Painful

I have avoided writing this one. Partially out of denial, partially because it is so easy to pile on. But... well, now is the time.

This Sabres team is broken. Not broken in the sense that there are poor players or coaching. I am talking broken in the spiritual sense. I had not, I admit, seen this coming. sure all of the signs were there, especially the ones in neon lights (see Briere and Drury leaving). I thought that Miller, Gaustad, Campbell would pick up the slack. I truly did. What I have seen is an unemotional team going through the motions on most nights. I acknowledge they picked it up big time in the past two games against the Bruins and Leafs, but no one was home to score those clutch goals that They-who-shall-not-be-named used to score.

Who is to blame? Yes it starts with Regier. He was wrong, pure and simple. There is still time to right the ship but the fix is going to be expensive in the way of prospects. There are players to be had, players that can fill the Drury/Briere roles but they are going to cost Buffalo some of their exquisite depth and prized prospects.

Lindy doesn't get off easy here either. For the first time ever Lindy seems at a loss. I think part of it is a sense of betrayal. I know if I had signed a new 3 year deal at less than market value and then had my veteran leaders stripped I would feel betrayed too. I can't help but sense that it has seeped into his thinking and the room as a whole.

Tom Golisano gets a bite of the apple too. He has done tons of good while here in Buffalo, but anyone who listened to the fans and read the news knew that bringing one of those two back was critical to the perception of this team, if nothing else. Now this team must win in order to draw. Losing Briere and Drury destroyed any grace period this town was willing to give. Tom, as a business man, you should have known better than that.

The players. The players have been downright awful. What shakes me is this unwillingness to take ownership of the team. Instead of grasping the leadership role they have played hot-potato with it. It may have something to do with the fact that being the captain of this team is akin to a death sentence. Ruff's rotating captaincy has been criticized. i think it is more of a result of a locker room waiting for the other guy. A true team would DEMAND and push forward a captain. Yet, they sit back and let the opportunity sail by. This leads me to believe that the role needs to be filled from the outside. I don't know who that guy is, but he better be found and brought in soon.

No More Nomar—With Nomar Goles to Tally, Slats' Stats Man Goes Out ... Then Sather Says Let Seymour Goles Go In

NEW YORK—New York Rangers general manager, Glen Sather, announced today that team statistician, Nomar Goles, resigned shortly after the Blueshirts 1-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The search for his replacement, however, didn’t last very long.

Apparently Goles had been under a lot stress since the Rangers opening night’s 5-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. Since that game, Goles was deeply concerned because the Rangers simply weren’t scoring many.

Having been shutout in two consecutive games, scoring only 8 goals in the last 7 games, and posting a league low 13 goals for the season, the only name the supposedly high-powered Rangers have been living up to is Nomar’s.

According to Goles, he felt personally responsible in some way. “It’s as though my name has put a curse on the whole team. I told Glen (Sather) on Sunday that the team might be better off not having me around. With my brother (who was an unemployed statistician) available and just as technically qualified as me, it seemed like a good idea to make a change,” said Goles.

On Tuesday night, apparently Sather agreed. Having watched Nomar Goles for the past two games, Sather said, “let Seymour Goles go in and hope that we start winning”. And with that, Nomar resigned and his brother, Seymour, immediately was in as the Rangers new statistician.

“It’s all for the best. I felt like the Maytag repairman for much of the season. Not having any work to perform is sometimes harder than having too much. I also took a lot of flack from what happened last week,” Nomar said.

Nomar was referring to having pronounced Brendan Shanahan’s goal scoring ability “dead” last Wednesday. The obituary entitled: R.I.P.—Shanahan’s Scoring Succumbs to Old Age After 19+ Seasons was published by the Hockey Humorist on October 17.

As to whether the new team statistician, Seymour Goles, might be willing to alter his brother’s findings on Shanny’s scoring ability, Seymour is uncommitted. “I’ll have my eye on Shanahan’s goal scoring, but I’ll have to see more,” said Seymour.

Meanwhile, Sather remains optimistic that this move will help the Rangers turn their disappointing season around. “Seymour Goles is a name that the whole team can rally around. It will be our new battle cry. Besides, at this point I’ll try just about anything,” said Sather.

Humorist’s Hindsight: Let’s hope that this same-day double play works out better than the last one Sather pulled. After signing both Scott Gomez and Chris Drury within hours of each other on July 1, the yearly $14+ Million dollar duo has combined to average barely over a half a point per game each (9 points in 16 combined games), while showing very little chemistry with their linemates.

I also find it quite interesting that both Nomar Goles and the Hockey Humorist received quite a bit of criticism over what was said in R.I.P.—Shanahan’s Scoring Succumbs to Old Age After 19+ Seasons.

Today, Larry Brooks of the New York Post and Dubi Silverstein of the Blueshirt Bulletin both expressed their concerns over whether Shanahan’s age is a factor in Shanny’s scoring decline. Here are the links: Post and Blueshirt Bulletin.

Brooks even quotes some of the same statistics that I used in several of my articles, such as the fact that Shanahan had only “scored six goals in 29 games before his Feb. 17 concussion” last year. Too many Ranger fans either seem to be unaware of these facts or are just ignoring them.

Although Shanahan’s scoring may have stopped, my pursuit of this subject matter will not.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

Cheapskate Owners Fleece Fans on Both Ends

While I was away in Maine last week, the Buffalo Sabres announced an ingenious new ticket pricing plan. The Sabres call it the "Variable Pricing System." Here is how the team describes this new system:

Individual game tickets are based upon the Sabres innovative, Variable Pricing system, which is a newly created program where each game is designated by one of four different classifications (Gold, Silver, Bronze and Value). Each classification is determined by the opponent, time of the year, day of the week, rivalries and games against all-star players.

GOLD GAMES

Gold games will be those games that typically have the highest demand with regard to the opponent or the date of the game.

SILVER GAMES

Silver games will typically be weekend games (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) or games versus high demand opponents.

BRONZE GAMES

Bronze games will typically be mid-week games or against up-and-coming opponents.

VALUE GAMES

Values Games will be "family friendly" priced games that are offered at a deeply discounted rate for the season.

For the cheapest seats in the house, here is the price breakdown:

Gold: $68

Silver: $41

Bronze: $29

Value: $20

The Sabres host the Rangers and Flyers twice each. One game against each team is slotted as a "Gold" game and one game against each team is slotted as a "Silver" game.

So, what does this all mean? Well, it means that the Billionaire Owner of the Buffalo Sabres, Tom Golisano, didn't think it was worth his money to re-sign either Chris Drury or Daniel Briere, but he certainly thinks it's worth his fans' hard-earned money to watch them come back to Buffalo and play against their team. For the four games against the former Sabres stars, fans have to pay $218 as opposed to the regular price of $80 for games Golisano and his errand boys in the marketing department didn't deem worthy of extortion. It must feel great to pay so much extra for the right to watch these guys play for another team. Talk about pouring salt in the open wound.

This is what makes the small-market NHL owners so lovable. They whined and screamed for a lockout, and took over the wheel of the league and drove it straight into the iceberg. Now, they finally get the system they held the players and fans hostage to get, and they are complaining about the big-market teams spending too much money. But, that won't stop them from charging their own small-market fans an arm and a leg to see those big-spenders when they come to town. The best part of this is that other owners will catch onto this idea, and it will drive up revenues, which, in turn, will raise the salary cap. But, if you think owners like Golisano will take your money and use it to put a better product on the ice, don't hold your breath. They will be the ones trying to shut the league down again to lower salaries, and blaming the Rangers and Flyers for destroying the small markets, while they laugh all the way to the bank to deposit the extra money they made off those very same evil teams.

Will the Rangers go “All the Way”? - Size Does Matter

In addition to staying True Blue to my tagline of “Shooting From Angles Not Covered By Any Other Blogs”, I am going to be just a little forward and fire my rubber load (so to speak) in the direction of a subject that I have yet to see mentioned on any Ranger blogs, websites, message boards, newspapers or magazines. And if this subject has been covered in any of the aforementioned forms of “social intercourse”, its coverage has been scanty.

While the main focus continues to be (and justifiably so) on the Rangers sizzling summer, double-dip splash into the UFA pool – A.K.A. Scott Gomez and Chris Drury – other ubiquitous Ranger topics include: 1) draft day’s Russian Heist (Alexei Cherapanov), 2) the relatively peaceful signings of Henrik Lundquist, Brendan Shanahan, Petr Prucha and Marcel Hossa, 3) the signing of Sean Avery after an ornery arbitration hearing (and its long-term consequences), 4) the trading of Matt Cullen and who his replacement will be, 5) the potential impact of Marc Staal and other highly touted prospects, 6) what will become of the current glut of defensemen and how the defense corps will ultimately pan out, 7) general opinions on the Rangers chances of winning the Stanley Cup, etc.

What never seems to be brought up is a very simple question: Are the Rangers physically equipped to be capable of winning the Stanley Cup? One of the reasons this potent poser should be a timely one is the urge that some of the league has had to enlarge since the events of last spring. Once the Anaheim Ducks consummated their season with hockey’s ultimate gratification, the Stanley Cup, some NHL teams have chosen to “go with the flow” and mimic the mighty Ducks. This was evident in the 2007 entry draft, where some teams refused to succumb to the temptation of raw talent, and instead decided to reload their pistols with brawnier ammunition. After all, in this copy-cat league the physically dominant Ducks have become the envy of all their gamey rivals in the hunt for next year’s big prize.

One might argue that the league’s rules favor fast, skilled teams - not necessarily big ones, and Anaheim’s championship was more an aberration as opposed to the beginning of a new trend. This argument would be supported by the fact that no Stanley Cup winner has repeated in 10 years, and that historically a size advantage in the playoffs doesn’t necessarily become the deciding factor. The Philadelphia Flyers, in their Bobby Clarke days, are the probably the best examples. On the other hand, had the Flyers actually added an elite goalie to the mix for many of these years, their physicality might have been the force that carried them over the top to lift Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The biggest difference between today’s hefty hockey teams and those of yesteryear is that some of the current NHL teams, namely Anaheim and San Jose, have a frightening combination of size, strength, speed and youth. Anyone, who was watching the Detroit-San Jose series, would have bet the family fish tank after game 3 that the Sharks were going to swim away with this one. But despite being seemingly over-aged, out-muscled, out-skated and out-matched for much of the first 3 games, Detroit proved in a stunning 3 game turnaround that a “strength of character” advantage can sometimes offset an entire host of physical deficiencies. Should the Sharks be able to overcome their character issues this year, their daunting endowment of assets might make them the favorites to sink their teeth into the Cup.

Anaheim is dealing with a number off-season issues often encountered by defending Stanley Cup champions, such as players contemplating retirement and an increase in their players’ perceived value (and salary demands). This often leads to the loss of some players, who are lured away by other teams willing to overpay for their services. So depending on how things shake out for Anaheim, they could be headed for a fall this spring. On the other hand, should Anaheim eventually be able to get their Ducks in a row without ruffling too many of their franchise feathers, they will be every bit as formidable as they were last year.

What about the Rangers? As much as I enjoyed their brilliant resurrection late last season, which climaxed with an improbable surge to the playoffs and a first round thumping of a throttled Thrasher team, I knew that they realistically had no chance of “going all the way”. Although the Rangers inevitable encounter with the Buffalo proved to be a much closer contest than I could have ever anticipated, ultimately they were destined to succumb to the Sabres wealth of weapons.

But even if the Rangers could have pulled off the humongous upset against Buffalo and had the stamina to outlast the Senators (in what would have been a tough and evenly matched series), their bubble would certainly have burst against a physically superior Western Conference foe.

In the playoffs, much of a team’s success depends upon which opponents they are pitted against and how well they match-up against them. The Rangers had plenty of skill and speed, but not nearly as much as Buffalo. The Rangers certainly had enough size and grit to physically stand up to any Eastern Conference team that made the tournament, but not nearly enough to withstand the perpetual pounding that they would have received at the hands of the Ducks or Sharks. Had the Rangers encountered either of these teams in the Finals, they would have been eaten alive – as Duck soup for Anaheim or as Shark bait for San Jose.

In fact, the Rangers were fortunate that Philadelphia and Toronto didn’t make the playoffs last year. In the regular season, even though the Rangers could compete with these teams, it was obvious that both the Flyers and Leafs were more broadly built than the Blueshirts. Had the Rangers faced either squad in the post season, they would have had trouble holding their own in hit-for-hit hockey. Of course, the more drawn-out a series becomes and the further into the playoffs the match-up occurs, the more difficult it is for a smaller team to cope with the carnage inflicted by their colossal counterparts. This means that the Rangers would have a better chance of surviving this kind of clash had it occurred in the first or second round, as opposed to the final two rounds.

Relatively also enters into this equation. Certainly a team can more easily overcome a disadvantage, if the disadvantage is a minor or moderate one. A real mismatch can arise when one team has substantial supremacy in size, speed, or skill.

As teams continue to assemble the off-season pieces to their respective puzzles, it’s hard to say for certain how much of a relative advantage/disadvantage each club will have next year in the desirable attributes of size, speed, and skill. We won’t know the answers until each team’s internal competitions have been decided in league-wide training camps and all their final transactions have been made.

Aside from particular line combinations and defensemen pairings, the Rangers really have only a few spots that remain in question. Assuming that Ryan Callahan and Daniel Girardi have completed their post graduation requirements from the Hartford Academy and will remain in New York, along with two year veteran, Hossa, that leaves only one center position, a couple of fourth line positions, and one or two defense positions remaining in limbo (assuming no further trades).

Therefore, we have a pretty good picture of how the Rangers breakdown in some of the key physical categories. They would appear to have good (but not excellent) team speed and plenty of skill that would probably allow them to stay competitive (in this sense) with just about any team in the playoffs – especially since the Sabres machine lost two of their main cogs in Briere and Drury. Although the Rangers parted with a very speedy center in Matt Cullen and a very skilled center in Michael Nylander, they picked up two very fast centers in Gomez and Drury – with Gomez possessing excellent playmaking skills and Drury bringing a host of intangible qualities (one of which bit the Blueshirts in the butt in game 5 of the Sabres series).

As far as size and strength goes, they’re simply not among the Rangers strong suits - notwithstanding a couple of players whose physical force could potentially wear down their playoff opponents, such as Jaromir Jagr and Hossa. This is not to say that the Blueshirts don’t have some gritty players, as well as some other players (aside from Jagr and Hossa) of impressive stature - at least 6’1” and over 210 lbs. It’s just that Shanahan, Marik Malik and Paul Mara don’t play a physical style that wears down the opposition, while Colton Orr and Jason Strudwick are fringe players who are often not dressed.

Brad Isbister, whose offensive capabilities could never be confused with Joe Thornton’s, did provide the Rangers with some well-needed bulk late last season and in the playoffs. His ability to work the boards, cycle the puck and compliment Jagr made him an effective player, and in that sense, he will be missed. I should also mention that if the question mark at center is answered by Brandon Dubinsky, then on top of the other talents he brings to the table, his ponderous proportions and feistiness would definitely be a welcomed addition to the team.

Overall, I would say that the Rangers could physically endure a playoff series against most teams, but would very likely get blown away by the power of some of the jumbo jets they could engage in battle.

The reason that I’ve barely touched upon the “joys of youth” is because a Stanley Cup championship team is generally composed of a nice blend of young bucks and wily vets. Next season, the Rangers will probably have the right mixture of those ingredients.

Perhaps the most important factor in determining whether the Rangers have a chance to “win it all” is chance itself. Who knows if the elements that GM, Glen Sather, compounds will result in good chemistry? Who knows how healthy the team will be, especially heading into the playoffs? Who knows if a topsy-turvy season will be topsy or turvy in late April? And finally, who knows in the pursuit of the ultimate conquest, what sequence of opponents will need to be conquered?

So with size being one of many uncertain variables, will Lady Luck scorn the Rangers for their physical shortcomings? Or will the Rangers have the goods to get the gold (silver in this case)? These answers will go a long way in determining how deeply they can penetrate into the big dance come next spring. The final score will either show the Rangers living large as Stanley Cup champions, or being pre-maturely humbled as inadequate also-rans.

Postscript: Should the Rangers surmount all the obstacles and defy all the odds this season to hoist hockey’s Holy Grail, then next summer they would be wise to beware of invaders from the Great White North (Edmonton). For if “Kevin the Poacher” aims his next Lowe blow at the Rangers family jewels, they must prepare themselves by defending their Cup.

Courtesy of The Hockey Humorist - http://hockeyhumorist.blogspot.com/

Did You Enjoy This Post? If So, Tell Me - If Not, Blast Me!

Why the Avs?

It's the slow news time of the NHL season, and since I just recently joined the BBeR family, I figured I'd post a little (Ok, more than a little) something about myself and my trek to becoming a hockey, NHL, and especially, Colorado Avalanche fan.

So how did it happen?

I don't know really. I wasn't exposed to hockey all that much during my formative years, but I definately remember one of the first hockey cards I ever saw being Joe Sakic in the blue Nords jersey. I remember wondering what those weird symbols were, you know the ones that looked like the ones on the Saints helmets. So I looked them up (in an antiquated tome of knowledge known as 'Encyclopedia Britanica) and learned a little about french-speaking parts of Canada, a little about hockey, and a little about the NHL.

Years passed, and growing up in Wyoming, the only pro team that was considered local was the Denver Broncos. They had a stud quarterback in Elway, were always decent, but always losing in the end. Still, there were some great seasons in there. I naively pledged to support all Colorado teams at this point in my life. In the interum, I still followed hockey, and the NHL and kinda kept my eyes on every team, but I still remember liking the uniqueness of the Nordiques. The name was different than anything else in pro sports. My first name is French, so that probably didn't hurt. I had unwittingly started down a long, winding road to an obsession that continues today.

Not long after my family relocated to south Mississippi, pro sports became really big in Denver. The Rockies and Avs were instant hits, and I dilagently followed their first few seasons. It was (and still is) easier to follow the Avs rather than the Rockies, due to them winning a lot out of the gate, plus that fact that I had a least a passing familiarity with the team and its players.
Anyway, by the time I was in high school, having never played the game, and only seen it on TV, I started trying to convince my younger brothers and friends what a great game it was. Roller-blading lead to pick-up up games of inline hockey in my drive-way.

Jump to college, and I'm able to follow the game more due to the freedoms that come with college life. I take a vested interest in the newest Avalanche players, notably Chris Drury and Milan Hejduk. Drury stood out to me with his lifelong tendancy to be a winner. My vested interest soon turned into full-blown fandom when the Avs continued to carve a swath through the NHL every year, coming close, but just a little short of the promised land. Then the Bourque trade and the pieces started to come together. So close.

The next year saw Blake join the team at the deadline and push the Avs into another gear. Victory! I even remember my mom calling me up during the SC Finals and asking me what Roy was doing skating out of the crease, turning over the puck, and putting the Avs in a hole. I didn't even know she knew what hockey was. I asked why she was watching, and she said because she knew it was important to me, since it's all I talked about the last month! She then stated that every time she tuned into the game, something bad happened. I remember screaming in a somewhat high-pitched voice "THEN STOP WATCHING!" Even when she was visiting my younger brothers and I during the weekend of Game 7, she sat on a couch in the back of the room so she couldn't see the game, and consequently jinx the outcome. Well, it worked. Yes, Avsnation, you have me to thank for that Cup in 2001. Me and my mom.

A couple of years later, I teamed up with some 'Yankees' and 'Canucks' that were going to the same college and we started an inline hockey league in 2003 that is still going today. I picked goalie because the league was in desperate need of netminders. Obsession number two kicked in to full gear. After getting married (and subsequently brainwashing my wife into being a hockey fan, but not an Avs fan), graduating with my Masters (finally), and relocating to Oklahoma, I finally got the chance to play ice hockey. It was a long strange trip, but I loved every second of it, even the Theo Fleury experiment. I started following Avstalk shortly after the lockout, then Jibbles, then DLS, and finally Draft Dodger. I figured if I was going to post a comment on each blog every day, I should just start writing one myself. That's how I hooked up with BBeR as the Avs "correspondent". Recently, a couple of those guys have teamed up with Mile High Hockey. I hope other Avs fans will give it a look. Heck, any hockey fans should drop by, even Red Wings fans!

So far, I've had a blast writing my few additions to the site, and I'm looking forward to the season. I hope to contribute regularly, and I'll do my best to bring more great quality to this little corner of the hockey world.

Wilson deceives Sharks fans once more...

It'll take more than the annual "Shark for a day" fantasy camp to calm down angered Sharks fans this this time around.

Reader and Sharks fan Brian Smith has these comments on the Sharks' current disappointing offseason and Doug Wilson's promised "changes"

It's a funny thing here the Sharks are already in PR mode after failing to sign Sheldon Souray. Tonight on their website, the radio broadcaster talks about how things are going well this off season, with our draft choices and players working out. And excuse after excuse about why the Sharks haven't signed anyone in free agency. Funny they didn't mention anything about the Doug Wilson comment after we got beat in the playoffs again. At that time Doug Wilson said "Changes would be made." and that "he just won't sit around doing nothing till september."
Hmmm funny thing it looks like the Sharks have done NOTHING, which is typical year in and year out with them now.

It's kinda funny every year we get the same speech at the start of the Season the Sharks are committed to winning the cup this (put in any year) season. Yet every year they fail come free agency time they do nothing except talk their way around it, then they raise ticket prices to stay more competitive, lose 4 players sign no one, and then try and convince everyone they are better than they were last season.
It's kind of comical that people actually buy into that, because its the same song and dance every year.

Right now there are NO free agents worth any value left on the market and Sharks management will most likely spin it by saying "Oh we tried, and had offers on the table."
But in the end losers try, winners succeed. 5 years at 27 Million for Souray is cheap, but the Sharks won't do contracts of over 3 years length, so I guess its no wonder they struck out once again come free agency time. But hey they raised our ticket prices, now they are putting out a new logo so we have to buy more merchandise, thank god management is so concerned about winning the cup. Their Actions speak a lot louder then there hollow words.

You're absolutely right, the Sharks were HEAVY free-agent favourites heading into the summer, but failed to pursue guys like Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and perhaps most "shockingly", Sheldon Souray to join the Sharks' ranks.
I think Wilson's comment was far too rash and blunt, he had no idea if changes were to be made and if Drury or Souray wanted to come to California, come on, he was basing his words on the rumours that were circulating around at the time, how could he have known first-hand that either one of them was interested in signing with the Sharks?
He couldn't, pure speculation on his part, and he made a terrible mistake with his fan base by promising them something (or rather someone) they haven't gotten so far (but hey, a trade could always be in the works)

That speech is basic "protocol", name me one team that's committed to losing and not winning the Cup.
No team heads into a new season with that approach, but this is exactly what separates the pretenders from the contenders, for example, the Capitals can walk into a new season and say "we are committed to winning the Cup" while Wilson can say the same to his media.
In this case, Wilson has a better team to back his claims up with while Caps GM George McPhee doesn't.

The Sharks have come up empty handed via free-agency, but look at their roster now, they've developped most of their core talent like Patrick Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo, Matt Carle, Evgeni Nabokov to name a few and they made a HUGE splash acquiring Joe Thornton last season.
So maybe fans should look more to clever draft choices rather than big name free-agents to improve the team, based on what the Sharks have done with their young talent so far.

Anyone remember Brad Stuart? He's turned out to be fine defenceman...thanks to yours truly
.
They have Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Patrick Rissmiller and Joe Pavelski shaping up to become a quality pack of players in a few years, it's all from within, and that's the way Wilson should go, and stop mesmerizing his fans by foolish and vague claims that he'll make changes by making splashes in free-agency, since it obviously never happens.

You tell me if this is how the Sharks should go on improving their team, since I don't see it happening realistically any other way.

--BBR

Did the Rangers Pay Too Much for King Henrik?

There seems to be a bit of a debate brewing about the Rangers decision to ink Franchise Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to a one-year/$4.25 million dollar contract to avoid salary arbitration and build a bridge to a long-term deal in January. Some, including the New York Daily News' John Dellapina praised Lundqvist for working with the team and agreeing to put off signing a long-term deal to save the team some 2007-08 cap space. Others, including Larry Brooks of the New York Post, have pointed to the $2.667 million salaries earned by comparable two-year veteran goalies Cam Ward and Ryan Miller as evidence that the Rangers are paying Lundqvist significantly more than he would have been awarded in arbitration. Thus, the deal is actually a detriment to the Rangers' already perilous cap situation for the coming season.

I tend to agree with Brooks here. While Lundqvist is certainly the key to any shot this team has at success, the Rangers are not obligated to pay him more than what he should be paid under the CBA. Since King Henrik is an arbitration-eligible RFA, they were right to use arbitration as a way to prevent other teams from extending a cap-busting offer sheet. They also should have calculated what they believed he would have been awarded in arbitration and made that offer to him, with the promise to lock him up to a long-term deal in January. The team would have been in a position to save some cap space this year, while still being able to offer him the kind of big contract he would get on the open market.

Let's understand something here. The Rangers are still going to lock him up to the same 5-6 year deal at $5.5-6 million a year in January that they would have if they had saved the likely $1.5 million by going to arbitration, or signing him to a more reasonable contract. They aren't going to get any discount for giving him the extra money this year. The only difference is they now have an even more difficult cap situation this season than they should. I have no problem when the team signs players like Gomez and Drury to big contracts. They are playing by the same rules put forth by the CBA as everyone else. But, when it comes to a situation like this, the Rangers should also use all of the rules of the CBA to their advantage.

Report: Cullen Could be Headed Back to Carolina

According to a report by John Dellapina in the New York Daily News, Rangers' Center Matt Cullen could be heading back to the city to which he helped bring Lord Stanley's Cup in 2006. Dellapina writes:

Sather is shopping center Matt Cullen, with a trade back to the Carolina Hurricanes very much on the front burner. Should the Rangers shed Cullen's contract (three years left at $2.8million per), they'd trim nearly $3million from this season's cap hit.

That could simply provide flexibility for potential in-season moves. But it just as easily could be the first step in a plan to clear enough cap space to sign free-agent defenseman Sheldon Souray, whom the Devils and Islanders have pursued. Unloading defenseman Paul Mara's $3million salary undoubtedly would be another requirement.

As we have discussed here all week, the Rangers moving Cullen is not a surprise. Cullen is a terrific third-line center, with great speed. He does all the little things well, and he is certainly the kind of guy you often find on successful teams. However, he is the most logical forward on the roster to be moved to clear cap room. The Rangers really created this problem when they signed Cullen last summer. As I wrote above, he is a good third-line center, but the Rangers signed him to center the 2nd line and set up Brendan Shanahan, hence his $2.85 million cap number. After watching Cullen struggle on the second line on Broadway, the Rangers felt so strongly that Cullen was not the answer at that spot, that they broke up their top line late in the season and moved Martin Straka to center the second line. They then proceded to tie up $14 million in cap space on Scott Gomez and Chris Drury to center their top two lines. When you have that much invested in your top two centers, you simply can't also pay $3 million to your third center. Well, at least not in the salary cap era (we all remember the Rangers paying Bobby Holik $9 million a year to be their third center). So, while I like Cullen, and I wish the Rangers didn't have to move him, the reality is that when you add as much salary as the Rangers have this summer, sacrifices must be made elsewhere on the roster. And, this is a necessary sacrifice.

As for Souray, I continue to believe that, even if the Rangers deal Cullen and move Mara and his $3 million salary, it still won't be enough to get a Souray deal done, unless you can get him to take a one year deal for $4 million. If Souray was willing to take that kind of deal, he would have already been signed. I know his agent is very close to Glen Sather, but Souray is also close to Martin Brodeur, so if he wouldn't take that kind of deal from the Devils to play with Marty, why would he take it from the Rangers?

Just When It Couldn't Get Any Worse for Sabres' fans...this!

Still reeling from the loss of their two captains and the massive contract received by Thomas Vanek Sabres' fans got some news that was even worse. They found out that it appears that Darcy Regier and Larry Quinn are acting like nothing more than two bit con men.

Fans woke up to the Sunday morning Buffalo News to find:

"This isn’t meant to ruin your Sunday breakfast, but the Buffalo Sabres keep digging their hole deeper and deeper. They can no longer blame the media or the Edmonton Oilers or the collective bargaining agreement for their dizzying week of mismanagement loaded with halftruths and spin control.

Now, an agent, Pat Brisson, is stepping forward with enough gumption to say publicly what people suspected all along, that managing partner Larry Quinn wasn’t telling the whole truth last week. Quinn claimed General Manager Darcy Regier called Brisson, who represents Daniel Briere, and never received a return phone call.

“For the record, Darcy Regier did call Pat Brisson in January,” Quinn said Friday. “There was no offer back to us about any kind of discount or anything. So I think we ought to make the record clear on that. If there had been and everybody came together and said, ‘Let’s all chip in,’ we would have tried to figure out a way.”

According to Brisson, the Sabres never called his office at any point during the season. In fact, he hadn’t heard from them since last summer, the day before Briere was awarded a one-year contract worth $5 million. Brisson at the time was pressing the Sabres to sign Briere to a five year deal worth $25 million, which the Sabres rejected."

Nothing like one of the most respected agents in hockey saying your team's leadership is a bunch of phonies and liars. This follows Buffalo News Sabres' writer Bucky Gleason's revelation that the Sabres had an agreement in place on Drury this fall (told you!!!) and failed to act on it.

Here are excerpts from that article.

"Right when you thought the news couldn't get much worse coming from HSBC Arena, we come to find out that Chris Drury actually accepted a contract offer from the Buffalo Sabres that would have kept him around for a tad more than $5 million a year. And what did the Sabres do? Nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch.


Drury agreed to a four-year deal worth $21.5 million last fall. He waited and waited . . . and waited . . . for the Sabres to send the contract to his agent so he could sign the bottom line. Days passed without hearing from the Sabres. Then it was weeks. Still, nothing. Finally, he started having second thoughts. "

The Sabres, of course, deny this. But I have a tough time swallowing that Chris Drury, the classiest Sabre in decades and Steve Brisson, and Danny Briere and Mike Grier have it all wrong and are actually making it up out of spite.

You have to wonder what is next? I would be unhappy, but respect, the sabres decision if they simply had decided to change direction. This, this makes no sense at all. This is a perfectly illustrated scenario for why the Sabres are one of the least respected organizations in hockey.

I must admit I really feel for Lindy Ruff. He just went from the catbird seat to the outhouse in days flat. He sounded at a loss and in shock after losing both of his captains and the vast overpayment of Vanek. He definitely sounded like a guy who would have much rather been someplace else. He deserves far better than this.

The thing that is strange is that Tom Golisano is such a class guy. I find it hard to believe he could tolerate this. The next week could be very interesting. A few weeks ago I decried the Sens firing of John Muckler. Unfortunately, this series of 'decisions' by the tandem of Quinn and Regier could be far more devastating.

I say that it is time for Quinn and Regier to go. This town has suffered enough. The last thing Buffalo needs is two more con men in charge.

Darcy Regier's the one man to blame for Sabres' potential losses of Briere and Drury...

Less than a day until one of the most exciting times of the hockey world's year.

Tomorrow, on July 1st 2007, promises to be an even better showing of the unrestricted free-agent party than its 2006 version.

Big names like Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, Scott Gomez, Sheldon Souray, Ryan Smyth, Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg, Scott Hannan, Roman Hamrlik and last but maybe the least, Alexei Yashin, are the creme of this year's unrestricted free-agent class and nearly all seem to be ready to sign with new teams.

And in less than 24 hours, the Sabres may have to face reality and possibly lose both Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.

Drury and Briere held the C for this year's version of the Buffalo Sabres, and both had career years with Drury setting a high in points (69) and goals (37).
Meanwhile, Briere surpassed his fantastic but short 2005-2006 season and his previous "career year " of 2003-2004 by scoring 95 points, 32 of them being goals and 65 helpers.

You could argue their offensive success was due to the fact that the team has so much depth and so many quality forwards available to them on their sides, or that both were looking to cash big at tomorrow's much anticipated event.

Chris Drury was for the most part of the 2006-2007 season expected by media and fans alike to be the one Darcy Regier "chooses" in the two-man Sabre saga.
That same saga that captured almost everyone's focus during the year rendered guys like Scott Gomez, Paul Kariya and Sheldon Souray seem like second-rate.

However, reports near the end of the season and heading into the playoffs became stronger and stronger and indicated that Darcy Regier may even have a tough time keeping one of the two, that both could command up to $7 million should they hit the open market.

As the playoffs wore on, Chris Drury made it easy for Regier to make his choice, putting up 8 goals and a total of 13 points in 16 contests while his counterpart in the two-man battle, Daniel Briere, put up more points than he did but felt unpolished in many ways.
He felt unpolished when it came to leadership and didn't lead his team when it needed it the most, especially in the Ottawa series, when he looked totally lost on the ice and made me think on more than a few occasions "Where the heck is Daniel Briere?"

His offensive game was also lacking the same zip it had in the regular season, and managed only 3 goals, and that might have been the factor to this blogger's disappointment in him.

The 12 assists number is also very deceiving; at a glance, you first think: "gee that's good" but if you seriously watched the games, then you realized that most of them meant nothing and only a few really were game-breakers.

Briere had a good series against the Rangers, but completely faded away against Ottawa, while Chris Drury stood tall till the end, and this might lift up more than a few lids...like a true captain.
I said it before, I think Briere had leadership issues in the playoffs, or UFA status was clouding his mind or whatever, something didn't click and down Buffalo went in 5 against the Senators.
And if rumours are true, that a Briere-Drury lockeroom fight occurred over a few harsh words spoken by Briere in the lockeroom, then so long, happy trails!

It truly is sad to think that the Sabres might lose both of them and get nothing back, nothing at all, imagine how the team will play next year potentially without its two captains and two of its top scorers?

Not very good I assume.

But anyhow, I'm sure Darcy Regier now regrets not signing Briere to that 5-year $25 million contract he wanted last year, and having the same offer rejected by him this year.

Chris Drury?

I'm not so sure about his status right now, but I assume he would likely be willing to take a "hometown" discount and remain with the same team that traded Steven Reinprecht and Rhett Warrener to get him (which at this point seems pathetically shallow on the Flames' side).
There's pretty strong speculation that he will part ways from Buffalo and sign with a California-based team, rumoured to be the Los Angeles Kings.
All this while Briere would look for greener pastures in the towns of Philadelphia, with buddy Martin Biron, or in Montreal, where the media is already building the barrier that would keep him out and raise my blood pressure.

As I said in the beginning, tomorrow should be a very interesting and most certainly eventful day, and Buffalo Sabres fans should prepare for major disappointment and lament their close to certain losses of the beloved Chris Drury and the 95-point man in Daniel Briere.

The loss of a captain, a leader and of such a complete player that is Drury, may wind up hurting the Sabres real bad, on and off the ice.
I'm sure Derek Roy can carry the load once Briere is gone, and he may even end up doing better than the latter.

And to end this prequel to tomorrow's live-blog event, I blame Darcy Regier for keeping this until the last minute and not bending his ways of not negotiating contracts in the regular season and here's the fatal result: losing Daniel Briere and/or Chris Drury.

Until tomorrow...

Check out this full "per team" list of 2007's NHL free agents.

--BBR

Briere and Drury Appear To Be Gone WIth The Wind

In a move that seems shocking to even the most pessimistic Sabres fan it appears Darcy Regier is prepared to let Danny Briere and Chris Drury go without a fight. Agents for both players report little or no contact in the way of negotiations with the Sabres' general manager. With each passing day it appears less and less likely the Sabres will be able to retain either of their co-captains. Also, Danbius Zubrus' agent reports no contact at all with the Sabres in regards to a new contract.

This is not a unique situation as in that Regier doesn't seem to like to make token offers to players just to stay in the game. He does have a tendency to work late and come in with the last/best offer in many of his negotiations. He has utilized similar tactics in situations involving Mike Peca, Jay Mckee, Mike Grier and numerous prospects. It has mnet with, at best, mixed results.

My hope is that Regier goes to the players and at least requests a chance to match the best offer they receive. Unfortunately, the message that the tactic sends probably isn't one that leads a player to have faith in the progression of the team. When you factor in the captaincy of each player it is probably deemed more as insulting.

If Regier has simply turned the page and intends to move forward without the co-captains I wish he would just come out and say so and then move forward in restructuring this team. He and Ruff alluded to that when they signed their new deals. Unfortunately, Chris Drury seems like a cog that would be needed in a more defensive, tight checking style of game.

At any rate, Regier's inaction, at the least, has Sabres' fans on edge and the pessimists running rampant. My simple request of Darcy is this: do something!

Losing Drury and Briere Becoming More Likely Everyday

It hasn't been the glorious May that Buffalo Sabres fans envisioned in their wildest dreams this season. Coming off a stunning rout at the hands of the Ottawa Senators the Sabres are bracing themselves for some losses that could be felt for even longer. It is well documented that both co-captains, Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, are unrestricted free agents. It is also common knowledge that the Sabres broke from their own team policy and negotiated with Drury within the season while not talking with Briere. Rumours abound of a split between the captains late in the season and during the playoffs. Now a combination of team policy, fiscal restraints and hard economics might conspire to strip Buffalo of its core leadership.

Last week Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn spoke on WGR550 about the fallout from the season and the upcoming off season. Most of the talk centered around the co-captains and the salary cap. Quinn pointed out that the cap is expected to rise to somewhere near $48-$49 million dollars. He further spoke of the Sabres intent to spend around 44 million on the cap. To go further, he said, would mean the Sabres would have to make the second round of the playoffs to maintain a positive cash flow. To be sure, Quinn said all of the right things about wanting the captains back and doing everything possible to keep the team core together.

Unfortunately, the writing between the lines speaks volumes. With the cap going up to 48 million the maximum individual player salary rises to approximately$9.5 million. Andrei Markov, a very good, but hardly a superstar defenseman just received an average of just under $6 million from the Montreal Canadiens. Teams have loads of money to spend and Drury and Briere both lend special talents sure to command top dollar.

Initially the thought was that $6.5 -$7 million each might be enough to keep the two captains around. Now the talk is starting to hover around the $8 million a year mark, a price the Sabres cannot afford for both players and, more than likely, will be unwilling to pay one. The rising costs also signal a reason as to why Ryan Smyth turned down a recent Islanders proposal for nearly $6 million a year, far more than he had ever been offered. Free agents are expecting a field day and it will be an expensive one.

Last year the Sabres went to the wall financially to keep the core of this team together. Unfortunately, the wall just became the Great Wall of China. There is always hope, but it is shaping up to be a long, cold summer in Buffalo.

Rumor: Did A Briere - Drury Lockeroom Fight Occur?

First off, I am a Sabres fan, this may look like a Habs blog, but there are many writers on here and I am the Sabres writer, just to get that out of the way so you can know that this isn't biased like some of you may think.

Many of you may have possibly heard rumours of an altercation between Sabres' co-captains Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.
I have been provided information by a source associated with the Sabres that an altercation did occur, but that it occurred during the Sabres - Senators series after the Game 2 loss in Buffalo. It appears to have occurred after the morning skate the following day.
This source has given me positive information on the logo change and has informed me of the alleged agreement between Drury and the Sabres. He has also given me heads up on Sabres trade activity that has borne out through the years including Donald Audette and Danny Briere coming to town.

What I am saying is when he talks I tend to believe it is true.


From what I have been told Daniel Briere was sitting with an unnamed Sabre in the lockeroom talking about possible places he may be playing next season.
At this time Chris Drury and Drew Stafford walked through that area of the room and overheard the conversation.
Apparently there had been some strife over the earlier reports, especially after a Philadelphia press interview with Martin Biron, that Briere has talked openly about leaving previously and that it had a negative effect on the room. When confronted by Drury on the comments Briere, allegedly, made reference to the rumour, which I have previously reported, that Drury had already reached a handshake deal and that he, and the team, were hiding it.
Allegedly, Briere also made a reference that Drury was favored in Buffalo because he was an American and that is why he got all of the credit.

According to my source it escalated from there and some blows, though none damaging, were thrown and they had to be separated by teammates.
The Sabres immediately followed this brush-up with possibly the worst performance by the team all year in Game 3. Interestingly after Briere tied game 2 with video clearly shows Drury skating right by Briere without even congratulating him. also in a off day press conference Joe Corvo of the Senators made reference of how it was tough for the Sabres to focus on the Sens when "they are fighting themselves".

Is it an interesting set of coincidences?

Maybe, maybe not.

The Sabres aren't talking and worked quickly to dispel the rumour around town.
All I know for sure is that the Chemistry and team play the Sabres lived on all year seems to have disappeared.
Is it a divided lockeroom or just a totally superior Ottawa team?

In the meantime, Drury and Briere have had a full fledged love in, especially Briere, about each other since the season ended.
Each can't say enough of how much they still want to play on each others team.
Interestingly, Drury came out and admitted that he and the Sabres had negotiations during the season on an extension.
Briere, on the other hand, was told there would be no negotiations due to policy.
If this is true, at the very least, the Sabres botched the handling of their two leaders and maybe lost their best shot at the cup. Granted, you expect Briere and Drury to conduct themselves as professionals all the time, but when feelings, emotion and money mix, the results are seldom positive.

I will keep an eye on the story and report an further information that arises.

Remember, this is only a rumor.

Sabres Left Wondering What Should Have Been

When Daniel Alfreddson beat Ryan Miller in the overtime of Game 5 Saturday it was an anti-climatic finish to a wild Sabres' ride. There is little solace in the two overtime losses, nor a feel good spirit about the fight the Sabres showed at the end. All that was left, in everyone's mouths, was the bitter taste of failed expectations.

Make no mistake about it the better team won. The Senators were simply stronger on the puck, more focused, hungrier and better prepared than the Sabres for this challenge. The loss highlighted some simple truths for the Sabres. Though a supremely talented team, they lacked the grit to compete against an equally talented opponent. Coaching also failed this team in the areas of special teams. The loss of Scott Arniel to the Manitoba Moose was a much bigger loss than anyone could have foreseen. While the Sabres have historically been an average power play team they have consistently been a tremendous penalty killing team. That simply was missing this year. While the players should accept much of the blame there is no way to excuse Darcy Regier, Lindy Ruff and the coaching staff for these failings.

This loss also put many players squarely at the crossroads of their Sabres' careers. Dimitri Kalinin, who has been enigmatic throughout his career, finally wore Lindy's patience to a nub. Though dressed, Kalinin hardly played in the final two games. Likewise, Ales Kotalik and Jaro Spacek played sparing minutes and performed at levels far below expectation. The two captains Danny Briere and Chris Drury may have played their last games in a Buffalo uniform. There are rumours flying around the media that tell me that Drury has already agreed on a contract with Buffalo and it is commonly thought that Briere is as good as gone.

Topping all of this off is the fact that Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff are unsigned as well for next season. I would like to have the quiet confidence that all will work out and they surely will return, but I have been burned too many times before. My gut feeling is that this team will return nearly in tact from this season. I expect Briere, Kotalik, Numminen and Kalinin to be gone and replaced by Drew Stafford, Dan Paille and some players to be named. I think it is likely that Danius Zubrus will return for a mid-level contract though it is far from a guarantee. Regier, assuming he returns, has always done his best work in the off season and there is little reason to believe this year will be any different.

The hope here is that the lessons learned from this gut-wrenching loss to the Senators will drive the Sabres to victory much as the Sabres victory over Ottawa did last year. Lindy Ruff very likely earned his second straight Adams trophy for coach of the year, but next year will be his biggest challenge as he has to re-gear this team to play in a different NHL that the league started as this year. This tougher, somewhat slower game is not one the current roster likes to, or is suited to, play. It will be interesting to see how he devises a way to keep this run and gun squad interested.

The one thing this loss doesn't do is diminish how good this Sabres team was. It was an outstanding and entertaining team for much of the year. Unfortunately, as is seemingly always the case in the NHL, entertaining does not equal Lord Stanley's Cup. They may very well be the second best team in the league, but as we in Buffalo know, second just isn't ever good enough.

Miller Makes The Save and The Sabres Live to Fight Again

The Sabres led by a desperate spirited effort and a marvelous game by Ryan Miller beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 to bring the series back to Buffalo. The Game was highlighted by the fastest goal in Sabres playoff history when Derek Roy and Chris Drury capitalized on an Andrei Meszaros turnover to score 9 seconds into the game.

The Senators played hard but, for the first time in the series, looked mortal. The Sabres penalty killing was sensational killing off consecutive penalties in the third to preserve the lead and win. Of course, most of the success in the third was due to some world class goaltending by Ryan Miller. On the other end of the ice Ray Emery looked shaky despite only giving up 3 goals. He fought the puck all night and Chris Drury's eventual game winner was an extremely week goal.

The Senators also exhibited a lack of discipline that they had not shown the entire series which cost them when Buffalo scored their second goal with a two-man advantage. also, the senators by, Versus Television's count, shot wide on 17 scoring chances in the game. It was an uncharacteristic effort by this Ottawa team.

In any event the Sabres have a pulse and that is all we can ask now. The Senators best close this series out Saturday afternoon in Buffalo or things might start to get scary.

News and Notes:

Danius Zubrus did not play at all in the second or third period in Game 5. He is apparently suffering from an injury but it has not yet been disclosed. There were pictures of him being given smelling salts on the bench which would lead me to believe he has a concussion-type injury.

Dmitri Kalinin played only 4:31 in the game. He was effectively benched for periods two and three. The Sabres basically went with 4 defenseman as Jaro Spacek's ice time was also significantly limited, though it increased as the game wore on.

Chris Neil Must Die! (and other thoughts on Sabres-Sens)

- I hate Chris Neil. Plain and simple, I hate him! He is a dirty, blindsiding piece of dirt. That is enough of the nice things I have to say about him. It would be a shame if he got hit by the Metrorail (well, a shame for the Metrorail).

- Sabre fans need to acknowledge that every point Spezza, Heatley and Alfie score aren't a sign of failure. Those guys are going to score their points. We need to be worried about the Schaeffers, Comries and Vermettes of the world. If we don't control them it will be a short series.

- I expect a big series from the Kotalik, Connolly and Briere line. something tells me that Briere is going to make his mark in the playoffs this round. I also expect big things from The Afinigenov, Roy and Vanek line. They should be the beneficiary of some great matchups, especially against the second and third Ottawa defense pairings.

- Speaking of Ottawa's defense. I have heard multiple people anointing Anton Volchenkov and Andrei Meszaros as the next big things. I fully expect them to be exposed in the series. If they do get exposed Buffalo will have a field day.

- I am slightly embarrassed about Buffalo's response to Ray emery's shots at the city. First we got upset at Willis Mcgahee's parting shots, but now we are getting uptight about the comments of a second rate goalie? Come on people, we are better than that. They are from Ottawa for cripes sakes, not Honolulu!

- Sabres are simply better. Sabres in 5.

Sabres take care of Rangers at MSG...

Tom Renney receiving a round of applause as he acknowledges the Rangers' fans support throughout this series and the entire season as well.

Here's a final look at the series, from a Fanatic's point of view, and by no means a Rangers or Sabres fan's (ahem, PW and Ghost, feel free to comment.)

Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres played well in general, although, in their first two games on the road, at MSG (their only two losses) they played horribly, actually, uninspired, as if they didn't want to win, and I commend the Rangers and Tom Renney for the great show they gave us this series, it was a roller-coaster ride all the way and every game was decided by a single goal; the most recent (obviously, if you haven't heard yet) being a 5-4 Sabres win on this glorious Montreal (and hopefully, wherever you are) afternoon (or night...or morning).
After two paltry losses to New York in Games 3 and 4, I was beginning to think that they were running out of gas, and that (as the NHL has witnessed a lot in the past century)their fantastic season was all for none.

In Game 5, in Buffalo with the series tied at two, Chris Drury put through a maze of players, behind Henrik Lundqvist off a rebound that even fooled two defencemen trying to stop the puck derrière the Swedish-born goaltender as well.
Drury has shown he is an amazing leader, and Daniel Briere's under-par play this series is only fueling Darcy Regier in one direction concerning both players' contract status, (both are UFA's on July 1st, and it's unlikely that he will retain both.)more precisely, in Chris Drury's direction.
Drury also prompted Ghost to write a spontaneous, emotion-filled post late Friday night when his blood pressure was soaring and his hands were shaking after the Sabres won 2-1 in overtime, with help from Chris Drury's goal at the 19:52 mark of the third period.

Imagine this: a Rangers fan sitting excitedly on his couch staring at his television screen, feeling the unavoidable power of victory approaching.
But then, all is lost when Drury scores, and his coffin is sealed with Afinogenov's blast from the point.
Now? Well, now he's probably in Heaven, wishing he were in Hell.

No but really, Rangers fans have nothing to hold against their team, Glen Sather put together a terrific team, even more terrifically coached by Tom Renney.
Led by Jaromir Jagr (...at home) on the scoresheet (with a little help from Michael Nylander) and with Henrik Lundqvist stopping the puck in their own end, you can say bad luck was the reason the Rangers lost this series.
They played so well, and deserved to beat them Sabres, but, sometimes, logic prevails over reason.

The Buffalo Sabres are the better team, the best team in the NHL and have been tops ever since the new NHL was born, it was just logic that Buffalo won, and frankly, I thought it would have been a lot easier for them to put the Rangers away, but no.
New York fought till the bitter end, and it was bitter.

The return of Paul Gaustad to the Sabres' lineup was more valuable than thought, he was an all-around smashing success in his return to the lineup after missing 35 games with an injury.

I'll let the Ghost and PW fill you out on the players, these were just my general impressions.

Oh, and PW would like for me to present to you this little pic of his, showing Henrik Lundqvist's backdoor, his weakness, where the Sabres didn't shoot in Games 3 and 4.



--BBR

Druuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuury!!!!!!

All I can say is "amazing." What a clutch goal! The man just became a bonafide legend in Buffalo hockey lore. No matter how this ends.

Some random notes:

It appears the old Max is back!!

Lundqvist was amazing tonight. The guy is money.

I was very dissappointed in Jagr, he looked out of sync from the get go.

Michal Rosival is one tough cookie. I have been thoroughly impressed with him.

I never imagined that Danius Zubrus would be as tough and physical as he has been in these playoffs.

I expect game 6 to be a war. NBC has got to be really excited.

I'll write more when my blood pressure returns to normal.

APB..Danny Briere...Missing!!! APB

Missing:

White Male, 5'9, 185lbs. Last seen wearing White Sabres jersey with large 'C' on chest. Normally shows great hustle and grit, rarely fails to bury scoring chances. He has not been seen in 1 week.

Seriously, Danny Briere is hardly the only Sabres forward playing poorly. But he and co-captain Chris Drury are failing the team right now.What is most upsetting is that the effort is simply not there. I have no explanation for this lapse in effort, but it seems that it is becoming an epidemic.

Anyway, if anyone has seen Danny please tell him to come home, the playoffs have started and he is late.

Sabres - Isles Game 1 Recap

Workmanlike, methodical and somewhat boring. These are the words I would use to describe the Buffalo Sabres' game 1 win last night in the HSBC Arena. The Sabres clamped down hard on the Islanders last night and ground out a 4-1 win. Brian Campbell and Chris Drury did all of the damage as the Sabres jumped to an early 1-0 lead and then pulled away after the Islanders tied it 1-1 in the second.

The Islanders played fairly well in the game but just couldn't seem to match the Sabres depth, especially the 3rd and 4th lines. Wade Dubielewicz played a solid game and made all the saves he needed to but the Islanders could not muster enough offense to mount a serious threat in the crunch time. The best line for the Islanders throughout the night was the Ryan Smyth, Trent Hunter and Mike Sillinger line which seemed to give the Sabres some problems, especially down low. It appeared Ted Nolan tried to match the Smyth line with the Briere line as much as possible. It appeared to cause the Briere line alot of problems due to the physical presence Smyth's line brings. The Yashin and Satan line showed alot of effort for the Isles but couldn't crack the scoreboard.

The Sabres' lines of Afinigenov, Roy and Vanek had numerous shifts where they controlled play for long periods of time in the Isles zone. They were not rewarded on the scoreboard but looked extremely dangerous all night. The Islanders defense struggled significantly with the Sabres speed throughout the game. The addition of Tim Connolly seems to have significantly stabilized the Sabres' Power Play which accounted for two goals (they scored another 1 second after another power play expired) and the Sabres' penalty killers lead by Drury, who chipped in two goals as well, seemed to have their way. Danius Zubrus, Jochen Hecht, Drew Stafford and Adam Mair were extremely physical all night. With his two goals Defenseman Brian Campbell picked up where he left off in last year's playoffs. He looked like an all star defensman for the first time in some time and was a force on every shift he played.

All in all it was exactly the type of effort the Sabres needed and they did not disappoint. They controlled play and once they built their lead in the third period they checked the Islanders into submission. Game Two is Saturday night in the HSBC Arena. It appears to be a good possibility that Rick Dipietro will start in goal for the Islanders as he has been cleared by team doctors. Dipietro has missed the last few weeks with a concussion suffered in a late March game.

News and Notes:

Daniel Briere did not practice Friday as a precautionary matter. He was reported to have been dinged up from blocking a shot but was expected to play Saturday night at full strength. There had been speculation that a hard Aaron Asham hit extremely late in the game had possibly injured Briere but the Sabres deny this.

Paul Gaustad (ankle) has resumed light skating and there are indications he could play in Round Two if the Sabres make it that far. He suffered a sliced tendon in his ankle in a freak skate accident.