The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Plus...

some notes on the Rochester Americans at Cleveland vs. the Lake Erie Monsters.


The Buffalo Sabres just  finished up a four games in six nights stretch that took them to Florida, back up to Buffalo and over to NYC culminating in back-to-back games vs. New Jersey and the Rangers.

They came away with seven of eight points after last night's SO loss to the Rags. No small feat for a team that was booed off the ice in the game before the stretch, were sitting in last place in the eastern conference at the time, and spent the last two games without their best offensive player, Thomas Vanek.

Ryan Miller was stellar in net for the team keeping them in every game and/or doing everything in his power to maintain a lead. He was in three shootouts in a row, denying Florida and New Jersey any goals before succumbing to exhaustion against NY. Rick Nash and Ryan Callahan both scored rather easily last night.

Miller was the game's 1st star in a 2-1 win at Tampa, 2nd star at Florida and 2nd star vs. the Devils. He was great in last night's game as well, but had nothing left to give in the shootout.

Vanek, the team's leading scorer was out with an upper body injury the last two games.

The team finally got some secondary scoring during the four-game stretch as Tyler Myers, Drew Stafford and Nathan Gerbe all contributed. Gerbe scored two vs. NJ and was named the game's 1st star. Last night at NY he scored a short-handed goal to tie the game 2-2 after a nice feed from Steve Ott.

And, you know things are going well when Jochen Hecht scores. He potted his first of the season vs. the  Devils in one of his "from goal-line down/bank it off the goalie" shots.

All-in-all, if I were a Sabre though, I'd be ticked that the team didn't get get the win last night. They had a golden opportunity going on the powerplay then having an extended 5-on-3 in overtime.

But. Nothing.

The powerplay has been awful. They have absolutely no chemistry.

They're dead last in the league in pp efficiency-no flow, no one backing off defenders, and very few shots getting through from the point or anywhere else.

Sabres coach Ron Rolston had a multitude of problems to correct when he took over the team 12 days ago and he chose to focus upon the back-end first, which has looked much better over the past four games. There's been progression in each game and you can see confidence building.

Next he needs to focus his attention on the powerplay. It's the sole reason they gave away a point in this game. The team is now 9 for 84, a 10.4% rate. Tampa Bay leads the league with a 29% conversion rate.

And why Jason Pominville is still on the point is beyond me. It's something that hasn't been working for years and it has gotten progressively worse this season. He's much better suited to the half-wall where he can stickhandle and try to find an open man. He is not a powerplay quarterback from the point, nor does he have the knack for getting pucks through. Plus, far too often, maybe as much as Andrej Sekera, the puck either jumps his stick at the blueline or he mishandles which leads to bad things happening, like his hooking/interference penalty against New Jersey.

Speaking of Pominville, he's been gathering some points lately, but he seems to have more mental lapses than a veteran player should.

A perfect example is the game vs. New Jersey.

He scored two goals but ended up a minus-1 as he was on the ice for New Jersey's three goals, out of sorts on two of them.

Somethings not right.

Either he's been looked at through blue and gold colored glasses over the last few seasons or he's starting to decline a bit. Maybe it's the pressure of being the captain. Maybe it's that his linemates--Vanek and Cody Hodgson--have quite a bit more raw talent than him and he's just a bit off playing with them. Maybe the speed of the game is beginning to pass him by.

For whatever the reason, he's not what he should be--Mr. Consistency with the puck and a leader by example.

What Rolston has done with this team so far is just short of remarkable. He's 3-2-1 since being named interim coach, 3-0-1 since his opening two losses.

He's been solidifying the Sabres defense, which was said to be a strength before the season started, but was awful for 19 games. They're now playing sound team defense in their own end keeping most shots to the outside. They're playing odd man rushes better and they're getting their sticks in on a lot of plays.

And when things break down, Miller's there to cover.

Rolston doesn't have a lot of talent to work with, but he has them playing a team game. They've not been able to generate much offense, but they've been able to capitalize on their opportunities. They're lacking talent up front, especially without Vanek and, to an extent, Ville Leino, but he has most of them playing to the best of their abilities right now.

That's how he's managed to get seven of a possible eight points the last four games.

As a whole, they're getting it done, and unless Darcy Regier brings in a top-six player, this is what Rolston will be working with.

And if they continue to progress the way they have over the last four games, methinks they'll be making some noise in the "bubble group."


Some quick notes:

--Veteran defenseman Robyn Regehr has been playing the best hockey since he's been in Buffalo. That scowl is back and he's be roughin' it up with a lot of forwards in and around the net. But one of the coolest things was when Gerbe scored that shortie last night. Regehr had an expression of pure joy.

Sabres Pat Kaleta boards the Rangers
Brad Richards.

--Speaking of roughing it up, Patrick Kaleta pulled a bone-headed move last night boarding Brad Richards. He got a five minute major/game misconduct and has a hearing with Brendan Shanahan scheduled for this afternoon. A suspension is on the way, maybe up to five games. But it could be something that hinges upon Shanahan's call on NYR d-man Dan Girardi, if he gets a phone call.

Girardi pasted Tyler Ennis from behind in OT. Ennis fell to the ice stunned. The refs called it a two minute minor for boarding, but it could easily have been a five minute major/game misconduct. (click here for link to a video of both hits as well as some opinon from CBSSportsline.com's Brian Stubitz.) Shanahan will need to look at that one as well. As good a guy as Girardi is, he should get a couple of games, just like Niklas Hjalmarsson got when he boarded Pominville a couple years ago.

Five games for Kaleta, as long as there is at least two games for Girardi. If Girardi gets one, Kaleta should get no more than three. IMO, of course.

(Sabres gritty forward Steve Ott has some interesting thoughts on the Kaleta hit, including a mention that Richards, despite looking like he was writhing in pain after the hit, returned to the ice the next shift on the powerplay. Thx to the Howard Simon show on WGR for the interview.)

--Gerbe has been the teams best player up-front lately. He has three goals in the last two games including a bullet, one-timer that went top-shelf over Henrik Lundqvist's glove last night. Earlier in the season he'd been playing like he was ready for a demotion to Rochester. But the Sabres stuck with him.

He had off-season back surgery and it seems as if he's finally recovered fully. He said after last night's game that he feels more comfortable (via WGR) "[I'm] feeling better now feeling better with the puck," he said, "but that comes with time. That comes with healing; trust in my body, trust in my back."

That allows him to play his gadfly-like/junk-yard dog-type game. It also allows him to go after the likes of Dion Phaneuf and Alexei Ponikarovsky lookin' for a fight.

I like what Rick Jeanneret said of Gerbe vs. New Jersey after the leagues shortest player (5' 5") was tussling with the 6' 4" Ponikarovsky, "Why is he always picking on the big guys?"

Drew Stafford and rookie
Mikhail Grigorenko celebrate
Stafford's goal vs. NY

Rookie center Mikhail Grigorenko has been playing fourth line minutes, but his game seems to be coming along. Although he's still catching up to the speed of the game, he's been working pretty hard and he is starting to see some results.

Last night he took a face off deep in the Rangers zone, lost it, continued on, got the puck and passed it back to a wide open Stafford in the slot. Stafford one-timed it past Henrik Lundqvist. It was good for the rookie and good for Stafford who scored for only the second time this season.

"It always makes me happy to [get] points," he said. "Finally I feel I can help my team."

In the previous game vs. New Jersey Grigorenko worked a little magic behind the net and fed Hecht for his first goal of the year.

Grigorenko has been with Stafford and Hecht the last two games and the trio has been producing. He mentioning Stafford by name post-game.

One would think that when Ville Leino returns, we might see a Grigorenko/Stafford/Leino line as a #3. And that has the potential to really add some offense.

*************

Some notes while taking in my second Rochester Americans game of the season.

--Mark Mancari may be the Amerks AHL version of Dave Andreychuk. He has that kind of veteran presence for the Amerks. Unfortunately for the organization, he may also be considered the new Jody Gage--one of the best in AHL, can't cut it in the NHL. He'll have a good career in Rochester.

--As of right now Luke Adam will be lucky if he's as good as Mancari. He looked slow as ever yesterday afternoon--both mentally and physically. During the game he fell no less than five times on his own trying to keep pace. If Regier can somehow get something decent for him, it would be a semi-miracle.

--Zemgus Girgensons has progressed well. Back in December you could see he was still getting a feel for the game, yet he was always in position and seemed to be ahead of the play quite often.

He's taken that a step further. Girgensons was in constant motion yesterday, always keeping his feet moving and he was always in the right spot at both ends of the ice. He has some real strong two-way skills and may even get a crack at the NHL as a call-up this season if he continues to play this well. The jury's still out on whether he'll be able to contribute in a top-six role, but he will be in the NHL sometime in the near future. At the very least he looks to be a top-nine center.

--5'9" 135 lb. Amerks forward Fredrick Roy got in a beauty of a fight with the Monsters' 5'10" 175 lb. Tyler McNeely. Roy landed a couple of doozies before McNeely came back and landed a couple of his own. It was a long, spirited bout that proved Roy not only can fight, but can take a punch too.

--David Leggio is a pretty damn good goalie. He looks as if he'll have a damn good AHL career. His positioning is very sound and he anticipates real well. The goals against last night were very late with the Amerks already up 4-0. The first one was a turnover that lead to a tap in for Lake Erie. The second was a beautiful shot that went top-shelf from in tight. Most NHL goalies would be hard-pressed to stop that one.

He's playing well enough to get a look from the Sabres should Jhonas Enroth falter in his next start.


*************

Speaking of Enroth, Rolston should opt to play the back-up at Carolina on Tuesday despite him not having won since November, 2011. Miller has been playing lights-out and the toll it's taken could be seen in the shoot-out last night.



Ryan Miller give up a shootout goal
to the Rangers Ryan Callahan.



Callahan made him look like an AHL'er on that one. And afterwards, Miller just lay face-down in the crease seemingly with nothing left to give.



Rolston should give Enroth his start, come what may. The team as a whole looks as if they've bottomed out and they're on the upswing. A loss with Enroth in net would be a step back but could yield more positive results down the road as the team looks strong enough to overcome adversity.

In this situation--with a tired Miller, no back-up he could count on and every point at a premium--former coach Lindy Ruff would ride Miller until he fell over. That "falling over" normally lead to a lopsided loss anyway.

I hope Rolston goes with Enroth to give Miller a much needed rest.

Ryan Miller sums up yesterday's loss perfectly

It was pretty hard to come up with the words to describe Buffalo's loss to Pittsburgh yesterday afternoon without going off the rail.

Perhaps we should let Ryan Miller sum it up, "It was just a shitty way to lose."

Sure was.

NBC had the hockey world watching as it kicked off it's Hockey Day In America with the Pens visiting the Sabres. And you could hear a collective groan from Sabres fans nationwide as Pittsburgh jumped out to a blazing 2-0 lead less than a minute and a half into the game.

Nightmares of a December, 2011 8-3 loss to Pittsburgh were coming to the fore as boos were raining down on an embattled Sabres coach and team.

But, a funny thing happened on the way to total embarrassment.

Faced with a penalty to Captain Jason Pominville a mere two and a half minutes after Pittsburgh's second goal, the Buffalo PK unit buckled down and laid the foundation for a comeback.

Cody Hodgson then scored later the first, Thomas Vanek mid-way through the second, and  Steve Ott early in the third put the Sabres up 3-2 with 15 minutes to go.

Then...

On a play reminiscent of a Derek Roy move, Pominville, a mere five feet from clearing the zone, got too cute and got pick pocketed when a simple chip-out was all that was needed. After a 10 second scramble in the Buffalo zone Pasqual Dupuis sent a cross-ice, one-timer past Miller to tie the score.

Ten minutes later--at the 17:56 mark of the third--Miller was screened by his own teammates as a Paul Martin shot from the point found the back of the net.

Miller played an outstanding game and was the sole reason this team not only was in it, but had a pristine opportunity to walk away with at least one point.

"Your guard has to be up at all times," he said, alluding to the Pominville play, "it's preventable and not what we need to be doing right now."

When asked which goal--Pittsburgh's game-tying or game winner--bothered him the most, Miller didn't hold back, "Well, just fucking losing at the end."

He continued, "It's 3-3, just get to overtime, it's 3-2 make 'em fuckin' come all the way down. [We] worked too hard [to have this happen.]"

Yeah, what he said.


************

Pominville has been pretty awful as of late.

Stat-geeks will look to his six-game scoreless drought and minus-2 rating during those games as proof. And those are pretty telling stats.

Watching the games, you can see why his stats are like that.

His decision-making with the puck is mostly wrong as his vision seems to be clouded. Clouded by God knows what, pressure? The pressure of losing as the team's gone 3-6 through the month of February?

He's really gripping the stick tight. He has one goal in February (one assist as well) and is just firing the puck everywhere. Yesterday, in a perfect example of his frustrations, he broke his stick on a 5-on-3 powerplay trying to channel Al Macinnis or Zdeno Chara.

And yesterday he gave up on the game-tying turnover. My God, son, you're the captain. Show some heart. You screwed up, make amends instead of relying on other people to cover.

And, Damn It! show some emotion.

Quit hiding behind a "calm, cool and collected" front. Your team is on a road to miss the playoffs for the second straight season, fourth out of the last six since you were dubbed a leader on the team.

How about following Millers lead?

*sigh*


*************

Pominville, along with Vanek and maybe Drew Stafford, are what's left of Darcy Regier's core, the core of players that were to lead this team after the 2007 off-season. Jochen Hecht, although not one of the "Rochester guys" like those three, is "core-like."

The definition of "the core" for Buffalo fans is soft-but-skilled and wilting under pressure.

And the only way owner Terry Pegula will move this team forward is to continue removing players that are defined like that.

The team has already peeled away Derek Roy and Paul Gaustad. And it may be time for another one to exit.

The Colorado Avalanche are at an impasse with RFA center, Ryan O'Reilly.

Rumor has it that the 'Lanche are looking to move the 22 yr. old. The asking price? A roster player and a top prospect, according to TSN's Darren Dreger.

And, I like the way CBSSportsline's Adam Gretz is approaching the situation when he writes, "If you're the general manager of an NHL team that's in need of a young, two-way center and you're not doing everything in your power to land restricted free agent Ryan O'Reilly , you're simply not doing your job.

Buffalo's Pominville fits the bill for the "roster player" portion of the equation. He's also a winger, which is an area of need for the organization. And he's not chopped liver either.

He's about as consistent as they come. As poor as his play has been the last six game, he will bounce back and he will probably hit his .80 points/game career average. He will also be there on the penalty kill and the powerplay. In fact, Avs head coach could probably squeeze more production out of Pominville by putting him on the half-wall instead of the point on the power play.

Pominville should have a long, consistently productive career in the NHL with the style of hockey that he plays. He may even end up being a key contributor on a cup-winning team some day.

That's fine.

But Sabres fans really have seen enough of "the core" and "core-like" players. We know all about them having seen a team full of them for the last six seasons. And we also know where this will probably end up--missing the playoffs again.

If  Pegula is intent upon changing the culture of the Buffalo Sabres, the dismantling of Regier's core should continue.

And if he and his GM are hell-bent upon sticking with their head coach, than a two-way center like O'Reilly should be vigorously pursued.

As for the "top-prospect" portion of the rumor, according to hockey's future the Avalanche are thin on the wing, just like the Sabres. So they'd probably be looking to bolster that area of the organization.

Surely a prospect like Joel Armia, would catch Colorado's eye. Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com has him rated as the #1 prospect in the system. But that may be asking too much.

Winger Corey Tropp, #7 according to Baker, is injured.

Looking to Rochester, perhaps Regier could convince Avalanche GM that center Luke Adam fits the bill.

Although not a "prospect" any more, Adam is still only 22 yrs. old. At 6'2", 205 lbs. he has NHL size and he is a former AHL Rookie of the Year.

As of right now Adam is parked behind centers Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson and rookie Mikhail Grigorenko on the top-nine depth-chart and the team would rather he get loads of ice-time in Rochester.

Regier really needs to get working on this, if the rumors are true. He just got an extension from Pegula largely based upon (it's assumed) the transactions he's made since Pegula took over nearly two years ago.

And he needs to continue re-tooling this team while saying goodbye to his "vaunted" core.


*************

A week or so ago, I did a piece on four players who I felt should be sent to the minors--Jochen Hecht, Matt Ellis, Jhonas Enroth and Nathan Gerbe.

Since then, Ellis was waived and cleared. He's now with Rochester.

Enroth will continue to be nailed to the bench during this next stretch of games because there are reasonable breaks for Miller.

Hecht is still on the team. And he's still logging top-nine minutes as Grigorenko sits in the press box. Hecht really needs to go, in my opinion.  He is a "core-like" player, first and foremost, but his game is fading fast.

Three years ago he was one of the Sabres' best two-way players, notching 21 goals and 21 assists. Since then he's been in serious decline.

He may never score a goal this year. He reminds me of Rob Neidermayer, without the ring, in the twilight of his career with the Sabres. He also has a knack for getting open, like former Sabre Mike Grier did. And, like Grier, he can't seem to finish.

Yet, he's still on the team. And probably worst of all, he's like an opiate for Lindy Ruff.

Move on.

And then there's Gerbe.

Gerbe's played his best hockey of the season the last three games. He has assists in back-to-back games, is in the plus column (+1,) and Ruff is using him more--on the second PP unit as well as a bit on the PK. In fact the past four games his ice-time has nearly doubled.

Perhaps he was still recovering from back-surgery to start the year and he wasn't fully recovered earlier, but he looks like a different player out there. He's regained his "dog nipping at your ankle" attitude.

You can see that his timing is still off, but he's skating with a sense of purpose. He knows what to do, it's just a matter of what the opposition will allow and how he'll get it done.

Yesterday he streaked down the right wing and launched a perfect rebound-shot which went directly to Ott who was barrelling towards the net. Ott buried it and the Sabres went up by a goal.

Gerbe is the "ultimate underdog" and has more heart than all of "the core" combined. Perhaps we jumped the gun on wanting him waived a week ago.


*************

A few other quick notes:

• Tyler Ennis has sick hands. What he does with the puck in tight quarters is amazing. At 23 he still has some growing to do, but right now he may have the best hands on the team.
• Cody Hodgson has incredible on-ice vision. He has a great set of hands and can skate real well too. At 22 he also has some work to do, but as an offensive package, he has the tools to be a top-line center in the NHL.
• Robyn Regehr may be playing the best hockey of his tenure in Buffalo over the past few games. Yeah, we know speed isn't a strength, but everything else seems to be in place--positioning, attitude, leadership--and it really seems to be helping Tyler Myers.
• Speaking of Myers. He's come back full-throttle after his two-game benching and looks to be just a notch below his Calder-winning rookie year. He's moving the puck up ice with authority, playing well in his own end and jumping into the play correctly. He still looks like a baby giraffe at times, but he seems to be on the upswing. And that's a good thing for the Sabres.

*************

Is it too early in the shortened season to consider Tuesday's match-up versus Winnipeg as a must-win?

Nope.

At 6-9-1 a third of the way into the season, the Sabres have dug themselves a hole once again. Which makes yesterday's loss to Pittsburgh--and zero points--even more bitter.

A Valiant Effort



Paul Gaustad knew what needed to be done. Or felt that he needed to challenge Milan Lucic. And he did on their first shift. And he took a pretty good beating. Good thing it was real early, Lucic wasn't warmed up yet, “It was my first shift, you know,’’ he said. “It’s kinda tough to get angry.’’



The girls' reaction in the second row says it all.
Everyone knew what Gaustad was in for
tangling with Milan Lucic, but it didn't matter.
The effort was appreciated
througout Buffalo.



Gaustad earned some respect, though. As did the Sabres even though they eventually dropped a 4-3 decision to Boston in a shootout.

After the game, Lucic was asked about Gaustad and the fight, "It was straight to the point," he said. Teammate Chara gave props to Goose, "You have to give Gaustad credit," Chara said. "He's a stand-up guy and he did a good job for his team. So did Looch."

Gaustad and the team earned back the respect of their fans as well. The 18,690 in attendance and those of us watching loved it, even though they knew the outcome of the Goose/Looch fight. As John Vogl of the Buffalo News put it, "What mattered was their team was back from the land of kittens and custard."

Goose also came in mid-way through the first to pound Brad Marchand into the boards after Marchand nailed Nathan Gerbe with a check. The B's descended upon Goose and Corey Tropp like a pack of wolves with fists flying. Amongst the Bruins on the ice were some pretty tough customers like Adam McQuaid and Johnny Boychuk.





Out of the melee' came Zdeno Chara and Robyn Regehr. Regehr, who's not the greatest fighter took some lumps from the 6'9" Chara, but managed to sneak in a punch or two himself.

Regehr has always been well respected throughout the league, and it's a good thing he was out there.

The Sabres as a team acquitted themselves very well in what turned out to be an old-school, Adams Division-type rumble for a period and a half. The played some pretty inspired hockey and they didn't back down despite the fact that they were clearly outnumbered in the manly-man category.

For as small as he is,
Nathan Gerbe's heart can
fill the entire F'N Center.

Gerbe, the shortest player in the ice, had eight hits on the game, which isn't all that surprising considering that's the game he plays, "That's fun to play, I'll tell you that much," said the Sabres forward. "Those games are awesome. It's fun to play. It's fun to compete."

That attitude, along with Gaustad manning up early, got their blood pumping to the point where they lead the game by two goals twice, 2-0 and 3-1, but just couldn't bury the defending Stanley Cup Champions with that third one.

Nor could they protect a one-goal lead in the third. Nor could they score in overtime or the shootout.

But all-in-all they played one of their best games of the season, especially in the first period.

For all the purported skill Darcy Regier was supposed to have stocked the team with, they're still not quite as skilled as he believes them to be.

Thomas Vanek scored on a wicked wrist shot to put the Sabres up 2-0. He's got mad skills, although he'd love to have the shot that Chara blocked back. Maybe put some air under it.

Christian Ehrhoff showed why the Sabres went after him. His game-opening goal was a blast from the point through a thick screen in front of Tim Thomas.

Other than that, lack of finish still seems to haunt this team.

The Bruins are a tough match-up for the Sabres. The B's beat them the first time with intimidation and the second time with just a little more skill and finish.

It's not an egregious mismatch, by any stretch, but a tweak or two may be in order if they want to match up with the champs.

The Sabres should in no way hang their heads after their defeat. They gave it all they had, and now need to find it within themselves to sustain that level of play they showed in the first period and a half throughout an entire game.

Although Brad Marchand got leveled
by Thomas Vanek on this play,
he got up and scored seconds later.
The mark of a champion.

There's no better team than the Boston Bruins to emulate now. They had their Lucic/Ryan Miller moment when Marc Savard was nailed by Matt Cooke and there was no response. Eventually they did with Shawn Thorton going after Cooke. And from then on they built themselves into a Stanley Cup Champion.

It's a long way to Tipperary, and these two games with the Bruins showed just how far the Sabres need to go. The team has some really solid pieces, strong goaltending and some skill up-front. They proved last night, as they've proven on more than one occasion before, that they can play a physical game.

They just need a piece or two to be able to come out on top in an Adams Division-type rumble.

~~~~~~~~~~

Jochen Hecht made his debut last night and showed his savvy. He had Mike Grier-like moments last night where he somehow got in on Thomas only to be denied.

Sabres d-man TJ Brennan
celebrates his first goal in
his first NHL game.

TJ Brennan got thrown into the fire and played a real strong game. He was strong on the puck in his own end and moved the puck out of trouble on a number of occasions. His goal, in his first NHL game, was a combination of savvy and skill as he jumped into an opening and buried his shot from the slot.

~~~~~~~~~~

From bostonherald.com:

If Lucic-Miller was the big story of the previous Bruins-Sabres meeting in Boston, Brad Marchand’s interactions with Sabres forward Derek Roy was an interesting sub-plot. Throughout that game, Marchand pestered Roy with little shoves and hooks before and after the whistle, and non-stop trash talk.



“He does a good job at it,” said Roy. “There are only a few guys in the league who can do what he does.


“It doesn’t bother me. People have being doing that stuff to me since was a kid. You’re used to it and you just shrug it off. You can’t worry about what he’s doing on the ice, just what you’re trying to do.”

It should be interesting to note that with the Sabres up 3-2 early in the third period, Roy was called for hooking behind the Buffalo net. Zdeno Chara scored on the ensuing powerplay to tie up the game.

Nate Gerbe Abuses the Sens Stephane DaCosta

Man.

Nathan Gerbe takes Sens forward Stephane DaCosta's lunch-money.





Not a bad baseball swing by Jordan Leopold either.

Sabres 2011/12 Season Preview Part 3--The Forwards

Two areas of weakness were exposed last season in the playoffs: veteran, top-four talent on defense and the lack of a true #1 center up front.

The former, being somewhat easier to fill than the latter, was addressed in a matter of a few days as the team traded for Robyn Regehr and the rights to Christian Ehrhoff whom they signed soon thereafter.

Buffalo was in the running for the only bonafide #1 center on the free agent market, Brad Richards, but Richards opted to sign with the NY Rangers. GM Darcy Regier immediately implemented Plan B and signed former Philadelphia winger Ville Leino whom the team plans to play at center.

The whole Leino signing was a head-scratcher--from a return to his preferred position at center, to the length and term of his 6-year/$27m contract. But Head Coach Lindy Ruff, having watched Leino's work up close for seven games versus the Flyers in the playoffs, saw enough to be convinced that Leino will work at center for the team.

With that in mind, we take a look at the forwards heading into the 2011/12 season starting with the centers.

Ville Leino, now a Buffalo Sabre
celebrates his overtime game-winner
in Game 6 of last year's playoffs.

Ville Leino--What Ruff saw against Philadelphia in the playoffs was Leino often times playing down low as a center. He saw a gifted passer who could hang on to the puck while waiting for trailers. And what he also saw is a player who could get himself into position to bury the puck in crucial situations as evidenced by Leino's overtime game-winner in Game 6 with the Flyers on the brink of elimination.

Leino's journey to a fixture on the Sabres for the next six years has been long and full of ups and downs. Going forward, this season presents a whole new set of circumstances that he'll need to adjust to. He's going from big-city Philly to small-city Buffalo. He's moving from wing to center. His contract goes from $825K to $4.5M. But the saving grace for him, as he plays under the microscope in Buffalo, will be that he's replacing former Sabre Tim Connolly. Connolly was a whipping boy, deservedly or not, for a number of years and it won't take much for Leino to endear himself to the fan base and media in Buffalo.

One would expect Leino to surpass his 19 goals and 34 assists from last season, but to expect a breakout year may be asking too much. It will take some time for him to adjust. His capacity and desire to learn and grow in his new role will be key. Should he adapt well, it's not out of the question to see him pick things up in the latter part of the season and into the playoffs.

Derek Roy may find himself not
wearing a letter on his sweater.
Will it affect his game?

Derek Roy--A fixture in the top-six for the Sabres since 2007, Roy will continue in his role as 1A center on the team. There's no denying his consistent point production over that span and were it not for a season ending injury last year, he'd have been near the top of the Sabres scoring once again.

It's never been about production when it comes to Roy, though. It's always been whether or not he can ditch the sophomoric tendencies that he's clinged to since his placement in the top-six. As the season went on last year he seemed to ditch the immaturity--the diving, the complaining to referees--and was looking like a complete player.

Roy has always seemed to be at odds with Ruff and how he wants his team to play. In direct contrast to the team game Ruff wants to see, over the years we've seen too much of "Dipsy-doodle Derek" and his dangling-puck showmanship. Once again, though, that seemed to be abating last season before Roy's injury.

This is a signature moment for Roy as to how he's perceived by not only Ruff, but his teammates as well. The team went on a tear to reach the playoffs last season with him on the sidelines and the mantle of leadership may pass him by. He may not wear a letter this season and how he handles all of this may be a determining factor as to how he fits in to the Sabres plans beyond the season.

There's a new core rising and a set of leaders that are more in-tune with Ruff's five-men-as-a-unit concept than Roy seems to be.

Make no mistake, Derek Roy is a valuable component to the team as he's on the ice in all situations. Whether or not he can accept his diminished status and lead without being expected to be a leader is another story.

Sabres Alternate Captain,
Paul Gaustad, may not get big
minutes, but he's still a big man
 both on and off of the ice.

Paul Gaustad--"Goose" will anchor the bottom-six and dependent upon who's in the line up he'll either be on the third line or fourth line. Regardless of where he plays, he'll be expected to provide two things:  leadership and proficiency on the dot.

The 6'5", 225lb center has a presence about him both on and off of the ice. Were it not for his bottom-six role, he'd probably be the captain of the team, though it doesn't really matter. 

Gaustad will be looked to for his typical 10-15 goals and 30 points and as well as the staunch defense of his teammates in hostile situations. We'll also see him on the dot in a crucial face off situation as well.

"Goose" is a consummate veteran. He knows his role on the team and leads by example on the ice. We know he'll never be a "Jumbo" Joe Thorton in the scoring department, but he has shown the capacity to be a lesser Johan "The Mule" Franzen and I wouldn't be surprised if Gaustad's numbers took a decent jump if we see him centering the likes of Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Kaleta, a trio that worked together during the off season. That line has been solid lately.

Luke Adam--The determining factor as to whether or not, and where, Adam plays is the health of Jochen Hecht. Hecht still is not fully recovered from an inadvertent hit to the head by teammate Shaone Morrisonn early in training camp.

One thing we do know is that Adam is making strong push to be in the lineup for Friday's season opener versus Anaheim in Finland.

WGR beat reporter Paul Hamilton is adamant about the progress made by Adam ever since he was removed from linemates Zack Kassian and Marcus Foligno (both who've been sent Rochester) and placed in a top-six role centering Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville (WGR audio 11:24-mark.) Adam seems to be much quicker and his hockey sense is getting much sharper and he seems to be adapting well to the speed of the game.

It remains to be seen just what Ruff will do on opening night, but there's a good possibility that Adam, because Hecht will not be in the lineup, will be a part of the roster, not in a bottom-six role, but up top. We know the kid can score and be a force in the AHL, what remains to be seen is what he can do with the big boys.

Jochen Hecht--As one of the Sabres best two-way forwards, Hecht will find himself in the bottom-six once he returns to from his concussion. Ruff really likes him because of his two-way play and because of his defensive work. But Hecht is no slouch when it comes to scoring. Twice in the past four years he's scored over 20 goals and he's averaged 40 points over the past six seasons.

Sabres fans cringe at the though of Hecht at center and would rather see him on the wing (actually most, because of his $3.5M salary, would like to see him gone.) Having Hecht in a bottom-six role for the last year of his contract is not a bad thing for the team, no matter what position he plays, and you can look for him to be a big part of the Sabres' penalty kill.

Left Wing and the Emerging Youngins 

Both left and right wings are loaded with talent on this edition of the Buffalo Sabres. But we'll move over to left wing and start with a player who's considered the biggest scoring threat on the team as of now...

Thomas Vanek looks good with
the "A" on his sweater. What else
is in store for the winger?

Thomas Vanek--Vanek has performed extremely well for the team as he continues on a path to a complete player. A lot has transpired since his early years with the Sabres both with the team and for Vanek himself.

He has passed through a multitude of thresholds which saw him go from being benched in the playoffs early in his career, to being a consistent threat over the last two playoff seasons and has probably matured more than any other "core" Sabre over that timespan. He has gone from bearing the weight of his ridiculous (at the time) contract to shouldering the mantle of leadership last season. And he's gone from pure offense to a player who Ruff may look to on the penalty kill (see 1:50 mark of WGR audio clip here).

Thomas Vanek has never scored less than 25 goals in his NHL career. He's surpassed 30 goals four times reaching 40 or more twice. And he can score in many ways including a wicked slapshot or a tip in while being harassed in front of the net.

Vanek also seems poised to take the reigns of leadership this season as he's being seriously considered for the captaincy of the team (which would be my personal choice.) Last off-season he took Drew Stafford under his wing and staff produced 31 goals in 62 games. This preseason he's been seen talking Luke Adam through the game, and Adam is poised to be on the opening night roster.

His maturation process has been fraught with pitfalls as he tried to live up to that mammoth contract he signed in 2007. He's now four years removed from that and seems comfortable with who he is and confident in his game.

He may not wear the "C" this season, but you can bet that he'll be wearing an "A" like he did last season. And one should expect continued production from him and his linemates as well as continued growth in his overall game.

Tyler Ennis--The charge of the yougins starts on the back-end with Tyler Myers. Up-front "the other Tyler" joins his namesake as "the new core" for the Buffalo Sabres.

"Greazy" is how Lindy Ruff
described Tyler Ennis last season.
As shown after his overtime game-
winner in Game 5 versus the
Flyers, the kids' got game.

Ennis had a very strong rookie season for the Sabres last year scoring 20 goals and adding 29 assists. This was after netting three goals and garnering six assists during a 10-game stint the previous season.

Ennis also showed he can contribute in the playoffs with three goals and five assists in 13 games and can be a clutch player as evidenced by his Game-5 overtime winner versus the Flyers last season.

The former center who now plays on the wing will be expected to be Ville Leino's "Daniel Briere" this season. Leino and Briere, along with Scott Hartnell made for a formidable line in Philly.

It's a lot of responsibility for the (soon to be, like, tomorrow) 22 year old, but Ennis seems like the type of player who has enough confidence in his game to handle it.

What would constitute a breakout year for the 5'9", 160lb center? Who knows? He'll be adapting to a new center who's new to his position as well. Hell, we're not even sure of any line combinations at this point. But if Ennis were to equal or surpass his regular season output and continue to produce in the playoffs, I'd say that's a damn good start to his career.

Nathan Gerbe--At one point last season it looked as if Gerbe and his 5'5", 180lb frame would be shipped to the AHL because of his inconsistent/poor play. But a funny thing happened on the way to Portland--he got "it" and stuck with the big club.

Late in December he added consistency to his game and it built his confidence. Then in January he started scoring some goals, which furthered his confidence. Then, as the team was transitioning to new ownership on a three-game home losing streak, he buried a puck at center ice as a way to end the team's home futility. The team finished with a 9-1-2 home record after that punctuated by a win versus Philadelphia in the last home game of the regular season. Gerbe netted the game-tying goal on this wicked backhand:





Still young and finding his game, the short, stocky fireplug exudes leadership and a fierceness that his teammates feed off of. He'll be relegated to third-line minutes this season behind Vanek and Ennis, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him hit the 20 goal, 40 point mark. In addition, you'll see Gerbe on the ice during the power play and on the penalty kill. He's also earned the confidence of Ruff to where he'll be on the ice in crucial game-ending situations.

Gerbe, unlike last season, is not being taken lightly by anyone in hockey. He's mentioned behind the likes of Ehrhoff and Leino, Vanek, Ennis and Myers, Pominville and Roy and Miller. But he is being mentioned as an impact player for the team.

Cody McCormick--A fan favorite because of his blue-collar, balls-to-the-wall style of play. McCormick is energy and on the fourth line, he'll provide it. He can score as well.

The versatile forward will be playing either center or left wing for the club dependent upon the health of the Sabres forwards. But no matter where he plays, you can bet he'll be playing smash-mouth hockey to the applause of Sabres fans.

Big Money On the Right Wing

$5.3M, $4M and $4M.

Those are the cap-hits for top-nine RW's Jason Pominville, Drew Stafford and Brad Boyes respectively. All of them have hit the 30-goal plateau at one point in their careers (Boyes netted 43 one season,) yet one of these $4M+ players will be "relegated" to third-line minutes. Which, when put into perspective, is a good thing when the Sabres roll three, maybe four, lines.


Jason Pominville--Arguably the Sabres best two-way forward and a strong candidate to wear the "C."

Pomville is rock-solid in all facets of the game--top-line winger, 1st unit power play, 1st unit penalty kill and go-to guy in the waning minutes of a tight game. His understated style of play goes largely unnoticed by the causal fan and his $5.3M contract is often times said to be albatross-like.

"Pommer" is paid what he's paid. That's it. Whether grossly overpaid or not is up for discussion, but there's no denying that his all around game is sorely missed when he's not on the ice, something that's was a rarity up until last season as he played full seasons in the four years prior to last season.

The biggest hit to the team in his absence was on the penalty kill last season and in the playoffs as well. As a quiet scorer, he's somehow managed to average .80 points per game over the last five seasons including 80 points in 2007/08. In the four years prior to last, he's never had less than 20 goals or 62 points.

Pominville is comfortable in himself and his game and has the respect of both coach and teammates. He will be wearing a letter like he's done for the past four seasons. And a letter looks right on his uniform.

Were Drew Staffords numbers
last season an aberration?
Or will it be the norm?

Drew Stafford--"The Enigma" Just what "Staff" will bring to the table this season is not known. We do know that his inconsistencies over the past three seasons have been maddening.

Will he use his 6'2", 215lb frame to the fullest? Will he continue to work the corners with velcro on his stick? How will he mesh with his probable linemates Ennis and Leino? Can we expect him to score in bunches and possibly surpass his 31 goals from last season? Is he capable of 40 goals? Will he be able to transfer regular season success into the playoffs?

Maybe it all hinges upon whether or not he put his "guitar-hero" dreams on hold to focus on hockey. He said he did that last year and he scored at a half-a-goal/game clip.

He's always had the tools, but rarely showed desire up until last season.

Staff will be looked upon as a key cog in the Sabres offense this season. And it's good to see that Ruff has enough faith in his defensive game to put him out on the penalty kill.

What it comes down to with Stafford is whether he wants to be John Leclair or Steve Bernier.

Brad Boyes--The former 40 goal scorer may be the one to end up with third line minutes. But, more importantly, Boyes will be playing on the wing instead of center.

Ruff has said on more than one occasion that without Boyes, the Sabres may not have made the playoffs. And that's true.

As for the playoffs? Simply put--fail. Was it because of his position? or was it because he just doesn't have what it takes to succeed in the post season?

Boyes' lone 40-goal season came when "the New NHL" was still alive back in the 2007/08 season. It was still a hands-off league at the time and perimeter players were able to put up points without interference from the opposition. But the league has changed and it's tougher to score goals. Many now, just like in the playoffs, coming from the "bloody nose" areas down low. And, so far, Boyes hasn't shown a willingness to go into those areas.

If that changes, and he can at least provide 20-25 goals playing third-line minutes, the Sabres top-nine will give the opposition fits.

Patrick Kaleta--Stay healthy and don't get stupid.

Everyone knows Kaleta's game. He is the gadfly, the antagonist, the pest that the opposition hates. Buffalonians love him though. And it helps that he's a native.

Kaleta's problem, due to who he is and his style of play, has been injuries. Not once over the past four seasons has he played more than 55 games.

But, the kid knows his role and he provides a 60-minute motor in overdrive on the energy line. He can score goals and put up points, but will never be confused with Dale Hunter or Claude Lemieux, but if he can channel his energies more in the direction of production instead of destruction, he may surprise a lot of people.

Matt "Friggen" Ellis--Ellis will straddle the AHL and NHL this season. When he plays in Rochester, which will be most of the season, he'll be their captain. When he's up in Buffalo he'll be logging fourth-line energy minutes and displaying a knack for working the corners and playing keep away along the wall. A character guy through and through, Ellis is a good player to have in the organization, one who not only accepts his role, but relieshes it.

Lindy Ruff and Chan Gailey Have One Thing In Common

All in all, the 2011/12 edition of the Buffalo Sabres is deep up front with one persistent hole--#1 center. Their strength is on the wings and the fact that at least three of the four lines will represent a threat to score will help negate their lone weakness.

They have scorers, two-way players, size, skill, energy and some attitude. As constructed they'll need to embrace the philosophy of "the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts" to reach the promised land.

One should expect that this team's style of play up-front will be leaning towards the "Ferrari" of the 2006/07 team where Ruff rolled four lines while saying "stop me if you can." They don't have top-two centers like Briere and Drury, but they have plenty of speed and more grit up-front than that edition.

Lindy Ruff's line combinations will be a work in progress, as injuries and chemistry affect them. And he gets angry when lines are mentioned as first, second, third...etc.

What he's probably looking at are forwards that are interchangeable in his "five-men-as-a-unit" scheme. Looking for forwards to be all-in no matter which role they find themselves. Looking for them to play "out of character" and willing to do what's necessary in any given situation. Looking for as much desire in their own zone as they have in the opposition's.

Chan Gailey, head coach of the Buffalo Bills, has been able to hide offensive deficiencies through his game planning. His weaknesses on the o-line have been covered to the point where the team has one of the most highly rated offenses in the league. This is without a "franchise" quarterback.

The Sabres will be looking to do the same thing. Without a true #1 center up front, Ruff will be hiding that deficiency through depth.

And as the Boston Bruins proved last season without their #1 center, Marc Savard, it can work.

Like the Top-Six...

...the Buffalo Sabres Bottom-Six has holes down the middle.

Holes down the middle has been a theme since 2008 when we found out that Derek Roy and Tim Connolly would not adequately fill the skates of the departed Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. And if you can't fill the top-two properly, the bottom-two will be affected as well.

About the only thing we know for sure when it comes to the bottom-two centers is that Paul Gaustad will be one of them.

The masses chortle GM Darcy Regier for giving an essentially #4 center $2.5M/year and they're somewhat right.

"The Goose" lets loose as he tangle with the
Flyers Scott Hartnell in Game-2 of the
2011 playoffs.

The former 7th-round pick (2000) has the size at 6'4", 225lbs and aggressiveness to be a strong physical presence on the ice and is considered a leader on the team wearing the "A" on his sweater.

"Goose" does a lot of the little things on the ice like sticking up for his teammates and is the team's best face off man, yet we always are left wanting something more than his 12-goal seasons. Fact is, he may not be capable of scoring more than that, which puts him in the bottom-six.

The Sabres have a big body in Gaustad who displays strong on-ice leadership and tenacity in the face off circle. As he enters into the final year of his contract, "Goose" is a Buffalo Sabre and probably will remain as one for his career. Not a bad thing, but a little salary adjustment downward for the center would probably be appropriate.

Gaustad as a #4 center would be ideal, but they still have a hole in the #3 slot.

Last season Rob Niedermayer was the #3 and the Sabres showed incredible patience with the veteran, cup-winning centerman as it took him 53 games to score his first goal of the season. In the playoffs, though, Niedermayer showed why the Sabres signed him as he provided a very steadying influence throughout the 7-game series loss vs. Philadelphia.

As mentioned in a previous blog, under the right conditions, bringing "Nieds" back would be a good thing.

Another player that might fill the #3 center position would be current UFA Tim Connolly.

Connolly has taken a beating over the past four or five seasons both literally and figuratively as he tried to fill a top-six center role. He may be shot to the point where he'd thrive in a bottom-six role as a defensive-minded, penalty-killing #3. But, coming off of a $4.5M/year contract, as well as a lot of guff from Sabreland, it would be easy for one to think that he'll move on for more money and a fresh start.

Jochen Hecht showing some spunk as he
tangles with the Bolts' Vinny Lecavalier.

Then there's Jochen Hecht.

Hecht is a utility-man up-front who's best position is wing. As a very smart, very versatile two-way player, Hecht would be welcome on the Sabres in a third-line role. Problem is, the Sabres are very strong on the wings, especially LW, his natural position.

Would the team want to pay $3.5M to a #3 center who's alternated between very good and very poor over the past four seasons? Have injuries caught up with him? Would the Sabres be able to trade him and his salary?

I like Jochen Hecht as a player and wouldn't have much of a problem with him as that third-line center. He has one more year on his contract and with the salary cap expected to climb into the $62-$64M range it wouldn't be that difficult for the team to keep him and still remain within whatever fiscal parameters Terry Pegula decides upon. After this season, the team can look towards filling that #3 slot with a Ron Francis/Rod Brind'Amour-type, cup-winner if need-be.

Nate Gerbe watches his playoff-
clinching backhander April 8, 2011.

With that in mind, we'll fill out the wings on the bottom-six:

• LW Nathan Gerbe really kicked it in gear in the 2011 portion of the season. The light-switch seemed to come on after a sub-par, bordering on brutal, first half of the season. But the kid's a winner and seems to have a penchant for the dramatic as witnessed by his game-winning/playoff-clinching, no-look back-hander from the slot vs. Philadelphia in the second-last game of the regular season. He still has work to do and a move up to the top-six would be a strong possibility were it not for the presence of Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis on the left side, but ya gotta love what the kid brings to the table.
• LW Cody McCormick is another FA, only unrestricted. Rumor has it that he's looking for a big (relatively speaking) pay day. As a fourth-liner, I'd like to see the Sabres re-sign him.
• RW Patrick Kaleta is a banger and it looks as if he may be in for a short career. He has four full NHL seasons under his belt and has yet to play more than 55 games. With his style of play, it wouldn't be much of reach to think that he'll have the same problems this season. A fourth-line agitator role would be ideal for the kid, playing 8-10 minutes per game.

With the probable retirement of veteran RW Mike Grier and no NHL-ready RW in the AHL, there seems to be an opening at #3.

Would the Sabres use 2011 trade-deadline acquisition Brad Boyes in that slot? That would be $4M there, and if they use Hecht as a third-line center, we're talking $7.5M tied up in two slots on the third line. I cannot see that happening even with Pegula taking off the financial constraints.

Boyes and Hecht are two sides of the same coin--Boyes supposedly the offensive side, Hecht the defensive side--so the team would not be adding anything special for the amount they'd be spending.

One or the other would need to go, and my guess is that it would be Boyes.

As for depth wingers, there will be plenty to choose from in the off-season, Matt Ellis, should he re-sign would be capable of filling in. We'll also probably see Zack Kassian and Marcus Foligno get a taste of the NHL as well.

the buffalosabresnow 2011/12 roster foundation:


Goalie:

• Ryan Miller
• Jhonas Enroth

Defense:

• 1st-pairing: Tyler Myers, ?
• 2nd-pairing: Jordan Leopold, Chris Butler
• 3rd-pairing: Mike Weber, Marc-Andre Gragnani
• reserve: ?

Top-Six Forwards:

• Thomas Vanek, ?, Jason Pomminville
• Tyler Ennis, Derek Roy, Drew Stafford

Bottom-Six Forwards:

• Nate Gerbe, Jochen Hecht, ?
• Cody McCormick, Paul Gaustad, Patrick Kaleta

Terry Pegula--"I Want To Keep Not Only Statistically Good Players...

...but winners, gritty players."

So spoke the Grand Pegubah as he officially took over the Buffalo Sabres on February 22, 2011.

I've used the term "anti-core" on many occasions to describe a player who's the antithesis of the "soft-but-skilled," easy to play against core player that GM Darcy Regier has filled his team with.

The above quote from Pegula is in and of itself "anti-core."

Would Pegula have agreed with Regier when the latter said that the Sabres had "two of the top-20 centers in the league" at the 2009/10 post-season presser?

Nate Gerbe has a heart bigger than Zdneo Chara

You do the math. But that discussion is for another day.

This is about 5'5", 170 lb. Nathan Gerbe.

The restricted free agent may never have the stats of a Derek Roy nor does he have the pedigree that made him the #5-overall pick in his draft like Tim Connolly was in 1999. But he's got attributes that Roy and Connolly lack like intestinal fortitude and heart. Gerbe, unlike the core, skates with a sense of purpose, not a sense of entitlement.

He was a winner in college and he's the first of three consecutive Dudley "Red" Garrett Award Winner for AHL Rookie of the Year.

"Who needs the Hobey Baker?
 I've got the national championship,"

Gerbe is also doing things that could (operative word here) be the stuff of legend like burying a puck at center ice to get the team out of it's home-funk and potting a wicked back-hand top-shelf to ensure a spot in the playoffs for the team.

In a 2-0 win vs. Montreal, Gerbe scored both goals including an empty-netter that was done through junk-yard dog determination.

There's his two goals in a Sabres-team record five seconds vs. the NY Islanders and his unhappiness with how that game went.

All of this after he pulled himself from the precipice of benching and/or possible demotion.

Put it all together and Nathan Gerbe embodies the qualities that Terry Pegula wants.

How long will he sign for? Because of Gerbe's early struggles Regier will have options in both term and dollars. He could even tuck the kid under UFA status with a two year deal and keep Gerbe as an RFA at the end of it. Coming of his $850K entry-level deal, he should be in the fold for somewhere between $1-1.5M.

Regardless of what happens with this contract, in his blogger's eyes Gerbe should eventually be a fixture in the Buffalo Sabres line-up for years to come.

The Pegula Rewards Program buffalosabresnow list:


GM, Darcy Regier--No
Head Coach Lindy Ruff--Yes
Director of Amateur Scouting Kevin Devine--Yes


UFA Players:

Tim Connolly--No
Steve Montador--No
Mike Grier--Yes, in a front office role
Rob Niedermayer--Yes, if the Sabres are contenders
Cody McCormick--Yes
Matt Ellis--Yes, in two-way contract
Patrick Lalime--No
Mark Mancari--No


RFA Players:

Drew Stafford--Yes
Andrej Sekera--No
Mike Weber--Yes
Marc-Andre Gragnani--Yes
Chris Butler--Yes
Jhonas Enroth--Yes
Nathan Gerbe--Yes

Nathan Gerbe Spin-o-Rama Goal

Here's to you, Daniel Carcillo.

Nathan Gerbe epitomizes the city of Buffalo in the eyes of the sportsworld. He's a hard-woking guy who really gets no respect.

Last night Flyers pest, Daniel Carcillo, condescendingly gave Gerbe a "good little boy" pat on the head with the Flyers ahead in the game and seemingly in control.

Midway through the third period, Gerbe repaid that bone-headed move with one of the best goals of the year in the entire NHL.

Not to make this too much about Carcillo, because yesterday as a whole was a landmark in Sabres lore, but Carcillo has a flare for stupidity.

Back on April 25, 2009, Carcillo's hubris got the best of him and his team against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With the Flyers in complete control of the game and the Wachovia Center rocking, Carcillo dropped the gloves with Max Talbot. In a somewhat spirited bout, Carcillo got the better of Talbot and headed to the box arms-a-pumpin' much to the delight of the home crowd.

It was an unecessary fight and/or taunt and was a turning point in the game as the Penguins scored five unanswered goals to win the series 4-2.
http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030146

But. Enough of that.



Here's to Nate Gerbe and the Buffalo Sabres.

~~~ADDENDUM~~~

From John Vogl, the Sabres Edge, April 14, 2011:

PHILADELPHIA -- Nathan Gerbe is short. He always has been. It's likely the 5-foot-5 Buffalo forward hears cracks about his size on the ice all the time, but Philadelphia's Daniel Carcillo took it to another level during the teams' last meeting. The Flyers' agitator patted Gerbe on top of the head, a move that aggravated Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.

Gerbe insisted today it didn't bother him.


"No, not at all," Gerbe said after preparing for Game One of the teams' playoff series tonight. "I’ve heard it since Day One of my life, so it’s something I’ve lived with, I’ve rolled with, and other players I know in this league have, too. It’s something you have to go through.


"It doesn’t bug me. I’m a small player, you can’t be surprised."


Gerbe got the last word in Friday's game, scoring a dynamic spin-o-rama goal midway through the third period to tie a game the Sabres won in overtime, 4-3.


"I don’t how me patting somebody on their head sparks a team," Carcillo said today. "But, you know, the kid made a pretty nice move and got lucky with it going off [defenseman Danny] Syvret’s stick. It is what it is. I don’t really have much to say about that.


"That’s your guys’ job is to magnify everything, you know? Ours is to try and keep it as even-keel as we can."


Gerbe says he won't have much to say to Carcillo, but it's certainly a matchup worth watching.


"You have to take a lot of hits, maybe some whacks and stuff after the play, but you’re going to have to suck it up and keep going," Gerbe said. "You’ve got to remember that the team is bigger than any individual player. I don’t care about getting Carcillo back. I’d rather win a game for this team. That’s the biggest thing. We know what kind of player he is, so I’ll just have to stay away from him and let him be."



and they're heading towards the wire

half of a furlong to go...the habs are leading the way by a neck, the sabres and rangers are right there with the cane's a length behind them...the hard-charging maple leafs are still 2 1/2 lengths behind the leader as le' thrash and devils are now all but out of the race...

it's been a stellar 2011 for the sabres as they entered the year 12th in the eastern conference...they went 9-3-1 for the month including a 2-0-1 west coast trip...at the time they were eight points behind the canadians (7th in the conference) and were sitting behind both atlanta and carolina , teams who lost ground during the month...

february saw the team climb again thanx to continued sub-par play from the teams they were chasing...they went 6-4-1 for the month--nothing too remarkable--as the team went through an ownership change with terry pegula taking the reigns...buffalo's road record had greatly out-paced their home record at that point and concern really grew when the sabres lost the first three games (the last three games of the golisano-era) of their six game homestand...

two things happened after their third straight loss:  pegula was officially named new owner of the buffalo sabres and nathan gerbe buried a puck at center-ice, with the full backing of his teammates, to rid them of the "home demons"...

they finished their homestand, and the month of february, by going 2-0-1...it was an exceptional month...not only did pegula and gerbe fit into the equation, but the sabres waived captain craig rivet and traded for forward brad boyes...not to be lost in all of this was the pegula-effect--a sense of family as witnessed by the return of the whole french connection line at his first game as owner...he also gave the organization an unequivocal sense of purpose:  "the reason for the sabers existence is to win the stanley cup"...

the pegula mantra would be tested early in the month of march as the sabres embarked on a seven-game eastern road trip...they would start by facing two teams they were battling with in the playoff bubble--the rangers and the hurricanes (a win and an ot-loss, respectively)...they followed that with some bouts vs. eastern conference heavyweights--the flyers, pens and bruins--and finished the road-trip going a very respectable 4-2-1...

a blow to the sabres family came when french connection sniper, rick "rico" martin died hours before their first home game back from the trip...martin was the consummate player on and off the ice and was a fixture in buffalo for years...it was ironic that the man who was essentially the glue between the past glory and the present for many years would pass after the sabres finally became whole again  french connection line-mate, and prodigal son, rene' robert, skating with martin and fellow line-mate, gilbert perreault at pegula's first game as owner...

after splitting the next two games at home winning the evening of rick martin's passing, the sabres found themselves in 8th place with seven games remaining in the month...with the playoff bubble muddled, the sabres ended the month strong by going 5-1-1including three shutouts (two by ryan miller and one by jhonas enroth) in their last five games...two of the shutouts came against two teams they were chasing--montreal and the rangers...

since terry pegula took over and nathan gerbe buried the puck at center ice, the sabres have gone 7-1-2 and improved their home record to 19-16-4, which shows just how awful they were at hsbc..

now as we head into the final week-and-a-half of the season the buffalo sabres, who at one point early in the year were dead last in the league, sit in seventh place, right behind the canadians with five games to go...

here's a look at where the sabres stood at the beginning of march when we looked at the 7th through 11th place teams in the eastern conference:

• ny rangers--70 pts
• carolina hurricane--67
• buffalo sabres--65
• toronto maple leafs--63
• atlanta thrashers--63

here's a look at the 6th through 9th place teams in the eastern conference:

• montreal canadians--89 pts
• buffalo sabres--87
• ny rangers--87
• carolina hurricanes--84

note:  although the toronto maple leafs sit in 10th place with 82 points and have yet to be mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, it would take at least two epic collapses while they ran the table for them to get in...

here are the remaining schedules broke down into division leader, playoff teams and non-playoff team:

montreal (4):

• division leader--none
• playoff team (1)--chicago
• non-playoff (3)--nj devils, ottawa, toronto

buffalo (5):

• division leader (2)--washington, philly
• playoff team(1)--tampa
• non-playoff (2)--carolina, columbus

ny rangers (4):

• division leader (2)--philly, boston
• playoff--none
• non-playoff (2)--atlanta, nj devils

carolina (5):

• division leader (1)--detroit
• playoff team (2)--buffalo, tampa bay
• non-playoff (2)--ny islanders, atlanta

this weekend will be crucial for all teams involved...montreal faces a strong nj devils team who saved martin brodeur for tonight's game vs. the habs...one would think that former player, jacques lemaire, would like to be a major speed-bump to montreal's playoff positioning...

the sabres have a tough back-to-back...on the road...they face the capitals tonight in washington then travel to carolina to face the hurricanes...

carolina should not be looking past a very strong ny islanders team who have been one of the best teams since the all-star break (they just toppled the ny rangers two days ago)...the canes need to win tonight and need to win tomorrow vs. the sabres...one-point games, at this point will do very little, unless...

the ny rangers falter...and that's what they may be doing...they were shut out by the sabres 1-0 in a hard-fought, playoff-like game on march 30 then were toasted by the aforementioned ny islanders the following night, 6-2...

to complicate matters, henrik "king henrik" lundqvist took a shot just above the pad above his knee and has been hobbled...if that weren't enough, they have a back-to-back beginning tomorrow vs. the eastern conference leading flyers followed by division-leading boston, a team who they beat 1-0 three games ago...ouch...

it's conceivable that on tuesday morning there could be four teams within two points of each other for the 6th through 8th slots in the eastern conference...

w00t!!!