Sometimes when a great team plays a bad one, they let their guard down and lose a game they shouldn’t, like San Jose did a few nights ago.
Other nights, you get what happened yesterday when the last place Sabres played the first place Ducks – exactly what you expected.
Buffalo gave up two power play goals and a hat trick to Ryan Getzlaf en route to a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks top line could not be stopped in the first period and a half, and the Sabres quickly found themselves in a 4-1 hole which they could never climb out of. The Ott-Foligno-Tropp line was on the ice for three of those goals, as were Tyler Myers and Henrik Tallinder.
I think things are best summed up by this Ryan Miller post-game quote:
“It was a disaster to be a part of,” Miller said. “Turn the page and move on. I’ve been a part of many disasters in my career.”
I’m not sure you’ve ever been a part of anything like this, Ryan.
Top line benched
Buffalo’s top line of Cody Hodgson, Matt Moulson, and Tyler Ennis was benched halfway through the second period and did not see the ice for the rest of the game. “We gotta work,” said Ron Rolston after the game, “and we didn’t feel like the work was there.”
Fourth line strong
The Sabres bottom line of Cody McCormick, Drew Stafford, and Mikhail Grigorenko combined for two goals and three assists last night, and provided the only offense for the blue and gold. Of course, there was more ice time to go around with the Sabres only rolling three lines, but this line made the most of their 12 minutes of ice time.
Mikhail Grigorenko’s two goals were exactly what the Sabres are looking to see from the 19-year old. His first showed the ability to stick with the puck in the crease, while his second was a beautiful snipe of the top corner from the slot. The second goal we knew Grigs could make, but it’s the first one that hopefully shows some growth from Grigs in the grit department.
Three Questions
1. Will the Sabres come close in shot differential again tonight?
Not really – Anaheim out shot Buffalo 46-27, and out shot the Sabres in every period. The Sabres once again got off to a horrible start, allowing a whopping 22 shots to the Ducks in the first period alone, resulting in four goals against.
2. Can the PK rebound from a poor showing last night?
The good news is the Sabres only took two penalties last night – the bad new is they gave up two power play goals. After last night’s poor showing, the Sabres have fallen under the 80% mark on the PK, putting them 21st in the NHL in that once-solid department. So I would say the answer to this question is no.
3. How will Mikhail Grigorenko and Nikita Zadorov respond after being healthy scratches the past few games?
Grigorenko scored two goals and flashed the talent Sabres fans are so desperately looking for. Zadorov didn’t fare quite as well, but still managed to put up three shots and two hits in over 20 minutes of ice time. He and fellow rookie Mark Pysyk were Buffalo’s two top players in terms of ice time.
Three Stars
1. Ryan Getzlaf – a hat trick plus assist. OK, I’ll give you that one.
2. Dustin Penner – goal and three assists. Still pretty solid.
3. Mikhail Grigorenko – two goals and four shoHAHAHA j/k it’s actually Corey Perry
Comment of the Game
they look so bad
If I were there I would walk over to the boards along the bench, slap a quarter on the boards and yell”Section 22 has winners!”
– boonies191
Props for the 1980’s arcade reference. Also, the Sabres are terrible.
“Highlights”
Courtesy of Sabres.com