Buffalo Sabres Month in Review: January

by David Oleksy on Feb 1, 2010 11:01 AM EST

The month of December was billed as a defining moment for the Sabres, mostly because they had 15 games in 29 days during the month. The Sabres passed that test with flying colors with a 9-4-2 record which was good for 20 points. They were equally, if not more impressive, in January with an 8-3-3 record and yet we come away with the feeling it could have been better.

The Sabres begin February in first place in the Northeast Division and third place in the Eastern Conference. After missing the playoffs for two consecutive seasons everyone is happy with their current position, right? Wrong, instead of being comfortable with their current position they continue to look at the improvements they can make. I have no idea how far this team can go this spring but if they feel the same in private as they let on in public, they have the mentality that can take them a long way.

January 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	10	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Goals Against	30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	1	0

Although the scoring numbers are not overly impressive, take a look at the penalty killing. The Sabres allowed only three power play goals in the entire month with 14 games played. As bad as the power play has been, they end the month plus-8 on special teams with 11 power play goals scored.

	Home	Away
Games	6	8
Goals For	18	23
Goals Against	13	21
PP Goals	6	5
PP Goals Against	1	2
SH Goals	0	0
SH Goals Against	0	0

January Individual Stats

#	Player	Pos	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	Corsi	Corsi/Game	Corsi +/- Last Month
4	Steve Montador	D	13	1	2	3	-1	15	0	0	20	1.54	6
5	Toni Lydman	D	13	0	5	5	-2	6	0	0	17	1.31	50
9	Derek Roy	C	14	2	5	7	-2	8	1	0	19	1.36	41
10	Henrik Tallinder	D	14	1	2	3	1	0	0	0	26	1.86	78
13	Tim Kennedy	C	11	1	2	3	-2	10	1	0	-6	-0.55	42
19	Tim Connolly	C	14	4	16	20	7	4	1	0	31	2.21	47
21	Drew Stafford	RW	13	3	3	6	-2	6	2	0	18	1.38	57
22	Adam Mair	C	14	2	4	6	3	10	0	0	22	1.57	14
25	Mike Grier	RW	14	1	1	2	-4	0	0	0	-19	-1.36	10
26	Thomas Vanek	LW	14	5	5	10	-1	4	3	0	-14	-1.00	27
28	Paul Gaustad	C	14	0	4	4	-7	12	0	0	5	0.36	27
29	Jason Pominville	RW	14	4	6	10	3	0	1	0	50	3.57	78
34	Chris Butler	D	14	1	6	7	-2	8	0	0	2	0.14	24
36	Patrick Kaleta	RW	9	2	0	2	-3	2	0	2	-18	-2.00	-3
37	Matt Ellis	LW	10	0	1	1	1	4	0	0	21	2.10	21
38	Nathan Paetsch	D	1	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	9	9.00	4
41	Clarke MacArthur	LW	13	3	1	4	-1	8	0	0	21	1.62	56
44	Andrej Sekera	D	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3	3.00	6
52	Craig Rivet	D	14	1	2	3	-2	4	0	0	-6	-0.43	42
55	Jochen Hecht	LW	14	6	5	11	7	4	0	0	36	2.57	65
57	Tyler Myers	D	14	4	6	10	1	6	2	0	25	1.79	102

#	Player	Pos	GP	W	L	OTL	MIN	GA	GAA	SH	SV	SV%	SO
31	Ryan Miller	G	13	8	3	2	786	26	1.98	413	387	0.937	1
40	Patrick Lalime	G	2	0	0	1	76	7	5.53	41	34	0.829	0

Positives

It's typical for Lindy Ruff to juggle his lines and this season has been no different but in the month of January a top line finally emerged. Tim Connolly, Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville began clicking at the end of December and they remained together throughout the month of January and the results were impressive. Hecht and Pominville have a history together and Connolly has now assumed the role of Danny Briere.

How was Ryan Miller not the first positive I talked about? Miller played 13 games and had a 1.98 goals against average with a .937 save percentage. These are typical numbers for Miller this season and although most teams would kill to have a goalie with these numbers, we expect this out of MIller. If he fell below this stat line we would criticize him and wonder if he is starting to tire because of all the games he has played.

The penalty killing is the third and final positive I will talk about. Miller deserves most of the credit but the defense and the commitment of the forwards has to be mentioned. How many times have we seen Mike Grier dive in front of a shot, or Jochen Hecht and Tim Connolly steal a pass and fire it down the ice? The penalty killing has been a team effort and best of all, they take pride in killing penalties.

The Negatives

I'll start by bringing up the West Coast trip. The Sabres struggled to get points out west despite out playing their opponents for long stretches in each game. This has to put some doubt in the minds of the players and fans as the playoffs draw closer.

There has to be some concern over the play of Paul Gaustad recently. Goose had just four assists in the month of January, his faceoff statistics declined and his minus-7 rating was the worst on the team. Gaustad is an important part of the team whether he plays on the third or fourth line and they need him to become a regular contributor as they come down the stretch.

The Surprises

Not much in the way of surprises although nobody would have predicted that Jochen Hecht woud lead the team in goals during the month. Hecht scored six goals in January and was added to the German roster for the 2010 Winter Olympics that will take place in two weeks.

Tim Connolly had is long point streak which would rate as a mild surprise. We all knew that Connolly was a talented offensive player but nobody can predict a point streak of that nature.

Player of the Month

Tim Connolly

#19 / Center / Buffalo Sabres

Height: 6-1

Weight: 191

Born: May 07, 1981

Monthly Stats: 14GP, 4G-16A-20PTS, Plus-7

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Comments

they take pride in killing penalties

Thats the key to a good PK. You gotta have players that will go out there and WANT to kill penalties. Almost take it as a personal goal to not let a PP goal scored on you when youre out there. Plus its a way to earn more playing time.

Overall good month for the Sabres. I wish they might have got 1-2 more points out of the The Trip, but it was a good month. Still on top of the division, and need to continue the strong play over the next 2 weeks until the Olympic break.

"Be a wuss at home! Be a man on Rumblings!" - Kurupt

by bflo on Feb 1, 2010 12:23 PM EST reply actions

there are a bunch of winnable games the next couple weeks, even though Carolina is winning right now and is on a roll, they should be able to match up well with them. Same with Columbus. I also think tonight’s game is winnable, considering the Pens played yesterday afternoon an emotional game against Detroit with us having 2 days rest.

Keep it up boys …

by sabre74kkn on Feb 1, 2010 12:27 PM EST reply actions

Did you see Malkin’s shootout winner in that game? That was pretty.
Nothing like a monthly recap to put things in perspective. I wouldn’t mind Darcy making a move but this team could be very competitive for years to come; I say don’t mess with that.

by Traver on Feb 1, 2010 2:10 PM EST up reply actions

Crosby's was pretty.

Jimmy Howard looked like shit on Malkin’s. I could have made a better attempt on that one.

All your tshirt needs.

by twoeightnine on Feb 1, 2010 3:30 PM EST up reply actions

Like you, I am concerned with the performance of the Sabres on the Western trip. The trip was, in my opinon, a harbinger of an early exit in the playoffs unless the Sabres make a trade(s) to get some size and scoring punch. They could also use some help on the defense.

Vanek, in spite of all his talents and abilittes, has proven to be unreliable as a scorer. He should be racking up hat tricks and multiple goal games, but he has had problems finding the back of the net even though he has had numerous opportunities. The Sabres probably could trade him, but I doubt that they will.

I think the Sabres will have very hard time finding a trading partner, because, except for a few players, no team is likely to want most of the Sabres’ personnel.

As a Sabres fan, I am expecting them to make the playoffs (although, there are no guarentees) but to be eliminated in the first round. They will be playing other teams with reliable accurate scores who will be more than a match for the Sabres defense which is mistake prone when pressed.

It is too bad the Sabres team that embarrassed the Redwings in October, didn’t show up on the West Coast trip or, for that matter, most of the season. The Sabres have been involved in too many close games – fortunately, they have won most of those games. Let’s hope their luck doesn’t run out.

by Geolover on Feb 1, 2010 12:33 PM EST reply actions

I am concerned with the performance of the Sabres on the Western trip

I am as well – i was hoping that they would take that trip as a playoff situation but it didn’t seem like they did.

harbinger of an early exit in the playoffs unless the Sabres make a trade(s) to get some size and scoring punch

i’m not so sure i’m worried about this as much as you are. this team actually seems built right for the playoffs. good goal tending, good defense and no clear cut scorer but an insane amount of contributing among the lines.

I think it of like a team with one good line then the rest of the lines are “meh”. with the sabres you really have to account for all the lines becuase they can all score. that depth will be very, very helpful in the playoffs for sure.

Vanek, in spite of all his talents and abilittes, has proven to be unreliable as a scorer.

true – but I expect him to really take off around playoff time – call it a hunch – but I think you’ll see him where you want him right when it matters. right now the sabres really don’t need him to score a ton – but his presence and hardwork should pay off in the playoffs

I think the Sabres will have very hard time finding a trading partner, because, except for a few players, no team is likely to want most of the Sabres’ personnel.

i think this is fine as well – we have our team – we might pull a zubrus out of left field – but this team has the depth/defense and goaltending to compete every night.

but to be eliminated in the first round. They will be playing other teams with reliable accurate scores who will be more than a match for the Sabres defense which is mistake prone when pressed.

while i wholeheartedly disagree – i understand your logic to an extent.

We all know that the game chagnes in the playoffs – teams play more consistent defense and I think the “playoff” style of hockey actually fits this club quite well.

It is too bad the Sabres team that embarrassed the Redwings in October, didn’t show up on the West Coast trip or, for that matter, most of the season. The Sabres have been involved in too many close games – fortunately, they have won most of those games. Let’s hope their luck doesn’t run out.

you do know that we’re 3rd in the east still right? don’t need to go jumping off of a ledge anytime soon – hey every single team in the east has looked vulnerable at some point – this race is wide open man.

Hello - thanks for reading my signature. It's very interesting. Bye

by J2 on Feb 1, 2010 2:48 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs

The teams not in the top 5 have looked vulnerable a large portion of the season, instead of just occasionnally.

(Ottawa worries me. Also, Washington has discovered it doesn’t matter if they suck it defense if they score every shift.)

Please remember this: Buffalo =/= Washington. We don’t outscore teams by 4 per game. (on another note, they have scored less than 5 goals in four of their past seven, which means they’re in a scoring slump. relatively.)

Our comparables are NJ and Pheonix(who ever thought they’d say that?)

We are scarily similiar to NJ, and i think we’d be doing about the same as pheonix if we were in a conference where the bubble teams didn’t suck for large periods of time.

Even saying that, i see no reason for buffalo to keep their 1st rounder this year. We have too many prospects already. It’d be nice to trade it for a forward, possibly Cullen, or whoever else Darcy finds.

Not even the Toronto Maple Leafs could kill my optimism

by Ubiquitous on Feb 1, 2010 3:47 PM EST up reply actions

Please remember this: Buffalo =/= Washington. We don’t outscore teams by 4 per game

agreed

the only 2 clubs in the east that i think will knock the sabres out of the playoffs are either the Penguins or the Caps (hopefully they’ll battle it out and we won’t have to play both of them)

Hello - thanks for reading my signature. It's very interesting. Bye

by J2 on Feb 1, 2010 4:30 PM EST up reply actions

Uhm...

Hello… Ottawa? Maybe, Atlanta? Those are the teams I don’t want to meet in the playoffs, especially in the first round. I would rather meet the Pens or Washington. Don’t forget… we shut out Washington once this year already. We know how to beat them… Do you remember the last time we beat the Sens?

by clownfat on Feb 1, 2010 5:35 PM EST up reply actions

just my opinion – i’d rather not play the Penguins or Caps if I could avoid it. plus – one shutout doesn’t really do it for me – it’s a 7 game series.

i just think that we can beat ottawa (my nemisis) or atlanta in a 7 game series.

but i could be wrong

Hello - thanks for reading my signature. It's very interesting. Bye

by J2 on Feb 1, 2010 5:55 PM EST up reply actions

i see no reason for buffalo to keep their 1st rounder this year

Completely agree. We have loads of talent, that over the next few years is going to make a push to get into the NHL. Plus as an NHL we are very young. I wouldnt mind giving up this years 1st to try and put another piece of The Cup puzzle together.

"Be a wuss at home! Be a man on Rumblings!" - Kurupt

by bflo on Feb 1, 2010 5:25 PM EST up reply actions

big game tonight

good stuff Dave

by Rafal Ladysz on Feb 1, 2010 4:21 PM EST reply actions

yet we come away with the feeling it could have been better.

No kidding here. I’ll take 8-3-3 every month, please and thank you. Golly…it’s hard to please the fickle Sabre fan. For a team many expected not to even merit playoff consideration, where they’re sitting is kind of pretty.

I’m with you on Goose. That -7 really jumped out at me. For this team to be considered a viable cup contender, I think he’s got to have his “A” game on.

That 20 points Timmy put up is really impressive. I wonder how that ranks amongst all time Sabre scoring for a month. It’s gotta be top ten, maybe even top five.

Funny that we all gave Kaleta a bunch of credit for developing his offensive game, and then he poops out two whole points for the month. I know points aren’t everything, put wow did we put the jinx on him.

I really think it’s time to start giving Rivet a rest here and there. The old man has looked tired some times to me, and I think he’s in need of the Olympic break the most.

Speaking of that, what do the guys who don’t play do during the Olympics do? Do they stay in town and practice, or is the whole team shut down? I can’t remember from previous Olympics how that works.

Does Timmy Kennedy go down to Portland and play during the break?

One of my least favorite stats of the month – Sekera – one game played. That’s not how to develop good young defensemen Lindy.

I think Adam Mair deserves some kind of employee of the month pin here too. Dude put up six points this month – that’s gotta be near a career high for him (for a month).

All in all, I’m gonna call it a nice month. Not a great month, but a nice one. I can even live with the road trip and it’s lack of success.

Oh – when’s the trade deadline start before the Olympics?

by krytime on Feb 1, 2010 6:27 PM EST reply actions

Speaking of that, what do the guys who don’t play do during the Olympics do? Do they stay in town and practice, or is the whole team shut down? I can’t remember from previous Olympics how that works.

They aren’t allowed to have organized team activities for most of it. I think 10 days off is in the CBA.