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Harrington Drops the Hammer

by Ryan

One of the great things about The Buffalo News' Sabres Edge blog is that it gives beat writers a chance to give their opinions. The majority of a beat writer's job is to report the story and nothing more, but oftentimes they know the team they cover better than anyone else. That's what I was glad to see Mike Harrington weighing in on the loss last night. Excuse me for quoting almost all of it, but he made a lot of good points:

I wanted to see some real anger from Ruff after last night's game. But he seemed as defeated as his team. He tried to say the Thrashers didn't have any real good chances in the last minute, which was true. There were no shots on goal until Ron Hainsey's point drive. But the Sabres never got the puck out of the zone for the entire final minute either. It looked like that 76-second shift in Philly last month. How many weak clearing passes will this team make? When is sombody going to demand the puck in the final seconds and get it out of the zone?

Here's a novel thought: When is this team going to take advantage of somebody's empty net?

Why do we keep seeing soft plays from the likes of Jason Pominville, Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman late in games? How about Craig Rivet or Paul Gaustad on the ice in the late going instead? Dominic Moore? Bad clearing attempt and then got run over in the corner. No help.

Who puts guys on the ice in the late going? Ruff. You can crab about Regier not doing much at the deadline (cue up the "they sure missed Kotalik in the shootout" cracks) but this one was on Ruff. What should never happen has happened twice in the same season against lousy teams.

Yes, the Thrashers are lousy. Don't tell me about their winning streak. They're 13th in the East, they were 48 hours removed from a game in Edmonton and their best player was home hurt. Ruff tried to say the Sabres played a strong game offensively. What was he watching for the first 34 minutes? I say they did nothing until Derek Roy woke them up.

Yes, the Sabres got a point. Yes, they lost ground to no one in the East Saturday. But Ruff certainly didn't distinguish himself at the end of this one. Or after it. He should be happy the owners and the GM -- and, frankly, many of the fans -- have his back. Because lots of coaches are sent packing for a lot less than what we're seeing.

Harrington is echoing a lot of the points we've made here throughout the season about Ruff's performance and why there should at least be some discussion about his job security. It's not a banging of war drums as much as a simple question: is Lindy making the right decisions, and is he getting through to his team anymore?

There are a lot of people who will get caught up in the post-lockout playoff runs, but the fact of the matter is that the Sabres are in danger of missing the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons. That's a lot of failure for a coaching staff that's practically infallible within city limits.

I'm not saying anything will change. In fact, we all know that Lindy will be behind the bench next season and beyond. As long as Darcy Regier is making front office decisions, Lindy Ruff will be the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres. But for as often as Darcy gets flack for what happens with this team, Ruff seems immune to blame for any wrongdoing. I know many people think otherwise, but to me that's at the very least... curious.

Nothing will change, but to be honest it was just nice to see a person many respect say the things few people have.

A View from the Roost: Monumental Failure

by Ryan

According to the standings no real damage was done, but we all know otherwise. There are no more excuses, no more explanations or second chances.

This is a loss you don't recover from.



What's so unfortunate about the Sabres choking away a point is that beforehand there were plenty to positives to take away from this game. The play of Lalime, the secondary scoring, Roy stepping up, even Afinogenov playing well with Vanek; all reasons to like a strong showing on home ice.

But that's all gone now. That's right, there is nothing left to take from this game that is positive. Why? Because they blew a two goal lead at home with less than seven minutes left in a game they had to have against an awful team missing their best player. That's why, and there is nothing you can say to justify that. Nothing.

The shorthanded goal was completely unacceptable on every level. Spacek shooting into two Thrashers was just stupid hockey, he was completely turned around trying to defend it, and he took himself right out of the play. However, that's not as embarrassing as watching Jason Pominville and Tim Connolly coasting eighteen inches behind Marty Reasoner as he put in the rebound.

If you want to see how badly a team wants it, look at how they back check. On the most important power play of the game, a chance for the Sabres to put the game out of reach and get two points on a big night, the Sabres just didn't want it. That's the worst possible sign from a team that's supposed to be making a playoff push. If you can't find the strength to close out Atlanta, how are you beating Boston four times in April? How are you even getting there in the first place?

Last night was yet another sign that we won't have to worry about that. As I type the Sabres are two points out of a playoff spot, but it's never seemed further away than it does right now. Last night we didn't see a playoff team out there. Maybe we did in the second period, but they finished like a team looking for a tenth place finish and a mediocre draft spot. They still need nine wins in thirteen games, and they just choked away their chance for one against a softie.

If there is one positive to take away from this game, it happened three seconds into the third period. Tim Connolly takes the faceoff and gets crushed by Perrin, who gets the charging penalty and a misconduct. Now while no one felt the need to stand up for Timmy, who was trying to figure out what the hell just happened, he eventually got back up and stood up for himself.

For a player who is supposed to be fragile and needing protection, I thought it was great to see him getting angry. This is no longer a guy coming back from injuries, this is a guy whose head is clearly in the game, and that's great to see. He was the only guy who took exception to what Scott Gomez did to Ryan Miller, and he was the only person to take exception to what Perrin did last night.

I'm not sure if that's more sad or impressive, but it is interesting to note. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm much more worried about Jason Pominville's monstrosity of a contract with him playing like garbage all season than I am about Tim Connolly's deal. Pominville has been such a monumental letdown all year, it's hard to properly comprehend the fact that he's making $5.3 million next season.



Still, what bothers me most of all about last night's game is that I'm okay with it. The way it all went down was so predictable that there wasn't anything left when it was over. No anger, no disbelief, none of the usual feelings that go along with a third period collapse were there. What bothers me is that in a way I expected it to happen, and in some sense I'm content with it.

Chris is in New York City this weekend, and I was keeping him updated on the game. When I told him it got tied up, he said they'll lose in a shootout. It had nothing to do with Kotalik's absence or Lalime's play, he just knew that's what the Sabres would do. This is an unpredictable, schizophrenic team at times; but so far when it really matters we've seen more bad signs than good.

If you ask me, there just isn't enough time to reverse those signals.

On Jonny

by Ryan

It just wasn't enough.



After four games and seven overtimes, the Syracuse Orange finally ran out of gas on Saturday night. It was an improbable stretch of games that ultimately fell just short, but one that no 'Cuse fan will forget for some time. The unending UCONN game, watching them fight through West Virginia; it was an impressive showing that will help with the selection committee, but you can tell how badly they wanted that trophy.

I have always been a Syracuse fan, but the last few seasons have been even more interesting because of where I'm from. It's been mentioned before, but I share my hometown with Paul Harris and Jonny Flynn: Niagara Falls, New York. It's a place well known around the world and well ridiculed by many, even for the actions of a certain Syracuse star.

Still, I've never been prouder of my hometown than I was last night. As sports fans we talk about indescribable intangibles like heart all the time, but it's very har to pinpoint just what we're saying. What Syracuse tried to do at the Big East Tournament took just that: heart. Some people argue that a tournament like that doesn't matter, that the NCAA Tourney is where it really counts. That last part may be true, but I didn't see any signal that what we saw this week didn't matter to those kids.

For the amount of minutes guys like Flynn, Devendorf, and Harris played their performances immediately go from great to spectacular. Flynn in particular was absurdly good, and I got dozens of text messages throughout the week praising just about every aspect of his game. His ball skills, his determination, and the way he ran the court was so impressive that you forget just how young he is.

He's also by all accounts a great kid, and he deserves everything that will come his way. For a town that gets such a bad rap, it's nice to see someone like Flynn having so much success; "doing it right" so to speak. One of the most important things about Jonny is that he's not just a college basketball player but a top flight NBA prospect, and one that will adjust to the game and take the next logical step.

It's just nice to see local kids making good on the opportunities they've been given, and that's exactly what is going on a Syracuse. They may have lost the Big East Tourney, but they showed that this team can make some noise in the NCAA Tourney with an impressive performance that has turned a lot of heads. The great thing about that game is that, despite the loss, the best is yet to come for this team and those kids. Saturday night was not the end but rather the start of something very, very good.



On a night full of disappointments, Jonny Flynn wasn't one of them.

From Hogtown to Sin City

by Ryan

If you've been reading for a while now, you may remember that I went to the NHL Awards in Toronto last year as a seat filler. It was probably one of my favorite moments as a sports fan, and one of the most fun things to write about on the site.

Yesterday the league announced that for the next three years the NHL Awards will be held in Las Vegas. This is upsetting to say the least, as being a seatfiller for this event gets a little harder. In fact, the draw of the event was that you didn't have to go very far to do something really cool, and that's about gone now.



I guess it's one and done for playing dress up in Toronto.

I Can't Believe That Worked

by Ryan

NFL.com isn't the best of resources for news about the Bills, but last night they were all over the front page. The first story is about Jason Peters and his contract talks. The second is, of course, about Terrel Owens. However, the one that caught my eye was entitled the following:

Even coming off injury, LB Crowell still has many suitors

Now wait a minute, that injury wasn't that big a deal, right? Well not according to this story. It says Tampa Bay has been talking to the linebacker about a one year deal, and he has also met with the Lions this past week. The Eagles have also expressed interest, and a meeting with the Bills is scheduled for Monday if no contract is signed. But here's what got me:

Philadelphia has also expressed interest in Crowell, 27, who is coming off knee surgery that landed him on injured reserve for the entire 2008 season. Crowell has not met with the Eagles.

Crowell’s health is an issue but he is expected to be cleared for full football activity by the time teams start full-team, non-contact workouts after the draft in May or June.

Wait, are we suddenly forgetting why he was on IR all season? Let's see what Allen Wilson wrote for The Buffalo News back on September 5, when all this injury business went down:

Outside linebacker Angelo Crowell was placed on the injured reserve list Thursday evening, just three hours after head coach Dick Jauron announced that Crowell had elected to have arthroscopic surgery on a troublesome left knee.

Such a procedure usually requires only one to four weeks of recovery time.

So the Bills placed their strong side linebacker on IR with an injury that takes four weeks at most to recover from on the eve of his contract year. That means he would be healthy and ready to play for 75% of the season, right? There's nothing fishy about that, is there?

Well at the time it seemed the general consensus was that the Bills did it to spite Crowell for electing for surgery without notifying them. Putting him on IR would hurt his ability to leverage and get a contract when free agency hits. Now if I remember correctly we all thought this was shady and clearly hurt the Bills in the long run. It never helps to take away a football team's strong side linebacker, but when the Bills started so fast everyone seemed to forget that Crowell sat at home healthy while injuries started to pile up once again.

And now here we are in the middle of free agency and people are wondering how much Crowell's minor surgery from September will hurt his contract value. It's funny to see how quickly the league forgets the little details, isn't it?

Also, if Crowell does meet with the Bills on Monday, is it safe to say that putting him on IR... worked? I mean it seemed very unlikely at that time that Crowell would re-sign with the Bills, and popular opinion was that their relationship was shattered when this happened in September. It still seems very unlikely, but it would be very interesting if it worked out that way.

I guess we'll have to wait until Monday to find out.

What to Watch, Tonight and Monday

by Ryan

There are two hockey games tonight, but neither matter to the Sabres. Instead, I'll be watching college basketball and getting ready for next week. Here's what's on tap tonight:

Buffalo vs. Ball State, 7:30pm



The last time the two teams met, Ball State escaped with a 53-51 win. This time it's for a spot in the MAC Championship game. The Greatest Night... has a solid preview, so head over there.

Syracuse vs. West Virginia 9pm



I know that shot didn't count, but that's a nice photo. We'll get to see what the Orange have left in the tank against the couch burners, who have looked strong in the tourney so far. The winner takes on Louisville or Villanova, who square off at 7. I'm not sure if the UB game will be on TV, so it looks like I'm watching the Big East all night. Should be fun.

If you don't plan on stopping by this weekend, make sure you come back Monday to get ready for the NCAA Tournament. We have something special planned, and we're very excited about it. If you're going to Aces and Blades tonight, have fun.

Bounce

by Ryan

Since I just finished watching the game, let's just go with some bullet points.

- It was nice to see them come through when it mattered, but all they really did with the win was keep pace. There's still another nine wins out there they need to find, but it was a pretty strong showing on home ice. These are the games the Sabres need to win, and they did. Simple as that.

- Patrick Lalime continues to impress. He wasn't spectacular, but he put up another one goal game for a team that finally managed to give him some so-called run support.



- It was good to see the Sabres get a bounce for once as well. Vanek's goal was a result of a strong forecheck, but it was also a lot of right place at the right time. It was such an important goal, and it's not often the Sabres get a nice break at the right time.

- On that late power play for Florida, Patrick Lalime showed why everyone is supposed to yell "UP!" when the puck is in the air. He was the only one to see it, and it pretty much saved the game. Last week at the Coyotes game something similar happened, but Lalime never saw it. He was lucky to have it bounce in front of him, but the only guy that was trying to tell him about it was the guy behind me, who did indeed scream "UP!" See, he knows how important communication is...



- I liked Moore's game, and he played well with Afinogenov. What Moore does well isn't going to wow anyone, but he puts in a strong game and worked well on the penalty kill.



- I know the big deal was Zednik's return to Buffalo, but he played a really great game. What a season he's having after what happened last year. Who could blame him for coming back slowly after the injury, but he's come back as strong as ever and put Florida in a good position to make the playoffs.

- I was surprised to see that Jaro's numbers weren't all that different from Jay Bouwmeester. Seems like a lot of hype for a goofy-looking defenseman. Hrm... where have we heard that before?



- It was weird seeing Connolly on the ice with Pominville and Hecht. I know it was just while the teams were changing, but still. I'm not sure how I feel about him potentially centering the Line of Fail.

- It was good to see a win, but we still haven't seen a few players step up. Pominville, Hecht, and a few others are still just coasting along, and that can't happen anymore. Rob Ray said it last night, this team needs four lines going at all times, and that's something to look for on Saturday against Atlanta.

Oh Tampa

by Ryan



As a sports fan who knows a lot about second place finishes, let me say this:

You're doing it wrong.

Now if you will excuse me, I have to go dryclean my Buffalo Bills AFC Champion neckties...

In Case You Didn't See It

I freaking love March Madness.

You can go to sleep now

Six overtimes later, Jonny Flynn is still clutch.

Missouri Game

by Ryan

If there is a team the Sabres have a chance to "catch" right now, it's Florida.

The Panthers are currently four points back, 5-4-1 in their last ten, and dealing with the loss of Nathan Horton and Bryan McCabe. If you believe in the "Deadline Bump", the only thing Florida did to improve was not pull a Brian Campbell. That may not sound much better than the Sabres' current situation, but they're the only team within striking distance that is "struggling" at the moment.

Therefore, tonight is important. Every game this time of year is, but the "four point game" category is clearly in play, and the Sabres are running out of games that aren't just that. They're also running out of chances to get on a roll, and we've heard again and again how important it is to go into the postseason on a winning streak.

Still, the Sabres have to get there; and the last few outings haven't shown us much of anything. If the Sabres have any business in the postseason, they have to start showing us that they can beat the teams that are going to be there. That means they can't afford to fall further behind a team they need to chase, and these "games in hand" need to be wins.

So that's what I'm looking for tonight: a team that shows me they're serious about making a run. There are no more reset buttons, no more excuses, and no moral victories. A two point game with the Sabres coming out on top. Show it to me.



Show me a playoff team wearing blue tonight.

T.O. on the Radio

By Chris

The Shredd and Ragan Show scored Buffalo's first one-on-one radio interview with Terrell Owens yesterday. You can listen to it here and read a brief transcript here.

The silence at the beginning is a little awkward and doesn't kick the interview off very well, but the rest of the way, T.O. says a lot of good things.

It almost sounds like he's ready to be a team player and carry the Bills to the playoffs. And that's something the team has been missing the last few years--a player who's going to keep his teammates accountable (I know, I know, it's like watching one of those old cartoons where you know the trains are going to collide, but you can't stop watching).

Sure he believes he does no wrong, but that's part of the T.O. package we're going to have to deal with for the next year. But if he's able to help the Bills to a few more wins (and doesn't drop as many balls as he did last season), then it's going to be a nice, long honeymoon period.

Quick Question

by Ryan

If you were to file a missing persons report for Jason Pominville, how many Buffalo Police Department officers would let you do it?



Well, the ones that watch hockey sure would. Jason has one goal in his last 11 games, and only two in his last 29. Yes, I checked that three times. Twenty-nine games. That's 35% of the season.

I guess it's okay because he's only making $1.375 million this season. What's his cap hit next year? 5.3 million? Holy f#$k.

Next question: Which contract do you worry about more? Tim Connolly's, or Jason Pominville's?

Sabres Win 3-2 Tonight

by Ryan

At least that's what Kevin Sylvester says. He wrote a blog post that gives the score for every game the rest of this year. He was already wrong about Tuesday nights' game against the Flyers, although he did say it would be an overtime loss. We'll cut him some slack for making predictions, so that's a mulligan.

He says the Sabres will need 94 points to get the 8th seed, which is a bit higher than Mirtle's numbers but the threshold continues to rise as the season moves on. We both say ten wins will do it, so let's see what Sylvester says the Sabres do over the next five games:

3/12 vs. Florida: 3-2 win. Defeat the Panthers who will struggle for two weeks without Nathan Horton [finger].

3/14 vs. Atlanta: 4-1 win. Back-to-back home victories will get everyone feeling good.

3/17 at Ottawa: 4-3 OT win. St. Patrick Lalime gets most satisfying victory of his season.

3/20 vs. Philly: 3-2 loss. A surprisingly defensive Flyers team halts a three-game win streak.

3/21 at NYR: 2-0 win. Ryan Miller returns exactly one month after the Scott Gomez hit that caused the ankle injury. Could I have written this any other way?

So yeah, there's that. The Sabres go 4-1 over their next five, and Ryan Miller comes back to play on March 21. I can't decide if he's being coy because of the time and opponent, but I suppose that's irrelevant. Either way, it's an interesting look at what he thinks will happen.

My take? Well... that's one way it could happen. He does admit that the predictions don't take into account what other teams are doing, so I suppose there are some possible holes. Still, my big thing is that while every other team in the playoff race can afford to suddenly play mediocre hockey, the Sabres no longer can. Even the Rangers only need to play one game over .500 to make the top eight.

Buffalo doesn't have that option, and that's certainly an issue for this team in its current state.

The Off-White Glow

by Ryan

With the Bills sudden acquisition of Terrell Owens, Buffalo has been on the mind of every sports fan, if only for a moment. Of course, it's been a very long time since that has been the case. Many fans hope that this sudden focus of attention can be an opportunity to change the national opinion of the city and the area. Most residents are tired of the same old same old that is discussed by outsiders, and it is important we utilize this attention to sculpt how others see our hometown.

Yeah, like that's going to happen. With the T.O. signing there have been two major discussion points in the national media. They are as follow:

1) Terrel Owens is a bad fit for a small town like Buffalo.

2) Will the Bills make the playoffs with Owens?

That's been about it, with the exception of this beauty, which wonders if the offseason moves will push the Bills to a Super Bowl appearance. Somehow I'm thinking no. Either way, there's not much variety with the columns we've seen thus far.

We've already talked about the magic that is Hat Guy, and some have lamented all the stupid, misguided columns we're going to see this season because of Owens. Now while the petty blogger in me is excited for all the columns Rich will get to tear apart for us, the fan in me does get upset about all the stupidity that some will fall for.

But that's the problem with national columnists: they don't understand us. They can call Buffalo "hard working" and "blue collar" all they want, but they don't understand anything outside of those cliches because they've never been here and don't know what it's really like. That's why people around here get so upset when we make "Most Depressing Cities" lists and said lists make national news. Miami may be on a list like that, too; but it's not the city people remember for something like that.

Chris and I were talking about this yesterday and he made a great point. He said that very few national guys get us because they aren't fans like us. He cited what Will Leitch had to say about the Owens deal on Deadspin. Here's what Will had to say:

Because of The Lady, I make a yearly trip to a Buffalo Bills game, and I have to say: I'm looking for it more now than I could have anticipated. Think about it: Is there any team in organized football that Terrell Owens could have signed with that you would have preferred more than Buffalo? I hate Terrell Owens, and I was excited to see him go here. Buffalo desperately, profoundly needs something to get excited about, and Terrell Owens is just the prescription. If he's great, Buffalo has an identity again, something to rally around, someone for everyone to talk about and get angry at. If he's terrible, Buffalo will be unified, and overpowering, in its malevolence. Buffalo hasn't been relevant enough to cheer against lately, to have gravitas, to put some meat on its bones. Terrell Owens provides them that. I still hope he somehow hurts himself. But if he were going to redeem himself anywhere, it would have to be here. Admit it: If Terrell Owens can bring a Super Bowl title to Buffalo — which of course he isn't going to do, but still ... if — you'd re-evaluate him a little bit, wouldn't you? I would.

You may not agree with all of what he says, but I think that's as close to what any of us in the Buffalo Blogosphere have had to say about the signing. Chris said that's because Leitch is a fan, too; and I tend to agree with that. He may not always say great things about Buffalo, but he has at least visited the place enough to gauge how people would react to Owens without doing a phone survey first.



The point is, over the next year there are going to be a lot of people writing about Buffalo that have no idea what they're talking about. We will know better and will get upset at times, but there's not much we can really do about it. The national spotlight has its advantages, but a major disadvantage is that a lot of people think they know a lot of things they don't. Personally, I welcome the change and hope people get a chance to learn more about a place that rarely sees the big stage.

It will be fun to see who gets it right over the next year or so. We'll be here to clean up the ones that miss.

Tonight's Watchlist

By Chris


After seeing Buffalo choke away two points to the Flyers last night, Sabres fans might be surprised to hear that the race to the Top Eight in the Eastern Conference is still pretty wide open. Carolina, currently in eighth place, travels to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks tonight. Faceoff is at 8:30 p.m.

Let's hope Pat Kane can work a miracle for his hometown team.

Other games of interest include Tampa at Ottawa, which is on right now (and really isn't that interesting), and Vancouver at Anaheim at 10 p.m., with Vancouver being one of the hottest teams in the league right now and Anaheim fighting for their postseason lives (the Ducks are three points out of 7th with a game in hand on the Oilers; the Canucks are sitting pretty comfortably in 5th).

And if none of that floats your boat, I've got two seasons worth of SportsNight on tap.

About That Goal...

by Ryan



I know this goal was reviewed and was completely inconsequential to the final score, but I have to ask. Remember this goal Pominville scored against the Leafs on February 17th? The one that went off his chest? Somehow they called it back, saying he directed it in, right?



How is that not the same thing? I agree that the Hartnell goal should stand, but I just don't see much difference between the two goals. I know fighting is the big issue at the GM Meetings, but how about a little consistency in video reviews?

Make Yourself

by Ryan

Maxim Afinogenov has scored three goals this season. This is one of them.



The last time Afinogenov scored was December 26th, and it looked a little something like this:



I think the similarities between the two are unmistakable. In fact, here's what I wrote about that game way back when:

I think it's pretty clear the differences between the two teams. The Washington Capitals pinned their hopes on a superstar making a spectacular play, while the Sabres had theirs riding on an utter disappointment getting really, really lucky. Is that really where the Sabres are right now? I know injuries have taken a toll and the backup was in last night, but can Maxim Afinogenov really be the hero of this team?

If you substituted "Washington Capitals" for "Philadelphia Flyers", would that paragraph be out of place here today? The last time the Sabres left Philly the score didn't match the game. This time it does. Buffalo was outclassed in every aspect of a game they absolutely needed. The Flyers may be the better team, but Buffalo had to be better and wasn't.

What makes it so frustrating is that the game was right there. Tied up after 40 minutes, the Sabres needed a good third period to steal two points and stay with everyone else in the playoff race. How many times has this team been close with 20 minutes left, only to see the third period explode? I'm not sure the exact number, but the phrase "too many" comes to mind.



It took 27 seconds for the third period to explode. That's almost record time for a team that has made a habit out of third period disasters. Sure, the effort was there for two periods, but that third period was embarrassing. The defense fell apart, the forwards didn't get enough chances, and Lalime could always be better. Still, when you allow a goal on the first shift of a period you absolutely have to win you can't expect to steal two points.

We're starting to get to the point where you can say this team just doesn't have it. It's no longer pessimism, but the feeling you get watching a team get close and not have enough to get over the hump. If they can't win a period, what should make me think they go 10-5 down the stretch against a schedule of mostly playoff teams? The trade deadline boost is gone, and there are too many teams playing above .500 hockey while the Sabres hover around mediocre.

There are still 15 games left, and I'm sure somewhere down the line Buffalo will get it together and make a run. Still, the feeling we all had last night is usually a strong indicator of the truth. It will take an improbable run to get where they want to be, and they have been pretty ordinary all season. They are also not getting any help from the teams around them, but when you can't win games on your own how much help can you really ask for?



This team may have some fight left in it, but it's going to take a lot for it to matter.

Mahna Mahna

by Ryan

Instead of wasting your time with the postgame interviews, we summed up what the Sabres had to say last night with this handy video.



You're welcome.

Worst-Case Scenario

Bernie Madoff is going to plead guilty for fraud.
Perhaps the Sabres should do the same.
We'll have more on the inexcusable 5-2 loss to the Flyers later. For now, we won't even mention the Montreal/Edmonton or Pittsburgh/Florida games.

The Maine Blueline Blues

by Ryan

Last week prior to the trade deadline I asked what Darcy would need to do with Portland. Now that we know just what has happened at the deadline, it would make sense to assess how the Sabres and Pirates General Manager did. Here's what I said last week:

However, I'm just not sure how much Darcy Regier is willing to do given the assets this team has. Is it really worth moving Afinogenov for a few AHL-ready defenseman, or should more long-term goals be in mind tomorrow? When it comes down to it, is the demand for action with the Sabres or Pirates the larger concern at the deadline? Can Darcy manage to buy, sell, and restock the farm team at the same time?

I think we're more than likely to see him try doing all three, and that may include something similar to the Zubrus deal we saw two years ago. Sabres brass won't be looking for guys to make a major push, but they will be looking for help up in Maine for sure. It won't be the priority, but it has to be on the radar, right?

So, how did Darcy do? Well, I hadn't really thought about it until yesterday when I was checking Maine Hockey Journal. It appears that the Pirates problems on the blue line are getting worse, with Nathan Gerbe a potential emergency defenseman. Here's what Chris Roy had to say:

The Sabres made several moves on trade deadline day, but they failed miserably in addressing the Pirates need for a defenseman, by either sending a player down or acquiring a player by means of an AHL trade. The result of those inactions is the Pirates using assistant coach Eric Weinrich and Nathan Gerbe on the blueline. Weinrich is not attempting a comeback, but to take one of your top offensive players and use him on the blueline as a need is baffling.

While the Sabres sit five players, two who could be better served by playing in Portland, the Pirates are scrambling to have a roster that resembles an AHL team by Saturday.

There was quite a lively debate about the role of an AHL team in the comments, but I'm not going to get into that. In fact, I wasn't going to address this at all until I saw this post claiming the Pirates are back down to five defenseman.

So was Darcy responsible to the Pirates at the trade deadline? Many people certainly think so, and while a Sabres fan may not feel the farm team needs to be much more than that, he does serve as their GM as well. So why didn't Darcy pull the trigger on Wednesday? Was he ignoring the Pirates?

As I wrote last week, Darcy would try to serve the Pirates as best he could, but there were other things on the agenda. Connolly's contract, the goaltending situation, and what to do with the UFAs on the roster just to name a few. It would be absurd to think Darcy isn't aware of the problems in Portland, but where they rank on the totem pole is up to him.

Now we're no Darcy apologists, but I think you have to cut him some slack here. Regier wasn't exactly standing around on Deadline Day. In fact, it was one of his most active as a Sabres GM. Starting with the Connolly extension, Buffalo was a big part of the trading landscape throughout the afternoon. The Tellqvist trade, the Moore deal, and the late announcement of Kotalik's departure put us right up against the deadline, and it's hard to believe there was much more Regier could have done with the day.

It's a fair criticism to say that Darcy didn't pick up a defenseman for Portland, but you can't ask him to rush a trade just to do something. A hurried trade to move a minor league player could cost the franchise more than the short-term return that player brings, and we know that Regier is anything if not careful.

Besides, it's not exactly fair to say Darcy completely ignored the farm team. The Tellqvist trade was a move solely to give Jhonas Enroth back to the Pirates, who were also experiencing some serious injury issues between the pipes. Tellqvist will get some starts for the Sabres before the season ends, but the Sabres traded away a 4th round pick for a few spot starts from a UFA and to give Portland their goaltender back. Darcy may have ignored the blue line, but that shouldn't be forgotten, either.

There is reason to be upset about the situation on defense if you're a Pirates fan. However, Sabres fans do know what it's like to have one good defenseman. It wasn't very long ago that Jay McKee put the final nail in the coffin in Carolina, and the image of a motionless puck between Rory Fitzpatrick's skates still haunts us to this day. It is unfortunate that a player like Butler sits in the press box every other game, but seeing the front office err on the side of caution in this case is tough to criticize from this view.

It may be tough to defend, but it's not hard to understand.

Joe Beninati: Web Log Wordsmith

by Ryan

In case you weren't aware, tonight's Sabres game is on Versus. This is perfect, as any Flyers game on Versus is a good time, with their studios located in Philadelphia and all that poetic justice and whatnot. Still, Sabres fans will have to offset the analysis for HD broadcast. That seems reasonable when you really think about it.

Still, I thought this would be as good a time as any to talk about our favorite Versus announcer: Joe Beninati. I was watching the Caps/Penguins game on Sunday when something came across the screen: It said, "Read Joe's Blog!" Surely not the Joe who pontificates about hockey weekly. It must be some other Joe.

Oh no, it's that Joe.



Actually, after giving it a look there isn't much to make fun of. He doesn't use his command of the English language as much, but he does sound very knowledgeable and gives some good opinions on the games he covers. It's clear that Joe knows his hockey, and he really does seem to love covering guys like Ovechkin and Semin for the Caps. Then again, who wouldn't?

That said, I totally want Rick Jeanneret to start a blog. Think of the possibilities. His diatribe against composite sticks would be epic.

Hat Guy on T.O.

by Ryan

It's times like this when you discover that we have fantastic readers. Tonight we found in our inbox not only the Trent Edwards Insider article I asked about earlier, but this gem about T.O. from Mike Celizic. Oh yes, FJM fans, it's Hat Guy!

Owens in Buffalo is a recipe for disaster
T.O.'s too old to put Bills into playoffs, and he's incapable of good behavior

The popular analogy for what Buffalo did when it signed Terrell Owens for the 2009 season is to say that the Bills put their money down and rolled the dice. But that’s giving them too much credit.

Did they not pay? Playing with the house's money? So many routes to go with this one...

The craps analogy doesn’t work because in dice, you have an actual chance of winning. What the Bills did is more like doubling down on 19 in blackjack when the dealer’s showing 20. Unless you’re the luckiest cuss alive, you’re losing that bet, and everybody knows it.

So far "everybody" consists of Mike Celizic and his hat, but close enough.

Somewhere in the Buffalo front office, people are saying, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

Or "Holy crap we signed T.O.", but whatever.

This is what people say when they buy lottery tickets, and it’s true enough — if all you’re risking is a dollar that you’d just spend somewhere else. But when you or I buy a lottery ticket, we’re not planning our future on the prospect of winning. The Bills are.

So wait, you buy the sports car after the numbers are drawn? I'm lost already, hat guy.

The Bills paid $6.5 million for that chance.

Wait, are they paying for a lottery ticket? Blackjack? Craps? What metaphorical game of chance are the Bills paying for in T.O.? Then again, we're just lucky he hasn't compared Owens to a bag of M&Ms yet.

This isn’t a 50-50 proposition. It’s not 40-60 or 30-70. It’s hard to say what the actual odds are-

But definitely NOT 50-50, 40-60, or 30-70. That much is CLEAR.

-since Owens is batting a perfectly imperfect oh-for-3 with teams so far. No matter how well he’s done on the field, he’s always left a toxic slick behind him in the locker room.

He's like an evil, chemistry-destroying snail.

No team has been better off when he left than it was when he got there.

Not even the dodgeball team he played for in elementary school. He called a teammate icky and demanded a trade to a team that didn't have cooties.

There’s a track record here that the Bills are ignoring, and it’s going to come back to haunt them. They may as well lick their fingers and stick them in an electric socket. The effect is going to be the same.

Somehow I'd rather electrocute myself than bang my head against the same 7-9 wall year after year.

The Bills aren't renting T.O. in his prime. It’s a 35-year-old wide out whose great skills are slowly declining. It’s a guy who is incapable of being a team player. If Jerry Jones gave up on him, who in Buffalo can change him?

I can't argue with much of that, but you still haven't told me why the Bills shouldn't have signed him. Are we getting there yet? Oh okay, good.


The biggest reason the Bills should not have signed him is because he’s willing to take the job.

...What?

Think about it.

I... I'm trying.

If Owens is willing to work for Buffalo, it’s only because he’s desperate for work.

So he's ready, willing, and able to work; but you want him unemployed? What are you, Ford?

T.O. knows he’s running out of options.

We all know this, yes.

When he had grown tired of San Francisco, he engineered his trade to Philly, refusing to participate in a trade to the Ravens, where he thought his great talents would not be fully utilized. After Philly, he went to another top team, the Cowboys. But after being thrown under the buckboard by Jerry Jones, Owens looked around and saw the top teams cowering behind lead shields lest he contaminate them with his presence.

Good, I was hoping there would be a history lesson somewhere in this. After this can we talk about the Pacific Theater of World War II? I've always been fuzzy with my Guadalcanal.

With no other way to make several million dollars, Owens made it sound as if Buffalo is his kind of town.

Oh no, I know what's coming.

We know that’s a blatant lie. T.O. is the ultimate glamour hound, and Buffalo’s glamour quotient is in negative numbers.

Really? Are we going to do the "all that's wrong with Buffalo list?" You're better than this, Hat Guy.

“Desperate Housewives” stars don’t sneak into the Bills’ locker room to sneak a snuggle with a player. Jessica Simpson doesn’t hang with the quarterback. Phil Knight doesn’t have any of the Bills on speed dial.

Buffalo’s idea of gourmet fare is the hot wings at the Anchor Bar.

It's true, every wedding reception I've ever been to was held at a bar. At the last one the cake was made out of potato skins and every course was deep fried. In other news, I weigh 637 lbs.

This is no criticism of either the meal or the venue — the Anchor invented hot wings, and if you ever find yourself within 100 miles of Buffalo, my advice is to take the detour and get yourself an infusion of the best wings you’ll ever have.

Hat Guy freaking loves those wings.

It’s just that I don’t see Owens hanging out at the Anchor eating wings. And while there are things to do in Buffalo, it’s not where the beautiful people go for excitement.

Only ugly people eat chicken wings. It's science, people.

Owens embracing employment in Buffalo is like Donald Trump welcoming the chance to build a trailer park. It’s not something he’s doing because that’s the only place he wants to be, but because it’s the only place that will pay him to do his thing.

Again, have we figured out what's wrong with that? Oh shit there's another page, maybe he gets around to it eventually. Or maybe he can just talk about Loganberry and Mighty Taco's philosophical impact on the 3-4 defense. Or something.

So we know it’s only about the money this time around. If he could have signed with a team worthy of his own opinion of himself, he would have. But he couldn’t and didn’t.

Right. From what I could tell everyone understood and was okay with this. What is so bad about that?

This is a recipe for disaster.

Really? Why do you say that?

It’s not even about pretending to want to win a championship. Even if T.O. is on his best behavior and plays better than he has in years, the Bills still aren’t going to win the AFC East. They probably won’t make the playoffs. They’re just not good enough.

Is that the disaster? Because that sounds pretty ordinary to me.

We know what he wants — a chance to somehow get through a season without a major public relations disaster and then coax another contract out of either the Bills or another team that’s lost its senses.

So we've established that the Bills have lost their senses and are playing some sort of $6.5 million dollar blackjack/craps/lottery ticket game that will put them on the brink of disaster. I have no fucking clue what Celizic is talking about, but I'm pretty sure he does not want that Buffalo Creek Casino built.

But first he’s got to get through a year in Buffalo without incident, and we know that’s not going to happen. It’s not because Owens doesn’t want to be a good soldier. It’s because he’s incapable of it. The programming isn’t there.

ROBO T.O. DOES NOT FEEL. WHAT. IS. TEAM? DOES NOT COMPUTE.

It’s like asking a wolf to swear off lamb chops or second-grader not to laugh at potty jokes.

For the record, I was a pretty damn mature second-grader. Penis.

Vegas should set an over-under on how many games Owens will last before he starts spewing acid.

Again with the gambling. C'mon, Hat Guy!

I’d put it at eight games — half the season.

And he'd bet $6.5 million on it, too.

By then, the Bills should be struggling and he should be explaining to the media it’s because Trent Edwards is a lousy quarterback who doesn’t have the brains to throw every ball to Owens.

Yeah, that sounds about right. I can see it now: "Trent Edwards relies on his tight end too much." Not a hint of truth in that.

When he finally reverts to form, he won’t find apologists in Buffalo as he did in Dallas and even in Philly.

Because no one in Buffalo likes to criticize the front office or coaching staff. Anything Owens has to say will fall on deaf ears for sure.

Bills fans are people who work hard for their money, people who take the worst weather nature can throw at a city without complaint, people who expect their sports stars to be as down-to-earth as they are.

SALT OF GODDAMN THE EARTH!!!

T.O. fails on every count, which is why this experiment is doomed before it begins.

If I don't see my wide receiver at Wegmans, I don't want him on my team. Simple as that.

He’s in it for money and himself.

Yeah, what a jerk with his contract and whatnot.

The Bills say they’re in it to win, not realizing that they’ve lost already.

See that? The season hasn't started and the Bills have already lost the biggest prize: their souls. They've lost their souls by signing a wide receiver who clearly doesn't like chicken wings. That heartless, beautiful bastard. He won't fit in here, and you heard it from Hat Guy first.

What to Watch and Such

by Ryan

- James Mirtle is back from a trip to Nashville and has a very cool story about the visit. We always hear the cliches when it comes to southern hockey markets, so it's interesting to get a first person account of the Preds and their fans.

- Likely #1 overall pick John Tavares recently broke the OHL's scoring record. It's interesting, the way the Isles have been playing these days he might be Tampa's pick to lose.

- I wanted to read this but I am not an "insider". If anyone is and wants to give us a summary, let me know.

- Oh, and this is just freaking hilarious. No wonder I stopped reading Page 2 three years ago...

- Last night we got an email about a liveblog a friend was putting on for the NU game. I didn't catch the email until it was too late, but word is that he will have another one for the MAAC Championship game tonight. I'd encourage you to join them starting at 9pm. Should be a fun night for local hoops.

- I really don't have much to add about the passing of Colleen Howe, but this picture is pretty cool:



- Tonight on the "games that matter" agenda is Hurricanes/Rangers. The best we can do is pray that it doesn't end up a three point game. No, I have no idea who to root for. Your guess is as good as mine.

-And in other breaking news-style ramblings, Guy Carbonneau is out as coach of the Montreal Canadiens. General Manager Bob Gainey will take over behind the bench. The Canadiens sit in 5th place in the East and are 5-2 in their last seven; they picked up a big win in Dallas last night. The Habs host Edmonton tomorrow night as the Centennial keeps getting more and more interesting. -Chris

Trent Asked For It

by Ryan

If there was any worry about what Trent Edwards thinks of bringing in Owens, this should take care of that. From Peter King:

"How about T.O.?''

Bills chief operating office Russ Brandon woke up sometime after midnight Friday morning and noticed there was a text message on his cell phone. So he reached over and looked. It was from Trent Edwards, the quarterback of the Bills. "How about T.O.?'' That's all it said.

Brandon shot back with this: "?''

"T.O. was released. Go get him,'' Edwards texted back.

Brandon still seemed surprised when I spoke to him late Sunday. "I went back to sleep,'' he said, "but I was stunned by it. The next morning, [coach] Dick Jauron and I talked, and he said, 'I think it's something we certainly should take a look at.' I put a call into [owner] Ralph Wilson, and he said, 'Absolutely look into it.'''

No matter what happens this season you have to keep in mind that Trent asked for it.

I think by now the initial shock of the signing has worn off, so we should probably talk about it a little. The majority of stories I've seen outside of the area have claimed this will be trouble and that the Bills are taking a huge risk. Owens will rip apart the small Buffalo market, ruin Trent Edwards, and destroy the chemistry in the locker room. Now while that may be true, I think they are missing the point.

Here's my question: how much worse can it get? After three straight 7-9 seasons and a decade-long playoff drought, why not do something drastic and see what happens? When the news came down on Saturday, I wasn't shocked that we picked up Owens but rather shocked the Bills did something that high profile. After Coles ran away screaming the next best thing looked like Joey Galloway. Owens? Really?

This could turn out to be a terrible decision but frankly, I don't care. Doing something, anything is better than standing pat. Think about it: would you rather have him playing here or beating the coverage for the Jets? The potential is now endless with an Evans/Owens 1a/1b formation. For an offense that was very, very easy to scheme against last season this must be a welcome change.

Of course, there could be trouble. We know the staff we have can be frustrating, and every Bills fan is waiting to see what happens that first time Trent checks down to Derek Fine while T.O. is running free down the sidelines. Still, when he makes some noise about the coaches or the players, it's not going to be hard to agree with him. After what we saw from the coaching staff last season, maybe someone saying it in the locker room will make for more effective criticism.

There is high risk involved with the move, but I'm just glad they finally took a risk. I would rather sign up for the chance to make something happen than stand around and wait for another 7-9 season. If it works and Owens has a 1,000 yard, 10 TD year then the Bills got their money's worth. If it's a disaster and they go 5-11, well, it's a better draft pick.

Either way, it's going to be fun to watch.

A Simple Plea

by Ryan



Hi. I'm Paul Gaustad of the Buffalo Sabres with an important message about conservation.



Looks nice, doesn't it? It's always an exciting time following the trade deadline, and new players are always quick to gain fans. And what better way to show your fandom than by making the ultimate purchase to support your favorite player: buying a jersey.

But hold on there, let's not lose our heads. There are certain... circumstances that are important to remember. See Dom's a great guy, but there's really no telling how long he's going to be on this team with his contract status. That's not something we talk about in the locker room, but as a fan you need to be thinking about this. You want to get some mileage out of that jersey, right?

Let's forget about how much it costs and instead focus on the environment. When a player leaves a team, the jerseys left behind suddenly lose purpose. So what happens to these priceless artifacts? Well, most are never seen again, eventually used for pickup hockey and thrown out when the smell becomes unbearable. That's a lot of waste put into our garbage dumps, especially if you're a Peter Forsberg fan.



If that jersey isn't thrown out, however, the results are even more catastrophic. When a fan continues to wear a blatantly outdated jersey, a process begins that is called Jersey Toxification. Jersey Toxification is a process where the presence of an outdated jersey fouls the mood of the section that person sits in at sporting events. This air of shame slowly spreads throughout the venue, and soon the entire building is cast in a shadow of Briere and Drury jerseys.

It's not hard to imagine that what happens on the ice is affected by this mood, and the number of scientists that believe in Jersey Toxification is staggering. The evidence has grown to a point beyond denying, and the sooner we address the JT issue the better. Each season JT affects millions of fans, and is by far the leading cause of shameless ridicule. I'm looking at you, Vladimir Tsyplakov fans.

So please, be aware when you are purchasing your jerseys. Mikael Tellqvist may now be your favorite player, and I admit that he has fantastic hair. Still, check his contract status before you threaten the environment with your frivolous purchase. With your help, we can prevent further harm to our environment, and turn the tide against the threat of Jersey Toxification.



Do I even have to say it?

I Don't Get It

by Ryan

Everyone admits that something happens when the Sabres play the Ottawa Senators. The record speaks for itself: over the last four years Ottawa has gone 19-6-4 against the Sabres. Since the Senators have fallen from perennial playoff team to one-dimensional bottom dweller this record is even more shocking. We've called it the "ghosts" or "demons" associated with Ottawa, but there is something tangible to this inability to get past them.

The thing is, no one on the team seems to know what the problem is, either. I suppose that's a good thing, as inaction despite awareness of a solution would be an even bigger problem when you really think about it. Players are asked and give the usual answers, but nothing concrete has been established that explains what happens when the two square off.

The general consensus is that Ottawa "gets up" for games against the Sabres because of the rivalry between the two teams. If that is the case, it would seem to me that the problem once again comes back to the Sabres. Shouldn't both teams "get up" for this game and, if so, the superior talent come through in the end? That isn't asking too much of a good hockey team, right?

What I do know is that Ottawa isn't blowing Buffalo away by playing great hockey. They may play better against Buffalo, but it isn't a spectacular performance getting it done. While it's natural as a fan to find fault with your own team instead of giving the other team credit, there wasn't much Ottawa did that was all that impressive on Saturday, and I was certainly looking.

The defense was very suspect, with guys standing around and letting Ottawa's one good line beat them. No wait, Foligno scoring twice as well. Oh and Chris Kelly, too. Wow. The fact of the matter is that the Ruutu line shouldn't be scoring, yet this is the third game in a row where they get at least one goal. The Sabres are letting mediocre players on bad teams beat them.

Buffalo was awful at even strength, and if not for a good power play and shaky goaltending from Brian Elliot they would be looking at another weak offensive performance against an inferior team. In fact, the way Elliot was playing three goals doesn't sound all that impressive. The rebounds were big, the goals were soft, and the chances just weren't cashed in.

It wasn't all that bad, but the mistakes did cost them. Patrick Lalime was less than impressive, giving way to the discussion of whether or not Tellqvist should have been given his first start as a Sabre. Looking at the schedule I don't think you can start him for the next two games, and that's a lot of consecutive starts for a guy who can't be acclimated with the workload just yet.

I suppose you could give them credit for clawing back into the game multiple times, but it was their poor play that put them behind to begin with; and it certainly was their fault that Ottawa exploded in the third. Say what you want about Buffalo pressing and giving up those chances late, but with ten minutes left in the third it shouldn't be impossible to score a goal without giving up two more.

I'm tired of the excuses given for this team's failure to convert these chances. Their play is erratic, the results constantly fluctuating, and the expectations are always changing because of it. The fact of the matter is that the Sabres can't play .500 hockey and make the playoffs. There was a time when that was possible, but they've been playing below that mark for too long while other teams improve.

If you watched hockey yesterday you know that the Sabres aren't getting any help these days. The Penguins just went 5-0 on a road trip, and Carolina dropping at least six on whoever they play recently. With the amount of four point games on the schedule Buffalo is officially out of games they can blow. They will lose more games, but they have give a solid effort and lose because a team still outplays them. It's not over, but it's going to be tight for sure. Too many teams are still in it to glide to the finish and be okay.

The Sabres don't play until tomorrow, so until then take a look at the schedule and find ten wins. Don't worry, I'll be looking too.