SIQ GAME

Ryan Miller has back-to-back shutouts! Everything is amazing! I said before the shootout how pissed I would be if I was a goalie and lost 1-0 in a shootout. Apparently Brian Elliot is still credited with a shutout, but lost the game... But Ryan Miller on the otherhand...



(I made that .gif a long time ago and I've been dying to use it)

Not Looking Back

Well...it feels weird (but a very GOOD weird) to say this, but I am in playoff mode! It's been two years, two very long years since I've seen my favorite hockey team in the postseason, and dammit, I'm excited that it's about that time of year again. I've never been one to make predictions, so I never predict at the beginning of the season where the Sabres are going to be standing at the end of the regular season. Obviously, I hope for the playoffs every year, so I just sit back and try to enjoy the ride and hope that they will make it.

After the Sabres' impressive road trip I've been asked if I was feeling the "playoff fever" yet, and to be honest with you, I wasn't. That's not to say that I thought that the Sabres weren't going to make it. I mean, come on let's be serious...despite the fact that they struggled for a bit before the Olympic break, the Sabres just started off too strong to fall out of playoff contention. And it's also not to say that I wasn't optimistic that the Sabres could do some damage in the postseason. But for some reason...the playoff fever just hadn't taken over on me at that point.

Then I went to the Sabres-Habs game last night. Funny how quick the mood can change at a hockey game. It went from one of the more frustrating games I've attended to one of the most thrilling. When the Sabres finally scored on the power play with 2 minutes left, I was very relieved that they scored, but I honestly I thought in my head, "Nice...now let's watch them dick around for the next two minutes." But as soon as they scored again, with about 49 seconds left in regulation, I think it's safe to say I was overcome by playoff fever. I couldn't believe it! You just never know with this team...they honestly can find any way to win. And that's the kind of team you need when competiting in the playoffs. They find ways. Some people said they didn't deserve to win that one, and I can understand that sentiment, but good teams find ways to win.

The final 2 minutes, 5 minutes of overtime, and the shootout made those previous frustrating 58 minutes totally worth it, from a fan's perspective. I had to deal with cocky Habs fans for 58 minutes taunting Sabres fans in our own barn and acting as if Carey Price was "Jesus Price"...they went from the most jubilant fans in the world to the most upset fans in the world in a matter of minutes...and it was awesome! I tried to get an "Olé!" chant going after the win, but no one in my section complied, but I made sure to sing it every time I walked past Habs fans on my way out.

I can't remember the last time I cheered so much after the Sabre scored their 2nd goal to tie it up. It was awesome, and it was a playoff atmosphere in the arena, despite the fact that half of the fans had already bailed and left early (which by the way, was kind of nice...because it made for a much faster exit out of the parking ramp). It's always fun to be stuck in game night traffic after a win, because you get to honk your horn to the tune of the "Let's Go Buffalo!" chant (beep-beep-beepbeepbeep) and you've got your windows rolled down as you cheer with the rest of the Sabres faithful who are roaming the streets.

You have to give props to Lindy for pulling Miller when the Sabres went on the power play with 3 minutes left to go. Balls to the walls, baby! You could tell that Ryan was ready to get off the ice, he kept banging his stick on the ice to get Lindy's attention and he seemed a little annoyed when Lindy told him to wait for his signal, it seemed as though he wanted to get off so the Sabres could get the extra attacker ASAP. It certainly worked, and I was glad to see that Lindy didn't waste any time pulling Miller again as soon as the Sabres scored. The ball was in their court, and I'm glad Lindy didn't wait to put the extra attacker on once again.

I was also happy to come home to another gem courtesy of Rob Ray and Patrick Kaleta. I had the game recorded, and right before they went to a commercial break, they talked to Rob Ray who down by the ice and his mic picked up Patrick Kaleta shouting, "Fucking geek!" to Dominic Moore. Rob Ray's reaction was priceless. It wasn't quite as comical as this, but it was still pretty damn funny.

So the Sabres have another chance at getting a win against the Sens before the regular season is over, and it's certainly going to be interesting. I think I speak for most Sabres fans when I say that the Senators scare me, and I'm just hoping that last night's win against the Habs coupled with their winning streak will give the Sabres the extra confidence that they'll need. A win tomorrow night would also clinch a playoff spot for them (yes...seriously!), so there's added incentive.

My sights are set on the playoffs and I'm not looking back...it's been awhile and I'm just hoping that the Sabres can enter the postseason on a hot streak, because a hot team in the playoffs (along with a superstar, wonderful, spectacular goalie...Hi, Ryan!) can really make things interesting.

Typical

The Sabres lost in Ottawa? Typical. We lost a key player to injury against Ottawa? Typical.

Apparently several players had food poisoning which really sucks, pretty interesting that several of our players got struck with it when we happened to play Ottawa. I guess the hockey gods out there really enjoy our troubles against the Sens. They still went 2-1 on the road and are 7-3 in their last 10...so no need to fret, it's just getting a little frustrating that Sabres fans can pretty much write off every Sens match up as a loss.

Anyways, I was thinking about something last week... I've lived in Buffalo my whole life, and during that time I've seen my fair share of Sabres and Bills out and about in public. But you know who I've never seen? Lindayyyyy. Out of all the years of him being a coach I've never seen him outside of the rink! But that changed today while I was Christmas shopping after my final exam... Lindayyyy was doing some shopping himself. Aww, Lindy...

So I won't be seeing much of the games this weekend due to me working late on Friday and a Christmas party on Saturday, but let's hope that the Sabres grab a pair of victories to let us forget about another embarrassment in Shottawa.

If you're still a little bummed out, I'll leave you with this trailer of a movie that's coming out next year about... Babies! It looks absolutely precious and extremely interesting. Can't wait to see it!

Étrange Shenanigans

Ahh, so... I'm sure it won't come as a surprise to anyone that I was extremely pleased with the Sabres taking care of bizznazz and beating the Shrangers...largely in part to one Mistah Patrick Kaleta, with his multi-goal game, a shorthanded goal to boot! There's nothing better than scoring a shorthanded goal, the best momentum killer out there. Seems like Kaleta liked the way it felt to score a shorty, so he decided to give it a whirl in Montreal...

I missed most of the Habs game, but I was able to listen to the end of the 2nd period in my car while driving home. I got to hear RJ call the our first two goals, which of course included Kaleta's shorty...ahh, I couldn't think of many things that could have satisfied me more than listening to Rick Jeanneret call a shorthanded goal against Montreal, IN Montreal, scored by one of our Buffalo natives. Magnifique. I went pretty crazy in my car, screaming and cheering and doing some fist pumping. I contemplated honking my horn in celebration, but I opted against it because the weather was pretty bad, and I didn't want to startle anyone on the road causing them to swerve and crash into a ditch or something of that nature. It would have put a damper on Kaleta's goal, no? But if it would have been the Goose that had scored, well my fellow drivers would have been shit out of luck. Because everyone knows if you're out and about, you have to give a honk for the Goose!

Anyways, I came home in time to catch the third period...and it certainly was a bizarre period, wasn't it. Leading 2-1 in a hockey game is never a safe lead, especially when you're up in Montreal's barn...phantom calls and bizarre events are always plentiful there. It certainly makes for interesting nights and often bitter losses. But Montreal's éntrange shenanigans were no match for the Sabres' sass Monday night. Non. The Sabres struggled to hang onto a lead, but thanks to MacArthur's PP goal on a 5-on-3 (a two-man advantage? To the OPPOSING team? In Montreal?! Surely you jest...), the Sabres were able to hang onto the 4-3 lead up until the buzzer sounded time keeper was busted for not starting the clock. Way to go, boyzzzz.

Now it's always fun to crack jokes and speculate...but seriously, why does that kind of sketchy shit always seem to happen in Montreal? That phantom too many men call against us is enough to shake your head at, but I've just come to expect that kind of stuff over the years. I know a lot of games can sometimes have certain issues with the clock, and sometimes they have to stop play to add or take off a few seconds here and there... But in the dying seconds of the third period when the Habs are down by a goal, and up on a 6-on-4 power play with the goalie pulled, and there just so happens to be an issue with starting the clock back up again? Hmmm....interesting to say the least.

Anyways... off to Ottawa. Miller will be in net again, but Ruff has announced that Lalime will start either Friday against the Leafs or Saturday against the Penguins, per WGR 550. I'm guessing Lalime will play on Friday. They're both home games, so that isn't a factor. But maybe Ruff liked starting Lalime during the beginning of back-to-backs, rather than the latter like he did last Friday against the 'Hawks. In theory, the team will be more tired on Saturday since they would have played the night before plus it's another 3-games-in-4-nights scenario, so maybe Ruff is thinking that he would rather have our starter in for that one. Plus it means less time between Lalime's last start, which means he could be getting himself into a little groove. Who knows... all I know it's pretty hard to argue with the results from the last time Lindy started Lalime during the beginning of back-to-backs.

Tomorrow night is huge for us not only because it's another divisional game, but for some damn pride. Our rivalry with Ottawa has been strengthened over the past few years, and that team always seems to have our number. Gotta get that win... And it looks as though Shottawa will be without the services of Jason Spezza for quite some time due to a knee injury. See kids? Christmas miracles do come true! I guess I should feel bad for calling someone's misfortune like an injury a Christmas miracle, but I don't. Guess that goes to show you much I loathe the Sens...just comes with the territory.

Speaking of Christmas, this time of year is just pretty crazy. Between Christmas shopping and preparing for and taking final exams, things can just be a little stressful. I think I can get my shopping finished in one or two more trips, it's just been hard finding the time. But thankfully I'll be getting more time to do that since exam week is almost done. Thank god. The only things I've got left to do is turn in a portfolio tomorrow and then I have my Art History final on Thursday and then the 2009 Fall Semester will officially be in the books. And I think that might be the greatest Christmas present for me this year...for real.

Oh! Look what I found earlier when I was getting out some Christmas decorations. This newspaper was being used to protect some of the decorations:



The date on the paper is January 1st, 2006... Ahh, ~precious memories~

Uplifting News

So admist of all the sadness, frustration, and negativety...we've got some good news. Ryan Miller is skating again! Ryan is missed for obvious reasons, but I've also missed his thoughtful interviews. It's been awhile since we've been treated to one. And he looked so happy out there on the ice...it's nice to see. But what the hell was on the stereo in the locker room while he was being interviewed? Speaking of Mr. Sass himself, in my previous post I mentioned how I saw him at Delish! helping out Carly's Club, here are some cute pictures from the event...looks like it was a fun time for the kids.

So the Sabres still haven't been able to put up a nice winning streak and 10th place sounds so low in the standings...so it really does come as a surprise to see how they're still right in the thick of things only being 3 points out of a playoff spot with a game two games in hand. Doesn't their position sound better when you spin it like that? Of course those games in hand only come in handy when you win them...and the Sabres have been having a hard time doing that. Especially against our next opponent, the dreaded Ottawa Senators. Tellqvist will be in net for us, so it will be interesting to see how he does. Maybe tomorrow my Irish roots will come in handy and I can pass some good old fashioned Irish luck to the Sabres and see how that helps them.

Speaking of St. Patrick's Day, did any of you guys go to the parade? I went and it was a lot of fun. A big turnout because it was such a perfect day for it. Lots of sunshine, green, and drunk people of course. I took some pictures of the parade but I am still debating if I like them or not. I've got some nice pictures that I took at Delaware Park when I was in the area on Saturday, so I'll share those with you once I get around to uploading them. This is my last week of classes until spring break. Very exciting! Today wasn't a bad day at all, school-wise. I think the nice weather is making my mood turn around and I am getting a more positive outlook on my classes. If only my hockey team could lift my spirits too. Well, seeing Ryan skating around on the ice with our other goalies and enjoying himself did, so I guess that's a start.

Manic Monday

Although this is a hockey blog, I've been known to go off-topic and talk about things completely unrelated to the Sabres or hockey. So I can't go without saying anything about this T.O. business. It's pretty amusing how much attention this has brought the Bills. Every time I turn on ESPN it's all about T.O. and the Bills. It seems as though people's feelings on this whole deal is pretty black & white. You either love the move, or you hate it. I would consider myself a "casual football fan" meaning that I follow the Bills, but I don't really follow the rest of the league other than just what I hear in the sports wrap up on the 11'oclock news. All I'll say is that it's only a one-year deal and what's the worst possible outcome? The Bills miss the playoffs? What else is new. He certainly is bringing a lot of attention and I don't think Bills are used to that as we haven't really had a superstar on the team for awhile. This whole situation just gives me a perfect chance to whip out one of my favorite .gifs, so obviously I'm not getting too bent out of shape over this.


...let the shit show begin!

So now onto the Sabres...not a very good weekend for us. We did win on Friday and that's about the only thing that went right for us. Every team that we're chasing won their games. And we gave away 2 precious points to the Ottawa Senators. What else is new...I don't care how poor Ottawa's record is, that team certainly knows how to get into our player's heads and beat them. Yeah, yeah, yeah...it was our third game in four nights and apparently several players on the team are battling the flu. Those certainly aren't ideal conditions to play in, but those 2 points were very important. I still believe that this team has it in them to make the playoffs, so I guess all we can do is keep hoping. Hope that they string together some real nice wins and hope that we can catch up to the teams ahead of us. It's a tough task for sure, but it isn't impossible. All it can take is a nice streak of wins from the Sabres and a few losses from the teams ahead of us.

Today I saw Ryan Miller's dad, Dean, and I had a real nice conversation with him. He's a real nice guy to talk to and I enjoyed our conversation. We talked about a lot of things... from what it was like for Ryan growing up being a hockey player, what it was like for him to be his father and watching him play, the current state of the Sabres and what they need to do, and we just had a real nice talk. The highlight of our conversation was definitely when he told me about an incident earlier in the season where Ryan almost kicked Bucky Gleason's ass. It was golden. I told Dean that I would have paid good money to have witnessed it. I also told him how much I appreciate Ryan's interviews because he's real insightful and how I love it when he gets sassy with the media. I would have loved to have stayed and chatted more with him, but I had to go to class. I made sure to tell Dean to send Ryan my best and pass along positive vibes for his ankle.

Speaking of school, I am so ready for spring break... Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty content at Buff State, but I am just so ready for the summer. I don't even have to complain about my work, because although it is a good amount of work, it's not nearly as bad as it was last semester and it is doable. I am having a hard time finding motivation to do my work, which is a problem. I think it has to do with the fact that this semester I decided to take all core classes just so I could get them out of the way... so they're all pretty generic. I try to make the best of the situation because I really like two of my professors. So while the material we are learning is pretty basic & generic, at least I can enjoy who is teaching it to me. But I've got one professor that I absolutely can't stand. I'd go into more detail about it, but I don't think I should bore you with the details. Besides, you need to meet this person to fully understand where I'm coming from. Now it's real hard for me to dislike someone for the most part, I'm always willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. So I'll sit there and be like, "He's not that bad." but then he'll do something that just drives me nuts. It's a little hard to explain. So another reason why I'm looking forward to the semester being over is so I won't have to deal with my one professor anymore.

So the Sabres face the Flyers tomorrow and that team has proven to be a difficult opponent to face so far this season. I don't have to go into why this game is a "must-win" and how these 2 points are critical, you've all heard it before and are well aware. It just goes without saying at this point. So while the weekend wasn't very kind to the Sabres, maybe this upcoming week will be. We can only hope.

Jarkko Bit Me

...and that really hurt, Jarkko. And it's still hurting.

Sheesh. Biting in hockey? Give me a break. What a shit show. Ruutu is denying that he bit Peters, but I think it's pretty obvious from the replay that he indeed did bite him. Then again, I would be pretty embarrassed to admit that I bit someone too. Yikes. But let me just say, seeing Peters mouth, "He fucking bit me!" was hilarious. I was sitting there wondering what the hell happened to him and then I see him shout that and I was just like, "...what? Did he just say that Ruutu bit him?!" Good god.

Anyways, biting aside, I'm glad I can sit here and write about another Sabres victory! Talk about being on a roll, how about Matt Ellis? Another goal! Good for him. There's not a better way to start the period off than to score. I liked seeing Roy score that ugly goal. Is there anything more beautiful than scoring an ugly goal? It shows determination. I like it. It seemed that we were in for a night where the Sabres would have a comfortable lead the entire time, but as you know, not a lot of leads are safe in this league. Ryan Miller had two gaffes (and so did our defense on the second goal, giving Spezza a breakaway), and all of a sudden Ottawa is back in it. Miller seemed a little rattled after those two goals, but it was great to see his response in the third. He was very sharp and stopped all of Ottawa's 11 shots and had a huge glove save on Spezza denying him the hat-trick. Nicely done. The team as a whole seemed to have gotten back on track in the third after making some mistakes in the second and letting Ottawa creep back up. It was nice to see Rivet back out there and going after some Sens after they were getting all up in our goalie.

All in all it was a huge win for the team and it was nice to see. Earlier in the season those were the games where the Sabres would have a nice lead and then have a meltdown and lose. It's good to see them take charge after making some mistakes and ensure that they take 2 points out of the game. So the Sabres are on a nice little 3 game winning streak and they are doing all they can do at keeping themselves in a playoff spot. Pittsburgh is right at their heels for that 8th spot, but the Sabres are right behind Carolina as well for the 7th spot. There aren't many points separating the 5th-8th spots in the Conference, so things get pretty interesting around this time of the year. If the Sabres can keep this up, then it can make for some fun months ahead of us.

Oh and I just want to say how much I love Burt's Bees products. I am in love! If I could I would buy every single product that Burt's Bees makes.