Thoughts on Preseason

Happy October, everyone! October is a great month... The weather is beautiful, the leaves are changing colors, pumpkins, (spiked) cider, Halloween... And... HOCKEY!

The season opener for the Sabres is this Friday, October 9th and they are just about to wrap up preseason. They have one more game tomorrow against the Flyers, but I just wanted to give my thoughts about what I've seen (more like heard) so far.

- After I attended the preseason opener against the Leafs, I mentioned that it's been hard for me to get a read on Gerbe. Since then I think he's had a real impressive preseason and you can tell that he is trying to work for a spot on the Sabres roster. He's scored some goals for us and he plays with a lot of heart despite his size. While he has been solid, I still wonder where exactly he would fit on the team. I think that he is still going to have to remain in Portland and wait for when a call-up is necessary.

- Luke Adam had a great game against Montreal...seems to have great offensive prowess.

- I think Enroth has looked really solid... I expect him to have a great year in Portland and I'm sure he'll be seeing more playing time with the Sabres than he did last year.

- All in all, I'm liking what I'm seeing out of our vets, which is pretty important. I'm looking forward to seeing what Vanek and Roy can do for us this year. I'm sure that they know that they have a lot of expectations to live up to and I'm interested to see if they can live up to the task.

- Drew Stafford has been refreshing... He has the potential to be a real difference maker, but last season was real lackluster for Drew and a big disappointment for Sabres fans. There have been numerous articles and stories with comments from Stafford where he has mentioned that he made adjustments in the offseason to improve his game, both physically and mentally. So far he's looked good. Ryan Miller sat down with ESPN and he was asked which player does he expect to have a breakout year and Ryan was quick to say Stafford. He said that he gets a sense that it could be a big year for Drew, so it'll be interesting to see how things shake out... But as of now, things are looking good. You can watch Ryan's interview with ESPN here. It's a good one, towards the end of it he talks about the wonderful eating habits that college teaches us.

- Mike Grier is awesome. I don't think I need to elaborate much more on that.


So a new season is upon us and it's time to get very excited! Incase you're still having trouble getting excited for hockey, I'll just leave this here...



It's a commercial for the NHL featuring Ryan Miller and he's doing what he does best...being sassy and fierce. Wow...it's been too long since I've used the word "sassy", don't you think?

Streak's Still Alive

Woooo, so the Sabres are having themselves a nice little winning streak going on, the longest winning streak since 07.

I always get to the games about an hour early, to avoid traffic, to get a nice spot in the parking ramp, and so I can get some nice shots of the players warming up. I get pretty anxious when I'm running late for a game, and tonight was the one and only time that I was late to a game. And of course the Sabres decided that tonight would be the night that they would score the quickest 3 goals in franchise history... Go figure. I was freaking out while I was stuck in traffic and then I literally had to park on the roof of the parking ramp which took like another 15 minutes. As my brother and I were walking up to the arena, we heard the Sabres scored and I was pissed that I missed it.

So we were rushing to our seats and as we were, I hear my brother say, "Uh oh..." and I say, "What's wrong?" and he was like, "...Nothing." Then a few minutes later he was like, "Caroline, I don't know how to break this to you...but look at the scoreboard." and I look at the scoreboard and I see that we're up 3-0. At first I thought it was some kind of joke...I didn't even realize that we missed 6 minutes of the game. Obviously I was really happy that we were up 3-0 on the Lightning, but I was pissed that I missed so much of the game already. Although I do admit that I did find it funny how my brother didn't want to break the news to me. Here I thought we just missed the opening goal, but nah, we missed 3. Cool.

All in all it was a pretty good game, I thought the Sabres seemed a little shaky here and there, but they did a good job to maintain the lead when Tampa was pressing hard to get themselves back in the game. There was a really adorable baby sitting behind me that I was enjoying the entire night. He was about 1 and a half or 2...and he was really loving the game. He was dancing whenever songs would come on and he would walk over near me every now and then to say hi...he was precious.

Oh and not to brag or anything, but I find it interesting that both Drew Stafford and Clarke MacArthur scored goals the night after I gave them free tickets to the movies... Coincidence? I think not. As a fan, I try to do my part in making sure that my team has the most success that it possibly can.

While the Sabres are enjoying their 5-game winning streak, I'm enjoying a little streak of my own as well. I've been to four games so far this season, and they've all been wins. I'm 4-0 at the arena and it feels pretty damn good. I've seen the Sabres beat Detroit, Calgary, Chicago, and Tampa Bay so far. I think my favorite games so far have been Detroit and Calgary.

So the Sabres play the Leafs on Friday and the Avs on Saturday and then their off to their big road trip to the West. First they'll make some stops on Atlanta and Long Island, and then it's off to the big, bad Western Conference. It's going to be a tough schedule, with the back-to-backs and time zone differences...should be interesting. Let's hope I can stay awake during those pesky 10 and 10:30 game time starts. It's going to be lonely in the Buff without our boys...but I'm sure they're looking forward to getting a little sun sans the snow. Let's just hope they don't have too much fun and they can get down to bizznazz.

This Is Why I'm Hot

Before I get into real hockey stuff... I have a story to tell!

Today it was like a Sabres get together at work today, I swear... First Andrej Sekera came in, then Drew Stafford and Clarke MacArthur came in, and finally Nathan Paetsch stopped in. Anyways, my manager had two tickets to a special pre-screening of the movie The Lovely Bones, and she asked me if I wanted them. She told me that if I got 15 people to sign up for our loyalty card, she'd give me the tickets... So when Stafford and MacArthur came in, I told them the deal and asked if they could help a sister out... and Stafford was like, "Yeah I'll help you out!" We were also talking about what would happen if I gave them free tickets and MacArthur was like, "I don't want to get you fired!" and I was like, "Yeah I'll give you free tickets and then the next time you're going to come in with the whole team and I'll have to give everyone free tickets." So they signed up for the loyalty card (and I got 15 people, so I got the tickets...yay!), and that was that. Then a few minutes later Paetsch came in. A few hours later I was working and I look up and there's some guy frantically waving at me while he's walking out the door...and it was Drew Stafford. Gotta love it.

Anywayssss... I wasn't able to watch the WJC gold medal came tonight, but I have to say how stoked I am for Team USA's upset over Team Canada. Mostly because I'm American, but also because upsets are always fun...being a Buffalonian I'm just always partial to the underdogs. Got me all excited for the Olympics in February... Team USA would definitely be considered the underdogs, but when you have a hot goaltender you never know what can happen. And Team USA definitely has that... Speaking of which, it looks like Ron Wilson wants to ride the one hot goalie during the Games. Wonder which goalie it will be... Gotta love the old school picture of Miller they used in that article. Ahh, simplier days!

Well I hope you enjoyed my story. I'm going to the game tomorrow so I'm pretty excited about that. Right now I'm just enjoying some Late Night and eating a waffle for dinner. Yes, I eat dinner at 1 am and it also happens to be a waffle... I'm classy like that.

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.

Picture Day!

I guess it's my obligation as a Buffalo sports fan to mention the Bills game last night...you can't deny that the Bills looked good all night, which was much to the surprise as most people expected the Pats to inhiliate the Bills...but that fumble by McKelvin was just the quintessential Buffalo Bills. I mean, really... of course that happened.

Okay now that I have said my insightful and groundbreaking remarks about the Bills game, it's time to move onto much more important things at hand... It was picture day over at the HSBC Arena the other day and the shots are IN! The pictures haven't been uploaded onto Sabres.com yet, so we're going to have to make due with the ones over at Getty Images with the annoying NHL/Getty Images watermarks on them. Anyways, without further ado...

Ryan Miller always brings his best of the best smile on picture day.

Drew Stafford has that whole, "I just got inked to a nice new deal" aura about him, don't you think?

This is a good thing to see...a very good thing! I'm still just so happy that he's back. :') When I attended training camp last week it was very exciting for me to see him back out there on the ice with the rest of the boys. More on that in a little bit...

Annndddd I'm just posting this picture because Felix Schutz is probably the most photogenic person in the entire Sabres organization:

That'll be going on Momma Schutz's refrigerator, no question in my mind.

You can find the rest of the pics on Getty Images if you just search "Buffalo Sabres". It's also interesting to note that the players were photographed in the team's third jerseys that sports the original logo...Larry Quinn has gone on record saying that the club is in the process of phasing out the "buffaslug" and that the team will be returning back to the original logo in 2010-2011 (the team's 40th anniversary). I, like most fans have always been partial to the team's original logo and colors...I didn't mind the "raging buffalo" logo, but I missed the blue and gold. It's been obvious that the team has been slowly returning back to the original logo...just take a look at the newly designed official website or center ice. I own a third jersey from 06-07 which was the royal blue & gold with the original logo. I would like to buy a new third jersey or maybe I'll wait until next season to see what the road jersey is going to look like.

As I mentioned earlier I went to Puck Drop last Saturday and I also attended the following day of training camp on Sunday. I met up with some lovely ladies, which included Shelby and Tamara. It was nice just to be back in the arena again and seeing hockey. Although it was mostly just testing and the rookies skating. Apparently the veterans were supposed to scrimmage but I guess they decided they were too cool for that. I'm glad to say that they all reported to the rink on Sunday and I got to watch them scrimmage. I remember Nathan Gerbe had a pretty sick breakaway and scored on Miller. There were a lot of prospects on the ice that I had a hard time recognizing, but the prospect that I'm the most curious about (as I'm sure most fans are) is Tyler Myers. I look forward to going to more of the training camp sessions to watch him skate. I'm pretty sure that I'm going again tomorrow to watch the boys between classes. It'll be nice for me this year because some days I have a break between my classes that's right when the players practice...so I know I'll be attending a fair share of open practices this season. I'm going to become a rink rat. I took some pictures when I went to training camp and I plan on taking more as I attend them, so I'll be sure to upload the pics and share them with you all.

It's still hard to belive that hockey season is right around the corner but it really is. There's only 18 days left until the regular season and the Sabres play a preseason game on Thursday. I'm not sure about the other games, but I belive that the preseason game against Montreal on the 26th is going to be broadcasted on the NHL Network, so that'll be nice.

Oh...and just a little aside, I'm on one of Buff State's computers right now and it's just reminding me how much I HATE PCs... I know everyone has their computer brand of choice but I'm pro-Mac...always have been and always will be. These computers blow.

Shopping Is Theraputic

Last night was a huge blow to our already thin playoff hopes...and as I type this Montreal is well on their way to another victory. When Miller came back I was just looking for some enjoyment again from the team...but their little winning streak definitely shot some hope through me. I'm a sucker, I know. But in reality I think most fans knew that it probably was too difficult of a feat to come back and grab that 8th spot. I want to be really angry. But the offseason last year was just too long, and I know I'm going to miss our boys in the near future. So I am just trying to cherish what little hockey we have left. While summer is always great for me, the itch to watch hockey is strong...and I'm not looking forward for another long break from our beloved Sabres.

I thought last night they looked pretty good, but I didn't see any hustle. They had plenty of chances to grab the lead and they didn't. Sounds like a broken record. Vanek scored our only goales in regulation but then he also gave the puck away to the player who is the last person on the Thrashes that you'd want to see on a breakaway (if your team is playing against the Thrashers, of course). So while Vanek's gaffe cost the team the game...he is also the reason why we were in overtime in the first place so it's kind of hard to blame him for everything. I'm pretty sure Pominville would shoot wide on an empty net. Again Roy got too fancy. And I think someone should file a missing person report on Drew Stafford.

So today I went shopping...and you know I've never been that "shop till you drop" kind of girl. Shopping can really drain me. But I still love it. It's a great feeling to buy new clothes that are really cute. Today I bought a pair of jeans and two cute dresses. I can't wait to wear them. I've also been looking for those laceless Chuck Taylor sneakers, but the one shoe store I went into didn't carry them and I didn't feel like going into another store because like I said shopping can drain me if I'm at it for too long. It was absolutely gorgeous today. I can't wait until the weather stays like this and I can finally whip out my adorable retro looking pink bike and take it out for a ride. I love bike rides. It's such a simple pleasure. It's one of my favorite things to do once the weather becomes nice again. I also got my job back today. I was on school leave because last semester was really crazy and I didn't really have any time to work. But with school dwindling away (along with my bank account), I decided that it's time to go back. I start next Friday. So with the nice weather today and having a successful shopping trip, I'm not as bummed out as I was last night over the game.

Capitals tomorrow. Playoff hopes aside...I just want a good, entertaining game that will result in a win. It's a long offseason so hopefully these last few games are good ones. That's all I ask for at this point.

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.

January Friend

Well the Sabres have completed the grueling January schedule in a convincing fashion. 13 games total, 3 home games, 10 away, with a 9-4 record. It was definitely an important stretch and I know a lot of fans were worried about how the team was going to stack up once everything was said and done. The road seems to be a friendly place for the Sabres, which is a real asset. The Sabres have had their troubles on home ice, but they did win all 3 of the home games in January. There are a lot of games at home in February, so we'll see if they've really turned things around at home. I have a feeling they have.

It's no coincidence that our top players have been really on their game during this nice stretch. Roy has really found himself and it looks like Stafford is coming around as well. It's not only our top players, but energy players like Gaustad and Ellis have really done their jobs well and have played with effort and passion which can drive a team to success. Our blueline continues to face injury problems but we are still winning regardless. Our young players like Chris Butler have really been solid for us when we've really needed them to step up. But I think the biggest story for us is Ryan Miller. A goalie is the most important player and when he's on his game he gives us a chance to win every single night. Luckily for us, he's been really on and he's been very consistent. I know a lot of times fans will complain about his consistency, but he's really been excellent over these past several weeks. I think goaltending can be a position where it can make goalies out to be really inconsistent, but that's neither here nor there... He's been named NHL's Third Star for January and he's earned the recognition.

While he's been extremely hot (zanggg baby boy) and he's just coming off a shutout, I'm glad that Lalime is getting the start tonight. If we want Miller to continue playing this well, then he's going to need to get some rest. Plus Lalime needs to playing time to ensure that he can be sharp enough to compete. While Lalime has let in some questionable goals, I also believe that the team has not been playing well enough in front of their backup goalie to win many games. Patrick Lalime isn't Ryan Miller. He's not a starting goalie anymore. He's our backup goalie and the team and fans can't expect him to steal any games for us. During the month of January, there were several games where Miller faced 40+ shots a night and we picked up victories in the process, but I just don't think we can or should expect that type of outcome with Lalime in net. It'd be nice to see them buckle down better when he's starting and try to help him out a little more. With a goalie like Miller, for the most part he can be there when the team has a breakdown and he will bail the team out, but I don't know if the same can be said when your backup goalie is in net. It would be great for Lalime to get another win for us tonight because he seems to be a great teammate to have in the locker room and he seems to be very supportive of Miller. It would just be nice to see him get a win. Obviously because we need the points but also because of the type of player he seems to be.

So all in all, I just wanted to make a post talking about what a great month January was for the Sabres and all the wins were well deserved and it came from strong effort and hard work. We picked up valuable points and hopefully the team has some more confidence and they can be proud of what they accomplished over the past month. Now let's hope they can finish the road trip on a positive note before we welcome them home...

Mixed Results in Alberta

Sorry for the lack of updates, everyone. I started school on Monday and I've just been adjusting to get back into the whole "college mode" after being in "lay on the couch and chill out all day" mode for the past several weeks. I still need to get my schedule all figured out and get some overpriced text books BUT that's neither here nor there.

Well, tonight...sucked. I guess we should come to expect that after we gave Edmonton a shelacking. It can't always be happy times in Sabreland. The Oilers game was quite a nice one. After taking a two hour nap from 6-8 and being dazed while watching the game, I wasn't sure if I had fallen asleep and I was just dreaming up the whole blowout. But no, it was the real deal. Drew Stafford even scored a hat-trick infront of his uncle Barrie. Good ol' Uncle Barrie. Drew may or may not have slept with the team pigeon after the game. Between the Sabres playing exceptionally well and the Oilers playing exceptionally terrible, it was a perfect recipe for a blowout. I believe this picture sums up the game pretty well. Atta boy, Goose!

So...then comes tonight. Chris Butler probably had his worst night of his young NHL career tonight. He was brutal. But he's just a rookie and he's been solid for us thus far so you can't get too upset. Everyone's going to have terrible games, especially when they're as young as Butler. Let's just hope that this game doesn't affect his confidence too much and he can just forget about it and move on. I thought the Sabres played a pretty solid first period (aside from Butler's gaffe that lead to Cammalleri's first goal). Things seemed to be going into the right direction going into third after Tim Connolly tied it to make the score 2-2. Man, if Connolly can stay healthy he's going to come up huge for us. Please stay healthy, Tim. We're all pulling for you. Unfortunately, the Sabres could not put the Flames away in the third and they ended up giving up 3 goals. To add insult to injury, Ryan Miller's longtime rival, Mike Cammalleri had a hat-trick tonight. In this article, Cammalleri describes the rivalry between he and Ryan, stemming from their college days. He had some nice things to say about Miller and his career, but I'm sure it felt good (and probably not so good for Ryan) to score 3 against him tonight. What can you do...

Well between the losers that are the New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres, the Pittsburgh Penguins are now 3 points behind us along with the Florida Panthers. Although the Rags have looked very unimpressive, maybe they'll take a nose dive and they will drop far, far down in the standings. The best thing that the Sabres can do is just forget about this game and move on forward to Phoenix. These games suck, but you just have to brush it off and move on...overall this team has played some real nice and solid hockey over the past several weeks. Our big names have been stepping up like they are supposed to and it's been nice to see. They just need to keep it up and not let these games ruin their confidence. They also need to stay out of the penalty box...

Disappointment in Chi-Town

Ehhhh. What a friggn let down. I was all excited for this game, WHY? Beats me. The Sabres started off well and scored the first goal, but then we give up two and the momentum swings the other way. We gave the 'Hawks and their fans life. Especially after that pathetic 6 minute power play. I think the 'Hawks had more shots and chances during that time. How nice. Lalime could have been better, that's for sure...but the loss is not all on him. He's not the reason that the skaters in front of him couldn't bury their chances or score on the aforementioned 6 minute power play. I just hope that Ruff does not lose his faith in Lalime, because we cannot ride Miller for the rest of the season and expect him to continue to play like he has. He needs to be rested if we want him to perform like he's capable of. I hope Lalime plays in one of the games in Florida. So what about Stafford's hit on Duncan Keith? Yay or nay? Dirty or clean? A lot of people think it looks a lot like the Drury hit from Neil back in 06-07. Ben Eager thinks it's a dirty hit. The difference between Stafford's hit and Neil's is that Drury's hit was late and there was a high elbow involved. I don't think Drew's elbow was high.

Sekera is out with a lower body injury and Lindy said that he might be out for awhile. I guess the positive to come out of that is it means that Butler will be able to remain in the lineup without being scratched or having to be sent down to Portland. I really hope that the Sabres haven't become too complacent with winning on the road, because then they're going to start to coast and think that they can take nights off.

So tonight the team is facing the Dallas Stars. They've struggled and have faced some adversity this season, between the disaster that is Sean Avery and Marty Turco having a hard time finding his groove. But after the Stars cut things off with Avery, they've seem to be a better team...go figure. But Turco is still having a hard time so hopefully the Sabres can exploit that and capitalize on that. Maybe then we won't have to sit and listen to another post-game interview where various members of the team say, "We have to bury our chances." or "We have to be better."

I had a nightmare last night that the Sabres lost to the Stars 9-4. But since it was a dream it was a little more bizarre than a normal hockey game. We were playing at home and we were down 9-0 but we "rallied" to score 4 goals. It was terrible. I was so relieved to wake up and realize that I just had a bad dream. I wonder what the Sabres dream about after a bad loss? Or do they even sleep at all?

Well, what most females do after they're bummed over something is go shopping! I'm going to the Galleria in a little bit to do some ~serious~ shopping. And by serious I mean I am looking for a dress for Catwalk for Charity. I've seen a few that I've liked online, but I figured I'd take a look around some stores at the mall before I go ahead and buy one online. Ladies (and gents), you have no idea how excited I am to dress up for this event. 1920s glamour is so fabulous. I am going to try my best to pay homage to my favorite lady, Marilyn Monroe. She played the loveable Sugar Kane in Some Like It Hot. One of my favorite movies. It's a classic. It's considered one of the best comedies of all time. It's about two musicians who witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre in 1929 and they flee town because they're being chased by the mob. They join an all-female band and they disguise themselves as women. That's where they meet the beautiful singer Sugar Kane and they both fall for her. They try to earn her affection all the while trying to maintain their cover as being two women. It's a very cute and hilarious movie. Marilyn as always looks beautiful and her 20s get ups are beautiful and glamorous. Now if only I could have an Oscar winning costume designer make me an outfit for Catwalk, but that just isn't in the cards now is it, baby? I'll still try my best to represent my homegirl...I have a few tricks up my sleeve.


Beautiful :')

Oh, and it appears that Carey Price will be unable to participate in the All-Star Game due to a nagging ankle injury (take that, you whacky ballot stuffers Habs fans). That means there's a third spot open for a goalie (Tim Thomas and Henrik Lundqvist are the two reserves). Could Ryan Miller get the invite?

Holy Vanek!

Hey, we won! I admit that I wasn't feeling too good about our chances tonight. Saturday night. Back-to-back. Not the team's favorite conditions to play under, for some reason. It wasn't reassuring either that the Devils scored 8 goals last night compared to Buffalo's 1. But all of that garbage means nothing because we won!

Just some quick thoughts:

- Good for Patty Lalime getting another one in his W column. Looking at his stats, people can get down on him but I am confident in having him as our backup goalie.

- I was also very glad to see Stafford scoring on a wide open net! Atta boy, Staff. Seriously, last night was painful seeing those two wide open nets that he missed. Yikes. I'm sure it felt damn good for him to get that one tonight.

- This is probably the matronly part of me coming out, but poor little Gerbe. When those two Devils sandwiched him on the ice I couldn't help but feel bad for the little guy. He's what, 4'11? Cut the dude some slack.

- I just have to say something about Nathan Paetsch. I started thinking about this after he took that elbow to the face. He practices with the team, travels with the team, just to end up in the press box the majority of the time. The only time he gets the nod is if one of his fellow teammates is injured. It's got to be sort of a tough life, you know? I mean, in retrospect, he's in the NHL. How many hockey players can say that? But still. I just remember last season he was always taking a lot of hits and I believe he had a few hits to the head that resulted in a concussion. And then tonight he gets an elbow to the face. But you know as soon as Rivet is ready it'll be back up in the press box for Paetsch. That's just the nature of the game. But he'll keep trying. He'll keep practicing with the team and he'll keep traveling with them. It's not that I pity him, because I don't. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I respect him. I salute you, Nathan.

Now onto the real story. Thomas Vanek. How fitting is it that he scored our 10,000th goal in history? He just does so much for our team. I loved his hustle tonight and he's so great at backchecking. OH and not to mention that he's leading the league in goals...no biggie. You just gotta love him right now. Keep on keepin' on, Thomas.

Oh and one more thing. Has anyone noticed that Ryan Miller has been growing some scruff? He looks good. I'm liking the facial hair. He looks good when he's all clean shaven too, but I've always had a thing for dudes who know how to sport good facial hair. Which is why it was so awesome when Ryan had long hair and his playoff beard. Dude looked like Jesus. And really, is there anything cooler than your goalie looking like Jesus? Nothing that I can think of on the top of my head. So I've noticed that he hasn't shaved the past few days and when they showed him on the bench it looked like he was sporting a little bit of a beard. I'm sure he'll shave it soon. But for the time being, Ryan, you're looking mad earthy boo. Loves it.

Ready, Set, GOOOSEEEEE!

Well, that was a great game to be at. I'm telling you, it's those jerseys. The Sabres feel so sexy when they wear them that they are on top of the world.

I was so glad to see Gaustad get his first two tonight. I love it when he scores! It's just so much fun. And it was also good to see Stafford net two after he's been criticized this season. One thing I have to say is how terrible the officiating was, yet again. That boarding call on Kaleta was bullshit. That was a clean check. And the non-call when the Pens had too many men on the ice was terrible. Refs, you have to make those calls.

I was very impressed with the Sabres killing off the long 5-on-3 in the start of the third. After Crosby scored that late second period goal I thought to myself, "Here we go...". I thought that if the Pens scored on their two man advantage that it would have been hard to come back after that. It would have been another one of those frustrating losses where we played good the entire game but ended up losing. But, alas. The Sabres killed off the 5-on-3 and killed off any momentum that the Pens had. They really poured it on after that and GOOOSEEEE put us up late in the period to seal the win. Max looked good too. I was watching him during the play that lead up to Stafford's first and I was just thinking, "Come on Max! Don't turn it over, pleaseeeee." and his play directly resulted in Stafford's goal. Atta boy, Max!

Miller made some good saves, especially the one at the end of the game on Crosby I think. It was also funny seeing Crosby lose his temper after the net came loose. Poor baby. It was funny watching the team all bombard Miller after the win that poor little Ryan lost his balance a few times and slipped. But he had his buddies there supporting him so he didn't do a face plant on the ice.

Oh and I have added The Program to my blogroll. I've exchanged e-mails with one of the bloggers, Rick, and he's a big Sabres fan. It's a cool blog with a lot of news going on around the league. Rick also co-hosts a blog radio show where various hockey bloggers come on and just talk hockey. So check it out!

Nice win for us Sabres fans. And I just love the fact that they play Sweet Caroline (my song!) after a Sabres victory. It's fun for me. Bring on the Habs!