Sabres Score Late to Hand the Coyotes Their First Loss

The Sabres spent most of the game firing shots at Coyotes backup goalie Jason Labarbara and Labarbara spent most of the night making saves.  It took two third period goals, including a power play goal by Thomas Vanek with only 3:53 left in the game to give Buffalo the victory.

The game remained scoreless after two periods despite the Sabres 30-18 shot advantage.  Desite the Sabres huge shot advantage, it was the Coyotes that scored first.  Phoenix capitailzed on a third period power play and took a 1-0 lead on a nice tip by Matthew Lombardi.

Buffalo answered back less than two minutes later with an even strength goal from Clarke MacArthur.  Tyler Myers made the play happen by keeping it in at the point and feeding the pass to C-Mac.  Myers read the clearing attempt and slid across the blueline to glove it down.  Instead of shooting he made a veteran play by feeding it in the MacArthur.  MacArthur did a great job of getting in position and waiting for Labarbara to commit before beating him with a backhand.

 As the saying goes, two points is two points.  That saying was especially true in the Sabres 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.  The Sabres were far from perfect but they get a win in a game that could have easily slipped away.

Miller Stands Tall...Again

What can you say about the play of Ryan Miller through two games.  He has been very good for the Sabres and tonight especially.  Miller made 23 saves on 24 shots but it was the quality of those saves that was impressive.  Every time the Sabres were on the power play, they seemed to give up an odd man rush.  Miller made the save every time, including a 3-on-1 in the second period.

The Kid is Alright

Is there still a question that Tyler Myers should be sent back to Juniors?  I think the kid has proved enough to show he belongs in the NHL.  If he didn't prove it already, he did it tonight.  His play at the point on the Sabres tying goal was an unbelieveable play.  Not only did he read the play but he made the smart play on the pass instead of firing the puck at the net.  Myers was also pretty good in his own end but seemed to really stand out in the offensive zone.

Finally a Power Play Goal

The Sabres scored a power play goal in the first four minutes of the Montreal game.  After that goal they went 0-for-6 the rest of the way.  They started tonight by going 0-for-6 after getting five power plays because of Patrick Kaleta.  After 12 consecutive power play failures, Thomas Vanek finally found the back of the net with less than four minutes left in the game.  Vanek was "Johnny on the Spot" but a great passing play by Derek Roy and Clarke MacArthur set him up for the goal.

Harry Neale Quote of the Game

I am sorry to say that Harry was a bit of a disappointment tonight.  He really didn't say anything that stood out like his usual quotes.  This is the best I can come up with...

"His 17 minutes must be elapsing soon"  in reference to Martin Hanzal after he jumped Patrick Kaleta who hit Peter Prucha.

Roll Call

This could have been one of the best Game Threads ever on Die by the Blade.  We came up just short of 300 comments which has to be a close to a site record.

Roll Call: Afino, dfderie, David Oleksy, Kooz, Bob Sheppard, J2, qdloser, NeverendingOptimism, bluecollarbuffalo, clownfat, KTyczka
Total Users: 11
Total Posts: 294
Total Threads: 1

Comment of the Game

There were plenty of comments that were great in this thread but the best is probably this one from J2

the back also seems firm – you can really tug hard on it and it stays tight as to not fall off….of course

SPG Game Standings

The SPG Game had a few more points this week but I remain scoreless through two.

Afino -2

bobsheppard -2

lassathrax -2

zaniac75 - 2

Up Next

The Sabres will head on the road for the first time this season.  They take on the Nashville Predators on Saturday night at 8 p.m.