We’re trying something a bit different tonight – highlighting some of the major points of this game rather than a blow-by-blow recap.
Rolston’s Line Combinations
The Sabres #1 center tonight was not Cody Hodgson, it was…Steve Ott. His linemates? Jason Pominville and Jochen Hecht. Yeah, that Jochen Hecht. The guy we once nicknamed “The Walking Dead” because no matter how many times the Sabres seem to be done with him, he just keeps coming back. Oh, and that Hodgson guy? On the fourth line with Patrick Kaleta and John Scott. I don’t even, I mean….come on, man.
After the game, Rolston said he just wanted to try Jochen Hecht with Pommer and Ott. Curiously, he said there wasn’t anything Cody did wrong to deserve the demotion, then immediately followed that up with a “He’s gotta be better on the defensive side of things right now. Period.”
Everyone’s Embellishing
There were two embellishment calls tonight, one on Steve Ott and one later on Tyler Seguin. As a Sabres fan, obviously the call against Ott was garbage and the one on Seguin justified. In reality, I don’t think either should have been called, but the refs set the precedent early, and a make-up call never hurts when it favors your team.
Tough To Watch
Despite plenty of physical play, this game was really quite boring. Most of the shots for both teams were from long range, and offensive creativity was at a premium. Yes, both teams played on Saturday, but it still took either team 53 minutes to muster up anything that got past the netminders. I really hope this isn’t what the Sabres will look like playing out the string, or this will be a very long April.
DBTB Three Stars
1. Anton Khudobin
2. David Krejci
3. Ryan Miller
Postgame Quotes
“Tonight was a perfect example of why we are where we are in the standings and why they are where they are.”
– Jason Pominville
“That was one of our best team games since I’ve been here. Period. Hands down.”
– Ron Rolston (I’ll let you all take this one in the comments)
Audio
Comment of the Game
We should score.
-SabresNYC. Would you care to coach the team on Tuesday?