The Buffalo Sabres are the little team that just won’t go away. Their likelihood of making the playoffs is a measly .6% and if they won out the last five games of the season, their chances of making the playoffs are only 29.4%. But the Sabres feel they still have some hope to get a chance to make the playoffs. “Teams are hopping over each other when a team wins or when a teams loses so I think we have been watching a lot of NHL on the Fly. We still believe in ourselves here and we just need to take care of our job,” said defenseman Mike Weber after the game.
Making the playoffs isn’t the only reason why these players still need to play well in the final five games of the season. There are some players that are fighting for jobs next season as well. From Mike Weber again:
“We’ve got guys that are trying to prove themselves. Guys that are trying to earn contracts, guys that are trying to earn permanent spots on this roster, guys that are trying to show that they can be in the top six or the top two or the top four so this group of six right now there is a lot to prove and a lot to gain.”
Jhonas Enroth Shines Again
After getting his third career shutout on Saturday afternoon, coach Ron Rolston decided to ride the hot hand again. It paid off for him as Enroth looked solid again against Tampa Bay. Jhonas made 32 saves in the winning effort and had a 96:11 shutout streak going until Benoit Pouliot broke it in the second period. That shutout streak was the second longest of Enroth’s career, his longest being 107:39 in 2011.
Enroth credited his defense with a lot of the reasons why this team has been playing well as of late. “I think we have been playing pretty simple back there. We making some crisp passes out of the zone and I think that the guys have been really jumping on the rebounds. It’s a lot of things that we are doing right right now.”
Kevin Porter Strikes Again
Kevin Porter was on a three game point streak heading into tonight’s game against the Lightning and was able to add to it with a second period goal that gave the Sabres a three goal lead at the time. Here is how the goal unfolded from Porter’s point of view: “It wasn’t an ideal play but it found the back of the net so it was good. It was kind of a bad pass but [Flynn] recovered and made a nice play into the slot.”
Head coach Ron Rolston has been impressed with the play of both Kevin Porter and Bryan Flynn.”You’ve watched them play since they have been here. They both compete and they have a lot of passion for the jersey they are wearing and they give you the effort every night. It may not be points but it’s going to be something else, it’s going to be in some way to help us be successful as a team. We’ve been fortunate to have a lot of guys that have stepped up and those two guys are two great examples.”
Chad Ruhwedel’s Whirlwind Weekend
Chad Ruhwedel has been awful busy over the last four days. His Lowell team lost on Thursday night in Pittsburgh to the eventual champion Yale Bulldogs in the Frozen Four. He then turned around and signed a pro contract with the Sabres on Saturday and was in the lineup for two games for the Sabres.
This is what Ruhwedel had to say about his weekend: “I had to pinch myself for a while. I got a good night’s sleep last night, but it took a while to fall asleep though. Yesterday was a tough day. It was nice coming in here and getting a win and then following it up with another one.”
Oh, and in case you were wondering, apparently his nickname is Rudy.
Die By The Blade Three Stars
1. Jhonas Enroth
2. Kevin Porter
3. Bryan Flynn