Sabres 2 Bruins 1: Sabres Escape Scare From Bruins, Lead Series 1-0
by David Oleksy on Apr 15, 2010 10:46 PM EDT
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The Boston Bruins gave the Buffalo Sabres all they could handle but the Sabres rebounded from a terrible second period to hold on for the 2-1 win and more importantly, a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Thomas Vanek and Craig Rivet were the only Sabres to beat Tuukka Rask and Mark Recchi scored the lone Bruins goal.
Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek were flying all over the ice in the first period and their effort was rewarded after a nifty pass from Roy set Vanek up for a howitzer that beat Rask over the glove.
With the score 1-0 the physical play picked up and boiled over near the 15 minute mark of the period. Zdeno Chara laid a big hit to the back of Patrick Kaleta and minor scuffle ensued with Milan Lucic playing the role of aggressor. Lucic swung and connected twice to the cheek of Toni Lydman before eventually jumping on top him. Chara and Lucic were both given four minutes for their role in the scuffle while Steve Montador, Raffi Torres and Lydman all received two minutes. Patrick Kaleta was also given a 10 minute misconduct for his role as agitator.
The Sabres had a chance to gain the momentum on the power play but the Bruins penalty kill frustrated the Sabres and didn't allow them any chances. Buffalo had another power play opportunity at the end of the first that carried into the second but the Brins killed it and the momentum swung in their favor.
The Bruins carried that momentum and pinned the Sabres in their zone for long stretches in the first half of the period. The Sabres eventually took a penalty and Mark Rechhi found the back of the net to tie the game 1-1 with the man advantage.
Despite being outplayed badly for most of the period, the Sabres took advantage of a chance and Craig Rivet beat Rask with Patrick Kaleta parked in front of him. Tim Kennedy set up the Rivet goal with a heads up play, stopping just inside the blue line and feeding the pass to Rivet who was streaking up the wing.
The Sabres rebounded from an awful second period with smart play in the third period that forced the Bruis to take a couple of minor penalties. The Sabres were unable to convert any of the power play opportunities but they gained momentum and hung on for a well deserved 2-1 victory.
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Final Thoughts
- This was exactly the type of game we all expected. A 2-1 game with Ryan Miller making 38 saves and Rask making 30 saves. This is truly going to be a goaltenders series and I'll take Miller over Rask every night...and afternoon.
- Tim Kennedy looked like a rookie plenty of times tonight but in the end it was his play to hold up in the Bruins zone that led to the game winner. That should be a huge confidence boost for the youngster.
- Toni Lydman continues to be the most unheralded player on the team. He and Montador led all Sabres in even strength ice time and they were outstanding defensively for the Sabres.
- Who said the Sabres aren't a physical team? The Sabres had 41 hits in the game tonight with Mike Grier leading the way with seven hits. Grier showed why the Sabres acquired him with his play tonight. He was a physical force and what a play he made in the closing seconds to force Chara to hook him and seal the victory.
- I would love to hear an explanation as to why Zdeno Chara was allowed to leave the box and play over a minute on the ice while he was supposed to be serving the second of his two minor penalties in the first period.
- Sabres lead the series 1-0...lets go for 2-0 on Saturday.
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What a game
That was a good old Adams division scrap-fest right there. I don’t know why the penalty box official let Chara out early either, but in his defense, he had a lot to keep track of right then. Nice win.
by Frank Reich Revolution on Apr 15, 2010 10:54 PM EDT reply actions
What a crazy experience down at the plaza. Fans were absolutely insane with crowd surfing thrown in the mix as well. We came out very strong in the first, but fell into a shell in the second. Miller truly earned the first star tonight. Players that stood out IMO: Ennis, Torres, Kaleta, Grier, Lydman, Montador.
"Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!" -Harry (Jeff Daniels)
Sounds about right.
It was packed solid. Not as many as the Conference Finals but up there. Had to fight through the crowd to get inside.
by twoeightnine on Apr 16, 2010 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions
if the weather is nice on Saturday that crowd could be bigger than Thursday in the Square
We got the tools, We got the talent
by J2 on Apr 16, 2010 8:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Great game. Gotta see that every game in the series if they want to take it, the Bruins are great on the D.
Ennis looks like a veteran out there, which is awesome.
So what are the chances for an Avalanche vs. Sabres finals, eh?
I am the 1st and probably only official member of the David "Dr." Jones fanclub. Until I get the newsletter out, anyway.
Donte Whitner sez: Camp Jauron is over!
It’s been a mixed bag from what I’ve read about Ennis. Several people think his line played poorly tonight, while others disagree. As for myself…I love Ennis and his playmaking ability and scorer’s mentality. Great all-around game by the Sabres. They showed heart when the Bruins dominated the second period with 24 shots by scoring the game winner. Lots to be excited about.
I love Ennis in offensive zone, but the line of Connolly, Pominville and Ennis worries the heck out of me in defensive zone. They got pinned in a few times because none of them seemed to be able to win a battle along the boards.
very well said
"Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!" -Harry (Jeff Daniels)
So far, every playoff game has been decided by one goal. So its definitely not just a Sabres-Bruins thing. This game was not quite as close as the scoreboard. Miller didn’t even break a sweat. Rask looked nervous sometimes, but still had a strong game. I’m sticking with my original prediction: Buffalo in 5.
The refs were very inconsistent with what they called, and it was obviously confusing for both teams as to how much physicality they could get away with. The 2nd period was scary, but Rivet’s goal must have been very hard for the B’s to swallow after they had to try so much harder to get a goal. I wouldn’t mind seeing Vanek’s streak continue infinitely.
Miller didn’t even break a sweat.
What? That’s crazy to say. He faced 24 shots in the second period alone, not to mention almost 40 in the game. I would say if he faced less than 20 he might not have broken a sweat. Miller even said after the game he was pretty gassed after the second period because he normally doesn’t see that kind of workload.
"Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!" -Harry (Jeff Daniels)
hold on, let me write that down.
shoot…pucks…at…the…net.
Hold on I gotta go call Julien and tell him how to win the series.
Join me on the Hockey Blog Adventure! (or Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Apr 16, 2010 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions
it was a figure of speech. He obviosly worked very hard, but his demeanor was calm cool and collected (i.e. “didn’t break a sweat”)
sorry for the confusion.
Did anyone see the supposed spear that Lydman put on Lucic before Lucic went all nuts on him?
Die By The Blade - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere
by Zachary Zielonka on Apr 16, 2010 7:50 AM EDT reply actions
No
The camera/production crew seemed to be having an off night. A lot of replays missed the offending actions entirely.
by kramertoneman on Apr 16, 2010 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions
This was a real solid win. Exactly what we expected, low scoring, tight checking, and Miller > Rask.
I also think it’s hilarious that every other EC game went to the lower seed – the talking heads must really be scrambling for excuses. I wonder how the ones who predicted Washington in 4 and Pittsburgh in 5 are going to play this one.
"The horse jumped over the f#@king fence."
- KV
Great, intense win. The second period definitely had me nervous; glad to see we shut them down in the final 10 in the third.
I like how we stood our ground in that rumble in the first. Earlier this season, the team took a lot of crap from opponents. And while we’re still waiting on that first Raffi Torres goal, it was great to see him step up whenever there was some rough-housing going on.
Also, for all the shit I’ve given Montador, I have to say he played pretty damn well last night.
Yeah, that release of Chara was weird. It would be nice if there was some accountability for stuff like that.
Who said the Sabres aren’t a physical team?
Geolover – many times….
Tim Kennedy looked like a rookie plenty of times tonight
He did look out of place a lot last night. I think he can grow and learn from this – but he still has some learning to do.
Ennis looked good at times with the puck – I think the more experience he gets the more dangerous he will be. He definately has some puck skills that’s for sure.
I really liked the physicalness of this game and hope it continues throughout the series. It’s always fun when they start off super physical because we can expect a good series.
We need to put this game in the past already though – they need to watch tape – review it and learn because that second period was terrible.
Good win though – nice start – gotta keep on keeping on
We got the tools, We got the talent
don't forget lydman skating his ass off to deny lucic from even taking a shot on a partial break-away
he was great, aside from the penalty he took which led to recchi’s goal. Ennis looked awesome, but passed the puck a few times when he should have shot. Grier was a beast too.
It’s only one game; the Sabres deserved to win, but they were also lucky, or should I say Miller, to win.
Boston is a very physical team, because they have little else going for them beyond physicallity. The question is, can the Sabres continue to play physically for the remainder of the series or will they weardown from the constant pounding they are absorbing.
The win was encouraging, but it will take three more wins to convince me that this team is for real.
will they weardown from the constant pounding they are absorbing.
Here’s hoping!
Join me on the Hockey Blog Adventure! (or Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Apr 16, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Haha, the Sabres had 41 hits while the Bruins had 25 – do you even watch the games?
"The horse jumped over the f#@king fence."
- KV
The hits stat is pretty suspect in general.
Join me on the Hockey Blog Adventure! (or Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Apr 16, 2010 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
For clarification:
Geolover claims to be a Sabres fan, the jury’s still out on that one.
After the Olympic break he said the Sabres would be lucky to make the playoffs at all – we narrowly missed the 2 seed.
Before the Ottawa game a week ago he said the Sabres had no chance of winning – we won 5-2.
Before this series he said the Sabres would be lucky to win a game – well I guess we got really lucky.
Basically, he just doesn’t know what he’s talking about most of the time.
"The horse jumped over the f#@king fence."
- KV
Hey Geolover let’s hang out and talk about how buffalo sucks.
Join me on the Hockey Blog Adventure! (or Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Apr 16, 2010 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Hah, you guys can be wrong about everything together.
"The horse jumped over the f#@king fence."
- KV
by TEMSON on Apr 16, 2010 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
hahahahaahhaahahahahahaha
We got the tools, We got the talent
by J2 on Apr 16, 2010 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Ryan Miller + the NHL's worst offensive team during a seven-game series...
Boston is the best draw we could have hoped for.
All signs point to the Bruins getting throttled. There comes a point when it gets really irritating to be around someone who is just being pessimistic for the sake of being pessimistic.
That, or he’s a ‘wily’ undercover agent.
I was going to say...
The Sabres were the ones doing the hitting last night.
by twoeightnine on Apr 16, 2010 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Constant Pounding?
The Sabres had 41 hits and the Bruins had 25. It was the Sabres that were doing the pounding and the Bruins were absorbing.
D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere
by David Oleksy on Apr 16, 2010 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions
sorry, I just looked above and somebody already covered it.
D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com - An SB nation destination for Sabres fans everywhere
by David Oleksy on Apr 16, 2010 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions
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