Lindy Ruff was faced with a serious challenge on Wednesday morning.
Ruff said that he and his fellow coaches sat on the plane ride home from Winnipeg and they debated the idea of scrambling the forward lines.
It was an exercise that was designed to get the Vanek-Roy-Pominville conundrum solvd.
Thomas Vanek hadn't scored in seven games and was mired in a nasty scoring slump. Derek Roy was also squeezing the stick too tight as a result of his scoring drought. Jason Pominville, like Vanek, had gone seven games since recording his last point.
Ruff was not happy with the play of the 26-9-29 line on the Western roadie. He told them as much when he addressed each skater and told them that he expected more offense from his top line.
Ruff could have busted out the dynamite caps and blow up all of his winning line combinations in a last-ditch effort to kick start his top line of Vanek-Roy-Pominville.
Or, he could leave his lines intact and give his top unit one last opportunity to play itself out of a dismal scoring slump.
thanks, sabres.com
Ruff said in his post game presser that he even asked Derek Roy what the coaching staff should do with his slumping line. Ruff said that Roy told him to leave his line and the other three trios alone, that he and his linies would handle their business, and would start lighting the lamp again.
Ruff was right to ask Roy, rather than take the crowbar out. Roy was right to settle his coach down. Were it not for Roy's insistence, Cody Hodgson would have centred for Vanek and Pommer against Carolina.
Now, its up to Vanek-Roy-Pominville to sustain their offense output for the final 15 games.
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Buffalo's win over Carolina moves the team into ninth place in the East, tied with Washington with 70 points. Eighth place Winnipeg was idle Wedensday night and will play in Vancouver on Thursday night. A Sabres win in Boston and a Winnipeg loss in Vancouver will draw Buffalo into an eight place tie.
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Tyler Myers got the Sabres party started with this beauty, going 180 feet to score this beauty. The big man runs the floor like a young Dirk Nowitzki.
Then, Vanek found the back of the net for the first time in a very long time. His PPG gave the Sabres the lead over the Canes.
Pommer, like the citzens of Pegulaville, breathed a collective sigh of relief when he scored the OT PP GWG.
thanks, sabres.com
The win ends Buffalo's one game losing streak.
The Sabres will feel a lot better playing in Boston on Thursday night knowing that they beat a quality opponent in the Canes the night before.
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Carolina captain, Eric Staal, was on the ice for all three Sabres goals.
His ten game point scoring streak was snapped in Buffalo.
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Ryan Miller says he's ready, willing and able to play when he his coach needs him to play. Miller says that he took full advantage of his day off on Tuesday. He laid on the coach, watched TV, and grubbed down on food.
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The Sabres flew to Boston diectly afte the Carolina game.
Based on his post game comments, I'm thinking that Ryan Miller will get the net again tonight. Miller says he's rested and feeling good. If his coach taps him on the shoulder, its "go time".
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