Jaro Spacek summed up the Sabres 4-2 loss to the gimpy Red Wings perfectly:
"We didn't win any battles... one on one battles.. we dumped the puck in and let them walk out through the defensive zone. We had no forecheck at all! We tried to dump the puck in, and thats it".
The Buffalo forwards should hang their head in shame after this one. The Wings have been playing without Chelios, Lidstrom, and Rafalski on their back end. All due respect to Kronwall, Staurt, and Lebda, but they ain't anything to have an anxiety attack about.
The only Buffalo line worth a damn tonight was Kaleta-Mair-Max. Max move with Roy and Vanek in the second period.
The Buffalo forwards were soft on the wall, disinterested in pursuing loose pucks, and they were uninspired in the Detroit end of the rink. No urgency, no desperation, no physicality and certainly no commitment. The Sabres refuse to pay the price, and they lost the game to a weakened opponent. Hell, Dominik Hasek had to run up to his blueline at the end of the first period to get some exercise. The Sabres refused to work hard to get in the right positions to shoot the puck all night long.
The Sabres-- fo rthe umpteenth time in the 07/08 season-- mailed in the first 40 minutes of the game, and they have no one to blame but themselves for their miserable performance on home ice vs. Montreal and Detroit.
There was a time, not that long ago, that they Sabres could play, and win vs. elite teams in the NHL. Therse days, they seem to default to some nouveau defeatist, laissez faire attitude in money games.
The Habs and Wings games, to say nothing of the Philly hgame last week, were "money games". Win and stay in. Lose and go home.
I keep waiting for the real sabres to please stand up.
I think the players themselves are waiting for the same thing to occur.
"I know this team, I played in the West. they like to move the puck, while they are all skating very good. They can move the puck around and they have a D that can join. They play simple hockey. They were better than us.They skated... and we didn't battle enough. Thats the big reason why--- the whole game, ya know? We came back close, but still we did not put enough pressure on their defensemen. Like I say, just win the battles, and put more pucks on the net".
Simple hockey. Snmart hockey.
Other teams are playing that way and winning. So, why won't the Sabres buy in and play that way? Are they so obstinate that they want to do things their way?
"Their way" ain't payin the bills. They better listen to Lindy and the coaches or locket cleanout day will come in April and not June this season.
You think you're frustrated?
You should talk to the players in the room. They are seething, too.
The coaches held a closed door meeting, followed by a players only chat. They all know that they wasted one of Ryan Miller's most inspirational games of the season to one, if not the best offensive teams in the NHL.
The blood pressure is rising, and well it should be. March is not the time to sleepwalk for 40 minutes against a team that had won just once in 11 previous games heading into Buffalo.
The Sabres did for Detroit what they did for Philly last week:
They let them see the light of a new day with a victory. Philly snapped its 10 game winless streak in Buffalo, while Detroit gets back in the win column for the first time in a long time.
Welcome to Buffalo, home of the "Slumpbuster".
"We don't use the word "slump" in this room. We prefer to use the work "negative streak", it sounds better", joked Kirk Maltby after the game. "This negative streak is over, time to win a bunch, like 5 or more in a row".
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Dominik Hasek was grinning from ear to ear after the game.
On killing the losing streak:
"Of course I had fun tonight. It feels good, not only to win the game, but finally we win one on the road. I think we played pretty well on both sides of the ice, we had more scoring chances and we finally scored all sorts of goal".
On the Pominville Goal Fiasco:
"I'm very disappointed in that. All 5 guys who were on the ice, including me-- four plus one--we were responsible for it, and I told myself "this is a mistake".... you know, he (Pominville) was punched in the head, but still, its our responsibility to stay in position until the whistle blows, and there's no excuse. Ya know I told myself " OK, come on. You can make such a big mistake, but you can win this game". We didn't make anymore mistakes and we win the game".
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In the last 3 games, the Sabres have given up 14 goals. Don't blame Miller for all of them. His forwards are not back checking and hi sD refise to block shots.
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POMINVILLE IS SABRES CAPTAIN
Derek Roy and Jaro Spacek will wear "A"s.
Pommer has been Mr. Consistency for Lindy Ruff this season.
He's played in 65 games and has 19 goals and 40 assists. He's a +10.
He plays PP, PK, and 5 on 5.
Not bad for a guy who was waived at the conclusion of Training Camp in 05/06.
Hard to believ 29 other GMs passed on him!
Thankfully he's a Sabre!
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Both teams are warming up as we speak.
No MacArthur and Peters for Buffalo.
61 will skate his second game in a row.
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1st Period:
I just spoke with a member of the Detroit media who told me that Steve Bernier has played"exceptionally wll" against the Wings the past two seasons.
"He's been a big factor because of his size. He played on a line with (Milan) Michalak and they made big plays down low".
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6-45-20-28-21 start fo rBuffalo against the Draper line, followed by 26-9-56-5-10, against Holmstrom-Datsyuk-Filpulla.
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1-0 Buffalo:
Detroit Dman, Derek Meech pinched and turned the puck over , leading to a Buffalo 3 on 1 the other way. Afinogenov-Mair - Kaleta hit the Detroit zone with speed-- 61 featherd a puck to Kaleta, and PK 5 holed Hasek. Looks like Lilja got a piece of Max's pass, but not enough.
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Mike Babcock refuses to play Zetterberg and Datsyuk on the same line. One Western scout told me earlier that this is a big reasn why the Wings are 1-8-2 in their last 11. Zetterberg and Datsyuk play so well together, and they have a combined 150 points between them this season. Babcock does not wish to pile up all of his assets on the same line.
He may have to in order to get the Wings out of their funk.
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@ 8:45- Johan Franzen busted through the centre zone and juked Kalinin with a sweet crossover dribble; Tree hooked the man that had just beat him.
Detroit PP is ranked #4 in the NHL. The Wings have 1 even strength goal in their last 9 games! They have no confidence 5 on 5, and all the confidence in the world on their PP.
Miller has had to make several big saves on the kill.
@ 9:16, Roy gets called for holding.
Mike Babcock calls his timeout .
Holmstrom wants a goal with this 5 on 3. He's all over Miller in the blue paint....
MILLER IS BUFFALO'S BEST PKER and he is on his game tonight!!
Millsie Kills off both penalties.
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@ 11:17, We're back to 5 on 5 hockey, and the Wings are leading shots 15-3.
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@ 11:56, Detroit tie it up. Maltby from Drak and Krownwall.
Miller made an outstanding save on Kronwall's point blast, howebver, Buffalo could not clear the puck.
Looks like the puck hit Spacek's wheel.
Vanek-Roy-Bernier can clear the puck, and it ends up behind Miller.
1-1.
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Lindy is mixing up his lines with less than 2 minutes to go.
Paille-Mair-Bernier look motivated!
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Hasek wouldn't be Hasek were it not for drama!
With less than 35 seconds left to play in the period, Derek Roy, one one knee, grabbed a loose puck at centre ice and threaded a desperation pass to a darting Danny Paille. Unbeknownst to Paille, Hasek had sprinted from his crease to the Detroit blue line to play the puck; Hasek submarined Paille as the Sabre winger tried to recover the puck. Paille was able to release a weak shot as he fell to the ice as a result of Hasek's submarine tackle.
Penalty or no?
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1st Period Shots:
18-9 Detroit.
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Miller was Buffalo's best player in the period. He made at leat 9 saves that prevented goals, many of them kicksaves. He was THAT good.
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2nd Period:
Buffalo zone time early in the second period is slim to known because the Wings do such a good job of getting pucks deep and cycling. They set up in the Buffalo end and they get sustained pressure because they move the puck while moving their feet.
* Kaleta retaliates on Kopecky and draws a high stick penalty.
2-1 Detroit.
With :45 seconds left in the Detroit PP, Jiri hudler receives Franzen's cross ice pass at the right faceoff dot, and immediately sends it to Filppula, all alone in front of Miller for the re-direct.
Montreal's cross-ice passing on the Powerplay killed Buffalo Friday night. Same crap, different day!
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@ 7:28, Zetterberg takes a high stick minor.
Pominville's stick explodes on a clean one-timer aimed at Hasek's chest.
Is it me, or does Tim Connolly look slow and ineffective tonight?
The Buffalo PP was just booed for its haphazard effort on this man-up.
@ 9:11-Draper takes a hook on a moving Afinogenov.
5 on 3 Buffalo
* Vanek hits Pommer in the slot-- one timer off Hasek's chest. Nice play.
Draper, Maltby and the Detroit PKers are too good for Buffalo's ill timed cross ice passes.
Buffalo gets its best scoring chance when a Lydman point bomb is deflected, it hopped straight up into the air and into the mitt of Paul Gaustad who was positioned at the left side of Hasek. Goose threw the puck down and whacked it at the open net----- only to hit the mesh on the outside of the net--- 6 inches wide left!
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3-1 Detroit:
Buffalo get killed by four passes out of their end and up the ice.....
Franzen is the beneficiary of the tap-in putt.
Where the Hell is the Buffalo D?
Is someone going to help Miller tonight? That's two straight Detroit goals wher the Buffalo forwards and D are standing around watching the Winged Wheel in the Buffalo blue ice.
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The Sabres should have consulted their Detroit scouting report before tonight's game.
The wings are have been playing with Nik Lidstrom, Brian Raflaski, and Chris Chelios. Thats 50% of their starting D corps.
Buffalo cannot get any sustained zone time. Their entries are bad. Their recoveries are worse.
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@ 17:24 Brad Stuart called for holding.
Another Buffalo PP:
Does it matter? This PP is lost without Brian Campbell at the point-- Connolly is up top now, not on the halfwall.
Buffalo have had Hasek down on his belly 7 or 8 times tonight on PPs and they vcannot win goal mouth scarmbles for loose pucks and rebouns.
They are hitting the glass with shots more than they are hitting Hasek.
ANOTHER successful Detroit Kill.
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Wings outshooting Sabres 30-16 after 40 minutes; 12-7 in the second period.
The majority of Buffalo's shots have come on the PP. They cannot generate any chances 5 on 5.
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Brad Stuart and Niklas Kronwall all over 26-9-56 tonight. Great D from a Detroit team who are missing Lidstrom, Chelios, and Rafalski.
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This game is eerily reminiscent of the Philadelphia game here last week, when the Flyers came to Buffalo ohfer its past 10. They beat Buffalo on that night and they have won three in a row since.
Detroit entered tonight's game 1-8-2 in its last 11 games.
A win tonight is of paramount importance to the Wings, as they would love to build back the cushion in the standing between themselves and the Dallas Stars.
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What Buffalo team will emerge from the room for the third period?
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AFTER 40 MINUTES:
* Buffalo have 9 giveaways to Detroit's 9. Hank Tallinder has turned the puck over 3 times.
* Buffalo have only two takeaways.
* The Sabres are winning faceoffs 60% to 40%.
* Jason Pominville has 6 of Buffalo's 16 shots.
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3rd Period:
* Will the REAL Buffalo sabres please stand up??
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* Kotalik-Goose-Bernier open the third period and apply nice pressure on the forecheck. They got the puck deep, knocked Lilja on his keester and recovered it. No shots though.
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Lindy reunites Vaek with Roy and Afinogenov. Good energy and puck movement.
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The Mair and Kaltea line, sans Max, draws an interference at 2:26.
3-2 Buffalo:
When Hasek is in the house, it must be a freaky night!
Welcome to Bizarro World!
Stafford looked to be involved in a punch in the face ccontest with the with Maltby in front of the penalty box; Brad Stuart threw hands as well--- the crowd expecetd a fight and so did the players on the ice--- NO WHISTLE, so Jason Pominville excused himself from the scrum, with the puck on hi sstick and broke in scott free on Hasek. Pommer scores his 20th to make it a one goal game.
3-2 Wings.
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The Pommer goal has served to fire up the Buffalo bench. The forwards are skating and creating with authority now.
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@ 11:22 Stafford takes a tripping minor to put the explosive Detroit PP on the ice again...
Now would be a great time for a shortie!
Miller has been masterful on the penalty kill AGAIN! His teammates owe him a debt of gratitude for his concentration and effort tonight.
Case in point, at the resumption ofo 5 on 5, Miller absolutely stoned Franzen with a spread eagle right pad save to keep this a one goal game.
GREAT SAVE !!
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