Page 3 of 89 FirstFirst 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 13 53 ... LastLast
Results 31 to 45 of 1329

Thread: Buffalo Sabres

  1. #31
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default

    Wow...Ennis, is just makin' it look so damn easy. 2 goals vs the Sens, and his second one was ever so pretty. A bad angle, snapper elevated to knock Anderson's water bottle for a loop. Very pretty.

    As I write this, Gaustad scores. Sabres coming out strong in the second period.
    Last edited by Bomm Bastic; March 13, 2011 at 7:44 PM.
    @SmittysRant

  2. #32
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default

    Gerbe and Ennis' second both high, glove side on McElhinney (over the shoulder, actually). Vanek's may have been there too...can't be certain.
    @SmittysRant

  3. #33
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default Senators 4 @ 6 Sabres

    Sabres move into seventh place, with a nice bounce-back win over the Senators. The mighty Enroth moves to 5-2-1 on the season with a career high 34 saves. His stats generally may not knock ya out, but he makes key saves, keeps them in the game and gets the wins. As long as he does that, he'll get the starts. I will say one thing, he needs to quit w/ the "Aw shucks" antics following each goal. This is the NHL Jhonas, you will get scored on....just shake it off and move on.

    Other than that, I like him....and he's taller than Gerbe.

    Impressing the shit outta me lately:

    1) Vanek - after a bomb of a year, last year, Vanek has really settled down, remained focus and taken his game to another level. While his stats aren't mind numbingly spectacular, he plays with a focused and determined effort each shift, contributes everywhere on the ice, and can still earn some offense (1G/1A, last night). Admittedly, as hard as I bashed him last year, the guy has earned my respect.

    2) Ennis - If you're in some sorta bizzarro-league and he's sitting on the waiver wire - grab him. If you already own him - use him nightly here on out. Ennis had two goals last night - a "no looker" from the crease, and then a roofer from the wing at an angle that would have made Pythagoras weep w/ joy. Now has points in three consecutive games. This kid is something to behold.

    3) Myers - Uhhhhhh......he seems to have realized he's allowed to throw his 6'8" frame around. He's starting to bring the physical play around, and when he becomes fully comfortable laying people out...watch out. He was doing everything last night - gaining the zone, going deep, controlling the play, sound body checks - there's no telling what this kid is going to evolve into. Sophomore slump, my ass.

    Other stats on the eve:

    Mike Weber, D - 3 assists (something to keep an eye on)
    Mark Mancari, F - 1 assist (ok...it's something at least)
    Pommer and Connolly - 2 assists (SELL HIGH! SELL HIGH!!)
    Sekera - damn if he doesn't get two more helpers
    Boyes and Gerbe - 1 goal each (both will be valuable next year. Gerbe more so in the second half)
    Gaustad - 1G/1A (dunno if he's fantasy relevant, but nice game after a day off)

    Next up: Host the Hurricanes, Tues night, in what will be a battle royal - and yours truly will be there!!
    Last edited by Bomm Bastic; March 14, 2011 at 7:23 AM.
    @SmittysRant

  4. #34
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default Sabres - Update, 3/14/2011

    Sabres had the day off today so I got nothin'. No news on Stafford.

    For those in the Buffalo/Fort Erie area there will be a public memorial for Rick Martin on March 24, 2011 @ 11am in HSBC arena - details pending.

    Donations in memory of Rick Martin can be made to Compass House, 1451 Main St., Buffalo, NY 14209.

    Until tomorrow, when the Sabres face off against the Hurricanes in what is going to be a very, very high stakes battle, good night and good luck....
    @SmittysRant

  5. #35
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default Hurricanes 31-28-10 @ Sabres 34-27-8; 7:30 Versus

    Oh diggity, this is a big one!

    True, since January every game for the Sabres has been the ever-kicked cliche of a "must win" game, and it was true too (to a degree). But tonight's game, well, uhhhhh....it's a big f-in game. Pardon my potty mouth, but there's really no other way to put it.

    The Sabres sit in the seventh overall spot with 76pts. The 'Canes are outside looking in at the ninth spot overall with 72pts and full of piss-n-vinegar. Yeah, they want a seat at the dance, or their dance card punched at the table, or their cup of tea with....oh, hell, you know what I'm saying!

    A win in regulation for the Sabres will put the 'Canes six....count 'em six full points back of the Sabres and provide some much needed breathing room for Pegula's minions of the ice.

    A Sabres loss in regulation provides much needed life support to a desperate team (4 game losing streak) - much like the other night vs the Leafs. Let's not even travel that road....k?

    Lines at practice today looked like:

    Thomas Vanek-Brad Boyes-Drew Stafford
    Tyler Ennis-Tim Connolly-Jason Pominville
    Nathan Gerbe-Paul Gaustad-Mark Mancari
    Rob Niedermayer-Cody McCormick-Mike Grier

    Note: it was not confirmed by Ruff that Stafford is indeed playing, but his participation today leaves me quite erec.....errrrr....optimistic.

    All defensemen present and accounted. Miller and Enroth will be dressed, while Lalime will be providing shuttle service to and from area hotels (I seriously have no idea why this man is on the team).

    Stat of the Day: When having at least one day off, Miller is 3-2 with a 1.79 GA and .936 SV% (my opponent this week is basking in that little gem of info - %&$#!!!) [stat compliments of the Buff News]

    Must Starts
    Miller
    Stafford - if there ever was a [non-playoff] game for him to make a statement, this is it, and a heckuva lot more rested than the others.
    Ennis - multiple points in last three consecutive games. Calder, anyone?
    Myers - showing up big lately. due for a goal.
    Sekera - until he stops with the production, how do you bench him (right STONE?)
    Vanek and Boyes - I don't think ya ever count these two out.

    'Canes last win? Anyone?....Beuller? March 3, in overtime vs the Sabres. Let's hope it stays that way.
    @SmittysRant

  6. #36
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default Hurricanes 1 @ 0 Sabres: post-game notes

    I've recovered enough to offer some insight into last nights performance. In short: Not Good Enough

    The Good
    The first three lines looked good. Especially Ennis, Connolly/Pominville (dare I say), Stafford, and Mancari were all getting shots on net. Which is a a good sign from that lot. Even though he only had two shots on net, I would include Vanek as well. The effort from this bunch was there. They just couldn't seem to catch a break. Lastly, Gerbe and Ennis do not take shit from anyone. Gerbe, especially will antagonize the crap out of an opposing playing in order to goad him into a penalty.

    The Bad
    Boyes needs to get back to the front of the net, screening, picking up the rebounds (not that Ward was giving very many up), being a nuisance generally.
    The defense, including Myers, regressed terribly. I don't know what happened between last game and this one but the defense looked completely lost coming out of the zone again. Tired or not, their transition game looked like crap last night. If it weren't for the forwards doubling back to save their ass it could have been worse.

    The Ugly
    OH. MY. LORD. That fourth line of Grier, Gaustad, Niedermayer and Montador is utter shite. That motley crew should NOT be on the same line, unless it's the unemployment line [ba-dum-psssh!]. Grier and Niedermayer played 3 mins, thankfully. Don't count on them being around next year.

    Again, the transition game. It was so bad it gets filed under two categories. At one point during the second period - and I apologize I don't know who exactly was on the ice but it doesn't really matter - three Sabres stuck in the neutral zone, literally at a stand still, passing back-and-forth to one another. At one point, prior to my head exploding, I envisioned the on-ice dialogue thusly:

    Player A [passing to Player B]: Duhhh...I don't wannit. You take it in.

    Player B [passing back to PLayer A]: No way, dude, you take in.

    Player A [passing to Player C]: I took it in last time. You take it in, it's your turn anyway

    Player C: Awww man, why do I always hafta take it in....

    ...and so on. You get the idea. It was that ugly. I'll quit the rant, but the Sabres need to find consistency between games, along with the ability to to take control and win these types of games.

    Due to the scoreless outcome of the event, not much to report fantasy-wise. But I'll leave with some relevant stats.

    (TOI)/SOG
    Connolly (13:06), Stafford (14:06), Pominville (15:27), Ennis (13:39) - 5
    Mancari (8:36) - 4 (made the most of his time)
    Gaustad (11:22) - 3
    McCormick (5:45), Boyes (15:10), Vanek (13:57), Gerbe (10:31) - 2 (these boys need to step it up)
    Grier, Montador, Niedermayer, Leopold, Morrisson - 1 (and does anyone care about their ice time?)

    Myers, Sekera and Weber - 0 (further evidence of their lack of involvement)

    PPTOI
    Leopold, Vanek, Stafford, Ennis, Myers all had top billing.

    Hope you find this helpful. Until tomorrow.....
    Last edited by Bomm Bastic; March 16, 2011 at 8:29 PM.
    @SmittysRant

  7. #37
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default Sabres Update - 3/17/2011

    Not much to report, as the Sabres are off until Saturday the 19th when they face the Thrashers at home.

    Shoutout to TK and his Leafs for beating the Hurricanes last night, and inadvertently helping the Sabres. Consequently, the standings remain the same while the points are set up as follows:

    7. NYR 78 pts, 71 GP
    8. BUF 76 pts, 70 GP
    9. CAR 74 pts, 71 GP
    10. TOR 72 pts, 71 GP
    11. NJD 70 pts, 69 GP
    12. ATL 70 pts, 70 GP

    Sabres had a relatively light practice today....

    • HINT OF THE DAY: Enroth changed his gloves/pads colors from Red-Black (Portland's colors) to Blue-Gold. I'm not sayin' anything...I'm just sayin.
    • Lines were: Vanek-Connolly-Pominville, Ennis-Boyes-Stafford, Gerbe-Gaustad-Mancari and Niedermayer-McCormick-Grier
    • Defensive pairings: Sekera/Butler-Myers, Montador-Leopold, and Morrisonn-Weber
    • Kaleta skated very briefly then left the ice


    Until tomorrow....
    @SmittysRant

  8. #38
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default Derek Roy

    Just thought I'd through out this heads-up, for those of you in leagues where playoffs count.

    Team pictures were taken today, and Roy made an appearance. When asked about his progress, Ruff stated "He's on schedule"....which would put him back on the ice in May.

    Obviously the Sabres are a ways away from being assured of a playoff spot, but just a little food for thought (if ya got the room).
    Last edited by Bomm Bastic; March 18, 2011 at 7:10 AM.
    @SmittysRant

  9. #39
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default THRASHERS (30-29-12) at SABRES (34-28-8) - Sat. 7pm

    Well it's another "must win" for the Sabres. A "must" more for their psyche and confidence than anything.

    See the Thrashers trail the Sabres by four (72-to-76). So while a loss per se wouldn't affect the Sabres current tie for the eighth spot (w/ the Hurricanes), a loss would go along way in damaging their confidence.

    The Sabres failed to push back the Leafs, failed to push back the Hurricanes, and now in their final 12 games have five back-to-back pairings. A win tonight would go a long way towards demonstrating, to not only themselves but opponents as well, that they are capable of shutting down would be ousters.

    Setting the tone, as it were, goes a long way towards winning games.

    Fantasy Insights:

    • Miller in net tonight. Butler the only healthy scratch. Hecht still out.
    • Ruff has been quoted as saying that he would like to see Miller from here on out, but workload will be the ultimate determining factor. I would have to think Enroth has at least one more start, with 5 pairs of back-to-back games remaining.
    • Lines seem to be unchanged since my last report
    • Must starts would be th usual supsects: Myers and Leopold on defense; Ennis, Stafford, Boyes, Vanek and Pommer
    • Yes, I left off Sekera. He's back in my dog house after last game.
    @SmittysRant

  10. #40
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default

    Apologies, Butler was NOT scratched as I initially reported. It was Morrisonn.

    I'll be sure to work on confirming details before posting them.
    @SmittysRant

  11. #41
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default THRASHERS 2 @ 8 SABRES: Post-games notes

    OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING! OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAAAAAY! I'VE GOT PLENTY OF SUUUUUNSHINE.....[what? Well...I-I-I'm just happy about the Sabres win. Wh-What gloating? Moi....???? Ok-ok...fine, I'll stop singing]

    [ahem]

    Sabres won.

    Put an old fashioned whoopin' on, actually. They needed a statement game, and by gosh they delivered one. In fact, the eve's festivities began Pavelec vs Miller, but became Mason vs Miller very quickly after Pavs allowed three goals on 11 shots. I wonder if that was too soon to yank Pavs?

    The Thrashers out shot the Sabres 30-28. So what gives, Bomm? Why did the Thrashers chunk it so hard?

    Good question. In my mind, three things lead to the Thrashers losing a much needed game:

    1. First and foremost the Sabres were allowed wide berth to skate circles around their opposition. The Thrashers needed to do a better job of jumping gaps and closing down skating room. They looked like they were trying to avoid their collective ex-girlfriend out there.

    2.Thrashers finished with 30 PIMs. Which ultimately lead to....

    3. ...the Sabres converting on three of seven power plays

    And even though the Sabres still at times looked as though they had cement in their skates when attempting to clear the zone...I won't dwell on the negative because there was just to much positive. Besides, can't be a negative-Nancy all the time.

    Kudos, Sabres, for a very, very well deserved win.

    Now some fantasy perspective.

    Let me just get this out of the way. Leopold was a minus-one with 27 shifts at a rate of 21:34 TOI. No need for me to elaborate, you're smart, you can figure out where I'm going with this.

    Mike-Freakin'-Weber: five points in last three games with no time on the power play. Not a bad short term option for a GM in need of some d-help. Long term, jury's still out.

    Mark Mancari: four points last three games- two of which came on the power play. He's certainly doing his best to not give Ruff a reason to send him back down (yet again). Despite recent spurt o'production NOT a long term option. Pegula's going to be moving, wrapping, and otherwise packaging players during the off-season. Mancari may be a casualty.

    Tim Connolly: my overall opinion of him hasn't changed - 60pt, assist heavy, second line player (maybe third). BUT....must give credit where credit is due, I've noticed him down low, rooting in the corners, digging for the puck. Great effort, overall, and 2pts last night. Minimal power play time.

    Thomas Vanek: Man, what a heart breaker for Vanek. Score should have been 11-2, but for Vanek just missing on three prime point opportunities. Alas, only one late assist lat night, however you must keep playing him. The effort, opportunities and ice time are all there (lead the team in PPTOI). Keep it up Thomas!

    Other notables: Niedermayer potted two; Boyes and Ennis contributed a goal each (Ennis' was a beauty. In fact, Bogo's pride was seen post-game curled up in the shower in a fetal position...weeping); Sekera and Butler with an assist each.

    Last but absolutely NOT least...

    Tyler Myers: damn impressive, is all I have to say. I keep saying it, but this kid is going to be a monster (if he's not already). Three assists, 23:35 TOI, w/ 3:13 on the power play, and all around laying the body out (see the Byfuglien misconduct ) Kid's confidence continues to grow, and it is an absolute pleasure to witness. Get him, own him, start him, whatever you have to do....just do it.

    That's all for now. Up next Predators @ Sabres - Sunday, 5pm.
    Last edited by Bomm Bastic; March 20, 2011 at 11:24 AM.
    @SmittysRant

  12. #42
    Location
    Vancouver
    Rep Power
    14

    Dobber Sports Apprentice

    Default

    Hey Bomm. Playoff week in my league-Sekera a good start over Shatty/Clitsome?
    12 GM Weekly H2H Points Based System Limited Keeper
    Start:6 FW, 4 D, 2 G
    +/- G=5pts A=3pts SOG=.2pt SHG=3pts Hattrick=5pts GA=-1pt S=.2pt SHOL=3pts SO=3pts W=10pts *Bonus point added to defenseman G or A

    FW-Stamkos, Voracek, D.Sedin, H.Sedin, MacKinnon, Duchene
    D-Doughty, Carlson, Josi, Klingberg
    G-Rask, Price
    Bench-Henrique, Stastny, Yakupov, Zuccarello, Sekera, Gostisbehere, Beauchemin, Gustavsson, Condon, Hellebuyck, Vasilevskiy
    Keep 10(max 2 goalies)

  13. #43
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JimmyJames View Post
    Hey Bomm. Playoff week in my league-Sekera a good start over Shatty/Clitsome?
    Man, JJ, you picked a helluva time to ask me a Sekera question, after last night's screw-up that caused a goal.

    lol...Anywho. What's your week Mon-Sun?
    @SmittysRant

  14. #44
    Location
    Vancouver
    Rep Power
    14

    Dobber Sports Apprentice

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bomm Bastic View Post
    Man, JJ, you picked a helluva time to ask me a Sekera question, after last night's screw-up that caused a goal.

    lol...Anywho. What's your week Mon-Sun?
    Ha sorry Bomm...I'm a dude and still trying to work on my "sensitive side".

    Yes my week is Mon-Sun.

    I think Clitsome is already ruled out for his next game
    12 GM Weekly H2H Points Based System Limited Keeper
    Start:6 FW, 4 D, 2 G
    +/- G=5pts A=3pts SOG=.2pt SHG=3pts Hattrick=5pts GA=-1pt S=.2pt SHOL=3pts SO=3pts W=10pts *Bonus point added to defenseman G or A

    FW-Stamkos, Voracek, D.Sedin, H.Sedin, MacKinnon, Duchene
    D-Doughty, Carlson, Josi, Klingberg
    G-Rask, Price
    Bench-Henrique, Stastny, Yakupov, Zuccarello, Sekera, Gostisbehere, Beauchemin, Gustavsson, Condon, Hellebuyck, Vasilevskiy
    Keep 10(max 2 goalies)

  15. #45
    Location
    Pegulaville
    Rep Power
    40

    Moderator

    Default

    JJ...right of the mark, Clitsome did not travel w/ the team. So he's out.

    If your week is Mon-Sat, then I'd give the edge to Sekera. Shatts and Sekera are pretty even with regard to overall pts and PPTOI over the last 7 games. Sekera has an advantage with overall TOI, and slightly elevated time on the PP.

    There's an outside shot Ruff scratches him for his blunder last night, but that's doubtful considering how thin Sabres are on defense. Morrisonn's not exactly killin' it out there (least not in a good way). Leopold was a minus-one the other night when the Sabres scorched the Thrashers with eight goals.

    Sekera gets the edge fantasy-wise in my book, but Shatts would be a viable safe play with beatable opponents the next three games (w/ the exception of Coyotes).

    Hope that helps.
    @SmittysRant

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •