Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Sabres beat writer Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News has been railing against a perceived be tank-job by the Buffalo organization for quite some time. Back on January 31st he penned an article, Sabres are disgusting, all right, that aptly and bluntly captured his dismay .At the time Harrington was not amused by the Sabres road to the top of the 2015 NHL Draft. He wrote of the Edmonton Oilers having "a lot of road trips" the rest of the season while the Arizona Coyotes, he wrote, "have a lot of trades to make" if they were thinking of overtaking the Sabres for last place.
Buffalo had just finished an 0-fer January and was on a franchise record 14-game losing streak. "Hockey folks are laughing at the product the Sabres have put on the ice," he wrote, "but much worse they're laughing at the organization itself and that's not how it's supposed to be going."
Sabres GM Tim Murray was sitting on his hands during this debacle leaving head coach Ted Nolan with very little on the ice and even less to say post-game save for "these are the 20 guys we have," and "we've got what we got." Harrington was so disgusted that it only took him a one paragraph lead-in before he wrote, "I think it's safe to call right now. The Buffalo Sabres are the worst team in the NHL by a lot at this point. They're going to finish 30th and get Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel.
"You may call it mission accomplished. But the mission doesn't need to be an open disgrace."
Showing posts with label Brian Flynn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brian Flynn. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Monday, December 1, 2014
Sabres gut out another win against Habs
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
For the better part of six periods this weekend (plus an overtime,) the Buffalo Sabres had their butts pinned in their own zone by the Montreal Canadiens. Yet the end result of the home-and-home was two wins for the Sabres and a loser point for the Habs. The Canadiens are a good team. They're fast, strong on the forecheck and can finish. They have a well-balanced group of defensemen that can contribute offensively and some pretty solid goaltending as well. Even with the lone point this weekend, they're still tied for the league lead in points with 34.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the ice in Buffalo on Friday and Montreal on Saturday was decidedly tilted in the Habs favor over most of those two games. Simple stats will show it. The Canadiens won 92 of 132 draws over the weekend, an astounding 70% and Sabres' netminder Jhonas Enroth faced 75 shots on goal while his counterparts faced only 51.
For the better part of six periods this weekend (plus an overtime,) the Buffalo Sabres had their butts pinned in their own zone by the Montreal Canadiens. Yet the end result of the home-and-home was two wins for the Sabres and a loser point for the Habs. The Canadiens are a good team. They're fast, strong on the forecheck and can finish. They have a well-balanced group of defensemen that can contribute offensively and some pretty solid goaltending as well. Even with the lone point this weekend, they're still tied for the league lead in points with 34.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the ice in Buffalo on Friday and Montreal on Saturday was decidedly tilted in the Habs favor over most of those two games. Simple stats will show it. The Canadiens won 92 of 132 draws over the weekend, an astounding 70% and Sabres' netminder Jhonas Enroth faced 75 shots on goal while his counterparts faced only 51.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Les Habitants visit Buffalo with Brian Gionta, Josh Gorges. Plus, susceptibility
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Buffalo Sabres continue a four-game homestand tonight as they host the Montreal Canadiens, a team that they've played 262 times. It's not hard to imagine the Les Habitants, a franchise with 24 Stanley Cups and over 3000 wins, dominating the Sabres. But, oddly enough, through four and a half decades of battling with Montreal, the Sabres have a 119-106-37 record in the series.
Recent history, though, hasn't been so kind. Although they are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games against Montreal, the Sabres haven't beaten the Canadiens since a 2-1 victory in Montreal on March 23, 2013. Since then Buffalo is 0-5-0, have scored only four goals and were shut out in the last two meetings.
Montreal enters tonight's contest with 17 points via an 8-4-1 record, good for second in the Atlantic Division. After a hot start, they've cooled considerably going 0-2-1 in their last three including back-to-back blowouts at home. They were dumped 6-2 by the upstart Calgary Flames on Sunday and were shut out by the Chicago Blackhawks 5-0 last night.
The Buffalo Sabres continue a four-game homestand tonight as they host the Montreal Canadiens, a team that they've played 262 times. It's not hard to imagine the Les Habitants, a franchise with 24 Stanley Cups and over 3000 wins, dominating the Sabres. But, oddly enough, through four and a half decades of battling with Montreal, the Sabres have a 119-106-37 record in the series.
Recent history, though, hasn't been so kind. Although they are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games against Montreal, the Sabres haven't beaten the Canadiens since a 2-1 victory in Montreal on March 23, 2013. Since then Buffalo is 0-5-0, have scored only four goals and were shut out in the last two meetings.
Montreal enters tonight's contest with 17 points via an 8-4-1 record, good for second in the Atlantic Division. After a hot start, they've cooled considerably going 0-2-1 in their last three including back-to-back blowouts at home. They were dumped 6-2 by the upstart Calgary Flames on Sunday and were shut out by the Chicago Blackhawks 5-0 last night.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Building the 2014-15 Buffalo Sabres roster--LW, Brian Flynn
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Buffalo Sabres forward Brian Flynn is the type of player who goes about his business on the ice with little fanfare. Last season was his first full season with the Sabres and despite his ability to score, he spent a lot of time in a checking role and on the penalty kill.
It was a messed up season last year in Buffalo, and many things were out of whack, but Flynn just trudged through and did what was asked of him. The numbers weren't staggering, in fact they were rather pedestrian--six goals and seven assists in 79 games--but throughout the season you'd often hear his name mentioned as one of the better players on the ice. And many times you'd also hear how well he was progressing.
Buffalo Sabres forward Brian Flynn is the type of player who goes about his business on the ice with little fanfare. Last season was his first full season with the Sabres and despite his ability to score, he spent a lot of time in a checking role and on the penalty kill.
It was a messed up season last year in Buffalo, and many things were out of whack, but Flynn just trudged through and did what was asked of him. The numbers weren't staggering, in fact they were rather pedestrian--six goals and seven assists in 79 games--but throughout the season you'd often hear his name mentioned as one of the better players on the ice. And many times you'd also hear how well he was progressing.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Welcome to the Atlantic Division, NHL schedule released. Plus RFA signings and Eric Locke
Last season as a member of the five-team Northeast Division the Buffalo Sabres finished 12th in the Eastern Conference, seven points back of the eighth-seeded NY Islanders.
For the 2013-14 season Buffalo will be a part of the newly constructed Atlantic Division featuring the Sabres four foes from the NE--Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa--two teams from the former Southeast Division, Tampa Bay and Florida as well as transplanted Western Conference powerhouse Detroit.
Last season all four division opponents made the playoffs.
If you add Detroit to the mix, their 56 points would have been enough to knock the Islanders out of the No. 8 spot.
Heading into the upcoming season, with realignment comes a new playoff format.
The top three teams in each conference are in the playoffs, while the two teams from each conference with the next best records will get in as wild cards.
Looking at last season through the lens of the new playoff format, these would be your playoff teams:
Montreal, Boston and Toronto from freshly minted Atlantic division; Pittsburgh, Washington and the NY Rangers from the new Metropolitan Division.
The two wild card teams would have been Detroit and Ottawa.
Five of the eight teams in Buffalo's division would have made the playoffs and the Sabres would have placed 14th in the conference when you factor in new Eastern Conference addition of Columbus and their 55 points.
For 2013-14, in honor of the new divisions, Buffalo heads to Detroit on October 2nd to kick off the season.
If Sabres fans thought facing division foes Montreal, Boston, Toronto and Ottawa wasn't enough, having to play Detroit four times with Buffalo in rebuild-mode is enough to for them start thinking about tanking for Sam Reinhart or Aaron Ekblad in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Many will look even further down the road and dream of the 2015 Draft and phenom Connor McDavid.
It will be a tough year for one of the youngest teams in the NHL. It will be even tougher if (when?) the Sabres move their two best players, Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek.
And to complicate things even further, there's a compressed schedule because of the NHL and it's players participating in the Olympics.
Here's a link to a schedule overview from Sabres.com.
********
In other news, the Sabres signed two restricted free agents--F Brian Flynn and D Nick Crawford.
Flynn got the call last season when Vanek went down with an injury and never left. He earned himself a two-year deal.
Crawford, a 6th round pick in 2008 has played 199 games for the Sabres in the AHL, signed a one-year contract.
********
The 2013 Draft has been in the books for a few weeks now and the general consensus is that the Sabres really nailed it.
It will be years before the final results are tallied but first-rounders Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadarov look to be a couple of good ones.
Further down the draft, the Sabres had quite a few picks in the bottom rounds including their final pick of the draft, 7th-rounder (#189-overall,) F Eric Locke.
There's always a heightened sense of optimism at the draft as hope reigns supreme, and Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald, runs with it.
Hoppe interviews Locke's former coach Greg Gilbert for an article which embodies optimism and hope while invoking the name of a Hall-of-Fame sniper. The title of the piece: Coach believes high-scoring Sabres prospect Eric Locke has Brett Hull-like shot.
Neither writer nor coach go as far to say that Locke will approach Hull's 844 goals, but Locke's shot does make for an interesting conversation piece. And seventh-rounders rarely make it to the NHL.
Coach Gilbert, from the Hoppe piece, on Locke and the player his shot reminds him of:
Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com first brought Locke to our attention when he said, "Locke has speed in open ice and a nice release that sees him pick corners. The Toronto native's 97 points (44+53) [last season] more than doubled the output of his previous two years combined (46+48)."
Baker points out that it was the fifth straight year that the Sabres selected an overager (Locke is 19) with a late round pick and that the players before Locke were big, physical players.
At 5'10" and with elite skills, Locke, according to Baker, fits "the Sabres need for scoring down the wings."
Maybe Locke will be the gift from the hockey gods for the Sabres now being in one of the toughest (maybe toughest) divisions in the NHL.
For the 2013-14 season Buffalo will be a part of the newly constructed Atlantic Division featuring the Sabres four foes from the NE--Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa--two teams from the former Southeast Division, Tampa Bay and Florida as well as transplanted Western Conference powerhouse Detroit.
Last season all four division opponents made the playoffs.
If you add Detroit to the mix, their 56 points would have been enough to knock the Islanders out of the No. 8 spot.
Heading into the upcoming season, with realignment comes a new playoff format.
The top three teams in each conference are in the playoffs, while the two teams from each conference with the next best records will get in as wild cards.
Looking at last season through the lens of the new playoff format, these would be your playoff teams:
Montreal, Boston and Toronto from freshly minted Atlantic division; Pittsburgh, Washington and the NY Rangers from the new Metropolitan Division.
The two wild card teams would have been Detroit and Ottawa.
Five of the eight teams in Buffalo's division would have made the playoffs and the Sabres would have placed 14th in the conference when you factor in new Eastern Conference addition of Columbus and their 55 points.
For 2013-14, in honor of the new divisions, Buffalo heads to Detroit on October 2nd to kick off the season.
If Sabres fans thought facing division foes Montreal, Boston, Toronto and Ottawa wasn't enough, having to play Detroit four times with Buffalo in rebuild-mode is enough to for them start thinking about tanking for Sam Reinhart or Aaron Ekblad in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Many will look even further down the road and dream of the 2015 Draft and phenom Connor McDavid.
It will be a tough year for one of the youngest teams in the NHL. It will be even tougher if (when?) the Sabres move their two best players, Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek.
And to complicate things even further, there's a compressed schedule because of the NHL and it's players participating in the Olympics.
Here's a link to a schedule overview from Sabres.com.
********
In other news, the Sabres signed two restricted free agents--F Brian Flynn and D Nick Crawford.
Flynn got the call last season when Vanek went down with an injury and never left. He earned himself a two-year deal.
Crawford, a 6th round pick in 2008 has played 199 games for the Sabres in the AHL, signed a one-year contract.
********
The 2013 Draft has been in the books for a few weeks now and the general consensus is that the Sabres really nailed it.
It will be years before the final results are tallied but first-rounders Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadarov look to be a couple of good ones.
Further down the draft, the Sabres had quite a few picks in the bottom rounds including their final pick of the draft, 7th-rounder (#189-overall,) F Eric Locke.
There's always a heightened sense of optimism at the draft as hope reigns supreme, and Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald, runs with it.
Hoppe interviews Locke's former coach Greg Gilbert for an article which embodies optimism and hope while invoking the name of a Hall-of-Fame sniper. The title of the piece: Coach believes high-scoring Sabres prospect Eric Locke has Brett Hull-like shot.
Neither writer nor coach go as far to say that Locke will approach Hull's 844 goals, but Locke's shot does make for an interesting conversation piece. And seventh-rounders rarely make it to the NHL.
Coach Gilbert, from the Hoppe piece, on Locke and the player his shot reminds him of:
'Brett Hull, to be honest with you. I mean, Hully was special, there’s no question about it. But Eric’s got that potential. He’s got that quick release. He’s low to the ice. He goes through the shot. He scored goals for us this year from just inside the blue line over the goalie’s glove. The goalies didn’t move.'
Kris Baker of sabresprospects.com first brought Locke to our attention when he said, "Locke has speed in open ice and a nice release that sees him pick corners. The Toronto native's 97 points (44+53) [last season] more than doubled the output of his previous two years combined (46+48)."
Baker points out that it was the fifth straight year that the Sabres selected an overager (Locke is 19) with a late round pick and that the players before Locke were big, physical players.
At 5'10" and with elite skills, Locke, according to Baker, fits "the Sabres need for scoring down the wings."
Maybe Locke will be the gift from the hockey gods for the Sabres now being in one of the toughest (maybe toughest) divisions in the NHL.
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