It was excatly one year ago today, January 3, 2011, that Team Canada goaltender Mark Visentin allowed five unanswered third period goals to the plucky Russians at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Buffalo. Team Canada led 3-0 after 40 minutes, and it appeared to thsi observer that the Russians had tapped out after the lost their captain, Tarasenko, to an injury late in period two.
Shows how much I know.
The Russians roared out of their room and took control of Team Canada from the opening faceoff of the third period. Canada's three goal cushion would evaporate quickly as the Russians found a spiritual fuel reserve in their room between period. Tarasenko would play the third period and would act as the catalyst for Russia's improbable comeback victory to earn the gold medal.
Visentin plays on this year's Team Canada squad. He's played well to date in the tourney. However, Team Canada head coach, Don Hay, has opted to start backup tender, Scott Wedgewood.
Tonight's semi-final opponent:
Team Russia.
Listen to the pain in Visentin's voice in this montage shot in the postgame press room.
thanks, open ice hockey
I was in the building that fateful night. I'll never forget the groans and horrified expressions on the faces of the fans in the building when the final horn sounded that night. Later, in the media salon, the Russians were partying like rockstars, as they whooped and mugged for every camera in sight. An awkward seen, considering team canada were on the same podium risors conducting their tear-soaked postgame interviews.
Pommer not on the ice at practice. Kassian skating with Vanek and Roy.
Pommer was taken ill on sunday. On Monday, he and Brad Boyes left practice early.
More on his health status for tonight's game later.
Surprisingly, Kassian was a healthy scratch on Saturday night. Nathan Gerbe's return to the lineup led to Kassian's scratch. That, and the fact that Kickassian has only one point in his last ten games.
I like Lindy's thinking by putting Kassian with Vanek and Roy. Kassian is a big body with an aggressive demanor, who will open up large chunks of ice for 26 and 9 to create chances with. He's a huge screen to place in front of The Bulin Wall, too.
Kassian can finish with his silky mitts, and he'll get chances to do so with lkoose change opporyunities off rebounds.
Other lines:
Boyes-Adam-Stafford
Gerbe-Hecht-McCormick
Kaleta-Goose-Ellis
More to come...
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Ville Leino is taking the game day skate with his teammates. He's wearing the obligatory red "don't hit me or you'll get detention" pinney.
Thisis a great sign.
Lindy Ruff told Howard Simon this morning that Leino started skating on his own on Sunday.
Leino is not coming back for at least another week.
Leino was injured on December 16, and has missed the last eight games.
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Tyler Ennis will get battled drilled today. He's been skating and is showing signs of improvement. He will not play tonight, however, he'll be ready later this week.
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The Sabres have lost 167 man games to injury this season.
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TONIGHT’S GAME:
OILERS at SABRES
-This is the first and only meeting between the Sabres and Oilers this season.
-Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Edmonton, 4-2, in Edmonton on Dec. 28, 2010.
-The Sabres are 5-4-1in their last 10 games vs. the Oilers; 3-4-3 at home.
-This is the 65th game all-time between Buffalo and Edmonton; Buffalo trails the series with a 20-34-10 record. Buffalo is 12-13-7 at home against the Oilers all-time.
STORYLINES
The Sabres have won their last five games against the Oilers, outscoring them 22-7 during that span. Ryan Miller started all five o fthose games and is a perfect 5-0-0 against the Oilers in his career with a 1.40 GAA. Edmonton’s last win against the Sabres came
on Oct. 16, 2003. The Oilers haven’t won in Buffalo since March 4, 2002.
The Sabres have points in their last four games at home, their longest such streak of the season.
January has been Buffalo’s best month by a wide margin over the last three seasons, with the Sabres going 25-10-4 (.692). Since the lockout, Buffalo has a 41-26-10 record in January (.597).
Brad Boyes leads all Sabres with 19 points (9+10) in 19 games against the Oilers. Former Oiler Jochen Hecht has six points (3+3) in his last four games against Edmonton, including a goal in each of his last three.
The Sabres play 12 games in January (3 home, 9 away). Their only break longer than two days is the All-Star break, when they have six days between games (Jan. 24 and 31). Eight of the 12 January games are against Eastern Conference opponents.
After the team’s Jan. 13 home game vs. TOR, they will be on the road for a season-high seven straight games
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Upcoming Sabres Games:
Friday 1/6 Buffalo at Carolina, 7 p.m.
Saturday 1/7 Winnipeg at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Tuesday 1/10 Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Friday 1/13 Toronto at Buffalo, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 14 Buffalo at NY Islanders, 7 p.m.
Updated 6am:
The Oilers have recalled D Colton Teubert and C Josh Green from their AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City.
RNH and Tom iolbert will not play in Buffalo.
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Danny Gare's brother-in-law, Tom Renney explains the Oilers injury conundrum:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the first overall pick in the 2011 NHL draft, sustained an upper body injury in the Edmonton Oilers' game vs. the Chicago Blackhawks.
Nugent Hopkins fell and smacked the wall. He was not tripped or obstructed with.
The Edmonton Oilers announced the injury during the second period of the game. Exact details are not known at this time.
RNH has been outstanding for the Oilers this season, scoring 35 points on 13 goals and 22 assists. He leads all NHL rookies with 38 points in 35 games..
As if losing your second leading scorer wasn't bad enough, the Oilers will dealh another crippling injury blow when D Tom Gilbert was demolished by Blackhawks bad ass, Dan Carcillo. Carcillo was given a 5 minute boadring and a game misconduct. Gilbert's right knee is in serious distress.
Looked to me like Car Bomb was looking to send a message to Gilbert and not play the puck.
You make the call. Carcillo has been suspended five times in his NHL career. He is the new Matt Cooke. I'd sit him for 10+ games. You?
Former Sabre Raffi Torres was suspended for two games on Monday for a similar hit on Dallas Stars D Nate Prosser.
The Oilers blue line has been decimated by injuries to key personnel this season. They need help in a bad way.
Perhaps their GM, Steve Tambellini, is talking trade with Darcy Regier. If they are not in serious talks now, they should have lunch at the Anchor Bar on Tuesday. The Oil need " D". The Sabres need "O".
Oilers need a puck mover in the worst way with Ryan Whitney, now Tom Gilbert injured. Whitney likely cannot play in Buffalo as he is still recovering from his lower body injury. The Oilers will have to recall a D from Oklahoma City to take the place of Gilbert in Buffalo.
On a positive note, the Oilers survived a Blackhawks blitz in the final 10 minutes. They gut out an impressive 4-3 victory. Chicago entered the game with the NHL best home record.
The Oilers are scheduled to land in Buffalo between 3-4am EDT. With the time change, the Oilers will be exhausted. Their 11:30 am skate will be optional.
Henrik Lundqvist slammed his five hole closed on Danny Briere's questionable penalty shot with 19.6 seconds remaiand thus, ning in a one goal game. Thus, the Flyers were the losers of the Winter Classic.
Here's a dejected Briere in the Flyers room after the game.
Thanks, csnphilly.com
I predicted a Rangers 4-2 win before the game.
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Earlier today, Sabres President, Ted Black, addressed the current Time Warner Cable/MSG dispute
Black's message to Time Warner and MSG:
Get this stupid "misunderstanding" settled immediately before hundreds of thousands of Sabres fans lose their Sabres on MSG.
Thanks, Sabres.com
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Tyler Myers skated at today's practice as the seventh Dman.
The Oil Rig is nearing his return to the Sabres lineup after suffering a broken scaphoid bone in his wrist on Movember 19.
Myers has been leaning more on his stick and engaging in more physical play. Very good news for the down trodden loyalists in Pegulaville.
Myers will be seeing the radiologist for another CT scan on the wrist on Tuesday morning.
Cross your fingers...
Thanks, sabres.com
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Rockin Robyn Regehr is ready to leave the failures of 2011 in the rear view mirror. New year brings new energy.
Thanks, sabres.com
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Watching the Winter Classic pre-game shows, I have a strong opinion;
Buffalo has earned the right to host the next NHL Winter Classic. Here are a few reasons why I feel strongly about Hockey Heaven getting the next "Ice Bowl":
* The first ever WC sold 75,000 seats. Huge economic and PR impact for the NHL
* Buffalo-Toronto is the NHLs top TV market with 7+ million households.
* Record ratings on NHL NBC affiliate, WGRZ-TV. Sabres games fetch huge ratings, while non-Sabres games routine earn top three overnight Neilsen ratings.
* '11 World Juniors sold out.
* Buffalo sold out the 2004 NCAA Frozen Four Championships.
Mix in some " Pegula Magic" to an already successful model, and you've got the makings for the biggest and best Winter classic in NHL history.
I've reached out the the Sabres and to the management at WGRZ-TV. Lets create a HUGE hockey buzz and demand that the NHL deliver the Winter Classic experience back to Buffalo, NY.
Are you ready, Hockey Heaven??!
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Corey Tropp suffered a concussion while playing for the sabres on 12/9. Since then, he's ben with the Sabres, recovering from his injury. His NHL salary has been counting against Buffalo's cap due to the fact that he was injured while skating with the NHL club. Ditto Colin Stuart (foot).
Today, the Sabres sent Tropp back to Rochester, which signifies that the winger is healthy and ready to resume playing. Nathan Gerbe was activated for the Sabres' Saturday game vs. Ottawa. Zack Kassian was the healthy scratch so that Gerbe could play.
Zack Kassian has not been returned to Rochester.
Tyler Ennis has been skating with the team, and is nearing his return from his ankle injury.
Tyler Myers likely will make his return to the starting lineup this week, too.
Coach Ruff will skate his team at 11:30am at First Niagara Center. Ryan Nugent Hopkins, Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers will be in town on Tuesday night.
Its long overdue for the Sabres to piece together a 5-7 game win streak. They dangle precariously from the precipice of the brink of The Falls. They are closer to the basement tan they are to a Playoff spot.
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I'm hearing the name Sam Gagner associated with trade talks. Buffalo and Chicago are real possibilities for the former London Knight.
Gagner is only 22, however, has played the past five seasons for Edmonton. He's a 5'11 190 centreman with soft hands and fast feet.
Gagner was originally drafted by the Oilers along with Andrew Cogliano to add skill and scoring to their lineup. The Mississauga native's career started out strong for the Oilers, however, has tailed off lately. His offense has suffered at times recently due to his role changing on the team. He's played with new linemates on a regular basis. The emergence of young guns Hall, Eberle, and Nugent-Hopkins to name a few.
Gagner will score you goals 5 on 5 and on the PP. Gagner makes $2.275 million this season and he will become RFA on 7/1.
Gagner tore up the OHL with his London Knight bro, Pat Kane.
Another Oiler who's name is connected to the Sabres is Shawn Horcoff. The big centerman played with Ryan Miller at Michigan State University. Horcoff is all business.
Horcoff has scored 8 goals and added 13 assists in 37 games this season.
He has scored 150 goals in the past 10 and a half seasons in Edmonton.
Horcoff is 6'1 and 210, and he earns $5.5 million this season. Ditto the next three seasons.
Horcoff has leadership skills and has scored 23 points in 35 NHL playoff games in his career. He was a key contributor on the 2006 POilers team that lost the Stanley Cup to the Carolina Hurricanes.
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The Sabres played 14 games in December, tying November for second-most in a month this season.
Buffalo’s 53 December wins are the most the team has had in any month since the lockout.
The Sabres are 53-33-10 (.604) in December in those years.
The injury riddled Sabres ran the physical and emotional gauntlet in Decemeber.
14 games. 8 at home. 6 on the road.
Lindy Ruff's team limped out of Movember and into December, sporting a 13-10-1 record.
When Butler beat Enroth in the shootout on Saturday night, the Sabres ended the month of December with a mediocre 17-17-4 record.
For all their toil, trials, and tribulations, the Sabres were are less than acceptable 4-7-3 in December. Ten points earned out of a possible 28 is dreadfully unacceptable.
You can't win a Playoff seeding in December. However, NHL teams surely can lose a Playoff berth with a crappy month of December.
They finished Movember 7-6-1 (15 points earned), and 6-4 (12 points earned) in October.
2-6-2 in their last 10 ain't gonna get this team in the Playoffs
Wonder why the team is in a world of hurt right now? It cannot score goals. Factor out Vanek and Pominville, and what do you have? Zero goal support for the goaltenders. Enroth's 44 save gem on Saturday night was worthy of a two points in the standings. instead, the team struggled to score two goals to support Enroth.
Vanek and Pominville are currently tied for 9th overall in NHL scoring with 39 points apiece.
Vanek has 18 goals and 21 assists, while Pommer has 12 goals and 27 assists.
In December, Vanek scored 6 goals and added 6 assists.
Pommer scored 3 and added 10 assists.
26 and 29 accounted for 9 of Buffalo's 28 goals scored in Decmeber. They'd have scored more had it not been for opposing scouting reports which read like this:
Stop Vanek and Pominville, and you will beat the Buffalo Sabres.
No secondary or tertiary scoring has been killing Buffalo. Roy, Stafford, Adam, Hecht, Boyes, Gaustad have been quietly inconsistent and it puts added pressure on the D corps and goal tending.
The Sabres need to make a move for a closer. They are in desperate need of a goal scorer who can light the lamp against all odds.
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