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GDT Rangers at Buffalo at Rangers, 1/1/18, 1pm, NBC / WGR

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jsb Third Liner

jsb

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Reasons for Buffalo Sabres fans to be optimistic

They are 4-3-4 in their last 11 games

Jack is on FIRE right now

2017 is over

Defense is playing better

Girgensons has come back from the dead

We've won an OT game

 

NY Times Game Preview:

Sabres Return to Spotlight for the Winter Classic’s 10th Anniversary

On Jan. 1, 2008, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the first Winter Classic, an outdoor game experiment by the N.H.L. The “snow globe” game at Ralph Wilson Stadium, in which Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby scored the shootout winner, was a hit.

The Winter Classic claimed a spot on the New Year’s Day sports calendar, traditionally reserved for college football, and has consistently been the highest-rated game of the N.H.L. regular season.

Since the opener in Orchard Park, N.Y., there have been outdoor games at distinctive ballparks like Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston and a frigid contest between the Detroit Red Wings and the Toronto Maple Leafs in Ann Arbor, Mich., that drew more than 105,000 fans. The N.H.L. has expanded its outdoor offerings to include multiple stadium games a year, like the one in Ottawa about two weeks ago to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the league’s first games.

The last 10 years have been less successful for the Sabres, who will return to the Winter Classic on Monday, playing the Rangers at Citi Field.

Buffalo has the Eastern Conference’s worst record, with only 10 wins in 38 games. That is by far the fewest wins of any team to participate in the Winter Classic.

The season before the first Winter Classic, the Sabres had a league-best 53 wins, paced by the offensive prowess of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, and they advanced to the conference finals for a second consecutive year. They have not won a playoff series since and have not reached the postseason since 2011.

Despite gaining high draft picks that yielded the heralded forwards Jack Eichel and Sam Reinhart, the Sabres are struggling even more under their first-year coach, Phil Housley. He is the team’s fifth coach in six seasons.

 

But when it came to planning the Winter Classic’s 10th anniversary, those troubles did not matter to the N.H.L. or NBC Sports.

“The Sabres deserve this,” said Sam Flood, executive producer of NBC Sports. “They were the ones that took the risk. The Sabres were the club that stepped up and turned it into a must-see TV moment. I think it changed the way hockey was viewed.”

Jason Pominville, now an elder statesman with the Sabres at 35, recalled being awed participating in the first Winter Classic. He expressed confidence that the Sabres would bring a spirited effort to the national audience despite their dismal record.

“It’s easy to get motivated for these type of games,” said Pominville, a former Sabres captain. “You have to put aside the fact we’re not playing the way we would want to, and just go out there and enjoy it.”

The Sabres pinned their hopes on Eichel, who came out of the once-in-a-generation draft class in 2015 that included Connor McDavid, the league’s reigning most valuable player. Eichel has been among the team’s offensive leaders in his first three seasons, but he has not had the impact in the standings that McDavid has had in Edmonton.

Pominville said he understood the microscope Eichel was under and hoped national attention could inspire his young teammate. Eichel, 21, recently signed a 10-year, $80 million contract extension that begins next season.

“He deserves to be there on the big stage,” Pominville said of Eichel, who has 15 goals this season. “He’s a guy who handles it well. He’s an elite player.”

Eichel, who is from North Chelmsford, Mass., said he was excited by the prospect of his first outdoor game.

“I’ve never played outside before. I don’t really know what to expect,” he said. “I’m excited I’m able to be part of it, able to share this moment and entire experience with my family. For people that are close to me, it’s pretty special.”The Sabres pinned their hopes on Eichel, who came out of the once-in-a-generation draft class in 2015 that included Connor McDavid, the league’s reigning most valuable player. Eichel has been among the team’s offensive leaders in his first three seasons, but he has not had the impact in the standings that McDavid has had in Edmonton.

Because of tax exemption rulesin New York, the Sabres will be the home team against the Rangers at Citi Field, the Mets’ stadium. The Rangers, one of the league’s most popular teams, will be playing in their second Winter Classic and their fourth outdoor game over all.

 

The Rangers edged the Flyers, 3-2, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia in the 2012 Winter Classic, and they played two games at Yankee Stadium in January 2014 as part of that season’s Stadium Series. 

The forecast is among the coldest for any outdoor game played in the United States. The average temperature through 23 previous outdoor games is 35.5 degrees, but Monday’s forecast for New York is a temperature around 20 degrees.

It appears Buffalo’s weather will come with the Sabres, and that makes Jon Miller happy.

Miller, the president for programming at NBC Sports, recalled the amazement he felt driving to the stadium on the morning of Jan. 1, 2008, and seeing tailgating fans everywhere. It was a football party before a hockey game.

“Seeing the parking lot packed with people grilling, throwing footballs and playing street hockey, it reminded me of the parking lot before an A.F.C. championship game in Buffalo,” Miller said. “It has proven to be a special event.”

For the veteran Rangers defenseman Marc Staal, the game is a treat amid the grind of the season.

“The atmosphere, there’s nothing like it,” he said. “It brings you back to being a kid and playing the game in its purest form. That’s always a lot of fun.”

 

Pominville, who also played in an outdoor game in Minnesota against Chicago in 2016, said that he was grateful for the chance to participate in another Winter Classic and that he had spoken to teammates about the importance of embracing the experience and sharing it with family.

“My kids — who are 8 and 6 — weren’t even born when I played my first one,” he said. “So this game for me will mean even more.”

He added: “Every year, even when I’m not playing, I enjoy watching it just being a fan. It’s a day to celebrate hockey.”

 

ESPN Preview

 

NEW YORK -- The Buffalo Sabres and the New York Rangers take center stage for the National Hockey League on New Year's Day, meeting outdoors at Citi Field for the league's 10th annual Winter Classic.

The Sabres will be the home team when the teams take the ice at the home of the New York Mets in Queens.

Though the clubs are headed in opposite directions this season, players from both sides are excited for the opportunity to take part in the NHL's showcase event.

"It'll definitely be a cool experience," said veteran defenseman Zach Bogosian, whose Sabres (10-20-8) reside in last place in the Eastern Conference. "It'll be pretty cool to know everyone is watching. It's been awesome to be part of the experience, and I'm looking forward to (Monday)."

Unlike the struggling Sabres, the Rangers (20-13-5) are in the thick of the playoff race in the East. Their enthusiasm for the Winter Classic was equally evident after practicing outdoors on Sunday afternoon.

"Being here now really gets the excitement started," Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh said. "It's hard to talk about during the season when it's so far away, but now finally being here, you see the stadium, you see the spectacle that it is, it's a special moment in the season, and we're very fortunate to get the opportunity to play in it."

This is the second Winter Classic appearance for each team.

The Sabres hosted the very first one on Jan. 1, 2008, a 2-1 shootout loss to the Penguins at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y. Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner.

The Rangers defeated the Flyers 3-2 on Jan. 2, 2012, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

In fact, the Rangers have never lost an outdoor game.

Along with the 2012 Winter Classic victory, the Rangers also beat the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders in consecutive Stadium Series contests at Yankee Stadium in 2014.

Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist is a perfect 3-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage in outdoor games. His three outdoor wins are more than any goaltender in league history.

"It's always hard to look back at any type of game when you don't win," Lundqvist said. "If it's playoffs, Olympics or outdoor games, if you don't win the game, you don't walk around and think back on it with a big smile on your face. If you have a good game, you win, it's easier to go there mentally. So, that's what you make sure you want to do: play your best and make the most of it."

Buffalo's Jason Pominville has a unique perspective.

He played in that first Winter Classic for the Sabres, and 10 years later, he is a part of a more-established event.

"The first one was a lot of unknown, but the way it went, the way the fans responded, the way the game ended, I don't think you could have asked for a better scenario for the league," Pominville said Sunday.

"Now, the whole buildup around it, from press conferences in the summertime, TV shows, everything around it has been pretty amazing to be a part of. We're excited about it again, for sure."

Sabres coach Phil Housley said that he hopes performing well on the big stage "springboards us" to a better second half this season.

Buffalo is coming off an exciting 4-3, come-from-behind overtime victory at New Jersey on Friday.

Perhaps, the hottest player in the league is Sabres center Jack Eichel, who has scored seven goals in his past six games. Eichel scored two goals Friday, giving him 15 this season.

"Most kids, I think, dream of playing in this game, and I was no different," said Eichel, who brings a four-game point-scoring streak into Monday. "I am just so excited to be a part of it."The Rangers lost their last game, a 3-2 shootout loss at Detroit on Friday, and they are just 1-1-2 in their past four.

"This game we're playing is very important," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault. "You look at the standings right now and everything is so tight. So, once the whole hoopla of (Sunday) and the family skating is over, (Monday) at 1:00 when the puck drops, it's going to be about the two points."

 

LETS GO BUFFALO

 

post-4541-0-80124800-1514816513_thumb.jpg VS  post-4541-0-10763100-1514816548_thumb.jpg

 

 
Edited by JSBeersson
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darksabre Hall of Famer

darksabre

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I would love for today to be a big moment.

 

The Bills win yesterday is something a lot of these guys pay attention to. Our fans are going to be in that stadium acting like idiots. Give them something today. Take this Buffalo sports weekend to its fullest.

 

No doubt the Sabres players watched those videos of the Bills getting welcomed home in single digit temps and said "We could have fans waiting for us at the gate some day. This town wants us to win so bad. Just look at them."

 

Look at us. We're here and we want to cheer.

 

Let's go.

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nfreeman Hall of Famer

nfreeman

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Out of work, headed to the gym now. I'll get home just in time to pour myself a bottle of bourbon and watch the puck drop! Let's ###### go! Go Sabres!

 

I like it.  No more shots, drams or snifters.  The Bills are in the playoffs and the gloves are off. 

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PASabreFan Hall of Famer

PASabreFan

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I would love for today to be a big moment.

 

The Bills win yesterday is something a lot of these guys pay attention to. Our fans are going to be in that stadium acting like idiots. Give them something today. Take this Buffalo sports weekend to its fullest.

 

No doubt the Sabres players watched those videos of the Bills getting welcomed home in single digit temps and said "We could have fans waiting for us at the gate some day. This town wants us to win so bad. Just look at them."

 

Look at us. We're here and we want to cheer.

 

Let's go.

:thumbsup:

 

Hopefully when it happens for the Sabres it'll be in the 60s.

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