Sabres vs. Washington Capitals and etc.

Yes so it has been quite a while since I have updated, and I am sorry about that. I guess maybe for a little bit (or a longer bit, whichever), things have just been you know, ehh, for the Sabres.

It's ok, I am OK with it, cause we have been through worse, things get better, there is time for things to get better. We won tonight, and I guess that is the first step to getting there, just.keep.winning. We can do it, yeah we can.

Injuries have just plagued this team for a very long while and as soon as one guy is better and comes back, it seems another is out. We still have a bunch of call ups here, and some of them are even hurt at the moment, or Rochester has injured guys themselves. Brad Boyes came back tonight (!!) and Jochen Hecht also returned, which was much needed I think. I was really excited when Marcus Foligno was called up a few days back, and I love having Zack Kassian here (he looks a lot like my sister's boyfriend and I call him by his name all the time to mess with her...haha) and I just hope Corey Tropp can get back into the line up soon. McNabb scored his first NHL goal tonight which is awesome, I love it when that happens. Rookies scoring their first goals, empty net goals, goalie fights, etc. are all just little hockey things I love, what can I say?

The winter classic is coming up next week, and even though neither of the teams are my favorite (shrug), it is still a fun thing to watch every year. I hope Buffalo can be involved again soon (2013 maybe?) because they have been repeating teams.

Ok, so I guess that's it for now. In the new year, I will try and make an effort to update my poor little blog more. It deserves my attention....haha. Happy New Year and game on!

Sabres vs. Florida Panthers

Let's recap:

Sabres are doing extremely well right now, winning like nobody's business (except for the whole losing the home opener thing, but I guess we can forgive that) and things are looking pretty sweet.

Ryan Miller got one, of what I'm assuming will be many, shutouts. I love those.

Paul Gaustad made Matt Bradley's face look like he was trick-or-treating early...awesome huh?

Thomas Vanek is scoring like all kinds of crazy and it's cool and I'm not mad at him at this moment.

I still wish they were winning all these games at home instead of on the road, but who cares, wins are wins.

I see Timmy Kennedy is in the sunshine state and still looks depressed. I saw him and was like "TIMMYYY!" and realized I kind of missed him. I miss only one Tim from this team, that's for sure. He wears number 8 now instead of the unlucky 13 he did here. Good for him.

I need to update this thing more.

That is all.

Summer was long, wasn't it?

Yeah it was, and as a hockey fan, it can be the worst season of the whole year. Fear not though, training camps are happening and the Sabres have their first pre-season game tomorrow night!! They will be in the newly named First Niagara Center (ew), and it is vs. the Carolina Hurricanes. I would LOVE to be going, but I am working so yeah, not happening. I have neglected my poor little blog pretty much all summer and I apologize, but now I am back. Time to get back into hockey and yayayayayayy I am excited. I am hoping to get tickets somehow to Saturday's game vs. Toronto, and not too long after that the boys start the season in Europe with two games over there, before coming home to start the season here sometime in mid-October.

I feel like I haven't seen Sabres hockey in years, and I can not wait to see the new things done at the arena (haha yeah it will be that forever bye) and see some new faces on the team and just see them play in general.

Time to dust off the jerseys (but I never actually let mine get dusty, are you crazy?) and go back downtown for a whole new season of Sabres hockey in Buffalo. Game on!

More trade stuffs.

So we now have Robyn Regehr as a Sabre and Ales Kotalik BACK as a Sabre. Weirdness ok, just weird to me. We lost Chris Butler (darn??) and Paul Byron (double darn??)to Calgary and yeah, that was it for now. This doesn't really excite me much, was it supposed to? Same old trade junk as with any other trade time. We take some ehhh player and give up some ehh player and see if that will shake things up and sometimes it does a little and sometimes it does nothing, and in the long run it really does nothing. Woooot. I'm forever the optimist, this I know.

In other news, Brian Campbell went to the Panthers (oh come ONN, I just bought his Blackhawks shirt not that long ago dammit!) and one of my favorite other Hawks, Troy Brouwer, went to the Capitals. That makes me sad because I love the Hawks as a big happy family, and I really like those guys. Granted, Campbell's salary is beyond nutty and Chicago is probably having a fun time with cap space again this year, but blahh. That's how it has to work out though. I would have gladly taken Brouwer as a Sabre :)

Development camp starts on July 5th, and I really want to attend this year again like I did last year. It's cool to see what guys will be up and coming in the system and all that, and I just like to keep up with Sabres stuff in the summer seeing as there are no games and that sucks...haha. A few of the guys were at the draft party last night and it's cool to see who could be on the team in the future and see what they're all about. I watched Kev Slyvester interview Marcus Foligno, and I really want him to be on the team like now, right now...haha. I can't wait until he can actually play here, it will be awesome. I'm pretty sure they interviewed Corey Tropp as well.

I also liked the draft picks Buffalo got, Joel Armia has an awesome Finnish mullet (haha yeahhh) and Daniel Catenacci is handsome, and everyone seems excited to be part of the Sabres and everything feels new and fun! Woooo! :D

Weirdo trade day.

I think the Flyers just wanted to make things more interesting today or something because they went all crazy and traded away two of their BIG name guys. Granted, getting Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds in their place isn't shabby at all, but wow. It came out of nowhere it seems. Jeff Carter went to Columbus (odd) and well, I think hell is breaking loose in the Flyers fanbase. If the Sabres did something like that it would be crazy. There is some talk here and there about Robyn Regehr coming here from Calgary if he will waive his no trade clause, and then someone said someone wants Roy, then it was Weber, it's like geez. No one will know what happens till it happens, so it's crazy to even listen to much of anything that is just rumored.

I was just hoping we could get rid of Tim Connolly (long time coming people, let's just do this ok?) and maybe a few others and pick up Parise (haha I can dream can't I?) and then things would be nice and sunny. If Mike Richards would have came to Buffalo that could have been nice, a new shiny captain all ready to go, no assembly required! Man. Oh well, who knows what will happen for the Sabres as of this moment, but it will just get crazier as July 1st approaches and after.

Oh and Boston won the Stanley Cup. Eh. I like Timmy Thomas, he's amazingly talented and awesome. The rest of the team...nah. I felt bad for Vancouver just like I feel bad for every team that makes it that far and loses. Oh well, that's how it goes.

Draft day is tomorrow and I will be going to HSBC arena for the first time since January for something hockey related. I am excite(d). :) Schedule was also released today, and the Sabres DO NOT PLAY THE BLACKHAWKS AT HOME THIS SEASON, ONLY AWAY. Ok, grand, how do I get myself to Chicago in January huh? Lammeee. Now I will not see my western conference boys up close for a whole season. Sucks, sucks, sucks.

Locker room renovations? Really?

Granted, I always thought the locker room was pretty shabby, but come on. Is that really going to help? Is the morale going to be so boosted by that, that a guy will come in and be like "oh wow, awesome new room! lemme score a goal tonight!"...no. It will not really matter. It might help a little I guess, but it should be bottom of the barrel priorities. How about WHO'S INSIDE the locker room first? I'm sure that will have to be worked on in the summer also. Whatever effort was put in by this team this season was just not enough to advance, same story as last year.

I commend this man for trying to make the place better for the guys, really. It does deserve to be up there with other teams in terms of how nice it is and blah blah, but the team also has to show it's the caliber to actually deserve it. Things are getting better, but they are far from there yet. I hope this summer with new ownership can shed some light on some things, like getting us some new faces, as we have quite a bit of free agents, and signing some of these same guys would make for no advantage come October. Some should stay, but more should probably go. I understand people being proud of the fact the team even MADE the playoffs when we were counted out wayyy before that for any type of post season run. More needs to happen though, it needs to build season by season. The season after you should make the 2nd round, and go up from there, not stay stagnant. If that is happening, something needs a shake up, whether it be coaching, players, etc.

Do you see teams keeping a coach year after year after failed attempts at playoff runs or if they were cut short? No. A lot of times that coach is out of there before the team even cleans out their lockers. I don't think Lindy Ruff is necessarily a BAD coach, but maybe his style or coaching is not working for this core of guys, or maybe just some of them. From the looks of the press conference this morning though, it seems Lindy will be here to stay for some time longer, so who knows. I just feel something must change before October, and something more than the adding of a guy like a Brad Boyes or the like. It seems to be just a patch on a situation, then the guy ends up gone sooner or later anyway. We have had some guys here for forever it seems, and the results seem to stay the same. It gets me frustrated to no end how no one ever seems to want to stir the pot with this team ever. Make a move that will be like "wow, this team is really looking to do something" yeah, how bout that? Pominville, Vanek, Connolly, Stafford, etc. are not rookies anymore. There is no growth and development for them to hit, they are where they are probably going to be for the rest of their careers, they are not like Ennis and Gerbe. What you are going to see at the highest (and lowest) is what you can expect if you keep them on the roster. The big men in the suits will have to figure out if this is the core they want, is that what they think will make this team get somewhere someday. Granted, a lot of guys are signed for a bit and will probably not be moved, but regardless, in my opinion, Connolly would need to go. Lalime also, and maybe even Montador, Grier and especially Niedermayer. Some of those spots need to be filled in with new guys, and then if next year takes a nosedive because of it, you work from there. But it seems like they want to stay wayyy too safe just because these guys have been here for so long. Come on, mix it up will ya? Geez.

Ok, that was super long. But yeah, that's what I had to say about all that.

Sabres vs. Flyers--Game 7

I still need more time to mull this over, but I will say a couple things tonight:

Ryan Miller was more than amazing and he gave this team every chance there was to win. He put the heart and soul into this series and I thank him for that.

It was good to see Derek Roy back out there tonight. Now he will have a full summer to really get back into whatever shape he wants to and kick ass in the fall. I can't wait to see him back out there next season ready to go. Same with Jochen Hecht.

Heard some pretty crappy news tonight that Jason Pominville has a sliced tendon, had surgery, and will be out 4-6 months. That should, HOPEFULLY, have him back in time for the regular season to start. We shall see on that one I guess. Geez, that damn injury is just crazy, I can't believe it.

I will reflect more on this in the coming days when things die down and all that. I am just for now watching the Canucks/Blackhawks to see if the Hawks can win their game 7 and advance. Should be fun. Game on!

Sabres vs. Flyers--Game 6

Ok, so I will just say this game ended in a complete disaster for me, complete with tears, maybe related to the fact I had been up since 6:30am, and maybe not. Probably just all the promise I (and a lot of other people) put behind this game. -sigh- It is not over yet though, nope, it's not.

Tim Connolly got injured in the game and who knows how long he will be out and what the extent of the injuries are. We already are without Jason Pominville and this kind of stuff can just wear down a team. Injuries suck, a lot. This time of year they are the worst though. Ugh.

It was close right up until the end obviously, and we went into OT. OT always makes me nervous, but in the regular season, at least you know you will get SOMETHING out of the deal. Nada in the playoffs however, as we all know.

Sooo, game 7 is back in Philly and I really wish it hadn't come to this. Just wanted to end this series here at home and wave bye bye to the Flyers and have them go far far away until next season. But back to the Wells Fargo Center the boys must go and we have to hope and pray for something big. Please guys, please.

Oh and the Blackhawks also forced a game 7 tonight and it was pretty awesome, seeing as they were right on the elimination doorstep. Rookie Ben Smith scored the winning goal in OT and it was glorious. They are going back to Vancouver and can hopefully win that series and send the Canucks packing. We shall see. Game on!!

Oh and for the record, I really dislike Daniel Briere. Sorry. Didn't care one way or another when he played here, and same goes for now that he is in Philly. Yep.

TYLER ENNIS!!!!

THAT IS ALL.

:D

Sabres vs. Flyers--Game 4

So I am pretty tired so this entry won't be that long. We won! so I will just make a few points, and be happy the series is tied 2-2 at this point:

-Ryan Miller couldn't have been more excellent tonight (well, yeah he got a shutout, so that is completely true) and he had a lot of Philly heat on him, but he stayed collected and calm and pretty much won the game for us.

-I think the lone goal was scored by Pominville, and other than that there was no more scoring action. Pretty weird, but the 2nd time this has happened this series. Huh.

-People like Gerbe getting fiesty (awesome, but not unusual) and Myers (awesome, but unusual) and a lot of pushing and shoving, and even a 5 min. penalty for the Flyers that the Sabres could not collect a goal on at all. Geez man.

We are gonna have to kick ass next game in Philly to really get this series headed in the right direction. I know it is tied at the moment, but a road win is a big thing to get and it would just help a whole lot. You guys can do this, please do this. Please. I don't want you guys to go out in the 1st round again. As if you didn't notice (party in the plaza *cough*) people LIKE to watch you guys play and would like to for as long as possible. Just come on, you know how to keep winning, you have done it before, and it's fun, you know it. Game on!!

Sabres vs. Flyers--Game 2

Ok, so we lost, and you know what? I'm not even really that mad. Losing is sometimes part of the game, and I am so sucked into playoff mode that it's ok to me. It's early too, and I'm being optimistic. So yeah.

Randoms:

Gaustad/Hartnell fight: awesome. Ok, I don't even care who supposedly won it, I was just glad to see Gaustad go out there and woop some ass or somethin. I don't really like Scott Hartnell anyway, so yeah. Then Kaleta and Briere were trying to get into it or something (lol Briere, what?) and then that didn't happen, but Gaustad and Hartnell went, and penalties were had.

Speaking of penalties today, I guess the Sabres were lookin to see how many players could get one, like some kind of awesome club to join! Fun! :| Gerbe, Gaustad, Pominville, Montador, Sekera, and even Miller (but that was so bogus), so yeah. Need to tame it down with those boys, come on. Don't let stupid stuff be your downfall on this.

Thomas Vanek was pretty kick ass tonight and was one goal short of a hatty. I was hoping he would get one too. It would have been nice if he would have gotten one to tie up the game and then we would have went on to win. Sounds fab, but didn't happen. Oh well.

Boys are coming back to Buffalo though! I wish I could go on Monday, but I am just glad it's back at HSBC and with our fans and all that. Hopefully a house full of super excited fans will rev the boys up a little bit more if anything and help the morale out a little bit out there. Game on!

Sabres vs. Flyers--Game 1

Last night's game was majorly nutty and weird, no scoring on the Flyers part? Odd.

We can thank Miller for that, he was amazing in my opinion. Without him, I don't know how that game would have played out. Much, much worse is my guess. Buttt, we won! Miller also got a playoff shutout which is awesome.

Some are saying that the lone goal scored by Patrick Kaleta (PK!! :) was lucky and kind of a weak one for "Bob" to have let in. I don't know. I guess it seems like at times the Sabres were begging to be scored on. All the penalties (come on guys, just stop with those) and giving up the puck, shots on goal being lower at times, etc. It was just an overall ODD game for me. It was pretty exciting, but a lot of the time with the stopping because of fighting or scrapping or whatever, I am just like come onnn, stop it and let's play. A good fight or whatever once in a while is ok, but come on. Pushing and shoving every time the whistle blows is a little bit much.

Having one game won, and in Philly no less, is good because it is part of the battle won for us. There is still a lot to go though, and we have to play there again tomorrow, and it is pretty crucial to win and keep it up coming back to Buffalo for Monday. To have TWO wins and then be back home seems like an ideal situation.

I really hate predictions. Would a lot of people predict their favorite team to take it all the way? Probably. Can you realistically say that you think that will happen? Like in your head, not your heart? Well it's hard because hockey involves both. Stats aside, keeping out eternal pessimists and all that, who knows what can happen. I will just leave it at that. Anything can happen at this point. Game on!

Oh and on an ending note: Steve Montador, stop it. I mean it. You are killin' me here man. :|

Thanks for the season boys!

The season flew by it seems, and here we are at the brink of the playoffs for 2011, yikes, I can't believe it. I'm so glad we made it, after everything.

After being in the basement for what seemed like forever, and a bunch of thoughts of maybe this whole season would be a wash.

Losing Derek Roy right before Christmas for the rest of the season and knowing how difficult it would be to not have him in the lineup.

Trading away players like Henrik Tallinder, who was really Tyler Myers partner in defense, and having Myers have to kind of fight his way through a sophmore slump of sorts.

To not really have a dependable back up goaltender, and our main guy has to play almost the whole season himself.

New ownership coming in and taking over and promising to take this team out of this funk we had been in and bringing a new feeling of hope to the team (and the city), that we could be a team that brings the cup home.

It's been a great year, with a ton of ups and downs, but now it's time for the biggest test of all. Playoffs are like the start of a whole new season, you start fresh, anything can happen. You can do whatever you want to. You can be the best. I know the boys can go out there and give it their all. The fans and the city are all on their side. Now it's time to see what they can do. Philadelphia Flyers, here come the Buffalo Sabres. Game on!!

!!!!

Playoffs here we come!

My dad was telling Anthony (a Flyers fan...booo haha) something during the game that I thought was funny and pretty clever....

dad: if we play Philly that would be so crazy
Anthony: yeah
dad: well, a Buffalo boy scored the winning goal on Philly in the playoffs last year, maybe this year it would be a whole herd of Buffalo that would take you guys out of the first round
me: ooh that would be cool
Anthony :|

lol good times

I'm just so happy at this point, and the fact that the boys got both points is even better for us. Tickets for the first round of playoffs go on sale on Monday and I'm already thinking about that because I would love to go, but I know there aren't really a lot of tickets to go around. We shall see about that I guess.

Seeing Pat LaFontaine on tv made me happy to start the night, and when Rob Ray interviewed him I couldn't stop smiling. All of the video of him playing and scoring amazing goals...gahh. I wish he could come back and play here forever and never get older and never leave. :)

The Blackhawks won too which is awesome, but I couldn't watch any of that game. I am just glad they did because the west is so close and they needed the two points.

Tonight has just been awesome. Great job boys, the whole city is so proud! :D

Tomorrow is going to be crazy.

On top of it being the last home game of the season and all, there is also going to be the alumni red carpet event and a bunch of other cool things going on down at the arena. I won't be attending, but I will be glued (not literally, I don't think at least...) to the tv at home like a lot of others.

Carolina did not help us out at all last night by winning against Detroit, so we didn't clinch a spot, but it's ok, it will come soon. Keeping track of numbers and spots and wins and losses, etc, can make one go insane, but it just goes with the season.

Word has it that Ryan Miller will be back in net tomorrow. I was hoping it would be Enroth still for the fact that he has been doing well, and also that if he finishes out the last two games of the season, that would just be more rest for Ryan for the playoffs. Buttt, it was said that when Miller was better and ready to play he would be in, so I guess that's that.

When I look back on the fact that it seems like just yesterday that I was counting down the days to the beginning of the hockey season and we are now just days away from the end of it is somewhat odd. It seems like the season just flew by really. Playoffs are always fun though, it's just hard to get past the thought that it might not be a long playoff run for us. I know I shouldn't think like that and blah blah, but come on. I'm looking at the track record here, just saying. I will enjoy it game by game for all its worth though and hope it lasts as long as possible. Nothing would be greater for this team and this city then to see the Sabres bring a Stanley Cup home. Mr. Pegula said it would only be a matter of time, so we shall see.

Oh and one last thing. This rumor thing going around on facebook about retiring Andrew Peters number tomorrow? Really? REALLY? :|

Winning is awesome!!!

Jhonas Enroth=amazing

Tim Connolly=got our only goal, which is weird, but I won't complain about him for now (at least for a little bit...haha)

and that is all we really need to know.

It's awesome Matty Ellis was back up for a game, and Enroth actually got a shutout too which is cool.

Everything with the Sabres at this moment is YAYYYY and I hope it can stay that way.

Oh yeah and Carolina better stop winning before I get pissed. Thank you.

Sabres vs. Boston Bruins

Tonight's game broken down for me:

-A lot of action which is nice, because sometimes Sabres games can be yawn fests, you know it's true.

-Drew Stafford got injured at some point and I guess I didn't notice, how sucky. I just hope it isn't something too bad and he doesn't miss a lot of games.

-Nathan Gerbe just wanted to start stuff with everyone tonight and it was awesome. He is amazing and I don't care what anyone says, his size does not matter. He will come at anyone and do anything and get in your face. He is the man, plain and simple.

-Brad Boyes is also the man, that feed from Gerbe for the OT game winning goal was amazing, and I think Buffaloians are falling in love with him, I know I think I am (does that even sound right? oh well...) I guess I was wrong about this guy, he is no Raffi Torres at all.

-Tyler Ennis! I think that's all there is to say, he is right up there with Gerbe for me. One of the great young players on the team that can carry whole games on their shoulders and come out and just be awesome and tear it up. Awesome job Tennis!

-These two points were really important (but they really all are at this point) but, it actually put us in 7th and above the Rangers in the standings! Wooo!

I am going to miss the game on Sat. against Toronto for the most part, but I will try to catch what I can if possible. Then the boys come back home to play Ottawa on Sunday. I don't know if Enroth will be in goal for any of these, because it seems like they have taken Patty Lalime and hid him from the world at this point. So, we shall see how this weekend works out. Four more points maybe? :D Game on!!

Sabres vs. Minnesota Wild

We won again and that OT goal by Drew Stafford was just amazin'. This pretty much sums up the game for me. I told Staffy to score, and he did. I'm serious, it was weird, I was talking to the tv and my family like "tell Drew to score, and he hears you and does" and then like 5 secs. later he did! It was the oddest thing, but so awesome! The two points in all of these games are so important, it just drives me nuts that we have to go to OT and shootouts so often. BUTTT, we have a playoff spot and that is awesome. :)

Enroth was in net and he did really well for us, just like last time. I wouldn't mind having him up here to play a lot more, as I'm sure others wouldn't mind either. He is pretty solid and it's good to have him play for Buffalo.

We play the Pens tomorrow in Pittsburgh, and I always get kind of nervous when we play them, just cause I know they can be really good, with or without Crosby. They are a championship team for goodness sakes, doesn't matter when they won it, they did. So hopefully we can take two more points coming out of Pittsburgh and keep the streak going. Game on!!

We won!!!

Now we have to keep it up and win tomorrow. No pressure dudes (well, some) but, it is important. Winning today was awesome, because Philly can be big and scary, but the guys came prepared, and it went well.

Drew Stafford was being bad ass, as usual, and Gerbe scored the empty netter! Even though I think no one on the earth SAW it outside of the arena, how did he know I love those goals? Nate the great. :)

There was a little bit more fiesty-ness than usual, but that is expected with the Flyers because it always happens that way. The crowds are always loud too. I'm pretty sure I will be going when the Sabres play them again in Buffalo in April, so we need to be just as loud then.

The Blackhawks also beat the Maple Leafs tonight in Toronto, so that helps us, keeps them off our trail a little for now. The Hawks are on a crazy 8 game winning streak, probably because of their awesome goalie Corey Crawford and the awesome first line of Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. :)

Miller was in net today, so that means Enroth will be saved for tomorrow in Minnesota. I hope he can be just as badass as he was last time he was here, and that all the other guys keep it up because a win tomorrow would be amazing. Game on!!

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, butttt.....

...we play the Flyers tomorrow and that is kind of scary. Then again though, there have been some pretty cruddy teams I thought they would completely kill, and they lost. Not saying we are completely cruddy, but we aren't doing as well as them, that's for sure. The game is at 1, which is completely crappy for someone who usually works Saturdays (ex. me), so I will have to find a way to see or hear some updates somehow.

I'm watching the Blackhawks/Canes game, and hoping for many reasons the Hawks whoop the Canes asses. I do have somewhat of a soft spot for the Canes, but at this rate, it is priorities...lol. The Blackhawks are my boys, so seeing them win would be good anyway, just cause. That would help us in the standings as well, but the Sabres would have to also help themselves and win tomorrow, and then on Sunday would be nifty as well. So, let's see if this can happen shall we?

I also hear that Jhonas Enroth is traveling to Philly with the team, but no word on if he will start or not. That would be pretty cool though, give Miller a rest for Sunday, and then maybe they can each win one. Let's all hope. Game on!!

......

....maybe my whole philosophy on this one point thing is wrong. One point is NOT better than nothing, because at this point it FEELS like nothing.

Booo Sabres, just boo.

Brad Boyes scored again this game though, and that was nice. Keep doin' what you're doin' with that sir.

Who are you Brad Boyes?

I have read some good, some bad on this guy. Still don't know too much, but I guess the only real way to know how he is and how he will be with the Sabres is to see him play. I just hope this is not another Moore, Torres, etc. crap deal of the past. Come on, if you are a Sabres fan tonight, you have to have that thought somewhere in the back of your mind. Our deals at this time of the year have not been too stellar in the last couple seasons.

So for now I will just hang back, we will welcome Brad to Buffalo and make him part of the family, like we always do. That is until he starts to suck. Then we will curse you back to St. Louis so fast your head will spin. It's the Buffalo way sir, don't think you will be exempt.

Oh and Tim Connolly is still a Sabre, unfortunately. Can we work on that maybe? Come on.

Oh and on a little off note, Tim Kennedy went to the Panthers from the Rangers. I wonder if he will like the heat down there. Oh well, he can't look more sad than he already does on a regular basis. But hey, I can't say that because I haven't seen him in a while. Get some sunshine Timmy! :)

Changes, lots of them

So our new owner is here and it is official, and it is making people CRAZY it seems. He promised us a whole lot, like a Stanley Cup, and within three years no less. Wow sir, that is a lot to live up to I will say. He seems like a genuine man though, he is a fan like the rest of us, and he cried seeing a veteran player at his own press conference. While I did laugh a little (I couldn't help it...) it was quite touching to see this was a dream come true for this man, billionaire or not. Hopefully he can do something for us, there seems to be a lot of faith in him and it is a good feeling of starting over almost. He wants to put money into this team, and he doesn't care how much either. His goal is what all of ours has been for a very long time. We want a championship so bad we can taste it. So, Terry Pegula, welcome! :)

The game last night vs. the Thrashers was a pretty good way to welcome Mr. Pegula in, we won and everyone was in high spirits. The arena was very lively, and the little ceremony before the game was nice also.

Paul Gaustad kicked some ass, and was the Lexus leader. He had a fight, a goal, and was all around awesome. I like when he is recognized and praised because he is a really hard working player and he deserves it. Everyone has ups and downs, and people want to call out certain players a lot, but it is a team effort to win folks. So, yay Gaustad, good job! :)

Jason Pominville, to me, seems like the next one in line to be captain of the team. Craig Rivet was waived, and they are putting him out there in hopes someone will take him for a little bit less money. Now, I guess I never had a positive or negative opinion of Rivet, but for some reason that we do not know, he wasn't playing at all. At that rate it would seem time to get rid of a guy if he is just taking up room in the press box, for whatever reason it might be. Maybe he will find a team to round out his career with and be happy there, we shall see. Everyone deserves to play, he should go somewhere where they will let him.

We have two more home games in hand, and hopefully the guys can keep riding this postive energy wave and win them here. After the initial happiness wears off from this and it is business as usual is when we know what we are in for. We know the boys have somewhat of a history of inconsistency, so we'll see what they can do. Game on!!

This is just a happy post.

This game was amazing and up and down and sad and then happy and then I don't know, and a bunch of things in between. It was fun to watch and the guys worked hard and they were kickin' ass and Enroth came up and was a boss and it was great. Hecht scored the shoot out goal for us to win and it was also awesome and yeahhhh.

I am just so happy with this game and the Sabres are my boys and they are not hurting my feelings right now and it is great. Hopefully this can all go into tomorrow too, and Buffalo will be a happy hockey city.

All the little guys were out there kickin' ass too and I am so proud of everyone tonight. Geez, I feel way too giddy over this it seems...haha.

Wooooo! :)

Sabres vs. NY Islanders

Hmmmm.

-Ryan Miller needs to rest, we all know this. Lalime is not a great backup, and it is pretty much a risk each and every time to put him in to play a game. Miller has played so many in a row and he is cranky and tired. This needs a solution. Hopefully when our new owner is in, he can help management fix our situation, because the people there now are obviously now sure how to fix it.

-Drew Stafford and his awesome amount of hat tricks, I love it. That was the high point of the game, regardless of the fact we didn't win. I am glad he is having a good year.

-I still think Sekera and Butler are useless as d-men, and I really hope they both go sometime soon.

-Paul Gaustad did a few things wrong this game, and I guess pointing them out is half the battle because he can do a lot and I still will not be angry with him, so yeah.

-Patrick Kaleta came back and he was stirring it up a little out there. Glad he's back, hopefully he can stay healthy for longer than like 2 games...lol.

-Our captain is still MIA and it is pretty laughable at this point, and just crazy. He will either retire it seems, or at least not be here next year. It just can't happen.

I still have faith in this team, I do. This was a crazy game, the number of goals were high and we still couldn't capitalize, but this isn't the first time. I can't just stand here and say one thing will make me not want to root for them anymore. When you are a real, true fan you stand behind your team 100% no matter what, and the people of Buffalo know that. This isn't a song that hasn't been sung before. In saying that, the new ownership knows what is in front of them. They know that we have had a lot of these guys for a long time, and things need to probably be shaken up for next season if we want to get somewhere. This man wants to win a cup, and he seems like hockey man, not just a money man. If he is all that he says he is, I'm sure he can get us going in the right direction and help us get closer to winning. Game on!!

All-Star Weekend 2011

A little bit of a different topic, no so much Sabres related (well, a little) but, it is all-star weekend in Raleigh, NC.

Tyler Ennis was going down to NC, the only Sabre, and he is going on the rookie team. He was picked by Eric Staal's team, which I think is pretty awesome. He will be with other rookies like Tyler Seguin and it will be awesome for him I'm sure. They only showed him on tv for like 2 mins., but it was cool to see him there. I just can't believe no other Sabres made it. Bummer.

I did like the exchanges between team Lindstrom and Patrick Kane as alternate, with Jonathan Toews. Kept Toews hanging on until the last minute to be picked...haha. All the Blackhawks, including a former one, are on team Lindstrom, and Patrick Sharp is all alone on team Staal. I have players I like on both teams, but I guess I have more faves on team Lindstrom, but it will be a fun game either way, doesn't really matter who wins. I'm just wondering who will be the MVP this year and win the car. Phil Kessel already won a car and $20,000 to any charity he wants for being picked last in the draft. Geez, if only it went that well for everyone picked last at something in life...haha.

So yeah, skills competition tomorrow night and the actual all-star game is Sunday night, I can't wait. It just seems like a fun weekend for the guys, less pressure, the game is really all in fun. It is also some of the best players in the league all in one place, and how can that not be awesome to watch?

Sabres vs. NY Islanders

Paul Gaustad went and scored like 15 seconds into today's game, probably just to signal to me to remember he is still my favorite player....haha. It was his 5th goal of the season, and I think he's been doing really well lately. Sometimes it's just certain guys on a certain line to find a groove, and things go better. Good job Gaustad!

Paul Byron was called up from Portland, as was Matt Ellis. I miss Ellis on the team, I wish they would have just kept him here. There are always things I disagree with that the management does, as I'm sure other people do. It just seems that Buffalo has an even greater ability to mess with the team, ughhh. It was good to see him back though.

Tim Connolly is injured? Did anyone notice? Did anyone care? Did it matter? The answer is NO for all of the above.

We have one more game (vs. Ottawa, lovely) on Tues, before the all-star break this weekend, and then we don't play again for a few days after that. The all-star game to me is pretty awesome. Seeing all those big players in one place is pretty sweet, even though I know a lot of people are like "eh, whatever" about it. I can't wait for everything though, it will be fun. Sidney Crosby won't be attending from what was said today on NBC during the Philly and Chicago game. That will be disappointing for a lot of people, and might even make some people not want to watch at all, I don't know. It sucks, but there will still be enough for me to tune in for. I like a lot of different teams and a lot of different players, so for me it's cool to see.

Ok, all for now, game on!

Nathan Gerbe is still awesome.

He was so badass out there, it was crazy. Yes we still lost, but those two goals in 15 seconds was killer. Along with Ennis, they are the two guys on the team that any other team should be afraid of when you think about it. Not a whole lot of size, but they make up for it in every other area you can think of. Both of those guys are amazing and I am just glad they are in Buffalo.

Patrick Kaleta left the game after doing some kind of re-injury to the hand that was already hurt. They probably should have just waited on bringing him back so soon, but, eh that's just what I think. Now who knows how long he will be out, but they should probably make sure he is 100% before they throw him back out there this time. I heard McCormick was sick or something too, which sucks, because we need him out there. I thought I saw him a little, but then he was gone. I don't pay attention too well sometimes it seems...lol.

Marc-André Gragnani is up from Portland, and eh, I don't have a real opinion on him yet.

Stafford is slated to come back next game I think, or sometime soon, so that is good, because we need him back, badly. He has been a really good top player for us with losing Roy and he turned his game around a lot from last season.

Ryan Miller was pulled, and was royally pissed about it, as to be expected. I'm surprised it was only after two goals though. He has let in more than that and stayed in. Maybe Lindy actually figured that maybe he is tired and he needs a rest sometime? Yeah, that would work. The whole goalie thing in Buffalo has been a big mess for a while, we all know that. I just hope SOMEONE makes some changes in the summer this year, because we need them in that dept. in particular.

Next game is Sunday in NY vs. the Islanders again. Hopefully Stafford is back and we can win this one. There are only a few more games until all-star break, which will have no Sabres included except for Ennis for the rookies. I guess that will give the other guys a chance to rest a little and maybe recharge. Maybe that could help? We'll see I guess...game on!

Nathan Gerbe is awesome.

Yeah, he really is. I'm going to do this entry list style...

1.) Gerbe, to me, has always been awesome. More people need to see this. In this case, size does not matter because that dude is quick, he is ruthless, and he will be all up on your case regardless of the size player you are. Come at him and just see what happens. Yeah Scott Gomez, try again...loser.

2.) Ryan Miller was amazing, as was Carey Price. The goaltending tonight was just fantastic.

3.) You could tell Patrick Kaleta was back huh? He was up in everyone's face as usual, and it was awesome to see. Welcome back PK, we missed you!

4.) I am so glad the guys got these two points, because at this point, they are needed more and more with each game. I hope the Sabres can play more games like this because they were energetic, and they were scrappy and they kept up the heat for most of the game. It was just a fun game to watch overall.

5.) A ton of crazy scraps and then even more injuries for Montreal players, it was nuts. They were down 3 guys within the first part of the 1st period...crazy. That one guy who was hit with the puck by his own man was injured pretty bad it seems, because he even went to the hospital...yikes.

So, to wrap this all up, I love you Sabres! Please play like this forever so we can keep winning! Please??? Game on!!

Sabres vs. Phoenix Coyotes

Winning is fun, I must admit it. We did pretty well on this west coast stint, and I hope it gives the guys a lot more confidence coming back home, because playing Philly on Tues. will probably not be too easy. But, they did a great job tonight. I was hoping Ryan Miller could get himself another shutout, because they are cool, and back to back ones are even cooler, but it's ok.

Drew Stafford (I typed Drew Miller first, oh boy...lol) is doing amazing, and I'm glad for him. So much crap was said about him at the end of last season, because oh yeah, he was the big problem last season -eye roll- ok then. He is on a hot streak right now and I hope that it keeps up for him. It was weird because before the overtime started, my dad was like "I want Drew to score one, come on Drew, do it" and then a couple minutes later he did...haha. So awesome. He's my mom's favorite player, so she is always happy when he scores too. :)

The standings are kind of daunting at this moment, and I don't really like to make them a big thing, but we need to keep winning, that is all there is to it. No room for a lot of losses in a row, or a lot of losses period. The boys can turn it around, I'm sure. They are on the right track, and things can pick up if they keep it up. Game on!

Sabres vs. San Jose Sharks

Ok so it is pretty late and my head is kind of djskdjskd crazy at the moment, so this won't be the best update, but something.

First off, we won! It was great! Ryan Miller got his 3rd shutout of the year, and something like the 20th of his career. He looked awesome out there, like the Ryan Miller we all know and love, it was amazing. He looked so happy after the game too, I was happy for him.

Lindy Ruff got his 500th career win also which is awesome. Congrats to him because that is amazing.

I am really starting to warm up to Luke Adam, I like him. He scored tonight, and he is on the track to be a favorite, I can just tell. He works hard, and it seems like this is the guy that they wanted out there in front seeing as Roy will be out for a long while.

Hecht scored something like his 6th goal of the season, and while he is on some sort of a point streak at the moment, it still seems like he should be doing more, and scoring a bit more. Just my opinion, but he can do better it would seem. I guess he's trying though, now is as good a time as any to start doing better.

We finish the west coast trip up on Sat. vs. Phoenix, and then back home Tues. to take on Philly. Ohhhh Philly, that will be a good game, I can just tell. I got tickets to the game vs. Carolina on the 13th, and I am pretty excited, seeing as I haven't attended a game since October when we played Chicago. Can't wait to get back to the arena! Hopefully the guys can keep up the winning...game on!!

Happy Drew Year!

So, to start it off, the Sabres played the Boston Bruins New Year's Day. The winter classic is usually an afternoon thing, but was moved up to 8pm due to crappy (translate: not cold or snowy enough) conditions, so the games overlapped. I was kinda eh about the winter classic anyway, I mean I wanted to see Jordan Staal come back and all that, but it was pretty much just like any other game. Buttt, to start with, the Sabres were crazy guys vs. Boston.

The game was so neck and neck the whole time, it was kind of frustrating to be honest. We would score, and you could still be wooing! over it, and they would tie it back up and then we would have to start all over again. The high ending score was crazy, and Drew Stafford got his 2nd hat trick of the year! It was awesome, I am so happy he is doing so well this year. Happy Drew Year was a nice and fitting term for the game for sure. We still ended up having to go to a shootout, but it turned out good, because Stafford scored (again), as did Vanek and Ennis. I have a pretty strong dislike for Boston, so it was nice to actually win this one full out and get the two points. I hope the Sabres can keep up some kind of streak, because it has been a long time, and winning is fun. Come on guys, you like it don't you? Of course you do.

The winter classic was a rainy one, and it looked pretty sloppy out there for the teams, but Washington ended up winning 3-1. It really wasn't a battle of Ovie vs. Crosby because neither of them scored from what I saw, I know Crosby didn't. Oh well, the NHL and NBC had to find a way to sell hockey to a large number of football loving Americans. They don't need to remind me to tune in...haha. Jordan Staal came back and played for the first time this year to the delight of many people, and he did really well. I bet he was happy to be back for this game too after being out so long, and because of how unique the winter classic is.

On a different note, I watched the Blackhawks take on the Anaheim Ducks tonight, and Toni Lydman still does drive me nuts! Wow! haha. Just hearing his name I am reminded of him playing for us and all that went with it. It was different to hear the name just for some other team now. He was doing pretty ok with them the last time I heard, so yeah, maybe the west coast is good for him. I know the Ducks beat my Hawks, and cappy Toews is still out, so tonight's game was kind of a bummer, but eh, it's ok. The Hawks were having a mother's trip to Cali, and it was cute to see all the moms and Toews was on tv with his mom being interviewed as he wasn't playing, and it was completely pretty adorable. She gushes, he kind of blushes and plays it off, and she has a cute French accent and it was just awesome. :)

Yesterday also marked the one year anniversary for my little blog here. I can't believe it has been that long already, wow. I haven't been updating as much as I did last season, but I will try to be better with that in 2011. :)

Ok I feel like I am rambling now...haha. But yeah, that is pretty much it for now. The Sabres play again on Tuesday and they are on the road for a bit. West coast teams are always a bit of a test because the West is really tough, so I hope they can come back with a few wins under their belt, for many reasons, if not just the confidence. We also just need more wins in general, as we all know.

Until next time...