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!

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...

Sabres vs. San Jose Sharks

Last night's game was another one that I would have loved to be in attendance for. Very upbeat, lots of energy (and goals) from the guys, and an all around GOOD game.

Paul Gaustad scored twice, and yeah, everyone can shut up about that now. He has never been a big goal scorer as is, and then when he doesn't score, people are all over him like "he has to step it up". Excuse the fact that he is always out there giving everything, protecting his fellow teammates in fights, just doing what he can for the team. You can go talk to Jason Pominville if you want to talk to someone about scoring who isn't. Like one goal since he's been back from injury? Ack. Yeah. So good job Gaustad! :)

Cody McCormick was also kicking ass last night, the whole Grier, Gaustad, McCormick line was in general. Cody is so fiesty anyway, but last night was EXTRA fiesty for him, and I liked it, I liked it a lot.

There have been so many injuries as of late that I am concerned at the beginning of every game at what might happen with so many pieces missing. Morrisson, Stafford, Niedermayer, Connolly, and Rivet just being healthy scrated for...who knows why. It seems to be ok at the moment though, but I think it is ridiculous that Rivet is our CAPTAIN, and obviously not up to par at the moment with the team. Please Lindy, pick someone else to be captain, this is getting crazy. Pominville has had an "A" for a longgg time, and while I am "ehh" about him and what he gives, I'm sure he would be good for team moral and in the locker room until you decide what the heck is happening with Rivet. Roy? I'm not so sure about. I have been a Gaustad captain pick for awhile, and he also wears an "A" now and then, so I think he would be a good choice as well. Just do something soon huh? Cripes.

We play Pittsburgh (ohhhh) tomorrow night at home, and they are number one in the league at this time. Kinda scary? Of course it is. Sidney Crosby? Yeah. We know him, he's good...scary good as RJ might say. Let's win this one...game on!!

You go Ryan Miller, you go.

!!!!

Nice game team USA! Now THAT is how the game is played, oh.my.goodness.

Ryan Miller's name is pouring out of everyone's mouth now, it's just craziness. He was like a machine out there tonight. Sidney Crosby and the rest of 'em couldn't even stop him tonight. I think a lot of pressure is put on Crosby to be the main focus of team Canada, but yeah, didn't matter tonight cause we won!

That empty net goal at the end, I couldn't even believe it. The Sabres score these very, VERY rarely, so I figured the best of the best had to be able to do it and they did, so amazing.

Random notes:

-I did not know Zach Parise's dad played hockey also, I liked the little clips of him at the beginning. They all oooh'ed and ahhh'ed over him too, and it's well deserved, he did great out there.

-Patrick Kane got a penalty. -sigh-

-I liked all the goal celebrations, especially the one at the end. They all ganged up and pretty much fell all over each other. haha nice one guys.

-I also liked that Chris Drury was one of the first ones to come out and congratulate Ryan Miller, very cool.

-The three man pile-up of Canadian players. It was like the three stooges. Haha...oops guys, better look out next time.

Ok, so this entry might be a big wash because I am still in the process of swooning over this game like a 10 year old girl, but yeah. I am just very proud of Mr. Miller and he was so cool and collective in the interview. I would probably have been dancing or something. Not very professional though...haha.

Oh, and look who's a trending topic on twitter:



:)

-whistles-

I have managed to miss pretty much anything going on with team USA men's hockey. I must be getting the schedules messed up, or I'm not home when it's on or something. I did manage to see Henrik Tallinder on team Sweden beat Jochen Hecht on team Germany. Everytime they said "plays for the Buffalo Sabres" I got all :D for them...hehe. I didn't realize they were changing Jochen's number for the olympics and couldn't find him when I started watching the game for a good ten minutes...ughh. Go me.

I think it's too early to be going through the withdrawl of no sabres hockey, but it's happening...sorta. I'm just missing getting all settled in and having it to watch and look forward to after work. I am going to aces and blades next Friday, so maybe that will help with some of this. I have never been to it, but it seems like a lot of fun. My fiancé is covering it as "media" for buffalo.com, so I will be tagging along with him. He tells me "I will be having to take pictures and notes and maybe do interviewing and stuff, so you will be on your own for some parts of the night" I was thinking "hmmm, oh boy, does he know what this might mean??" lol But, I will just be a big dork anyway, so it won't matter. He will probably find me sitting on a chair in a corner drinking coke and doing nothing at all exciting...haha.

I also got tickets to the March 10th game vs. Dallas. I have three games coming up in March, and my fiancé wants to get tickets to the game against Philly (his hometown team) so we will probably be doing that on the 5th as well. Four games in two weeks? Wowzas...hehe. I can't wait though. :)

On a side note, I watched a show on Sidney Crosby and the Stanley Cup on the NHL network. I watched him parade it around his hometown, wash it with dish soap (they allow that I guess??) and his family and friends just being overall proud. Makes me want a Stanley Cup here more than ever. Maybe someday...

Ok, so, March get here now please, thanks.

????!!!???

I don't like this Sidney Crosby character, he is really good and makes my team look bad. Not very nice man, not nice at all.

My father started his morning rant with all his dislike fired at Ryan Miller. Now, my father is not what I would call Miller's number one fan, or his 3,735 fan either, he just has a general dislike, no matter how much everyone else loves him or how good he plays. So, as I was trying to defend the fact that, hey, it happens, I realized how close we did actually come to winning (or at least making it a tie). With the Pominville goal with minutes left, it looked like it could have been within reach, where minutes before it looked like a complete wash. It's just the Sabres ability to do that, to suck it up and play hard when it counts, that makes me believe they can do really well. Pittsburgh scored one very early in, but Buffalo came back to get one, and then another, within a minute. I missed the very beginning because I was on the way home and stopped to drop off a video and blah blah, so I didn't actually see either of these goals, or what I heard was a bloodied Adam Mair. Then Patrick Kaleta disappeared (puck to the foot? owww) and I was just generally confused when I got home. I'm just so happy I settled in just in time to see more Pittsburgh scoring and a Sidney Crosby hat trick as the night went on. Ohhh yipeee! :|

Random notes:

-I keep wanting to call Derek Roy "Rob Roy". Do not ask me why, I do not know why.

-Patrick Kaleta is probably going to miss more games...AGAIN. My gosh he is injured a lot. Major suckage.

-That one guy on Pittsburgh with the last name that sounds like "test tube"? hahaha that is just funny.

-I still don't like the VS announcers.

No points for us, but hey, it was a pretty ok effort. I mean, I think that Sidney Crosby is some kind of robot anyway. He is just programmed to score more goals than everyone else, and then sits on the bench like, "ehhh, no biggie dudes". Wowzas. We face Ottawa tomorrow night and ehhhh nooo, I'm a lil bit scared. Please do good guys, please. It's Gaustad's b-day after all, win it for him! Game on!!!