Die By The Blade

Buffalo Sabres @ Florida Panthers [Game Thread]

2008-12-05T00:00:05Z

Game #25

Buffalo Sabres (11-10-3, 25PTS) vs. Florida Panthers (10-11-3, 23PTS)

7:30 PM EST, BankAtlantic Center

TV: MSG-B (Buffalo)

Radio: WGR 550 (Buffalo), XM 237 (National)

Listen Here

08-09 Series : First Meeting

Opponent Blogs: Panthers Official Site

The Buffalo Sabres come into the game suffering from plenty of injuries. Despite being injured in the last game it looks like both Derek Roy and Toni Lydman will be in the lineup tonight.

The Sabres have lost their last two games and seven of their last nine. Despite their awful record in recent games they have not lost in regulation on the road against a team that they were ahead of in the standings. Buffalo is 1-0-2 in road games against teams that trailed them in the standings.

It looks like the lines will get just a slight shakeup this evening. On paper it looks like a pretty good offensive unit but you are only as good as your last game (and we know how that turned out).

Probable Lines

Vanek	Roy	Stafford
Gaustad	Hecht	Pominville
Afinogenov	Mair	Kotalik
Paille	MacArthur	Mancari

Starting Goalies

Buffalo Sabres

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Ryan Miller	19	1089	10	6	2	2	46	2.53	515	469	.911	2

Florida Panthers

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Craig Anderson	11	574	5	1	3	0	19	1.99	333	314	.943	2

Injuries

I've already talked about the Sabres injuries above and they can be found all over this page so I won't bore you with the details. However you may not be familiar with the Florida Panthers Injury list so here it is...

Florida Panthers Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Bryan Allen	left knee surgery	10.12.2008
Richard Zednik	left elbow	11.25.2008
Cory Murphy	shoulder	10.29.2008
Nathan Horton	lacerated leg/ankle	11.27.2008
Cory Stillman	post-concussion symptoms	11.17.2008

Buffalo Sabres - News: WEBER RECALLED FROM PORTLAND - 12/04/2008

2008-12-04T21:16:38Z

Buffalo Sabres - News: WEBER RECALLED FROM PORTLAND - 12/04/2008

Weber is called up as a safety valve in case of an injury or a re aggravated injury. Toni Lydman will be in the lineup...which is huge news for the Sabres. Craig Rivet and Mike Weber will not play which means that Paetsch is in the lineup.

Sabres Injury list keeps growing

2008-12-03T21:08:14Z

It looks like the Sabres may need some reinforcements from Portland for the upcoming road trip. The injury list keeps growing by the day and with some key players on the list as well.

Injuries: Buffalo Sabres

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Derek Roy	back spasms	12.3.2008

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Toni Lydman	lower body	12.3.2008
Andrew Peters	abdominal strain	12.3.2008
Craig Rivet	upper body	12.2.2008

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Patrick Kaleta	head/neck	12.3.2008
Tim Connolly	broken rib	11.15.2008

It looks like Derek Roy and Andrew Peters will both be able to play, although I won't be surprised if Petey is in the press box while Max gets a chance to be back on the ice. The Forward situation looks fine despite both Tim Connolly and Patrick Kaleta being listed as out.

The defensive situation is not as rosy. Toni Lydman and Craig Rivet are both highly questionable and you have to expect that someone will be called up. The likely candidate is Mike Weber but he too is suffering from an injury currently. That leaves the Sabres with a decision to make...does Chris Butler make his NHL debut or does Mike Funk get the call. Funk has played some games is Buffalo over the past three seasons and has been average to below average.

Tavares headlines Canada's list of World Jr. hopefuls

2008-12-03T18:59:28Z

Tavares headlines Canada's list of World Jr. hopefuls

Tyler Myers and Tyler Ennis will both be participating in the Hockey Canada World Junior Championship Tryouts.

The US also announced their roster today and Goalie Thomas McCollum has been named to the team. McCollum is a native of Sanborn, NY.

Defensive Injury and Touring the Web

2008-12-03T18:49:06Z

Just I haven't kept up with this feature as well as I should have but today we'll take a look around the web to see what is going on. It's always fun to see what other Sabres fans and NHL fans are talking about. It's also important to see other SB nation sites and get an idea of the amazing possibilities this platform allows.

What's going on with the Sabres...

I mentioned a defensive injury for the Sabres and it's not good news. Toni Lydman may not play on Thursday in Florida according to TBN. Lydman has been the Sabres most consistent defensive player all season and it will be a huge set back if he can't go.
Everyone knows that Goose's Roost is one of my favorite Sabres sites and Chris put up a post today. He agrees with Jerry Sullivan and his take on the Sabres...before you start saying that Chris must be an idiot go and read the post...it's well done.
Is it time to blow up the Sabres (no not literally but gut the entire roster)? Willful Caboose seems to think it's time.
Heather at Top Shelf has only one good thing to show for her money spent Sunday at the Bills Game and Monday at the Sabres game. I have to admit I'm glad I watched both from my couch instead of braving the cold temperatures.
3rd Man In sums it up in six words...yep six words!

What's Going on Around the NHL...

Everyone is talking about what Sean Avery said and whether or not he should have been suspended...our Good friend Mirtle thinks a suspension was appropriate.
Lighthouse Hockey is taking a look at ex-Islander Wade Dubielewicz and how he has fared in the KHL.
The Avalanche and Wild played a Wild Game (Pun intended) on Monday night...it was also a big day for Mile High Hockey another persepective on that game
Five for Howling is a brand new blog on SB Nation...head over and welcome them to the family...oh yeah and if you couldn't guess, they cover the Phoenix Coyotes.
Are the Sharks the best team in hockey...they sure look like it.

Just one other random thought before I let you go for the day. The commercial for NHL.com where the Flyers fan gets socks, a shovel, etc. for Christmas is hilarious.

Lindy Ruff wants a fresh start and so do I

2008-12-03T15:16:00Z

Instead of trying to fix the Sabres problems, Lindy ruff wants the team to start over with a 0-0-0 record and no stats for any of the players. Normally I would say this is a copout but this team is just too talented to play as poorly as they have been recently. Let's be honest this doesn't really mean a whole lot...he is just trying to take pressure of some gusy that are pressing a bit too hard.

I've always applauded Lindy for getting the most he possibly can out of his players, this is just another step in that direction. I'm sure he feels, like most of us do, that just calling out individual players isn't working this year. He needed a new approach and this is what he chose. We'll see if he can once again be a master phsychologist and get more out of a talented group that is under achieving.

Fresh start for Die by the Blade

The tech guys from SB Nation have created this amazing platform for us and we aren't using it to the best of our abilities. Let's try to take advantage of the great tools that SB Nation has provided us.

Here is a good start to learning how powerful SBN 2.0 really is...make sure to read the whole thing to get an idea on how these tools work properly.

Sign up for your SB Nation network account and claim your old blog accounts
Once you're logged in, press your Z key in any thread with new comments
Explore your dashboard and setup your profile
Read welcome guide to the new FanPost editor
Install the FanShot bookmarklet and post videos to Die By The Blade from YouTube or images from Flickr
Click the "Rec" button on posts and comments to help other people find the good stuff.
Customize display options on your Edit Settings page.

After you have read everything above (including links) continue on and read a little bit more about what you can do here at Die by the Blade.

FanPosts (the Section Formerly Known as Diaries)

We changed their name. Why? Because we took this major upgrade as an opportunity to leave behind some vocabulary that never made much sense for a sports blog. SB Nation is the network of, by and for fans, and these are the blog posts we make. So we call them FanPosts. When you're at a bar telling someone to check out your online sports opinions, you don't have to suggest they read your diary.

FanPosts are displayed differently on the homepage - we include your avatar to give more credit for the time you spend writing great posts. The new post editor has a WYSIWYG view that provides easy formatting. It also auto-saves drafts so you don't have to worry about losing your work when you compose a post within the web browser. And you can now associate teams, players and games with your posts: these tools promote your FanPosts on our new team, player and game pages - across the entire network.

The new system does not work like the old diary editor. For example, in HTML mode the new editor doesn't auto-create a new paragraph from two line breaks. But it does offer a whole array of new features. Look for the blinking help button on the right side of the FanPost editor for quick tips, and take a look at our full guide to writing FanPosts on the new platform.

IMPORTANT - if you write your posts in Microsoft Word or some other off-line editor, you will get the most reliable behavior if you cut & paste your post into the HTML view of the FanPost editor. And if you do that, remember to wrap <p></p> tags around each paragraph so your text doesn't run together.

Who does this appeal to:

Current Bloggers: Want to get your message out to more people. Post a fanpost here at Die by the Blade and link back to your own site...as long as it is creating conversation here it will not be deleted. We don't want people to come over and just plug their site but if it has relevance it works.
Aspiring Bloggers: You want to have a blog of your own but just don't have the time to control your own site...you can post FanPosts and they can even be bumped to the front page if they are good enough.
Message Board junkies: I'm not asking you to stop posting at the message boards you visit...just asking you to add another Sabres site to the list of message boards you already frequent. Did you know that our FanPost page has a little bit of a message board feel to it.
Sabres fans anywhere: This is truly about you the Sabres fan. This is an opportunity for you to share your thoughts on the Sabres by writing a post that will make other people comment on your opinions. Think of it as having a conversation at a Sports Bar or at the game or even at the dinner table. What Sabres opinion do you have that others need to know?

FanShots

Many members of the community just want to post that one link, video, photo or quote, but don't need a full FanPost. We've got you covered: FanShots let you share YouTube videos, Flickr or PhotoBucket photos, quotes from articles, portions of chat transcripts, top 5 lists and simple links. If it's a video or image we'll put a thumbnail on the homepage when you post it.

For those of you who are experienced internet hunter-gatherers of Buffalo Sabres material, install the bookmarklet onto the links bar of your browser and share FanShots with the community from wherever on the web you find that killer quote or photo.

When should I use a Fanshot?

You here breaking news regarding the Sabres i.e....a player is injured...someone has just been traded...an unlikely healthy scratch...I think you get the point. This is an opportunity to share with others what you are reading. The best part is that unlike a message board it is going to stay right on the front page in the sidebar or can be accessed by the FanShot page. The top SBN toolbar will alert you to new posts, FanPosts and FanShots at any site that you have joined.
If you are reading an article and find a quote you want to share...perfect just highlight the code and share on SBN.
The very best feature is the video feature...you come acrossed a Buffalo Sabres video that you want to share just click the share on SBN button and it's done...this is truly a feature that should be used all the time because it takes about a second to do and can be hours of enjoyment for the rest of us.

And in case you missed it, you'll want to start by claiming your old blog accounts and creating a new SB Nation network account.

I look forward to seeing an increase in participation here at Die by the Blade. This site needs to be less about me and more about you...that is what it is intended for. If you want to see it in action just check out Buffalo Rumblings. Brian has taken his site from the beginning to the juggernaut it is now. He only accomplished that because of fan participation...great job Brian and the rest of the Rumblers!

NHL.com - Head to Head: Semin, Vanek go Head-to-Head - 12/03/2008

2008-12-03T14:39:38Z

NHL.com - Head to Head: Semin, Vanek go Head-to-Head - 12/03/2008

This is a really cool piece done at NHL.com. I would love to hear your thoughts about who is the better player or at least...who you would want on your team if you were starting a franchise.

One last call for a vote - From The Rink

2008-12-02T15:53:44Z

One last call for a vote - From The Rink

Let's give Mirtle a vote and make him the rightful winner in the Sports category of the Canadian Blog Awards. Mirtle not only writes the best Hockey Blog on the planet but he is now in charge of making the SB Nation hockey blogs everything they can be. Keep up the good work Mirtle and let's go vote people.

Sabres shutout at the Bank

2008-12-02T03:16:06Z

Final - 12.1.2008	1	2	3	Total
Nashville Predators	0	0	2	2
Buffalo Sabres	0	0	0	0

Complete Coverage >

I sat here trying to figure out the best way to describe this game and a few things came to mind...boring, disappointing and even...worse than the Bills Game. Eventually Lindy Ruff helped me figure it out, it was FRUSTRATING! I wasn't really surprised at how the first period played out but never did I expect the second to be even worse. It wasn't until the third period that a goal was scored and that was on a bouncing puck in the Sabres zone. Jason Arnott was able to get his stick on the bouncing puck and beat Sabres Goalie Ryan Miller. J.P. Dumont scored the only other goal of the game, unfortunately it is 2008 and not 2006 so J.P. plays for the other team.

The game was as boring a hockey game as you could find and in fact the Sabres managed only eight scoring chances. I would love to review the tape to find those eight chances because I didn't see them. The Predators didn't play a great game but they did an outstanding job of keeping the Sabres to the outside and not allowing them any good scoring chances. It wasn't until they trailed 2-0 that Buffalo turned up the heat on Predators Goalie Pekka Rinne who recorded his first NHL shutout.

After the comeback win on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins I was raving about how well the Sabres played in the third period against a team that normally thrives in the third period. In the last two games it has been the complete opposite. On Saturday in Montreal the Sabres were outshot 10-8 but had only three shots until they made one final push in the closing minutes. Tonight it was a 0-0 game heading into the third and the Preds scored twice and were out shooting Buffalo 10-1 until Buffalo made a final push.

The Sabres will take a couple of days off before heading on a three game road trip that begins on Thursday in Florida. It will be the Sabres first trip to Florida this season and first game against the Panthers.

Harry Neale Quote of the Game

If you haven't figured it out yet, I am a huge fan of Harry Neale and his one-liners. After every game that is televised by MSG I try to find a quote from Harry that makes me laugh out loud and post it here for your enjoyment.

Harry Neale in reference to Predators forward Jordan Tootoo skating feet first into Ryan Miller...

"Without a doubt this is a non-approved natural approach to a vasectomy"

Roll Call

Don't be afraid to come and join us in the Game Thread for every Buffalo Sabres game this season. It's always the same people here but we invite you to join us as well and become a part of what we hope to become the best Buffalo Sabres Community on the web.

Thanks to Joan O. Lion Alum and qdloser for joining us in the thread tonight.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Nashville Predators [Game Thread]

2008-12-01T23:00:06Z

Game #24

Buffalo Sabres (11-9-3, 25PTS) vs. Nashville Predators (11-10-2, 24PTS)

7:00 PM EST, HSBC Arena

TV: MSG-B (Buffalo)

Radio: WGR 550 (Buffalo), XM 207 (National)

Listen Here

08-09 Series : BUF 1-0-0

Opponent Blogs: On the Forecheck

This is one of those trap games that I talked about yesterday. The Preds aren't exactly one of the leagues weaker teams but they are a team that Buffalo should beat at home. Should and will are two entirely different things. This is a situation when the Sabres need to play within the system.

The Preds are currently in eighth place in the Western Conference just one point ahead of the LA Kings and Columbus Blue Jackets. Despite their winning record this season, Nashville is 6-7-1 on the road.

Plenty of roster changes for Buffalo tonight after a 3-2 loss to Montreal on Saturday. Ales Kotalik is ready to play and will be in the lineup for Buffalo. He will play on the fourth line with Peters and Mair but he will certainly get power play ice time. Andrew Peters is expected in the lineup against Nashville who plays a more physical style of play. That means that everyones favorite wipping boy, Max Afinogenov will once again be a healthy scratch. A late scratch from the lineup is Craig Rivet...his absence will mean an opportunity for Nathan Paetsch to be in the lineup.

Goalies

Buffalo Sabres

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Ryan Miller	18	1031	10	5	2	2	44	2.56	488	444	.910	2

Nashville Predators

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Pekka Rinne	5	221	3	0	0	0	13	3.53	97	84	.866	0

Ales Kotalik will play tonight after missing seven games with a hamstring injury. He skated on a...

2008-12-01T22:37:54Z

Ales Kotalik will play tonight after missing seven games with a hamstring injury. He skated on a line with Adam Mair and Andrew Peters. Lindy Ruff says Peters will play because of the chippy nature of the Predators. Defenseman Craig Rivet will miss tonight's game due to an undisclosed injury. Nathan Paetsch will dress in Rivet's place.

WGR 550 SportsRadio - Home of the Buffalo Sabres - Kotalik returns, Rivet injured

Buffalo Sabres - News: KOTALIK IN, KALETA OUT - 12/01/2008

2008-12-01T21:22:57Z

Buffalo Sabres - News: KOTALIK IN, KALETA OUT - 12/01/2008

It should give the offense a huge boost having Al back. We should especially see an improvement on the power play.

I'm sure we'll miss Kaleta and his energy in the lineup

SPG Game Update

2008-11-30T23:23:40Z

As promised there would be prizes awarded for the winner of the SPG Contest for the month of November. Congratulations to LionAlum for being the winner of the November SPG Picks. He will win himself a Buffalo Sabres poster courtesy of Wall Daddy.com.

It's not too late to sign up for the SPG Game. We have a season long grand prize and also monthly prizes that will be awarded. See the information below on how you can sign up for the SPG Game.

Monthly Prize

The SPG picks will be accumulated for one complete month and the person with the most correct during the month will win the prize.
In order to be eligible for the prize you must have contributed to at least some of the game threads during that month. The number of game threads is arbitrary and will be decided by me (D.O.)
What is the prize? It depends on how many people are involved in the game. If there are less than 25 people that are involved in the game during the month you will win a Buffalo Sabres poster from Wall Daddy.com. If we have over 25 people involved you will win Sabres merchandise from Carroll's Cove (Any item that is $29.95 or less).
Note: I am working on even better prizes for the contest!

Grand Prize

Once again the prize is based on participation, the same rules apply as the monthly contest. The prize will also be affected by the number of people involved.

If we have less than 25 people that participate the prize will be Sabres merchandise from Carroll's Cove (up to a $50 value)
If we have 25 or more people participate the prize will be a Buffalo Sabres Jersey from Carroll's Cove.

Note: Myself and my immediate family are not eligible to win any prizes, that means my wife, mother, father, sister (anyone with the name Oleksy will not be eligible).

Sabres Edge: Score another for Vanek

2008-11-30T18:35:20Z

Sabres Edge: Score another for Vanek

I still think this goal was scored by Stafford but I don't have the view that the NHL has.

Sabres Struggle Against Weaker Teams

2008-11-30T17:48:24Z

I was looking in the right sidebar at the Sabres upcoming schedule and the prospect of gaining some points on the top teams in the conference. Than it hit me that I couldn't remember the last time they beat a team with a losing record. It was in fact the St. Louis Blues back on November 12 and in fairness the only other team they played (that had a losing record) was the NY Islanders and they lost 4-2 last Saturday.

It made start thinking about previous losses to Columbus, Tampa Bay and Atlanta. This team does in fact play to the level of their competition. The numbers don't lie and this team seems to play their best hockey against the better teams in the league. Nine of the teams 11 wins have come against teams that have a winning a record with a 9-5-0 record against teams that are ahead of them in the standings.

Sabres vs. Eastern Conference

Eastern	Record	Sabres vs.	last game	next game
Boston Bruins	16-4-4	2-2-0	Nov. 26 W 3-2	Jan. 3 @ Boston
NY Rangers	17-7-2	1-0-0	Oct. 13 W 3-1	Jan. 9 @ Buffalo
Washington Capitals	13-8-3	1-0-0	Nov. 1 W 5-0	Dec. 26 @ Washington
Pittsburgh Penguins	14-6-3	1-1-0	Nov. 28 W 4-3	Dec. 8 @ Pittsburgh
Montreal Canadiens	13-6-4	1-1-0	Nov. 29 L 2-3	Dec. 20 @ Montreal
Philadelphia Flyers	11-7-5	0-1-0	Nov. 21 L 0-3	Feb. 19 @ Philadelphia
New Jersey Devils	12-8-2	1-0-0	Nov. 3 W 2-0	Dec. 13 @ New Jersey
Carolina Hurricanes	12-10-2	0-0-0	DNP	Jan. 17 @ Buffalo
Buffalo Sabres	11-9-3	-----	-----	-----
Toronto Maple Leafs	8-9-6	0-0-0	DNP	Dec. 12 @ Buffalo
NY Islanders	10-12-2	1-1-0	Nov. 22 L 2-4	Dec. 27 @ Buffalo
Ottawa Senators	8-10-4	0-1-0	Oct. 27 L 2-5	Jan. 6 @ Buffalo
Atlanta Thrashers	8-11-3	0-0-2	Nov. 7 L 4-5OT	Mar. 14 @ Buffalo
Florida Panthers	8-11-3	0-0-0	DNP	Dec. 4 @ Florida
Tampa Bay Lightning	6-10-07	0-1-0	Oct. 30 L 2-5	Dec. 6 @ Tampa Bay

Western Conference

Western	Record	vs. Sabres	Last Game	Next Game
San Jose Sharks	20-3-1	0-0-0	DNP	Feb. 13 @ Buffalo
Detroit Red Wings	15-4-4	0-0-0	DNP	Jan. 10 @ Detroit
Vancouver Canucks	14-8-2	1-0-0	Oct. 17 W 5-2	-----
Minnesota Wild	14-7-1	1-0-0	Oct. 23 W 4-3 OT	-----
Calgary Flames	14-9-1	0-0-0	DNP	Jan. 28 @ Calgary
Anaheim Ducks	13-8-3	0-0-0	DNP	Feb. 2 @ Anaheim
Chicago Blackhawks	10-6-6	0-0-0	DNP	Jan. 14 @ Chicago
Nashville Predators	11-10-2	0-0-0	DNP	Dec. 1 @ Buffalo
L.A. Kings	10-9-3	0-0-0	DNP	Dec. 19 @ Buffalo
Columbus Blue Jackets	10-10-3	0-1-0	Nov. 14 L 1-6	-----
Edmonton Oilers	10-10-2	0-0-0	DNP	Jan. 27 @ Edmonton
Colorado Avalanche	11-12-0	0-0-1	Oct. 25 L 1-2 SO	-----
Phoenix Coyotes	10-11-2	0-0-0	DNP	Jan. 31 @ Phoenix
St. Louis Blues	9-10-2	1-0-0	Nov. 12 W 4-3	-----
Dallas Stars	7-11-4	0-0-0	DNP	Jan. 15 @ Dallas

Italics= current Playoff team

So is this a good thing or a bad thing? Should we be happy that the Sabres play well against the leagues best teams or should we be concerned that they play so poorly against the leagues worst teams. In the next week or so we may get our answer. The Sabres play against many of the lower tier teams in the league over the next couple of weeks.

Schedule

Next 5 Games

Nashville	Mon 12/01	7:00 PM EST
@ Florida	Thu 12/04	7:30 PM EST
@ Tampa Bay	Sat 12/06	7:30 PM EST
@ Pittsburgh	Mon 12/08	7:30 PM EST
Tampa Bay	Wed 12/10	7:00 PM EST

Not Playing the System

Is it just a coincidence that the Sabres apparently struggle against the leagues weaker teams? I don't think it is. This is a team of young talented players that like to showcase their offensive ability. After the Sabres lose a game it's like a broken record listening to Lindy Ruff, Ryan Miller and Jason Pominville talking about the system. Too many giveaways, too many defensive breakdowns, we have to stay within our system. If they spent less time trying to make the highlight video against the weaker teams we would probably see more wins.

So to answer the question about whether or not we should be worried...yeah we should be worried. I'm not sure these guys will ever change. I have defended this team because I believe in their talent but unfortunately they need to recognize the best way to win hockey games...not me. This is a disturbing trend that needs to be changed immediately, they can't wait until the final month of the season like they did last year. They aren't out of it in 9th place but the next couple of weeks could see this team slip even further unless they string together some wins against the teams they should beat.

	Record
Shootout	2-2
Overtime	1-1
1-goal game (Reg.)	3-1
2-goal game	2-2
3+ goal game	3-6

The above chart shows how bad this team is when they lose. The perfect example of how they avoid playing the system. People always say that good teams win close games and the Sabres do that..unfortunately they lose big way too often. Buffalo has lost a total of nine games in regulation this season and six of them have been by three or more goals. It's not just the good teams beating Buffalo by three or more it's the weaker teams as well.

It's obvious that every team will score more than they allow when they win but the Sabres have a glaring difference between wins and losses. In their 11 wins this season the Sabres have allowed only 18 goals (yeah only 18 goals in 11 games). In their losses they have allowed five goals or more six times and a total of 49 goals in just 12 games.

Home and Away

A quick glance at the NHL standings shows nothing out of the ordinary regarding the Sabres home and away records. They are 7-5-2 at home and 4-4-1 on the road. The numbers get even more disturbing when you break down who they are losing to at home. I mentioned the Sabres are 9-5-0 against teams with a winning record and they are 2-4-3 against teams that are behind them in the standings. Here is a look at where the losses are coming from...

	Home	Away
Teams Above Buffalo in Standings	6-1-0	3-4-0
Teams Below Buffalo in Standings	1-4-1	1-0-2

The only glaring spot in the above chart is the record against weaker teams at the HSBC Arena. If that number was reversed (like it should be) we would be talking a bout a team that is 14-6-3 and had 31 points, enough to be tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference. Once again this is because of playing within the system. We all get sick and tired of hearing about the system but it appears that the system is what is ailing the Buffalo Sabres.

Sabres Giveaway Two Points

2008-11-30T04:03:31Z

Final - 11.29.2008	1	2	3	Total
Buffalo Sabres	1	1	0	2
Montreal Canadiens	0	3	0	3

Complete Coverage >

What a difference a day makes. On Friday night the Sabres erased a one goal deficit heading into the third period but on Saturday they could not solve Carey Price in the third and fell 3-2 to the Montreal Canadiens.Just one night after playing their best game of the season, Buffalo made a couple of costly mistakes in a losing effort.

Patrick Kaleta had the first bad giveaway when he lost the puck in his skates allowing the Habs to capitize and tie the game at one. Later in the game it was Max Afinogenov that gave the puck away and the puck found it's way into the back of the net. I would guess that Max will be in the press box again on Monday and his days in Buffalo are numbered after another poor performance. After his giveaway with just under eight minutes left in the second period, he played only seven more shifts the rest of the evening.

There is no mistaking that Montreal is a great hockey team but this is a gam ethe Sabres had in their grasp and let it slip away. Buffalo led 1-0 and 2-1 but allowed Montreal to score the games final two goals for the victory. Like Friday night Buffalo had to kill off a two man advantage and did. Against Pittsburgh it seemed to turn the momentum of the game and propel the Sabres to victory but tonight it was all Montreal. Montreal out shot Buffalo 10-8 in the third period but the Sabres had the majority of their shots in the final three minutes.

The Sabres had two great opportunities to to tie the game in the final minute but Carey Price made a huge save and Than Derek Roy fired a shot over the top of the net. Roy's shot turned out to be the Sabres last good opportunity with about 40 seconds left in the game.

Overall it wasn't a bad game for the Sabres but the result is disappointing. Beside being disappointed in the loss, they have to be disappointed in the way it happened. A couple of real bad giveaways and blowing a one goal lead on two different occasions.

Thomas Vanek led the way for the Sabres offensively scoring his 16th goal of the season on the power play and later scoring his 17th goal of the season. The Sabres have scored six goals in the last two games but the goals were scored by just three different players. Stafford and Gaustad each scored two on Friday and tonight Vanek netted two for Buffalo.

Patrick Lalime played in place of Miller tonight. Miller was given the evening off after a great game last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lalime played fairly well and made 31 saves in the loss. Lalime was especially good early in the game when Montreal put on plenty of pressure. Lalime made 13 saves in the first period to allow Buffalo to lead 1-0 after a period.

Harry Neale Quote of the Game

Harry Neale was not on top of his game tonight and didn't really give me much to choose from. The good news is that I forgot to post the quote last night so here is a little nugget from last nights game...

"Sidney Crosby is so crafty that he goes into a revolving door after you and he comes out before you"

I laughed out loud at that little bit of wisdom.

Roll Call

Another slow night at Die by the Blade but thanks to qdloser, yoman and Tony O. for sharing with us during the game thread. You too can join the game thread on Monday when the Sabres meet the Nashville Predators at the HSBC Arena.

Buffalo Sabres @ Montreal Canadiens [Game Thread]

2008-11-29T23:30:06Z

Game #23

Buffalo Sabres (11-8-3, 25PTS) vs. Montreal Canadiens (12-6-4, 28PTS)

7:00 PM EST, Bell Centre

TV: MSG-B (Buffalo)

Radio: WGR 550 (Buffalo), XM 205 (National)

Listen Here

08-09 Series : BUF 1-0-0

Opponent Blogs: Four Habs Fans, Eyes on the Prize, Lions in Winter

I can't speak for anyone else but for me...hockey is fun again! I know I shouldn't say that out loud but it seemed necessary to me at this moment. It looks like the Sabres will go with the same lineup they used last night, the scratches are expected to be Ales Kotalik, Tim Connolly, Andrew Peters and Nathan Paetsch. The only change the Sabres are expected to make is to start Patrick Lalime in net. It makes sense considering the Sabres are playing their third game in four nights.

Starting Goalies

Buffalo Sabres

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Patrick Lalime	6	308	1	3	1	1	17	3.31	140	123	.879	0

Montreal Canadiens

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Carey Price	17	1028	10	4	3	1	40	2.33	519	479	.923	1

Injuries

Injuries: Buffalo Sabres

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ales Kotalik	hamstring	11.15.2008

Injuries: Montreal Canadiens

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Alex Tanguay	neck	11.29.2008
Georges Laraque	groin	11.29.2008

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Mike Komisarek	upper body	11.14.2008

Stafford, Gaustad lead Sabres to Comeback victory

2008-11-29T04:21:14Z

Final - 11.28.2008	1	2	3	Total
Pittsburgh Penguins	1	2	0	3
Buffalo Sabres	1	1	2	4

Complete Coverage >

Tonight was as good of a game as I have seen this team play all season. Buffalo wasn't necessarily the better team the whole evening but they played really hard against a really good team. It is something we haven't seen from this team all year, an entire 60 minutes of hockey that seemed to get better as the game wore on.

The turning point of the game was the start of the third period. Buffalo trailed 3-2 on the scoreboard and Pittsburgh had a 5-on-3 advantage. Pittsburgh didn't score and didn't even register a shot on goal during that power play. The momentum immediately turned in the Sabres direction and they scored twice to earn their second consecutive victory.

Pittsburgh has been great in the third period all season but Buffalo outscored them 2-0 in the final frame and out shot them 10-3 in the period. It seemed like the puck was in the Pittsburgh zone for like 15 minutes in the final period and if not for great goaltending from John Curry, Buffalo may have scored four times in the period.

The list of players that played well tonight is extensive. It seemed like the best players on the ice for Buffalo were guys that have not played well recently. Max Afinogenov was the most noticeable guy on the ice and played his best game of the season. Drew Stafford and Paul Gaustad had two goals each despite their recent struggles. Thomas Vanek played through an injury he suffered on Wednesday and set up the tying goal with a pretty pass. The list goes on and on if I wanted to continue.

The post game questions from the media centered around two specific topics. Is this a game where the Sabres turned the corner on their recent struggles and was it difficult to deal with the suspect officiating?

The first question presented was did the Sabres turn the corner? The quick answer is yes they did...they just beat two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference and had their best all around game of the season tonight. Lindy Ruff said after the game..."you know what, the entire season is a grind" "it's easy to pinpoint this game but the season will be full of ups-and-downs and you just have to battle every game". That really sums it up completely. They could come out and play a stinker tomorrow and this game won't mean a whole lot.

On to the second question...the one about the suspect officiating. Let's just hope that we don't see Eric Furlatt and Dean Morton listed as the referees for too many more Sabres games. They were brutal the whole night, missing numerous calls on both teams while calling some softies both ways as well. It's a shame that we have to talk about the officiating after any game but this one in particular because it was a great hockey game.

Extra Notes and Thoughts

Not sure if it was the Sabres good penalty killing or the Penguins poor power play but the Pens were 0-for-7 on the power play (although they scored 4-on-4).
Is Patrick Kaleta a marked man? He took three penalties tonight and I thought at least one was a questionable call.
Toni Lydman is quietly having a great season...he led the Sabres with six hits and even more importantly seven blocked shots
The Sabres out hit the Pens 26-12 and the defensemen had 16 of the 26 hits.
Is it just me or does Sidney Crosby own Ryan Miller? He scored two more goals tonight and made Miller look bad on the second one.

Poll

Have the Sabres turned the corner?

Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh Penguins [Game Thread]

2008-11-29T00:00:06Z

Game #22

Buffalo Sabres (10-8-3, 23PTS) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (13-5-3, 29PTS)

7:30 PM EST, HSBC Arena

TV: MSG-B (Buffalo)

Radio: WGR 550 (Buffalo), XM 205 (National)

Listen Here

08-09 Series:0-1-0

Opponent Blogs: Pensburgh, The Pensblog

The Sabres finally ended their five game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins. It doesn't get much easier for Buffalo as they welcome the Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins to the HSBC Arena.

The Sabres proved they can play with the Pens but like many teams have don ethis season, they allowed the Pens a third period onslaught. The Penguins scored four third period goals to beat the Sabres 5-2 at the Igloo.

Thomas Vanek scored a goal in the game against Pittsburgh and he is questionable for the game with a lower body injury. Lindy Ruff termed it as "a deep bruise below his hip", The Buffalo News is reporting that he didn't practice but expects to play.

It's still not too late to join the SPG Game. What is the SPG game? Find out here and win a prizes for your picks. If you have already signed up, make sure to get your picks in.

The Buffalo News is reporting that Vanek is highly questionable and if he can play that Max is likely to be in the press box.

As Frank pointed out yesterday, John Curry is expected to make his first NHL start in goal for the Penguins this evening.

Starting Goalies

Buffalo Sabres

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - Ryan Miller	17	971	9	5	2	2	41	2.53	458	417	.910	2

Pittsburgh Penguins

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2008 - John Curry	1	31	1	0	0	0	0	0.00	11	11	1.000	0

Injuries

Injuries: Buffalo Sabres

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Thomas Vanek	lower body	11.28.2008

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ales Kotalik	hamstring	11.15.2008

Injuries: Pittsburgh Penguins

Doubtful

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Maxime Talbot	left foot	11.28.2008

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Sergei Gonchar	left shoulder surgery	9.25.2008
Ryan Whitney	left foot surgery	9.20.2008

Scouting the Pens

2008-11-28T01:18:13Z

We did this a little bit last year and Frank at Pensburgh has always been really helpful. Once again he helped out by giving us a little bit of knowledge on the Pittsburgh Penguins. I've often thought the best way to find out about a team is to ask their fans and that is exactly what we did.

Things to know about the Pittsburgh Penguins' Offense
The number one thing to remember about this year's Penguins team is that they don't give up. The Pens, when trailing in the third, have been incredible with comeback wins. And no, I'm not just referencing the last meeting between the Penguins and Sabres. In fact, just the other night against the New York Islanders the Penguins entered the third period down 3-1. They quickly mounted a four-goal third, including an Evgeni Malkin hat trick, to beat the Isles 5-3. As great as it may seem from the outside looking in, it has been hell on the nerves to watch some of these games. You never want to get confident that your team will pull off every game like this, but you also don't want to write off an offense with this much promise.

Things to know about the defense
The defensive pairings have received the occasional makeover this season. Of course, this is all in part with coach Michel Therrien's attempts to find a cohesive group that can perform without Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney. So far, the latest pick-up Philipe Boucher has done well with rookie Alex Goligoski, while Kris Letang has also received some power play time with Boucher. I wish I could provide a more definitive analysis of the defense, but honestly your guess is as good as mine. Overall though, the system is reliant on the boards and keeping the puck out of the middle. While this may, in theory, limit shots from the opposition, the Pens are basically just looking to keep the puck on the boards in hopes of a turnover that can lead to a breakout pass and rush the other way. They like to play fast.

Things to know about the goaltending
Here's where it gets a bit tricky. Right now Marc-Andre Fleury is questionable with one of those "lower body injuries." Rumors have suggested it's a knee injury, while other hints have suggested a hamstring/groin pull. In other words, no one knows and everyone speculates. So the Pens are relying on Dany Sabourin. Sabu has done a decent job in net, but hardly looked on top of his game Wednesday night against the Islanders. After giving up three goals by the midway point of the second, Michel Therrien pulled him in favor of rookie goaltender John Curry. Curry went on to stop all 11 shots faced and may find himself with his first NHL start either against your Buffalo Sabres Friday or Saturday against the Devils.