Washington, Somehow, Comes Up With An Effort More Lame Than Buffalo In Columbus

The Columbus game two nights ago was about as pitiful as it gets. It was the most pathetic display of hockey I've ever had the displeasure of witnessing. The 5-1 loss at Columbus was distressing enough, but I brought a friend to the game, his first NHL game. The only redeeming quality was the AC/DC "For those about to rock! (cannon fires) We salute you" goal celebration. He's a huge AC/DC fan.

It's a good thing that the Sabres played the Washington Capitals last night. They might be the only team in the league right now that will put on a pathetic display of hockey that's worse than the Sabres did in Columbus the previous night. And, if you factor in the pure talent-level, the Caps probably put on the worst showing of any team in the NHL this season.

(from l-r) Marc-Andre Gragnani, Brayden McNabb,
and TJ Brennan suit up for the game vs.
the Washington Capitals

Thanks, Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Dennis Wideman and Co. Without your lousy performance last night, the Sabres would be looking at a 0-3-1 record in the last four, a F'N Center home record of 4-7-1, and a spot outside of the top-eight in the Eastern Conference.

And it wouldn't have been surprising to see the Sabres take another hit at home at the hands of the uber-talented Capitals. The Sabres had the ready-made exuse--an inordinate number of injuries.

The Sabres were missing eight regulars and one #7 d-man.

Let's go down the list:

• Tyler Ennis (F,) Injured Reserve, 10-25-11--sprained ankle
• Ryan Miller (G,) IR, 11-14-11--concussion
• Cody McCormick (F,) IR, 11-16-11--"upper body"
• Mike Weber (D,) IR, 11-18-11--"upper body"
• Tyler Myers (D,) IR, 11-23-11--broken wrist
• Pat Kaleta (F,) day-to-day, 11-23-11--"lower body"
• Brad Boyes (F,) IR, 11-25-11--knee
• Robyn Regehr (D,) day-to-day, 11-26-11--"upper body"
• Drew Stafford (F,) day-to-day, 11-26--11--"undisclosed"

Rookie Zack Kassian and
journeyman Paul Szczechura
suit up for the Caps game.

That list includes the starting goalie (Miller,) two top-four d-men (Regehr and Myers) and three top-nine forwards (Ennis, Stafford, Boyes.)

Taking their place (not including journeyman, Matt Ellis and Jochen Hecht, who returned from injury):

• Drew MacIntyre (G,) journeyman goalie--recalled11-14-11
• Corey Tropp (F,) one full AHL season--11-16-11
• TJ Brennan (D,) two full AHL seasons--11-21-11
• Zack Kassian (F,) 21 AHL games (three in 2011 post-season)--11-24-11
• Brayden McNabb (D,) 19 AHL games--11-26-11
• Paul Szczechura (F,) journeyman forward with 83 NHL and 214 AHL games in five seasons--11-26-11

Also in the lineup:

• Luke Adam (C,) 21 yrs. old, second NHL season--rookie
• Jhonas Enroth (G,) 23 yrs. old, second NHL season--rookie
• Marc-Andre Gragnani (D,) 24 yrs. old, first full NHL season
• Nathan Gerbe (F,) 24 yrs. old, second full NHL season

Szczechura started things off when he went full-bore in the the corner and got former Sabres draft pick Dennis Wideman (8th-round, 2002) to freak out (see video below.) Wideman sent a blind feed off of "Chewy's" stick that went right to Luke Adam who one-timed it past Thomas Vokoun. He also worked the corner and fed Adam for his second goal as the big Sabres center waltzed in on Vokoun with four Caps--including a pylon named Oveckin--merely watching and blasted one by.

Brayden McNabb levels Jason
Chimera in his 1st NHL game.

McNabb lead the team with six hits, a couple of doozies, and cleared the crease with attitude. He replaced Regehr and played a stand-up, defensive d-man role in his first NHL game.

Kassian scored his first NHL goal (in his second game) and proceeded to hit like the player the team envisioned when he was drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2009 draft. The gap-toothed power forward scored on a weak goal, five-hole just :27 seconds after Jason Chimera pulled the Caps within one.

Zack Kassian celebrates his
first NHL goal. Derek Roy retrieved
the puck.

Tropp continued to be a nuisance and continues to make a strong push to stick once the walking wounded return. Brennan has played solid in his three games

In a tribute to the continuity of the Sabres system, Rochester coach Ron Rolston has prepared the youngsters well for the NHL game played by Buffalo. Enroth was rarely tested as the team played a simple "road game" at home. Nothing fancy, just solid d and smart decisions.



Luke Adam puts up his bear-claw
to high-five his teammates as
an obviously disenchanted
Alex Ovechin of the Caps
heads to the bench.

 If this is "the year of the core"--veterans who've played together for years leading the team this season--last night showed us a glimpse of "the new core." All of these players will have the opportunity to develop further in Rochester this season hoping to someday join the likes of Myers, Ennis and Gerbe as well as Adam, Enroth and Gragnani as the future of the Blue and Gold.


And thanks to the Washington Capitals last night, they got off to a rollicking start.

edit: TJ Brennan, Paul "Chewy" Szczechura and Corey Tropp were all sent down yesterday (Nov. 28.) Zack Kassian and Brayden McNabb have stuck with the team with their size factoring in on the decision.

The Sabres May Need To Add A Tough-Guy

I know, I know. They want to skate. They want skill. And the memories of former 2nd-round pick, Andrew Peters--as well as his two minutes per game--still linger.

Fact is, there will be some tough teams in the Northeast Division and the Sabres' skill players will need at least a few tough guys to keep the opposition in check.

The Ottawa Senators just signed a tough, 4th-line centerman (who happened to be 4th in the league in faceoff percentage wins) to a one-year contract--Zenon Konopka--giving the team some tough customers to deal with.

Konopka is 6', 210 lbs. Not exactly a heavyweight in terms of size, but he lead the league in fights over the last two seasons dropping the gloves 58 times.

He joins Sabres-nemesis Chris Neil (6' 1", 215 lbs,) re-signed fourth-liner Zack Smith (6' 2", 210 lbs.) and big-dog Matt Carkner at 6'4", 230 lbs, as Sens With Attitude.

That's a lot of beef and aggression skating for the Sens, and they know their role. "I would put our team, toughness-wise, against anybody else, that’s for sure,” said Konopka, 30. “It’s going to be good for the young players, our skilled guys ... definitely make them more comfortable. It’s going to be a fun year. I’m pretty pumped.”

Buffalo Isn't Exactly Milquetoast, But They Could Use Some Ummph!!!

Where does that leave Buffalo on the toughness scale?

Who knows, but Boston is anything but wimpy with the likes of Zdeno Chara, Milan Lucic, Shawn Thorton and Adam McQuaid roaming the ice.

And in Toronto, Leafs GM,

(blaring trumpets sound)

BRIAN BURKE!!!



(you may all rise from your knees now)

is still hellbent upon truculence, testosterone, pugnacity and belligerence as well as any other slogans he can sell to Leaf-nation.

The Sabres counter with recently acquired Robyn Regehr to go along with Mike Weber and Cody McCormick, both recently re-signed to multi-year contracts.

Three is good, but four may be better.

Right now on the fourth line at RW is well-known pest Patrick Kaleta and it would be safe to assume--based upon his style of play and past record--that Patty K. will more than likely miss quite a few games due to injury.

There's really no reason why the team couldn't give him a break and trot out a tough-guy in his place. 

Take a look at what happened in the Stanley Cup Finals this past season. Tough-guy Shawn Thorton took to the ice in Game-3 after teammate Nathan Horton was laid out and lost for the series in Game-2. With the Bruins down 2-0 in the series, and Vancouver prancing around like giddy little punks, Thorton's presence allowed the Bruins to get their mojo on. Boston outscored Vancouver 21-3 while winning four of the next five games and the team won their first Cup in nearly 40 years.

Right now the Sabres don't have a player like that on the team up-front, except for maybe McCormick.

Zack Kassian Would Seem To Be the Answer, Maybe

Ya gotta believe that 1st-round pick (13th overall, 2009) Zack Kassian is looked upon to add a strong, physical element to the team up-front.

Expectations remain high for the kid, with fans and media looking at Kassian as a Wendell Clark/Milan Lucic-type force on the ice. Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News wrote this about Kassian today, "There is no player in the Sabres organization like him, a physical specimen more than willing to check and fight who can also fill the net." (We're not sure if Harrington has managed to get his tongue back in his mouth, nor are we sure what the cleaning bill will be for his drool-fest.)

Kassian has promise, but despite his success in junior, the jump to the pros is huge and from the skill side of the equation, Kassian still has a lot of work to do to in order to start "filling the net."

During the Sabres development camp last week, Kassian had minimal impact, which left Sabres Director of Pro Scouting, Jon Christiano, reaching for the right words when addressing Kassian's camp (2:08 mark):





As for the "more than willing to check and fight" aspect, in junior, Kassian's over-aggressiveness and physicality went mostly unchallenged and he'll soon recognize that there are some mean SOB's in the NHL, all of them playing for keeps.

That is, if he hasn't recognized it already.

Take this September 28, 2010 pre-season game vs. Ottawa where Kassian had the opportunity to show he could hang with the big-boys.

The play begins at the 4:15-mark of the following video with fellow Sabre Dennis McCauley laying out the Ottawa's Carkner with a strong check. As the two tangle, Neil cross-checks McCauley a few times. Kassian and Neil end up side-by-side soon thereafter:




   


Not much to say about his physicality with the big-boys, eh?

Although this particular "first impression" is a fail, the kid is young and could use some seasoning in the minors which is typical of the Sabres and how they approach player development anyway.

And it's a good thing, especially with Kassian needing to grow and mature. He has a long way to go, and it doesn't bode well for him if he doesn't take coaching seriously (see this video.)

The Sabres still have three restricted free agents of their own to re-sign--d-men Andrej Sekera, Marc-Andre Gragnani and back-up goalie Jhonas Enroth--and presently have three roster spots to fill.

Are they intent upon having a $3M player--Ales Kotalik--ride the pine as a 13th forward?

Doesn't make sense.

Perhaps they'd like to add one more tough-guy to alternate with Patty K. on the fourth line to help the skill-players "feel more comfortable."

Might not be a bad idea.


Edit

From WGR's Matthew Coller 1-20-12:

Throughout the game, Kassian was taunted by the Barons. They yelled at him from the bench, he chirped back several times. They tripped him. He skated back to the bench. He halfheartedly tried to lay a couple hits. He did nothing when his team needed someone to do something.


Not to mention, this was the same Barons team that had injured teammate Evan Rankin during the two teams' last series.

Doesn't sound much like Milan Lucic.

After the 5-2 loss, most of the media approached center Paul Szczechura, one of the team's better ambassadors.

I asked to speak with Kassian. Here is the transcript of my question about physical play and his answer:

WGR: “Zack, they were talking a lot of trash to you tonight, a lot of fans have been asking why you haven't been more physical and why you haven't gotten in more fights?”

Kassian: “I don't go looking for fights. I don't know what kind of question that is, that's a pretty (expletive) stupid question.”

WGR: “It's a question fans are asking”

Kassian: “You aren't the coach of the team.”

Kassian then walked away, back down the hall way in toward the showers.

“He has to play a physical game and if he has to fight he has to fight,” [Head Coach Ron] Rolston said. “I think it's part of the game and part of what he's here to do is be a physical player. If it happens, we are not in a situation where we're telling him not to fight, that's for sure.”

zack kassian, the sabres' chris neil

or maybe the sabres' daniel carcillo or sean avery...

not doubt the kid brings a tough, gritty package to the table for the blue and gold, but he's starting to come off as a mental midget in the vein of the aforementioned...

yesterday on wgr, host mike schoopsie was just gaga over kassian--an unadulterated, johnson-throbbing man-crush...

i say whoa...the kids got issues, whether or not they can be resolved is a different story...

lets start with this cheapshot that warranted a 20-game suspension from the ohl last january:



youthful over-zealousness?...yeah, absolutely...could he refine his game while still retaining the edge?...on the ice he could, as he helped harness his aggressiveness while the spits won the memorial cup, but the mental midget came out last may as he was arrested and charged with assaulting a man in a peterborough, ontario bar at 1:50am...

ok, sure, most of us have been in that situation, and because we're not "celebrities," not much happened except for the scrapes, bumps and bruises incurred on both sides...but for kassian, it furthered his reputation as hot-headed and easily provoked into aggression...in addition, it also meant customs troubles at the border, “If an individual has an assault charge on their record, they’d be found inadmissible into the United States,” said Chief Ron Smith of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “There are ways to mitigate that, primarily through the Department of State which issues visas.“But under normal circumstances, initially, the individual would be inadmissible in the United States for the assault charge.”

that's why the sabres couldn't/wouldn't sign him to his first pro contract...they were forced to wait until the issue was resolved with kassian doing community service as a prelude to the charge being dropped, which it was in october...shortly afteward, he was signed by the sabres...

all of this meant that kassian would need to spend another year in juniors, and he's been doing well, especially on the offensive side of the game...he still remains one tough s.o.b. for the spits, but he hadn't done anything too stupid...until...this at the world juniors playing for team canada in front of a raucous canadian crowd at hsbc arena in buffalo, the team who drafted him:



he lines the unsuspecting czech up and unloads on him catching a shoulder and a chin and whiplashing the guy into a neck brace...was it clean?...borderline...but for a guy with his reputation (see above,) is it any wonder why the iihf added an extra game?...

before anyone blurts out, "it's hockey! ya pantywaist," try and recall what you were thinking when chris neil nailed chris drury in the very same fashion:



pretty similar, eh?