hopeleslyobvious

Looks like we woke up a little.

Well Miller looks like he came to play...unfortunately he can't stop every puck, especially if Campbell keeps getting beat.

Agreed. They look decent on the forecheck and in the neutral zone. Why can't they do anything in their own zone?

Ugh

Would be nice if someone wanted to play in their own end tonight.

Anyone else on Center Ice notice that the picture quality is awful? Or is it my cable company?

Great save by Miller!

Ok, as one of Biron's bigger critics on this board, I feel like I should comment. You didn't hear from me when Miller gave up 4 goals because I was on a plane during the game. I was concerned when I saw he gave up 4, but from reading the posts on here it looks like despite that he still had a great game. I do think Miller is the better goalie, and I am willing to speak up when he has a bad night. But if I had to pick a game for him to give up 4, it would definately be last night!

Something else I noticed. The Rangers have not had 30 shots against us yet this year. First game they had 23, 2nd 27, last night 24. The Sabres during the season have given up an average of about 31 shots a game. Against the Rangers only 24 2/3. Pretty significant difference. I think it could be indicative that the Rangers don't match up against us very well (Without Lundqvist I think we would have had a more substantial win last night). If that continues in the last game this season, and if we play them in the playoffs, I think we are in really good shape.

Were you with the group in the 300's? I was in the last row of the 100's right ahead of you guys. It was nice to have the Let's Go Buffalo going. Haha, I could have used some of you guys in our section, I think I was driving everyone nuts. Some of the nastier responses to the Let's Go Buffalo were coming from the row in front of me. Some lady in front of me was making jokes about Connolly "diving" when he was laying on the ice...Ugh

Just contenders to make the playoffs? They are slumping, and still 5th in the conference. What happens when they heat up again? I agree that they can't match up against Ottawa, but Ottawa is one team. If the season ended right now, the Sabres would be 5th in the Conference, and would have to play the Rangers in the first round. The Sabres are 1-0-1 against the Rangers. It should also be noted, that while the Rangers have 2 points on the Sabres, they have also played 2 more games. I agree that winning the Cup is the ultimate goal, but another goal should be having a successful franchise in the long term. Look at how far this team has come since last season. How much will this core of players improve before next season? Sure it would be nice to have a top 50 scorer, but I think you are looking at it the wrong way. A team is not as good as the sum of all it's parts. If you think it is, take a good look at Pittsburgh, or the pre-lockout Rangers. Another thing you are forgetting is that we have a top 50 scorer. Briere would be in the top 50 if he hadn't hurt himself. Besides, if I had the choice between a top 50 scorer and a good defenseman, I am going to take the defenseman.

I don't think they are going to be making a quick exit. Right now, I don't think we could beat Ottawa. Philly would be tough, but we did beat them. Carolina is tough as well, but I think if we played them it would be a great series. We've played well against the Rangers in both games this year. We've struggled with the Devils, but I think if we play our game we can beat them. We are 3-0 against Tampa. We beat Atlanta. That represents the top 8 in the conference right now. While we're not cup contenders this year (yet...ask me again after the trading deadline), I can see this team going to the Conference semi-finals or Conference finals this year. we will hopefully be completely healthy by the time the playoffs roll around...and our youth is going to pay off big time during the post Olympic stretch. We can definately build some momentum there to carry us into the playoffs. I'm not saying we can't improve our team, but it seems like you are ruling them out completely already.

6-4 Rangers? If anything I would expect this game to be a low scoring affair. Miller and Lundqvist are among the two best goalies in the league. If Lundqvist starts tonight (which it looks like he will), then it is going to be his 4th start in 6 nights. We can seriously take advantage of that. You should also consider that in the Sabres have 3 of a possible 4 points against the Rangers so far this year. They most likely would have won the second game in regulation if Noronnen had not hurt himself. I don't think the team showed their "true colors" during the west coast swing. As many of us have pointed out before that the Sabres usually struggle during West Coast road trips. I think you are being too negative. Even taking away the fact that they were on the West coast, this is an 82 game season. It is going to be full of ups and downs. I think you're failing to look at the fact that even though the team has not been playing well as of late, they still have gotten 10 points in the last 10 games. The last 10 games have been kind of a low for this team. If they are still .500 in that time, I think we are in great shape. Looking at the last 3 games alone is even more unfair to the team. Another factor to take into consideration is the return of Dumont. I think this is big tonight. First it will give the team a shot in the arm to get him back, even if he is limited to a 4th line role. Also, I would like to see him get some ice time on the PP. I think our PP's recent struggles have come from predictability. On the sabres.com board, people were complaining that Kotalik is not shooting on the PP, but I think he is not shooting because he is not getting a shot. With Briere and Dumont out of the lineup, the gameplan was get the puck to Kotalik at the point. I think everyone caught on to this, and made sure that he did not get a shooting lane. We've tried unsuccessfully to adapt the last few games by trying to work the puck down low, but I don't think we had enough firepower down there. With Dumont out there, things are much different. Even if he doesn't score on the PP, his presence alone might take some pressure off of Kotalik, which is definately a good thing.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Oh, it's only if there is an instigator penalty? I thought it was any fight within the last 5 minutes. My mistake. Guess I should check the rules next time before I post, haha.

Yeah, you are right, conclusive evidence that the call on the ice was wrong.

Just another thought on the game last night. We get to see if the league was serious when Shane Doan got in his fight, or if they were just giving a break to Phoenix. Roy is not a fighter, so following the Doan incident, he should not be suspended on Tuesday. And to the poster who was complaining about us whining...is it getting to boring in Leafs country as you watch your team fade right out of the playoff picutre?

Funny, you think we would remember a lengthy video review.

Rangers tied us tonight in the standings. We still have a game at hand. Tuesday's game is going to be huge.

Does anyone else hate Calgary's PA announcer?

Well we lost the game, but the NHL admitted they made a mistake. Do we get a certificate suitable for framing for that?

I think he's playing in Ireland now.

By the way, say goodbye to the obstruction free NHL, it appears to be going right out the window.

I really hope we win that game! I will be there, and I really don't feel like listening to cocky Ranger fans.

Kind of looks like the on ice officials were provided by the home team as well. :lol: