Sabres D, Christain Ehrhoff tweeted at a little after Noon EDT on Friday that he and his mates were finally airborne. The flight was supposed to have taken off at 11am. Mother Nature applied the neutral zone trap and denied entry to NYC via the unfriendly skies.
The team skipped practicing in Buffalo in lieu of an early flight to NYC so that they could arrive ahead of the Nor'Easter that is pelting the eastern seaboard with high winds, sleet, and a thick blamket of snow. After the travel drama had subsided, the team assembled at Nassau Coliseum to run through a practice plan.
As Lindy Ruff intimated on Wednesday, Reggie Sekera was on the ice with his teammates. The Slovak defender will likely play on Saturday night against the Islanders, Serera has missed the past three games due to an ankle/foot injury that he suffered while blocking a shot in the first period of the 6-1 loss in Montreal last Saturday. Its looking good for Robyn Regehr to play on Sunday night when Boston blows into Buffalo. Regehr skated the fill practice on Friday. He was placed on IR on January 27 (missed 6 games) due to a high ankle sprain.
The two Reggies are back.
That makes eight defensemen healthy for the first time in a long time.
The Sabres loaned Adam Pardy to teh Rochester Amerks on Friday morning.
Whats a head coach to do about this enviable numbers game?
Lindy Ruff and James Patrick have a tough decision to make. They can dress six D and park two. They can dress and play seven D and sit one of them. Ruff can't dress all eight D, nor should he want to. His blue line is a motley crew right now. A veritable police lineup, if you will. No felons, just a couple of misdemeanors.
There are a dozen NHL GMs and coaches who would love to have Ruff's blue line problem right now. Nine capable defenders for only six jobs. Talk about peer pressure.
Do you know that the Columbus Blue jackets have already used 11 defensemen in their lineup in their first 10 games this season?
Were I Ruff, here is the lineup that I would scratch on the dry erase board at the game day skate on Saturday morning in Lawng Oyland:
Ehrhoff, Sulzer, Regehr, Sekera, Leopold, Weber.
Brennan has played well enough to deserve another start, however, its time to infuse veteran blood back into the D corps. Regehr and Sekera will stabilize an otherwise loose and unfocused group.
Its a tough lesson, one thats long overdue. Its time for Tyler Myers to sit down and watch a game from the press box. There's no denying the fact that Myers is a marked man right now. Its hard to spin his -9 rating. He's -6 in his last four games. For a guy who has been under the microscope, Myers certainly hasn't done anything to prove his critics wrong. He was on his way to getting benched last Saturday in Montreal, but Sekera's injury put the kibosh on that deal. His one goal and no assists are shocking to me. He's better than that , He has all of the tools and all of the ability. Where did his game go? Why all of the indecision?
You need look no further than the 5-4 shootout win over Montreal for overwhelming evidence as to why Myers deserves a table for one in Suite 150. He was on the ice for three even strength goals by Montreal.
Whats a 6'8 guy doing belly flopping on a routine entry pass in his own end?
Whats he doing Landeskogging on this Gallagher goal?
Plekanec hit the after burners and left Myers in a cloud of exhaust fumes on this goal:
I think it will do Myers a world of good to sit with Teppo Numminen and watch the Islanders game from 150 feet above the ice. His assignments and positioning will look like second nature to him from high above. The angles and lanes that the wingers take on the breakouts are clear from up top. A change will do Myers a lot of good. Besides, I want him pissed off and surly for the Bruins game on Sunday night. I don't want to see a passive, nervous, and shattered Myers against Boston. I want Myers breathing eatin' lighting and crappin thunder. Hell, maybe a benching might cause him to drop his gloves and take out his frustrations on the Bruins.
Its time to shake up the D shack. If I'm the coach, O look the big man in the eye and tell him that he's had eleven different games to get himself out of his dreadful funk. Its time for drastic measures, Time to sit down and watch someone else do your job. Tough times demand tough talk. This sin't a typical 82 game regular season. All you get is 48 games to make the playoffs.
To make room Myers, I'd then sit Jordan Leopold (-6) vs. Boston.
Lets role play. You are Lindy Ruff. Build your blue line for the Islanders game:
Join the Discussion:
»