Game Forty-Two Open Thread: Sabres at Red Wings
I’m just going to compress everything into one post for the day. Believe it or not, we still haven’t taken all our Christmas decorations down at the sprawling Pritchard compound in North Buffalo, so if I don’t get that done the Missus won’t let me go out and play tonight.
I took SonTwo to last night’s game (SonOne was the original bearer of the tickets but he spent the hours of 4am-6am showing me his dinner from the previous night.) Normally I like to have the lads home by 10:00 so as to avoid having a zombie-child the next day, and from the first 30 minutes it looked like I would have no problem pulling that off. But something strange happened after the Sabres registered their first shot on goal of the second period with 10:04 left (it may have been 10:05, but you get my point). The crowd gave the sarcastro-clap, and I was watching Lindy Ruff behind the bench. He was clearly worked up and talking to the team, and he could have been talking about line combinations for all I know, but in my head he was saying something along the lines of; “There you go boys, hope you’re happy. These folks just shelled out half a weeks pay to watch you not give a crap. Keep it up and maybe the entire city can hate you. Maybe we can try for two shots on goal this period.”
Probably didn’t happen, but just let me have my fantasy, OK?
But something did happen, and the Sabres played like a different team from that point on. We all know how it ended, and SonTwo got to see his first shootout (and thus, his first shootout win.) So what if he almost fell asleep on the bar in the Harbor Club afterward?
Now we have a team on an honest-to-God winning streak, with a goalie who is playing one of his best stretches of hockey in a while. As I wrote back in October, the Sabres need to ride this Miller for as long as they can, because inevitably he comes back down to Earth.
So now the Sabres sit in a tie for seventh in the East, a mere two points behind the Devils, five behind the Rangers, and six behind Philly (oh, and 17 behind Boston – first place is not looking good here). They have an opportunity to test themselves tonight against an excellent Detroit team that is 15-3-2 at home and is second in the West. Ty Conklin is expected to get the start for Detroit, and he has owned the Sabres, going 5-0-0 with a 1.18 goals-against average in five career starts against Buffalo. Throw in the fact that Detroit leads the league with a 3.62 goals per game, and we can see that Buffalo will have to be at their absolute peak tonight. And just to make it harder, the Wings boast the best powerplay in the league and the best penalty kill at home as well.
With nine of Buffalo’s next ten games being on the road, tonight is a great chance to get back to the solid road game that the Sabres have played most of the year. It’s a 7:00 start from the Joe Louis Arena.
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Where’s Trevor when you need him?
I missed Rivet.
Holy God Miller.
Sekera looked like he had multiple mental glitches.
Bugger.
A matter of time. Miller can’t do it alone.
Shite.
They better come out fighting in the 3rd.
Well, if you offered me 1-1 after tow this afternoon, I would have taken it. We need another strong 3rd, with better decisions in the defensive en especially… Let’s hope they have the gas in the tank.
after *two* that is
It would be nice if the home crowd was there to “motivate” them again.
Fuck.
Nice kill.
We’re back; had to break for pizza delivery.
PLEASE start giving Miller some help.
Bah.
16 to 38 in shots on goal; 10 in the first 2 periods combined for the Sabres.
And yet we’re still tied and killing penalties.
Praying for the SO didn’t work for the Rags last night…
Did someone tell Hershel Gelber that him talking and talking and talking in these commercials was a good idea, or just a cheap one?
Wow, the entire third period seems like a penalty kill.
Dammit! What a play by Hecht, too.
Gotta finish boys.
That has to be 40 or more shots by Detroit now.
Fuckk
Son of a freaking bitch.
I’m thinking it’s over.
fuck fuck fuck
Carter just scored in Philly…it would be nice if Vanek would put one in for us.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Well, now it is. Meltdown.
Miller’s exhausted. And rightfully so.
Well…..
End of the winning streak and undefeated year.
Well, if we had anything besides Miller tonight we’re walking away with points.
I guess we could have lost to a less impressive team….
I kind of hope Lindy gives Miller off for the next practice and skates the hell out of the rest of the team, as long as the Sabres don’t play for a couple of games.
I wouldn’t say a humiliating bag skate is really in order. Sure, they got skated all over the ice tonight, but I don’t think it’s because the effort was lacking. Detroit is just on a completely different level, and to be honest I was prepared for much worse. I’m pleased with the way they hung with one of the best teams in the league, and I think they have a legitimate chance against Chicago coming up.
Miller should definitely get a day off, though. He earned it.
Phil McConklin. Sabre-killer.