One of the Most Boring Games of the Year...

Well, I'm proud to say that the Sabres haven't lost yet this year! YAY!

In all seriousness.. we're 2-0 in 2010, and have won four straight. We're on a roll... even if some of the games weren't great. (I hardly consider two games with three-goal deficits "great.")

The game against Montreal yesterday was better. We limited their chances, and although we (again) didn't score in the 1st period, neither did they.

Most importantly, we were pretty disciplined. They've got the best power play in the league, so only giving them two chances (both thanks to Tim Kennedy... *ahem*) isn't bad. Too many penalties and we would've handed the game to them on a silver platter.

Ryan got the shutout - his 5th of the season... now he's tied for the league lead! That game also helped lower his GAA and save percentage, and he's now listed as second in both statistics.

It was a win... not very pretty, but a win. We played gritty, limited their opportunities, and stayed disciplined to wrap up the win.

The Sabres now have a three game homestand, with Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Toronto on Friday, and Colorado on Saturday.

(I expect Patty to play at least one of these games!)

Also... NATHAN PAETSCH has been placed on waivers... :( :( :(

Satan to the Bruins

Bob McKenzie of TSN just "confirmed" yesterday's reports. Free agent Miroslav Satan has, indeed, signed with the Boston Bruins for the remainder of this season.

He's also picked up a no-trade clause with the deal.

This means that three Bruins players used to be part of the Sabres organization:
Danny Paille - PIE! I MISS YOU.
Miroslav Satan - Meh.
Dennis Wideman - Wait, WHAT?

I didn't know this, but the Sabres actually drafted Wideman in 2002, 241st overall! (Thanks to Shelby for pointing that out!)

Well, Miro.. I wish you success in Boston. I'll always remember that time I saw you and your girlfriend (or whatever she was at the time, I don't think they were married yet) at the Galleria Mall shopping for jewelry.

Down, But Not Out

Three goals in less than eight minutes, and things weren't looking too good.

But have no fear, the Comeback Kids are here!

For the second straight time, the Sabres were down 3-0 and came back to win. A great performance by Hecht (2 goals and 1 assist) was pivotal in the game, and Jochen ended up getting first star on NHL.com. Granted there were only two games yesterday, but I'm still proud of him!

Dear Sabres,
Please stop falling behind during games. I don't mind as long as you come back, but it gives the fans a heart attack sometimes. I'd like it if you guys stop sucking during the first period (yeah... they've been bad) and started working hard from the first puck drop.

Anyways... I'm glad we won. The first period was not good - we looked like we did too much partying on New Year's Eve! And falling behind 3-0 wasn't good either, but I had no doubt that we could come back. And sure enough, we did.

Derek Roy, I don't really like you, but thanks for getting the game winning goal in overtime.

I'm very glad we won, especially with Boston winning earlier in the day. We're still top of the Northeast, and we've moved into SECOND in the conference, behind New Jersey! I'm proud of the way these boys have been winning as of late, and if they continue to work hard, I think we can do great.

Montreal might be a challenge tomorrow, and then we've got three home games in four days (Tampa Bay, Toronto, Colorado) and we've also got that West Coast trip coming in a few weeks... so it'll be a tough next few weeks. But we can do it!

(Oh, and a note I'd like to add: This is the first time in franchise history that the Sabres have won back-to-back games by overcoming a three-goal deficit!)

Winter Classic 2010

I am a fail at updating this thing. Sorry! I swear I will try harder. I promise.

First off, Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a safe and happy night/morning, and that 2010 brings you all whatever you wish. I had a very nice night with some friends, including Shelby & Tamara of The Coldffalo Train.

Second... the Winter Classic. I was cheering for the Bruins, because I simply can't stand the Flyers. Yes, Boston's a division rival, but... I don't care. Dating within the division XD The only Flyers I like are Carter, Richards, and Coburn, but I still don't like the team.

It was a good game - the most physical of all the WCs so far, including the first fights in a WC so far! I still say that having the event in a football stadium is better than having it in a baseball stadium, for numerous reasons:

- Football stadiums hold more people. Ralph Wilson Stadium's 2008 WC hosted over 71,000 people, while today's event at Fenway Park only hosted just over 38,000.

- The set up at baseball stadiums is awkward. The rink isn't shaped properly to be placed on a baseball diamond, which makes it uneven in terms of how far it is from the fans. Some of the fans are SUPER close to the rink, while others end up super far away. I just don't like that idea. The football field & ice rink are shaped the same, at the very least, offering for a more even view for all.

Also... nothing will ever beat the 2008 Winter Classic. The "snow globe" atmosphere made it truly perfect.

Anyways, yes. Boston won! In overtime! Cheers!

I'm hoping that next time they do a Winter Classic, it's between two Canadian teams. Toronto/Ottawa (Battle of Ontario) perhaps? :D

The Sabres are now playing the Thrashers, it's scoreless after one. Let's win this one, boys!

Cheers for Wins!

I'm so terrible at keeping this thing up! I'm sorry! School is nearly over (exam week coming up now) and I swear I'll try harder.

The Sabres have been working it out. They're first in the division, and third in the conference, with 38 points. This makes me super happy!

Ryan has been such a superstar lately. He's always been great, but this season, he's really been shining. He's top in GAA, save %, and shutouts. Some of the saves he's made... have been amazing.

Not to say that Patty hasn't been good! He did a FANTASTIC job of shutting down the Blackhawks last night.

I worked the press box at Wednesday's game (twas awesome. I love the press box and everything about being a sports journalist. It really is perfect for me.) It was my second time in the press box/locker room (the first was November 9th) and it was even better this time around. I can't believe I saw Semyon Varlamov! Unexpected. I also saw the Capitals kicking around a soccer ball before the game... I'd never been that close to Ovechkin before. Insane.

Oh, and I also talked to Paul Gaustad. No big deal ^_^

Also, Caroline's comment made me realize.. I should probably clarify things. I write for the Buff State newspaper (I'll be associate sports editor next semester), and we get press passes for some of the games. Therefore, when that happens, I usually eat dinner in the media lounge (which is next to where I saw Ovechkin & the Caps), sit in the press box for the game, and go to the locker room post-game to interview the boys. (This time, it was Hank, Monty, and Gerbe.) Lastly, I attend Lindy's post-game press conference... then write an article about it all for the school paper :)

Last night's game, I attended as a fan. I met up with Shelby (Puck Over The Glass) and Tamara (Robbing Him Blind) for warmups, which was nice because I LOVE CHICAGO. The Hawks & Penguins are my favorite teams besides Buffalo, so seeing them was awesome.

Shelby, Tamara, and I ended up sitting together for the 2nd and 3rd periods, so that was nice. I don't mind going to games alone - I do it a lot - but being with other people is obviously a lot better.

I hated that people booed Kaner. I LOVE YOU, KANER. I SUPPORT YOU. I was rocking my Kane shersey underneath my Gaustad jersey last night :O

Overall, we played really well. Lalime was spectacular, which is a huge part of why we won last night. Two-game winning streak say whatttt? :D

I just hope we can continue such play tonight against the Rangers.

Lastly... my condolences go out to Mike Grier and his family.

Mellon Arena

First off: TYLER MYERS IS HERE TO STAY. Yay! :D

Second: my game at Mellon Arena was AMAZING.

I wrote about in my Project 30: NHL Arenas journal, so I'll just copy the entry from there.

Home of the: Pittsburgh Penguins

Visited On: October 24, 2009
Teams Seen: Penguins vs. Devils
Game Result: New Jersey 4, Pittsburgh 1
Section A20, Row E, Seat 10

I'd wanted to visit Mellon Arena for some time, and I got the chance over the summer. I visited my aunt in Pittsburgh the first week in August and was able to find my way down to the Arena via public transportation. It was so awesome from the outside, and PenStation was open so I was able to go in there... but not in the actual arena, save for a minute to purchase a pressed penny. It was then that I realized how much I wanted to see a game there, especially before the Arena closed.

Well, that wish came true. I bought my dad & I tickets at the start of the season (because I don't drive) and on October 24th, I was able to see a game at Mellon Arena. It was, in a word, amazing.

You can definitely tell it's an old arena, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful - and it is definitely beautiful. The outside is gorgeous, even at night (though I was disappointed that it wasn't better lit outside, made my pictures (see above) sort of dark. oh well.) It definitely looks (and feels) like an igloo.

The gates are right on the outside of the arena, so you have to line up outside the arena in order to get in. I thought that was odd, but maybe that's just because I'm used to the way it is at HSBC Arena. We went in, they scanned our tickets, and gave us FREE programs! A+ Pittsburgh! Granted, they are smaller programs, but there's very few advertisements, lots of good content, high-quality pictures, and for FREE. Awesome!

Our first stop before our seats was PenStation. I bought a Kris Letang white jersey, Letang jersey shirt (black), Penguins earrings, a Penguins third logo decal, and the book "Summer with Stanley" (which is a very neat book!) By the time I got out of there, it was pretty much time to go to our seats to avoid missing anything. I have to say, the store is VERY crowded. It's small, but it's got a lot of great things.

Our seats.... AMAZING. Five rows from the ice, in the corner, and my seat was on the aisle. Meaning.. um... my seat was an aisle's length (like... 2 feet) away from the Penguins' locker room entrance! I nearly died when I realized that, crazy. I didn't expect that at all, so it was a major bonus.

In addition, Brent Johnson (back-up goalie) was sitting about five feet away from me the entire game. Distracting much? Awesome.

The game itself wasn't great, but at least I got to see the Penguins score once! The crowd truly is special, the fans are really great and go completely insane when they score, and even when they don't... WOW. They play the "Hey" song, then shut it off and everyone sings the "HEY" part in unison. They get the wave going, and it got about 7-8 good, strong cycles.

The in-game videos are really special. I loved them all, and I wish I could find them on Youtube or elsewhere - I'll have to check, because they were fantastic. The intro video is also spectacular, I'll be downloading that as soon as possible too.

I'd never sat that low for a Penguins game before (at the Winter Classic, I was higher up), so I'd never seen any of this team up close. Crosby, Malkin, Orpik, Staal, Letang, Goligoski, Cooke... seeing them all up close was perfect. Amazing.

During the intermissions, I made sure to walk around the arena - the different levels and everything. It's sort of an odd setup, and you definitely feel like you're in an igloo in terms of shape. I went to all the different levels and took pictures there (like the one below), checked out the wall of jerseys, the championship memorabilia, etc.

After the game was over, I made my dad stick around and take pictures of me by the ice. As we were picking up our stuff, *someone* walks out of the Penguins locker room IN A SUIT. And I quickly realize... it's Sergei Gonchar! Wow! Just before we walked away, I said "I hope you get better soon!" He heard me, turned around, smiled, and waved. 'Twas adorable :)

Overall, the best part about this game... THE ATMOSPHERE. Mellon Arena truly does have a unique atmosphere, even though I can't exactly put my finger on what makes it so unique. A combination of everything, I think. The songs, the videos, the fans, the loyalty, the excitement of the players... everything.

Honestly, I was sitting in my seat during the second period and wanted to cry. It was all so amazing, so beautiful, so unique, and so perfect, and I was just so happy. At the same time, I was also very sad knowing that I'll probably never get to see another game in Mellon Arena, and that soon enough, it will all be gone.

More pictures can be seen here (from just the game) and here from the rest of my trip.

We Need.... Goals.

So the Sabres have been winning lately, and are 5th in the Eastern Conference (however, that could change after this weekend's games.)

We've played FOUR games, and have accumulated 7 points. I think that's pretty damn good. We're 3-0-1, the only team besides Dallas who hasn't lost in regulation yet. The four teams above us in the conference have all played SEVEN games, except for Ottawa, who's played six. Even with that deficit in games played, we're up there. And I like it.

However, one thing we need to work on is our scoring. Last game helped, but before that, our goals for was just too low. One goal here, two here, one here, etc. Yes, we won most of those games, but in the future, such low scoring could hurt us. After all, you can't win if you don't score. It wasn't for lack of trying, though. The Sabres were shooting... the pucks just didn't want to go in!

But we seem to have figured out the problem, with the 6-2 victory over Detroit on Tuesday.

When Thomas Vanek was reported injured... I was scared. Lindy said he'd be out "weeks" and implied that it was a very serious injury, scaring Sabres fans all over. But the next day came, and we found that the injury felt significantly better overnight, and Vanek has been skating with the team!

Though he's not expected to play in tonight's game against the Islanders, he could return tomorrow against the Thrashers! Such good news!

We'll have to wait and see, I guess.

By the way... the Islanders? 0-1-3. Yikes.. that's all I'll say :)