The U.S. Thanksgivng holiday weekend just past, and the sprirt of thankfulness has never been more prevalent in the city of Buffalo than it is today. Were it not for the brilliance and virtuosity of their goaltender, Ryan Miller, the Buffalo Sabres would be in some distress at this, the quarter pole of the 09/10 NHL season. He's been their saviour, steadfast and true. He's come to the Sabres emotional rescue. Sabre fans in along the Niagara Frontier and throughout the Golden Horseshoe have not see goaltending of this vintage since that guy called Hasek patrolled the pipes in The Queen City a decade ago. Miller has been Buffalo’s best player this season. Dare I say the best player in the NHL to date for his “refuse to lose” attitude . In this the most sanctified season of giving, Miller has been downright selfish and stingy. His singular focus been to vacuum up losse pucks and to close the show. So far, so good.
Miller presently leads all NHL goaltenders with a sparkling .933 save percentage and a microscopic 1.93 goals against average. His 14 wins are second only to King Marty Brodeur's 15.
Monday night in Tronna, Team USA coach, Ron Wilson, and GM, Brian Burke, will get va firsthand look at the starting goaltender for the Vancouver Olympic games. The way Miller is playing this season, Team USA looks to be an odds on favourite to medal in ‘Couver.
Miller has been the emotional and spiritual leader of his squad in Buffalo for the past three seasons. Craig Rivet may wear the “C” for Buffalo, however, Millsie is their moral compass and he’s the one that leads mostly by his flawless example. Case in point, Buffalo’s recent turn of fortunes. Miller single handedly killed off and buried a four game winless streak. He challenged his teammates to be better and the responded in a big way.
Miller and his mates skated into a a hostile Wachovia Center in Philadelphia for a Black and Blue Friday matinee with the Flyers. The Sabres entered the octagon ..errr … game, the owners of a 0-3-1 record in their past three games. Successive losses to Florida (6-2), Boston (2-1), Ottawa (5-3), and Washington (2-0) had left their coach, Lindy Ruff perplexed and scratching his head. His team was better than that, he thought. Miller had stood tall for his teammates in all of the losses, save the one in Ottawa, however, the offense was mired in a lumber slumber that served to undermine the great goaltending and defensive prowess of Tallinder, Myers, Rivet, Butler, Montador, and Lydman. In a nutshell, the Sabres were a four-cylinder vehicle (offense, defense, special teams, goaltending) running on only three cylinders: special teams, defense, and goaltending. The problem was simple: Buffalo’s top six forwards were not contributing offese and it was negating Miller’s brilliance in net. For Connolly, Vanek, Roy, Pominville, Stafford, and MacArthur, the goals were coming few and far between. His team needed a hero, and Miller quickly responded. The slump buster came in Philly on Black and Blue Friday, when Miller was his sterling self, and unlike in previous games, his offensive had his back. Tim Connolly erupted for two goals and two assists to power the Sabres to a much needed 4-2 win over their nemesis. It didn’t hurt that Captain Rivet chucked the knuckles twice with Philly pest, Dan Carcillo. This past Saturday night in Buffalo, Miller’s third game in four nights, Miller stoned Rod Brind’Amour of the Canes with his best save of the season—a sprawling glove beauty-- to keep a 1-0 Canes lead intact. That one save serves as a catalyst for the Sabres, and The “O” responded with five unanswered third period goals. Grier, MacArthur, Roy, Hecht and Vanek has answered the bell and the Buffalo funk and offensive malaise had been laid to rest.
I like Buffalo to skate out of the ACC with a 5-2 win on Monday night. Buffalo are on a roll, and I see them clicking on all four cylinders now, and they will give the Leafs fits with their stifling defense-first posture and Miller’s efforts between the pipes.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
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Captain Rivet (leg), Paul Gaustad (knee) and Pat Kaleta (suspension) will not play in Tronna.
Lindy will likely go with the same lineup that worked in the Carolina win on Saturday night in Buffalo. Sekera again for Rivet. Ellis will play the pivot for Mair and Paetsch.
Kaberle - *Komisarek
**Beauchemin - Gunnarsson
White - Schenn
Exelby - Finger (likely to be scratched)
* Komisarek draws back into the lineup after a three week quad muscle tear.
** Beauchemin will play his first game since injuring himself against Minnesota on 11/10.
G:
Vesa Toskala (groin)
Jonas Gustavsson
Joey MacDonald
***
The Leafs' Grabovski threw a bare handed punch to the face of yough guy teammate Francois Beaucemin in practice on Sunday. The second year Leaf forward, Grabovski, has earned himself an unenviable reputation in Tronna as a guy who disrespects his veteran teammates. He had a fight with Jason Blake last season.
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NHL Discipline Czar, Colin Campbell, has rendered his verdict and has lowered the gavel on Patrick Kaleta. The two game suspension, without pay, is the result of PK's hit on Flyer rookie Jared Ross in Friday's game in Philly.
I see equal parts culpability on this play. Ross is a rookie, playing in only his third NHL game. I think he should have handled the play better than he did. He shoud have moved his feet and faced the play. Emery gave the puck to Ross while he was in sniper fire. Perhaps the better play was for the goalie to move the puck to a man not under duress. Kaleta could have veered off to avoid contact, however, thats not his game.
Kaleta knows better than to hit a guy from behind. He earned the suspension and he'll serve it. Watch the replay and you'll see Kaleta committing to hit Ross's right shoulder. It appears as though Kaleta's intent was to finish the check shoulder to shoulder, not his shoulder to Ross's back. Ross moves the puck up the wall just before kaleta made contact. It was a bang-bang play that was made in the trapezoid, an area not known ofr his luxurioous room to move around. Fast hands, fast feet, and fast decisions have to be made on every shift in the NHL.
This suspension will draw the ire of NHL players who are drawn into these types of penalties every night in the NHL.
Ross played the puck on the Moddell sign on the end wall. In plain view, Ross saw the forechecker coming with a head of steam. As Kaleta commits to the hit, Ross turned his body to release the puck up the wall. Kaleta was bearing down with speed and was locked in on finishing his check. Ross can learn from this type of play. You're not in the NHL anymore, Rook. The guys hit harder and skate faster in the NHL than they do "The A". You should know who you are on the ice with at all times.
The forechecker cannot stop himself in mid flight. Its not possible to hit the "pause" button once you've commited to finishing your check. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.
Let me be clear:
Hitting from behind is not acceptable in hockey. Its dangerous, wreckless, and cowardly. I'm not condoning it at all. There is an alarming trend this season of players getting run from behind and it has to be curtailed before someone gets seriously injured.
Ask any NHL GM, coach, or player and they'll tell you that more and more players are using the hit from behind as a tactic to place the opponent at a manpower disadvantage at critical times in games. I'm not saying that thats what Ross was doing. There are hits that happen within the context of a hard played hockey shift that are not intentional. Then, there are hits from behind that appear to be nothing more than to send a message to an opposing player.
Alex Ovechkin boarded Kaleta on Wednesday night in Washington. AO was given a five minute major and a game misconduct. No suspension though. Curious, don't you think? You'll notice that AO tracked PK and backstabbed the unsuspecting man with the puck.
The faux pas will cost Kaleta $5,414.50.
Sadly, no suspension for Ovechkin for his deliberate hit from behind.
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