Published by hockeybuzz.com, 12-1-2019
I was "Bruhed!" last night by a Sabres beat writer I respect for suggesting that the first goal let in by Buffalo Sabres netminder Carter Hutton against the Toronto Maple Leafs was a softie. Perhaps it was a matter of frustration on my part with the Sabres 2-1 loss that was decided by a definite softie let in by Carter in overtime. Or perhaps the first goal was indeed a goal that should have been stopped. Regardless, whatever way you cut it, the outcome was an extremely disappointing one.
Toronto's William Nylander opened the scoring at the 5:30 mark of the second period when he drove from the red line to the front of the net and his shot was deflected by Hutton over his shoulder as the Buffalo goalie tried to poke-check the puck in the blue paint. The score would remain 1-0 until Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen took the same route on a pinch-in from the point and slid one far-side past Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen 6:58 into the third period.
Showing posts with label Toronto/Buffalo rivalry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toronto/Buffalo rivalry. Show all posts
Monday, December 2, 2019
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Toronto invading Western New York today
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-29-2018
The QEW rivalry between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs takes center stage in downtown Buffalo beginning at 4:00 ET this afternoon. As per usual with our neighbors to the north and their rabid Southern Ontario fanbase, one should expect a huge influx of Leafs fans decked out in blue and white invading KeyBank Center for the first of four games between the two clubs.
We all know the story when Toronto comes to town. Maple Leaf home games are so high-priced that the average fan finds it rather difficult to afford a game at Scotiabank Arena and those fans who are on the outside looking in are forced to find an alternative. Luckily for them Buffalo is a short, 1 hr. drive down the QEW and Sabres ticket holders are more than happy to sell their tickets, at a nice premium, to Leafs Fans. What inevitably happens is that half of KeyBank Center ends up being Leafs fans and dependent upon the score, the roars for Toronto sound like they're playing a home game.
It's unfortunate for the players on the ice as they would like more of a BillsMafia-type support for a home game, but one can't really blame the fans if they treat their season tickets, or mini-pack tickets, or even single-game tickets as a business proposition.
The QEW rivalry between the Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs takes center stage in downtown Buffalo beginning at 4:00 ET this afternoon. As per usual with our neighbors to the north and their rabid Southern Ontario fanbase, one should expect a huge influx of Leafs fans decked out in blue and white invading KeyBank Center for the first of four games between the two clubs.
We all know the story when Toronto comes to town. Maple Leaf home games are so high-priced that the average fan finds it rather difficult to afford a game at Scotiabank Arena and those fans who are on the outside looking in are forced to find an alternative. Luckily for them Buffalo is a short, 1 hr. drive down the QEW and Sabres ticket holders are more than happy to sell their tickets, at a nice premium, to Leafs Fans. What inevitably happens is that half of KeyBank Center ends up being Leafs fans and dependent upon the score, the roars for Toronto sound like they're playing a home game.
It's unfortunate for the players on the ice as they would like more of a BillsMafia-type support for a home game, but one can't really blame the fans if they treat their season tickets, or mini-pack tickets, or even single-game tickets as a business proposition.
Thursday, March 21, 2019
Redemption is right around the corner in a matchup vs. Toronto
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-20-2019
The Sabres are heading into tonight's matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs having played one of their best games of the season. Buffalo welcomed former Sabre Ryan O'Reilly and his St. Louis Blues to KeyBank Center on Sunday and came away with the 4-3 shootout win. The Blues cut a 3-1 second period deficit on a play that saw Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen break his stick (surprise) on a one-timer in the late stages of a powerplay only to have the Blues turn that miscue up-ice and have the penalized player, David Perron, score off of the ensuing rush. St. Louis would tack on another goal on a play that turned in the Blues zone as a crossbar hit by Buffalo's Conor Sheary went back up ice leading to a shot on goalie Carter Hutton and a wrap-around goal by St. Louis forward Brayden Schenn. A couple of miscues, and a mild Keystone Cops moment allowed for Schenn to pot that backhander into a gaping net to tie the score at 3-3.
Buffalo's Sam Reinhart would win the game in the shootout for the Sabres.
The win by the Sabres broke a season-high seven-game losing streak and ended their shot at NHL ignominy. Losing that game against St. Louis would have put them within two losses of a 10-game losing streak which would have been an NHL-first for a team that had a 10-game winning streak in the same season.
As we into the final stretch of the season Buffalo is outside of the playoffs playing the role of spoiler and although tonight's game against the Leafs won't spoil too much for Toronto as they're pretty much locked into third place in the Atlantic Division, beating the Leafs is always a good thing. It's also something the Sabres haven't done this season. Buffalo is 0-2-1 against Toronto with their best showing coming at home in early December when they lost an intense back-and-forth contest in overtime as Leafs center Auston Matthews scored the game-winner with less than three seconds left on the clock.
The other two matchups in Toronto were lopsided wins for the Leafs as they beat Buffalo by scores of 5-3 and 5-2.
Sabres PR points out that this rivalry has been dominated by the home team with the hosts winning 28 of the last 37 games. Despite Buffalo's struggles and the Leafs resurgence, the Sabres are 6-3-1 vs. Toronto at KeyBank Center, 19-4-2 in their last 25 home games against the Maple Leafs.
Thanks to proximity and economics a Sabres home game against the Leafs is usually a raucous affair. With staggering ticket prices in Toronto making it difficult for your average-Wayne Leafs fans to attend games, a 100-mile trek to Buffalo for the opportunity to rep the Blue and White is a trip worth taking. The Sabres have some of the lowest ticket prices in the league and there are many season ticket holders who will sell their tickets for top-dollar to a hockey-crazed Leafs fan.
Many Sabres ticket holders see Toronto games as an opportunity to recoup some of the cost and often times it creates a mix close to 50/50 for each fan base. While it's still a home game for Buffalo, as the Sabres continue to struggle, Toronto fans amp up their braggadocio to the point where it sounds like they're the home team when they score a goal.
Buffalo captain Jack Eichel seems to revel in the odd environment created when Leafs Nation invades KeyBank Center. The 22 yr. old has totaled seven points (5+2) in seven home games and simply loves trolling Leafs fans in the lower bowl after a goal. Reinhart is another Sabre who seems to like playing against Toronto. He has 15 points (6+9) in his last 15 meetings against them.
Leaf Nation is somewhat troubled these days as the team is in a rut and they're not sure whether it's just that or a case of Toronto being exposed. No doubt the Leafs have firepower up-front but their defense is suspect and their goaltending has been atrocious as of late. Toronto has lost two in a row and four of their last five while being outscored 26-13 in the process and because of that tumble, any hope of overtaking the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic Division has pretty much vanished. The Leafs are six points behind the Bruins in the standings and eight points ahead of the fourth place Montreal Canadiens and because of the NHL's screwy playoff format, Toronto and Boston will meet in the first round of the playoffs if they maintain their holds on second and third place in the division.
While the Leafs are gearing up for the playoffs, the Sabres are nearing the end of another year outside the playoffs. Buffalo is all but mathematically eliminated from the post-season and will have it's playoff drought extended to eight years. The Carolina Hurricanes presently have the longest playoff drought and are in a wild card spot right now, four points ahead of the Canadiens who are on the outside looking in.
After looking like they'd snap their playoff drought during their early 10-game winning streak, Buffalo fell from grace and are left to play out the string. Their precipitous drop from No. 1 in the league to their present status as forgotten leaves a sour taste in the mouths of the faithful in Sabreland but redemption is always around the corner in a matchup against Toronto. There's always that rivalry, and in Buffalo, always a mix in the stands that creates a raucous, playoff-like environment. With the season lost and not much to play for, getting up for a game like this shouldn't be too difficult and in addition, the Sabres have the opportunity to do something they haven't done since December 13--win two games in a row.
Just a little added incentive.
^^^^^^^^^^
The Sabres had an optional skate this morning and based upon yesterday's practice, head coach Phil Housley won't change a winning formula:
Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart
Sheary-Rodrigues-Nylander
Sobotka-Mittelstadt-Thompson
Girgensons-Larsson-Okposo
Dahlin-Montour
Ristolainen-Bogosian
Nelson-Scandella
Goalie Carter Hutton started and won on Sunday so he'll probably get the start in net.
^^^^^^^^^^
One final note, forward Matej Pekar was reassigned to the Rochester Americans yesterday after his Barrie Colts (OHL) season ended. The 2018 fourth-rounder (94th-overall) spent the latter half of his Colts season injured but managed 36 points (14+22) in 33 games for Barrie including nine multi-point games and five three-point games.
Pekar is an agitating forward who became a fan favorite at Sabres Development Camp this summer when he proved he could dish out a good hit and take one as well. The Czech native leveled Buffalo first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin during camp and when Dahlin returned the favor, both took it as just a part of the game. Pekar has an engaging personality and a fun-loving nature that is the opposite of how he plays the game. He said at camp that noted Bruins pest, and Sabre-killer, Brad Marchand was a player he models his game after and who wouldn't want a player like that on their team.
The Amerks are driving towards the post season with a roster that's quite full right now. How Pekar fits into their plans, especially with Alexander Nylander and Tage Thompson on the playoff-roster but yet to be sent down, is yet to be seen, but you can bet that he'll make his mark somewhere along the line and get noticed.
Here's a two-part profile on Pekar from last summer:
https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=94414
https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=94446
The Sabres are heading into tonight's matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs having played one of their best games of the season. Buffalo welcomed former Sabre Ryan O'Reilly and his St. Louis Blues to KeyBank Center on Sunday and came away with the 4-3 shootout win. The Blues cut a 3-1 second period deficit on a play that saw Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen break his stick (surprise) on a one-timer in the late stages of a powerplay only to have the Blues turn that miscue up-ice and have the penalized player, David Perron, score off of the ensuing rush. St. Louis would tack on another goal on a play that turned in the Blues zone as a crossbar hit by Buffalo's Conor Sheary went back up ice leading to a shot on goalie Carter Hutton and a wrap-around goal by St. Louis forward Brayden Schenn. A couple of miscues, and a mild Keystone Cops moment allowed for Schenn to pot that backhander into a gaping net to tie the score at 3-3.
Buffalo's Sam Reinhart would win the game in the shootout for the Sabres.
The win by the Sabres broke a season-high seven-game losing streak and ended their shot at NHL ignominy. Losing that game against St. Louis would have put them within two losses of a 10-game losing streak which would have been an NHL-first for a team that had a 10-game winning streak in the same season.
As we into the final stretch of the season Buffalo is outside of the playoffs playing the role of spoiler and although tonight's game against the Leafs won't spoil too much for Toronto as they're pretty much locked into third place in the Atlantic Division, beating the Leafs is always a good thing. It's also something the Sabres haven't done this season. Buffalo is 0-2-1 against Toronto with their best showing coming at home in early December when they lost an intense back-and-forth contest in overtime as Leafs center Auston Matthews scored the game-winner with less than three seconds left on the clock.
The other two matchups in Toronto were lopsided wins for the Leafs as they beat Buffalo by scores of 5-3 and 5-2.
Sabres PR points out that this rivalry has been dominated by the home team with the hosts winning 28 of the last 37 games. Despite Buffalo's struggles and the Leafs resurgence, the Sabres are 6-3-1 vs. Toronto at KeyBank Center, 19-4-2 in their last 25 home games against the Maple Leafs.
Thanks to proximity and economics a Sabres home game against the Leafs is usually a raucous affair. With staggering ticket prices in Toronto making it difficult for your average-Wayne Leafs fans to attend games, a 100-mile trek to Buffalo for the opportunity to rep the Blue and White is a trip worth taking. The Sabres have some of the lowest ticket prices in the league and there are many season ticket holders who will sell their tickets for top-dollar to a hockey-crazed Leafs fan.
Many Sabres ticket holders see Toronto games as an opportunity to recoup some of the cost and often times it creates a mix close to 50/50 for each fan base. While it's still a home game for Buffalo, as the Sabres continue to struggle, Toronto fans amp up their braggadocio to the point where it sounds like they're the home team when they score a goal.
Buffalo captain Jack Eichel seems to revel in the odd environment created when Leafs Nation invades KeyBank Center. The 22 yr. old has totaled seven points (5+2) in seven home games and simply loves trolling Leafs fans in the lower bowl after a goal. Reinhart is another Sabre who seems to like playing against Toronto. He has 15 points (6+9) in his last 15 meetings against them.
Leaf Nation is somewhat troubled these days as the team is in a rut and they're not sure whether it's just that or a case of Toronto being exposed. No doubt the Leafs have firepower up-front but their defense is suspect and their goaltending has been atrocious as of late. Toronto has lost two in a row and four of their last five while being outscored 26-13 in the process and because of that tumble, any hope of overtaking the Boston Bruins for second place in the Atlantic Division has pretty much vanished. The Leafs are six points behind the Bruins in the standings and eight points ahead of the fourth place Montreal Canadiens and because of the NHL's screwy playoff format, Toronto and Boston will meet in the first round of the playoffs if they maintain their holds on second and third place in the division.
While the Leafs are gearing up for the playoffs, the Sabres are nearing the end of another year outside the playoffs. Buffalo is all but mathematically eliminated from the post-season and will have it's playoff drought extended to eight years. The Carolina Hurricanes presently have the longest playoff drought and are in a wild card spot right now, four points ahead of the Canadiens who are on the outside looking in.
After looking like they'd snap their playoff drought during their early 10-game winning streak, Buffalo fell from grace and are left to play out the string. Their precipitous drop from No. 1 in the league to their present status as forgotten leaves a sour taste in the mouths of the faithful in Sabreland but redemption is always around the corner in a matchup against Toronto. There's always that rivalry, and in Buffalo, always a mix in the stands that creates a raucous, playoff-like environment. With the season lost and not much to play for, getting up for a game like this shouldn't be too difficult and in addition, the Sabres have the opportunity to do something they haven't done since December 13--win two games in a row.
Just a little added incentive.
^^^^^^^^^^
The Sabres had an optional skate this morning and based upon yesterday's practice, head coach Phil Housley won't change a winning formula:
Skinner-Eichel-Reinhart
Sheary-Rodrigues-Nylander
Sobotka-Mittelstadt-Thompson
Girgensons-Larsson-Okposo
Dahlin-Montour
Ristolainen-Bogosian
Nelson-Scandella
Goalie Carter Hutton started and won on Sunday so he'll probably get the start in net.
^^^^^^^^^^
One final note, forward Matej Pekar was reassigned to the Rochester Americans yesterday after his Barrie Colts (OHL) season ended. The 2018 fourth-rounder (94th-overall) spent the latter half of his Colts season injured but managed 36 points (14+22) in 33 games for Barrie including nine multi-point games and five three-point games.
Pekar is an agitating forward who became a fan favorite at Sabres Development Camp this summer when he proved he could dish out a good hit and take one as well. The Czech native leveled Buffalo first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin during camp and when Dahlin returned the favor, both took it as just a part of the game. Pekar has an engaging personality and a fun-loving nature that is the opposite of how he plays the game. He said at camp that noted Bruins pest, and Sabre-killer, Brad Marchand was a player he models his game after and who wouldn't want a player like that on their team.
The Amerks are driving towards the post season with a roster that's quite full right now. How Pekar fits into their plans, especially with Alexander Nylander and Tage Thompson on the playoff-roster but yet to be sent down, is yet to be seen, but you can bet that he'll make his mark somewhere along the line and get noticed.
Here's a two-part profile on Pekar from last summer:
https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=94414
https://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=94446
Monday, March 4, 2019
Sabres/Leafs Part III
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-2-2019
The Toronto Maple Leafs took a George Forman right to the jaw Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum as John Tavares' return to the place where he spent his first nine seasons couldn't have gone any worse. Fans on Long Island felt a LeBron James-worthy jilt as the former first overall pick in 2009 took his talents, and his Maple Leafs jammies to the "Center of the Hockey Universe" last summer.
Islanders fans thought they were played by Tavares and they let him known it. They "welcomed" him back with boos, jeers and chants of "where's your jammies," hurled objects at him inside the arena while outside there were the usual insults to his No. 91 sweater from the jersey-buying public. His former team laid a 6-1 thumping on his Maple Leafs, the team he'd dreamed of playing for since he was a kid.
Toronto went into an extremely hostile environment with a playoff atmosphere ratcheted up to 11 and got smoked. How they react is the next page of the story and the Buffalo Sabres are front and center. This will be the second meeting this week between the two clubs. The Sabres jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Monday before the Leafs blitzed them for four unanswered goals in the second period. Buffalo scored a late goal in that frame, came out in the third with a goal nine seconds in and almost tied the game before surrendering a Toronto empty-netter.
The Toronto Maple Leafs took a George Forman right to the jaw Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum as John Tavares' return to the place where he spent his first nine seasons couldn't have gone any worse. Fans on Long Island felt a LeBron James-worthy jilt as the former first overall pick in 2009 took his talents, and his Maple Leafs jammies to the "Center of the Hockey Universe" last summer.
Islanders fans thought they were played by Tavares and they let him known it. They "welcomed" him back with boos, jeers and chants of "where's your jammies," hurled objects at him inside the arena while outside there were the usual insults to his No. 91 sweater from the jersey-buying public. His former team laid a 6-1 thumping on his Maple Leafs, the team he'd dreamed of playing for since he was a kid.
Toronto went into an extremely hostile environment with a playoff atmosphere ratcheted up to 11 and got smoked. How they react is the next page of the story and the Buffalo Sabres are front and center. This will be the second meeting this week between the two clubs. The Sabres jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Monday before the Leafs blitzed them for four unanswered goals in the second period. Buffalo scored a late goal in that frame, came out in the third with a goal nine seconds in and almost tied the game before surrendering a Toronto empty-netter.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
The pangs of growing pains. Plus, the Skinner situation
Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-26-2019
Sabres fans never have a problem getting pumped up for a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, regardless of where either team sits in the standings. At this point in time Buffalo is well behind in the Leafs talent-wise and their second year head coach, Phil Housley, isn't close to Toronto's Mike Babcock, whom the Sabres courted coming out of their tank years.
Last night Buffalo was in Toronto for the second game of their four-game season series and the Sabres had a little wind in their sails. They'd played a good game against the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lighting but fell short in the shootout in Tampa then came home for a matinee against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals and won 5-2. In addition to that, Buffalo GM Jason Botterill was able to pull off a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for 24 yr. old defenseman Brandon Montour who should help a beleaguered blueline this year and into the future.
Sabres fans never have a problem getting pumped up for a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, regardless of where either team sits in the standings. At this point in time Buffalo is well behind in the Leafs talent-wise and their second year head coach, Phil Housley, isn't close to Toronto's Mike Babcock, whom the Sabres courted coming out of their tank years.
Last night Buffalo was in Toronto for the second game of their four-game season series and the Sabres had a little wind in their sails. They'd played a good game against the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lighting but fell short in the shootout in Tampa then came home for a matinee against the defending Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals and won 5-2. In addition to that, Buffalo GM Jason Botterill was able to pull off a trade with the Anaheim Ducks for 24 yr. old defenseman Brandon Montour who should help a beleaguered blueline this year and into the future.
Friday, December 7, 2018
No head-hanging here. Sabres/Leafs was a blast despite Buffalo on the wrong end
There was a time last season when Buffalo Sabres coach Phil Housley came off
as an over-protective mother in a post-game presser after his team got shellacked 5-1 by the Dallas
Stars. On November 4, 2017 the Stars scored three goals in the
first 10 minutes en route to crushing the hapless Sabres. Afterward, Housley tried to gloss over his team’s performance saying that he thought his team "played well" in the loss. "The score tells you differently and there's probably going to be a lot of people that disagree with me."
Yup, pretty much everybody disagreed with Housley on that with one beat-reporter writing, "That was one of the most egregious quotes I've heard from a Buffalo coach in a long time. An affront to a battered fanbase.
"There's a difference in being positive and being a Pollyanna Phil."
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Sabres stumbling home with Leaf Nation invading downtown Buffalo tonight
The winning streak was never going to last forever, but a win in one of the two games after would have been nice. After winning 10 in a row the Buffalo Sabres now find themselves on a three-game losing streak (0-2-1) having lost 2-1 last night at Nashville to the Predators. The home team bottled the Sabres up through much of the game then choked them off in the third period while holding a one-goal lead. Of the eight third period shots on goal for the Sabres, five of them came with the goalie pulled late in the frame and none of them got by Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne.
Nashville won despite missing a lot of firepower in leading goal-scorer Filip Forsberg, forwards Viktor Arvidsson and Kyle Turris plus defenseman P.K. Subban. Head coach Peter Laviolette wanted his players to stick to their up-tempo identity but also needed them to keep things tight against a team like Buffalo. "With a lot of key pieced out of our lineup, I just think it's important to stick to our identity," he told the local media post-game. "But, we also understand there's less room for error and we have to make sure we're sharp.
"They've (the Sabres) have a lot of people that can hurt you. They're a dangerous team, they're playing fast and they're on the attack. I thought our guys did a real good job of just trying to stay above them, stay tight and check tight in the defensive zone."
Welcome to playoff-style hockey.
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