The Sabres are hot....Yes you heard that right.

Well that was a very quick turn of events, a couple games really made the difference for this Sabres club that now only stand 3 points behind the New York rangers for the 8th spot in the eastern conference. The Sabres are riding a 3 game win streak all division wins, 2 against the Canadiens and the other was a thriller against the Maple Leafs. What I'm seeing from the Sabres more than before is their will to win. All though that is a obvious thing you need to have in order to win, it just wasn't their with this Sabres team in the past weeks of the season which might be big in if the Sabres get in or not. Another bright spot in their win skid is their goaltender play. Ryan Miller has been having one of the worst seasons of is career but him and backup Jhonas Enroth have stolen a couple games for us including the last game against the Habs where Miller made 38 saves out of 39 saves including a big play on a breakaway robbing the Hab forward. I still can't believe how fast its turned the Sabres went from 15th all the way to 10th and a win behind the playoffs and then dropped to 12th without playing, that just shows how stacked the East is heck even the Islanders are right there (No disrespect Isles). Another thing that has been bugging me is and don't get me wrong I can totally understand this but it really gets to some Sabres fans when some fans have already given up and want the first overall pick. I totally understand that idea but to me the goal for every year is to win a Stanley cup thats why they wake up in the morning and put in all the dedication they do. Ryan Wolmerdof of getrealhockey.com the other Sabres writer made a fascinating point, if the Sabres make the playoffs they will most likely save Regier for another year and how good of a chance do we have at a Stanley cup. My response is all we need is a chance look at the Kings, yes we don't have some of the star power they had as a 8th seed but if we get in I think we can do some serious damage with our grit and toughness that we have shown this year. How bad do we want that 8th seed? Honestly I don't want it we need to go after the 7th and 6th seed because I won't lie, I am scared of the Pittsburgh Penguins but hey bring them on! At this point we are 6 points out of 7th, Not that bad for how we have played so it is a legitimate goal to get that spot or higher. Yes at one point we did have a serious chance at being the #1 pick but at this point already we are not that bad to get that pick so to me its all in for the playoffs, This city deserves some post season action as they have stuck by this team the whole season. I like how Ryan Miller put it in his post game press conference a few weeks back saying all we need is at the end of the season a chance to compete for a Stanley Cup, I loved hearing those two words out of a Sabre mouth (Stanley Cup) because that's the goal and not enough Sabres are looking at that but one that is and is the big reason we are in this is forward Steve Ott who believes in this team more than anyone to get in the playoffs and he has been huge for this organization. Sorry Derek Roy but we ripped Dallas in that trade, Hey I guess they owe us one after 1999....sorry still too soon? The Sabres take on Tampa Bay on Tuesday and will be big for both to stay in the playoff chase.

Sabres win thriller vs Toronto 5-4 in Shootout

What a game! The Sabres won a thriller at First Niagara Center 5-4 in a shootout against the Maple Leafs in a physical, gritty, high scoring game that was one of if not the best of the year. The game started off as it has usually this year for the Sabres. The Maple Leafs quickly got to a 2-0 lead in the first period as Miller was not on his A game really until late in the third period. The Arena was packed full of Sabres and Maple Leaf fans in which many brawls broke out in the arena. That shows the rivalry these two cities have in Hockey. The ice had some brawls as well in the first period John Scott dropped the gloves against Frazer Mclaren and boy was it a awesome fight both getting some huge ones in but Scott got the best of Frazer in the end getting him against the boards and unloading the guns. On the other side of the ice Patrick Kaleta was getting attacked by Colton Orr as Kaleta did not drop the gloves until the Refs came in and it was too late. Well that really got the crowd pumped. Tyler Ennis then made a nice effort goal to put the game within one. So the 2nd period rolls along, yes Sabres fans we all dread the feared second period which has been a nightmare for the Sabres this year and it started off just like that as Mikhail Grabovski scored under Miller to put the game at 3-1. Foligno really impressed me in this game with his puck possession. He threw the puck on net and made a great effort to keep digging and get the puck in to put it back again within one. Ehroff and Porter had the assists on the game and it was one of 3 points for Ehroff who had a great offensive game. More aggressive play came when Steve Ott had a bone crushing hit getting the crowd back into it. He was the big hero in this game but we will talk about that in a bit. Cody Hodgson and Pominville ran the offense into the zone and as Hodgson held the puck behind the net, Pommers drifted to the front of the net being put a perfect pass and put it between the pads of goaltender James Reimer. So now its tied heading into the third and I was very positive on how the Sabres were playing aggressive and disciplined hockey which they need to do more of and last night proved they are a tough team to play against. The Sabres went on the power play early in the third and 22 seconds in, D-man Christian Ehroff rocketed a shot from the point and in to put the Sabres up 4-3. Although the Sabres have been very weak at the defense, Ehroff has been the bright spot with 14 total points on the year which is 6th on the team and a team high +/- of 6. The Sabres went on the penalty kill later in the period, The Sabres were playing good zone D on the PK but after a shot from Franson at the point, Miller who was screened had no chance of seeing the puck and Nazem Kadri made a nice tip to tie up the game. So the game heads into OT and as bad as I wanted the regulation win as Toronto is 4 points ahead of Buffalo, a point is a point but the Sabres have struggled in extra time this year but this time it was different. Nobody could score in OT so it went to a shoot out where it took 3 skaters for the first goal when Tyler Bozak put it behind Miller to put the Leafs up 1. So its all down to the next Sabre skater who in my head I'm thinking either Vanek or Hodgson......Drew Stafford to the center of the ice....What? Well it seemed to pay off but it may have had a post ST. Patrick's  day luck as Stafford took the shot over Reimer who seemed to have made the save but no it trickled down Reimers back and into the net to tie the game. What luck well it got better, Steve Ott was up and came flying into the O-Zone at first I am thinking hes gonna over skate it but just as he is apporaching Reimer, he makes the right turn and puts the backhand in between Reimer's pad and the goal post Goal! Ott was the big player of the game to me with his physical play all game long and then the SO goal to win the game. Why isn't he Captain? No disrespect to Pominville but he doesn't seem like a vocal leader and Ott sure does. Anyway last up is former Buffalo Sabre Clarke Mcarthur who before did not have a goal ever in a shootout, well that continued as Miller made a nice save to end the game. The Sabres won it 5-4 in a shootout and are now only 4 points out of 8th the race for eight is on! Sorry for all you fans who wanted the first overall pick and to select Mikinon....well that's not what the Sabres have in mind. Regier before the game talked about possible trades including Vanek, Pommers, and Ryan Miller who have been with the team for a while. Hey I'm all for trading these guys but at the right price of course. Regier said trading a experienced for a unproven young skater is ideal for Buffalo but I don't wanna rush into getting rid of these guys who will be essential to the Sabres getting into the playoffs. Next up is a rematch between the divison rival Sabres vs Canadiens Saturday  at 7 and will be huge for the Sabres to go within a game of eight possibly.

Sabres fall in another close one 5-3 to the Caps

Well the hole is getting deeper and deeper. The Sabres traveled to the Capital of our country on a nationally televised game on NBC and what could of got worse really didn't get much better either. The Capitals capitalized quickly as Ovechkin scored only 19 seconds in to the game. Well here we go again most Sabres fans thought but the Sabres battled back with a nice goal from Cody Hodgson who notched in his 12th goal of the year. The remainder of the first period was a bit defensive and carried over to the 2nd until midway through the second, Washington's Jason Chimera and Marcus Johannsson scored less than a minute apart. Ugh......too many turnovers and Miller playing lazily out of position caused the Sabres to go down 3-1. The Sabres again battled back as a guy who has impressed me a lot in his short stint Brian Flynn put in his 3rd as a Sabre, His physical play in the offensive zone has really helped out the Sabres third line get some scoring production which really didn't have much before when Flynn was down in Rochester. The Sabres couldn't make the comeback as the Caps scored again and again the defense costly mistakes ends up killing them in the end. Cody Hodgson then again impressed with a nice goal from a Ennis and Pominville pass to get his 13th of the year. Like Flynn, Hodgson has been one of the few bright spots of the Sabres pretty bad season so far to say the least but his face offs last year were just plain awful. The Sabres are now 0-3-2 in their last 5 road games which the ability to not finish on the road in OT has been one of the reasons why they currently stand at 7 points behind the 8th place Hurricanes. Ryan Miller in the post game interview was clearly not happy saying "We knew we had to be ready coming off back to back have to be smart but got caught running around a bit in the second period again". He was agitated behind belief it seemed after every question then calling out Kaleta's comments on not playing in Sunday nights game. Saying he just needs to grow up. The Sabres next take on the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night at 7:30 ET and need to have a desperate type of play in order to turn this last final playoff push around.

Sabres get payback against the Rangers 3-1

Revenge is sweet isn't it? The Sabres get back on track after Tuesday nights win against the Rangers in Buffalo 3-1 which was a high physical tough great effort game for the Sabres. Jhonas Enroth continues his strong play only allowing 1 goal on 33 shots. He was poised and didn't get out of position a lot in the game allowing him to make the plays necessary to win it. The defense played good allowing Enroth to see the puck but still needs to be more physical in their own zone. The surprise hero of this one was Marcus Foligno who scored more goals in this game then he had all season long. Going in Foligno had 1 goal and 8 assists but his effort and play making has been there for the Sabres but just like Drew Stafford, its about finishing. Well Foligno did just that when he crashed the net putting the puck between his legs and putting it between Lunquist's pads. Then again Foligno's hard work in front of the net payed off when he striked a great goal in to get his third of the year. The Sabres now stand at 5 points behind the Rangers for the 8th spot with 21 games to go. Do the Sabres just go for the high draft pick? Do they go all in for the playoffs? Its been a case of hot vs cold this year for the Sabres. If they get on a solid winning streak these next 5 games, they can find themselves in a good position. You just want to be in it when it comes down to it that's all you can ask for right now in this short season and the Sabres are trying hard to do just that. Vanek notched his 14th goal on the year which is in the top 10 in the NHL and although he has cooled down as of late, he is the biggest reason the Sabres are not in dead last in the NHL. Brian Flynn again had a impressive game. He assisted on Foligno's second goal and played great defense applying the pressure on the offense and on Lunquist in the offensive zone. The Sabres get a break for the week until Saturday when they take on division rival Ottawa Senators in what will be a big game for the Sabres who since they won't be playing for a while might fall behind in the standings due to lack of games played. Miller is expected to start but you might see Enroth get some more games in if he continues to have the success he had in New Jersey and against the Rangers. After the game it was very interesting to see Head Coach John Torteralla of the Rangers have his traditional melt down on the press. He gave the Sabres no credit for their strong peformance saying they didn't play harder and "We sucked at the time you can't suck". So with that many Sabres fans are not happy but Torteralla but his comments are not much of a surprise. 

Sabres vs Rangers Preview

The Sabres continue their battle for a playoff spot tonight against the New York Rangers at First Niagara Center which will feature Jhonas Enroth vs Henrik Lunquist in another intense showdown. The last meeting between these two was at MSG which ended in a 3-2 shoot out loss for the Sabres. This time around the standings are quite a bit different, The Rangers now stand at 8th place with 28 points but the Sabres have dropped a lot now down to 21 points and 7 points out of the playoffs. As the Rangers are the competition for the Sabres in order to get to the playoffs tonight will be a huge game which will include hard nosed defense and tough physical play from both sides. Tyler Ennis will not play tonight due to a upper body injury he received against the Flyers last Sunday in Philadelphia. Matt Flynn has continued to impress the Sabres with 2 goals in the last 2 games which was expected as he has 16 goals and 16 assists totaling 32 points. The key matchup for tonight is the red hot Center for the Rangers Brad Richards vs the Sabres defense. Richards has 4 goals in the past week before only having 2 in 15 games. The Sabres defense has struggled this year but if they want to get to the playoffs, they will have to be more disciplined and physical in their own zone. The Sabres will be looking to see more out of winger Drew Stafford tonight who only has 2 goals and 8 assists on the season. Its not that Stafford hasn't had the opportunities to score because he has but the problem is finishing and that's why he only has 2 goals he has been at the net all year but just can't seem to fit the puck behind the goalie. The problem could be that he is taking to long to make a decision on where he wants to put the puck or that he just simply is being robbed by the goaltender but either way, the average 20 goal scorer a year needs to get going if the Sabres want to win and if he wants a job in Buffalo. The game kicks off in Buffalo at 7 PM on MSG Network.

Sabres Week Report

The Sabres have progressed. There are still some major issues with the defense but although the Sabres stand at 14th in the East they currently stand at 5 points out of the 8th and final spot. The Sabres fell to the Hurricanes 4-3 on Tuesday which was a high scoring game where the Sabres battled hard to get back from a 2-0 deffest but couldn't cash in at the end. Miller played solid for what his defense has been giving him which so far have been little to nothing. Hodgson did have a goal of the year candidate goal when he put the puck between his legs then put it under another defender and hit it under the Hurricane net minder. Thursday the Sabres looked to bounce back against the New Jersey Devils and were off to a great start. The first period was like it usually is between these to clubs, slow, defensive, and just plain boring. The bright spot was backup goaltender Jhonas Enroth who got his first action in over 12 games. He played stellar with 27 saves on 29 shots. Vanek scored a snipe from Tyler Ennis to take the lead and then a hard fought goal for rookie Brian Flynn who has played very well in his games with Buffalo this year. Late in the third period the Devils started getting some momentum back on their side when they put it within one from a goal awarded to Adam Henrique. The Sabres played good defense but then got caught in their own zone in the end and Enroth just couldn't hold on anymore allowing a goal to tie the game. Enroth was injured on the play and had to be taken out which was a disappointment as he played great. Miller looked rusty in OT and gave up 2 bad goals in the shoot out. The Sabres did get the hard earned point but of course finishing is the key. the Sabres take on Philly Sunday night and is huge as both are fighting for a playoff spot.

 

Sabres win wild one against Devils in shootout.

The Sabres have looked awful this season to say the least, but there has been some good improvement since Ron Rolston took over as head coach. The Sabres are riding a 3 game winning streak keeping them only 4 points out of the playoffs and as much as some fans want us to end with the #1 overall pick, this is looking like a change of things for this season. The Sabres started off great with a shorthanded goal for Pominville taking the  lead. Hodgson and Pominville played amazing Co Ho notching 2 assists and Pominville with two goals. A very chippy game it was with Ott and Kaleta really getting to the Devils skin. Kaleta drew a penalty when Kovalchuck hit him in the face during the game. The game was all tied up at 3 at the mid point of the third but the Devils were really applying the pressure in the Sabres zone. Miller made some key saves in the end to keep the game tied. The defense again had a sloppy performance but in particular Myers had another bad performance. He was at a -1 on the night and again had sloppy stick handling. In OT the Sabres were on a power play with only 24 seconds left and nearly put it in when Ehroff threw the puck on net having Pominville tipping it wide. Ennis and Henrique were scrapping at the end of OT after Ennis took a slap shot at the end of the period. The Sabres got back at Henrique in the shoot out when Pominville and Ennis scored but what was even more sweet was when Miller robbed Henrique at the end then trash talking when Henrique said "Next Time". The Sabres take on NY Rangers Sunday at MSG which will be a intense and important game for both teams who are fighting to get back into the playoff race.