Once again, the thanks for this article go squarely to that bald-headed bastion of creativity, reporting "live" from the "University" of Michigan. [Editor's note: University there is in speech marks because my sub-editor went to Michigan State. He has since been fired for holding up a 7-11, and replaced by a man who graduated with a double First from Oxford, who had previously only been tasked with making coffee and ensuring that the anchor from the local TV news team only drank enough for him to avoid the shakes but not be paralytic on camera.]
"Michael Hemsley
University of Michigan Wolverines
I try to speaks with Michael on eight days, but his girl friends say me "he ain't here, crazy mo'fucker's in the hospital". I ask why he go to medical house, and they tell "guy drank some strong shit". I wonder why he drink poo, but go hospital anyways. The nurses there very rude, they say "go away! This is a sterile environment! You could have just infected the entire hospital!" I try say sorry and give Michael the gifts I brings him, but they call policemenists and I get arrest. Head policeman sheriff say "son, you're looking at ten to fifteen years, minimum! Who sold you the coke?" I tell them "You want coka? I go Wal-Mart and get some," then they hit me. It hurt. I get puts in a big cell with a lots of big man, but my good Canadian friend Wade Belak give me some advice in Toronto. He say "if y'ever get stuck in a holdin' cell f'being drunk n'disordly, find the smallest guy there and punch him right in the face, eh. T'others'll think you're a right hard bastard". I ask where he know this from, and he say "Oz". So I tries his advice, but the smallest man there was six feets tall and he and his friends hurt me. I gets released from prison later and go back to medical house with broke bones, and they puts me next to Michael, so I says "Michael, how you like Buffalo?" He whispers to mes "I want morphine...I think I'm dying here," then vomit ups blood. Overall, Michael must be verys good hockey player because I hear doctor say they were short-handeds and that Michael might kill the penalty. I think. I knows he say something about Michael and some dies."
We here would like to ask anybody who can make more sense out of that to call us immediately. We've sent Mats to Hawaii, it's the only place they'll understand hims...er, him.
Monday, 3 December 2007
PROSPECT PROFILES~
We here at the Buffalo News are keen believers in the phrase "Anything you can do, we can do so much better it makes you want to kill yourself", and since some of our less-reputable "friends" around the league have elected to move in on one of our many rackets, we see it as only fair to move in on theirs. Hence, profiles of the various young Sabres. We did, initially, have a spot of trouble finding guys to do these without degenerating into pieces of hate speech about our illustrious manager, but that problem was bypassed by finding a Swedish man to talk about The Creature From The Black Latrine and translating his gibberish. It did have to be edited - a LOT - before it was publishable, but it really was a small price to pay. Enjoy.
"Tomas Dellenbrant
Frolunda Goteburg
Tomas is a very good friend of mine. He scores lots of goals back home in Sweden for his team. This makes me sad as he makes me go in goal for him to score against. Tomas is very fast also. He can skate more fast than any man in Stockholm and so the many beautiful Swedish girls chase after him for his seed. But he is faster than them and so escapes every time. He has long hair, like that beautiful Swedish man Skwisgaar Skwigelf, but he cannot play the guitar as well. Tomas is a very very good player and will win the Rockets Richards many times. I speak to Tomas and he say "yo wigga, what up with yo ass". I ask him "Tomas are you liking going to America and playing for good America teams?" Tomas say "fo sho mo fucker, i gon shoot dey ass full of caps n shit". Tomas like your gangsters rapp, he very much like the new Two Pack singles we get here yesterday, he say "man, tupac so fuckin illin, nigga don got sum skillz son". Tomas say he hope he meet gorgeous America woman in your Buffalos and can have many beautiful Swedish babies. He very like your Britney Spear, he say "yo dat fuckin bitch got sum PHAT ASS son".
For that piece of literary excellence, you have our hockey correspondent Mats Sundin to thank. Mats is currently flying to the University of Michigan to talk to Buffalo's other first-round pick this year, Michael Hemsley. For those of you who don't understand his references or his transcript of HIS rantings,
don't be too concerned. We didn't either.
"Tomas Dellenbrant
Frolunda Goteburg
Tomas is a very good friend of mine. He scores lots of goals back home in Sweden for his team. This makes me sad as he makes me go in goal for him to score against. Tomas is very fast also. He can skate more fast than any man in Stockholm and so the many beautiful Swedish girls chase after him for his seed. But he is faster than them and so escapes every time. He has long hair, like that beautiful Swedish man Skwisgaar Skwigelf, but he cannot play the guitar as well. Tomas is a very very good player and will win the Rockets Richards many times. I speak to Tomas and he say "yo wigga, what up with yo ass". I ask him "Tomas are you liking going to America and playing for good America teams?" Tomas say "fo sho mo fucker, i gon shoot dey ass full of caps n shit". Tomas like your gangsters rapp, he very much like the new Two Pack singles we get here yesterday, he say "man, tupac so fuckin illin, nigga don got sum skillz son". Tomas say he hope he meet gorgeous America woman in your Buffalos and can have many beautiful Swedish babies. He very like your Britney Spear, he say "yo dat fuckin bitch got sum PHAT ASS son".
For that piece of literary excellence, you have our hockey correspondent Mats Sundin to thank. Mats is currently flying to the University of Michigan to talk to Buffalo's other first-round pick this year, Michael Hemsley. For those of you who don't understand his references or his transcript of HIS rantings,
don't be too concerned. We didn't either.
2012 Predraft Wrap-Up (Part One)
Before we begin, it's important to note that these views are not just based on our own, absolutely true and solidly-based prejudices; the moment the first round of the draft went into the books, our Carolina-based comrades got to work and churned out a neat list of the attributes of all thirty picks that...well, basically confirmed everything we've ever said. Yes, even Mats Sundin's analysis of the Creature from Beyond was true, we were just as shocked as you.
#1) Jouko Vaijarvi, Goaltender, Calgary Flames
Remember kids, tanking is bad...except if you get the chance to draft a goalie like this. Ari Schacter's tanking ass picked up a player that even we have to admit is fucking fantastic, despite every instinct in our body being to mock and deride him for being a coke addict. I know the Finnish police say it was purely circumstantial evidence, but you can't spell "addict" without...at least four of the letters in circumstantial. His birth records are sketchy, but we like to think this kid is the result of Martin Brodeur's sperm being implanted into Terry Sawchuk's daughter.
#2) Tomas Dellenbrant, Winger, Buffalo Sabres
Bwaha, imagine a stadium full of people killing themselves and you'll get the impression.
#3) Kyle DeRose, Defenseman, Chicago Blackhawks
DeRose is a great, great prospect. Unfortunately, he's gone to Chicago, where good players go to suck, get fat, get signed to ridiculously huge extensions so they can suck some more and eventually get dumped in the minors. RIP Kyle DeRose's potential, we didn't know ye.
#4) Brad Lee, Winger, Vancouver Canucks
When picked, the Canucks general manager thought that the appropriate thing to do was imply that his newest acquisition was going to become Brad Shaindlin's gay love-slave. Others believe it was merely a metaphor but trust us, we know better.
#5) Steve Connolly, Winger, New York Islanders
Speaking of things nobody else caught, anybody else see Steve wipe his hand on his new jersey after shaking Jeff Holst's hand? Come on, you know you saw it really. Come on...
#6) Igor Koikov, Centre, Calgary Flames
This pick was actually Calgary's own. We say again - remember kids, tanking IS bad. It IS. Honestly.
#7) Maxim Miroschichenko, Winger, Pittsburgh Penguins
Hailing from the backwater boonies of Russia, there's barely anything to say about Max except that he has the most complicated name in ITC history. It's worse than Vaijarvi. It's worse than Bouwmeester. It's even worse than Zahajsky.
#8) Charles Goulet, Winger, Toronto Maple Leafs
There's been no word yet on his singing abilities, but he's shown himself to be an awful skater. It's true, we saw it on Youtube, it must be true.
#9) Sergei Filippov, Defenseman, Anaheim Ducks
Oh, Russian defensemen. When will you start being good? Yes Denis Ezhov, that WAS directed at you.
#10) Erick Carvey, Winger, New York Rangers
Fun fact, this should have been our pick. It should have been, but then our illustrious manager thought "picks? the future? lol who needs them?". What a cunt.
#1) Jouko Vaijarvi, Goaltender, Calgary Flames
Remember kids, tanking is bad...except if you get the chance to draft a goalie like this. Ari Schacter's tanking ass picked up a player that even we have to admit is fucking fantastic, despite every instinct in our body being to mock and deride him for being a coke addict. I know the Finnish police say it was purely circumstantial evidence, but you can't spell "addict" without...at least four of the letters in circumstantial. His birth records are sketchy, but we like to think this kid is the result of Martin Brodeur's sperm being implanted into Terry Sawchuk's daughter.
#2) Tomas Dellenbrant, Winger, Buffalo Sabres
Bwaha, imagine a stadium full of people killing themselves and you'll get the impression.
#3) Kyle DeRose, Defenseman, Chicago Blackhawks
DeRose is a great, great prospect. Unfortunately, he's gone to Chicago, where good players go to suck, get fat, get signed to ridiculously huge extensions so they can suck some more and eventually get dumped in the minors. RIP Kyle DeRose's potential, we didn't know ye.
#4) Brad Lee, Winger, Vancouver Canucks
When picked, the Canucks general manager thought that the appropriate thing to do was imply that his newest acquisition was going to become Brad Shaindlin's gay love-slave. Others believe it was merely a metaphor but trust us, we know better.
#5) Steve Connolly, Winger, New York Islanders
Speaking of things nobody else caught, anybody else see Steve wipe his hand on his new jersey after shaking Jeff Holst's hand? Come on, you know you saw it really. Come on...
#6) Igor Koikov, Centre, Calgary Flames
This pick was actually Calgary's own. We say again - remember kids, tanking IS bad. It IS. Honestly.
#7) Maxim Miroschichenko, Winger, Pittsburgh Penguins
Hailing from the backwater boonies of Russia, there's barely anything to say about Max except that he has the most complicated name in ITC history. It's worse than Vaijarvi. It's worse than Bouwmeester. It's even worse than Zahajsky.
#8) Charles Goulet, Winger, Toronto Maple Leafs
There's been no word yet on his singing abilities, but he's shown himself to be an awful skater. It's true, we saw it on Youtube, it must be true.
#9) Sergei Filippov, Defenseman, Anaheim Ducks
Oh, Russian defensemen. When will you start being good? Yes Denis Ezhov, that WAS directed at you.
#10) Erick Carvey, Winger, New York Rangers
Fun fact, this should have been our pick. It should have been, but then our illustrious manager thought "picks? the future? lol who needs them?". What a cunt.
Friday, 19 October 2007
Goodnight, Sweet Prince.
It's official - Rick Nash is no longer a Buffalo Sabre. After lying through his teeth about why the constant stream of hockey figures were visiting the HSBC Arena, Jay Byers has now leapt into contention for the prestigious title of "Most Hated Man In America" - the smart money has him ahead of George W. Bush but just below Tom Brady - by announcing that the beloved winger and top-scoring Sabre was to be traded to the Philadelphia Flyers. The move effectively represents the point at which this season became a complete bust, but as the under-fire general manager tried to point out to the rioting crowd of fans, the move was not about giving up entirely. In return for Nash, Philadelphia gave up unsettled centre Tom Burr, developing grinder Samuli Lehtinen and, the most important piece of the deal, New Jersey's first-round draft pick in the 2012 Entry Draft. Burr is most likely to join the pro team immediately, although his role is not yet known, while Lehtinen will report to Rochester.
GM Byers was quoted yesterday as saying "while Rick is obviously a big part of our offense, we feel his value is not likely to be this high again and so this trade made the most sense." If he was trying to rationalise his actions, it failed miserably, and he had to deliver the second part of his speech cowering behind a wall of bodyguards. From some of his previous actions, such as the pre-season trade that saw Pierre-Marc Bouchard move to San Jose, it's no surprise that Byers prefers to mould the players under his command himself - Valdis Rostoks has benefited greatly from his time in the AHL this year with the Rochester Americans - and this move is simply representative of his continued philosophy.
As it stands, there is an excellent chance New Jersey's pick will end the season at least as a top-ten pick, if not a top-five, and Byers is supposedly very optimistic that he can draft a player around whom the Sabres can rebuild. Targets include Jouko Vaijarvi, the goaltender ranked #1 by the Central Scouting Bureau, and defenseman Aaron Koharsky.
GM Byers was quoted yesterday as saying "while Rick is obviously a big part of our offense, we feel his value is not likely to be this high again and so this trade made the most sense." If he was trying to rationalise his actions, it failed miserably, and he had to deliver the second part of his speech cowering behind a wall of bodyguards. From some of his previous actions, such as the pre-season trade that saw Pierre-Marc Bouchard move to San Jose, it's no surprise that Byers prefers to mould the players under his command himself - Valdis Rostoks has benefited greatly from his time in the AHL this year with the Rochester Americans - and this move is simply representative of his continued philosophy.
As it stands, there is an excellent chance New Jersey's pick will end the season at least as a top-ten pick, if not a top-five, and Byers is supposedly very optimistic that he can draft a player around whom the Sabres can rebuild. Targets include Jouko Vaijarvi, the goaltender ranked #1 by the Central Scouting Bureau, and defenseman Aaron Koharsky.
Monday, 15 October 2007
All Is Lost. All Is Lost!
The horrifying rumours that have been circulating around the HSBC Arena are...true. In a Buffalo News exclusive, we can inform you that Jay Byers, general manager of the Buffalo Sabres, has confirmed what every true fan of the team has feared from the moment the puck dropped on opening night.
Rick Nash is no longer untouchable.
We told you yesterday that Byers was spotted eating with Philadelphia's Thayne Bezanson, and that he met with New Jersey's Rob Ryan, but both meetings were explained away as being related to disgruntled winger Martin Havlat; that might still be true, but now we have to call everything into question. Nash currently has 35 points so far, making him the highest point producer on the Sabres so far, and would naturally draw a lot of attention if he were ever put straight up on the block. Even so, the announcement that the incessant requests to make Nash a Flyer/Devil/Blue Jacket/Penguin/whatever would no longer be confined straight to the special filing cabinet is a big move in itself.
Of course, it has an effect that will be obvious to everybody in the ITC - fans of the Sabres are already displeased. There was an outcry of protest against it on the official team message board, as well as on countless others, and early reports indicate that a pair of letterbombs were intercepted en route to the HSBC Arena (not to mention the envelope full of human faeces that was badly handled by an intern who is now currently in therapy). Sabres owner Thomas Golisano said earlier today that, while the response was probably "a bit excessive, it was the Nasher. Only morons hate the Nasher." It should be mentioned, of course, that Nash is going into free agency, and with the Sabres bumping up against the cap anyway, trading him or a fellow franchise player like Marian Hossa might even have been necessarily.
But who are we to be impartial? Fuck Byers, fuck Byers in his AIDS-infested ass with a cactus. All hail Nash! All hail Nash! Oh, Nash can you see, in the dawn's early light, some bitches for you to beat on!
Rick Nash is no longer untouchable.
We told you yesterday that Byers was spotted eating with Philadelphia's Thayne Bezanson, and that he met with New Jersey's Rob Ryan, but both meetings were explained away as being related to disgruntled winger Martin Havlat; that might still be true, but now we have to call everything into question. Nash currently has 35 points so far, making him the highest point producer on the Sabres so far, and would naturally draw a lot of attention if he were ever put straight up on the block. Even so, the announcement that the incessant requests to make Nash a Flyer/Devil/Blue Jacket/Penguin/whatever would no longer be confined straight to the special filing cabinet is a big move in itself.
Of course, it has an effect that will be obvious to everybody in the ITC - fans of the Sabres are already displeased. There was an outcry of protest against it on the official team message board, as well as on countless others, and early reports indicate that a pair of letterbombs were intercepted en route to the HSBC Arena (not to mention the envelope full of human faeces that was badly handled by an intern who is now currently in therapy). Sabres owner Thomas Golisano said earlier today that, while the response was probably "a bit excessive, it was the Nasher. Only morons hate the Nasher." It should be mentioned, of course, that Nash is going into free agency, and with the Sabres bumping up against the cap anyway, trading him or a fellow franchise player like Marian Hossa might even have been necessarily.
But who are we to be impartial? Fuck Byers, fuck Byers in his AIDS-infested ass with a cactus. All hail Nash! All hail Nash! Oh, Nash can you see, in the dawn's early light, some bitches for you to beat on!
Sunday, 14 October 2007
02/01/12 - 08/01/12
Toronto Maple Leafs 2 - 2 Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres 2 - 0 Toronto Maple Leafs
It's not particularly surprising that both of these games between the Northeast Division rivals sold out their respective home arenas, nor that the first of them, at least, was filled with penalties. Since the Maple Leafs were significantly better in the Air Canada Centre than on the road, the expectations were that Toronto should at least be able to take two points away from the home-and-home, but the Maple Leaf-dominated eighteen thousand-strong crowd was stunned by the barrage of Sabre shots; for one of the few times so far this year, Buffalo outshot their opponent, 35-25, making Marek Schwarz's first-star rated performance all the more impressive. Robert Nilsson and Mike Ryder were the two to get past him, Nilsson in the first period and Ryder in the third, while Adam Mair and Kris Chucko had the Maple Leaf goals.
Where the first game was mostly offensive in nature, the return fixture at the HSBC Arena was far more defensive. Martin Havlat had 14 penalty minutes, the result of two minors and a misconduct call that saw him dismissed from the game, which some are seeing as the death knell for his time in Buffalo, but as usual, it was Ryan Miller's heroics that drew the most praise as he kept Toronto out through all of their 17 shots for his second shutout of the season. While the win wasn't exactly dominant, goals from Marian Hossa and Martin Legault were good enough for a much-appreciated pair of points, also marking the tenth win this year in front of the Sabres fans.
St. Louis Blues 4 - 3 Buffalo Sabres
With their excellent core of players, the Blues can point to a lot of reasons for why they're sitting pretty atop the the Western Conference; 20-goal scorers Aleksander Suglobov and Brian Sutherby on the first line is one, Eli Fagerholm's 2.39 GAA is another and the stellar defensive play of Anton Babchuk and Jean-Michel Bolduc is a third. And yet, even with all these advantages, they were still run close by the hot Sabres and it took a late Nathan Horton goal to give them the win. Suglobov and Sutherby had goals, both in powerplay situations, as did Mark Bell; while they might have been playing catch-up hockey for most of the game, tallies from Mike Cammalleri, Havlat and Jay McClement saw the Sabres draw level even for a matter of minutes. While this did no favours for Miller's stats, Fagerholm conceding three times on just 18 shots made Miller the best goaltender by default.
Current Record: 15-18-2-5, 37 points
Player of the Week: Rick Nash - 0 goals + 4 assists = 4 points
Goaltending Record: Ryan Miller - 3 games, 1 win, 1 shutout; 6 goals allowed, 2.00 GAA; 69 saves, 92.00 Save %
Buffalo Sabres 2 - 0 Toronto Maple Leafs
It's not particularly surprising that both of these games between the Northeast Division rivals sold out their respective home arenas, nor that the first of them, at least, was filled with penalties. Since the Maple Leafs were significantly better in the Air Canada Centre than on the road, the expectations were that Toronto should at least be able to take two points away from the home-and-home, but the Maple Leaf-dominated eighteen thousand-strong crowd was stunned by the barrage of Sabre shots; for one of the few times so far this year, Buffalo outshot their opponent, 35-25, making Marek Schwarz's first-star rated performance all the more impressive. Robert Nilsson and Mike Ryder were the two to get past him, Nilsson in the first period and Ryder in the third, while Adam Mair and Kris Chucko had the Maple Leaf goals.
Where the first game was mostly offensive in nature, the return fixture at the HSBC Arena was far more defensive. Martin Havlat had 14 penalty minutes, the result of two minors and a misconduct call that saw him dismissed from the game, which some are seeing as the death knell for his time in Buffalo, but as usual, it was Ryan Miller's heroics that drew the most praise as he kept Toronto out through all of their 17 shots for his second shutout of the season. While the win wasn't exactly dominant, goals from Marian Hossa and Martin Legault were good enough for a much-appreciated pair of points, also marking the tenth win this year in front of the Sabres fans.
St. Louis Blues 4 - 3 Buffalo Sabres
With their excellent core of players, the Blues can point to a lot of reasons for why they're sitting pretty atop the the Western Conference; 20-goal scorers Aleksander Suglobov and Brian Sutherby on the first line is one, Eli Fagerholm's 2.39 GAA is another and the stellar defensive play of Anton Babchuk and Jean-Michel Bolduc is a third. And yet, even with all these advantages, they were still run close by the hot Sabres and it took a late Nathan Horton goal to give them the win. Suglobov and Sutherby had goals, both in powerplay situations, as did Mark Bell; while they might have been playing catch-up hockey for most of the game, tallies from Mike Cammalleri, Havlat and Jay McClement saw the Sabres draw level even for a matter of minutes. While this did no favours for Miller's stats, Fagerholm conceding three times on just 18 shots made Miller the best goaltender by default.
Current Record: 15-18-2-5, 37 points
Player of the Week: Rick Nash - 0 goals + 4 assists = 4 points
Goaltending Record: Ryan Miller - 3 games, 1 win, 1 shutout; 6 goals allowed, 2.00 GAA; 69 saves, 92.00 Save %
Friday, 12 October 2007
Happy New Year! (26/12/11 - 01/01/12)
Buffalo Sabres 4 - 3 Philadelphia Flyers
In their first game with Jay Byers back in the saddle - after being washed up on a California beach, discovered by a now-traumatised child and declared stupid on the scene by the Los Angeles police department - the low-flying Sabres delivered an impressive performance to derail the Atlantic Division leaders in spite of some surprisingly poor individual performances. While Robert Nilsson and Jay McClement proved the key factors on offense (Nilsson had a goal and an assist, McClement had two helpers), it was Ryan Miller who won the game for Buffalo, withstanding a barrage of shots from the Flyers and even adding an assist on Nilsson's powerplay goal. While Philadelphia had 38 shots - fully twice Buffalo's 19 - Miller stood strong with 35 saves to take a victory away from the misfiring Rick DiPietro.
Buffalo Sabres 3 - 2 Boston Bruins
Before the season began, this game was projected to be one in a series that would eventually determine which of these teams finished bottom of the Northeast Division; Buffalo had their toughness problems and Boston an implacable goaltending conundrum. While the Sabres might still be a little too soft for comfort, Boston general manager Chris Jennings traded for Miikka Kiprusoff to alleviate their problems in net and help Jonathan Bernier bed in in the ITC. Unfortunately, Bernier had the misfortune to meeting a Sabres team on what counts as a tear for them - Miller delivered another first-star performance, making 27 saves in all, while Sid Sorensen and Marian Hossa both had goals to down the Bruins and Mattias Thorssel ended a goal-less streak that stretched 31 games before then.
New York Islanders 1 - 2 Buffalo Sabres
Even with star rookie Rich Castellanos' good performance so far in the season, the New York Islanders looked to be heading swiftly towards another top-five draft pick to go with him and, unshockingly, Ryan Miller was again almost perfect. Gustav Kostuik's first-period was the only shot of the Islanders' 19 that pierced his defenses, and that was quickly denied by Martin Havlat earning his tenth of the year. Even Josef Esser, Long Island's favourite thug, beating Rick Nash in a fight couldn't deter Buffalo as Marian Hossa wiped New York from the ice with a second-period goal to take the Buffalo unbeaten streak to five games.
Buffalo Sabres 2 - 4 Ottawa Senators
The winning streak obviously couldn't last, but it was a particularly bitter pill to swallow that it had to end at the hands of a divisional rival. Nikolai Zherdev was the driving force in the Ottawa victory with his two goals, but Havlat's poor performance was an equal reason for the defeat - he had been complaining of low ice-time previously, and his morale was basically shot with the rumours that he would soon be traded. For yet another game, Buffalo was outshot, and this time Miller couldn't do all the work, conceding four times on 29 shots.
Current Record: 14-17-2-4, 34 points
Player of the Week: Marian Hossa - 3 goals + 2 assists = 5 points
In their first game with Jay Byers back in the saddle - after being washed up on a California beach, discovered by a now-traumatised child and declared stupid on the scene by the Los Angeles police department - the low-flying Sabres delivered an impressive performance to derail the Atlantic Division leaders in spite of some surprisingly poor individual performances. While Robert Nilsson and Jay McClement proved the key factors on offense (Nilsson had a goal and an assist, McClement had two helpers), it was Ryan Miller who won the game for Buffalo, withstanding a barrage of shots from the Flyers and even adding an assist on Nilsson's powerplay goal. While Philadelphia had 38 shots - fully twice Buffalo's 19 - Miller stood strong with 35 saves to take a victory away from the misfiring Rick DiPietro.
Buffalo Sabres 3 - 2 Boston Bruins
Before the season began, this game was projected to be one in a series that would eventually determine which of these teams finished bottom of the Northeast Division; Buffalo had their toughness problems and Boston an implacable goaltending conundrum. While the Sabres might still be a little too soft for comfort, Boston general manager Chris Jennings traded for Miikka Kiprusoff to alleviate their problems in net and help Jonathan Bernier bed in in the ITC. Unfortunately, Bernier had the misfortune to meeting a Sabres team on what counts as a tear for them - Miller delivered another first-star performance, making 27 saves in all, while Sid Sorensen and Marian Hossa both had goals to down the Bruins and Mattias Thorssel ended a goal-less streak that stretched 31 games before then.
New York Islanders 1 - 2 Buffalo Sabres
Even with star rookie Rich Castellanos' good performance so far in the season, the New York Islanders looked to be heading swiftly towards another top-five draft pick to go with him and, unshockingly, Ryan Miller was again almost perfect. Gustav Kostuik's first-period was the only shot of the Islanders' 19 that pierced his defenses, and that was quickly denied by Martin Havlat earning his tenth of the year. Even Josef Esser, Long Island's favourite thug, beating Rick Nash in a fight couldn't deter Buffalo as Marian Hossa wiped New York from the ice with a second-period goal to take the Buffalo unbeaten streak to five games.
Buffalo Sabres 2 - 4 Ottawa Senators
The winning streak obviously couldn't last, but it was a particularly bitter pill to swallow that it had to end at the hands of a divisional rival. Nikolai Zherdev was the driving force in the Ottawa victory with his two goals, but Havlat's poor performance was an equal reason for the defeat - he had been complaining of low ice-time previously, and his morale was basically shot with the rumours that he would soon be traded. For yet another game, Buffalo was outshot, and this time Miller couldn't do all the work, conceding four times on 29 shots.
Current Record: 14-17-2-4, 34 points
Player of the Week: Marian Hossa - 3 goals + 2 assists = 5 points
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