the chase is on for the playoffs

yeah...i mean, YEAAAAHHHH!!!!...thursday, a sabres press conference in regards to the upcoming sale...

welcome terry pegula and your passion for hockey--not to mention your deep wallet ; )...

but...there are still games to be played in the month of february...with boston in control of the northeast division right now, somewhat out of reach for the sabres, time to look towards a climb into the playoffs...

buffalo's in that "bubble-mix" right now, six points out of a playoff spot sitting in 10th place...

the 7th thru 11th place teams in the eastern conference:

• montreal--59 points
• atlanta--57
• carolina--56
• buffalo--51
• florida--49

here's a look at the upcoming schedules for all five of those teams broken down into opponents as division leaders, playoff teams and non-playoff teams (as of january 31):

montreal, 13 games:

• division leaders (2)--boston, vancouver
• playoff teams (2)--washington, nyr
• non-playoff teams (9)--florida, nj, toronto (2,) nyi, buffalo, edmonton, calgary, carolina

atlanta, 11 games:

• division leaders--none
• playoff teams (2)--nyr, phoenix
• non-playoff teams (9)--nyi, calgary, carolina (2,) toronto (2,) edmonton, buffalo, florida

carolina, 13 games:

• division leaders (4)--boston, philadelphia (2,) tampa bay
• playoff teams (5)--atlanta (2,) nyr, pittsburgh, montreal
• non-playoff teams (4)--toronto, nj (3)

buffalo, 12 games:

• division leaders (2)--tampa bay, detroit
• playoff teams (4)--pittsburgh, montreal, washington, atlanta
• non-playoff teams (6)--toronto (2,) florida, nyi, st. louis, ottawa

florida, 13 games:

• division leaders (3)--philladelphia, detroit, tampa bay
• playoff teams (3)--montreal, san jose, atlanta
• non-playoff teams (7)--toronto, nj (2,) st louis, buffalo, nyi, ottawa

taking a look at this, montreal could solidify their place in the standings with their schedule...atlanta has a rather weak schedule, but they play four crucial games vs. non-playoff teams around them in the standings...

carolina's got a real tough month...only four non-playoff teams out of 13...not only that, nj, who they play three times went into the all-star break on a tear going 6-1-1 in their last eight...

florida has a middle-of-the-road schedule, but will need to make up ground vicariously as they play only one game vs. teams they're trying to catch...

and, as for the sabres?...it behooves them match last month's record if they want to gain ground and possibly climb into the playoff mix...

two points by any means necessary, should be the rallying cry...

pegula's impact upon darcy regier (already)

terry pegula is inching ever closer to becoming the new owner of the buffalo sabres...speculation is that the deal could be done sometime around the trade deadline, a date that is inching ever closer for gm darcy regier, who's in his usual pre-deadline, diplomatic role...for the most part...

there are times when the words that come out of our mouths are not necessarily ours...the conversation is in familiar territory, we frame words in a way that stays true to the tone that we've used over the years--a tone and a structure that has remained constant over the years because the environment we're in and the people around us are constants as well...

yet sometimes words enter into our vernacular that we'd never really used before simply because it's something that's stuck in our head from a previous conversation with someone outside of our constant...this someone says things we may or may not have heard before, but the words, now delivered with an aura of power and respectability surrounding them, carry significant weight and are etched into our subconscious...
 

we've heard "regier-speak" for the last three-plus years all within the friendly confines of the constant that has been the sabres for those years...on many occasions, we could cut and paste an interview from one of those years and seamlessly fit them into another interview from another year...

on january 28th, espn's pierre lebrun had an article on the upcoming trade deadline and one of his interviewees was regier...this was the day before pegula, apparently, impressed the comish and the nhl board of governors executive committee at a meeting the next morning...pegula and the league seem to be ready for the sale...and it seems as if regier is starting to feel pegula's impact...

here's the first quote from regier in the lebrun article:

"Most of us have players that we would make available even right now for a trade, either because they're underperforming and/or overpaid," Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier told us this week. "But it's impossible right now to get an agreement on values. We're all hoping that we're going to be able to just charge a cost without taking anything back, and that's not reality. So I think, yes, we're all sitting around to the last day or two again [before the trade deadline]."

that paragraph opens up with regier lumping his players into a pool with other teams' players who are "underperforming and/or overpaid"...the rest falls into more traditional "regier-speak" centering around--"yes, we're looking into trades," "it's a tough market," "salary for salary," "player values," "getting a feel for the market," etc, but i don't think i've ever heard him explicitly lump his players into the category of "underperforming and/or overpaid" players...

the second quote goes like this:

"We're getting a lot of pop out of our young kids," Regier said. "Older players that we all believed in when we signed them aren't performing at the levels that they're capable of, or maybe we misjudged it. In some part, I think we could be selling veterans if we can sell them because we like what we see in our youth. I think it's going to be really interesting."

maaaayyyybe, at various times regier would say something to the effect that his players could be performing better, but i can't really recall a time when he implied that he (and his staff) made a mistake or "misjudged" a player they'd brought on board...maaaayyyybe in the past he'd mention the possibility of moving veterans, but i can never recall him using the word--"selling" in reference to moving them...even if he'd slipped those words by, i'm pretty sure i've never heard the complete train of thought laid out like he did in the proceeding quote...

lumping his players into the"underperforming and/or over paid" category?...admitting that they may have "misjudged" certain players?..."selling" vets?...

i do not know for a fact that darcy regier has sat down with owner-in-waiting, terry pegula, and/or any of his inner circle, but it's probably safe to assume that he has, likely more than once...and i'm pretty sure that pegula's veiw of the present and vision of the future (near-term) is firmly etched into regier's brain as well...and ya gotta believe that pegula has had a definite impact on regier, especially because it looks as if the ownership change will be completed mid-season...

the hints are there...

and if pegula is getting regier to admit to things--like he's fallible--that's a good thing...

3-point games

while looking at the standings the other day i said to myself, "self? there seems to be alot of 3-point games so far, probably more than ever before"

so i decided to check out the post-lockout standings and figure out if that was true....here's what i came up with:

number of ot/s.o losses per season in 2460 league games:

• 2005/06--281...11.42%
• 2006/07--281...11.42%
• 2007/08--282...11.46%
• 2008/09--282...11.46%
• 2009/10--301...12.23%

incredible consistensy over the first four years, eh?

here's where were at in 2010/11--172 in 1474 games...total ot/s.o. projected at 287...11.66%

*****fun with numbers*****

a "somewhat scientific" look at the projected cutoff number for the playoffs

conference--playoff points  east...west

2005/06--92...95
2006/07--92...96
2007/08--94...91
2008/09--93...91
2009/10--88...95


conference champs points--east...west
2005/06--113...124
2006/07--113...113
2007/08--104...115
2008/09--116...117
2009/10--121--113

total points for 1st and 8th place--east...west
2005/06--205...219
2006/07--205...209
2007/08--198...206
2008/09--209...208
2009/10--209...208

both philadelphia and vancouver lead their respective conferences with 71 points in 50 games...the projection for the year would be 116 points will take the conference...

we'll use 209 as a base in the east and 208 in the west, which is consistent over the last two seasons...

we're looking at 93 in the east and 92 in the west...
 
: )

individual stats for the month of january

here's a look at some individual stats/team leaders for the month of january as the team adjusted to the loss of derek roy, who is out for the season...

points:

• january--vanek, 16...pomminville, 13...ennis, 10
• december--roy, 11...pomminville, 10...vanek, ennis, stafford, hecht, myers, 7
• november--roy, 13...leopold, connolly, vanek, stafford, 7
• october--roy, vanek, 11...jordan leopold, 9

goals:

• january--vanek, pomminville, stafford, gerbe, 5 
• december--staff, 6...pomminville, 5...vanek, ennis, 4
• november--roy, 6....vanek, connolly, 4
• october--vanek, 5...leopold, 4...ennis, roy, 3

power play goals:

• january--vanek, 3...pomminville, ennis, gerbe, 2
• december--staff, 4...pomminville, ennis, 2
• november--vanek, myers, 2...roy, leopold, 1

assists:

• january--vanek, 11...pomminville, 8...ennis, 7
• december--roy, 10...myers, 7...sekera, 6
• november--roy, 7...ennis, montador, 5
• october--roy, 8...vanek, 6...connolly, leopold, 5

power play assists:

• january--ennis, 5...vanek, connolly, 3
• december--roy, 6...vanek, 3...ennis, sekera, 2
• november--roy, 4...eight with one

primary assists:

• january--pomminville, 5...vanek ennis, 4
• december--roy, 7...hecht, 4...myers, 3
• november--ennis, roy, montador, 4
• october--roy, 6...niedermayer, 3...five with 2

plus/minus:

• january--gerbs, morrisonn, +5...pomminville, +4
• december--weber, +7...sekera, +5...grier, gaustad, +4
• november--montador, +7...leopold, +3...kaleta, +2
• october--montador +9...ennis, +4...stafford, gaustad, +3

plus/minus (bottom):

• january--ennis, -6...sekera, niedermayer, -4
• december--leopold, -10...vanek, montador, -5...ennis, -4
• november--connolly, morrisonn, -8...rivet, -7
• october--myers, -10...vanek, -5...morrisonn, -4

forwards avg. toi (minus roy)

total:

• january ytd--pomminville, 18:01...vanek, 17:25...hecht, 17:14
• december ytd--roy, 19:32...pomminville, 17:39...vanek, 17:18
• november ytd--roy, 19:37...stafford, 16:48...vanek, 16:38
• october ytd--roy, 19:50...pomminville, 17:23...vanek, 17:11

even strength:

• january ytd--vanek, 13:42...hecht, 13:33...ennis, 13:15
• december ytd--roy, 14:20...vanek, 13:22...hecht, 12:53
• november ytd--roy, 15:04...stafford, 13:18...vanek, 13:06
• october ytd--roy, 14:37, vanek, 13:18...hecht, 13:00

power play:

• january ytd--vanek, 3:39...connolly, 3:26...pomminville, 3:24
• december ytd--vanek, 3:52...pomminville, 3:47...roy, 3:43
• november ytd--roy, 3:32...vanek, 3:25...stafford, 3:14
• october ytd--vanek, 3:59...roy, pomminville, 3:48

penalty kill:

• january ytd--grier, 2:47...hecht, 2:05...pomminville, 1:56
• december ytd--grier 2:52...hecht, 2:07...pomminville, 1:59
• november ytd--grier, 3:17...hecht, 2:17...connolly, 2:05
• october ytd--grier, 2:57...hecht, 2:08...pomminville, 1:50

defensemen avg. toi

total:

• january ytd--leopold, 23:37...myers, 22:32...sekera, 20:49
• december ytd--leopold, 23:48...myers, 23:36...sekera, 20:50
• november ytd--leopold, 23:56...myers, 23:26...montador, sekera, 19:08
• october ytd--leopold, 23:51...myers, 23:41...montador, 20:24

even strength:

• january ytd--leopold, 18:11...montador, 17:30...myers, sekera, 16:12
• december ytd--leopold, 18:13...montador, 17:27...myers 16:42
• november ytd--leopold, 17:36...myers, 16:44...montador, 16:39
• october ytd--leopold, 18:11...montador, 17:47...myers, 16:48

power play:

• january ytd--myers, 3:15...leopold, 2:48...m.a. gragnani, 2:26...sekera, 2:25
• december ytd--myers, 3:32...leopold, 2:47...sekera, 2:32
• november ytd--myers, 3:15...leopold, 3:11...sekera, 2:48
• october--myers, 3:27...leopold, 2:54...sekera, 2:34

penalty kill:

• january ytd--myers, 3:04...leopold, 2:36...montador, 2:17
• december ytd--myers, 3:21...leopold, 2:47...montador, 2:20
• november ytd--myers, 3:26...morrisonn, 3:23...leopold, 3:09
• october ytd--myers, 3:27...leopold, 2:45...morrison, 2:27

goaltending yr. to date (record...shots against...goals against...gaa...sv.%...shutouts)

ryan miller:

• january ytd--21-14-4...1194...104...2.68..., .913...3
• december ytd--13-12-3...809...72...2.62..., .911...2
• november ytd--7-7-2...474...44...2.55..., .914...0
• october ytd--3-5-2...277...27...2.71..., .903...0

patrick lalime:

• january ytd--0-5-0...163...18...2.96..., 890...0
• december ytd--0-4-0...145...16...3.03..., .890...0
• november ytd--0-4-0...145...16...3.03..., .890...0

jhonas enroth

• january ytd--2-2-1...126...13...2.90..., .897...0
• december ytd--2-2-1...126...13...2.90..., .897...0
• november ytd--2-2-1...126...13...2.90..., .897...0

year-to-date team stats, january, 2011

8-3-1 in the month of january should help a teams' standing in the conference...and that's what it did for the buffalo sabres...does it help their playoff chances after an atrocious start and an rather average november and december?...sure...but it's still too early to tell whether or not it will be enough to propell them into a solid stretch-run...we'll delve into that aspect a little deeper next week...

for now?...two takes on the sabres chances to make the playoffs at this juncture, the first from sportsclubstats.com...back in early november i checked out their chances at the site...no surprise, really...if i remember correctly it was somewhere around 3%...now it's up to 17.6%...

it's a complicated formula that has the sabres most likely to finish 9th thru 11th, with a decent chance to finish 7th or 8th...meh, whatever...not to dismss it completely, but with over 30 games to play, there are still plenty of variables that can affect the standings--injuries to their team, or another team, what they do or don't do at the trade deadline, the affect this move or non-move has, etc...

the other take is via tsn.com's jamie bell...he uses the all-star break in the post-lockout nhl as the definitive point in the season...he looks at who the playoff teams were at the break and concludes that those in a playoff position at the time have a pretty good chance of hitting the post-season...

for example, of the 16 teams in playoff position at the break last season, 15 made it...the most movement ever was the 2008/09 season when "only" 13 of the 16 made it...buffalo being one of the teams that dropped out...

interesting read...pretty sure we've got some time to kill...

anywho, since my "sources" tell me there's no movement yet on the "mega roomers,"  we'll just stick to the facts and take a look at where the sabres rank year to date in the league and where they stood previously...


wins:

• january--23rd (23)...(#1, philly--33)
• december--26th (15)...(pitt--25)
• november--26th (9)
• october--27th (3)

points:

• january--23rd (51)...(#1, philly--71)
• december --26th (34)...(pitt, det--53)
• november--25th (21)
• october--28th (8)

eastern conference standing:

• january--10th--(#1, philly)
• december--12th...(pitt)
• november--11th
• october--14th

northeast division standing:

• january--3rd...(#1, boston)
• december--4th...(boston)
• november--4th
• october--5th

goals/game:

• january--16th (2.71)...(#1, philly--3.46)
• december--21st (2.57)...(det--3.45)
• november--25th (2.40)...(col--3.52)
• october--22nd (2.50)...(tampa--3.50)

shots/game:

• january--3rd (33.3)...(#1, sjs--34.1)
• december--5th (33.2)...(sjs--33.5)
• november--4th (32.7)...(sjs--35.6)
• october--5th (33.2)...(sjs--35.6)

goals against/game:

• january--20th (2.94)...(#1, bos--2.14)
• december--23rd (2.92)...(bos--2.03)
• november--23rd (2.92)...(mtl--1.96)
• october--23rd (3.17)...(bos--1.38)

shots against/game:

• january--18th (30.4)...(#1, lak--27.4)
• december--11th (29.4)...(tbl--27.3)
• november--11th (29.4)...(stl--26.8)
• october--10th (28.5)...(stl--25.8)

powerplay:

• january--12th (18.7%)...(#1, chi--25.6%)
• december--23rd (16.2%)...(van--25.3%)
• november--26th (13.4)...(van--29.3)
• october--20th (13.0%)...(sjs--31.8)

penalty kill:

• january--17th (81.6%)...(#1, pitt--88.5%)
• december--15th (81.6%)...(mtl--87.8%)
• november--20th (81.6)...(pit--90.5)
• october--27th (74.7)...(bos--93.1)

faceoffs:

• january--27th (47.2%)...(#1, van--55.8%)
• december--26th (48.0%)...(van--56.8%)
• november--27th (47.9)...(van--56.9)
• october--27th (47.7)...(sjs--56.4)

an interesting note, the powerplay jumped without the "services" of derek roy anchoring it (and to an extent, tim connolly)...hmmmmm (it's still early, but worth noting)

at the all-star break, the january schedule comes to a close...

the sabres did manage to hang with the leaders of the northeast division--boston and montreal...both of those teams had a strong month and solidified their spots in the eastern conference top-eight...

for their part, the sabres also did very well going 8-3-1...although they lost ground on the bruins (8-4-2,) they did inch closer to the habs (6-2-3) who presently hold down the #7 spot in the eastern conference...

among the highlights for the month, the sabres beat division leading bruins twice (once in ot) and the habs once (in ot)...they also snared five of six points on a western road trip to open the month...

on the downside, the talent-disparity between the philadelphia flyers and the sabres was evident as the fly-boys toyed with the good-guys before putting them away 5-2...the sabres also posted two clunkers vs. the ny islanders (14th in the conference)...

the northeast division standings (as of january, 1):

• boston--45 points
• montreal--44
• ottawa--37
• buffalo--34

the northeast as of january 27:

• boston--63
• montreal--59
• buffalo--51
• toronto--43
• ottawa--42

the mediocre play of southeast teams, atlanta, carolina and florida allowed the sabres to inch back into the eastern conference bubble-team mix:

• atlanta (now 8th in the conference) went 4-4-3 
• carolina (9th) gained one point on the sabres going 8-4-2
• florida (11th) completed a very busy month compiling a 6-5-3 record

slowwwwwwwly they turned, step by step, inch by...inch...

tell me something i didn't already know

from the hockey news power rankings january 24, 2010:

buffalo sabres: "With 862 hits, Sabres are NHL’s least-physical team"

"stats?...we donnne need no stinking stats"

VIVA LA CORE!!!

the darcy regier/craig rivet conversation ; )

darcy regier:  so, craig...how did dinner go with nabby (evgeni nabokov)?

craig rivet:  dinner?

dr:  yeah...you know, when we were in san jose'

cr:  oh, yeah...ummmm...he said hi, how's it going?

dr:  that's all?

cr:  uh...well, he did ask me how the steak was and whether or not i was gonna have dessert

dr:  anything else

cr:  yeah...of course...he asked me how the wife and kids were

dr:  look, craig, i know that things haven't worked out all that well this season, but i have alot of  respect for the way you've handled yourself this season...a true proffesional

cr:  ummm, darce?...my butt hurts from riding the pine?

dr:  yeah, i know the feeling...i can't seem to get off of my ass to get things done...unfortunately, new ownership, through my boss, has been bagging on me because they see an opportunity here to upgrade the team and...

cr:  you gonna make lindy play me?

dr:  ummm, sorry craig, that's not what i had in mind

cr:  (dissappointment envelopes the vet) "ohhhhh...so what did you have in mind, darce?

dr:  if the isles waive nabokov, and we have the opportunity to claim him, we're gonna do that

cr:  he doesn't want to come to buffalo...nobody does, unless they have to...and even then it takes months to get over the depression

dr:  you didn't say anything to him over dinner, did you?

cr:  (with a cheshire grin)...i told him the steak was cooked perfectly and that we shoulda went with a cab instead of merlot (smiles)

dr:  (grunts)...but you like it here, right?...i mean...it was tough, but the place grows on you, right?

cr:  ummm, yeah, kinda...the wife and kids are ok with it...you sure you can't convince lindy to play me?

dr:  craig, this is very important...i want to put you in a position to play...for a contender

cr:  i thought you said we were a contender

dr:  early-year pr-blather...try to follow me, will you?

cr:  (snickers)...two top-twenty centers (snickers)

dr:  stop that, craig...this is important

cr:  cup-contender (snickers)

dr:  craig!?

cr:  all right, allright...go ahead

dr:  if (garth) snow puts nabby on waivers, and it comes to us, we're gonna claim him

cr:  but he doesn't want to play here and he'll just not report like he did with the isles

dr:  i know, good possibility, but that's where i need you

cr:  me?

dr:  yeah, you

cr:  what do you want me to do

dr:  look...here's the deal...were gonna claim nabby...

cr:  i'm tellin' ya, he's not gonna report

dr:  this is what you're gonna tell him

cr:  i'm gonna tell him?

dr:  yeah...you're gonna tell him...tell him we're gonna give him three or four games in february to showcase him to the contenders and get him into nhl game-shape...we as a team should be able to snag a win or two in the process

cr: hmmmm...yeah...that could work...i guess...what about lalime?

dr:  not your concern, although, if you must know, you, he and buts can talk strategy...or american idol...or whatever you want to in the press box...

cr:  i don't think millsey will be happy...you know?...he likes patty on the bench....

dr:  yeah, in know...i really don't want to hurt his feelings, but he'll need to take one for the team...he'll get over it

cr:  so, you want me to convince my buddy to come to buffalo...basically want me to ruin our friendship...

dr:  stop that!

cr:  ...and if i do?...what's in it for me?...a new seat cushion?

dr:  well, craig...the plan is this...first and foremost, i gotta get a return for nabby...there are two teams that could use a goalie at that price--detroit and philadelphia...i plan on getting them in a bidding war...

cr:  but what about me?...can i go too?

dr:  not sure...i'll try, but both don't have much cap room...you know you make $3.5m, right?

cr:  hey...that's what you bargained for with the trade

dr:  (big sigh)...ok listen...those two are first on my list...if i can swing somethin' with them where you can go too, fine...if not, i have a back-up plan

cr:  hmmmm...a back-up plan?...really?...(sarcastically) like in july, 2007?

dr:  that's not funny, craig

cr:  (snickers)

dr:  anyhow, san jose' could use a goalie

cr: i really liked it there....(lightbulb comes on in his head)...hey!!!...me and nabby back in san jose!...can we bring griersy along?

dr:  you're complicating things, craig...anyhow, don't get your hopes up with the sharks

cr:  but i really, reallllllllyyyy liked it there

dr:  i know, you've mentioned it a billion times...anyhow...ummm...where was i?...oh yeah...detroit, philadelphia, san jose' and possibly colorado

cr:  colorado?...denver's awesome

dr:  yup...but nothin'll happen unless, number one, we get the opportunity to claim nabby...and number two that you can convince me that you'll convince nabby to report to the sabres...

cr:  have you talked to those teams about this?

dr:  ummmmm...for the record...no...but us gm's think alike and i think they're smart enough to figure it out

cr:  heyyyy...is that what garth (snow) was planning on?...

dr:  you're interupting...anyway...that's neither here nor there...you on board?

cr:  i don't know, darce...i'm still pretty ticked that i'm not gettin' playin' time

dr:  you know, if i pull a package deal with you, i'll need to showcase you as well...we got games vs. the thrash, the sens and...get this (big smile, wink and a nudge)...detroit!...to end the month...right before the deadline....

cr:  (sheer joy gives way to darkened skeptisim)...are you sure the big guys want you to do this?

dr:  yup

cr:  you know, i really can't see you doing this on your own...i mean just look at the last three...

dr:  stop...

cr:  deadlines...there was...

dr:  stop it...i know...you on board?

cr:  you sure you can get this done?

dr:  yup...but we gotta bring nabby on board first...

cr:  and you'll promise me i'll go to a contender?

dr:  no promises...if not you get to eat hot dogs and pound slurpees in the pressbox for the rest of the year...for $3.5m

cr:  hey...i told ya...you made the trade

dr:  yeah...i know...just havin' a little fun

cr:  you know, i'm a proffessional...i want to play...i don't know if i can sit on the sideline and watch the rest of the season..i get itchy...really want to punch someone, ya know?

dr:  not really...i never wanted to punch anyone, except for maybe kevin lowe...but he's a tough cookie...too tough for my first fight...anyway...tell ya what...if i can't package you...i'll give you a personal assistant to guide get you through the inactivity and any guilt you may have...and if you fell the urge, i won't say anything if you happen to...ummmm...take out your frustration on him...and i'm paying for it....

cr:  oh, yeah?

dr:  yeah...i gotta a true veteran of that situation--tim connolly

cr:  (rubs chin)...yup...that works

dr:  deal?

january's coming to a close

at the beginning of this month we looked at the upcoming scedules for the top four teams in the northeast division...going by (a loose definition) strength of schedule, it wasn't too much of a stretch to think that the sabres could gain a little ground on both boston and montreal:


the northeast division standings as of january 1:

• boston--45 points
• montreal--44
• ottawa--37
• buffalo--34

the northeast division standings as of january 8:

• boston--49 points
• montreal--49
• buffalo--41
• ottawa--38

the northeast division standings as of january 23:

• boston--61 points
• montreal--59
• buffalo--47
• ottawa--41

games played, opponents to finish the month of january

• boston--48...@ los angeles, vs. florida
• montreal--49...@ philadelphia
• buffalo--47...@ ny islanders, @ ottawa
• ottawa--49...vs. buffalo

the ottawa senators have now slipped to last in the division, being overtaken by toronto, something we'll address next month, after the all-star break...

even though the sabres have gone 6-3-1 this month (13 out of a possible 20 points,) which is a pace they'll need to keep if they want to get into the playoff mix, they still lost ground in the northeast division with boston garnering 16 points out of a possible 24 and montreal snagging 15 out of 20...

not exactly what we were looking for this month, but the sabres are gaining ground on the 7-9 eastern conference teams:  ny rangers, atlanta, carolina and are jockeying with florida for 10th...

three more days until the all-star break, four big points on the board beginning today on long island...

nabokov update

via sean leahy at yahoo's puck daddy from a tweet by katie strang of newsday (whew, i know it was a bit long, but ya gotta give them the credit...


the isles claimed evgeni nabokov...his agent, don meehan, says that the goalie will not report to the team...

the no-movement clause in the contract he signed with detroit says that he must agree to be put on waivers (which i don't think will be much of a problem)...

even though this may be turning into a soap opera, i'd still like to see darcy regier take a shot and claim him if possible...

anyhow, in the claiming order, only toronto, ottawa and calgary are between the isles and the sabres

deuces

late in the second period of last nights game i got a call from a friend who was on the road and would be missing the game...he left a message that he was jonesing for an update, and while i was thinking about how i would encapsulate the game thusfar, the number "2" kept coming up...

• two egregious turnovers that lead to two islander goals--one by myers on the first goal (which went in off of his skate) and the other by sekera, who couldn't handle a dainty three foot pass from mike weber...that made it 3-0 isles...
• two teams use two goalies--the sabres pulling miller in favor of lalime, the isles forced to go with kevin poulin when starter nate lawton went down with a knee injury
• two goal posts rung--one on a blistering shot from vanek, the other on a blast from marc-andre gragnani either of which would've changed the complexion of the game (not necessarily the outcome)...
• two games lost to the islanders in less than one week--yes, even with that much left in the game, it was painfully obvious that the sabres didn't have it

i was gonna wait 'til the end of the game before i called him back...that was until nate gerbe scored two goals within seconds and there still being over three minutes left in the third period (come to find out that 5 seconds was the quickest two goals by one player in franchise history, one second off of the nhl record)...

that first goal was wicked:



being able to bury a backhander top-shelf, far side is no small feat...especially from that far out...

the coolest part about gerbe was after the first goal--a simple, emotionally detached fist pump...after the second, there was a bit more emotion, but not much...he was angry, "You want to be angry when you're losing, 4-0," Gerbe said. "It's embarrassing for sure. You just want to keep going out and competing and working hard, and that's what I tried to do there"...we'll forget about the two minute minor he took for slashing seconds later ; )...

anyhow, i get the feeling that he hates to lose and is probably one of only a handful of players who have the emotional capacity for real anger...one of them, ryan miller, was overtly angry after being replaced in goal...another, pat kaleta, had to leave the game because of his hand...yet another, cody mccormick, left midway through the game because of illness...

out of all the players left on the team i can think of only mike weber and maybe steve montador who really get angry...all of the rest don't seem to have the capacity for real anger, kinda like their gm...

boos quick hit--nabokov



evegeni nabakov, all-star



the detroit red wings have signed former san jose' sharks (and khl) goalie evgeni nabokov to a one year, $570k contract with a no movement clause...but, he must pass through waivers...



ummmmmm, darcy?....opportunity knocks...remember when hasek demanded a trade to detroit and you got back nothing in return?...



don't be a wuss, go for it...

we all know miller needs to be spelled and that lalime can't get the job done...or do you consider patty to be one of the "core players" of your cup-contending team?

unlike all the other bottom-six players that have gone through waivers and were claimed, nabakov represents a solid goalie who will help the club...

once again, i'd gladly have the paramedics blast me with a defribillator if you made this move...don't worry about me or any other sabres fan having a heart attack, just get it done...

*****addendum*****

here's a list of teams in around buffalo for a shot at nabokov:

nj devils

edmonton

ny islanders

ottawa

toronto

calgary

buffalo

florida

columbus

los angeles



confidence

confidence is a funny thing...it don't come easy in the nhl, or any other sport, for that matter...hell it don't come easy in life...confidence comes when you just play your game and believe that you're on this team and playing this game at the highest level for a reason...putting forth an honest effort shift-in/shift-out, game-in/game-out will eventually yield results which, when compounded, equals positive results for the team...

the sabres are beating on a door that opens to the playoffs...as a team, they've pushed it open a good bit, but will need to finish the month of january strong...

cody mccormick, nate gerbe and thomas vanek all showed something we've rarely seen this season, burying an opportunity with authority last night vs. the boston bruins...no goals off of deflections (save jason pomminville's, which was a by-product of driving to the net, a pre-cursor to scoring with authority)...no goals off of one knee, genuflecting to the hockey gods in hopes that it'll find the back of the net...no wimpy re-directs or weak shots to an open net...just solid wood on the puck when the opportunity presented itself...

mccormick is staking his claim as a fan-favorite by continuing to play the way he started back in the playoffs last season--balls-to-the-wall, hard-nosed, anti-core hockey...he knows his role, knows his talents and knows that less than 100% effort is not an option...being a bottom-six forward, he also knows that his ice-time is limited and opportunities sparse...

last night he lifted the team by burying his own rebound that caromed off the post right back to him...if luck is a by-product of hard work, than there's nobody on this team more worthy of some good luck than mccormick...and he didn't mess it up, he unconscioulsy rifled the rebound into the net with authority....confidence...

gerbe has been much maligned, and rightfully so...he's been a little bulldog out on the ice all season, but has fanned on numerous opportunities, as witnessed by his three goals in 29 games and a paltry 4.3 shooting percentage...he's on the big club to score goals like he did in college and with portland...

last night he took that pass from tyler myers and just plain buried it...with authority...confidence




the one player on the sabres who has the skill to blast a shot that says, "i will not be denied" is vanek...vanek really seems to be hitting his stride...last night he and tim connolly, along with a trailing tyler myers, backed boston goalie tuukka rask into the crease...after considering his options, which is captured beautifully in the highlights, vanek snapped a rocket far-side past a defenseless rask...confidence...

as mentioned earlier this month, the schedule is favorable for the sabres...it gives them the opportunity to gain some ground on boston and montreal who both have tougher schedules and who are both ahead of them in the norhteast division...it also gives them the opportunity to create some separation between them and fourth place ottawa...

an update on this will come this weekend, but a by-product of chasing the northeast leaders and winning games is that they're slowly gaining ground on the six-through-eight in the eastern conference...

more importantly, though, the team seems to be playing with confidence...

knit-one, purl-two nominee #3

a look at some really crabby, whiny, sourpuss content from major media sources in the buffalo area concerning the bills and the sabres

***nominee #3--bucky gleason, buffalo news, january 19, 2011***

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/bucky-gleason/article316414.ece

the set-up:  the buffalo sabres come out on top in a 2-1 overtime victory at home vs. the montreal canadians...the habs are above the sabres in the standings and have beaten the sabres in the three previous meetings...the sabres have played well in 2011 going 5-2-1 thus-far, but are stuck in a win-one/lose-one scenario...they dug themselves a deep hole in october, and although they've hit the "visual-500-mark," they have yet to get above it...derek roy is out for the season, the defense is inconsistent, many players are either inconsistent or not contributing at all, top-line holes need to be filled and nothing will happen with the team until terry pegula signs on the bottom line...nothing new, but leave it to bucky to continue to sledgehammer these points home...

The cold truth is victory means little

"Terry Pegula remains on track to purchase the Buffalo Sabres, but don't fool yourself into thinking sweeping changes and immediate fixes are coming soon. He's not expected to be introduced as owner during NHL board of governors meetings before the All-Star Game, as many had hoped.

Step away from the panic button. The $175 million sale hasn't hit any major snags that would kill a complex transaction that takes time. Sources suggested in recent days he'll likely close on the purchase in February. And if you've been watching this season you know the Sabres aren't going, well, anywhere.

Was it me or did the Sabres' 2-1 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens feel like an unseasonably warm January day in which you enjoy the weather for a few hours knowing darned well 15 degrees and snow are around the corner? It was little more than a brief reprieve, a welcome break, right?

Let's start with the good news. The Sabres moved within eight points of Atlanta for the final playoff spot. They beat a Montreal team that has been battling with Boston for first place in the division. They came up with an inspiring effort in the third period. Ryan Miller was terrific in net. They deserved the win.

Nathan Gerbe played one of his best games all year. He was a general nuisance in the third period while tussling with Brian Gionta in a battle of featherweights. He irritated Scott Gomez enough to draw a high-sticking penalty that led to Jason Pominville's winner in overtime.

All were good signs, but let's also face reality. The Sabres have won six of nine games over the past three weeks yet have made up only two points in the standings. They have 45 points in 45 games. If they win five of nine over the final 37 games this season, which is a tall order for a .500 team, it's not likely to be enough to reach the postseason.

If anyone should have been celebrating after the game, it was Montreal. The Habs were short two forwards for nearly 56 minutes, were without three forwards for most of the game, played Monday night before traveling to Buffalo, managed to scratch out a point against a division opponent and almost took two.

Enjoy the win, Sabres fans, but don't lose sight of the fact that they remain a flawed team that needs work. Really, what can you say at this point, that Jochen Hecht is on the verge of busting out and carrying this team to the playoffs? He's now their No. 1 center between Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville.

Hecht has seven goals and 17 points this season and is making $3.5 million. His performance Tuesday, in which he had four glorious scoring chances and converted none in 19-plus minutes, has become the rule rather than the exception this season. He's reached a point where he couldn't bury a rumor.

And he's their best center? Yes.

Tim Connolly is on pace for 12 goals and 39 points. Take away the games he missed from injuries and calculate his production per game over a full season, and Connolly is trudging toward 15 goals and 47 points and a minus-30 rating. He makes $4.5 million. Cody McCormick, at $4 million less, has been more productive at even strength.

Hecht is headed for 12 goals and 30 points. Paul Gaustad is on pace for seven goals and 25 points. Rob Niedermayer still hasn't scored in 36 games. The Sabres weren't counting on him for 20 goals, but you can safely assume they were banking on scoring more than zero at this stage of the season.

The Sabres travel to Boston on Thursday before playing three games against teams currently behind them in the playoffs. Buffalo also is staring down the barrel of a seven-game road trip in March. By then, Pegula should be the owner. That's when the excitement begins."

wow, buckster...tell us something we didn't already know...ya ever hear of that old "beat a dead horse" expression?...we all know that darcy regier is lame as a gm and that tim connolly is invisible...jochen hecht?...really?...when in doubt bring out hecht, strap him to the yard-arm anc commence whipping...eh, bucky?..."Enjoy the win, Sabres fans, but don't lose sight of the fact that they remain a flawed team that needs work"...wow, dude...your insight is, like, overwhelming...i had no idea that the sabres were a flawed team...

this edition of the sabres is, indeed, flawed...they also dug themselves a very deep hole back in october and are close to reaching the surface...you think this victory means little to them?...you ever take a stick to the face to win anything?...maybe you had a pencil thrown at you or a lousy article you wrote crumpled into a ball and heaved back at you...ooooohhhhhh!!!!...scary....the only thing missing from this article is a reference/tie-in to drury/briere and tim kennedy to enrage the "buckites"...whatever...the sabres, as a team are trying to beat down a door and break into the playoff mix, despite being flawed and despite being written-off/bagged-on by the media



time to end the myers/sekera pairing (Andrej Sekera, Mike Weber)

no soup for you, "big-tex"

tyler myers is having a helluva time this season...presently he sits at a team-worst minus-15 and his points-total is projected out to be 9 goals, 22 assists...last year he had 11 goals, 37 assists and was a plus-13...

as intimated on an early season blog, i really thought "big-tex" would equal last season's output and would make his defense-partner better...i thought the "sophomore slump" would hit him, but that he would fight his way through it...he's still fighting...doesn't mean he won't break through, but he's still fighting...

recently, his d-partner has been andrej sekera...rej has been much maligned over his career in buffalo, and most of the criticism has been warranted...a soft-but-skilled "puck-mover," rej can, and does find a way to get the puck out of the zone quite often...problem is, when the team is hemmed in he looks lost, there's a defensive zone breakdown and there's either a premier scoring-chance or a goal...

myers/sekera has been a long experiment dating back to the nj game in early november...the duo racked up one goal (myers,) three assists and was a hefty plus-5 in a 5-4 shootout win for the sabres that game...with the steve montador/jordan leopold tandem shouldering the burden of top-pairing, myers and rej have anchored the second-pairing logging tons of minutes on special teams...

this has, pretty much been the case thru last night's 5-3 loss on long island to the isles...

but watching sekera last night (and many other nights as well,) it doesn't seem as if he's grasped the game yet...he's still indecisive in his own zone, especially on the penalty kill...the boy sure can move it up ice, but seems to lose composure once he hits the dots...on the powerplay, he still can't handle the point as evidenced by yet another short-handed goal against because milan jurcina picked his pocket on the half-wall in the islanders zone...and just take a look at what transpired on that 1st period two-on-oh that miller stopped (somehow)...how did it all begin?...that's right, rej missing the net (yet another problem area) and his slow curl back to the point...here are the highlights:




although it's easy to disect an individual throughout a game and pinpoint every error, i had no intention of nitpicking rej going into last night's game, or any other game...some bad plays jump out and it seems as if he's the culprit on many occasions (not to say that there are no others)...

time to find another partner for "big-tex" myers and relegate rej to the third-pairing...he's a solid #5/6 d-man and would strengthen that pairing...

who would you move up?...mike weber has been playing real well as of late and i think that he should get a shot...couldn't be any worse, imo....



mind if i cut in, rej?

trade ryan miller?

gotta love some of the blogs complaining about ryan miller...sure, he's not having a vezina-like season, but he's been solid and has come back strong after an inauspicious/injury-plagued start to the season...

many of the posters on various blogs point to his stats post-lockout and boldly state that, outside of last year's vezina-winning campaign, miller is average, overpaid and should be traded...

one of the "greatest" trades had ryan miller going to detroit for goaltender jimmy howard and a couple of other red wings not named datsuk, zetterberg, franzen or even abdelkader...the thought being that howard is as good as miller and is cheaper and that the sabres should "sell high"...

and it's based strictly on goalie stats not taking in consideration the team that's in front of either goalie...so let's look at the stats for this season, starting with the teams (which the arm-chair gm's fail to mention):

the team breakdown goes like this...as of right now:

• detroit record, 27-11-6...buffalo, 19-19-5
• detroit, points percentage, .682 (2nd in the league)...buffalo, .500 (tied, 23rd)
• detroit goals/game, 3.39 (2nd)...buffalo, 2.65 (19th)
• detroit goals against/game, 2.82 (18th)...buffalo, 2.93 (20th)

as for the starting goalies?

• jimmy howard has a record of 22-7-3...ryan miller is 17-13-4
• howard has two shutouts...miller, three
• howard's gaa is 2.83...miller's is 2.64
• howard's save percentage is .906...miller's is .912

no, guys, it has nothing to do with the team in front of goalies...

i guess many still can't get over dominik hasek and will forever compare any sabres goalie to him

my senitiments, exactly, "dominator"

crosby concussion, the fiesta (siesta) bowl and more...

• if anyone doubted the value of sidney crosby, look no further than last nights loss vs. the boston bruins...three bruins goals (plus one empty-netter) in the final 3:23?...really?...0-2-1 since crosby went down...pitttsburgh without crosby drops them from an upper-eschelon team down to an average-to-above average one...pretty much on par with, seemingly, half the nhl...

• on the winning field goal by auburn last night, brent musburger sounded as if he just watched hours of paint drying...and that's what that game was...boring...undefeated tcu could have beaten both of these teams and should be considered the co-champion of college football...of course we'll never know because the fictitious national title is won not by a playoff system...btw, nor is it bcs championship game sanctioned by the ncaa...

• auburn defensive tackle nick fairley had a great game which should solidify his status as a top-two pick in the upcoming nfl draft...fact is, oregon's offensive line was poor, the play calling and blocking schemes were inept and their quarterback was pathetic...there's more of a chance that fairley feasts on his big contract, bloating to a solid career as an average, overweight, overpaid defensive lineman than there is of him having the chiseled intensity of a bruce smith...

• cam newton had an below average game made above average by a crappy oregon defense who didn't have the intensity or mentality to finish the play...good luck to anyone who drafts this mobile/run-first quarterback...btw, has a player like him ever won a superbowl?...exactly...where's michael vick right now...that's right, watching from home...

• the sabres come home for a contest vs. the conference-leading philadelphia flyers tonight...they're looking for their first three-game win streak of the season...um.....good luck boys, ya got a tall order in front of you...although it's not outside the realm of possibility for the sabres to take this one...they've been playing well in all three areas since derek roy went down...head coach lindy ruff attributes it to the players simplifying their game to make up for roy's absence...

• finally...i posed this question to a handful of football fans last night and i pose it to you, the reader:  if there was no gambling on football games (pro and college) and if there was no fantasy football for the pros, do you think most fans would give a rat's ass about games that did not include your favorite teams?...the answer?...all said no...

peace...go sabres

500...

seems to be the number of the week...

on thursday lindy ruff notched his 500th win as a coach, all with the buffalo sabres, in a 3-0 road victory over the san jose' sharks...

on saturday, the sabres finished their short, three-game western road-trip by defeating the phoenix coyotes 2-1 in overtime...the win finally got the team to the visual/total-points .500 mark (18-18-5) at the half-way point of the season...

during the month of december they were within one win of .500 three times, but ended up losing to pittsburgh dec. 11, and florida twice--dec. 17 and dec. 23...

it's a far cry from where they started the season going 3-7-2 in october, 3-9-2 before their climb began with their first back-to-back wins of the season...that translates into a 15-9-3 record over the last 27 games...(note: a pace like that, roughly 22-14-5 over the last 41 games would put them at 90 points for the season--a borderline playoff team...just goes to show how much of a hole they dug for themselves)

the northeast division standings (as of january, 1):

• boston--45 points
• montreal--44
• ottawa--37
• buffalo--34

the northeast division standings (as of january 8):

• boston--49 points
• montreal--49
• buffalo--41
• ottawa--38

a couple of quick notes:

•  since derek roy went down on december 23 the sabres are 4-1-1, the powerplay has scored four goals in 22 attempts (18%) including at least one goal in four straight games and the pk has given up only one goal in 24 attempts (95%)

• sabres leading goal-scorer thomas vanek has 16 goals with a shooting percentage of 12.7%...alex ovechkin has 15 goals with a shooting percentage of 7.7%

buffalo chasing three teams in the northeast division

no grandiose predictions, no "war and peace"-length philosophical diatribes, no whining, praising, hoping or praying...only a focus on the top-four teams in the northeast division for the month (no slight to the maple leafs, but as of right now they're below buffalo in the standings and not a team the sabres are chasing)...

just the facts...

the northeast division standings (as of january, 1):

• boston--45 points
• montreal--44
• ottawa--37
• buffalo--34

a look at the schedule for the sabres, bruins, canadians and senators in january broken down into four categories (as of january 1, 2011):  northeast, division leaders (northeast not included,) playoff teams, non-playoff teams...

buffalo sabres--12 games:

• northeast--boston (2,) montreal, ottawa
• division leaders--none
• playoff teams--colorado, san jose', philly, carolina
• non-playoff teams--phoenix, ny islanders (3)

boston--14 games:

• northeast--buffalo (2,) toronto, montreal, ottawa
• division leaders--pittsburgh (2)
• playoff teams--philly, carolina (2,) colorado, los angeles
• non-playoff teams--minnesota, florida

montreal--11 games

• northeast--boston, buffalo, ottawa
• division leaders--pittsburgh (2)
• playoff teams--atlanta, ny rangers (2,) anaheim, philly
• non-playoff teams--calgary

ottawa--11 games

• northeast--toronto, boston, montreal, buffalo
• division leaders--tampa bay
• playoff teams--washington, anaheim, philly
• non-playoff teams--chicago, ny islanders, calgary

based upon strength of schedule, this is the month that the sabres could conceivably get back into the northeast division race

team stats as of december, 2010

a 6-5-1 record for the month of december is a negligible improvement for the buffalo sabres, but not even close to being good enough to get them up in the standings...in fact, they actually dropped a spot overall and in the eastern conference...

here's a look at where they rank year to date and where they stood the previous month(s)...

wins:

• december--26th (15)...(#1, pit, 25)
• november--26th (9)
• october--27th (3)

points:

• december --26th (34)...(#1, pit, det, 53)
• november--25th (21)
• october--28th (8)

 eastern conference standing:

• december--12th...(#1, pit)
• november--11th
• october--14th

northeast division standing:

• december--4th...(#1, boston)
• november--4th
• october--5th

goals/game:

• december--21st (2.57)...(#1, det, 3.45)
• november--25th (2.40)...(col, 3.52)
• october--22nd (2.50)...(tampa, 3.50)

goals against/game:

• december--23rd (2.92)...(#1, bos, 2.03)
• november--23rd (2.92)...(mtl, 1.96)
• october--23rd (3.17)...(bos, 1.38)

shots/game:

• december--5th (33.2)...(#1, sjs, 33.5)
• november--4th (32.7)...(sjs, 35.6)
• october--5th (33.2)...(sjs, 35.6)

shots against/game:

• december--11th (29.4)...(#1, tbl, 27.3)
• november--11th (29.4)...(stl, 26.8)
• october--10th (28.5)...(stl, 25.8)

powerplay:

• december--23rd (16.2%)...(#1, van, 25.3%)
• november--26th (13.4)...(van, 29.3)
• october--20th (13.0%)...(sjs, 31.8)

penalty kill:

• december--15th (81.6%)...(#1, mtl, 87.8%)
• november--20th (81.6)...(pit, 90.5)
• october--27th (74.7)...(bos, 93.1)

faceoffs:

• december--26th (48.0%)...(#1, van, 56.8%)
• november--27th (47.9)...(van, 56.9)
• october--27th (47.7)...(sjs, 56.4)

individual stats for the month of december

hmmmmm...december started out with a bang (4-1-1) but ended with a whimper (2-4-0)...going 6-5-1 for the month is a slight improvement, but nowhere near the pace they'll need to get into the playoffs...

that being said, let's take a look at some individual stats for the month:

points

• december--roy, 11...pomminville, 10...vanek, ennis, stafford, hecht, myers, 7
• november--roy, 13...leopold, connolly, vanek, stafford, 7
• october--roy, vanek, 11...jordan leopold, 9

goals

• december--staff, 6...pomminville, 5...vanek, ennis, 4
• november--roy, 6....vanek, connolly, 4
• october--vanek, 5...leopold, 4...ennis, roy, 3

power play goals

• december--staff, 4...pomminville, ennis, 2
• november--vanek, myers, 2...roy, leopold, 1

assists

• december--roy, 10...myers, 7...sekera, 6
• november--roy, 7...ennis, montador, 5
• october--roy, 8...vanek, 6...connolly, leopold, 5

power play assists

• december--roy, 6...vanek, 3...ennis, sekera, 2
• november--roy, 4...eight with one

primary assists

• december--roy, 7...hecht, 4...myers, 3
• november--ennis, roy, montador, 4
• october--roy, 6...niedermayer, 3...five with 2

plus/minus

• december--weber, +7...sekera, +5...grier, gaustad, +4
• november--montador, +7...leopold, +3...kaleta, +2
• october--montador +9...ennis, +4...stafford, gaustad, +3

plus/minus (bottom)

• december--leopold, -10...vanek, montador, -5...ennis, -4
• november--connolly, morrisonn, -8...rivet, -7
• october--myers, -10...vanek, -5...morrisonn, -4

forwards avg. toi
total:

• december ytd--roy, 19:32...pomminville, 17:39...vanek, 17:18
• november ytd--roy, 19:37...stafford, 16:48...vanek, 16:38
• october ytd--roy, 19:50...pomminville, 17:23...vanek, 17:11

even strength:

• december ytd--roy, 14:20...vanek, 13:22...hecht, 12:53
• november ytd--roy, 15:04...stafford, 13:18...vanek, 13:06
• october ytd--roy, 14:37, vanek, 13:18...hecht, 13:00

power play:

• december ytd--vanek, 3:52...pomminville, 3:47...roy, 3:43
• november ytd--roy, 3:32...vanek, 3:25...stafford, 3:14
• october ytd--vanek, 3:59...roy, pomminville, 3:48

penalty kill:

• december ytd--grier 2:52...hecht, 2:07...pomminville, 1:59
• november ytd--grier, 3:17...hecht, 2:17...connolly, 2:05
• october ytd--grier, 2:57...hecht, 2:08...pomminville, 1:50

defensemen avg. toi
total:

• december ytd--leopold, 23:48...myers, 23:36...sekera, 20:50
• november ytd--leopold, 23:56...myers, 23:26...montador, sekera, 19:08
• october ytd--leopold, 23:51...myers, 23:41...montador, 20:24

even strength:

• december ytd--leopold, 18:13...montador, 17:27...myers 16:42
• november ytd--leopold, 17:36...myers, 16:44...montador, 16:39
• october ytd--leopold, 18:11...montador, 17:47...myers, 16:48

power play:

• december ytd--myers, 3:32...leopold, 2:47...sekera, 2:32
• november ytd--myers, 3:15...leopold, 3:11...sekera, 2:48
• october--myers, 3:27...leopold, 2:54...sekera, 2:34

penalty kill:

• december ytd--myers, 3:21...leopold, 2:47...montador, 2:20
• november ytd--myers, 3:26...morrisonn, 3:23...leopold, 3:09
• october ytd--myers, 3:27...leopold, 2:45...morrison, 2:27

goaltending yr. to date (record...shots against...goals against...gaa...sv.%...shutouts)

ryan miller:

• december ytd--13-12-3...809...72...2.62..., .911...2
• november ytd--7-7-2...474...44...2.55..., .914...0
• october ytd--3-5-2...277...27...2.71..., .903...0

patrick lalime:

• december ytd--0-4-0...145...16...3.03..., .890...0
• november ytd--0-4-0...145...16...3.03..., .890...0

jhonas enroth

• december ytd--2-2-1...126...13...2.90..., .897...0
• november ytd--2-2-1...126...13...2.90..., .897...0

alexander mogilny story



alexander mogilny

alexander mogilny, along with the late jim kelley will be inducted into the buffalo sabres hall of fame in a pre-game ceremony tonight vs. the boston bruins...

the following is a link to an article from the international ice hockey federation from june, 2009 commemorating the 20th anniversary of his defection to the united states...

it was originally published by the hockey news...

thanx to both sites for this historical gem concerning one of the best forwards in sabres history:

http://www.iihf.com/home-of-hockey/news/news-singleview/?tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=3659&cHash=b3815c0c92f2f75260186da52c7e41f5