LabattBlue

My thoughts on the game... -Without Noronen between the pipes, the Sabres would not even had one point. With a little help from the goalpost ;) , I though Mika played great. Regardless of the shots on goal, the Rangers outskated, out hit and had the better chances last night. The only edge the Sabres had was at the goalie position. -Was Drury doing his best Mike Grier imitation during the shootout? That was a lame attempt. Vanek is an obvious choice for the top three whenever there is a shootout. -Speaking of Grier, for a guy getting time on one of the top 3 lines, he has some of the worst puck handling and shooting skills I have ever seen. They are comparable to guys who in the past have been nothing but enforcers. I'm not even sure Grier is capable of lifting the puck off the ice when shooting. It pains me to say this, but I think Pyatt is twice the player Grier is and should replace him on the line with Drury. -One other point on Vanek...As I predicted before the season, it didn't take long before he would end up in Lindy's doghouse. This was reinforced by the fact that he wasn't involved in the shootout last night and also evident by the lack of PP time Vanek gets. From what I have seen, he is one of the most skilled players the Sabres have in regards to both passing and shooting. He should be on the #1 PP unit ALWAYS!!! -Derek Roy...I had high hopes for Roy and I know he is still young, but I have been disappointed in his play. How many times a game does he get knocked off his skates? I know he is on the small side, but so is Breire and I don't see him sliding around on the ice constantly. I still would like to see Roy get some time on the PP where he could take advantage of his offensive skills.

I can't see the game. 6-4...WTF is going on. Please tell me Biron isn't down on his knees again?

Darcy's a genius! I knew that the Peca for Connolly and Pyatt trade would pay dividends for the Sabres! What a GM!! :P

Marty is what he is. He will make the occasional great save, then give up a lame goal. As I have stated previously, he goes down too early and too often, get's caught too far back in the net and is a puck handling nightmare. On Heatley's one goal last night, it looked like he couldn't make up his mind between staying up and going down. As Heatley rifled it into the top corner, Biron was starting to go down on one leg and then was coming back up.

I thought the Sabres were fortunate to be tied 2-2 going into the 3rd period. Toronto really took it to the Sabres in the first two periods. It seemed like they beat the Sabres to every loose puck and were winning every battle along the boards. To the Sabres credit, they hung in there and played a great 3rd period. Some other notes... On the play where Biron was out of the net, if he would have hustled back to the net, it would not have been a goal. Instead he skated without urgency back to his crease and ended up trying to make a desperation poke check. Other than this, I thought Biron played a solid game in net. I give credit where credit is due...Connolly had a very good game(even though he fired one high and wide from 15 feet late in the 3rd period) :angry: . Also good to see Drury get a couple of points. He flashes skills at times that convince you that he can put up 70 points, but then somehow disappears for long stretches. This shouldn't be happening to a guy who is "supposedly" a hard worker on the ice. Vanek looks like he has regained his confidence. I liked him on the PP yesterday. There were several times where he was in the slot trying to find some open space with his stick cocked and ready to shoot. Briere and Dumont have cooled off. I would really like to see Vanek back up with them. I know this will be tough to find, but the Sabres truly need a blueliner with some size and speed. Not just another journeyman like Numminen or Lydman. Brendan Witt comes to mind immediately. If it means having to give up a high draft pick, a forward currently on the roster or a highly ranked prospect(along with Biron when Miller gets healthy), then so be it. The way Ottawa is playing, it is going to be a tough road to hoe, but I hope the Sabres are at the very least competitive, unlike the first two meetings with the Senators.

This was also from me.

This post was me, I forgot to login.

I was at the game last night. Some observations... -Biron is down on his knees WAY TOO MUCH and WAY TOO EARLY. -Drury is a complete waste of salary. I'm sick of hearing about his great faceoff percentage. Last time I looked, he was a team worst MINUS 8. If we can ship his sorry ass out of here for a quality defenseman, I would do it in a heartbeat. -Some of these referees are seeing things(calling penalties) that just aren't happening. I hope the NHL is reveiwing each and every game tape. -It was nice to see Vanek pop a couple in. That was an outstanding play on his first one. -The "value" night game was a bust from an attendence perspective. They announced 13 or 14 thousand. I'd say it was closer to 10 or 11. If I was Golisano I'd be pissed. The games are entertaining, the prices are down and the people of WNY are not showing a lot of interest. -When the game was 4-3, Connolly had a great opportunity from about 15 feet away and missed the net. Is it just me or do several Sabres have a problem in this regard...Connolly, Drury, Dumont to name a few. If I was Lindy, I'd be focusing on this a lot. -Lydman & McKee can't get healthy quick enough. Campbell and Jillson are truly career minor leaguers. Is it possible to convince James Patrick to come back, because at this point, he would make a big difference.

Dave, I can't say I noticed Drury except for the moment when he rang the shot of the cross bar. Granted, I think he has been a huge underachiever since he became a Sabre, but I'll give credit where credit is due, and the way I saw it, Drury was just another average Joe last night.

http://www.nhl.com/radio/index.html

My guess would be Biron. I am really anxious to see Derek Roy. I hope that Lindy gives him some time on the PP.