Nice win on home ice Tuesday night for the Sabres.
The Sabres have now won consecutive home games for the first time this season.
The quick synopsis of the Rangers game is as follows:
Marcus Foligno scored two goals for the third time in his career. Foligno now has four points (2+2) in three career games against the Rangers.
With two assists tonight, Reggie Sekera now has four assists in his last three games. Sekera’s three-game point streak is his longest since he recorded two points in five consecutive games from Feb. 26 to March 6, 2011.
Rookie Brian Flynn recorded his first career assist on Foligno’s second goal. Flynn now has points in three straight games (2+1).
Jhonas Enroth earned his first win since Nov. 26, 2011 vs. WSH, after going 0-10-3 in his last 16 appearances.
The Sabres are off today. No practice is scheduled. The eam will go into rest-recovery mode on Wednesday. The timing of the break could not have come at a better time for Ryan Miller and Tyler Ennis, who continue to nurse their respective health issues. Miller could use the day off to rest and relax as he suffers from his sinus infection. Ennis is listed as day-to-day with his upper body injury that he suffered when he was jacked from behind by Flyer Wayne Simmonds on Sunday night.
They'll practice inside First Niagara Center on Thursday and Friday. Their next game is against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday afternoon at 3pm on home ice.
The team will need the break as they will have ten grueling games to play before the April 3 NHL trade deadline, featuring six head to head match ups with division enemies.
This will be the Sabres last stand. if they want to jump over teams to bust into the top eight in the East, they have to beat Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa head to head.
In my opinion, the Sabres will have to win 9 out of their next 10 games in order to be taken seriously in the eastern playoff race. Playing 90% hockey is not a desirable goal, however, its not outlandish to think that the Sabres can run the table in order to qualify for the playoffs. They've done it before, they'll have to do it again.
The grind begins this Saturday when the Senators invade Buffalo. The Sabres will jet off to Washington to play the Capitals on St. Patty's Day. The road will lead the Sabres to the red hot Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night. Then, its home to host Toronto next Thursday night. The Sabres will travel back to Montreal for Hockey Night In Canada on 3/23, then travel they travel to the Sunshine State to play 2013-14 division foes the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday 3/26 and Florida Panthers on Thursday 3/28. Then, its home to host Washington on Saturday 3/30 and Boston on Sunday 3/31. The Sabres will play in Pittsburgh on the eve of the NHL trade deadline on 4/2.
If the Sabres want to win 85-90% of their games, they better get their act together on their disgustingly awful power play.
Here are the facts about the Buffalo man disadvantage:
11 for 98. 5 for their last 72.
11.2%
5 shorthanded goals against.
Are you freakin kidding me???!!!
Fix it now, Rolston. Do whatever it takes. Put John Scott and Tyler Myers in fron to the enemy goalie to screen and create chaos. Get Pominville off the PP point as he is causing widespread panic and anxiety every time he handles a pass while on the point.
Good on Marcus Foligno. The kid has been riding the rookie roller coaster all season long. One minute up, the next minute down. The ebb and flow of his game has been slow to develop in this lockout shortened season. Success seemed to come so easy for the kid as he tore up the NHL the twenty games of the 2011-12 season along with then linies Drew Stafford and Tyler Ennis. Foligno's offensive struggles have been well documented this season. His goal scoring production is off pace, and he hasn't been living up to the expectations that were placed on him by the organization.
The 82-63-21 line was discarded and Marcus spent a big chunk of time on the third and fourth lines. He was recently healthy scratched in Sunrise, while on the Sabres mentor trip. Marcus told me last week that he felt that he deserved to be benched by Ron Rolston because he wasn't playing the robust, rowdy role that had defined him in his twenty game NHL audition last Spring. Marcus told me that he had several conversations with his father Mike about how to smooth out the rough spots and how to correct the flaws in his game. Marcus told me that perhaps he took last season's new found success for granted. He told me that he learned a valuable lesson from his benching: hard work always wins. No shortcuts, not easy solutions.
Marcus looked like his old brahma bull self against the Rangers on Tuesday night. he registered tree hits and made life miserable for Rangers on the glass and on the walls. He screened Lundqvist early and often and he was a general pain in the ass to Dan Girardi and the Rangers D corps. Foligno was hungry. He was driven. he played angry. he was a man on a mission. He was confident.
Marcus got his mojo working!
Big Marcus flashed his brute strength and silky mitts all at the same time on his first goal of the game on The King. Marcus fought for his ice as he posted up Girardi in the low post. he pushed off on Girardi to create space for himself, then hunted the loose puck that kicked to him off the dasher board. Marcus's confidence and creativity found a flash point when he went between the legs to score this beauty of a game tying goal
Two weeks ago, a more up tight Foligno doesn't make that same impressive play. Tuesday night, he did just that. The crisis of confidence appears to be over for Foligno.
On Tuesday night, Foligno scored two beauties to propel Jhonas Enroth's first win in what seemed like an eternity. Enroth found out after the team meeting this morning that he would be starting in goal for the Sabres because Ryan Miller was suffering the ill-effects of a sinus infection. The win was Enroth's first of the season in five appearances, thus snapping a personal 0-10-3 winless streak for the Swedish coffee drinker that dated back to 11/26/11. The victory was also Buffalo's first in five games (1-2-2).
Foligno's second goal of the game gave Buffalo a two-goal lead at 11:48 of the third period. Foligno buried a fat rebound off Reggie Sekera's shot for his third goal of the season, and second of the night.
Marcus set the tempo of the game by throwing his body around the barn, like this car crash.
Rags head coach and stand up comedian, John Tortarella refused to tip his helmet to th esabres after the 3-1 Buffalo win on Tuesday night. Was Buffalo the hungrier team, Torts?
Torts propped Buffalo's third line of Foligno-Porter-Flynn for shutting down the Nash-Richards line. I thought all four Sabres lines played well in the win. Torts sees it his way.
Henrik Lundqvist did his part to keep his team in the game in Buffalo. They don't call him The King for nothing.
Check out this sick sequence of saves!
Leave it to Nick Kypreos, and the Sportsnet Hockey Central Insiders to mix it up.
On Tuesday night, Kypreos revealed that he's hearing that Ryan Miller will be on the move at or before the trade deadline.
Thanks for the video, Kukla's Korner
Miller is 32 years old and he's an intensely loyal guy. He's seen the good in Buffalo, having played in two Eastern Conference Finals. He's also seen the darkest days with having missed the playoffs a handful of times in his Buffalo tenure. He's also seen Lindy Ruff fired, and the departures of his good friends Paul Gaustad and Tim Connolly from the organization in recent years. Miller represents a $6.25 million salary cap hit for next season.
Miller, Vanek, and Pominville will all become UFA in July 2014 as well.
Is it a mortal lock that Miller will be re-siging a long term deal in Buffalo? No, far from it. The contract extension that Ryan Getzlaf signed in Anaheim late last week is the first jumbo-sized contract of the new CBA. Getzlaf's 8 year, $66 million deal will now be the standard by which all high-profile UFAs-to-be wil demand to be paid in accordance with.
Can Buffalo commit to paying their big three to $198 million in combined contract extensions to keep #s 30, 26, and 29 in Blue & Gold for the next eight years apiece?
No. I dare say that one of the three all stars will be gone in the near future.
I wouldn't rule out a Miller or Pominville trade. Think of the type of player the Sabres could fetch in exchange for Miller or Pommer. Corey Perry? Paul Stastny?
If you want to land a whale, you have to hunt with tasty bait.
Miller is a prized possession, and he has high value amongst GMs around the NHL. Would the Sabres consider trading him before he becomes UFA?
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