Notes From a Night of Hockey - 11/26

Buffalo 3 - NY Rangers 2 (OT)
In the battle for New York supremacy, the Sabres had the edge by virtue of a Chris Drury goal in the extra frame. "Battle for New York Supremacy", by the way, is a completely contrived way for me to try to make this game seem more interesting than it actually was. Half the time, I forget that Buffalo and the Big Apple are in the same country, let alone the same state. I once took a trip to Toronto, and at a rest stop on the Canadian side of the border, there was still a newspaper clipping hanging on the wall with a picture of Brett Hull's skate in the crease in 1999.

Anaheim 5 - Calgary 3
Remember Ilya Bryzgalov? The Anaheim Ducks certainly don't. After leading the then Mighty-in-name-only Ducks to the Conference championship, he's been pretty much a non-entity, playing second fiddle to J.S. Giguere's heartwarming comeback. Now, he's inactive with the ever-present "lower body injury" and with Anaheim in the second of back-to-back games, they turned to rookie Michael Wall. Needless to say, Bryzgalov wasn't missed.

Tampa Bay 3 - Ottawa 1
If the New York Rangers have taught us anything, it is that when you have no real viable option at goaltender, always go with the guy whose name has a "u" in disguise (Johan Holmqvist had 22 saves to lead the Lightning over the Senators). It is a little reported fact that one of Ken Hitchcock's first moves as the new coach of the Blue Jackets was to try and trade for Edmonton's Daniel Tjarnqvist, who, despite being, technically, a defenseman, has the added bonus of the silent "j".

Happy New Year

Hockey is back! The NHL opened the season last night with a slate of three games and I was... asleep, actually. Leave it to me to get sick on what should otherwise be one of the most exciting days of the year. I managed to catch some of the Buffalo-Carolina matchup and not much else. Not to worry, though, after my long night's slumber, I'm more than ready for day two.

Some notes from a day of hockey:
Sabres 3 - Hurricanes 2
The night started with the raising of Carolina's Stanley Cup Banner, a cermony that was ably botched by the OLN Versus television crew. It was a pretty good game until it got bogged down by penalties and I fell asleep. The game ended in a shootout with Daniel Briere scoring the only goal for Buffalo and Ryan Miller stopping all three Carolina attempts. The most important development in this game, however, was the revelation that the Sabres are going to be damn near unwatchable because of the rather heinous gold patches under the arms on their new sweaters.

Senators 4 - Maple Leafs 1
This was the lone game that wasn't broadcast in the US, so you probably missed it, but Mats Sundin would like you to know that "I don't think it's as bad as the scoresheet says". For his sake, I hope he's right, because the scoresheet says the Leafs, who are likely to have trouble scoring goals all year, were thoroughly dominated by Ottawa and were only able to score on a penalty shot.

Stars 3 - Avalanche 2
In the late game, Colorado lost by falling for the oldest trick in the book. You know, the take-a-penalty-at-the-end-of-regulation-so-you-can-take-
a-pass-right-out-of-the-penalty-box-and-score-the-game-winner-in-overtime trick. How did they not see that one coming?

Tonight, the NHL kicks it into high gear. The remaining twenty-four teams all start their seasons tonight and you can expect a full, in-depth report on every single game right here. Except, of course, that games that don't involve the Washington Capitals. I don't get to see those games, and for those, you'll be lucky to get something like the cursory glance I gave last night's games above.

NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres

Part two of our thirty part series previewing the NHL season focuses on the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres were content to stand pat for the most part during this offseason, which was probably a wise choice, given that in '06 they took the eventual Stanley Cup Champions to seven games in the Conference Championship Game. They are, arguably, the favorites to win the Prince of Wales Eastern Conference in '07.

But a lack of player personnel moves in the offseason has not equaled a lack of activity in Buffalo. In what, if true, is arguably one of the most important moves of the summer by any team, the Sabres decided that this wasn't nearly fierce enough. In order to give themselves more competitive advantage, the Sabres have made sure that teams making the trek to upstate New York will now be faced with this under their skates at center ice. So far, the only complaints about the new logo have come from the engineers in charge of maintaing the ice surface, whose job it is to scrape the players' vomit off of the ice. Oh, and also this little website.

Seriously though. What the hell is wrong with the people who do graphic design for the NHL? As bad as the new Sabres logo (affectionately refered to as the Buffa-Slug) is, it probably isn't even the worst idea for a uniform redesign that we've seen. Remember the Islanders' Fisherman? Or the Canucks' V (For victory, by the way. NOT for Vancouver)?

Let's face it, when it comes to truly awful uniform design , the NHL is lightyears ahead of other major pro sports leagues. For every Seattle Seahawk you show me, I'll counter with the inaugural Washington Capitals. Think the Oregon Ducks look particularly bad? Well... okay, so the Nike-designed Oregon unis pretty much take the cake. But the point is, the NHL trots out some really heinous uniforms.

Of course, that said, when the NHL gets it right, a hockey sweater pretty much kicks every other kind of uniform's ass.

Oh, right... the Sabres. Ummm... I'm going to say they finish the season atop the conference and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

For all your Buffalo Sabres blogging needs, check out Sabre Rattling.

Sabres-Hurricanes Recap

This was a fittingly exciting conclusion to what has been an exceptionally well played, evenly matched series. I was all ready to spend several paragraphs complaining about the delay-of-game rule that led to Brind'amour's game-winning goal, but then he added a gorgeous assist on Jason Williams' insurance goal to erase any chance for whining from Sabres fans. It's a shame that the Sabres had to lose this game, because they played exceptionally well. It's got to be hard for the people in Buffalo to look at this series and all the injuries and wonder what might have been. From my stance as a dispassionate observer, I don't think having McKee in the lineup would have made much of a difference, and I don't think there was much more Buffalo could have done, injuries or not. Ryan Miller was absolutely spectacular, but the 'Canes defense, especially down the stretch, was just too good. Hats off to both teams for providing one of the most compelling, exciting playoff series in a long time.

Sabres-Whalers, Game 7, Live!Blog!: 3rd Period

20:00 3rd Period - The Oilers can book their plane tickets to Raleigh. Congratulations (grudgingly) to the Carolina Hurricanes.

19:09 3rd Period - Jason Williams scores on a beautiful passing play. In basketball, I believe they would refer to that as "the dagger".

18:58 3rd Period - One minute left. This is gonna be good.

17:25 3rd Period - Perhaps the Sabres were doing it on purpose, because having a full two minutes only resulted in their being made to look silly by the Carolina penalty kill.

15:xx 3rd Period - Jason Williams gets called for hooking and Buffalo their third chance to not take a dumb penalty twenty seconds into their power play. This could be the game right here.

11:22 3rd Period - Rod Brind'amour buries the loose puck in front for the power play goal, giving the 'Canes a 3-2 lead. And Buffalo fans everywhere suddenly agree with me.

10:18 3rd Period - As Campbell takes a seat in the box for a delay of game penalty, I'd like to take this chance to voice my dislike of the rule regarding shooting the puck over the glass from the defensive zone. It seems to me like a way for the NHL to artificially increase the number of power plays (and by extension, increase scoring).

7:12 3rd Period - Kevyn Adams breakaway defended beautifully by the Sabres

6:24 3rd Period - The more exciting this gets, the less I'm likely to update.

1:34 3rd Period - Doug Weight scores on a great feed from Ray Whitney below the net.

0:00 3rd Period - Please let this game go to overtime.

Sabres-Whalers, Game 7, Live!Blog!: 2nd Period

2nd Intermission - The dearth of highlight-reel goals in this game certainly can't be good as far as selling the sport to non-hockey fans. Two goals on seemingly harmless shots from the point and one of the back of Cam Wards leg after he failed to squeeze the post.

2nd Intermission - That? Was exciting as hell. Halfway through I found myself getting bored, and then as soon as I write that it's getting boring everything started kicking into gear. Up until the last five minutes, I though Carolina was pretty dominant.

19:96 2nd Period - Jochen Hecht scores from behind the net to give Buffalo their first lead of the game. Ryan Miller's big save earlier in the period is looming large now.

15:50 2nd Period - Doug Janik scores on the ensuing 4-on-4 to tie the game on a blast from the point that passed by four players, making it nearly impossible for Cam Ward to see it coming. This just got really interesting.

15:24 2nd Period That is, until Daniel Briere gets called for hooking to end the power play.

14:41 2nd Period - Another great chance for Buffalo and another great save by Cam Ward. The guy is on fire. Bret Hedican picks up the interference penalty to give Buffalo their first full power play.

12:06 2nd Period - No sooner have I said it than Buffalo gets their best scoring chance of the game, and then Carolina quickly goes the other way and scored their second goal of the... wait... Ryan Miller stopped it?! Are you kidding me?! What a save.

10:22 2nd Period - The second period has not been nearly as entertaining as the first. Hence the fewer updates.

4:00-4:04 2nd Period - What a great move by Rod Brind'amour, and what an even better save by Ryan Miller, and then a wild scramble in front of Buffalo's net. Carolina has the advantage so far in the period.

Sabres-Whalers, Game 7, Live!Blog!: 1st Period

Yeah, I'm live-blogging it. I'm kind of a loser that way.

1st Intermission - Ugh. Listening to Bill Clement wax poetic about the meaning of "Versus" makes me want to hurl something at my television. Which is bad, because I don't have enough money to replace a TV with a shoe lodged in it.

1st Intermission - Great 1st period. In spite of the score, I thought Buffalo actually had the edge. However, one has to wonder how well their defensive corps will hold up given the pace of the game.

20:00 1st Period - Just 12 stoppages in the first period. If I had access to those sort of statistics, I'd be interested to compare the average number of stoppages this year against the last few years before the lockout.

16:28 1st Period - This whole live-blogging thing is made significantly harder by the fast pace of the game. Not that I'm complaining.

13:34 1st Period - Buffalo still with alot of momentum in spite of Carolina's fluky goal. Cam Ward is going to have to be brilliant to keep the 'Canes in this, I think.

12:05 1st Period - Or not. Commodore shoots and it pinballs around in front of Ryan Miller before ending up behind him. 'Canes up 1-0.

11:04 1st Period - Buffalo finally starts getting some quality chances. All of a sudden, they've got some momentum.

10:03 1st Period - I get that it's called the Outdoor Life Network (for now), but an ad for Progressive Boat Insurance? During a hockey game? That seems a little silly.

7:46 1st Period - Much has been made of McKee's ability to block shots. Buffalo's lack of it doesn't seem to be hurting them, as they kill off Carolina's first full power play with relative ease.

5:46 1st Period - What a great start. Great pace to this game, I think the only stoppages have been for penalties. Speaking of which, Jason Pominville just got whistled for bowling over Cam Ward. 'Canes power play.

1:46 1st Period - That would be the best way to kill a penalty. The amazing thing is that Williams kept going through the hook and got an excellent scoring chance.

1:13 1st Period - Hurricanes take the first penalty of the game (Aaron Ward, roughing)

0:00 1st Period - And away they go.

7:29 PM EDT - Doc Emerick makes me think that maybe I don't use the mute button often enough.

7:24 PM EDT - OLN is currently showing a retrospective of the career of Bobby Orr. Say what you will about OLN and its coverage of hockey, there is simply no way anything like this happens if the NHL is still on the Worldwide Leader.

7:19 PM EDT - I just started my first of several loads of laundry for the evening. Juggling laundry and live-blogging should be interesting.

7:14 PM EDT - Jay McKee is out for Buffalo, leaving them with just two of their regular starting defensemen. Seeing as how I'm pulling for the Sabres a little bit, this is distressing news.

Buffalo 2, Carolina 1 Final (OT)

This is as it should be.

If you aren't watching this game on Thursday, then you either A) have no soul B) are an irretrievable moron with no concept of what constitutes an entertaining sporting event C) don't get OLN (in which case, you're welcome to come over to my place*) or D) you are, perhaps, not a sports fan.


*Not really, though. If you show up at my apartment, I will probably call the police.

End of 3rd Period

Onward we go to Sudden Death Overtime. To have this game end any other way would have simply been wrong. Also, anything other than a Buffalo win to force a Game 7 is unacceptable.

Carolina-Buffalo, 16:09 3rd Period

Few things in the world annoy me more than fans in the front row at hockey games who feel compelled to bang on the glass. The preponderance of this phenomenon at HSBC Arena tonight is causing me to almost root for the Whalers, in spite of the fact that they are a division rival.

Carolina just tied it, by the way.

End of 2nd Period

Score still stands at 1-0 Buffalo. Still an exciting, physical, fast-paced game. I don't care if these are two small market teams, this is some of the most exciting hockey I've seen in a while.

Also, for those who wanted to know, I ultimately went with egg salad for dinner.

Carolina-Buffalo, End of 1st Period

Wow... great pace to this game. Buffalo is on fire.

It is exceedingly difficult to watch hockey with the melodious aroma of my roomate cooking his "top secret" barbecue sauce. I don't think I've ever smelled a more gorgeous smell in my life. I was going to fix myself a sandwich for dinner, but suddenly anything I could make pales in comparison to the big vat of amazing barbecue sauce sitting on the kitchen counter.

A beautiful day for a hockey game

It was something like 80 degrees outside here in Washington. Perfect hockey weather, no?

Great game between the Whalers and Sabres that simply couldn't have done anything other than go to overtime. This series needs to go seven games.

Props to whoever was producing for OLN. Immediately after the game-winning goal, they cut first to a shot of 'Canes coach Peter Laviolette celebrating on the bench, and then to the penalty box just as the official was opening the door for J. P. Dumont. It was incredibly poignant (I thought). Very "thrill of victory, agony of defeat"-esque.

Sabres 2, Whalers 1

I'm not going to lie and say I managed to catch anything that happened in tonights Carolina-Buffalo game. Therefore I have no insight or opinion, other than to say I'm sure it wasn't nearly as exciting as last night.

Instead, I'll simply spend some time waxing nostalgic about the best sports uniforms ever. Am I the only one who thinks so? Is it just because I like green so much?

Goaltending. Goaltending. Goaltending.

The three teams to advance to the third round in the NHL Playoffs so far? Anaheim, Buffalo and Carolina. Their respective starting goaltenders? Ilya Bryzgalov, Ryan Miller and Cam Ward. If you've never heard of any of them, you're not alone. Between them they had, before the start of the postseason, a grand total of zero (0) playoff games under their belts. Zero. In the one series that is still undecided, Vesa Toskala is in the same boat, having been on the bench behing Evgeni Nabokov in 2004. Dwayne Roloson is the only remaining goaltender with any previous playoff experience (just fifteen appearances for a 6-7 record). So, should San Jose prevail in their series, it will leave us with four goalies who had never played a playoff game in their careers. This is a big deal. This means something. I'm just not sure what. It could just mean that the one year layoff resulted in an extra large group of extra talented young goalies. 2005-06 has already been dubbed "The Year of the Rookie" and this could perhaps be an extension of that. Or...

Or it could be an indication of how little impact the goaltender has on the game in the new NHL.With all the added focus on offense, all the new rules meant to reduce goalies' abilties to stop the puck (not to mention the Martin Brodeur rule) and the long overdue crackdown on obstruction, has the position of goaltender in the NHL been rendered obsolete? It used to be, there would always be at least one team that would grab the coattails of a hot goaltender ('98 Capitals and Olie Kolzig, '03 Mighty Ducks and J.S. Giguere, '04 Flames and Mikka Kiprusoff) and I just don't see it this year. Bryzgalov has certainly been excellent, but he has not really been the key to Anaheim's success. The starting goaltenders for the last five cup-winning teams? Nikolai Khabibulin in 2004, Martin Brodeur (twice: 2000 and 2003), Patrick Roy (2001) and Dominik Hasek (2002). You have to go back to 1998 when the Detroit Red Wings won it with Chris Osgood at the helm to find a situation similar to what we'll see a few weeks from now. And before that it was Mike Vernon, Brodeur, Roy twice and Mike Richter.

I'd like to think that this is a changing of the guard of sorts, as most of the goalies listed above are now retired (or in Hasek's case, a hobbled, crippled version of his former self). Looking at the league, there is really nobody left other than Brodeur that has any sort of history of success, so I suppose this may have been bound to happen. The only problem is that none of the goalies currently alive have been all that impressive, in my opinion. I view Bryzgalov's success as more of an abberation than an indicator of how he'll continue to play. Miller, Ward and Toskala have all benfited from prolific offenses, while Roloson has, in Edmonton, what I think is the best defensive team still playing.

Granted, one year is only a small sampling. It may be too early to draw any sort of conclusions. So far, though, it seems to me that in the new NHL, goalies just don't matter as much as they used to.

EDIT: Four goals in the first five minutes of the third period of Edmonton-San Jose. See?

Pomin-who?

And, just like that, the Sabres and Senators are shaking hands at center ice. Beautiful shorthanded goal by Jason Pominville. Sucks to be Ray Emery right now.

Wow.