Quick Thoughts

I missed the Penguins game, but I was getting scoring updates and I watched the game on DVR tonight... I definitely missed a good one. I was on the phone with my mom when Stafford was getting ready to take the penalty shot, so I heard that he scored. Later in the night I got a text saying that he scored again, and then I had a feeling that the Sabres might pull out of that game with a win. So I wasn't surprised to see the the Goose and Pominville scored en route to the Sabres victory.

It was especially nice to see the team get a win for Miller, whose been argurably the best goaltender up until this point who has done his job as a goaltender and then some in helping his team win games. He's always there when the team decides to take a period off by coming up with huge and timely saves, so it was great to see the team rally and come back with a win when Ryan had a rare off night. I'm sure the extra playing time for Lalime is great for him and he's getting more and more confidence each time he starts, which is great. I think the win last night was great for the many fans out there who were enjoying the Sabres' success, but also thinking in the back of their minds, "Can we still be competitive without Ryan Miller?"

Kudos to Lindy Ruff too, pulling Miller in favor of Lalime in the beginning of the 2nd period proved to be an excellent decision, but I was most impressed with how he chose Stafford to take the penalty shot. Drew had a lot on his shoulders with his lack of production as of late which lead to him being a healthy scratch in St. Louis, and it was real smart of Ruff to put him to the test on the penalty shot. Not only did Stafford deliver, but the combination of just scoring a huge goal on a penalty shot and just being benched the previous game seemed to have lit a fire under him and he scored another huge goal to help the Sabres battle back.

As much as I don't like seeing Miller getting benched, because it usually means that things aren't going so swell, I do have to say a part of me enjoys the little meltdowns that those moody little goalies have from time to time. So I had to say it was funny for me watching him throw a temper tantrum in the hallway. My dad and I were discussing how it must be awkward for the equipment guy to go and pick up the equipment and we were saying he must be like, "That's okay, Ryan. You can just set those anywhere..." I also miss his angry interviews after a tough loss, where a seemingly innocent question would end up getting the ever feared "Miller death stare" in return. Ahh, memories...

Anyways, I hope everyone has a great New Years Eve and here's to the Sabres having a successful 2010.