Jetting Off to Winnipeg
Buffalo Sabres have now gone 10 road games without a win and 153 minutes since someone other then captain Jason Pominville has scored a goal. In the last 16 games, the Sabres have only scored 33 goals while giving up 58 goals to opponents. Fortunately for Buffalo, tonight's opponent, the Winnipeg Jets, have been struggling lately as well with only 1 win in the last 5 games.
The Sabres may be able to come up with a win tonight as the MTS Center hasn't been as difficult to win in as it was in the beginning of the season. The Jets have actually dropped 2 games in a row at home but still maintain a 14-8-1 record there. Its just a matter of time before the Sabres break this loosing streak; its just a question of who other then Pominville will step up to make it happen.
It will be the Sabres first trip to Winnipeg since the Atlanta Thrashers moved up there this year. Will playing in front of a passionate hockey crowd inspire Buffalo to turn it around? Fans will hope and see when the puck drops at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Sabres Blow Into Windy City
The Buffalo Sabres next stop on their road trip will be the United Center in Chicago, IL to take on the Chicago Blackhawks tonight on the NBC Sports Network. The Sabres are in a serious rut and are coming off a heartbreaking 5-0 loss on Monday night to the Detroit Red Wings. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks beat the San Jose Sharks on Sunday 4-3 and continue to fight for first place in the NHL's Central Division.
Buffalo's loss on Monday is their 9th in a row on the road. They desperately need to get something going if there is any hope of gaining momentum before the NHL All-Star Break. The offense continues to struggle to capitalize on scoring opportunities and the defensive play still seems to be lacking for Buffalo. They currently have the 6th worst goal differential in the NHL with a -22. If the Sabres want to pick up two points tonight in Chicago, they need to score some goals and somehow hold off the talented Blackhawks' offense.
Chicago has two 20+ goal scorers on their roster, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp, and four other 10+ goal scorers, one of which includes Buffalo native, Patrick Kane. Unfortunately Sharp has been out on injured reserve since January 9, 2012 with a wrist injury and is expected to be out 3-4 weeks. Fortunately, the entire team has combined for 150 goals so far this season which is 3rd best in the NHL behind the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. Despite loosing a key player, they should still be able to get adequate scoring from deeper in the lineup. Combined with consistent goaltending from both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery, the Blackhawks should continue to remain competitive in the wild, wild Western Conference.
As for tonight, the Buffalo Sabres will have to dig deep to overcome the embarrassment they faced on Monday night against Detroit. If Ryan Miller can look past that disappointing game in his home state, he could be the force to motivate this team to start playing better and maybe even pick up an upset win tonight in Chicago.
Buffalo's loss on Monday is their 9th in a row on the road. They desperately need to get something going if there is any hope of gaining momentum before the NHL All-Star Break. The offense continues to struggle to capitalize on scoring opportunities and the defensive play still seems to be lacking for Buffalo. They currently have the 6th worst goal differential in the NHL with a -22. If the Sabres want to pick up two points tonight in Chicago, they need to score some goals and somehow hold off the talented Blackhawks' offense.
Chicago has two 20+ goal scorers on their roster, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp, and four other 10+ goal scorers, one of which includes Buffalo native, Patrick Kane. Unfortunately Sharp has been out on injured reserve since January 9, 2012 with a wrist injury and is expected to be out 3-4 weeks. Fortunately, the entire team has combined for 150 goals so far this season which is 3rd best in the NHL behind the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins. Despite loosing a key player, they should still be able to get adequate scoring from deeper in the lineup. Combined with consistent goaltending from both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery, the Blackhawks should continue to remain competitive in the wild, wild Western Conference.
As for tonight, the Buffalo Sabres will have to dig deep to overcome the embarrassment they faced on Monday night against Detroit. If Ryan Miller can look past that disappointing game in his home state, he could be the force to motivate this team to start playing better and maybe even pick up an upset win tonight in Chicago.
Sabres and Red Wings, Opposites Collide
The Buffalo Sabres are heading into their second of six road games before the NHL All-Star Break that begins January 26, 2012. The Sabres will be taking on some of the hottest teams in the Midwest on this road trip which begins with a trip to Hockeytown, USA to take on the Detroit Red Wings tonight. Despite both being strong hockey towns and neighboring countries with Canada, the similarities end there.
The Sabres and Red Wings couldn't be more polar opposites at this time in the season. Buffalo has struggled through most of the season and continues to slip out of the playoff picture. With only a record of 3-5-2 in the last 10 games, fans continue to beg for some sort of change to the team that might turn the season around. The Sabres also continue to battle tons of injuries through out the lineup which has been where they have been able to center most of the blame. Key offensive forwards like Derek Roy and Drew Stafford continue to play mediocre at best most games and the defense continues to give up odd-man rushes that are too much for the lackluster goaltending of their starter, Ryan Miller.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings continue to stay competitive in the tight Central Division of the wild, wild Western Conference. The Red Wings have had to play well to keep up with the Chicago Blackhawks, earning a 7-3-0 record in their last ten games and maintaining an extraordinary home record of 17-2-1 so far this season. In fact, Detroit is looking for a franchise record of 15 home wins in a row tonight with a victory over Buffalo who can't seem to win at home or away. The Red Wings continue to get good offensive production from their lineup led by star forward Pavel Datsyuk who is just a head of the Sabres' point leader, Jason Pominville in total points. Detroit also continues to play solid defense and is ranked 6th in the NHL with 2.34 goals against per game. Of course much of the credit for keeping pucks out of the net goes to their All-Star goaltender, Jimmy Howard who leads the NHL in wins and is tied for 3rd in shutouts with 4 this season.
Opposites will collide tonight in Detroit, MI as the Sabres hope to create some momentum on the road while the Red Wings hope to maintain it in front of their sure to be sellout crowd in Joe Lewis Arena. As Hockeytown and Hockey Heaven meet tonight, the teams' situations contrast even more then their red and blue sweaters do.
The Sabres and Red Wings couldn't be more polar opposites at this time in the season. Buffalo has struggled through most of the season and continues to slip out of the playoff picture. With only a record of 3-5-2 in the last 10 games, fans continue to beg for some sort of change to the team that might turn the season around. The Sabres also continue to battle tons of injuries through out the lineup which has been where they have been able to center most of the blame. Key offensive forwards like Derek Roy and Drew Stafford continue to play mediocre at best most games and the defense continues to give up odd-man rushes that are too much for the lackluster goaltending of their starter, Ryan Miller.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings continue to stay competitive in the tight Central Division of the wild, wild Western Conference. The Red Wings have had to play well to keep up with the Chicago Blackhawks, earning a 7-3-0 record in their last ten games and maintaining an extraordinary home record of 17-2-1 so far this season. In fact, Detroit is looking for a franchise record of 15 home wins in a row tonight with a victory over Buffalo who can't seem to win at home or away. The Red Wings continue to get good offensive production from their lineup led by star forward Pavel Datsyuk who is just a head of the Sabres' point leader, Jason Pominville in total points. Detroit also continues to play solid defense and is ranked 6th in the NHL with 2.34 goals against per game. Of course much of the credit for keeping pucks out of the net goes to their All-Star goaltender, Jimmy Howard who leads the NHL in wins and is tied for 3rd in shutouts with 4 this season.
Opposites will collide tonight in Detroit, MI as the Sabres hope to create some momentum on the road while the Red Wings hope to maintain it in front of their sure to be sellout crowd in Joe Lewis Arena. As Hockeytown and Hockey Heaven meet tonight, the teams' situations contrast even more then their red and blue sweaters do.
NHL All-Star Selections
I've been pretty adamant about my huge disappointment in the first six players voted in earlier this month for the 2012 Tim Horton's NHL All-Star game on January 29, 2012. Today the NHL finished announcing the rest of this years selections for the weekend in Ottawa. Looking at the list of 36 veterans and 12 rookies, I have mixed emotions about the final roster.
As far as the rookie roster, it was pretty much a no brainer on most of those guys. Luke Adam quickly became a shining star on the Buffalo Sabres as a key playmaker on the second line this year. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins may only be 18 but is giving fans in Edmonton a reason to be excited about the team and is the NHL rookie scoring leader. The future of the NHL is in good hands with the talent coming up through the ranks.
As far as the veteran selections, I have a few I don't agree with at all. First off, I like all of the goalie selections with the exception of the Montreal Canadians, Carey Price. Like I said in my January 4, 2012 article on Armchair Report, "Price plays a lot of games but doesn’t have any real amazing stats other then the fact that he has lost more games for his team then won them." A 15-15-7 record for an All-Star goalie isn't very impressive at all.
I was much more pleased with the defense selected this year. The Nashville Predators' Shea Webber and the Florida Panthers' Brian Campbell are two of the best two-way defenseman in the NHL. Combine them with the physical play of the Boston Bruins' Zdeno Chara and the Winnipeg Jets' Dustin Byfuglien and the game is starting to look a little more interesting.
My biggest disappointment with the All-Star Team selection would have to be Alex Ovechkin. He just finally started producing again for the Washington Capitals after an extremely slow start to the season. The Buffalo Sabres' left winger, Thomas Vanek, has more goals and assists then Ovi has and is a better all around player, but he got snubbed by the committee. The Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla probably fits into the same category as Ovechkin as someone that may have been selected based more on his past merits then this season's. I would have rather seen Patrik Elias from the New Jersey Devils get the spot on the roster.
The All-Star selections may not have been perfect in my eyes but its sure to still be an exciting weekend in Ottawa. With all of that talent on the ice, hockey fans are sure to be entertained. The draft begins the excitement on Friday night as the captains put together their dream rosters!
As far as the rookie roster, it was pretty much a no brainer on most of those guys. Luke Adam quickly became a shining star on the Buffalo Sabres as a key playmaker on the second line this year. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins may only be 18 but is giving fans in Edmonton a reason to be excited about the team and is the NHL rookie scoring leader. The future of the NHL is in good hands with the talent coming up through the ranks.
As far as the veteran selections, I have a few I don't agree with at all. First off, I like all of the goalie selections with the exception of the Montreal Canadians, Carey Price. Like I said in my January 4, 2012 article on Armchair Report, "Price plays a lot of games but doesn’t have any real amazing stats other then the fact that he has lost more games for his team then won them." A 15-15-7 record for an All-Star goalie isn't very impressive at all.
I was much more pleased with the defense selected this year. The Nashville Predators' Shea Webber and the Florida Panthers' Brian Campbell are two of the best two-way defenseman in the NHL. Combine them with the physical play of the Boston Bruins' Zdeno Chara and the Winnipeg Jets' Dustin Byfuglien and the game is starting to look a little more interesting.
My biggest disappointment with the All-Star Team selection would have to be Alex Ovechkin. He just finally started producing again for the Washington Capitals after an extremely slow start to the season. The Buffalo Sabres' left winger, Thomas Vanek, has more goals and assists then Ovi has and is a better all around player, but he got snubbed by the committee. The Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla probably fits into the same category as Ovechkin as someone that may have been selected based more on his past merits then this season's. I would have rather seen Patrik Elias from the New Jersey Devils get the spot on the roster.
The All-Star selections may not have been perfect in my eyes but its sure to still be an exciting weekend in Ottawa. With all of that talent on the ice, hockey fans are sure to be entertained. The draft begins the excitement on Friday night as the captains put together their dream rosters!
Can Shake Ups Bring Nash to Buffalo?
The Columbus Blue Jackets appear to finally be cleaning house and trying to turn their season around. The Blue Jackets announced this morning that they have fired head coach Scott Arniel and have replaced him with former Minnesota Wild head coach, Todd Richards. It is also rumored that their franchise player and right winger, Rick Nash, has waved the no trade clause in his contract. The big question is with the change in leadership, will Columbus consider dealing Nash to Buffalo?
Rick Nash is in his 9th season with the Columbus Blue Jackets who drafted him back in 2002. In his career, Nash has been a fairly consistent player, averaging around 30 goals and 60 points per season despite not being surrounded by a lot of other talent. So for this season, he has 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points. Rick's motivation for wanting to leave Ohio may have to do with his club's lack of playoff appearances in his time there. Thus far Nash has only played in 4 playoff games back in 2009 where he had a goal and two assists in the series against the Detroit Red Wings. Could Buffalo give him a chance for a run at a Stanley Cup?
The Sabres were a playoff contending team until the team began slipping in December due to a lack of scoring. The two players under the most pressure for their lack of production on Buffalo are center Derek Roy and right winger Drew Stafford. Between the two of them, they only have 15 goals and 31 assists. For comparison, the Sabres leading scorers Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek individually have 14 goals, 29 assists and 19 goals, 21 assists respectively.
Would Columbus consider sending their long time franchise player to Buffalo in exchange for two goal scoring forwards in a slump? Tough to say. Roy is currently out with an upper body injury suffered against the Carolina Huricanes, but it doesn't appear to be a long term problem. They could use more play makers on their roster and a change of scenery has helped more then one hockey player break a scoring funk. The Sabres could use a big forward like Nash who is able to get pucks in the net and could have success with young playmakers like Luke Adam and Nathan Gerbe.
Will the Sabres try and make a deal with the Blue Jackets to get Rick Nash? Probably not but its not because he couldn't be useful in the lineup. Sabres leadership just seems to be content with paying for mediocre play and blaming it on bad bounces or just not working hard enough.
Rick Nash is in his 9th season with the Columbus Blue Jackets who drafted him back in 2002. In his career, Nash has been a fairly consistent player, averaging around 30 goals and 60 points per season despite not being surrounded by a lot of other talent. So for this season, he has 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points. Rick's motivation for wanting to leave Ohio may have to do with his club's lack of playoff appearances in his time there. Thus far Nash has only played in 4 playoff games back in 2009 where he had a goal and two assists in the series against the Detroit Red Wings. Could Buffalo give him a chance for a run at a Stanley Cup?
The Sabres were a playoff contending team until the team began slipping in December due to a lack of scoring. The two players under the most pressure for their lack of production on Buffalo are center Derek Roy and right winger Drew Stafford. Between the two of them, they only have 15 goals and 31 assists. For comparison, the Sabres leading scorers Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek individually have 14 goals, 29 assists and 19 goals, 21 assists respectively.
Would Columbus consider sending their long time franchise player to Buffalo in exchange for two goal scoring forwards in a slump? Tough to say. Roy is currently out with an upper body injury suffered against the Carolina Huricanes, but it doesn't appear to be a long term problem. They could use more play makers on their roster and a change of scenery has helped more then one hockey player break a scoring funk. The Sabres could use a big forward like Nash who is able to get pucks in the net and could have success with young playmakers like Luke Adam and Nathan Gerbe.
Will the Sabres try and make a deal with the Blue Jackets to get Rick Nash? Probably not but its not because he couldn't be useful in the lineup. Sabres leadership just seems to be content with paying for mediocre play and blaming it on bad bounces or just not working hard enough.
Leino to Return Against Winnipeg Jets
Ville Leino is set to return to the Sabres lineup tonight against the Winnipeg Jets at First Niagara Center. Leino has been out with a lower body injury for 11 games. Granted he wasn't very impressive after starting the season with only 3 goals and 7 assists in 29 games. Hopefully with all of the time off recovering he will a new sense of motivation and help Buffalo get some goals on the board.
Of course this couldn't be a better time for him to return as Derek Roy is now out hurt for what could be more then a few games. Roy has been a bit of a disappointment too so far this season as well though. In the last 10 games, he has only had 1 goal and 3 assists. Sadly enough though, he is 3rd in points on the Sabres roster with 24 this season.
So fans, basically its a fair trade off with the injured Roy and the return of Leino. Lets just hope that sitting out games helps both of them to find their groove again and start scoring the goals their paid to score. We can't rely on Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek all season to score the points. If we loose either of those two, it might as well be curtains for us.
Of course this couldn't be a better time for him to return as Derek Roy is now out hurt for what could be more then a few games. Roy has been a bit of a disappointment too so far this season as well though. In the last 10 games, he has only had 1 goal and 3 assists. Sadly enough though, he is 3rd in points on the Sabres roster with 24 this season.
So fans, basically its a fair trade off with the injured Roy and the return of Leino. Lets just hope that sitting out games helps both of them to find their groove again and start scoring the goals their paid to score. We can't rely on Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek all season to score the points. If we loose either of those two, it might as well be curtains for us.
Sabres Looking to Rock the Huricanes
The Buffalo Sabres look to carry their momentum from their Tuesday 4-3 win into Raleigh, NC when they face the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m. in the RBC Center. Carolina has struggled all season and are currently at the bottom of the Eastern Conference Standings with a 13-21-7 record. It has been a combination of having trouble scoring and allowing the most goals in the league that have kept the Hurricanes in the basement. When you have to call on your goalie, Cam Ward, to score goals, you know things are bad on the offensive side.
The Sabres too have struggled to get points on the scoreboard this year with players like Drew Stafford and Derek Roy behind in their stats from previous seasons. After an excellent game against Edmonton though, coach Lindy Ruff is hoping that Stafford has finally got his touch back. With Buffalo currently 4 points out of the playoff picture, they need to win every "easy" game they can. Despite their record though, the Canes may not give the Sabres such an easy time.
The Hurricanes play better against the Northeast Division teams then any other in the NHL with a 6-3-3 record and have a talented set of forwards, including Eric Staal and Tuomo Rutu, leading their offense. Despite not ranking high in the special teams department, the Canes actually lead the league in shorthanded goals with 7. Considering the Sabres have a habit of giving up odd man rushes during the power play, Ryan Miller will have to be on his game even on the power play. Of course Carolina also averages the 3rd least penalty minutes per game so Buffalo's power play opportunities may not be man in this game. They have to make every chance count.
If the Sabres can continue to get some scoring out of their second tier players like Stafford, Roy and Nathan Gerbe, they will be able to lock in a win tonight. Of course that is depending on the goaltending to be solid which Ruff still doesn't seem to be pleased with. Miller's performance in his past few games have been a drastic improvement to the beginning of the season but may not be up to the play Sabres' fans are use to seeing. With some offense and smart defensive play though, Ryan may continue to get his confidence back in these next few games.
Ruff Road Ahead for Sabres
Buffalo Sabres coach, Lindy Ruff is the second-longest tenured coach in all of professional sports, including the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. He may have the most wins of any NHL coach with his first team, but he hasn't been getting many of those lately. Considering Ruff has been leading the Buffalo Sabres since the Summer of 1997, it may be time for a change. In that time period I've gone through 4 years of college, moved four times, bought and sold a car, worked for an airline, worked as a farmer, and flown a blimp back and forth across the country more then I can count. In times when no one seems to have any job security, how has Lindy been able to keep the keys to the Sabres locker room?
Lindy Ruff did have early success in his coaching career with a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1999. At that time he had a superstar goaltender, Dominik Hasek and a 40-goal scorer, Miroslav Satan, on the roster. The team actually started their playoff run as the 7th seed which made the trip to the Finals that much more impressive. In total, Ruff has had 8 playoff appearances thus far and the team hasn't made the Eastern Conference Finals since 2006 or past the first round since 2007. In comparison, the longest tenured coach in professional sports is Gregg Popovich of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. Going into his 15th season as head coach, he has won 4 NBA Championships with his first being, coincidentally, in 1999.
It has been well documented in the media that there are three things that reign true in Buffalo, NY. First is that we are the originators and foremost authority on Buffalo Wings. Next is that no matter who you talk to in the world, the first thing that comes up in conversation when you say you are from Buffalo is the snow. It is usually closely followed by the 4 unfortunate Super Bowl losses of the Buffalo Bills. Perhaps the biggest and most disappointing truth for Sabres fans though is the fact that Lindy Ruff isn't going anywhere.
No matter how bad things get, Ruff seems to have a secure job. Even when he starts to take a little responsibility for the slump by saying goaltending, defense and offensive production have all been a problem which falls on him, he is still seemingly untouchable. A coach can't really do anything about injuries or how many injured players are thrown at him at one time. However the one thing Ruff can do as head coach is motivate his players.
Lately there just doesn't seem to be a consistent enough motivation in the Sabres locker room. With all of that talent in the Buffalo lineup, there is no excuse for the team to be slipping out of playoff contention. Saying we just didn't work hard enough tonight or the bounces just didn't go our way gets a little exhausting. Something needs to change. Whether its the system their playing or trading one of the many slumping players or a complete leadership change, something needs to be done before its too late in the season to make a difference.
They say the definition of insanity is hitting your head against the wall again and again and expecting a different result. Well Sabres fans, I think we've just hit the wall of insanity.
Lindy Ruff did have early success in his coaching career with a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 1999. At that time he had a superstar goaltender, Dominik Hasek and a 40-goal scorer, Miroslav Satan, on the roster. The team actually started their playoff run as the 7th seed which made the trip to the Finals that much more impressive. In total, Ruff has had 8 playoff appearances thus far and the team hasn't made the Eastern Conference Finals since 2006 or past the first round since 2007. In comparison, the longest tenured coach in professional sports is Gregg Popovich of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. Going into his 15th season as head coach, he has won 4 NBA Championships with his first being, coincidentally, in 1999.
It has been well documented in the media that there are three things that reign true in Buffalo, NY. First is that we are the originators and foremost authority on Buffalo Wings. Next is that no matter who you talk to in the world, the first thing that comes up in conversation when you say you are from Buffalo is the snow. It is usually closely followed by the 4 unfortunate Super Bowl losses of the Buffalo Bills. Perhaps the biggest and most disappointing truth for Sabres fans though is the fact that Lindy Ruff isn't going anywhere.
No matter how bad things get, Ruff seems to have a secure job. Even when he starts to take a little responsibility for the slump by saying goaltending, defense and offensive production have all been a problem which falls on him, he is still seemingly untouchable. A coach can't really do anything about injuries or how many injured players are thrown at him at one time. However the one thing Ruff can do as head coach is motivate his players.
Lately there just doesn't seem to be a consistent enough motivation in the Sabres locker room. With all of that talent in the Buffalo lineup, there is no excuse for the team to be slipping out of playoff contention. Saying we just didn't work hard enough tonight or the bounces just didn't go our way gets a little exhausting. Something needs to change. Whether its the system their playing or trading one of the many slumping players or a complete leadership change, something needs to be done before its too late in the season to make a difference.
They say the definition of insanity is hitting your head against the wall again and again and expecting a different result. Well Sabres fans, I think we've just hit the wall of insanity.
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