Happy Thanksgiving to our Hockeybuzz.com faithful south of the border.
I'm thankful for you-- my fellow puckheads. Without you and your unbridled passion for God's greatest game, there would be no hockeybuzz.com. You are a great group of fans and I like working for you. All my best to you and your families.
Do me a favour? Whatever you do tonight, do not drink and drive. Take a cab, thumb it, Hell, grab a ride with a stranger. Don't take any chances tonight because the cops will lock you up.
Lets talk hockey!
T-Minus 70 minutes til blastoff.
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Hell hath no fury like a Maxie scorned. 61 is pissed off at his recent benching and he's not disguising his feelings. TFB, Max! You play like a House hockey brat, you're going to sit and watch. I applaud Lindy for parking his underachievers. I'd like Max a whole lot more if he'd just knock off the act and own his faults. He acts like his coach has it out for him. Own it. Be contrite. Show your coach, GM, and teammates that you learned your lesson. Max is not a 20 year old button buck. He knows the drill. I hate people think that they are the victim. Look at your body of work, Max. It stinks and you should be thankful that your coach doesn't sit you for more games.
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Stafford will skate with his hombres, Roy and Vanek tonight. I expect a big game from this line. They are all due for a pyrotechnics show.
Gaustad will play left wall for Hecht and Pommer.
Max will run with The Genreal and Man Child.
Peters will bang with Mair and Kaleta.
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Philly, Ottawa, Rangers, Montreal, Chicago, Detroit, Carolina, Edmonton, to name a few.
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Keep an eye on Colorado. They've had a scout in Buffalo for the past 6 homes games. They are an injured club seeking a top 6 forward. Darcy Tucker is out 4-6 weeks with a knee; Wojtek Wolski is out indefinitely with a concussion, and Joe Sakic injured his back lifting weights.
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Marc Savard and the B's are the hottest team in the NHL right now. They are 9-0-1 in their last 10 games. their ten game point stretch is their longest since they went 8-0-2-2 from January 27-February 21, 2004.
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Its Miller vs. Thomas tonight.
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Buffalo D pairings:
52-5
6-44
10-27
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For those of you who love rough and tumble hockey, you'll want to buckle in now for this one. The Sabres are not happy with the way that hey have played againstthe Bruins thi sseaosn and they would love nothing more to send them out the zamboni doors with a regulation loss.
Watch closely for the Peters-Mair-Kaleta line to get the party started early. They will be looking to neutralize Thronton and Krejci before they get to running around.
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Our thoughts and prayers to the family of George Babcock, the assistant equipment manager for the Sabres. Mr. George Babcock, Sr., the father of George, passed away Thursday.
Tonight's game is being dedicated to Mr. Babcock.
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@ 9:08, Paul Gaustad left the ice with an injury. He stood in the Buffalo tunnel with the trainer. More on this later.
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1-0 Buffalo: Drew Stafford did all the work to get the puck low. Krejci could not contain Staff, who sliced out from behind Thomas and Roy deposited the rebound. Big monkey off Roy's back!
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The Sabres are all over the Bruins in their own end at this juncture.
Tim Thomas and the B's dodge a bullet. Upon review the ref ruled no goalon a shot that appeared to cause Thomas' glove to cross the goal line. Hard to tell with the naked eye. the overhead replay provided a good glimpse of the glove touching/crossing the goal line.
No Goal.
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However.....
Moments later...
2-0 Buffalo @ 18:29-Derek Roy scores his second of the night, top shelf short side over Thomas' left shoulder. Vanek and Pommer with assists. Roy is feeling it tonight.
The 26-9-21 line is Buffalo's best line in the first period.
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Inspired performance by the Sabres in the first twenty minutes. They skated, hit, shot the puck and created havoc deep in the Boston zone for the majorioity.
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1st Period Stat Pack:
Sabres outhit Boston 16-9.
[b]Kaleta [/b]had 5 hits and Vanek 2.
Both teams turned the puck over 5 times.
Buffalo had 12 shots, however, they missed the net 7 times.
Boston had 9 shots and 3 misses.
Each team blocked three shots.
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The Buffalo D are gapping up the Boston forwards. Sticks and bodies in lanes and pressure on the puck. Forwards are doing a much better job of coming back to their end to help the D.
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2nd Period Action:
Claude Julien installs his "ice boom" trap. One man forecheck and four men drop back to defend. The Sabres are doing a good job of cutting through the Trap with quick, short passes while their feet are moving forward.
Its the "Box and 1" on ice.
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2-1 Buffalo: @ 4:31, Hunwick throws a point shot at Miller, it finds its way to Kobasew's stick blade
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3-1 Buffalo: SHORTIE!!!
With Pat Kaleta in the clink for "boarding" Wideman....
Jochen Hecht's slapper beats Thomas glove side. 55s second of the season. Unassisted.
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@ 6:32, Milan Lucic flattens Thomas Vanek in front of the Boston bench. Peters will come calling on Lucic shortly. NOBODY takes liberties with the franchise players without a punch in the face contest!
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Boston are getting their legs going midway through the period. They are getting pucks deep and forechecking well. They are winning their share of pucks in the Buffalo end.
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After 40:
Thomas Vanek left the game inmmediately after Milan Lucic crucnched him on the wall in front of the Boston bench @ 6:32 of the period.
I scanned the bench with binoculars several times and did not see Vanek.
Wind knocked out? Back? Arm? Leg?
This would be a huge loss for Buffalo is they were to lose their leading scorer.
If the Sabres get up by three or more, they may go looking for a Boston leading scorer.
I'm here, and I'll tell you more as this develops....
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3RD PERIOD:
That gale forced wind that you feel in Buffalo is not associated with a Lake effect snow storm.
Its a collective sigh of relief from Sabre Nation.
Vanek returns with Roy and Stafford.
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Mancari and MacArthur team up for a nifty turnover/scoring chance that Thomas wisely cover.
Mancari is a beast down low. Big boy with strong legs.
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3-2 Buffalo: @ 9:25, Phil Kessel scores his 11th from Lucic and Savard.
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Max-Mac-Mancari play a spirited game of takeaway. Max backchecked and stripped Chara of the puck which resulted in a nifty 2 on 2 rush with 61 and 25. The play ended with Max going to the dirty area-- the blue ice! Good for Max, going into Chara's cave and eating his cookies!
This is the type of passion and determintaion that Lindy wants to see more of from 61.
Max CAN play this style.
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