Buffalo Sabres

[Bomm Bastic]

Thanks, HPG, always a happy Bomm when your stats favor the Sabres!

Was watching a documentary of 1920's boxing legend Billy Miske last night. Long story short, he was diagnosed w/Bright's Disease, and hid the severity of the effects from his family. He talked his reluctant manager into setting up one last fight so he could provide for his wife and kids at Christmas and leave a nest egg. Despite being physically unable to train for the bout, he won a fourth round (?) knockout against a formidable opponent. He died a week later.

Point being, sometime heart/adrenaline takes over and there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Now I'm certainly not attempting to outright compare the Sabres to a boxer knowingly absorbing body shots while dying of chronic kidney failure...no.

But they have showed heart since January and even more determination since Pegula took over. Gelling as a team is what got them into the playoffs.

The Flyers over the last couple of months...not so much. Now I don't watch them with regularity but if I were to theorize I would say that maybe last year's run, coupled with this year's success gave them an inflated sense of assumed respect. Just my guess.

The Flyers on paper are w/out a doubt the better team, and I have no doubt they will come out w/ guns a blazin, but if the Sabres are able to bust them in the chops (figuratively speakin) and take this first game it will be a big first step in knocking them down a peg. Laviolette begins to question the goaltending situation, Flyers wonder if they can win w/out Pronger, world-wide famine ceases to be...etc...etc..etc..

So route for the Sabres!!! If for no other reason than every time the Flyers score a kitten dies.

[Flyer Fan]

So route for the Sabres!!! If for no other reason than every time the Flyers score a kitten dies.

While that might be "technically" true, I'm pretty sure the kitten is then donated to charity.

There is an interesting dynamic, in that the Flyers last season were decided underdogs in each series. They had qualified on the last day of the season, and had very little pressure.

Now, for the first time they go into a series as "favorites" expected to win, ...it'll be interesting to see how they respond to that.

[Bomm Bastic]

Ok, some final thoughts before game time tonight.

• Sabres have to take advantage of these Pronger-less games. They can do that by scoring from the dirty areas, down low near the paint. I expect very little opportunity from the perimeter so throwing pucks on net and banging in the crease will go a long way towards 2nd chances.
• Rattle Bobrovsky early and never stop. Make 'em change goalies.
• Looks like Kaleta is starting. If he loses focus on the prize, gives up position to take a run at guy I will be on the red-eye to Philly and personally slap him back to the bosom of Jesus.
• Weather the early storm - hostile territory and you know they're going to come out w/everything they got. A lead pass out of the zone, creating a breakaway scoring opportunity for Ennis will go along way to taming the beast, as it were.
• Pay attention on special teams. Giroux will do everything in his power to score a short hander. Keep that amazing penalty kill going.

Lines look like:

Vanek-Connolly-Pominville
Ennis-Boyes-Stafford
Gerbe-Gaustad-Kaleta
Niedermayer-McCormick-Grier

No word on D-pairings, but Sekera is out. As I've previously stated, I like in this series, Vanek, Goose, Boyes, Gerbe, Myers w/ a shout out to Ennis.

I apologize for my Stafford-cynicism but i just don't think this series fits his type of game (scoring from the outside). Though if he can get shots through to Bobber and create second chances for the gate crashers that would be good too. We'll see.

Oh...Flyer Fan...tell your minions if they insist on pouring beer on Ruff again, at the very least the can be hospitable and make it an import. Thanks.

Some vintage video to get us in the mood this is f-ing classic! Why can't we all get along? Here's why:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nm6L5tCoLyo

[Dutch]

Good luck tonight Bomm

Philly is a strong team... Hopefully you guys can do what we did in Anaheim last night!

I think a first game win, is very key in any series. Great for confidence, especially if you dont have home ice advantage.

Millers gotta be on his game tho, with all the flyers that can score.

[Bomm Bastic]

Good luck tonight Bomm

Philly is a strong team... Hopefully you guys can do what we did in Anaheim last night!

I think a first game win, is very key in any series. Great for confidence, especially if you dont have home ice advantage.

Millers gotta be on his game tho, with all the flyers that can score.

Thanks, Dutch. And thanks to you, that game last night and me owning Franson the Preds are now my official #2 team - bumped the Wings down a notch!

[ridinryan44]

Geeeeerrrbbbbeeeeeee! That goal was thanks to him....... hilarious watching him pin that big boy up against the boards like that! Gotta love this kid.

[AtlantaSportsFan]

Great game by Miller, great win Sabres! Love it!

[Bomm Bastic]

Damn.

Miller stood on his f-ing head. I honestly don't think he gave up notta one rebound. Seriously. That crease was his, and he mad damn well sure everyone knew it.

Sooooooo....if I'm the Flyers and sittin at my locker thinking "Kaleta scored the only goal of the game" do I slash my wrists with my skate?

Dunno.....but I do know the Sabres need to stay the F-out of the f-ing penalty box. Holy Shite!!!

Every Sabres fan will tell ya we needed to steal one or two and we just did. Kudos Buffalo!

Kudos.

[Dutch]

congrats Bomm! Well needed, and deserved win

Not good for the heart tho, these 1 goal games in the playoffs... Too nervewrecking for comfort

[ridinryan44]

Yo, Bomm.... what happens with Connolly next year.... and Gerbe... top 6 role?

[Bomm Bastic]

Yo, Bomm.... what happens with Connolly next year.... and Gerbe... top 6 role?

I'd put my money on Connolly being gone, and 70% chance Gerbe starts the season w/top six minutes and 85-90% he winds up there at mid-point.

The off-season maneuvers will tell us a lot.

Dutch,

lol.....you ain't f-in kidding! I seriously under-stocked the beer for this series!!!

[Bomm Bastic]

Series: Sabres-1 to Flyers-0

Seems like the Sabres have been facing challenges w/ each game they've played since the turn of the year, and each subsequent game is more daunting than the previous. This eve's game is no different. Nevermind winning the series, winning two in a row at Philadelphia would be a monumental step in its own right. To do that, however, the Sabres must do everything they did last game, in addition to:

• CREATE MORE OFFENSE: Consider it payback for the performance Miller gave the team in Game-1. Kaleta's goal was a perfect example of what the team MUST do tonight only far more often - dig along the boards and drive the net in hopes of a rebound. Bobber didn't give up too many, but there were enough presented only to find no Sabre awaiting the gift.
• Quit giving the Flyers bonus opportunities (see: Penalties). They don't need any help, nor should the Sabres be in the habit of providing any. The Flyers are thine sworn enemy, last I checked. No need to hand them man advantages. In fact, this being the Easter season I've been reading my Bible, and one of my favorite proverbs is from Psalm 69 which proclaims "Lo beholdeth thine enemy be the Flyers, so sayeth the Lord, henceforth and so-and-so...blah-blah-blah"
• Other than those two task items as long as they keep the Flyers shooting from the perimeter with clear shooting lanes for miller...they do all that they'll win.
• Pretty simple, eh?

Lastly, looks like the Sabres had an emergency recall for the defense since Morrisonn was hurt last game. The Sabres were going to recall Snookie from Jersey Shore as his replacement but she had a standing engagement w/ a stripper pole. Too bad she would have been more effective than Morrisonn.

The recalled defenseman turns out to be Dennis Persson!!!

[crickets chirping]

...


[crickets still chirping]

Ya I really have no idea who the hell he is either. Some 2006 draft pick apparently. Watch he'll score a goal and wind up in the Ramblings as a 50-point sleeper for next year.

GO SABRES!!!

[Dutch]

Series: Sabres-1 to Flyers-0

Ya I really have no idea who the hell he is either. Some 2006 draft pick apparently. Watch he'll score a goal and wind up in the Ramblings as a 50-point sleeper for next year.

GO SABRES!!!

no kidding, I wonder how many people are gonna pick up Ben Smith for next year as a sleeper candidate ha ha!

hopefully you guys fare better than what we did last night... Not too happy with how that ended

[Bomm Bastic]

I must say, after watching the pre-game skate, Gerbe's beard o'pubes is filling in rather, well...patchy.

[Bomm Bastic]

Man, have I been negligent in my updates. Very sorry. Seems I have been buried up to my eyeballs in this UHL draft. I got a team at the very last sec, and have been taking a crash course on (1) multi-cat leagues w/ cap restrictions, (2) navigation of the UHL web site (very cool, by the way), and (3) let's just say for the sake of niceties "fixing" my roster.

Soooooo, yeah, it's been rough but I love the league and very cool learning all this new sh!t.

Uhhhh.....Sabres are losing, Kaleta needs to be pulled (i've been sounding that horn for a long time), and Sekera's d-play is suspect (that horn too).

Our heart is what got us this far so we'll see. I'll see if there's any updates later and get them up.

Again, sorry for the lack of updates.