HockeyRhetoric

I think it would probably be an understatement to say the Sabres forwards as a group were very nonthreatening in Game 7. They couldn’t break out of their zone and when they did it never amounted into anything dangerous. All series long the Sabres have been carrying the puck into the Flyers zone instead of dumping it into the corners. In Game 7, the Flyers defensemen played tight on the Sabres forwards and in most instances were able to disrupt the Sabres rush. With the Sabres countering with Niedermayer or Roy (in his unconditioned form) up the middle, it became an easy attack to defend. » Read the rest of this entry «

This series is not going to come down to what the Sabres get out of Derek Roy, a player who has yet to get a taste of the 2011 Philadelphia Flyers. It’s not going to come down to what the Sabres get out of Marc-Andre Gragnani or Tyler Myers or Chris Butler either, the core of the Sabres embattled defense. Yes, everyone matters. Everyone has to bring it. One of those players could certainly win it for the Sabres, but they’re not the ones I’m depending on most to elevate and take over Game 7 for the Sabres. I think this series will be decided by the hockey sticks that belong to players like Drew Stafford, Thomas Vanek, Brad Boyes, Tyler Ennis, and Nate Gerbe. » Read the rest of this entry «

The Sabres have won three of the first five games in this series because they’ve been clutch. Kaleta scoring late in Game 1 is clutch. Ryan Miller robbing Dan Briere late in Game 4 is clutch. Tyler Ennis scoring in the first overtime period of Game 5 is clutch. » Read the rest of this entry «

The way I see it, Sabres fans can process Thursday’s win in one of two ways.

The first is to appreciate the win but acknowledge what the Sabres failed to do, the minor penalties called against, the important players who were difficult to notice, and attribute these marks of imperfection as troublesome signs for the future. This is not me.

The second is to use some perspective while focusing on the statistic that matters most: the goals each team managed to score. Allow me to recognize this game for what it will be remembered as: an improbable and thrilling win for the Sabres. The significance of which is unknown but its value is not. » Read the rest of this entry «

I’ll be honest, I was upset after Chris Neil tried to take Chris Drury’s head off three years ago. I’m obviously biased but it seemed like Neil deliberately targeted Drury and used his elbow as a weapon. Chaos ensued and the league did nothing. I don’t know if it’s coincidental but not even a year after the Neil/Drury hit, Patrick Kaleta joined the team. Maybe Neil wouldn’t have been looking for trouble had Pat Kaleta been on the Sabres at that time. I find myself fascinated with Kaleta. More than anything else, his presence on the team represents a physical threat to break someone’s forehead, legally, at any time. So everyone better behave, or else. What once was a job handled by fighters has been taken over by punishing, and at times dangerous, body checkers. Should that really be necessary?

It doesn’t have to be a player of prominence like Drury, but it could be and that’s all that matters. If it’s clean, if it’s dirty, it doesn’t make a difference because injuries happen on both. Granted, their more likely to happen and are generally more severe on dirty hits. A broken bone is one thing but some hits, especially those to he head, are threatening the life and well-being of the player that is being hit. After it happens, the circumstances are irrelevant; the hit was delivered, and the injury sustained. » Read the rest of this entry «