It's time to put the finishing touches on the 2009-2010 season for the Buffalo Sabres. Here is a complete report card of every single player that played any amount of time with the Sabres this season. The journey will begin with Chris Butler and conclude in almost a month with Thomas Vanek. Thanks to Japers Rink and Mile High Hockey for the inspiration.
Introduction: Patrick Lalime is a veteran goaltender who spent some time as a starter before settling into his role as a backup, first with Chicago and now with the Buffalo Sabres. Lalime is not a fan favorite and has been booed in the HSBC Arena on a couple of occasions. Despite the venomous attitude of the fans towards him, the team seems to genuinely like him but they fail to back them up on the ice.
This will be short report card because the body of work is very small. Unlike the AHL players we have no minor league games to look back on.
Voting: On a scale of one to ten, one being the lowest and ten being the highest, grade Patrick Lalime on his season according to the expectations you had for him. If he met them, give him a five or a six. If he eclipsed them, aim for a seven or beyond. If he failed to meet them, give him a lower number relating to how poorly he missed the target.
Thumbs Up: When I look back at the season of Patrick Lalime a few things come to mind. I look at the come from behind victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins in December when Lalime replaced Ryan Miller who struggled to begin the game. The second memory that comes to mind is his teammates defending him after a home loss in which the fans booed him. That seems like a stretch as a Thumbs up but it showed this team was more of a team than anyone gives them credit for. Lalime was put in some difficult situations and it was nice to see his teammates defend him publicly.
Thumbs Down: It was frustrating to watch Lalime play at times. He seemed to be out of position on numerous occasions and that led Lindy Ruff to lose confidence in his play which only made things worse because of his lack of playing time. It has to be difficult to play when you are used only sparingly but a good backup can handle playing only a few games by performing at a top level.
Milestones:
- Patrick Lalime recorded his 200th career victory on March 27, 2010 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.