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Ryan Miller just might be going to Italy after all. The plan at this point, is to stay in the states, but near the phone as a member of the taxi squad. He'll be an 8 hour plane ride away from helping out in case of an injury.
HOWEVER...growing speculation that Robert Esche might choose to "rest", which would send Miller to the Olympic games, tells me something. There's a little buzz about the team on this topic. It's not as if the rumor is that "perhaps something could happen". The rumor is now...Esche. It's more than a rumor now...it's a name.
Miller just backstopped the Sabres to back-to-back wins over the Flyers and Senators, running his personal win streak to 5 straight games (and 7 of 8). Thursday night, in a win over Philly (and Esche) the fans chanted U-S-A as Miller stopped the Flyers again and again, on his way to 1st star honors. You could feel the emotion in the building, as Miller was AGAIN outplaying a Team USA tender.
Saturday night against Ottawa, the U-S-A chants returned...and Miller was even better.
He blanked the Senators in the shootout. Mike Fisher, Dany Heatley, and Daniel Alfredsson came up 0-3. It's ANOTHER win in a shootout for Miller this season...he's beaten the Lightning, Flyers and Senators that way. He's given up 1 goal to 9 shooters.
It would be a BIG lift to Team USA, a club that has huge questions in goal before Miller jumps into the fray. I'm not sure how Miller would do in the international competition, on the highest level, but everything that I've seen of him this year has been phenomenal.
League note: Miller is this week's NHL Defensive Player of the Week. For the season he's 3rd in the league in Save %...and 5th in GAA.
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BEATING OTTAWA
With Ryan Miller in net, the Buffalo Sabres exorcised a HUGE demon, with a win over the Ottawa Senators. Buffalo picked up a 2-1 shootout victory, to earn points against the Sens for the first time this season. The Sabres had lost the first three meetings of the season by a combined 21-5.
The fourth meeting was entirely different. The Sabres showed their fans, and themselves that they could skate with the Eastern Conference's powerhouse. The games with Philly and Ottawa were "gauge games", and the Sabres measured up BIG time.
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REALLY...THERE'S NO RUSH
The Sabres are operating without Daniel Briere (who could be cleared for contact by next week), Tim Connolly (who's still a good month out), and Adam Mair (waiting to beat post concussion symptoms).
The biggest question right now is...who comes OUT of the lineup? Briere and Connolly will return, and play every night. Decisions will have to be made and the way the team is going...NO ONE should come out.
Jason Pominville has been one of the biggest contributors to the team since coming up from Rochester. He's got a spot on the team. Derek Roy has been great the last few weeks. You won't see it on the score sheet, but Roy has "brought it" consistently. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been Taylor Pyatt. Since returning from his wrist injury, Pyatt has looked like a new man. It might be a product of the competition for playing time. The Sabres are rolling 4 lines these days...and you only stay in the lineup with production.
So...when the Sabres get their top scorer (Briere) and top playmaker (Connolly) back...who comes out? It's a good problem to have.
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