nfreeman
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Posts posted by nfreeman
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Mine:
1. litterers
2. hair-trigger horn-honkers
3. highway tailgaters
4. interrupters
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Pretty ho-hum game but I'll take the road win against a desperate team. A few notes:
1. chippy game, pretty loosely officiated.
2. I've criticized Marty as much as anyone, but he played very well again tonight.
3. I thought Kalinin got tripped on Boston's goal. It should have been a penalty, esp. b/c it created a turnover for Boston in the offensive zone. OTOH, Gaustad was probably guilty of interference on Drury's 1st goal and that one was let go also.
4. Pominville has scored a few from the slot off the faceoff this year like tonight's goal.
5. Any word on Spacek?
6. PP back in the doldrums tonight.
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I hope so. I'll be there, Section 21, Row 2! It's the first time my wife agreed to get a sitter. The boys will be two in April... :ph34r:
I see another rout also. The Bruins look done.
Your first night out with your wife since they were born? Congrats.
The ladies do get a bit irrational from time to time after the little ones show up, don't they?
In any case I think the Sabres will make it worthwhile for the two of you (although speaking from experience a night at Burger King would be a big night out at this point too).
Enjoy.
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The hit itself was clean, the only thing I think they can have issue with is that it came just after the whistle (when the B's touched the puck for the penalty.)
Is that why it was called? I thought the call was charging? Is a hit after the whistle categorized as charging? Just curious.
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Adding to the horror show, the Bruins lost Krejci for the night when he was drilled by a stiff elbow to the upper body from Sabres forward Adam Mair.
Not that it matters, but I thought that was a totally clean hit by Mair that shouldn't have been penalized. That penalty gave the Bruins a 5-on-3 for a full 2 min., which they cashed in for their only goal.
-Paetsch as a 4th liner and extra dman(if needed) is a 100% better option than Peters in the lineup. Hopefully we will only see Peters for anothe 5 or 10 games from here on out.
Yes yes yes. He was effective and he played with an edge. His presence should also keep a fire lit under Kalinin, Spacek et al.
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If Timmy makes it through the next week with no setbacks I'd be real surprised if we don't see him in March. It sounds as if he is finally getting put through NHL hockey level training. If he can go a week without that setting him back, I'd be surprised if anything short of a good shot to the melon sets him back. I won't get optimistic until this time next week.
Marty Biron is what he is. He's somewhere between the 20th and 40th best goalie in the league IMO. He can show signs of brilliance, but unless he is getting a pretty long stretch of games under his belt, will have the 1-2 mental letdowns per game that keep him from taking his play to the next level.
He got a lot of wins when he did get into the games early in the season, but he also was getting the most goal support of any goalie in the league.
He's a decent backup who's tended to have his contract expire at opportune times which is a big part of the reason he makes over $2MM/year. Lindy is comfortable with him going between the pipes every so often and he has a personality that prevents him from ever becoming a distraction to the team. Those 2 items are what will keep the Sabres from trading him (barring some truly catastrophic event(s)) even though there are other goalies that would come cheaper when filling Marty's limited playing role.
Wow. I think I agree with every word of this post, except that I can't help myself -- I'm already optimistic about Connolly and his impact on the stretch run. My view on this is probably warped b/c I've got 7-6, which was Timmy's last game, saved permanently on my Tivo. I will admit to watching parts of it whenever I need to cheer myself up. For those who've forgotten, Timmy played like a combination of Gretzky and Lemieux in that game.
As for Marty, I would just add that the only thing about him that bothers me is that there continues to be a sizeable percentage of fans and posters here who cling to the view that we could get something good for him in a trade, and criticize Darcy for failing to do so. This drives me insane. I repeat: zero career playoff wins. Mediocre GAA and save %. A history of soft goals at inopportune moments. A history of multiple blown opportunities to seize the #1 role. A fat salary. UFA at the end of the year. NOBODY is going to give us anything for him.
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Honestly I think the chances are better that Buffalo will dress one of the SabreSpace posters before Timmy comes back...
good one. But Timmy is coming back.
Over/under on number of softies Marty lets in before we remember why he is a backup?
For me it's zero.
It may be perception, but the guy who has cooled off to me is Vanek. He is taking lots of shots or is near goals, but they ain't going in lately. I'd like to see the RAV line kick it up a notch.
I agree and would add Max into the underperforming category -- which is why I think Lindy has cut his ice time recently (16:23 vs. NYI, 15:02 vs. Col, 16:25 vs. Mon).
except for Vanek is now playing with Danny and JP.
I could be wrong on this, but wasn't Hecht back with Danny and Pommer on Sat. night vs. the Isles, and RAV united?
In any event, I expect a good effort tonight. I also expect Tallinder's presence to make a real difference, as it usually does. Unless Marty gives it away I expect a win.
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just for the heck of it -- i'm posting live from the game. miller just let in a softie but i don't wanna hear about marty. we will bear down and win this game.
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Random question... Did anyone else notice poor picture quality during the game last night? At times it was almost difficult to watch. The commercials were fine, but the cameras in the arena all seemed a little out of focus.
Yes. Very blurry. The contrast with the Detroit game that was on in HD the other night was almost too much to bear.
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One consistent theme this year is that when the Sabres come out with intensity, nobody can stay with them. Having lost 3 in a row to these hosers, I expect them to come out good and PO'd. Also, Miller is in the zone and they are missing 3 of their top centers. We should win convincingly.
Sabres, 4-1. Kotalik, Briere, Roy (in his hometown) and, what the heck, Teppo with the goals.
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-Very strange career turn for Satan. he is one guy that I thought would explode in the "new" NHL, but instead his stats have taken a downward turn. If it wasn't for the fact that he was booed loudly every time he touched the puck, I don't think anyone would have noticed him.
He does't want it bad enough. He got used to mailing it in during his last 2 years here and is getting paid millions to do the same for the Islanders. Why should he work harder? He's a bum and we're well rid of him.
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Good win. The Islanders played with much more intensity than the last time we played them. We didn't bring our A game, but we didn't dog it, either. I give our effort about a b-plus.
My 3 stars:
1. Miller. Awesome. One of his best games of the year.
2. Teppo
3. Max
Next up: Ottawa. It's payback time. The boys are going to be highly motivated having lost 3 in a row to the Senators. Also, Miller is in the zone, while Spezza and Fisher are both out with injuries. I'm guaranteeing a win.
Happy new year.
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My 3 stars:
1. Miller
2. Briere
3. Pominville
Other observations:
1. Tallinder really is a difference-maker.
2. Briere's goal makes my list of the team's top 10 goals this year.
3. Overall I thought our effort was about a b-plus. Atlanta is a good team but we were a little sloppy in our end and gave them too many chances. Miller needed to be very sharp.
4. Lehtonen was pretty sharp too. Briere's goal and Vanek's goal were unstoppable. Pominville's goal might have been stoppable but it was an outstanding shot by a sniper from well inside the faceoff circle. (the kind of shot Ovechkin or Kovalchuk scores on, btw -- just like Pominville).
5. I thought Pominville had another great game on the backcheck -- this is why he was my #3 star instead of Vanek or Tallinder.
6. Miller really played a great game. Does anyone know where he stands in terms of the all-star game? If he isn't voted in, who gets to select the backups? Will it be Lindy?
7. Pretty good string of 4 wins in 5 games (plus an OTL) for the Sabres: Nashville, Washington, Atlanta. Next up: Ted Nolan returns to HSBC, followed by an opportunity for some payback vs. the Senators.
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Prediction: Miller heats up. Sabres, 4-2, in a thriller. Pominville, Kotalik, Vanek and Hecht with the goals.
Gentlemen -- feel free to give me some credit for my prediction above (at least on Miller, the final score and the goal-scorers -- pretty close).
A few other observations:
1. Lindy was good and PO'd in the press conf. after the game. He is clearly fed up with the slow starts, esp. at home. It's pretty clear that it comes down to effort and intensity with this team. When they are fired up for a game, they come out smoking as they did vs. the Caps. Otherwise, they seem to think their talent plus home ice will get it done for them, and the effort isn't there.
2. Tallinder looks like he's back in the groove already.
3. back in the scoring groove: Pominville, Drury, Kotalik
4. My 3 stars: (1) Miller, (2) Drury, (3) Kalinin
5. No issue with being out-hit tonight. Only cheap shots that stuck out were 2 elbows thrown by staal at Pominville during the same play -- the one on which Whitney was penalized and staal then threw the 2nd elbow at pominville after the whistle. Staal really should've been penalized, since it was a pretty blatant cheap shot. I also would've liked to see more of a response, but Lydman did rush in and give Staal a shove.
6. All in all, a very good win. I thought Carolina kind of mailed it in though.
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I'm interested to see how the physical play goes tonight. In the last game, we went up 3-0 in the 1st, went to sleep, they tied it 3-3 early in the 3rd, then we ripped off 3 more to make it 6-3. The game ended 7-4. One of my lingering impressions of the game was that when we opened up our leads, Carolina started taking a bunch of runs at our guys, some of which led to big hits and others which were borderline cheap shots (Erik Cole in particular being guilty of cheap shots IIRC).
At the time I was concerned that we didn't answer a physical challenge. 6 weeks later, having seen how we responded to the Ovechkin incident, I think Lindy's approach is that we should fight when directly challenged, but otherwise back away from tit-for-tat exchanges of cheap shots. I think he keeps the team focused on skating, scoring and winning as the best form of payback.
On the other hand, Carolina may have concluded from the game that they can push us around, and that this is a necessary part of a winning strategy to beat the Sabres.
Prediction: Miller heats up. Sabres, 4-2, in a thriller. Pominville, Kotalik, Vanek and Hecht with the goals.
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Kotalik is reborn!
and great to see Jason lighting it up again. 15 goals in 34 games -- he will probably get 30+ this year -- pretty sweet for a 24-year-old that cleared waivers last year and signed for $800K or so.
and Tallinder returns next week.
I guarantee that we spank Ottawa next time we play them.
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The consensus here seems to indicate that we the fans don't believe the team is playing hard and is getting "Out-Physicaled". If that is the case, could a possible explanation be that the team is body weary due to their style of play? I see multiple games missed due to injuries and every night it seems like they can't find their legs for 55 out of 60 minutes. I don't think the talent or work ethic has gone anywhere on this team. Every team in the NHL will have these periods where they have to catch their breath while things don't go their way all the time. The Sabres will be fine, we all have this feeling in our gut that says, "This can be a very special year". That is what makes these types of "slump" periods so difficult to stomach.
I am no longer a baseball fan, but I think about the 2004 Red Sox a lot when I see the Sabres. A group of guys with an "Us against the world" attitude, who genuinely care for each other, with the talent to win it all. Before the 2004 season started in Boston, the fans were their typical negative selves and new ace Curt Schilling had to post on a message board to: "Relax and enjoy the finest Red Sox team ever assembled".
Maybe we all need to sit back, relax, and enjoy the finest Sabres team ever assembled. To throw as many cliches into this as possible, we need to remember that an NHL season is a marathon, not a sprint. The Stanley Cup is the hardest trophy in all of sports to win. It takes 82 games to get to a point where another 16 wins gets you the hardware.
These guys will keep fighting. Lindy will keep coaching, and I for one will still cheer for this team night in, and night out. I understand that we are in the midst of a season where we can witness something truly special. Hold onto that feeling and keep the negativity to a minimum. That's just my rambling rant. Happy Festivus Everyone!
Right on, EdwardSauve (boy, remember Edwards and Sauve? they were great. each of them won the vezina, and we had them in a rotation. talk about depth in goal). I actually thought we played pretty well last night in terms of skating and effort. The difference was goaltending and special teams, plus one team converted more chances. But the Sabres played hard and created plenty of chances.
Most nights we'll have the goaltending edge, so I'm not too concerned about that one. The PP and PK continue to concern me, esp. after we did so well in both last year. But I expect the imminent return of Tallinder to help both squads, esp. the PK. The PP may not become the weapon we need until Connolly returns (when, not if -- that's my position).
The best part of last night's game, IMHO, was the Drury-Kotalik-Gaustad line. I thought they looked great, and I expect this line to stay together and continue to be effective. Al in particular looked like a new man. Yet another reason to like Gaustad. And hopefully the Kotalik wakeup will help the PP as well.
So, we've lost 2 in a row, and 4 of our last 8. I'm not that fussed. Frankly I'd rather see us challenged and have to respond than just sail through the regular season -- quite a few president's trophy winners have gotten cashed out of the playoffs in the 1st round in recent years. We have goaltending, guts, speed, depth and coaching. We're getting our best defenseman back in a week after having missed essentially the whole season so far. There's good reason to think we'll get Connolly back for the stretch drive and the playoffs. And to those who say we don't play hard enough on a consistent basis -- I think the only recent game where they came out not ready to play was 6 games ago vs. Florida.
So, be thankful for what you have, which is a lot. This team does not quit. They play hard until the very end, and they will be very much in the hunt at the end of the year.
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Good to see PAFan fired up for the game. Yeah baby. Here we come.
DeLuca, pay attention: it's Briere time. He gets 1 and sets up 2 more. Gaustad gets a dirty, hardworking goal and the new DAG line shows signs of life. Spacek blasts one in on the PP. Miller is awesome again.
Sabres, 4-2.
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Ronan Tynan's first goal call :w00t:
I can't even breathe. :lol:
Tynan's guest appearance was my favorite broadcast moment of the year so far. He sounds like an amazing guy (if you didn't hear the story -- horrible car accident as a kid that required both legs to be amputated below the knee, made himself into a paralympian, won a bunch of events, set a number of records, went to medical school, became an orthopedist, and is a world-renowned singer) -- and somehow also became a huge sabres fan. He spoke passionately about how great the sabres' team spirit is, and was so psyched when they scored. Worth listening to again if you've got the game on tivo.
Separately, Miller was awesome AGAIN. I wouldn't trade him for any goalie in the league.
Go Sabres.
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we haven't won in NJ since februrary of 2001? damn, that's one bad streak!
3-2... we were able to match the devils for most of the early part of the game. then we opened it up, but let them back in. Good victory. very few penalties, and save that fart at the end. great way to end the road trip, after a miserable start. terrible loss to washington, rebound against the lightning, worst loss of the year against florida, a gift game vs. the habs, and then this one. I'll take that road trip!
Why was it a gift game? I thought the Sabres played great vs. the habs and earned a W against a very strong team.
Some thoughts on tonight's excellent win:
1. this game, combined with the Montreal win, represent the sabres' best back-to-back efforts of the year.
2. Miller is the man.
3. So is Briere. Right now he's projecting to a 40-goal, 97-point season. I'm starting to think we are going to try to resign him by any means necessary, including either or both of (i) spending to the newly raised cap limit again this offseason and (ii) letting one or two other expensive guys go.
4. Also excellent efforts, IMHO, by: Campbell, Spacek, Hecht, Gaustad and Stafford.
5. Those huge swaths of empty seats are kind of a bummer. I saw the same thing last night during Washington vs. Pittsburgh.
6. pretty good production tonight by VS.
7. After some shaky moments in the 1st period, we played a very disciplined, fundamentally sound game in our end. Good to see us out-execute a very good team at their type of game. This looked quite a bit more like playoff-style hockey -- it was reassuring to see us play it so well.
8. Also great to see Pominville finally get one in. Before tonight he had 1 goal in the past 12 games.
9. My 3 stars: Briere#1, Miller#2, Hecht#3.
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I'm predicting Pominville finally gets off the schneid and puts one in, along with Vanek, Max and Campbell.
Sabres with a fairly ho-hum 4-1 win against a crappy team.
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Sabres, 4-2. Hecht's return helps get Pominville off the schneid. Peters fights Hollweg. Miller rocks again.
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No, I won't concede that. If Peters was not dressed for that game, McGratton would have skated one or two inconsequential shifts and would have alternated between picking his ass and his nose the rest of the time. ;)
...[laughing out loud at my desk]...
very nice.
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The only way Paille or Stafford can stay up for the year is if Connolly is not coming back this year or a trade is made that will free up cap dollars. I'm not sure in this salary cap scenario if Connolly could come back for just the playoffs though?
PS Good things happen when you put talented players on the 4th line(Paille) and send no talent hacks to the press box(Peters). :)
Yikes. I might have to admit that you and DeLuca were right about that one. Still, will you admit that it was good that we had Peters to fight McGrattan and thus didn't have to put Gaustad the goal-scoring machine or Mair (major concussion last year) at risk?
Complaint Thursdays
in The Aud Club
Posted
I'm complaining about Tom Webster getting me all pumped for a big Sabres move this week and then nothing happening (admittedly there is another half of the week to go, but still).