In an article earlier this season, Sabres Hockey Central stated the following:
Last year, Montreal finished in eighth with 88 points. If that holds true this season, the Sabres would ...
A hat-trick by Thomas Vanek would prove to be the difference as the Buffalo Sabres ended the Tampa Bay Lightning’s hopes for a South East division title with a 4-2 victory.
The Sabres started the game off as planned as they applied tremendous pressure on the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning. The chances piled up early and none better than when Stafford picked up a juicy r...
Thanks to Terry Pegula, 80 former Sabres were in thebuilding as the Sabres were looking to clinch a playoff spot for the second consecutive season. In order to do so, Buffalo would have to find a way to get past the Flyers, who are second in the Eastern Conference.
The Sabres were caught standing still as Philadelphia opened the scoring with Scott Hartnell’s 22nd goal...
Over the next week, Sabres Hockey Central will be releasing the staff selections for the seven categories making up the 2010-2011 Sabres year in review. The posts will be published here at 8 a.m. every day through Thursday the 19th.
The first award is “Sabre of the year”. Saturday morning’s post will feature the staff’s selections for “biggest surprise player ...
As the NHL playoffs continue without Buffalo, the Sabres and their fans are already looking forward to next season. Watching the San Jose vs. Detroit series, I realized that there is no way the Sabres could compete in a game, or series, of that intensity, which may be a key factor in why they lost to the Flyers in Game 7 and have won only one in the history of the franchis...
In my last blog i wrote about how i feel the NHL needs newer more innovative statistics and introduced my first new stat of the year the Shift Impact Percentage or SIP%. I'm not going to recap what the statistic is composed of, for that see my previous blog. Instead i'm going to delve right into the numbers and start applying the stat so we can start to gauge what is a g...
gerbstomped writes...
Pommer Now the Mayor of the Population and Other Thoughts
Posted Friday | Comments 0
So Lindy has pulled the proverbial wool over our eyes and gave the C to Jason Pomminville. While most of us expected Thomas Vanek to assume the role, I am shocked to see the reaction to this appointment. I have heard several people have a jumping-off-the-bridge mentality saying that, "Once again, the Sabres dropped the ball." I couldn't have felt any more opposite. But bef...
The past few games have been an interesting combination for Buffalo’s pride and joy. They’ve struggled at times, but have pulled 4 points out of 6 possible. So far, things look good. A little inconsistent, but good.
Carolina (10/14/11)
The arena was electric for the opening of the season, and the first game ever at the First Niagara Center. As I walked through t...
andydrmm writes...
2 Games- 4 Points, A Good Hockey Weekend for Buffalo
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
I went into this weekend of Sabres hockey rather skeptical after the past few performances of the team. Despite only losing by one goal in a lot of their games, it was not a accurate depiction of the game as a whole. Buffalo was not playing good hockey, and there was no reason to think this weekend would be any different.
However, 2 games and 4 points later, I was plea...
Last night in Pegulaville City Hall the FN Center the night started with an emotional induction of Dale Hawerchuk and RJ into the Sabres Hall of Fame. The Sabres however didn't come out motivated and resulted in the worst possible start for Miller with a qucik 2-0 Jets lead. I give Lindy credit for sticking with Ryan and not oulling out the quick hook. Buffalo pulled ou...
A night after I was killing my team for 40 minutes of uninspired and awful play in the Bell Centre followed by 20 minutes of dominance and a W via the shootout, I took a look at the standings this morning as per usual. Wait a second...the Buffalo Sabres are in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference 1 pt behind Philly and first in the NE Division. Now raise your hand if you ...
For once, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, Garth has a decent point. Buffalo brass does need to sit down and have a nice long evaluation of the direction that the Sabres are headed in at this point in the season.
However, I can already tell you the excuse that the brass will use to explain the recent play of the Sabres.
Injuries.
Thats it. I can hear Da...
First and foremost, happy holidays everyone! I hope everyone had a great holiday season, culminating tonight with the start of 2012. I took a brief hiatus from writing over the holiday season, but continued to follow the boys in blue and gold closely. So now, back to business.
In his last blog, Garth posted a video with the heading of “Jason Pominville is at a loss f...
I wasn’t going to write this... But after seeing what one of my counterparts once again has said, I feel a realistic viewpoint needs to be taken regarding Sabres hockey on this site.
“Decent effort against Ottawa. Yet again, not enough scoring in the end.” That’s from Garth.
What game were you watching?
As I watched the game from the First Niagara Center,...
February 3, 2011:
“Starting today,” Pegula said, “there will be no financial mandates on the Buffalo Sabres hockey department,” in their effort to fulfill his dream of winning multiple Stanley Cups. “There is no salary cap in the National Hockey League on scouting budgets and player development budgets.”
“A clarion call should go out to the league and t...
The final score from tonight, shockingly, is 1-0 Rangers, but Buffalo did play a solid game. Last night, good effort against the Habs, but again, it’s the Habs, and they aren’t exactly setting the world on fire this season (sorry Montreal).
Ryan Miller has been a god send. He has looked simply stellar and back on his game lately. He has stood on his head. Also, the...
The Sabres put together a little hot streak after the All-Star break. However, the past 2 games, they have gone right back to where they were before.
Can Buffalo make the playoffs? Yes. Is it a long shot? It doesn’t have to be, but the way Buffalo is playing, [b]yes[/b].
Which now begs the question, what should Buffalo do over the next two weeks with the trade de...
This game can be summed up as a game that Buffalo should have won. Don’t look at the stats, don’t look at the standings... Buffalo should have won this game. Montreal is struggling this season, and is right next to Buffalo (well they were) at the bottom of the East.
Again, I don’t care about whether Myers played in his 200th game, and got his 100th point with a g...
After I wrote my blog this morning, I realized that I had just scrapped the surface as to what is bugging Buffalo fans. So, let’s talk about this realistically.
I think everyone knows that Buffalo can make the playoffs. However, will this team go anywhere? Sure, Buffalo has beaten the Bruins and Penguins pretty badly recently. But in a best of 7 series? I don’t thi...
andydrmm writes...
2-1 Sabres Final, in the Shootout, Much needed 2 points.
Posted Friday | Comments 0
I'm doing something a little different tonight. After each period, I'm going to do a period recap as the game goes on... Talk to you after the first!
[b]0-0 End of 1[/b]
That was a pretty boring period. Both teams seem to be playing very cautious hockey. Yes, there are scoring chances for each team, but I wouldn't really call them exceptional. This seems to be the op...
I think that the most entertaining part of tonight’s game against the Bruins, was watching Boston miss the empty net a few times in the past 2 minutes. Poor play and questionable decisions, and Buffalo has now dropped 2 of their last 3.
Buffalo made the mistake of playing the wrong goalies, in the wrong games. Carolina is the game that Enroth should have started in....
Wild weekend of hockey for me the past 2 days. I spent Friday night in Rochester with my family taking in the Amerks vs Binghamton game. Saturday, my fiance and I ventured off to Buffalo for the Sabres vs Wild game, as Buffalo makes a push for the playoffs.
[b] Rochester Amerks [/b]
The Amerks are still looking like a solid squad. They may not have won on Friday nig...
I’m still sticking to the fact that Buffalo didn’t really want to make it this year. Look at the effort tonight, didn’t really strike you as a team that was playing desperate hockey, did it?
I waited to write this until the end of the Capitals game. It’s done, it’s over. The playoff race goes to Florida and Washington. Buffalo can’t catch either team now. Th...
Now that the draft is less than a week away, it’s time to start looking at the needs of the Buffalo Sabres.
2011-2012 was a disappointing season for the Buffalo Sabres. To say that the pieces were there for the Sabres, is an understatement. We can try to find excuses for why Buffalo didn’t deliver, but in the end, Buffalo was worse than in the season before, moving ...
The sabres fanbase, myself included, has attachments to many players on thw current roster for reasons other than talent. Being from Angola, NY and going to the same high school as patrick kaleta, I obviously love seeing him on the squad. Nathan Gerbe is the personification of perseverance and is known for giving his all every night. But do they fit on the newly minted ros...
I’ve been thinking about this past season for the Sabres. Namely how and why things went wrong (if someone says injuries, I’m going to scream). I do really like the new players that Buffalo has brought in, and I’m anxious as to what will happen next. But my question is, will it matter?
I like the additions so far, and I get the feeling that there’s more in the w...
The title of this blog says it all. What if… Ott is it? I’m looking at a couple of things with this blog. First, what if Buffalo’s only move this year is the Ott move. After all of this time, and with Darcy Regier’s track record, everyone’s thinking it, I’m just saying it. Second, game plan for if Ott is it, and prep for the oncoming 2012-2013 season for Buffal...
The past few days on Twitter have been crazy about the possible moves that teams are making for Anaheim forward Bobby Ryan. The one thing I hate about twitter is you never know what deals are actually true and which are fake. I've heard Philadelphia , Buffalo, and Boston have all made offers to Anaheim for Bobby Ryan, Lets go more in depth on these possible trades.
Let...
I finally found out that the Sabres minipacks were going on sale right before my wedding. Just one more thing to stress about the week I lose my freedom (kidding!!!).
Traditionally, My fiancé (soon to be wife) and I go in on a minipack with my parents. While we would like to get season tickets, it’s tough not living in Buffalo. However, we’re always watching the ga...
I wont believe that Derek Roy isn't a Sabre anymore until I see it Sunday 1/20/13 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Sabres didn't make any moves for a true NHL caliber number 1 center, but I do like the moves that they made in the off-season (a very long off-season.) Buffalo Sabres traded Derek Roy for tough guy Steve Ott and dman Adam Pardy. They also acquired enf...
Well, I’ve waited until the day before the season starts. I’ve thought about this a lot this week, and I’m sure my wife is tired of listening to me, but alas, the time is here. Sabres season preview time for 2013.
I’ve got one thought before I look at this season, that needs to be highlighted before I get started. Everyone already knows it, but still;
This s...
Well, I’ll be completely honest; I am pleasantly surprised today. I really am. To be honest, I didn’t see the Sabres winning today. It wasn’t the best win in the world, but I, like every other Sabres fan, will take it.
After taking a frigid hike into the arena, we started scrounging for food, and realized that the arena couldn’t sell beer until noon. So, after ...
Well, the Flyers have played, and dropped, two games to start the season: the first against Pittsburgh and the second against the Buffalo Sabres. All in all, even though they lost both games, they didn’t look as bad as the record shows. They got some pretty rough calls by the refs especially in the Sabres game. Two Flyers goals were called back simply because the refs...
As I was driving home from work tonight, getting into the mood for Sabres hockey, Enemies by Shinedown came on the radio. As I’m singing along in the car, I come across the lyric “You’re taking all that you please, you want more, but you’ll get nothing from me.” As much as I’d love for this to be the song the Sabres come out of the locker room to, there’s one...
Again, Buffalo finds themselves going up against a team who hasn’t managed to win this season. While they are without Thomas Vanek today, keep in mind that’s not an excuse. They lost the last 2 games with him in the lineup.
I like what I see offensively from this team. I really do. However, that’s only when they use their speed, and when they make smart decisions...
I was amazed at Buffalo’s win on Thursday night against the Bruins. I would have written sooner, but I was about ready to fall asleep after I watched it, so I went to sleep. I won’t focus on that game, lets just leave it at that Buffalo beat the Bruins, and picked up 2 much needed points.
What I’d rather do is take a look at the use of Grigorenko and Brennan in B...
Yesterday’s game... Wow, what can I say about that game in Montreal for the Sabres?
Nothing good. It was an abomination, and too be completely honest, this was a long time coming. How can I say this? Easily.
I’ve been watching the Sabres play this lazy style of defense for a long time. When Galchenyuk waltzed between all 5 Sabres on the ice, slid a pass to Eller...
I’m seeing the debate rage on amongst Buffalonians as to what the problem seems to be with the Sabres. Currently, they’re in the bottom 5 of the entire NHL, and 14th place in the Eastern Conference. However, most people are mystified as to what the problem is. The number 1 question;
[b]Is this on the players or the coaches?[/b]
I’ll admit, and I’m sure if you...
I’ve felt for awhile that there’s something missing this season. Normally, our home feels very tense come game day. I’m ready for the games, edge of my seat, and pumped up when the game starts. Once the game starts, generally there’s a lot of cheering for when Buffalo scores, and a lot of profanity for the rest of the game.
As I watch the Sabres games this year...
We can talk all day about how great it was that Buffalo bounced back. We can talk about that phenomenal save that Miller made on Neal. We can look at how the Sabres gave the Penguins a serious run for their money today. I personally am going to choose to look at this...
[b]Buffalo lost.[/b]
Oh no, don’t say “They came close”, don’t say “They played their b...
I’ve been asked a lot what moves I would make if I were GM for the Sabres. So, I’m finally putting this blog together after much thought. I’m basing my philosophy on one of my favorite movies, [i]Miracle[/i]. For those of you who haven’t seen it, it’s the Hollywood version of the 1980 Miracle On Ice.
About 10 minutes into the film, you see tryouts for the 198...
First, my disclaimer, I have been a Sabres fan since as long as I can remember. My first phrase as a child, as far as I've been told, was "I wanna watch hockeysabres" Yes as one word. I do live in Maryland now as I had to sadly move from Buffalo to pursue my career.
The Sabres efforts have been lackadaisical as of late. Everyone from as high up as Pomminville all the w...
I apologize for the brief moment of silence recently. I was battling some illness this week and I’m finally feeling back up to par. So in getting back into this, I figured I’d delve into the trade deadline, and what the Buffalo Sabres approach should be.
I’ve seen a lot of trade rumors circulating this team. Emphasis on rumor. I don’t put much stock in these th...
I don't even know where to begin when it comes to the Sabre's power play this season, I mean as a Sabre's fan, I am no stranger to a poor and streaky power play, but what the hell is going on here? The Sabre's are dead last in the NHL converting just 13 of 108 opportunities, while also allowing a league leading 5 short handed goals. I could deal with a bad conversion ...
Not looking for an answer here. So don’t try to give me one (“Too late”, says my wife as I proof read it to her. She answered “no” for those of you who were curious.). I’ll admit that it’s very tempting to get caught up in the rush of the past 2 Sabres games. Winning in Montreal and then beating Toronto in what may have been the best game Buffalo’s played t...
Last night, my wife and I were out to dinner after a day of errands, and we began discussing the Buffalo Sabres and the trade deadline. Over dinner, I laid out a revamp for the Buffalo Sabres. Long story short, Buffalo has a terrific opportunity in front of them right now.
And Darcy Regier at the helm to get it… [b]Yeah right[/b], won’t happen.
Regier is the indi...
I’m currently sitting at my desk in my office, thinking over the Buffalo Sabres trade deadline moves this year (will fine tune this once I get home, it’s a work in progress). At the end of the day, Jason Pominville is headed to Minnesota. Buffalo receives 2 young prospects as well as Minnesota’s first round draft pick in 2013 and their second round pick in 2014.
...
First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers to the families impacted by today’s tragic events in Boston. In moments of tragedy, hopefully people can find inspiration in the actions of those who didn’t run away from disaster, but ran towards it in an effort to help. [b]Those individuals truly are heroes. [/b]
My family and I attended the Sabres vs Flyers game on Sa...
When the New York Rangers and Buffalo Sabres meet at First Niagara Center Friday Night the Buffalo Sabres will look to do something they have attempted three times so far this season and have failed to accomplish. That which has eluded them all season is four wins in a row. This team may not make the playoffs, but one has to believe that they may have turned a corner. Afte...
Those of you who have read my blogs for quite sometime know that I’m not a fan of Darcy Regier, and I haven’t been for quite some time. There’s a lot of talk about his future in Buffalo, especially as the Sabres will once again miss out on the playoffs. 2013 has seen Lindy Ruff leave the Buffalo Sabres organization, and it’s time for Darcy to leave too.
Let’s...
Well, we finally got to the end of this season. I have 4 words to say as the Sabres season comes to a close.
[b]Thank God it’s over. [/b]
There’s not many things that went well this season for the Sabres. It’s pretty painful thinking back on it. Let’s take a look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of the Buffalo Sabres 2013 season.
All stats I use in this...
In breaking news....It has been made official that Darcy Regier will be the GM next season. Well that kills my hope for change. Darcy remains GM to fix his own mess of a team. After a second straight season with no playoffs, looking worse than before, and the same lousy excuse for a general manager the Sabres organization sees it fit to raise ticket prices...THIS IS MAD...
As the Stanley Cup Finals reminds us that the shortened season of 2013 is coming to a close, thoughts turn to the draft in New Jersey. However, as Buffalo fans, we were looking towards the draft about halfway through the season when it was apparent that the Sabres just wasn’t that good.
Now, we sit a mere 2 weeks away from the 2013 NHL draft. This year promises to be...
As we approach the start of free agency and the draft, a lot of people are up in the air as to what is going to happen with the Buffalo Sabres.
Despite how some of my blogs come off, I’m a huge fan of the Sabres. I always have been, and I always will be. Regardless of what this team does, I’m still rooting for them. However, there has to be a certain disconnect wit...
Well, the weekend of doom, I mean draft weekend is upon us. Sorry for the doom comment, being a Sabres fan, you kind of get used to it being a difficult week/weekend (especially with Darcy in charge). There are certain does and don’ts with this draft/free agency/trade period. Personally, this is how I would handle things were it me.
Let’s address the don’ts first...
I have been waiting to discuss free agency/trades for something to happen with Buffalo. Alas, I can wait no more. Yes I know free agency is still on going, and trades can happen at anytime. However, the initial excitement has come to a close.
The Buffalo faithful have been wondering where Darcy Regier has been. There was even several tweets on Twitter with the hashtag ...
I know I’ve been quiet for awhile. I have been racking my brain as to what is going on with the Sabres, and whether anything is even taking place at First Niagara Center. Unfortunately, not much is going on aside from a few signings of restricted free agents.
However, as July comes to a close, a sense of hockey is in the air. The Sabres development camp has come to a...
The Sabres are in a difficult spot with Vanek and Miller. First things first what is Darcy doing right now? I think we all agree that it is a time to rebuild in buffalo but with a team stacked in defensive prospects and players why would he draft two defensemen and then add tallinder? On my count we have 12 blueliners that will be NHL ready in 3ish years. On the other side...
The Buffalo Sabres season is upon us once again. This time, no lockouts and no stalling. 27 days until the preseason begins, and 44 days until the first game of the year in Detroit. There are still a lot of questions on who is going to play and who is going to make the roster. I will be evaluating the roster for the Sabres and giving you my take on who will play w...
It’s been awhile since I’ve written. Part of the struggle right now, for just about all Sabres fans, is things don’t look too good for the Sabres at this point in time. It’s not a good position that they are setting themselves in for the upcoming season.
Buffalo is in the same position they find themselves in just about every year- stuck in the painful middle p...
We’re officially less than 2 weeks away from hockey season starting. Buffalo Sabres hockey starts with a lot of huge questions and there really aren’t a lot of answers. The roster is slowly getting trimmed down, and the next thing we know, Buffalo will be taking the ice at Joe Louis Arena for their opening game against the Detroit.
While there are a lot of concerns...
After what seems like forever, a new season for the Buffalo Sabres is finally here. I don’t need to tell you what everyone is saying about the Sabres chances this season. Right now, many of you may agree with those saying Buffalo doesn’t stand a chance. To be honest, I don’t see Buffalo as being cellar dwellers in the Eastern Conference.
There are several questio...
[b]Tomas Hertl[/b] has been one of the most surprising stories in the young NHL season. In Tuesday's game against the New York Rangers, the 19-year old Hertl scored four goals. In five total games this year, Hertl has seven goals and an assist. He has scored more goals than the Buffalo Sabres have scored in six games combined.
In Tuesday's game, Hertl scored a...
As many of you already are doing, I’m sitting here watching tonight’s Sabres vs Islanders game. We all know the record that’s on the line tonight. It’s not one that any Buffalo Sabres fan wants to see.
I don’t need to do an analysis of any of the first 7 games. We all know that things aren’t good in “Hockey Heaven” right now. The ruler, Terry Pegula, no...
Paging Mr. Pegula, where are you? Your team is a wreck right now, your fans are getting relentless, and you are 1-9-1 in the first eleven games. The last time we had no clue where our owner was with this team was the last owner, who you bought the team from!
First thing is first, eleven games in and firing the general manager would not be the end of the world....
Last night was just another example of the Sabres failing to rise to the challenge of a “rivalry” game. There’s no love lost between Buffalo and Boston. I’d have hoped that Buffalo would have at least risen to the occasion, and played Boston hard. They even had a chance to win with the game 3-2 heading into the 3rd period. Instead, they failed to generate shots, an...
As I was getting ready to leave my parent’s house, celebrating my dad’s birthday, my phone starts blowing up. I start researching and immediately am greeted by Twitter blowing up with news that Thomas Vanek is no longer a Buffalo Sabre.
Let’s take a look at the actual deal that was made.
Buffalo Sabres send Thomas Vanek to the New York Islanders.
New York ...
I’m not used to getting up the morning after a Sabres game, and seeing them with another tally in the win column. I’m sure a lot of people in Buffalo aren’t used to that.
I return to my normal mantra, the Sabres didn’t win that game last night, Ryan Miller did and as much as I hate saying it, Jonathan Quick’s injury late in overtime helped as well. Scrivens, ...
Say what you will about fans of the Montreal Canadiens. Sometimes they're overly optimistic. Sometimes they're irrationally pessimistic. But they're always passionate. News of the acquisition of Thomas Vanek sent Habs fans across the country into parade planning mode, and while the Cup may still be a pipedream for this club, Vanek gives this fanbase, which hasn't had all t...
With the trade deadline firmly in the rear-view mirror and the dust settling after a flurry of activity, we are left with a handful of NHL rosters looking significantly different than the day just days earlier. One of the rosters to go through a shake-up is that of the Montreal Canadiens, who made one of the larger splashes of the day in their acquisition of Thomas Vanek. ...
[img]http://www.montrealgazette.com/cms/binary/9633478.jpg[/img]rnrnrnThomas Vanek is a shooting star on the move. rnrnVanek played for three different NHL teams in the 2013-2014 season: The Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, and Montreal Canadians. Vanek's combined effort for the three teams in 78 games played was 27 goals and 41 assists for a total of 68 points. In te...
Yes he has scored when the habs needed to but in other big games he has been rather invisible and at the least. The dumb penalty he took for slashing 200 feet away from the puck killed the Canadiens the could have taken advantage from the power play they had. Will M.B give Vanek the amount of 7.5 upwards when he doesn't show up some games. Barring a Montreal comeback and a...
The fun for Flames fans is this offseason that is coming up.
Who would make sense for the Flames to pursue? To trade for? To offer sheet? They have Cap, they have some trade bait in Beartschi, Hudler, their 4th overall pick, David Jones and Smid.
Nazim Kadri- Remember when Brian Burke shot down Brian Murray live on TSN in front of the nation at the draft when Murray...
- Seth Jones and Jacob Trouba are both receiving offer sheet interest from Bruins, Oilers, Leafs and Habs.
- The Minnesota Wild are a team that could be very busy this off-season as they want to add a forward.
- The Edmonton Oilers could make a big splash this week. Yakupov and RNH could be on the move in Edmonton.
- Several Teams are interested in David Perro...