Relentless Flyers Forecheck Will Test Sabres Young Blueline



 One thing the Sabres can count on tonight and throughout the length of this series vs. the Philadelphia Flyers is a relentless forecheck from the Fly-boys forwards. It's something of a hallmark that goes back to the Broadstreet Bully days with the likes of Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, Reg Leach, Rick Macleish, etc.

The 2010/11 edition of the Flyers is no different with Mike Richards, Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell, and James Van Riemsdyk carrying that banner into the playoffs.

Beginning tonight the heat will be on the Sabres back-end.

Ryan Miller, obviously, will need to come up with some big saves for the Sabres to have a chance in the series. The onus on the defense will be to keep glorious opportunities to a minimum.

The quandary for Lindy Ruff on the back-end is d-pairings. Injuries, especially to Jordan Leopold, and lately, Andrej Sekera, have caused Ruff to do some juggling on the back-end. Veteran d-man Shaone Morrisonn's poor play hasn't helped either as rookie Marc-Andre Gragnani has been forced into action because of it.

Put it all together and you have a very young, group of d-men facing a tenacious Flyers forecheck--quite possibly the best in the league.

The only constant as of late is the pairing of sophomore, Tyler Myers and Chris Butler. Myers has six playoff games under his belt, Butler has none. The duo has logged big minutes and in the last six games of the regular season they have only one game in the minus column--the OT loss to the Washington Capitals.

As pointed out by WGR's Paul Hamilton, Butler has been playing extremely well lately (only one minus-game in the last 26.) From what I've seen his stick-work has been nothing short of impressive and his positioning in the d-zone has been exceptional. He's always had a good head on his shoulders and it seems as if he's fought his way through poor play to reach a level of confidence and consistency.

Hamilton seems to give credit to Myers for the uptick in Butler's play, and I'd agree, somewhat. But, it actually may more of a case of Butler covering for Myers' inconsistencies in the defensive zone. Regardless of who makes who better, that duo will be key to holding the fort under immense pressure.

The other pairings may fluctuate, but if Sekera is ready to go, you may see him paired with Mike Weber. That duo played well two seasons ago in a failed playoff push and were paired late in the season before Sekera went down with an injury.

Steve Montador, the veteran of the d-corp, should take his spot on the third-pairing with either Morrisonn or Gragnani. In either case, keeping this pairing to a minimum five-on-five would seem to be the best scenario with Montador and Morrisonn logging minutes on the PK and Gragnani getting extra time on the PP.

Of course, it matters little what pairing is on the ice if the Sabres forwards don't take care of their own end. That means no cheating by the wingers on the half-wall and big help from the centers (whoever they are) on the back-check.

The Flyers love to punish defensemen and cycle in the offensive zone. Their forecheck forces plenty of turnovers for easy goals and they're not afraid to wreak havoc in front of the net either.

Put it all together and you have a huge challenge for the Sabres very young defense. If they can keep the turnovers to a minimum and have Miller bail them out as many times as humanly possible, frustration will set in, and the Flyers will end up off of their game. That, in turn, should help lead to victory.

The Exploitable Goaltending Roulette Wheel In Philly

Make no mistake about it, the Buffalo Sabres are clear underdogs in this 1st-round match-up with the #2-seed, Philadelphia Flyers.

The only areas where the Sabres have an advantage is goaltending and coaching (maybe.)

The Sabres have Ryan Miller in net. He's a veteran of the playoffs as well as high-pressure situations. And although Philadelphia goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky had a regular season on par with Miller, he's still a rookie who could pull a Ken Dryden or a Roman Chechmanek. More than likely, it'll fall somewhere in between.

Here-in lies the problem for the Flyers. Head coach, Peter Laviolette has a competent back-up in veteran Brian Boucher. Not only that, last year's playoff hero Michael Leighton cleared waivers and is with the club. That's three goalies who Laviolette can turn to.

Laviolette knows how to win--he has a Stanley Cup ring as coach of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 (juggling two goalies) and last year his Flyers lost in the Finals to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. Not only that, he has the horses up-front and on the blue line to reach the Finals once again this year. He knows his team's strengths and weaknesses, knows how to coach within a game and proved last playoffs that he could juggle goalies and go with the hot hand.

Flyers Head Coach, Peter Laviolette
will be playing the roulette wheel
once again in this years playoffs

But, this year he'll have three choices in net which could make it much more difficult to find and/or ride the hot hand.

I've often likened the Flyers goaltending situation to playing roulette--red or black. You've got a 50/50 chance of getting it right. Ride a color until it gets cold and hopefully the next color will get hot. Hello, Stanely Cup Finals.

Throw in the green space on the wheel, and the odds of hitting black or red just went down (minimally, albeit, but down none-the-less.)

If things go well with "Bob," there's no decision to make, you ride him. The second choice is rather easy as well--Boucher is the back-up and should "Bob" falter, he gets the nod. Should "Boosh" tank, then where does Laviolette go? Back to "Bob" or does he go "green" with Leighton?

That's not a good position to put the coach in. In fact, that probably puts him in a position to fail.

If the Sabres can get to the Flyers early, and it will have a lot to do with Lindy Ruff's strategy (as well as the players bringing it up a notch,) the quandary that Laviolette will find himself in as he tries to find the hot hand may be too much. That's not to say that if the Sabres win the first game convincingly and/or the second game that the Flyers would implode.

But it could be the way to put just enough question-marks into Philly's overall scheme to pull off an upset.

Individual Stats For the Month of April

Time and again, Lindy Ruff has called upon his best players to be his best players.

The Sabres ended the month of March in 7th place with a very strong month. Problem was, the teams that they were battling with for a playoff spot were equal to the task. It set up a very interesting, short month of April to determine who would be in the post season and who would not.

A 4-0-1 record for the month of April put Buffalo in the 7th-spot as they head to the playoffs and the players that Ruff needed to step up, came through--Thomas Vanek, Jason Pomminville, Drew Stafford with a little help from Paul Gaustad, Nate Gerbe and Brad Boyes as well as Jhonas Enroth.

The final individual, monthly breakdown for the 2010/11 season (full season stats can be found by clicking here:)


points:

• April--Vanek, 7...Pomminville, Stafford, 6
• march--sekera, 15...vanek, 14...ennis, 12
• february--stafford, 13...vanek, 11...ennis, pomminville, 7
• 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:

• April--Vanek, 5...Stafford, 3...Goose, Gerbe, Butler, 2
• march--gerbe, 7...ennis, 6...pomminville, niedermayer, 5
• february--stafford, 9...vanek, 5...pomminville, goose, 4
• 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:

• April--Stafford, 2...Vanek, Goose, 1
• march--connolly, boyes, leopold, 2
• february--stafford, 3...ennis, pomminville, connolly, 1
• january--vanek, 3...pomminville, ennis, gerbe, 2
• december--staff, 4...pomminville, ennis, 2
• november--vanek, myers, 2...roy, leopold, 1

assists:

• April--Connolly, Pomminville, Boyes, 4
• march--sekera, 14...vanek, 10...connolly, myers, 7
• february--vanek, ennis, 6...leopold, 5
• 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:

• April--Connolly, Pomminville, 2...Goose, 1
• march--ennis, stafford, 3...vanek, pomminville, myers, sekera, 2
• february--vanek, 4...connolly, leopold, 2
• january--ennis, 5...vanek, connolly, 3
• december--roy, 6...vanek, 3...ennis, sekera, 2
• november--roy, 4...eight with one

primary assists:

• April--Pomminville, 4...Boyes, 3...Vanek, Goose, Gerbe, Montador, 2
• march--goose, 6...connolly, vanek, 5
• february--vanek, 5...ennis, leopold, 4
• 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:

• April--Stafford, +4...Vanek, Gerbe, +3
• march--sekera, +12...myers, +8...vanek, stafford, +7
• february--hecht, +7...ennis, morrison, +6
• 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):

• April--Niedermayer, Ellis, -2...Kaleta, McCormick, Gragnani, -1
• march--leopold, -8...grier, niedermayer, -4
• february--gerbe, -3...kaleta, -2...connolly, pomminville, niedermayer, goose, +1
• 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

Season Total Primary Assists/Total Assists:

• Vanek--19/41
• Pomminville--19/30
• Ennis--19/29
• Roy--17/25
• Connolly--13/29
• Hecht--13/17
• Montador--13/21
• Goose--11/19
• Leopold--11/22
• Stafford--10/21
• Myers--10/27
• Sekera--10/26
• Niedermayer--8/14
• Grier--5/11
• McCormick--512
• Gerbe--5/15
• Boyes--5/38
• Kaleta--3/5
• Morrisonn--3/4
• Weber--3/13
• Mancari--3/7
• Butler--2/7
• Gragnani--0/2
• Ellis--0/0
• Adam--0/1
• Stuart--0/0
• Byron--0/1
• Parrish--0/0

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




ryan miller:

• April ytd--34-22-8...1964...165...2.59..., .916...5
• march ytd--33-22-8...1935...164...2.60..., .915...5
• february ytd--28-18-6...1545...133...2.66..., .914...3
• 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:

• April ytd--0-5-0...163...18...2.96..., .890...0
• march ytd--0-5-0...163...18...2.96..., .890...0
• february ytd--0-5-0...163...18...2.96..., .890...0
• 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

• April ytd--9-2-2...377...35...2.73..., .907...1
• march ytd--6-2-1...247...21...2.45..., .915...1
• february ytd--3-2-1...160...15...2.69..., .906...0
• 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

2010/11 Final Team Stats

From 14th in the Eastern Conference after October to a #7-seed heading into the playoffs, the Buffalo Sabres completed a fantastic turnaround.

When you look at how they did it, you'll find a steady climb in many statistical categories, but the most telling stats have to do with the offense, and how the team eventually began to bury their chances in 2011.

The fast-skating Sabres averaged right around 33 shots per game throughout most of the season, but seemed to be missing glorious opportunities on a consistent basis throughout the first half of the season.

At the end of the 2010, the Sabres were 21st in the league in goals per game (2.57) and sat in 12th place in the conference. Their best record for any month was December where they went 6-5-1.

By the end of January the Sabres were at 16th in the league scoring 2.71 goals per game in compiling a 8-3-1 record.

The steady climb continued as the team finished 9th overall with 2.93 goals per game--a 14% increase.

The powerplay was a big reason for the increased output--23rd in the league to start 2011, 9th in the league at the end of the season.

On the defensive side, the team managed to cut it's goals against slightly and although January and February represented trouble spots for the team's penalty kill, they rebounded very well to finish 13th in the league.

Add it all up, the 2010/11 edition of the Buffalo Sabres turned around their season with offense and a penchant for burying their chances.



wins:

• Season--(tie) 15th (43)--(1st, VAN--54)
• march--16th (39)...(van--52)
• february--21st (29)...(philly--40)
• january--23rd (23)...(philly--33)
• december--26th (15)...(pitt--25)
• november--26th (9)
• october--27th (3)

points:

• Season--(tied) 15th (96)...(1st, VAN--117)
• march--17th (87)...(van--113)
• february--22nd (65)...(van--87)
• january--23rd (51)...(philly--71)
• december --26th (34)...(pitt, det--53)
• november--25th (21)
• october--28th (8)

eastern conference standing:

• Season--7th...(#1, WAS)
• march--7th...(philly)
• february--9th...(philly)
• january--10th...(philly)
• december--12th...(pitt)
• november--11th
• october--14th

northeast division standing:

• Season--3rd (1st, BOS)
• march--3rd...(boston)
• february--3rd...(boston)
• january--3rd...(boston)
• december--4th...(boston)
• november--4th
• october--5th

goals/game:

• Season--9th (2.93)...(#1, VAN--3.15)
• march--9th (2.87)...(van--3.19)
• february--12th (2.80)...(det--3.32)
• january--16th (2.71)...(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:

• Season--4th (32.8)...(#1, SJS--34.5)
• march--4th (33)...(sjs--34.6)
• february--4th (32.9)...(sjs--34)
• january--3rd (33.3)...(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:

• Season--18th (2.78)...(#1, VAN--2.20)
• march--16th (2.77)...(van--2.20)
• february--20th (2.88)...(van--2.30)
• january--20th (2.94)...(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:

• Season--17th (30.7)...(#1, NJD--26.2)
• march--16th (30.6)...(njd--26.1)
• february--19th (30.8)...(njd--27.0)
• january--18th (30.4)...(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:

• Season--9th (19.4%)...(#1, VAN--24.3%)
• march--11th (18.8%)...(van--24.7%)
• february--12th (18.2)...(van--24.8)
• january--12th (18.7)...(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:

• Season--13th (83.0%)...(#1, PIT--86.1%)
• march--13th (83.2%)...(van--86.6%)
• february--20th (80.4)...(#1, pitt--86.7%)
• january--17th (81.6)...(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:

• Season--27th (47.7%)...(#1, VAN--54.9%)
• march--26th (47.7%)...(van--55.1%)
• february--26th (47.9)...(#1, van--55.4)
• january--27th (47.2)...(van--55.8)
• december--26th (48.0)...(van--56.8)
• november--27th (47.9)...(van--56.9)
• october--27th (47.7)...(sjs--56.4)

This (second-half) Sabres Team Has Earned a Ruckus Home Crowd

So you're a Sabres player, you step onto the HSBC arena ice in the first half of the season and there's a passivity in the air--an energy-level at the arena that was moderate at best and often times bordering on anemic.

Charting the Sabres woes at home can be traced to a litany of transgressions over the past few seasons that became all too common-place. From lack of leadership, to an absence of that Buffalo "lunch-bucket" mentality, to an unearned nonchalance bordering on hubris, the Sabres displayed an inconsistency that left the fan-base unsure of just what to expect from the Sabres on any given night.

What were the fans were about to watch? Not a team, per-se, but a group of players who's fragility and stubborn individuality would often leave the home crowd disappointed, as witnessed by an 6-3 thumping by the NY Rangers in the home opener this season and subsequent 0-4-1 home mark for the month of October.

That sinking feeling would turn to dread as the Sabres lost two more home games before defeating the Washington Capitals on November 13th.

Who could blame the fan-base for being skeptical after starting out 0-6-1 before that win? They'd seen this movie before and didn't like it. Worse yet, it was being played with, basically, the same group of players that had missed the playoffs two consecutive years before being bounced in the first round last year as the "favorite."

If the Buffalo Sabres wanted a rollicking HSBC arena for their home games, they would need to earn it.

Ryan Miller yesterday almost pleaded for fan support yesterday, "we need the crowd behind us, even when we're not playing our best we appreciate some support. You can't always go into the locker room feeling boos, we need some help, we need some support, we need everybody in this city behind us to do this the right way, that's just how it goes."

During the first half of the season, that quote would've come off as whiny and borderline laughable. Even in the context of the Sabres second-half playoff march it wasn't really necessary.

The fans know what's going on. They can differentiate between a group of players skating on the ice and National Hockey League Team that, as Lindy Ruff mentioned the other day, is "in the business of winning."

The fan-base didn't blow the roof off of HSBC in their playoff-clinching OT win vs. Philadelphia because of some "rah-rah" quote from a team leader. The fans blew the roof off because they actually believe in this team.

Buffalo sports fans have seen enough crap over the decades to know a phony when they see one and what they saw in the first-half of the season was phony. Sorry.

This (second-half) Sabres team is not the same team, though. They've earned the fans support and the fans have reciprocated by making HSBC a rollicking place once again.

The fans are all-in because this Sabres team showed that they're all-in.

The Sabres Playoff Chances Graph

Found this from another blog.

Enjoy:



Quick Thoughts On the Sabres At Columbus

The Columbus Blue Jackets had their fan appreciation night last night. They rolled out the red carpet for "A Toast to Tinseltown with Ronald McDonald House," complete with tuxedos and formal black dresses as guests strolled past a gold Oscar statue on their way into the arena

This was the 10-year anniversary of the Jackets and although the crowd was small, kudos to the fans who showed up and showed their love for a franchise that's still in it's infancy.

~~~~~~~~~~

The Jackets are cool. They have a great arena--Nationwide--where there's not a bad seat in the house. Their logo is cool, their mascot is Stinger and, even though he's a yellow jacket, he's kid-friendly and they have one of the best goal celebrations in the league--"Fire the Cannon!"

Last night with the Sabres up by two very late in the game, I'd hoped that the Jackets would score one more time so i could see and hear the cannon go off again. Sure enough, they scored--cue AC/DC's "For those about to rock...BLAM!!!"--off goes the cannon.

Awesome.

~~~~~~~~~~

The outrageously large contingent of Sabres fans, which was said to be 9000+ and filled every nearby bar and half the arena, were having a grand time. The cool part about it was that there was very little flaunting. Sure, somebody would start with "Let's go Buffalo!!!" and the rest would join. Sure, there was plenty of hootin' and hollerin'. And, yes, there were some bone-heads flaunting the Sabres at the expense of Blue Jackets fans, but there wasn't too much of that.

After the game, as we were walking around the arena, we passed by this group of Jackets fans--three adults and a boy who looked to be about eight. Amidst all the Sabres hoopla bouncing in and around the streets, this kid says to us, "Good luck in the playoffs, Buffalo."

Bravo, kid--fellow hockey fan.

From this blogger:  GOOD LUCK YOU, BLUE JACKETS FANS.