Weekend of Hockey

Well it's going to be a jam-packed weekend for myself and the team...with last night's game, tonight's game in Ottawa, and Catwalk for Charity...it should make for a fun-filled hockey weekend.

So since I updated this thing, a few things have happened. Drew Stafford scored a SIQ GOAL, Ryan Miller made a whopping 15 saves to record his fifth shutout of the season and then he subsequently improved his shutout streak to just around 157 minutes, Thomas Vanek realized that he needed some new hats so he decided the easiest way to get some was by getting a hat-trick, Nathan Paetsch decided that since he was playing forward that he might as well add some more offense to his game by scoring a goal, and Tim Connolly is apparently a self-centered dink. Whatever that means.

So all in all it was a pretty exciting few games, huh? Timmy is looking like the Timmy we've all known to love when he's healthy...and I know I keep reiterating this, but he's really going to be a key component to not only get this team to the playoffs but also to give us a chance at making a deep playoff run as well. I know when he's injured it's very frustrating for everyone and a lot of times people are calling for the Sabres to trade him, waive him, or do whatever possible to get him off our roster. But the truth is, when he is healthy he's one of the best players on the ice night in and night out. He's sparking trade rumors now, and I just have to say that this team needs to keep him for the entire season. I don't think we should deal him at the deadline to see what we can get in return. Not only is he extremely talented, but he's providing great chemistry, and why should we mess with a good thing? If he can stay healthy for the rest of the season, the Sabres should try and sign him to a contract extension. I think a 2-year deal would be ideal. It would give the Sabres a chance to see if he can really stay healthy for an entire season or if he's just going to continue to be injured year in and year out.

Don't look now, but the Sabres are closing in a few teams to move up in the standings. We are tied in points with Philly, but they have 3 games in hand on us. We're only 2 points behind the Rangers... While it's a good idea to see where the Sabres are in the standings, number crunching can make you go nuts. I remember last season I would watch the standings like a hawk and it wasn't fun. I'd be all, "Okay, so if this team wins tonight in regulation against that team, then we will be able to get 8th place, only if we win in regulation as well." I then decided to not look at the standings and just try and enjoy the games that I watched after that. This year I've done that most of the time, but ever since the new year rolled around, I've found myself peeking at the standings more frequently. So while I do pay attention to who's creeping behind us and which teams we can possibly pass in the standings, for the most part I'm just going to watch my team and root for a victory. If the Sabres keep performing like they have been, then things should be okay.

Speaking of teams that we can possibly pass, I don't know about you, but I loathe the Rangers... I don't really have a legitimate answer as to why I do, but I've always extremely disliked that team. I guess it's a combination of a bunch of little things, but anyways, I really enjoyed seeing them getting their asses handed to them by the Stars last night. I didn't necessarily watch it, but I went to NHL.com to see that after 2 periods Dallas was up against the Blueshirts 4-2. Then I checked back a little later to see that they were up 8-2. I thought that NHL.com screwed up the box score or something. But then it was 9-2, and then it was 10-2...and I could only laugh. I think I've mentioned this on here before, but they're a team that I can see just free-falling all the way out of playoff contention. They just haven't been the same team they were in the beginning of the season. We'll see.

And completely unrelated to hockey, I just have to say that you guys should remind me to skip class when it's bitter cold out. I don't know what I was thinking. It's been so cold out. I get out of class and I want to sprint to my car because it's just so damn cold out. Yesterday it was pretty nice out though. I am also really really proud of myself because I purchased a textbook that I needed for school online for only 8 bucks. It was orginally $93 at the bookstore, but I found it online for EIGHT DOLLARS thanks to a tip from one of my classmates. It's a little worn out, but the binding is still intact and there are no pages missing. I'm usually not one to find a good bargain, but hell yes did I hit the jackpot, so to speak.

So between the Hockey gods giving our team some extra loving, and me finding an amazing deal online, I'm pretty happy. Oh and isn't this picture adorable?




LOVE IT. If it didn't have the annoying watermark on it, I'd totally print it out and hang it up on my wall. It's precious.