Sabres Month in Review: December
by David Oleksy on Jan 5, 2010 10:52 AM EST
17 comments
We are already two games into the month of January, but it's time to take a look back at the month of December. Much was made about the Sabres difficult December schedule with 15 games in 29 days with two off days being Christmas. The Sabres passed the December test with flying colors. They finished the month with a 9-4-2 record for a total of 20 points.
With the season now at its halfway point, the Sabres find themselves in second place in the Eastern Conference. Some readers on the site have compared this season to the 2005-2006 season and I am quickly becoming a believer. Ironically enough they had 54 points after 40 games in 2005-2006 and they had 54 points after 40 games this season.
| 2005-2006 | 2009-2010 | |||||||||
| Games | Record | Points Earned | +/- points | Total Points | Games | Record | Points Earned | +/- points | Total Points | |
| 1-10 | 6-4-0 | 12 | 0 | 12 | 1-10 | 8-1-1 | 17 | 5 | 17 | |
| 11-20 | 5-5-0 | 10 | -2 | 22 | 11-20 | 4-5-1 | 9 | -3 | 26 | |
| 21-30 | 8-1-1 | 17 | 5 | 39 | 21-30 | 7-3-0 | 14 | 2 | 40 | |
| 31-40 | 7-2-1 | 15 | 3 | 54 | 31-40 | 6-2-2 | 14 | 2 | 54 | |
| 41-50 | 6-3-1 | 13 | 1 | 67 | 41-50 | 54 | ||||
| 51-60 | 7-1-2 | 16 | 4 | 83 | 51-60 | 54 | ||||
| 61-70 | 5-5-0 | 10 | -2 | 93 | 61-70 | 54 | ||||
| 71-80 | 6-3-1 | 13 | 1 | 106 | 71-80 | 54 | ||||
| 81-82 | 2-0-0 | 4 | - | 110 | 81-82 | 54 | ||||
December Goal Scoring
| 5-on-5 | 5-on-4 | 5-on-3 | 4-on-4 | 4-on-3 | 3-on-3 | 3-on-4 | 3-on-5 | 4-on-5 | EN | PS | |
| Goals For | 29 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Goals Against | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Goal scoring was down considerably for the Sabres in December. The Sabres scored just over two goals per game while at even strength and the power play hit new lows last month. The strength of this team has been defense and goalie play and that was never more evident than the month of December. As bad as the power play was, the penalty killing was that good. They allowed only seven power play goals against and one was scored on a 5-on-3.
The Sabres have been a good team at home this season as opposed to the past couple of seasons when they struggled at HSBC Arena. They are 14-5-4 on home ice and the December numbers show their goal scoring was better at home than it was on the road.
| Home | Away | |
| Games | 9 | 6 |
| Goals For | 24 | 17 |
| Goals Against | 16 | 17 |
| PP Goals | 4 | 2 |
| PP Goals Against | 1 | 6 |
| SH Goals | 0 | 3 |
| SH Goals Against | 0 | 0 |
December Stats
| # | Player | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM | PPG | SHG | Corsi | Corsi/Game | Corsi +/- Last Month |
| 4 | Steve Montador | D | 15 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0.93 | -27 |
| 5 | Toni Lydman | D | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -33 | -2.20 | -35 |
| 9 | Derek Roy | C | 13 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -22 | -1.69 | -28 |
| 10 | Henrik Tallinder | D | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -52 | -3.47 | -60 |
| 12 | Mark Mancari | RW | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -2.00 | --- |
| 13 | Tim Kennedy | C | 15 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | -48 | -3.20 | -57 |
| 19 | Tim Connolly | C | 15 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | -16 | -1.07 | 1 |
| 21 | Drew Stafford | RW | 14 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | -39 | -2.79 | -13 |
| 22 | Adam Mair | C | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.53 | -9 |
| 25 | Mike Grier | RW | 11 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -29 | -2.64 | -38 |
| 26 | Thomas Vanek | LW | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | -41 | -3.42 | -40 |
| 28 | Paul Gaustad | C | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | -22 | -3.14 | -19 |
| 29 | Jason Pominville | RW | 15 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | -28 | -1.87 | -47 |
| 34 | Chris Butler | D | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -22 | -7.33 | 20 |
| 36 | Patrick Kaleta | RW | 10 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 2 | -15 | -1.50 | -32 |
| 37 | Matt Ellis | LW | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | -3 |
| 38 | Nathan Paetsch | D | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1.25 | 8 |
| 41 | Clarke MacArthur | LW | 15 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | -35 | -2.33 | -18 |
| 42 | Nathan Gerbe | LW | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -13 | -6.50 | --- |
| 44 | Andrej Sekera | D | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | -0.21 | -30 |
| 52 | Craig Rivet | D | 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | -48 | -3.20 | -20 |
| 55 | Jochen Hecht | LW | 15 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | -29 | -1.93 | -40 |
| 57 | Tyler Myers | D | 15 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -77 | -5.13 | -79 |
| # | Player | Pos | GP | W | L | OTL | MIN | GA | GAA | SH | SV | SV% | SO |
| 31 | Ryan Miller | G | 11 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 664 | 25 | 2.25 | 374 | 349 | 0.933 | 1 |
| 40 | Patrick Lalime | G | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 185 | 5 | 1.62 | 99 | 94 | 0.949 | 0 |
Positives
- December was a turning point for the Sabres. They rebounded from a sub-par November and recaptured some of the momentum they had during October. The highlight of the month was back-to-back wins against the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks.
- The emergence of Patrick Lalime. "The Lime" had struggled mightily in the first two months of the season but after a two game conditioning stint in Portland, he was a new man. He played in only three games but had a 2-0-1 record and had a better goals against and save percentage than Miller had.
- Jason Pominville starting to find the net. His five goals in the month of December led the team and he tied Derek Roy with 11 points in the month.
- Toni Lydman is often one of the most overlooked players on the Sabres blueline. It is hard to overlook his performance in December. He scored a goal, added three assists and led the team with a plus-7 rating.
- Penalty killing excelled at both ends of the rink. They continued to be stingy in the defensive zone but shorthanded goals became part of the arsenal. Patrick Kaleta led the way with shorties in back-to-back games to give him two of the three Sabres shorthanded goals.
The Disappointments
- The power play is the biggest disappointment for the Sabres this season. We talk about the anemic offense and it is a direct result of the anemic power play. The Sabres have no creativity with the man advantage. The strategy is to shoot from the point but the Sabres point guys struggle to get their shots through. At some point the coaching staff is going to have to draw up a new plan or they have to change the players. The current strategy just does not work.
- Chris Butler continues to struggle. He played in only three games and was a minus-3, the lowest on the team. Butler replaced Andrej Sekera in the lineup when he returned from injury but so far he has underperformed. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sekera replace Butler in the lineup in the very near future.
Player of the Month
December is the first month that Ryan Miller will not be given player of the month. We praised the Sabres for bringing Mike Grier back in the off-season, this month he reminded us why we liked him so much. Grier had a tough month off the ice but it has not affected his play on the ice.
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Grier=Beast
His play is just so solid it is incredible. He almost never makes a mistake with or without the puck. He’s always in the right spot defensively and offensively. Kudos to Mike Grier for another great month. I love watching this guy play
B-B-B-Byrd Byrd Byrd, Byrd is the Wyrd!"
by willgarr15 on Jan 5, 2010 11:06 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
I had this exact conversation yesterday with someone who doesn’t follow hockey. I said watch this guy play, hes solid as a rock. He knows his role with the team and when I see him out there, there are little to no mistakes made.
"always thinking one step ahead, like a carpenter...who makes stairs..."
by dragonwag0n on Jan 5, 2010 12:33 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
Thats the key with Grier. He knows his role and always sticks to the game plan. Thats why hes always creating chances and is one hell of a forechecker. I really enjoy seeing him and Kennedy playing out there together… its almost as if they feed off eachother.
"We should be wearing a ski mask right now. We stole something." - Ryan Miller after the 3 goal comeback against Atlanta
by bflo on Jan 5, 2010 2:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nice job
compiling all those stats. I hope their January is as good as their December. I see the 18th (@ Phoenix) through the end of the month being a busy and tough stretch.
"Slide DiMaggio, slide!" "Hey, my name isn't DiMaggio, my name is mm..mmmm...mmm....mud."
by cmat on Jan 5, 2010 11:23 AM EST reply actions 0 recs
What a luxury to have 2 (actually 3 if you include Myers, and not even thinking about whose in Portland) young, solid defenseman that we can trust in the lineup. Agree that if Butler is struggling, we shouldn’t hesitate to get Sekera back in the lineup.
by sabre74kkn on Jan 5, 2010 12:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I liked how you laid out the stats. Nice work. I’ve been watching the sabres games on the internet this year, and I’m not liking it. When the game is over, I don’t even feel like I watched it. It is weird. I’m not able to take anything away from the game. I need a better computer and faster internet. I haven’t felt informed enough to comment on the team. Even after watching on the internet though, Miller stands out. I also think that I agree on the Sekera in for Butler thing. Myers has been playing well. I’ve seen his reach come it to play a few times in the last couple of games.
by KTyczka on Jan 5, 2010 1:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
disappointment for sure is the PP. Something needs to be done to fix that. We score quite a bit of 5 on 5 goals but we gotta take advantage of the man advantage.
Vanek needs to wake up in the goal scoring dept but hes playing pretty good D, which was always his knock, so he does need to keep that up.
All in all it was a good month. Keep trusting the system and the goals will come.
"We should be wearing a ski mask right now. We stole something." - Ryan Miller after the 3 goal comeback against Atlanta
by bflo on Jan 5, 2010 2:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Solid as usual Dave
Our boys look primed for good things.
by Rafal Ladysz on Jan 5, 2010 4:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Lindy & company should be applauded for the last month. 20 points out of fifteen games in one month is impressive to say the least.
Can anyone come up with a line combo Lindy didn’t try? Good Lord there was a lot more mixing and matching than usual (imo).
I also get the impression the team isn’t burned out. It seems to me Ruff gave the team quite a few days off, and kept the legs fresh, even if it appeared they had a tendency toward the end of the month to come out flat. January should also be easier on the legs. They have a relatively easy go of it until the 2/3 mark of the month. Anyway, back to December…
One situation I’m keeping an eye on his how he handles his young defensemen. I still think Myers will need to be spelled here or there (he’s not Superman after all), but no way is he coming out of the lineup unless he starts to fail. I’m probably more concerned with the way he handles Sekera and Butler. These guys are just kids as well, and you have to be careful with their confidence. Lindy was “lucky” in the way that he really didn’t have to make many decisions this month, as injuries forced his hand much of the time. But now, with everyone seemingly healthy, I think it bears watching.
Does the lack of scoring this month (and especially on the PP) make it clear this team could be really dangerous if it manages to acquire a hard nosed scoring top six forward? Alas, I can only dream. It takes a lot to get that kind of player.
Why am I still a little nervous about Lalime? His play over the past few weeks has been above average, and you would think I’d be pleased with that, right? But I’m not. I’m worried that Ruff is using Miller a little too much. The Olympics aren’t far away, and after them, March is brutal schedule wise. I think they play 42 games in March; might be a good time to make sure Miller is rested a good bunch over the next five/six weeks. Lalime needs to continue to play well, and more in my book. I just don’t trust him to do so. If he can start about seven games between now and the break, and get the team ten points, I may change my mind about him.
Sorry DO – I have to disagree with the player of the month. I absolutely love what #25 has brought to the team. And the way he handled a tough situation needs to be applauded. But still, my vote goes to Miller. With that said, is anyone adverse to trying to get Grier signed for next year right now? I think his play merits an extension of some sort, albeit a small one. He’s in that crazy vet category too, where you can offer a guy more money than he’s worth, pay him, and not feel the cap hit when he retires. I’m thinking along the way Philly structured Pronger’s contract, although on a much, much, much, much smaller scale.
Was this the month Ruff put Grier-Kennedy-Vanek together? If not, it’s still the month they’ve played the most together. I like this line, but keep thinking some of Vanek’s talents are wasted here. If Vanek is going to go on one of his scoring streaks (and I think we all hope it happens soon), is it going to be with these two?
Please allow me a chance to kind of apologize to Jason Pominville here. I’ve been a harsh critic of his for awhile now; for some reason I just expect so much more from him and that contract. I was looking at RW stats around the league, and did a double take when I saw he was the 13th highest scoring RWer. I don’t know if that means his contract his justified, but it sure does mean he’s producing, relatively speaking.
Going from the chart above…is it really possible the combination of Hank and Myers didn’t have a penalty called against them the whole month? Wow. No penalties for Grier, Ellis, or Sekera too. That’s just smart play if you ask me. Kudos to these guys…
When does the light really kick on for Stafford? I know power forwards take some time to develop, like defensemen. But is he really even a power forward? He needs so much more consistency, and even a hint of a mean streak would help too. I like that Lindy benched him, and he responded. But he’s in his fourth year of big boy hockey now – he shouldn’t need that (a benching) to step his game up. At one time I thought he was a sure fire first line winger; now I’m not so sure.
by krytime on Jan 5, 2010 4:44 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
daaaaaaamn nice month end of your own there kry. recd
Agree with most of everything you mentioned.
I think DO was going with the “its cant be Miller every month” thought in mind when writing this about Dec’s MVP. Doesnt mean he wasnt MVP like just mixing it up a little.
Wouldnt mind extending Grier a year or two. Wouldnt be a bad move IMO.
Vanek does need to go on his yearly streak but it would be nice if he would just stay consistant. Hes a tough one to understand. Im not sure he even understands him sometimes, I know he is very hard on himself… you can see if during games, yelling at himself and everything. He just needs to put the puck in the net.
Starting to build confidence in Lalime but not sold yet… Not much else to say there.
Staffords another one… Im not sure what he is yet. Power forward, scorer, checker… We know he can score but very inconsistant. But just because hes a “bigger” forward doesnt classify him as a power forward. He doesnt do the “tough” things well… like Goose.
Agree on Pommers too. Im hard on him especially his broken stick population. But December seemed to be better for him in all aspects of the game.
Good month. Keep going boys. Youre flying under the radar with teams like Brodeur, Crosby, and Ovechkin Devils, Pens, and Caps in the east. Trust the system and everything should be fine.
"We should be wearing a ski mask right now. We stole something." - Ryan Miller after the 3 goal comeback against Atlanta
by bflo on Jan 5, 2010 5:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
red’d
"always thinking one step ahead, like a carpenter...who makes stairs..."
by dragonwag0n on Jan 5, 2010 8:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nice write-up
I agree with about everything there. Stafford is definitely a quandry. Sometimes the best guy we have; playing hard, physical and strong on the puck. Other times he is soft and tries to make every “neat” or “fancy” move there is. He is better when he is strong on the puck and uses that big body for his advantage.
I love the Vanek-Grier-Kennedy line as well but also fear as you do that he will/can not score too many goals in that situation. I think it is time to line him up with some of the other scorers now that he has a new-found love for the fore and back-checks.
Miller is great as always, but trust in Lalime. We will need him to continue is strong play and Miller definitely needs more rest.
Pominville has been on a tear this month and it is good to see. Bflo: you make a good comment about his broken sticks. Get this guy a freaking wooden stick already! These composite sticks are BS. They never stopped Als MacInnis or Iafrate from ripping off a monster slapper.
Grier: see my comment above. Sign him to an extension over the olympic break
B-B-B-Byrd Byrd Byrd, Byrd is the Wyrd!"
by willgarr15 on Jan 6, 2010 12:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Does anyone else like rivet? i feel as if maybe butler could be better if he had a better partner. every time i see rivet on the ice, it seems as if nothing happens, which is probably why butler isn’t really producing. i look at the tallinder myers combo and tallinder is all of a sudden reborn! i dont know what people think of rivet, but i am just not impressed with him, give the “c” to someone else.
by manic hispanic on Jan 5, 2010 9:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Rivet stepped in to fill a big role last season, and did his best to play through nagging injuries. Now that he is healthy, he is looking pretty solid. I’ll agree that he is not exciting to watch, but he is not an asset to the team by any means. He was elected captain by the rest of the team, so its hard to argue with that move. I’d like to see him drop the gloves a bit more often, especially during games when Sekera is playing forward as a 7th D and can fill in the lost minutes.
While we’re talking about defense, though, I think Lydman and Montador deserve a lot of credit for their contibutions. Much like Ellis and Mair on offense, they are becoming the unsung heroes that grind out a lot of tough minutes.
by lassathrax on Jan 6, 2010 12:17 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
Everything you said I agree with lassathrax. Rivet being captain has nothing to do with his production on the ice. His leadership on and off the ice are undeniable. Rivet will drop the gloves when necessary to defend a teammate. He fought last year twice in one game with an injured wrist. He is not afraid to throw down, but he’s not gonna seek out a fight.
B-B-B-Byrd Byrd Byrd, Byrd is the Wyrd!"
by willgarr15 on Jan 6, 2010 12:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Nothing happening is good for a defenseman.
by twoeightnine on Jan 6, 2010 2:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
agreed. Just like a O-lineman in football
… if you dont hear their name, thats usually a good thing.
"Be a wuss at home! Be a man on Rumblings!" - Kurupt
by bflo on Jan 6, 2010 9:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
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