Film Room, Game 10: Sabres vs. Panthers 10/29/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

Jhonas Enroth's unofficial theme song is Weezer's "My Name is Jonas", and when Brad Boyes scores, you might hear "Bad Boys" played over the FN Center loudspeakers. If Lindy Ruff had his own theme song, right now it might be the Goo Goo Dolls' "Acoustic #3" (which, appropriately enough, emanated from my car stereo on the drive home):

"What's the point in all this screaming? No one's listening anyway."

I didn't get to listen to the postgame last night, as I was drowning my sorrows in vanilla bean cheesecake at TGI Fridays (a perfectly acceptable way to handle a tough loss, thank you very much).  So I'll rely on a postgame comment from Ruff found in this tweet from Phil of Black and Blue and Gold to assess the coach's current mood:

"It really doesn't matter what I think anymore" - Lindy Ruff

Oof.  Lindy's gone emo.

Ruff used words like "pathetic" and "unacceptable" as well - coach is pissed, and I don't suppose we can blame him.  The Sabres have blown leads in all four home games now, only one of which they've rallied from to win.  They've allowed 79 shots in the last two games and have looked undisciplined and sloppy during much of it.

But despite last night's poor effort, the Sabres almost got away with it when Jason Pominville scored (on the powerplay!) with 7:07 to go to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead. Seconds later, Marco Sturm got a major and a game misconduct for boarding the crap out of Jordan Leopold.  With 6:45 left it appeared that the Sabres would extend their lead at best, or be up a man until there were less than two minutes left at worst.  The game is in the bag, right?

What happened next is both inexplicable and inexcusable: Drew Stafford wiped out the first two minutes of a potential powerplay with a shove on Sturm that achieved nothing, and a minute and a half later, Nathan Gerbe erased the rest with a trip and an ill-advised chuckle at the referee. Florida proceeded to score twice while Gerbe was in the box. Composure blown, lead blown, game blown.  Points blown, too.

Despite Lindy throwing his hands up in the air last night, the sky isn't falling. This loss reminded me of the blown lead against Nashville last season, and I think we all remember that the team rebounded fairly well from that.  Yes, they've lost three of the last four games, but lack of discipline is a correctable thing - and Lindy Ruff has been correcting it for fourteen seasons now.

Pluses:

• Another game, another slick assist - this time from Brad Boyes, feeding the puck to Pominville while on his knees for the goal that made the score 2-1.  I'm seeing a trend here: first Gerbe's between the legs assist on Kaleta's goal against Columbus, now this.  Are we going for style points, fellas?  Boyes now has points in three straight games and is looking good with Pominville and Vanek on the first power play unit.
• Heads-up play by Vanek to go wide around Brian Campbell on the wraparound goal.  He actually seemed to caused Campbell to run into his own goaltender by way of his positioning, and the ever-so-slight bump is what caused Jose Theodore to be unable to get over in time. Very slick, Thomas.
• It's no secret that the Ville Leino-Drew Stafford-Derek Roy line has underwhelmed, and I know Leino was even pulled from that line later on (setting off a chain reaction of juggled lines).   Despite this, I thought their first two shifts were pretty strong, with most of the play staying in the attacking zone.  Hopefully the struggling trio can build off that.
• Andrej Sekera had another stellar game, making several good plays at the blue line to keep the puck in the offensive zone and seeming to have a sixth sense about when to pinch.  When he's on his game, boy is he a lot of fun to watch.
• It's easy to see why so many people love Matt Ellis when he makes plays like the one he did on Tomas Fleischmann, preventing him from reaching a puck that he would have tapped past an out-of-position Ryan Miller.  Dude is 100% effort, 100% of the time.

Minuses:

• I don't have much choice about mentioning Nathan Gerbe here, do I?  Gerbe said that he got the extra two minutes because he smiled and/or laughed about the call, and unless he's lying, that's one seriously butthurt referee.  But that does not earn Gerbe a "get out of jail free" card.  Keep it shut, go to the box, take your medicine.  I'm not willing to say Gerbe cost the Sabres the game, but he certainly hurt his team.
• Go figure. I wrote a piece on Friday for Buffalo Wins about the notion of a goaltending controversy being ridiculous, and then Ryan Miller put up a complete clunker last night.  Bad angle goal?  Check.  Empty net while Miller was apparently joining the planking craze?  Check.  (I haven't seen any Miller quotes, but I can only surmise that he thought the puck was between his legs.  That's certainly what his body language suggested, but I have no idea why he'd think that when the puck had gone wide.)
• Really unfortunate break for Ellis, whose goal was taken away after it was ruled that he kicked it in. I don't disagree with the ruling, as it reminded me of Karel Rachunek's disallowed goal during Sabres-Rangers Game 3 in the '07 playoffs - Ellis, like Rachunek, turned his foot ever so slightly and redirected the puck into the net.  Rulebook aside, it would certainly have been nice if Ellis' hard work had been rewarded with a goal - Ellis was probably the second or third-best player on the ice last night behind Vanek and possibly Sekera.

Next Game: 11/2 against Philadelphia. Given our defensive sloppiness and Ilya Byzgalov's recent follies, I'm banking on a 16-15 final - and then I'll be sad because I'll realize indoor lacrosse is still over two months away.

(Sorry for the tardiness of this entry - I try to get recaps up by noon the day after, but kids and landlord duties just weren't allowing it today!)

Film Room, Game 9: Sabres vs. Blue Jackets 10/27/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

Apparently, "Enroth" is Swedish for "brick wall".  Jhonas Enroth was a difference-maker on a night when the Sabres were mostly sloppy and disorganized, remaining cool, calm, and collected in stopping 41 shots to bail out a team that hung him out to dry for the most part.

The first period was a snoozefest, featuring more whistles than a team of construction workers leering at attractive women.  Passes on both sides consistently missed their targets, leading to a heaping pile of icings and offsides as well as audible snoring from the 300 level.  (Guilty.)   Despite the stop-and-go nature of the first period, it was during those first twenty minutes that Columbus presented its strongest challenge.  The Jackets pumped 17 shots on goal, a good portion of which were quality scoring chances - but Enroth turned them all aside as the Sabres built a 2-0 lead with goals from Brad Boyes and Jason Pominville.

In the final thirty minutes, the cracks that had been evident in the Sabres' defense blew wide open.  Columbus got on the board after a blocked shot in its own end turned into a one-on-one battle that Marc-Andre Gragnani lost (more on that below), with Vinny Prospal ripping a wrister past Enroth.  Halfway through the third period, Pominville was the victim of an unfortunate break when he dove to break up a pass but failed to actually corral the puck, which found its way to Fedor Tyutin's stick and then the back of the net.

It represented the third time that the Sabres blew a 2-0 lead on home ice this season, but unlike the blown leads against Carolina and Tampa Bay, this time the Sabres had an answer in the form of Patrick Kaleta.  Not content with impacting games solely by pugilistic means, Kaleta gave the Sabres the lead for good when he stuffed a backhander past Jackets goalie Steve Mason less than three minutes later.  Pominville later tallied on the powerplay to put the game out of reach.

When Enroth failed to get a start during the recent road trip, some panic began to develop amongst the Sabres fanbase that Lindy Ruff was about to lean too heavily on Ryan Miller once again this season.  Although I opined the other day that it's far too early in the season to start worrying about such things, I'm happy to see that Ruff is sticking to the plan we hoped he would - namely, to get Enroth involved every four or five games. 

Those of you who were starting to freak out about not having won a game in Buffalo and having flashbacks to last October - you can breathe now.

Pluses:

• Jason Pominville: two goals, one assist.  Thomas Vanek: three assists (all primary). Chemistry: still sky-high.  Business as usual. Move along, nothing to see here.
• I don't wish to alarm you, but the Sabres scored two goals on the powerplay tonight.  Yes, two.  Yes, on the powerplay.  In the same game.  I know, it blows my mind too.  Sabre fans (myself included) have lamented that the powerplay could have been, but ultimately failed to be, the difference in home defeats to Carolina and Tampa Bay.  Tonight, that unit stepped up.
• Brad Boyes was the most obvious benefactor of the powerplay's success, both of his points coming with the man advantage.  Boyes has now scored goals in consecutive games, and four of his five points this season have come in the last two contests.  It's also worth pointing out that he's done this in about 12 minutes of ice time in each game.  This won't pull him out of the fans' doghouse - we need someone to ridicule now that Connolly is gone, right? - but if Lindy can find a consistent line for him, I think he's going to start doing some damage.
• Absolutely filthy pass by Nathan Gerbe on Kaleta's game-winning goal, collecting a rebound off the boards behind the net and backhanding a cross-ice pass between his legs to Kaleta. Nice play by Christian Ehrhoff as well to bank that puck off the boards to Gerbe instead of shooting.  Part of me doesn't like the fact that an offensive talent like Gerbe is "wasted" by playing on a line with two guys who don't score much in Gaustad and Kaleta, but the chemistry this line has is undeniable.  It's pretty easy to say they've been the Sabres' second-best line since being reunited.
• Another solid game for Andrej Sekera, including a nice play to swat away a rebound after Enroth made the initial save on a 2-on-1.

Minuses:

• Marc-Andre Gragnani was a hot mess in his own zone.  Again.  His attempt to thwart Vinny Prospal as he cut to the net for the first Columbus goal was an embarrassing effort which resembled that of a matador.  Grags is young and will make mistakes, so perhaps it's time for him to take a seat in favor of Mike Weber for a bit so he can get it together.
• As good as Sekera has been, I'd really appreciate it if he wouldn't take three minor penalties in the same game.
• Starting to sound like a broken record, I admit, but it would be awfully nice to see signs of life out of Ville Leino.

Next Game: Saturday, 10/29 vs. Florida.  Since we last met, the Panthers have won two of three and now sit 6th in the Eastern Conference.  It appears that the hodge-podge of free agents they signed this summer in a desperate attempt to get to the salary floor is working well for them so far.

Film Room, Game 8: Sabres vs. Lightning 10/25/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

For the second straight home game, the Sabres came out flying and carried the play for the most part during the first twenty minutes - only to have nothing to show for it by the end of the period.  This almost never ends well.

This was a game the Sabres probably could have won, save for a bad bounce off Christian Ehrhoff's skate and a pair of failures to tie up a Tampa player in front of the net - one by Ehrhoff on Steven Stamkos and the other by Luke Adam on Vinny LeCavalier.  It seemed like the Sabres moved the puck more easily than they did on Saturday night against these same Bolts - Buffalo had no problem generating scoring chances for much of the game and ended up with 39 shots on goal, including 17 in the third period when Tampa looked like they were holding on for dear life at times.  But outside of two quick goals by Thomas Vanek and Brad Boyes (the latter is not a typo) within then first 2:31, the Sabres couldn't solve Mathieu Garon - who, according to Pierre McGuire on the Versus broadcast, is apparently the second coming of Patrick Roy.  (Maybe Pierre just liked the sound of Garon's name and decided to repeat it umpty-nine times. Who knows.  Dude's a journeyman, Pierre.)

On the bright side, we don't have to play Tampa again until February.

Pluses:

• Thomas Vanek might have set a personal record for breakaways in a single game.  He only converted on one, but he certainly would have had a second goal were it not for a Victor Hedman hook that inexplicably did not result in a penalty shot.  Eight games into the season, Vanek continues to be en fuego.
• I know it will surprise many of you to hear this, but Nathan Gerbe has zero quit in his game.  His goal may not have made a difference in the win-loss column, but it came at a time when the team was down 4-2 late and could have easily packed it in for the night.  I consider it to be significant because it might be just the symbolic we're-not-gonna-quit gesture a team needs at the tail end of a second consecutive loss to the same squad.
• I thought Patrick Kaleta skated pretty well.  He was somehow credited with only three hits but really seemed to throw his body around effectively.

Minuses:

•  I don't blame Tyler Myers for giving up the breakaway that resulted in Ryan Malone's goal that made it 4-2 and put the game out of reach - Myers is very effective at jumping into the play from the point (defenseman, ACTIVATE!) and he had no choice but to press with his team down 3-2 in the dying minutes.  But Myers otherwise looked lost quite a bit last night. 
• Christian Ehrhoff would probably like to forget this game.  After a dumb-luck bounce off his skate that eluded Miller to tie the game, it was him who failed to tie up Steven Stamkos on the eventual game-winning goal.  Ehrhoff's plus-minus rating is now a team-worst -5.
• Ville Leino completely overskated the play on the Nate Thompson goal that went off Ehrhoff's skate.  If he stays with Thompson, that backhand pass probably doesn't reach Ehrhoff's skate.
• Apologies for three bullet points on a single goal, but Miller's role on the play is worth examining if only for its impact amongst the fans.  Several folks on Twitter felt that Miller got caught cheating and left the post early on the Thompson goal, while Paul Hamilton opined on WGR last night that Miller made no mistake on the play because he needed to square up to the potential shooter in the slot.  I've watched the play a dozen times - it happens so fast and Miller's movement is so subtle that I can't make up my mind which is correct.  Either way, I'm not going to crucify him for something that is essentially dumb luck.  What does stick in my craw, though: in part because of that goal, we're eight games into the season and already the "Ryan Miller, Mr. Softee" calls to the WGR whiner line have started?  Really?  Where were you people when Miller was stealing a game in Montreal or shutting out Florida?  My God.

Next Game: Thursday, 10/27 vs. Columbus. After an 0-7-1 start, the Blue Jackets finally won their first game of the season last night with a  4-1 victory over the Red Wings.   I would be shocked if Jhonas Enroth didn't get the start in this one - Ruff expressed his desire to get Enroth into a game on the recent road trip, then had to abandon that plan after Miller shut out the Panthers because he's not going to sit Miller after posting a goose egg.  I really believe Lindy isn't going to ride Miller into the ground that this year (although, admittely, it's way too early in the season to worry about that anyway).

Film Room, Game 7: Sabres vs. Lightning 10/22/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

Perhaps I shouldn't say things like "Tampa has given up the second-most goals in the league - Thomas Vanek must be drooling", because it gave Mathieu Garon and the Tampa 1-3-1 scheme an opportunity to make me look like a fool.  (Not that I need any help with that.)

In the last two games Tampa has figured out whatever was ailing them, and possibly aided by switching goalies to Mathieu Garon, Tampa's unique system stymied the Sabres all night long.  Buffalo was limited to 21 shots for the game, only five of which came in the third period.  The Bolts simply would not allow the Sabres to attack the neutral zone with any sort of speed, and when the Sabres did get the puck into Tampa's zone the Lightning had no difficulty retrieving the puck.  Ultimately, the game became a defensive chess match that was decided by two mistakes - Ryan Miller losing a Pavel Kubina slapper from the right point in a crowd, and a Ville Leino turnover that led to eleventy billion Martin St. Louis dekes and a top-shelf goal.

Games like this are going to happen.  No team is going to score three, four, or five goals every night.  With this squad, however, the bright side is that it's very doubtful this will become a trend.

Pluses:

• Luke Adam hasn't scored in three games, so I've been trying to pay close attention to him to see what else he brings to the table.  I'm starting to notice that he's making the little plays like a crafty veteran, such as a sticklift of a player at the Tampa blueline to to prevent him from clearing the puck and a swift backhand to get the puck across the blue line after fumbling it in the neutral zone.  In other words - the sort of smart, heads-up plays that tend to endear a player to Lindy Ruff.  I think it's safe to buy your #72 jerseys now - kid isn't going anywhere.
• Robyn Regehr continues to bring the nasty, delivering a wicked hit on ex-Sabre Dominic Moore.  When Moore attempted to go wide and drive to the net, Regehr stayed with him every step of the way - forcing him behind the net, bouncing him off the glass, and wrestling him down as if he were planning to hogtie him.  Textbook play from a physical shutdown defenseman.
• Other than his hideous turnover (see below), Ville Leino appeared to be more comfortable skating alongside Derek Roy and Drew Stafford when Tyler Ennis exited the game due to injury (also see below). I have to remind myself that we need to be patient with Leino - he's a guy who's had just a single good year and now we're asking him to play a position he hasn't played in the NHL with teammates he's never skated with.  It took Philly quite a while to find Leino's ideal linemates in Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell, and it's reasonable to expect that Lindy Ruff may have the same problem.

Minuses:

• Since the Sabres had such trouble with gaining the zone, you'd think the power play could have been an equalizer.  No sir - Buffalo was 0 for 3 on the powerplay, with just three measly Charmin-soft unthreatening shots.  After a strong start to the season, the Sabres powerplay is just 1 for 14 in the last five games.
• That awful Leino turnover simply cannot happen.  He appeared to be trying to get the puck to Derek Roy on the right wing, but Brett Connolly's stick clearly was not going to allow that. Leino had support from Drew Stafford on the left and could have much more easily gotten the puck to him for the clear, either directly on his stick or better yet, off the boards.  The game was effectively over after St. Louis converted the turnover into a goal.
• I should preface this by saying I'm not really worried about Ryan Miller, but Pavel Kubina's goal made me realize that it's been the seeing-eye shots from the point that have been consistently getting behind him this season.  Nate Guenin's goal for the Ducks in the season opener and a goal that was originally credited to Jay Harrison in the home opener (since changed to Alexei Ponikarovsky) are further examples.  Are teams finding some weakness in either Miller or the Sabres' defensive system that is causing this, or is it just dumb luck?  I don't know.
• During his first shift, Tyler Ennis crashed into the goalpost and left the game with an apparent foot or leg injury.  Although he didn't return, I'm hopeful that it's not a long-term issue - he tested it out during a TV timeout and decided he couldn't go, which to me is more encouraging than leaving the ice entirely without attempting to return.
• Brad Boyes: zero points, 9:08 ice time.  Welcome to the doghouse, Brad.  Some of this is attributable to the Ennis injury, as Boyes was essentially left without regular linemates after Leino took Ennis' place with Roy and Stafford.  But I'd like to think that if Ruff could get Leino more involved after the injury, he could have done the same with Boyes had he felt it was worth his while.

Next Game: Tuesday, 10/25 against these very same Bolts.  Hey, did you know that the Lightning have given up the second-most goals in... uhh... you know what, forget about that.  Let's hope the Sabres find something in the film study between now and Tuesday that can help them break the 1-3-1.

Film Room, Game 6: Sabres vs. Panthers 10/20/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

It's nice to know your franchise goaltender can steal you a game.  It's even better to know that you don't need him to do that every night.

Two nights before, the Sabres were outskated almost from start to finish and still managed to win on the strength of Ryan Miller's goaltending.  Obviously believing they owed him one - a sentiment that Lindy Ruff  himself voiced - last night the Sabres gave Miller a virtual night off between the pipes with a strong 60-minute effort.

Despite some loosey-goosey play in their own end at times in the first period, the Sabres quickly took over the game and didn't look back.  After the first period shots were 11-9 in favor of Buffalo, and the Sabres only allowed 13 more through the final two periods.  Goals from Vanek and Pominville in the second period broke the game open and a third-period power play howitzer from Vanek (one that somehow didn't tear the net to shreds) iced it.

Pluses:

• Don't you wish Lindy Ruff had paired Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville years ago?  The chemistry I'm seeing from them is blowing me away.  Forget about the point totals for a moment and consider some of the plays that haven't resulted in goals. Two jump out at me from last night's game: Vanek collecting a turnover behind the net and hitting a wide-open Pominville in the slot, and later on, Vanek flipping a huge Miller rebound to a streaking Pominville for a breakaway attempt.  These two know at any given time where the other is, and where the other will be in three seconds. I'm running out of superlatives to describe it. 
• Vanek's first goal was of his usual "I'm gonna stand in front of the net and let this puck deflect off some part of me, whether it's my stick, inner thigh, or left butt-cheek" variety.  You know, the type we've seen four million and one times now.  The second was more impressive: a laser beam of a slapper that no Florida defenseman dared to get anywhere near.  I wonder if goalies actually soil themselves when Vanek has that kind of time to wind up - I know I would.  Really nice work by Marc-Andre Gragnani to carry the puck into the attacking zone and draw three defenders to his side, giving Vanek a plethora of time and space.
• Sensational play by Ville Leino to set up Pominville's second period goal.  After knocking down a clearing attempt and gaining possession, he held on to the puck just long enough to draw defenders to him and allow Pominville to get in position for an easy tap-in.  Just the other day I asked, "What's wrong with Ville Leino?" and later read some quotes from Leino himself indicating he wasn't happy with his own play.  Hopefully this is the start of him turning it around.
• How do you deal with a team that's been hot on the powerplay?  Simple: don't give them opportunities with the man advantage.  Easier said than done, of course, but the Sabres heeded this simple advice, taking just one minor penalty in the game.

Minuses:

• Not much to complain about last night's game, so I'll just keep copying and pasting the "Tyler Ennis still has no points" bullet until he gets on the scoresheet, after which point I will likely praise him profusely.  It's only six games, but I'm starting to get concerned about him - he's already matched his longest scoreless game streak from all of last year.
• Andrej Sekera makes me nervous every single time he cuts in front of his own net on a breakout, and he almost fumbled the puck away when doing so last night.  (Again, I'm stretching for minuses in this game.) 

Next Game: Saturday, 10/22 vs. Tampa Bay.  The Lightning have struggled out of the gate, and goals against are a huge reason why.  I don't know if it's defense or goaltending, but the Bolts have given up 27 goals in 7 games - second-most in the entire league.  Thomas Vanek must be drooling right now.

Film Room, Game 5: Sabres vs. Canadiens 10/18/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

No amount of offseason additions will prevent a team from having nights when their skating legs just aren't there, as was the case for the Sabres last night.

Fortunately, when you have a goaltender like Ryan Miller in net, you stand a reasonable chance of getting away with it.

Miller was beyond sensational last night.  Montreal outshot the Sabres 41-23 and thoroughly dominated the game for the first 32 minutes, controlling the play with a relentless forecheck that gave Sabres defensemen fits.  But Miller made outstanding save after outstanding save to keep Buffalo afloat until Jordan Leopold finally tied the game at 12:11 of the second period, pouncing on a Drew Stafford rebound (which is starting to sound familiar, by the way) and giving the Sabres new life.  Buffalo seemed to grow stronger as the period went on, culminating in Thomas Vanek's goal with 2.8 seconds left in the second period.  That goal and Miller's continued larceny seemed to break the Canadiens' spirit a little, and all that was left was to hold on for the win.

Whenever Miller has a game like this, I can't help but think about the idiots that call WGR demanding that he gets traded.  And then I smile, because it's nice to know there are dumber people than myself in this world.

Pluses:

• It'll be a stretch to come up with positives that don't involve the words "Ryan" and "Miller", but I'll give it a try.  Hey, how about that goal by Thomas Vanek?  After Montreal iced the puck with about 5.9 seconds left in the second period, Paul Gaustad won a faceoff to Marc-Andre Gragnani, who then put on a rapid-fire passing clinic with his partners Jason Pominville and Vanek.  Vanek hesitated slightly and made Carey Price flinch, then ripped it over his shoulder like he wasn't even there.  It was a beautiful play that was as well-executed as any I've ever seen.
  
• Tyler Ennis still has zero points for the season, but he was a lot more noticeable last night.  Of his four shots, two were reasonably good scoring chances that came in the third period.
• Kudos to Cody McCormick for his second period dust-up with Travis Moen, which really seemed to light a fire under the Sabres. Leopold's tying goal was scored just under three minutes later.
• Another good night for Derek Roy in the faceoff circle - 10 for 17 overall, including 5 for 7 in the defensive zone.  Roy has quietly been very good at the dot this year; through five games he hasn't won less than 50% of his draws in any game and his 59.8% actually leads the team right now (unless you count the five faceoffs Patrick Kaleta has taken, which I don't).  For comparison's sake, Roy was 46.4% last year and hovered around 50% the two years prior.
  

Minuses:

• Thanks for the game winner there, Vanek - but next time we're trying to hold on to a one-goal lead on a night that we're clearly not the better team, would you mind not taking two third-period cross-checking penalties?
• Speaking of penalties... absolutely brutal call on Tyler Ennis for "slashing" Brian Gionta.  Ennis dove to sweep the puck away from Gionta and executed it perfectly - he broke up the play without tripping or otherwise interfering with his man.  Meanwhile, Gionta slashed at the diving Ennis and broke his own stick in the process.  "A broken stick on the play?  Gasp!  It must be a penalty!"   That must have been the refs' thought process - what else could they possibly have been thinking?  I'm not sure how Lindy didn't blow his stack over that call.
• What's going on with Ville Leino?  9:40 ice time on only 11 shifts - both were second-lowest on the team last night. Penalties in the third period probably affected his ice time somewhat, but just two shifts in the final 20 minutes suggests that he was benched for general suckiness.   For $4.5 million a year, the Sabres need Ville to be significantly more awesome.  It's telling that the third period chances for Ennis that I mentioned came after he was separated from Leino and Brad Boyes.

Next Game:  Thursday, 10/20 vs. Florida.  One might have expected them to struggle at the beginning of the season considering the massive amount of roster turnover in the summer, but there sit the Panthers at 3-2, good for third in the Southeast.  The Florida power play should be a good test for the Sabres' penalty killers, having scored five goals with the man advantage in a 7-4 whipping of Tampa Bay Monday night.

Film Room, Game 4: Sabres vs. Penguins 10/15/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

This will be a somewhat abbreviated edition, since I was in a wedding yesterday and failed to DVR the game.  I caught a few minutes here and there on the TV in the bar, but not nearly enough to form any solid opinions on anything.

As I said previously, though, I'm writing something about every game no matter what. So off to the highlight clips and stats we go!  If there's anything significant or newsworthy that I'm not picking up from the stats and highlights, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Pluses:

• When Jochen Hecht eventually does return, it certainly isn't going to be in place of Luke Adam.  Another goal and an assist leaves Adam as the second-leading scorer on the team with three goals and three assists in four games, and it's clear that, to paraphrase Mr. Pegula, "Luke ain't going anywhere".  I was a big fan of this kid in limited action last year and I'm thrilled to see him playing so well.  If you need evidence of how well the Vanek-Adam-Pominville line is clicking right now, look no further than Adam's goal - Vanek stealing the puck in the corner, Pominville being in the right place to keep the puck in at the blue line and feeding it back to Vanek in the corner, and Adam getting in perfect position for a fairly easy tap-in after a cross-crease pass.
• It's clear that opponents have much respect for Nathan Gerbe's speed - perhaps a little too much.  The Pittsburgh defensemen backed off so much on Gerbe's rush that led to Drew Stafford's goal that they might as well have been sitting in the third row.  The goal Gerbe himself scored was also an impressively speedy rush through the neutral zone, and it seemed only fair that he was able to finish it off himself.  If it's fair to pass judgment solely on the NHL.com highlight clip, Nathan Gerbe was awesome last night.  
• Interesting note about ice time: lowest amongst the forwards were Adam and Ennis with 13:09 each, and the highest was Derek Roy with 16:45.  One of the greatest strengths of this team is its balance, and twelve guys playing relatively the same amount of minutes tells me that balance is being utilized.  (It also tells me that the referees swallowed the whistles last night, making it impossible for special teams to skew ice time.)
• I'm happy to see Jhonas Enroth getting involved so early in the season.  I'm even happier to see that he gave Lindy Ruff no reason to shy away from keeping him involved.  I don't care if the Penguins were without Crosby and Malkin, 30 saves in Enroth's first start of the year is still impressive.

Minuses:

• I hate to rag on him so early, only because everyone else has been so quick to jump on this bandwagon.  But - Brad Boyes, you have got to get going.  It's not just that he's only got one point in four games, it's the fact that I do not notice him out there at all.
• Same goes for you, Tyler Ennis.  I absolutely love this kid, but I do not love that he's got zero points in four games.  Unlike Boyes, I'm at least noticing Ennis on the ice, what with all the dangling.
• Despite the appearance of a good game by Enroth, I'm sure he'd like the second goal back.  It looked like he was trying to play the puck for Gerbe and ended up handing it right to Jordan Staal.

Next Game:  Tuesday, 10/18 in Montreal.  Other than whipping the newly formed Jets in Winnipeg, Montreal has had a fairly rough start to the season, sitting in 12th place in the East after four games.  Trips to Montreal don't usually go well for the Sabres, but on the bright side, they're undefeated outside of Buffalo so far this season.

Film Room, Game 3: Sabres vs. Hurricanes 10/14/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

I suppose that when a team fails as hard as the Sabres did on special teams tonight, that squad is not particularly deserving of a win.

And that's a bit of a shame, given the amount of resilience displayed by a few key players tonight. Derek Roy, who missed nearly five months and most of training camp due to various injuries, broke through for his first goal of the season and nearly scored a second (one that was credited to Thomas Vanek).  Tyler Myers, who struggled for much of the game with turnovers and poor play, was remarkable in bulling past a pair of hapless Canes to set up Drew Stafford's late tying goal.  Ryan Miller, who I didn't think was great in the first two periods, made several big saves in the third to keep the Sabres in it.

But as much as the Sabres dominated the first period (and did they ever - they skated circles around the Canes, prompting me to text a friend asking if Carolina was actually an ECHL team in disguise), they exited the frame tied in both goals and shots.  This is never a good sign, and sure enough, they proceeded to be completely done in by special teams in the next two periods.  0 for 6 on the power play?  Two shorthanded goals and three shorthanded breakaways allowed?  A power play goal given up and another that probably should have been (it was scored exactly as a Myers penalty expired)?  That sort of Keystone Cops performance on special teams is awfully hard to overcome.

Pluses:

• I loved Drew Stafford's patience and vision on the Roy goal.  He knew he had Roy streaking to the net on a 2-on-1 and timed it perfectly such that Roy would be right at the goalmouth to gobble up a rebound.   Stafford essentially passed the puck to Roy off Cam Ward's left pad.
• Hey, guy in section 308 that keeps yelling "SHOOOOOT" on the power play: I think you're going to love Christian Ehrhoff.  I'm growing quite fond of watching him launch bombs with the man advantage - dude is not afraid to shoot the puck at all. 
• All three Sabres goals were once again scored by getting bodies and pucks to the net.  This is how it's done now.  Those days of the 2006-07 Sabres scoring eleventy billion goals off the rush are, sadly, long gone.
• Another thing I'm really growing to appreciate is the way Ville Leino can control the puck in the corner.  I know, I know, this is exactly how he was advertised - but I'm pleased to see that what we expected is, so far, what we're getting.
• My random thought of the evening: if I were an NHL player (and I'll never be confused for one), I'm not sure there's a fivesome I'd be more intimidated by than the Gaustad-McCormick-Kaleta line and the defensive pair of Myers and Regehr.  That's five guys who will make you pay dearly for every inch of ice.  Yeesh.
• Paul Gaustad won a fight, kicking the snot out of Tim Gleason.  AND he didn't injure himself in the process!  Double win!

Minuses:

• Two games ago I thought the Ennis-Boyes-Leino line was showing good chemistry, but they've combined for just a goal and an assist so far.  Ennis is the only player on the top three lines who doesn't have a single point yet.  It's early and I'm not willing to say this line isn't working out - in fact, I think they'll be fine.  But I expect more from this group.
• Other than his goal, Vanek was brutal tonight.  Vanek turnovers led to both shorthanded goals, and his tripping penalty for taking down Tim Gleason with two minutes to go was quite the facepalm moment.
• Glad to see Jason Pominville return for the second period after getting destroyed by Bryan Allen, but... dude.  Pommers.  Keep your head up.  (I haven't seen a replay yet and they didn't show one in the arena, so I can't comment on the legality of the hit.  I have no idea if Pominville was hit in the head or not.)
• Although the Sabres did a great job of getting pucks and bodies to the net, those bodies were conspicuously absent from the crease for the most part in the latter two periods.  

Next Game: 10/15 in Pittsburgh.  Looks like the lineup should remain the same for the Sabres, as Jochen Hecht isn't expected back until at least next week.  Speaking of guys who have recently scrambled their brains, Sidney Crosby has been cleared for contact.  You may have heard that once or a million times over the last day or two.

Brad Boyes, Brad Boyes, whatcha gonna do?

Forgive me.  I've been dying to make that a post title for a long time. I'm a sucker for bad puns.

Anyway, I have a confession to make: I'm really rooting for Brad Boyes this season.  Why?  Because I don't want him to become another Tim Connolly.  It seems that the majority of Sabres fans adopted Boyes as the team whipping boy the minute Connolly was carried to Toronto on a stretcher hobbled out the door, and I think it's a bit unfair to Boyes.  Almost immediately after arriving last year, Boyes was forced into playing center - a position he clearly wasn't comfortable playing - and struggled as a result.

Although all three top lines seemed to show good chemistry in the season opener, I noticed it most with the Ennis-Leino-Boyes line.  Playing with two guys that like to hang on to the puck and create chances could do wonders for freeing up Boyes to get into good scoring areas off the wing.

Can't we wait to see how Boyes will click with Leino and Ennis, combined with a return to his natural position and a full offseason to learn the system, before we dismiss him as an eventual trade deadline salary dump?

Some notes of a programming nature

This is a mission statement of sorts for the blog in the 2011-12 season. Feel free to ignore if you don't care about non-hockey content...

My intent with game recaps is to have a running history of the season, with all the highs and lows that it entails.  Huge gaps in the timeline aren't conducive to that.  So unlike last year when I flamed out at the end of October, I will have something to say about each game and it will be posted before the next game occurs.  Whether it follows the usual format or if I only have time for a one-paragraph "Hey, great game!" or "Pull your heads out of your rear ends, you guys!", I'm going to have at least something to say.

Game recaps are going to be called "The Film Room" this year, as you may have noticed.  The name isn't intended to mean that I'll be super-analytical, as that's not my strength anyway - but it fits with the name of the blog, and is all sorts of witty. (Or not. Whatever.)

As events unfold, I'll also write about the things that don't occur during the context of a single game as well.  I'll have something coming up on Monday about Brad Boyes, for example. I may also try to come up with some weekly features, but I haven't figured out what those might be yet.  If I do, I can promise you that it'll last longer than the ill-fated "Sabre MVP of the Week" that became "The Ryan Miller Award" from a couple seasons ago.

Also, for those of you that have read my contributions at Buffalo Wins, those will continue as well.  Look for a new entry in the "Why You Can't Blame" series next Friday.  I have a lot of fun writing that series, and I appreciate Joe for giving me a platform there.

As always, thanks for taking the time to read my drivel, and let's enjoy the ride this season.

Film Room, Game 2: Sabres vs. Kings 10/8/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

Being one of the last players to make the 2011-12 Sabres roster, Luke Adam certainly knew he'd have to make an immediate impact to become a regular in the lineup.  To that end, Adam acquitted himself well in the season opener, gathering two assists and generally looking pretty good skating alongside Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville.

But you never know, that might not be enough to convince the coaches... so why not add a pair of goals for good measure?

Adam opened the scoring after a great play by Vanek, who used his body to keep the puck down low against the boards. Pominville swooped in to gather the puck and fired it to Adam, who used a Kings defenseman as a screen and got off a quick shot that fooled Bernier. Just 2:20 later Adam grabbed a turnover, whiffed on his first attempt, got off a shot on his second attempt, and slammed home the third try.  He probably could have had forty more whacks at the puck had he needed them, because the Kings didn't attempt to take the body on Adam whatsoever.  (Perhaps they were watching film of the Ducks from the previous night.)

In two games, Adam has very quickly gone from "guy who's holding down the fort until Jochen Hecht can play again" to a top-line center who doesn't look out of place at all between big guns Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville.  I'm genuinely excited by the potential of this newly formed trio; with a combined 13 points in two games, how can you not be?  I said after the season opener that Adam gives the Sabres three scoring lines and marginalizes Hecht a bit, and he's doing an outstanding job of making me look like I'm not completely crazy. (Disclaimer: I am completely crazy, I'm just saying Adam is making me look less so.)

Pluses:

• I didn't notice much of Nathan Gerbe in the opener, but there he was in full force against the Kings: rushing up left wing and getting off a hard slapper, pouncing on a Kings turnover for a breakaway, and skating so hard after a loose puck with the Kings net empty that he forced Drew Doughty to take a penalty to prevent a goal.  In short: dude never quits. We're starting to become quite accustomed to Gerbe and his nonstop motor, and dare I say we're getting a little spoiled by it.
• Of the Sabres' first eight goals this season, at least five of them by my count have been scored by throwing the puck to the net, including three of the four scored tonight. Two things need to happen for that philosophy to be successful: players who are willing to shoot the puck, and players who are willing to go stand in front of the net.  You're probably saying "No kidding, genius" right about now.  So why am I making this incredibly obvious point?  Because it seems like in the past we've had one or the other, but not both at the same time. It's refreshing to see the Sabres accept how goals are scored in the NHL now instead of getting too cute and making one too many passes like we've seen in years past.
• Every now and again Paul Gaustad does things that should be the exclusive domain of elite goal scorers, and tipping the puck between his legs past Jonathan Bernier qualifies as one of these things. This is where I lament that he doesn't do these things with more consistency.  I'm not sure which is more of a true statement: that fourth-line centers have no business making such slick plays, or that players who can do those sorts of things have no business being fourth-line centers?
• Unsurprising as it was to see the Germans solidly behind the "visiting" Sabres thanks to Ehrhoff and Hecht, I was still a bit taken aback by the volume of the "Let's Go Buffalo" chants.  That, combined with all the hooting and hollering and chanting, tells me the Germans are a fun bunch.  Can we please import tonight's crowd for a game at the First Niagara Center? 

Minuses:

• The Sabres seemed to have trouble with the LA forecheck during a rather unsightly first period. Forgivable, I suppose, seeing as how the Sabres didn't make it to Germany until 5am or so.  As the game went on, Buffalo managed to counter LA with a decent forecheck of its own.
• Tough luck for Gaustad on the first Kings goal, as he lost his stick during a battle along the boards.  Not only did he fail to get the puck out, but that lost stick became crucial moments later when the puck trickled by his feet.  Instead of an easy clear, the puck remained in the zone and Kopitar eventually scored. (Also, it didn't help that Dustin Brown screened Miller behind three Sabres who seemed completely uninterested in removing him from the premises.)
• Incredibly lazy backchecking by Roy and Stafford on the Kings' second goal, I felt. Anze Kopitar is kind of good, and perhaps it would be a good idea to pay attention to him and not let him sneak into scoring areas.
• It was pointed out to me in the comments of last night's recap that the Sabres recorded zero shots on goal in the third period against the Kings. Forgive me for that oversight: I watched the game on the DVR and stopped paying as much attention in the third when I knew there would be no more scoring.  With that in mind, I paid more attention to the third period tonight and was not pleased to see the Sabres get outshot 11-4.  I get that the defense is vastly improved, but I would prefer it if they don't give other teams target practice.

Next Game: 10/14 vs. Carolina, as the dreaded Candycanes make their first visit to the newly christened First Niagara Center.  I think it goes without saying for most of us that we haven't forgotten 2006 yet, so every victory against Carolina is a bit sweeter for me.

Film Room, Game 1: Sabres vs. Ducks 10/7/11

Box Score (NHL.com)

Much of the discussion about the Sabres this summer centered around new acquisitions Robyn Regehr, Christian Ehrhoff, and Ville Leino. During the past couple days, it's Jason Pominville who has become the focus as fans discuss the meaning of his captaincy and its effect on the team.

Thomas Vanek wants your attention, too, and spent the first 40 minutes of the season opener demanding it.

In an utterly dominating performance, Vanek put up two goals and an assist and reminded us who the true superstar is on this team (amongst players not named Miller, of course). His first goal was vintage Vanek, daring the Ducks to clear him out from the front of the net and gobbling up Luke Adam's loose change when Anaheim declined to ask him to leave. Setting up base camp near Jonas Hiller also led to a more unconventional second goal, one that was kicked in by Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, who became so awed by Vanek that he felt obligated to kick the puck in after Vanek whiffed on a backhand. (Or so I'd like to believe.) When Vanek wasn't being the immovable object in front of the net, he was the unstoppable force bursting up the wing after a loose puck. Vanek even got to spend a little time killing penalties, blocking a shot and nearly turning it into a breakaway. Thomas Vanek imposed his will on this game like few players can, and if performances like that were more commonplace I doubt you'd ever hear anyone crying about his $7.1 million cap hit.

Pluses (yeah, there's a lot of them):

• We knew that Ville Leino was a guy who likes to work the corners and is generally strong on the puck. In this game, we also learned that he knows how to get in position in the slot and erect a force field that prevents defenders from coming within five feet of him. Leino had so much space that he might have been able to knit a sweater before scoring the goal that made it 2-0 (and I would be remiss if I didn't mention Andrej Sekera's great vision to recognize this and deliver the puck to him). I was also impressed with his lunging backcheck that thwarted an Anaheim wraparound attempt right before Robyn Regehr's first-period interference penalty.
• I thought Derek Roy looked good in his first real game back.  (No, Game 7 of the Philly series doesn't count in my book - he clearly wasn't ready.)  He was kept off the scoresheet but looked pretty zippy.  He's definitely back to his old complaining self, as his facial expressions when being sent to the box in the third period would seem to indicate. (The latter probably doesn't belong in "pluses", though.)
• Luke Adam played like a guy that expects to stay in the lineup with a pair of assists in only 7:11 of ice time, and I certainly hope he does.  With Adam, the Sabres have three scoring lines and a checking/energy line. With Jochen Hecht in place of Adam, the Sabres have 2.5 scoring lines, a checking/energy line, and a solid defensive forward.  With the current makeup of this team, I'm struggling to see exactly where Hecht fits anymore.
• Special teams looked good as the powerplay went 2-for-4 and had little trouble keeping the puck in the attacking zone, while the penalty kill posted a big fat goose egg at the other end. Apparently the Sabres won't miss Brian McCutcheon one bit.
• Newcomer Robyn Regehr impressed me as well.  You'd like to see him in the box a bit less, but given that the penalties he took are the product of his hard-nosed style - a style we hope rubs off on the entire team - they're acceptable.  Especially of note was his breakup of a 2-on-1 while killing a third-period penalty.
• On the whole, the revamped defensive unit was outstanding and gave the Ducks nothing to work with. (See overly stretchy first bullet point under "Minuses" below for more on that.) Miller noted in the postgame that it seemed like the Ducks didn't want to go to the front of the net because of how hard Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff in particular played.

Minuses:

• There's not much to really complain about after a dominating 4-1 win, so this is admittedly a stretch - but that was not a quality goal Ryan Miller allowed.  Had we lost, it's the sort of goal everyone would be squawking about.  The slow-moving puck was shot from the point sometime last Tuesday and didn't appear to be tipped; instead, it seemed that Miller just lost it in the traffic. (Edit: Phil points out below that the puck was in fact deflected.  Thanks, Phil.  Fail on my part.) I hate to rag on Miller for that, because it's not really his fault - it's hard to stay sharp when you're not tested, and Anaheim didn't bother to do that until Bobby Ryan forced Miller to make a great save with about 4:45 to go in the second. 
• Atlanta may not have a team anymore, but apparently "Blueland" still exists - it's just been moved to Helsinki, Finland.  Seriously, what was up with that blue tint all over the broadcast?  Was it a DirecTV thing, or did everyone watch the game through a blue haze?  I half-expected Eiffel 65 to make a guest appearance during the intermission.

Other Observations:

• Too bad Drew Stafford doesn't get on the scoresheet for that slide into the Anaheim net.  He looked like he was trying to take out the post with a slide tackle soccer-style. I think I hit rewind on that play about 3-4 times because it was so fun to watch.

Next Game: Saturday 10/8 vs. Los Angeles.  Here's hoping for a 2-0 start in Europe to extend the good feelings that a summer of enormous expectations have created.

Thoughts on Captain Pominville

So the Sabres went and got themselves a captain yesterday... a decision that was, of course, met with consternation from the fanbase.  (We are Buffalo fans, after all.)

I was a little surprised at the reaction to the announcement of Captain Pominville on Twitter.  Seems that there's a whole lot of folks out there who are genuinely upset that it's not Thomas Vanek wearing the C, that Pominville is the "wrong" choice.

Might I ask why this is the case?

Essentially, I think the Sabres fanbase spent so much time convincing itself that Thomas Vanek is the only logical choice for captain that any other choice would be automatically rejected.  And that's not fair to Pominville, who may not be a flashy or sexy pick as captain but is as even-keel as it gets.  When I think of a captain, these words come to mind: sturdy, solid, dependable.  Is that not Jason Pominville?  He may not ever lead the Sabres in points, but has there been a more consistent (or durable, concussions and skate blades notwithstanding) Sabre over the last few years at both ends of the ice?

Because of a preconceived notion that Thomas Vanek is the Chosen One, however, the consensus seems to be that Pominville is the "wrong" pick.  And that mystifies me.

I get that people love what Vanek brings to the table.  So do I.  As Vanek goes, so goes the team.  He's displayed an almost supernatural ability to throw the team on his back at times.  He stepped up his game in a big-time way when Derek Roy was lost for the season last year. 

But perhaps there are things about Vanek we don't know - and similarly, things about Pominville that we don't know -  that swayed Lindy to choose Pominville over Vanek.  In the end, we're just fans.  We're not "in the room" and there's a whole lot of stuff we're not privy to.

I guess what I'm saying is that there are worse things to be upset about - and if I haven't convinced you of that yet, please recall last year when previous captain Craig "Cement Skates" Rivet found his butt nailed to the bench by the end of October.  Despite not having a guy on the ice wearing a C on his chest, the Sabres still found a way to extricate themselves from the conference cellar and made the playoffs.  Tell me, exactly how much of this matters again?

Drop the puck already so we can debate stuff that actually means something! 

(And yes, I realize I just wrote 400+ words on something that "doesn't matter".  I haven't blogged here in over two months and I have to get back in the flow somehow!)