Biron Continues to Haunt Sabres

by David Oleksy on Oct 31, 2009 10:09 PM EDT

Everyone expected the Sabres to come out flat and suffer a loss against the Islanders tonight. Everyone was half right. The New York Islanders came away with a convincing 5-0 victory on the strength of a shutout by Martin Biron and a hat trick from Jeff Tambellini. The Buffalo Sabres did not come out flat. In fact they were the better team until the goals started piling up for the Islanders.

The Sabres outshot the Islanders 14-9 in the first period and had plenty of real good chances on Biron. Biron did his best Ryan Miller impersonation and stopped everything the Sabres put on net. He was outstanding to put it mildly. Richard Park put the Islanders on top 1-0 in the first period despite his team being thoroughly outplayed.

It was the Islanders second goal that came near the half way point of the second period that sealed the Sabres fate. Tambellini scored his first of the game with a shot through his legs that snuck past the goal post and by Miller. It was a fanatstic play by Tambellinin but a save Miller should have made and one he probably wants to have back. It was after that goal the Sabres seemed to let down their guard and the Islanders took over the game.

The Islanders eventually continued the onslaught on Ryan Miller and Patrick Lalime, who replaced the ineffective Miller. The lone bright spot of the game came when Patrick Lalime stopped Doug Weight on a penalty shot with 13 seconds left.

Final - 10.31.2009	1	2	3	Total
Buffalo Sabres	0	0	0	0
New York Islanders	1	3	1	5

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Myers is 19 Years Old

It is becoming more a more evident that Tyler Myers is 19 years old. He has made some suspect plays the past two nights and he single handily gave away the Islanders first goal. He hung is goalie Ryan Miller out to dry and put the Sabres behind the eight ball.

The Sabres had dominated the Islanders for the entire first period but his giveaway gave the Islanders the all important first goal. The Sabres only other regulation loss of the season came when the Thrashers scored the first goal. The Islanders have not fared well when they give up the first goal with a 1-3-3 record but they were an impressive 2-1-2 when they score first.

Miller is Human

I am not going to blame Ryan Miler for the Sabres loss tonight but he really looked human tonight. The second Islanders goal was a terrible goal and the other two are plays we have seen Miller make in the first nine games. I think Lindy Ruff will come back with Miller again on Wednesday to give him a chance to rebound from tonight's performance.

Harry Neale Quote of the Game

Once again the quote of the game is more a conversation.

Harry - "Not much of a fight there. It looked more like Dancing with the Stars"

Rick - "I was never invited to one of those"

Harry - "It's not because your not a star, it must be because you can't dance"

Up Next

Bring on the Islanders. The Sabres seek revenge on Wednesday night at the HSBC Arena.

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Revenge Wednesday

by Frank Reich Revolution on Oct 31, 2009 10:21 PM EDT reply actions

let's hope so

by The Burl 8 on Oct 31, 2009 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions

My own take...

I didn’t think Miller was that bad or Biron was that great. I thought the Isles team defense was absolutely superb. They played like the 05-06 Sabres…clogging up passing lanes and throwing bodies in front of every shot. The Sabres couldn’t pass because New York was doing a hell of a job breaking everything up. Biron was indeed very good but he got a LOT of help, something neither Miller nor Lalime got very much of tonight. A well deserved two points for the Islanders.

"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England

by Calvert on Oct 31, 2009 10:44 PM EDT reply actions

I agree with some

The Islanders played a decent game but the Sabres were by no means terrible. If you think the Islanders second and fourth goals were not weak, I apologize but they were. The first and the third were also shots Miller has saved all season. The Sabres have played worse than they did tonight and came away with a win because Miller was superb and the other goalie was…well not so much. I don’t want to discount the Islanders were good tonight because they were but Miller wasn’t as good as usual and Biron made five or six saves in the first period that could have easily been goals.

D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere

by David Oleksy on Oct 31, 2009 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Don’t blame Miller, because Vanek blames himself.

“This one falls on me,” Vanek said. “I’m the goal scorer here, and I could have put the Islanders away in the first period myself, and I didn’t. From that end, it’s disappointing.”

by Afino on Oct 31, 2009 11:13 PM EDT reply actions

Not Blaming Miller

I blame Biron. He made every save tonight and many of them were good scoring chances. I think we need to see how they bounce back from this. They bounced back nicely from their last loss and this time they get to see the Islanders again.

D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere

by David Oleksy on Oct 31, 2009 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions

I like that but...

That’s good that Vanek says that, but I don’t want the guy feeling sorry for himself and moping around. He’ll get his goals, he just needs to skate hard and play with fire every single shift.

The Isles wanted it more last night. We’ll want it more on Wednesday. I’ll take one loss every 5 games throughout the season, I’m fine with that.

Delightfully Ignoring The Truth since 1995.

by NeverendingOptimism on Nov 1, 2009 7:44 AM EST up reply actions

True that

you can’t win if you don’t score

by Kooz on Nov 1, 2009 12:28 AM EDT reply actions

Talking about nothing but goalies

in a 5-0 loss is a bit ludicrous. If the Sabres don’t score in the first period, usually we’re in for a long night. You could have Dominck Hasek in there, or Peter Putz. ….it won’t matter. As “Kooz” says above, you aren’t going to win no matter who is in goal if you can’t put puck in the net yourself. Although playing better this season, we still have too many guys who are weak when it comes to goal-scoring.

Yeah, I know we have a great goalie and good defense, both of which are top priority. I just want the offense to do it’s share, too, so the team has a great shot at winning The Cup before I kick the bucket in the next year or two.

by ccthemovieman on Nov 1, 2009 8:04 AM EST reply actions

How is that Ludicrous?

Martin Biron faced 38 shots and stopped all 38. Ryan Miller faced 16 shots and stopped 13 and Patrick Lalime faced 14 and stopped 12. I know shots on goal aren’t the greatest statistic but the Sabres outshot the Islanders 38-30 and many of those 38 shots were good scoring opportunities. This game was no different than many of the Sabres victories this season except Biron was really good and our guys weren’t as good.

When the Sabres beat the Predators 1-0 we were all excited because they were getting opportunities and the goalie and defense were superb. Last night the Sabres got chances and the defense and goalie were not superb, end of story. It’s just another game among 82 and they will move on

D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere

by David Oleksy on Nov 1, 2009 9:28 AM EST up reply actions

You can’t expect Miller to crap gold every day of the week. Lalime probably should have started this game.

They’ll beat the Isles in Buffalo.

by skajaquada on Nov 1, 2009 11:08 AM EST reply actions

Why?

Why didn’t we sign Marty back when he was looking over the summer? Wait, I just found a conversation between Biron and Darcy in my archives, let’s take a look:
_______
Biron: “Hey Darcy! So, I’m shopping around this summer… Do you guys need a solid backup goaltender who can come in and win 13 games in a row for ya?”

Darcy D-Bag: “First off, why are you talking to me? Secondly, pfffffffffff no thanks.”

Biron: “Wow, nice attitude. May I ask why not?”

Darcy D-Bag: “Because we’ve got somebody better than you, Marty. We’ve got a guy named LaLame who can come in and lose 16 games while winning barely 5! Ha, take that! Now go cry, you little &*@#………..”

Biron: “Wow dude. Ok, YOU’RE the one who’s going to be crying when you miss the playoffs this year. After you abuse Ryan Miller and he gets burned out, you’re gonna have to rely on good ol’ Pat LaLame. Later, douche.”

3 months later………..

Fade in to an Islanders locker room: Marty Biron is sitting on a bench, laughing, after getting a 5-0 shutout on the Sabres. Back in Buffalo, Darcy puts a loaded gun in his mouth, then decides he wants to live a little longer and mess up the Sabres franchise just a little bit more before he checks out.

IN THE NEXT EPISODE, The Sabres fall back into their old routine of losing to mediocre teams, AND, Darcy trades more critical players to hated rivals! Who will it be next? Miller to the Leafs? A Vanek-Connolly-Roy package for Robert Esche? Our top draft picks for the next decade, for Mike Madano? What will he think of next?!?!?!?! Stay tuned!!!

by tedrecommends on Nov 1, 2009 7:34 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

Now, Now...let's not over react

Would it be nice to have signed Martin Biron? Yes it would have but it was just not possible because of the Lalime contract. At the trade deadline it will be another story. If they want to bring Biron in, they can and not worry about eating a little bit of salary at the end of the season.

What critical players were traded to rival teams? If you are talking about Paille, he is not critical. I like Paille as much as the next guy but he would not be considered a critical player.

D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere

by David Oleksy on Nov 1, 2009 8:10 PM EST up reply actions

Marty left Buffalo because he wanted to be a starting goaltender… Well, if that didn’t work out and Marty is truly just a backup in NY, he might as well come back to Buffalo. I bet he’ll get to play more games here too than anywhere else, because we know what he is capable of and have more confidence in taking Miller out more if Biron is in goal.

As far as player trades… I’m just saying, what crazy sh|t will Darcy think of next? What Darcy foul-up is just around the corner? Just look at the Kotalik trade, we traded away a top 5-7 player and a sure thing goal-per-shootout, for eventually: Montador. I’m not taking anything away from Montador but seriously, that was a down-grade.

by tedrecommends on Nov 2, 2009 1:33 PM EST up reply actions

Kotalik blows and he needed to go. He was a waste of salary and space. You can’t keep a guy who scores 4 out of 7 shootout goals. Shootouts don’t happen that often and more often than not, Kotalik was completely useless on the ice the rest of the game. He couldn’t even produce on a consistent basis on the PP with that monsterous shot. He’s a turnover machine and a liability in his own end. He is not even top 5-7 on the Rangers right now. He had a hot streak to start the season, like always. He will fade away for the Rangers and they’ll be wondering the same thing we all did: Why can’t a big guy with soft hands and a big shot ever score? Kotalik is a bum and I personally did a dance when Darcy finally traded his useless ass away.

B-B-B-Byrd Byrd Byrd, Byrd is the Wyrd!"

by willgarr15 on Nov 2, 2009 6:17 PM EST up reply actions

I seem to remember that opinion being different when, as predicted, we lost the first shootout without him.

Let’s see here, Kotalik finished 7th on our team last year despite being traded away after game 56 if I recall correctly…… lets just let that soak in. I also seem to remember him finishing with 7 or so more goals and a couple assists, while Moore finished with what, 1 goal and 4 assists? Then Moore left? Then we got Montador? Yeah… I’m calling this one a down-grade.

by tedrecommends on Nov 2, 2009 9:02 PM EST up reply actions

I’m not arguing how he compared to our entire team’s poor production last year. Nor am I saying that Moore was an upgrade. He was bad. But Kotalik was also bad. He should be putting up more points than he did in his entire career with the Sabres. 43 points is not enough for a player of his caliber. That’s good for 8th on our team, and he needed a hot finish with the Oilers to do it. As bad as Moore played while with the Sabres he still finished with more points than Kotalik. The fact that he finished 8th on our team in points is proof that he isn’t top 6 material and only goes to show in my opinion how terrible the rest of our team was last year.

B-B-B-Byrd Byrd Byrd, Byrd is the Wyrd!"

by willgarr15 on Nov 3, 2009 7:02 PM EST up reply actions