Reprinted with permission from hockyebuzz.com
When the Buffalo Sabres opened the regular season on October 9th, they had five players injured--G, Matt Hackett; F, Patrick Kaleta; F, Johan Larsson; D, Mark Pysyk; D, Jake McCabe.
Hackett is still recovering from a knee injury after a nasty collision took him out last season while Kaleta is back on the ice in a non-contact uniform.
Kaleta was hit in the face by a puck that, according to the winger, “Broke a bunch of things in there." He went on to say that behind his full face shield are three plates and 14 screws which are now a part of him. And although he still has blood in his eye from the slapshot, “I went through all the tests with my eyeball," he said, "and I’m blessed and lucky my eyesight is good, knock on wood, so far. Everything else was pretty much crushed, I guess." Save for his spirit.
He's back on the ice skating with the team after being out only three weeks and he's itchin' to get back out there. “I’m probably going to let the plates and the screws settle a little bit. Other than that, once I get the green light, I’m ready to go whether my face is broken or not.”
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Friday, October 17, 2014
Tyler Myers, Sam Reinhart, and other thoughts
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Tyler Myers rumors are cranking up again fueled by TSN's Darren Dreger.
For Dreger, it's becoming old hat to trot out Myers' name in his Insider Trading segment. Back in February when the rumor mill was cranking for the impending trade deadline, Dreger was invited on WGR Radio to discuss word that the Sabres' were getting interest in Myers from teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers and the always present Toronto Maple Leafs.
Dreger noted that Sabres GM Tim Murray wasn't actively shopping Myers and that a rebuilding team should at least entertain offers for a perceived top-pairing defenseman. He emphasized that Myers would not just be given away and mentioned that Murray would probably looking for a young roster player, a prospect and a draft pick.
As the trade deadline came and went with Myers staying put, rumors subsided until July when the Detroit Red Wings were said to be interested in him. Wings GM Ken Holland was looking for a right handed d-man during the stretch run and had his eyes set on Vancouver's, Alexander Edler.
That fell through and to make matters worse in Hockeytown, Detroit, uncharacteristically, was unable to land top free agents on July 1st. "Our hope was to acquire a right-shot defenseman," GM Ken Holland said at the time. "We made offers to four or five. For a variety of reasons, they chose to go elsewhere."
The Tyler Myers rumors are cranking up again fueled by TSN's Darren Dreger.
For Dreger, it's becoming old hat to trot out Myers' name in his Insider Trading segment. Back in February when the rumor mill was cranking for the impending trade deadline, Dreger was invited on WGR Radio to discuss word that the Sabres' were getting interest in Myers from teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers and the always present Toronto Maple Leafs.
Dreger noted that Sabres GM Tim Murray wasn't actively shopping Myers and that a rebuilding team should at least entertain offers for a perceived top-pairing defenseman. He emphasized that Myers would not just be given away and mentioned that Murray would probably looking for a young roster player, a prospect and a draft pick.
As the trade deadline came and went with Myers staying put, rumors subsided until July when the Detroit Red Wings were said to be interested in him. Wings GM Ken Holland was looking for a right handed d-man during the stretch run and had his eyes set on Vancouver's, Alexander Edler.
That fell through and to make matters worse in Hockeytown, Detroit, uncharacteristically, was unable to land top free agents on July 1st. "Our hope was to acquire a right-shot defenseman," GM Ken Holland said at the time. "We made offers to four or five. For a variety of reasons, they chose to go elsewhere."
Thursday, October 16, 2014
No avoiding it, the "Pew Wee Sabres" are looking at a possible 0-4 start...
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
but luckily tonight they play another pointless team in the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Buffalo Sabres have never started out a season 0-4, and only twice in franchise history have they started 0-3. That would be last year and this year. Those are the positives for the club heading into tonight's game in Raleigh, NC.
But, on the flipside, they went 1-8-4 in the second game of back-to-backs last season, and according to head coach Ted Nolan, it may seem as if the team will be playing 3-on-20 when they hit the ice in
Carolina.
After yesterday's home debacle against the Anaheim Ducks, Nolan was asked how frustrating it was having only two players score goals in the three games played thus far (Zemgus Girgensons, 2 and Tyler Ennis, 2.) "Those are the probably the only two guys that worked," said Nolan. "It's pretty hard to have two forwards and maybe one defenseman that's doing it [on a nightly basis.]"
The defenseman Nolan might have been alluding to is Tyler Myers. He leads the team in average TOI/game at 25:24 and is sporting an even plus/minus rating so far. And that's with Buffalo's league-worst 4.67 gaa/game.
Interesting to note that both Girgensons and Ennis are also at an even rating.
Minus those three and maybe a couple of others, there's no sense of desperation on the team. It's to the point that some, like Andrej Meszaros, play as if they've checked out already. A mere three games into the season.
but luckily tonight they play another pointless team in the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Buffalo Sabres have never started out a season 0-4, and only twice in franchise history have they started 0-3. That would be last year and this year. Those are the positives for the club heading into tonight's game in Raleigh, NC.
But, on the flipside, they went 1-8-4 in the second game of back-to-backs last season, and according to head coach Ted Nolan, it may seem as if the team will be playing 3-on-20 when they hit the ice in
Carolina.
After yesterday's home debacle against the Anaheim Ducks, Nolan was asked how frustrating it was having only two players score goals in the three games played thus far (Zemgus Girgensons, 2 and Tyler Ennis, 2.) "Those are the probably the only two guys that worked," said Nolan. "It's pretty hard to have two forwards and maybe one defenseman that's doing it [on a nightly basis.]"
The defenseman Nolan might have been alluding to is Tyler Myers. He leads the team in average TOI/game at 25:24 and is sporting an even plus/minus rating so far. And that's with Buffalo's league-worst 4.67 gaa/game.
Interesting to note that both Girgensons and Ennis are also at an even rating.
Minus those three and maybe a couple of others, there's no sense of desperation on the team. It's to the point that some, like Andrej Meszaros, play as if they've checked out already. A mere three games into the season.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Matinee game plus the Bills, Bailey and the 2016 NHL All-Star Game
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
No one will ever be able to convince me that bad officiating has nothing to do with a loss.
Momentum plays a huge part in every sport and a bad call during the course of a game can keep a team from gaining or stopping momentum at any point in the contest. It happened yesterday in the Bills vs. New England as it did the week before at Detroit. What bad calls at crucial times do is keep a team at bay, just out of reach of the favorite (maybe, favored?) or it will keep an underdog team from getting too far ahead.
Although the Bills didn't lay an egg in the second half because of poor or one-sided officiating, a couple of bad calls at crucial moments made their task much more difficult, if not insurmountable. That's how officiating affects the outcome.
It happens in football, it happens in baseball and it happens a lot in basketball.
Bad calls happen in hockey as well and may have something to do with the outcome, but it's something that can be countered by the great equalizer--the goaltender. A tough goalie can single-handedly swing the momentum back.
No one will ever be able to convince me that bad officiating has nothing to do with a loss.
Momentum plays a huge part in every sport and a bad call during the course of a game can keep a team from gaining or stopping momentum at any point in the contest. It happened yesterday in the Bills vs. New England as it did the week before at Detroit. What bad calls at crucial times do is keep a team at bay, just out of reach of the favorite (maybe, favored?) or it will keep an underdog team from getting too far ahead.
Although the Bills didn't lay an egg in the second half because of poor or one-sided officiating, a couple of bad calls at crucial moments made their task much more difficult, if not insurmountable. That's how officiating affects the outcome.
It happens in football, it happens in baseball and it happens a lot in basketball.
Bad calls happen in hockey as well and may have something to do with the outcome, but it's something that can be countered by the great equalizer--the goaltender. A tough goalie can single-handedly swing the momentum back.
Monday, October 13, 2014
A tale of two teams (Akim Aliu,Tyler Ennis, Tyler Myers)
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Before we get to hockey, for the first time since 1960, the Buffalo Bills will officially have a new owner at kickoff.
Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula and his wife Kim were approved as owners of the Bills on Wednesday and will be in the owner's box today as the Bills take on archrival New England for first place in the division.
The question asked often is what will the Pegula's do with the management structure and coaching staff? Will they keep them or will they clean house and bring in "their own people."
About the only thing we can hope for is that the Pegula's are intent upon having the best minds possible to run the team. If the best minds happen to be President and CEO Russ Brandon, GM Doug Whaley and head coach Doug Marrone, so be it. I happen to like Whaley and Marrone, but I'm pretty sure that the Pegula's investment of $1.4B to purchase the Bills might just trump this bloggers opinion.
Before we get to hockey, for the first time since 1960, the Buffalo Bills will officially have a new owner at kickoff.
Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula and his wife Kim were approved as owners of the Bills on Wednesday and will be in the owner's box today as the Bills take on archrival New England for first place in the division.
The question asked often is what will the Pegula's do with the management structure and coaching staff? Will they keep them or will they clean house and bring in "their own people."
About the only thing we can hope for is that the Pegula's are intent upon having the best minds possible to run the team. If the best minds happen to be President and CEO Russ Brandon, GM Doug Whaley and head coach Doug Marrone, so be it. I happen to like Whaley and Marrone, but I'm pretty sure that the Pegula's investment of $1.4B to purchase the Bills might just trump this bloggers opinion.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Round-2 for Rochester and Buffalo
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
Both the Rochester Americans and Buffalo Sabres will be in action tonight finish off a back-to-back homestand to start the season while the Sabres head to Chicago to face the Blackhawks in their second game of this young season.
The Amerks are coming off a 6-1 drubbing of the Adirondack Flames in their opener. After a sluggish start, Rochester potted three goals in both the second and third periods as six different Amerks scored.
Tim Schaller opened up the scoring shaking off a Flames defender and rifling a quick shot low, far-side. After Adirondack tied it, Mikhail Grigorenko snapped a wicked wrister top-shelf and Chad Ruhwedel buried a 4-on-3 powerplay goal to put the Amerks up by two.
Assisting on the Grigorenko goal was Joel Armia and head coach Chadd Cassidy, after juggling lines to try and find something that worked, thinks he may have found a good combination. "Once we got Grigorenko and Armia together, they dominated from the second period on," he said in today's pregame interview with Don Stevens.
Both the Rochester Americans and Buffalo Sabres will be in action tonight finish off a back-to-back homestand to start the season while the Sabres head to Chicago to face the Blackhawks in their second game of this young season.
The Amerks are coming off a 6-1 drubbing of the Adirondack Flames in their opener. After a sluggish start, Rochester potted three goals in both the second and third periods as six different Amerks scored.
Tim Schaller opened up the scoring shaking off a Flames defender and rifling a quick shot low, far-side. After Adirondack tied it, Mikhail Grigorenko snapped a wicked wrister top-shelf and Chad Ruhwedel buried a 4-on-3 powerplay goal to put the Amerks up by two.
Assisting on the Grigorenko goal was Joel Armia and head coach Chadd Cassidy, after juggling lines to try and find something that worked, thinks he may have found a good combination. "Once we got Grigorenko and Armia together, they dominated from the second period on," he said in today's pregame interview with Don Stevens.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
A Rochester Amerks preview as they get ready to hit the ice tonight.
Reprinted with permission from hockeybuzz.com
The Rochester Americans kick off their season at home tonight vs. the Adirondack Flames in what will be a pretty important year for both Rochester and the Buffalo Sabres. An AHL club is almost always the main feeder for the parent club and over the next few seasons the Amerks will be an integral link to any future successes of the Sabres.
Names like Nicholas Baptiste, JT Compher, Justin Bailey, Anthony Florentino and Brendan Lemieux will more than likely be passing through Rochester on their way to the NHL over the course of the next few seasons and they'll take their place within the mix of draft picks, free agents, borderline NHL'ers, career AHL'ers and players on pro tryouts.
In this, like every other season, an array of players will be hitting the ice for the Amerks, but this season seems to have more of a veteran look to it. That will change over the course of this season as it does every year, but for now head coach Chadd Cassidy will have only a handful of rookies when they hit the ice. What he and his coaching staff will be looking for is individual growth and improvement from all of his players in an environment (the AHL) which is constantly changing.
The Rochester Americans kick off their season at home tonight vs. the Adirondack Flames in what will be a pretty important year for both Rochester and the Buffalo Sabres. An AHL club is almost always the main feeder for the parent club and over the next few seasons the Amerks will be an integral link to any future successes of the Sabres.
Names like Nicholas Baptiste, JT Compher, Justin Bailey, Anthony Florentino and Brendan Lemieux will more than likely be passing through Rochester on their way to the NHL over the course of the next few seasons and they'll take their place within the mix of draft picks, free agents, borderline NHL'ers, career AHL'ers and players on pro tryouts.
In this, like every other season, an array of players will be hitting the ice for the Amerks, but this season seems to have more of a veteran look to it. That will change over the course of this season as it does every year, but for now head coach Chadd Cassidy will have only a handful of rookies when they hit the ice. What he and his coaching staff will be looking for is individual growth and improvement from all of his players in an environment (the AHL) which is constantly changing.
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