Lightning at Sabres Tonight

Every time I go and type something like “wouldn’t three in a row be a step in the right direction,” the Sabres disappoint. So can we please all acknowledge that I did not officially type that? It was in quotes, people! It doesn’t count.

On my way home from work last night I was thinking about how poor the Sabres have been at home this season, and lo and behold! There’s Mike Harrington with the proof:

They were 20-15-6 last season, just 7-6-1 this year…

That’s less than a .500 winning percentage when you get right down to it, which means when you shell out your dough, there’s less than a 50% chance you are going to see a win. Fortunately, the team has figured out the problem. In fact, I think they figured it out last year. Does this Thomas Vanek quote sound like the same old stuff we’ve been hearing from Roy and Pominville the last 12 months or so?

“Guys come home and I think we want to play too pretty and entertain. We’ve got to go out and get some ugly goals early on and after that the pretty plays will work for us.

“We have to realize it’s more about getting two ugly points no matter what, rather than getting style points.”

I am going to go out on a limb here and dare to speak for the vast majority of fans. We do not care about fancy passes, fancy skating, fancy goals, or fancy anything. We are Buffalo, and all we want is wins. In fact, if every game was like Monday nights game against Pittsburgh, you would have a rabid, packed house full of screaming fans every night, not the ones who sit on their hands as were forced to do against Nashville. And let’s be honest, you weren’t all that frickin’ fancy against the Predators – you flat out sucked. So get the puck in deep, pound on the overmatched Lightning defense, force turnovers with your forecheck, and take the game to them. It’s the same stuff I am sure Lindy Ruff tells them every game.

For Buffalo, the lineup is expected to remain the same as the Pittsburgh game, although I would be tempted to start Lalime for Miller tonight. I’m just not ready to give up on that experiment and I think it will pay off down the road.

In Tampa, remember when times were good, like when the games were played on paper in September? Back in September I wrote:

- I also see where Chris Gratton re-upped with the Lightning. All that spending shows the Lightning must be committed to winning. Meanwhile, they are over the roster limit, about $6 mil under the cap, have an old, washed-up goalie (Kolzig) and two defensemen capable of playing better than, oh, let’s say Dmitri Kalinin. But they spent a lot of money!

Clearly, BfloBlog was a bit skeptical about their chances, as were most in the hockey world (John Buccigross excepted, he picked them ninth but I always had a feeling it was out of loyalty to his friend, Barry Melrose). But those were heady days in Tampa, and it’s sometimes fun to look back. Now they have to deal with the reality that they overpaid a bunch of forwards and left themselves with few options, although they did get some cap relief when Radim Vrbata bailed on them to go to Czechoslovakia and they waived ex-Sabre Chris Gratton.

Last place is a tough place to be, but it’s always nice to be playing Buffalo – a team that loves to play down to the competition. Oh, and think there may be some bad blood tonight?

It’s a 7:00 gig at HSBC tonight. I just found out I can’t use my tickets, so if anybody wants a pair in 121 at Season Ticket prices ($35 each) just drop me a line at Kevin at WNYMedia dot net. PayPal happily accepted (but not at that address).