The Redeeming Sabres

Hey all,

So originally I was going to post something right after the Sabres/Panthers game on Wednesday. But there wasn’t much positive to write. Instead, I decided to take a step back, see what folks were saying over the web, chat with my friend Erica, call the Dad, and then post something today depending on how tonight’s game against the Bruins went. Most of what was said after Wednesday’s game wasn’t good. It was obvious from the beginning of the game, that the Sabres weren’t moving at anywhere near the speed we’ve come to expect from them. Add in sloppy passes and tons of turnovers, and it’s not surprising that Vokun only faced 28 shots. The Panthers on the other hand, did everything right.

Reading the re-cap on the Sabres website, Ruff admitted that the mistakes made rested on all their shoulders, and Miller talked about the “boring” play of the Panthers. Meanwhile some fans talked about how Kaleta’s hit, and the resulting penalty in the last two minutes jinxed us. A few even asked if the Sabres had been taking pointers from the Bills, which in my book is a bit of a low blow, but if there’s one thing to appreciate about all WNY fans, we’re an honest bunch, and at the end of the day, we still stand by our teams. There were even a few words of encouragement amongst all of the dissapointment, claiming that this just means we got our worst game of the season out of the way. All I know is that I really could’ve done without the 3 goals in 1:02 min and hope that that’s our last game where we give up so much.

Thankfully today was a completely different story. All though the Sabres eventually lost less than a minute into OT when Bergeron tipped in a shot by Chara, the game was another great one to watch. In my eyes the Sabres redeemed themselves from the awfulness that was Wednesday night’s game. In what was another incredible matchup between goalies, Miller and Rask proved themselves for both teams. The Sabres were back up to speed, and did better at getting pressure in front of the Bruins’ net, as was witnessed by Gaustad’s goal in the beginning of the first. Given the turnovers of the game before, they seemed at little more hesitant to actually make the shot, and the Bruins out shot the Sabres during the first two periods. The Blue and Gold stepped it up for the third though, and out shot the Bruins 15-6, including a point blank shot by Vanek, and a snap by Hecht. This was also a game of big hits, where both teams were out there mixing it up. Two hits in particular, the first being Lucic’s against Tallinder, and the second being Kaleta against Recchi will definitely be played often on the highlight reels. On a sad note, Drew Stafford suffered what Ruff was calling a bone bruise during the first, and is now listed as day to day, and will definitely miss out on the Senators game.

Saturday’s game against the Sens is going to be another strong game against a strong opponent. Add that to the often brutal play between the two teams stemming from an incident back in 07 (Neil’s hit on Drury that turned into a brawl) and this is a game that no Ottawa or Sabres fan will want to miss. For their first match up of the season, the Sens have home ice advantage, and they’ve won the last three games against at home against the Sabres. They’ve also won the last five matchups. On top of that the Senators have been having a great season, but at the moment are plagued by injuries, and will be missing Kovalev due to personal reasons, which will cause them to adjust. Here’s hoping that the Sabres can break the trend, and avoid their first three game losing streak.

I realize all teams have their highs and lows, and with the season only a quarter of the way over, all teams are going to stumble a bit, some teams will find their feet (ie the Panthers), and injuries will start taking their toll. In all honesty, that’s part of what makes hockey my FAVORITE sport to follow. With the long season, and several amazing teams, the race to the cup is truly that. For most, it’s only in the last few nail-biting weeks that you really find out what your team is made of. Did they over come a slump? Did they survive an injury to a key player? Add that into the fact that at the end of the day, most of these guys are just normal joes you’d barely recognize on the street, who hang out at the local joints, work in and with the community, and go home to their families every night. Who wouldn’t love this sport!

Again, feel free to get ahold of me via Twitter @abecker15.

- Becks

Fav. Sabre’s twitter this week goes to ShanV11 “sorry Detroit Red Wings, Ima let you finish, but the #Sabres No Goal call in the 99 Cup Finals was worst No Goal of all time