First Period
- Patrick Kaleta got into a scuffle with Steven Stamkos early in the first that ended up seeing Stamkos dump Kaleta through the open Tampa Bay bench door. It was pretty funny to watch, but more importantly, gave the Sabres a power play thanks to offsetting minors and an extra two minutes for Stamkos. The Kaleta for Stamkos trade is a massive win for Buffalo.
- Steven Stamkos was left open, and fired an absolutely incredible snipe into the corner. That’ll happen.
- The first period ends with Kaleta drawing yet another penalty. He currently leads the league in penalties drawn for players who’ve played more than 10 games, and it’s not even close. Please, tell us again how he’s nothing more than a goon who has no place in this game.
- The arena seems to be having technical difficulties with real-time stat tracking, but the official Tampa Bay game sheet listed shots in the first at 1-1. NHL.com says 2-2. Either way, yipes.
Second Period
- After a nothing-special start to the period, the Sabres quickly found themselves on the wrong end of a 5-on-3 thanks to penalties to Robyn Regehr and Mike Weber. Tampa made them pay fairly quickly thanks a to a beauty of a St. Louis shot. Much like the Sabres, I guess Tampa also only has two guys that can score. We feel your pain, Lightning fans.
- We’re halfway through the game, and the Sabres have five shots on goal. I’m gonna go full Bill Simmons here and say, “Ladies and gentlemen, your 2013 Buffalo Sabres!”
- I’m not exactly sure how Ryan Miller stopped Richard Panik’s point blank stop, but it was some combination of his stick, pixie dust, and Patrick Kaleta’s awkwardly placed hand. Miller’s been very solid thus far, as the two TB goals were essentially un-savable.
- Nine shots through two periods for the Sabres. Maybe try something different for period three, eh, Ron?
Third Period
- We’re halfway through the third, and the Sabres are up to a whopping 12 shots. Thank god I had laundry to fold during the third period, or I might have been bored.
- Just to add insult to injury, Thomas Vanek has gone to the dressing room and hasn’t returned. He’s likely re-aggravated his lower body injury (not sure how) but his absence certainly won’t help the Sabres offense any.
- Steven Stamkos won a two-on-one battle for the puck by himself against fellow Scary Gary trainee Cody Hodgson and Jason Pominville, and then cleared the Tampa zone by himself. That’s the kind of night it’s been for Buffalo.
- Hey! Jordan Leopold scores on a slapper from the point that found the corner of the net. It’s his first goals since Feb 5, and hopefully looks good for any scouts searching for defensemen at the trade deadline.
- A last gasp goes nowhere, and the Sabres lose. They get just 14 total shots on goal.
Comment of the Game
Is it me, or is this game a little dull
-SpartanHT
No, it wasn’t you.