Refreshing Victory

So the Sabres made it a little interesting in the third period (they seem to like to do that) by letting the Leafs creep in and cut the 4 goal differential into just one. I was really hoping that the Sabres weren't in the mood for another third period collapse, and I'm glad that they showed that they weren't by netting another goal to put the Leafs away for good.

How great was it to see Miller in net for us again? While Kevin Sylvester and Mike Robitaille were giving us the stats and such before the game, I heard the PA guy announcing the lineup to the crowd and when he said Ryan Miller you could hear the huge uproar of applause and cheers from the crowd. It was great to see Ryan pick up where he left off and look like his old self. I'm sure his adrenaline was running high from returning and I'm sure that attributed to it, but he really looked sharp out there and he came up with some big saves.

This team really does seem to play different when he's in net, and I know that's been debated back and forth whether that's true, but it really does seem to be the case. It's not like the Sabres are going to play like superstars every time Ryan is between the pipes, but there just seems to be a little more swagger in their stride when he's playing and I'm sure that stems from confidence. They're familiar with him and they know that they've got a solid goaltender on their side.

I also really liked how the team responded whenever players got too close to our net. They let them know that there was going to be consequences if they are going to be hanging around there. We even saw a little bit of sass come from Ryan when a player blew some snow all up in his grill. He was like, "Um excuse you, no one blows snow in my face." I liked when Gaustad dropped the gloves after Miller got an extra bump. Watching out for his buddy Ryan. Gotta love it.

Speaking of the Goose, he had a Gordie Howe hat-trick tonight! Picked up an assist, got into a few fights, and scored a very important goal to put the Leafs away. Very nice. It's pretty hard to not like Gaustad's game. He gives an honest effort every night and it seems as though he's put himself into a leadership role and it's really nice to have players like him on our team.

So at this point in the season and the position that our team is in, you just have to take it game by game. Scoreboard watching, predictions, and calculations can make for stressful situations and it can take the enjoyment out of watching the games. I know the team's chances are pretty thin, but I am just going to try and not worry about it and just enjoy the games. I was really excited all day for the game tonight just knowing that Miller was going to be back. It was so much fun to watch him again. It's been awhile, eh? So while the team tries their hardest to climb, I'm just going to hope that they give an honest effort every night and hopefully the enjoyment will follow.

By the way...what the hell was going on with Rayzor in Ryan Miller's post-game interview? Something catches his attention off camera and he makes the funniest facial expressions. I don't know what happened, but I wish I knew what caused him to have such a funny reaction.

Also, unrelated to hockey, I mentioned in a previous post about the local restaurant week that has been going on. It was a good opportunity to go out and eat at the restaurant, Sample...a place that I've been really wanting to go try but just haven't gotten around to it. So I went today and it didn't disappoint. All the little samples were really cute and I should have taken pictures of them haha. Every dish that had different samples were different and had some pretty unique selections. Everything was very good. They also had this great passion fruit margarita that had cayenne in it. It was this sweet, tangy taste with a little kick at the end. I really liked it. I think it's a real neat concept. Whenever I go out to eat I am always drawn to the appetizers and I usually like getting a few to split amongst the people I'm with. This way you get to try a little bit of everything. And even though it's small samples, you really do get a lot of food and it fills you up. I had to pace myself and make sure that I made room for the dessert dish...which was very good. So if you're ever in the Allentown area I'd recommend this place. I'll definitely be back...that margarita is a-callin'.