When you sleepwalk through a home game, and your best players aren't your best

The Sabres embarrassed themselves in front of a sellout crowd last night at HSBC on a night that saw them put forth one of their effort of the season.

As expected, Lindy Ruff called out his team, naming players like Hecht and Roy in particular, and on this night, the team called themselves out as well. The question remains though, will their resolve to improve follow them onto the ice, or will it remain just talk, spoken just to satisfy the media and the fans.

Some thoughts on the game itself:

-Derek Roy began the first shift of the game as if he wanted to really make a statement, but then he promptly took a penalty in the offensive zone and then disappeared for the rest of the night. He ended up a -2 with only 2 SOG.

-Ryan Miller is still having problems giving up juicy rebounds, but he also made some big saves last night, including one on a breakaway by Alex Ovechkin.

-Jochen Hecht probably epitomized the soft play of the Sabres last night losing too many battles, including one in the offensive zone behind the net, where he went halfheartedly for a loose puck.

-Paul Gaustad, who along with Adam Mair and Matt Ellis were pretty much the only Sabres who gave a solid effort, sensed that his team needed a spark, so he threw the body around and laid out some pretty good hits. It took Gaustad to set up the team's first goal too, delivering a perfect saucer pass to Mair, who made a nifty move in close, and then roofed a backhand to beat Jose Theodore. The Sabres only other goal was a garbage time goal on the power play with under a minute to play.

Ruff threatened to sit some of his top forwards, namely Hecht and Roy, making sure to add that his threat was not just talk.

The full house at HSBC certainly let the Sabres know that they were less than pleased. They rained boos on the team and mixed in a few Bronx Cheers. Frankly I can't blame them, as these loyal fans deserve better.

Kaleta out at least 3 more weeks

Lindy Ruff told Howard Simon this morning on WGR radio that Patrick Kaleta is still out indefinitely, at least three more weeks. Kaleta is still suffering neck pain and vision problems from the punch he took from Denis Gauthier in the Sabres 5-0 win over the Kings in Buffalo on Dec. 19.

You can listen to Ruff's interview on the Audio Vault section of the WGR website later today, by clicking here.

World Juniors and The Sabres

It's really fun to watch the two Tylers play for team Canada in this year's World Juniors. Tyler Myers, the 6'-7" defenseman has been very impressive, and had a goal (who didn't) in the lopsided win over Kazakhstan. Tyler Ennis, a forward has also looked good in his first two games, tallying five points.

Tonight Team Canada faces off against Germany, and while Canada is expected to win, Germany is capable of keeping it close, and who knows, may even pull off the upset.

It'll be interesting to watch the Sabres prospects as the competition in this tournament gets tougher.

Gaustad Close to Returning

Sabres.com is reporting that Paul Gaustad is nearing a return, and could be back tomorrow night against Washington.

Buffalo will be happy to have Goose back, who is their best face-off man. Adam Mair and Derek Roy have been decent on the dot over the last couple games for their part.

Goose will also bring a bit of physicality back to a Sabres team that has been lacking in that category since both he and Patrick Kaleta have been out with injuries.

As far as roster moves to accommodate Goose, my guess is that Ellis may be the odd man out. I'm sure Kennedy will be staying in Buffalo, as he's only played one game, and certainly impressed.

Sabres host the Capitals on 12-30-08

The last time the Caps visited HSBC Arena they were shut out by Buffalo 5-0 on the strength of two Thomas Vanek goals and some solid goaltending by Ryan Miller. The team played a complete, solid game in all three zones. It seems that it was shortly after this win that the Sabres' troubles started to creep in. These pics were taken that night, when all was still right with Buffalo, and their hot start was, seemingly, still in full swing.

Of course one enormous detail from that night on Nov 1 was that Alexander Ovechkin was absent, away visiting his ailing grandfather in Russia.

The Sabres did make one visit to D.C. since that win in Buffalo, on Friday Dec. 26. It was a game in which they never held the lead, but did threaten to tie it by applying a lot of pressure late but never got that decisive goal. The game featured a highlight reel goal by Ovechkin which was quickly answered by Buffalo on a goal by Maxim Afinogenov, only his second of the year. The Caps held on to win, and Buffalo left the nation's capital pointless, even after putting together a decent road game.

Here's hoping that the shift back to HSBC will see the Sabres back to their early November winning ways.

New Year's Resolutions for the Sabres

The Sabres should put together a few resolutions going into 2009, and here are a few that probably belong near the top of the list.

-Play 60 minutes every game. Too many lapses in tenacity have caused too many problems for Buffalo. There have been leads lost, games blown, and goals given up because of a let up in intensity.

-Be a more physical team. This is a team that has plenty of skill and speed, but lost in the mix is the fact that there are guys who could use size and strength as well. Big bodies like Kotalik should make an effort to be more physical, and win more battles in the corners. It may not be the way he grew up playing hockey, but this is the NHL and physical teams win Stanley Cups.

-Give LaLime more starts. This is a team that overused Ryan Miller last year, because of the fact that Lindy didn't have enough faith in his backup. Now there is a more than capable goaltender to use when Miller needs a rest.

-Be more responsible in their own end. The defense, in my opinion, has really tightened up as late, but I think more defensive play is needed from more forwards. Once more guys get on board with playing responsible in all three zones, good things will follow.


And if I may, a resolution for Sabres fans everywhere. Let's not give up on this team. No matter how streaky they may play, no matter how bumpy the road may get, let's Believe in Buffalo and stand behind this team as a true fan should.

Reggie really coming along

There is an article in the Buffalo Times today about the growth and development of Andrej Sekera. It echoes many of my own sentiments, about how Reggie has really made great strides. He's become very responsible in his own end, though he still has some growing to do. As one of the best skaters on the team, his mobility is much improved over last year, though he hasn't contributed to the offense as much as many had hoped.

http://www.buffalonews.com/489/story/533952.html

Questions about Leadership?

Do the Sabres have the leadership that they need to get them going in the right direction? Their appointed captain, who has lost some games to injury, never did get the team to rally around him. Much was made about the team voting Rivet as their captain, and I agree that the rotating captaincy did not work, but was Rivet truly the right choice?

The problem this team may have though, is that, Rivet aside, does this team really have a leader? Vanek has shown that he's a leader on the ice, but can he fulfill that role in the dressing room? Does Pominville have the personality for that job? How about Roy? Does Hecht have the make-up for it.

Look around the NHL and you'll see where some teams have players that are natural born leaders. Iginla, Lecavalier, Richards and Chara. These guys have been chosen by their teams, and who could argue with those choices. Do the Sabres have a player like that?

What about leadership behind the bench? I have the utmost respect for Lindy Ruff. I love his style, his grittiness, his determination and his love for the game. But does he have the teams respect? Has he lost this team? He seems to have a penchant for calling guys out by name, to the media. Has this practice turned some of his players against him?

The Sabres' problems may stem from it's lack of individual leaders both on the ice and behind the scenes. Is there anyone who'll set up and let this team know that he's ready to lead?

Inconsistency, Thy Name is Sabres Hockey

in⋅con⋅sist⋅ent 
1.
lacking in harmony between the different parts or elements; self-contradictory: an inconsistent story. in⋅con⋅sist⋅ent 

I'm not sure if the linguists who shaped and developed our language could foresee the Sabres 08-09 season, but their definition of inconsistency certainly hits the mark.

Consider the Sabres month of October which they finished with a record of 6-2-2. In November that record got flipped around to 5-7-1. In December, they haven't come close to returning to their consistent winning ways, and their record at home is worse than that on the road.

Inconsistency among individual players has been a problem all year too. Ales Kotalik had 7 points in October, only 3 in November, and so far in December he's tallied 9. This is in spite of Lindy Ruff assigning him to different lines to get him going. He did miss some games to injury and has been consistently outstanding during shootouts. Another place he's been consistent, is his seemingly unwillingness to engage in a gritty style of hockey, including getting into corners and going to the net.

Derek Roy has kicked it up a notch in the month of December, but this comes after a disappointing month of November when, even by his own admission, he wasn't doing things that he's paid to do, and that his teammates expect from him.

Goalie Ryan Miller, after putting together a pair of back to back shutouts in early November, performed below his usual level for a stretch before apparently getting things righted again of late.

It was inconsistency that kept the Sabres out of the playoffs last year, and it may be the same trait that could give them that dubious distinction again. During this tough stretch of games in the middle of the season, this team needs to show that they have what it takes to win and to win with some regularity.

Playing for Sixty Minutes - Sabres 4 - Islanders 3 (SO)

Two points are two points, but the Sabres had to have left the ice with a bit of a bad taste in their mouths. They could've finished this one off in regulation and headed to the dressing room with a win under their belts that featured few mistakes and plenty of positives. Instead, a final period that featured some lax play in their own end, and two (really) late goals sent this one to OT, and then to a shootout, where Buffalo did pick up that final point.

Some thoughts from the game:

-Derek Roy played like a man on a mission though it didn't translate to more than one helper on the score sheet. When he's on his game he can be every bit the playmaker that Tim Connolly is.

-Pominville and Hecht both broke out of their scoring droughts, but both scored on the power play, and frankly, both were on shots that you have to make in this league. Part of their problems of late is that neither have been making plays like these, plays they are both expected to make.

-Tim Kennedy put together a decent NHL debut. Though the official scorer says that he peppered the Islanders net with only one shot, he certainly was a presence in the offensive zone, and did a decent job of backchecking.

-On Campoli's game tying goal, Vanek was floating around and got lazy when he should've been playing tighter D, and he certainly heard it from Lindy during the break between regulation and OT.

-Kotalik and Stafford continue to be outstanding in shootouts and both played well during regulation with Ales earning two assists and number one star honors.