thesportsbuff Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Buffalo Sabres @ Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:00 PM EST on MSG Finally! Finally the Buffalo Sabres made good on a chance to take sole possession of 8th place in the Eastern Conference, doing so with an overtime victory over Minnesota on Sunday. Buffalo took control of the game right off the opening faceoff, with Pominville finishing a nice passing play Vanek and Montador to make the score 1-0 just 1:23 into the game. The second period started in similar fashion, as just two minutes into the frame, Rob Neidermayer scored his first goal of the season, pounding home a rebound from an Andrej Sekera shot. Unfortunately, the tide turned late in the second period; Minnesota scored two goals in less than four minutes to tie the game going into the intermission. The third period was evenly played and both teams had chances to finish the game in regulation, but both goaltenders were up to the task. The game eventually went to overtime, and just :46 seconds in, Drew Stafford scored a game winning goal that had many Sabres fans flashing back to Jason Pominville's series winning goal over Ottawa in overtime of the 2005/06 Conference Semi-Finals. The Sabres have a lot to be happy with after the victory. First and foremost, they took over the 8th and final playoff spot with the two points -- two points behind the Rangers (who dominated Philadelphia 7-0 on Sunday) for 7th, and one point ahead of Carolina, who we've been chasing since January. Secondly, Jhonas Enroth played another stellar game for the Sabres -- maybe not as good as his shootout win over Montreal a few weeks ago, but he made some huge saves and definitely played well enough to re-confirm our suspicions that Lalime will not play another game as a Sabre. Next up: Andrej Sekera was named the second star of the week, scoring 1 goal and 7 assists while helping the Sabres into 8th place. He's playing incredible hockey lately, and it seems like that benching really paid off in a big way. And last, but not least, Rob Neidermayer's first goal of the season could serve a confidence boost for Rob and the fans who were getting fed up with him. Maybe he'll find the scoresheet again before the end of the season. :lol: As for the Penguins: Still no Crosby, still no Malkin of course, but they are playing better as of late. They defeated Boston 3-2 on Saturday and lost games to Toronto and New Jersey (both of whom have been hot) in overtime earlier last week. They also defeated Toronto 6-5 prior to the two OTL. They are, of course, still dealing with a slew of other injuries, including Brooks Orpik, Aaron Asham, Nick Johnson, and Eric Tangradi, but their call-ups have filled in admirably and by no means is this going to be an easy game for Buffalo. Next 5 Games: Other Notable Games Today: Ottawa @ New Jersey, Toronto @ NY Islanders LET'S GO BUFFALO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 When was the last time the Sabres beat the Pens in their igloo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 When was the last time the Sabres beat the Pens in their igloo? Looks like December 8th, 2008 -- Roy, Kotalik, Paille and Vanek scored to beat them 4-3. And while looking at that game recap, I saw this penalty assessed to Buffalo: Nathan Gerbe : Abuse of officials - bench - 2 min Anybody know what it was for, or uh, how it happened? :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Looks like December 8th, 2008 -- Roy, Kotalik, Paille and Vanek scored to beat them 4-3. And while looking at that game recap, I saw this penalty assessed to Buffalo: Nathan Gerbe : Abuse of officials - bench - 2 min Anybody know what it was for, or uh, how it happened? :lol: We'll have to ask the judges if that qualifies for a little man's fighting major.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plenzmd1 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Man, this 4 games in six nights not good for the liver..having said that, need to be in Harrisburg/hershey tonight..know its one in a million, but anybody know at the very least a sports bar with CI..Buffalo/Sabres bar prolly asking a bit much LOl Here we go Sabres here we go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TM8-PL16 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 there is always a bunch of Buffalo fans at the games here in Pittsburgh... anyone else going tonight? I'll be wearing my Miller 3rd jersey and will probably be at the "Souper Bowl" (across from arena) for pregame food and drinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kishoph Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 NIEDS has 1 goals in his last 1 games, keep the streak alive. Go Sabres :w00t: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FogBat Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 I know this goes without saying, but this is a must win game to stay ahead of Carolina. Plus, we can tie the Rangers for 7th place tonight with a win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R_Dudley Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 there is always a bunch of Buffalo fans at the games here in Pittsburgh... anyone else going tonight? I'll be wearing my Miller 3rd jersey and will probably be at the "Souper Bowl" (across from arena) for pregame food and drinks. My son has a Bball tournament game tonight otherwise I would consider joining you at the Souperbowl before, good cheap drinks and food. Let's hope you have a lot to cheer about. :beer: Well here is what the Pens site is saying about the keys to the game. Take Advantage of Their Struggling Power Play: The Sabres have been struggling in the special teams department recently, especially with the man advantage, as their power play has given up a league-leading 12 shorthanded goals on the season. While head coach Dan Bylsma would certainly like his team to stay out of the box, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff utilizes a forward and a defenseman on the point and Pittsburgh’s penalty killers will need to take advantage of that if they do go a man down. The Penguins are tied for the league lead with 10 shorthanded goals. Physicality: The Penguins enter Tuesday’s game ranked second in the league with 1,885 hits, which equals out to an average of 28.1 per contest. The Sabres, on the other hand, have thrown an NHL-low 1,224 hits – averaging just 18.1 hits per game. Buffalo is known for being a smooth skating, mobile team throughout their entire lineup, and the Penguins will need to bring a physical edge to Tuesday’s game in order to keep the Sabres hemmed in their own end and stop them from activating and joining the rush. Pens played a real physical game against Boston saturday night and beat them with it and thats how Blysma wants them to play sans Crosby. Lindy better have them prepared for that. I wonder if Weber get's back in tonight in front of his family. One game benching may have been enough to get him back to his physical style and it would be welcome tonight. Buffalo better have an answer for the Pens bottling up the board outlet passes or it will be a long night in their own zone. If Pegs was serious about spending more on coaching I am hoping they have already started that with more advanced scouting of their upcoming opponents games to be ready and have answers for what other teams will throw at them. Pens have a real good system of jamming the board outlet passes and maintaining zone pressure and possession. We are so due against the Pens and I want it to start tonight. Hey PA penguins taste like chicken. Let's go Buff'a'lo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 No Hecht tonight and Grier is doubtful. Kaleta is back in Buffalo, obviously will not play tonight. Lindy says they're looking at calling up Mark Parrish, may need to call up someone else too. A player had the flu and might not play, but he didn't say who. Also hinted that Enroth will get another start this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wjag Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 No Hecht tonight and Grier is doubtful. Kaleta is back in Buffalo, obviously will not play tonight. Lindy says they're looking at calling up Mark Parrish, may need to call up someone else too. A player had the flu and might not play, but he didn't say who. Also hinted that Enroth will get another start this weekend. Clearly undermanned. Time for the kids to make the 2011-2012 team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NowDoYouBelieve Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 5-0-2 in our last seven, including wins over some pretty good teams. Meanwhile, the Guins are still without their two best players. Dare I say we have the upper hand in this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfreeman Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 My son has a Bball tournament game tonight otherwise I would consider joining you at the Souperbowl before, good cheap drinks and food. Let's hope you have a lot to cheer about. :beer: Well here is what the Pens site is saying about the keys to the game. Take Advantage of Their Struggling Power Play: The Sabres have been struggling in the special teams department recently, especially with the man advantage, as their power play has given up a league-leading 12 shorthanded goals on the season. While head coach Dan Bylsma would certainly like his team to stay out of the box, Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff utilizes a forward and a defenseman on the point and Pittsburgh’s penalty killers will need to take advantage of that if they do go a man down. The Penguins are tied for the league lead with 10 shorthanded goals. Physicality: The Penguins enter Tuesday’s game ranked second in the league with 1,885 hits, which equals out to an average of 28.1 per contest. The Sabres, on the other hand, have thrown an NHL-low 1,224 hits – averaging just 18.1 hits per game. Buffalo is known for being a smooth skating, mobile team throughout their entire lineup, and the Penguins will need to bring a physical edge to Tuesday’s game in order to keep the Sabres hemmed in their own end and stop them from activating and joining the rush. Pens played a real physical game against Boston saturday night and beat them with it and thats how Blysma wants them to play sans Crosby. Lindy better have them prepared for that. I wonder if Weber get's back in tonight in front of his family. One game benching may have been enough to get him back to his physical style and it would be welcome tonight. Buffalo better have an answer for the Pens bottling up the board outlet passes or it will be a long night in their own zone. If Pegs was serious about spending more on coaching I am hoping they have already started that with more advanced scouting of their upcoming opponents games to be ready and have answers for what other teams will throw at them. Pens have a real good system of jamming the board outlet passes and maintaining zone pressure and possession. We are so due against the Pens and I want it to start tonight. Hey PA penguins taste like chicken. Let's go Buff'a'lo. Good post. Pittsburgh has struck me as a very physical team all year. I think the Sabres though are more physical than the hit stat would indicate. Interesting point on Weber. I'd like to see Weber back in, especially against Pittsburgh (both so he can play against his hometown team and because it will be a physical game), but Lindy doesn't usually break up a winning combination. I'm also not sure who he'd bench. Butler has held up his end as Myers' partner, and Myers has been playing pretty well, so I don't think Lindy will want to break them up. Monty-Reggie have been terrific. I haven't liked Leopold's game much since he returned but I think he led the team in ice time vs Minnesota, so Lindy must be happy with him. They could put Weber in for Morrisonn, but that's not really a net gain in the physicality department (in that regard I really liked the Weber-Morrisonn pair). No Hecht tonight and Grier is doubtful. Kaleta is back in Buffalo, obviously will not play tonight. Lindy says they're looking at calling up Mark Parrish, may need to call up someone else too. A player had the flu and might not play, but he didn't say who. Also hinted that Enroth will get another start this weekend. Interesting. Between the Mancari callup and the potential Parrish callup, that tells me that Lindy wants experience in the lineup down the stretch. Byron and Adam may have to wait until next year to get their next shots. I hope the Sabres keep the pedal down. They're finally in the playoffs and I can see them letting up a bit -- but that could change real easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROC Sabres Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 5-0-2 in our last seven, including wins over some pretty good teams. Meanwhile, the Guins are still without their two best players. Dare I say we have the upper hand in this one? I have a hard time saying we do when we are gonna have 3 call ups(I'm guessing if Kaleta, Hecht and Grier are out). We still have our better lines but Guins are usually too physical for buffalo to handle. Hopefully I'm wrong. I do agree though without Crybaby, Malkin and even Orpik still out they soften up a bit but I would likely call this a good matched game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
That Aud Smell Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 we can tie the Rangers for 7th place tonight with a win. hell and yes. A player had the flu and might not play, but he didn't say who. "the flu?" i'll bet dollars to paczki that's connolly and a variant of the polish-/irish-american flu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dumb_dumb88 Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Lindy just stated to the press that Grier, Hecht and Kaleta are out. Kaleta has been sent back to Buffalo to have the team doctors look at his swelling of the knee. Mark Parrish is being looked at for a recall. Also, another player, Ruff wouldn't give his name, is suffering from flu like symptoms so they may have to recall 2 players from Portland, he'd make the determination following the morning skate, which they are at right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROC Sabres Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 "the flu?" i'll bet dollars to paczki that's connolly and a variant of the polish-/irish-american flu. I think he probably has the kitty flu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derrico Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Buffalo Sabres @ Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:00 PM EST on MSG Finally! Finally the Buffalo Sabres made good on a chance to take sole possession of 8th place in the Eastern Conference, doing so with an overtime victory over Minnesota on Sunday. Buffalo took control of the game right off the opening faceoff, with Pominville finishing a nice passing play Vanek and Montador to make the score 1-0 just 1:23 into the game. The second period started in similar fashion, as just two minutes into the frame, Rob Neidermayer scored his first goal of the season, pounding home a rebound from an Andrej Sekera shot. Unfortunately, the tide turned late in the second period; Minnesota scored two goals in less than four minutes to tie the game going into the intermission. The third period was evenly played and both teams had chances to finish the game in regulation, but both goaltenders were up to the task. The game eventually went to overtime, and just :46 seconds in, Drew Stafford scored a game winning goal that had many Sabres fans flashing back to Jason Pominville's series winning goal over Ottawa in overtime of the 2005/06 Conference Semi-Finals. The Sabres have a lot to be happy with after the victory. First and foremost, they took over the 8th and final playoff spot with the two points -- two points behind the Rangers (who dominated Philadelphia 7-0 on Sunday) for 7th, and one point ahead of Carolina, who we've been chasing since January. Secondly, Jhonas Enroth played another stellar game for the Sabres -- maybe not as good as his shootout win over Montreal a few weeks ago, but he made some huge saves and definitely played well enough to re-confirm our suspicions that Lalime will not play another game as a Sabre. Next up: Andrej Sekera was named the second star of the week, scoring 1 goal and 7 assists while helping the Sabres into 8th place. He's playing incredible hockey lately, and it seems like that benching really paid off in a big way. And last, but not least, Rob Neidermayer's first goal of the season could serve a confidence boost for Rob and the fans who were getting fed up with him. Maybe he'll find the scoresheet again before the end of the season. :lol: As for the Penguins: Still no Crosby, still no Malkin of course, but they are playing better as of late. They defeated Boston 3-2 on Saturday and lost games to Toronto and New Jersey (both of whom have been hot) in overtime earlier last week. They also defeated Toronto 6-5 prior to the two OTL. They are, of course, still dealing with a slew of other injuries, including Brooks Orpik, Aaron Asham, Nick Johnson, and Eric Tangradi, but their call-ups have filled in admirably and by no means is this going to be an easy game for Buffalo. Next 5 Games: Other Notable Games Today: Ottawa @ New Jersey, Toronto @ NY Islanders LET'S GO BUFFALO Another great analysis, I really enjoy reading these to start the GDT. Just one minor change though, in your upcomming schedule I believe Buffalo plays Toronto on Saturday, not Friday. I had a small heart attack reading this because I live in Leaf Nation and I'm having about 10 people over Saturday and it'll be pretty disapointing if the game has already been played! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Another great analysis, I really enjoy reading these to start the GDT. Just one minor change though, in your upcomming schedule I believe Buffalo plays Toronto on Saturday, not Friday. I had a small heart attack reading this because I live in Leaf Nation and I'm having about 10 people over Saturday and it'll be pretty disapointing if the game has already been played! Haha good catch -- I had it right on Toronto's schedule! Donno how I missed that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Interesting how the media has been reporting that Pegula has been at every game so far, but on WGR this morning Paul Hamilton said he definitely wasn't in Carolina and he didn't think he was in Philly either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Adam and Parrish called up. per GR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Interesting how the media has been reporting that Pegula has been at every game so far, but on WGR this morning Paul Hamilton said he definitely wasn't in Carolina and he didn't think he was in Philly either. Him and his wife have sitting in the stands at the away games so Paul prolly didn't see them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thesportsbuff Posted March 8, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Him and his wife have sitting in the stands at the away games so Paul prolly didn't see them. Makes sense I guess, but he seemed pretty adamant that he simply wasn't at those games. He interrupted Jeremy to say "that statement is incorrect." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spndnchz Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 Makes sense I guess, but he seemed pretty adamant that he simply wasn't at those games. He interrupted Jeremy to say "that statement is incorrect." http://www.buffalone...ticle361069.ece "It's really important to Kim to see what these other arenas are like so that's why we've been sitting in the crowd," he said. "So we're sitting in Carolina and all of a sudden from behind me it's like, 'Hey, Pegula' and I'm looking and a guy is waving at me and I'm thinking, 'Oh boy.' I don't wear my [sabres] colors so I sort of nod and he yells out, 'Hey, he owns the Sabres!' I'm thinking, 'That's it. Somebody will come after me now.'" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallawaySabres Posted March 8, 2011 Report Share Posted March 8, 2011 I think Buffalo takes this one tonight but does give up another shorty. This one is going the distance and obviously Buffalo cannot take the injury excuse against a team already nicknamed MASH Unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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