Live Ottawa at Sabres

2:41 left in the third -- Now Alfredsson wires one by Thibault and just like that it's 5-3. Sometimes, it's simply about talent. The last game between these two wound up 5-3, too. Thibault simply isn't good enough. But this is what happens when you let a goalie sit for a month --- Jerry Sullivan.

3:47 left in the third -- Dany Heatley breaks the tie with a howitzer shot that beat Thibault on the stick side to make it 4-3. This Ottawa team just keeps coming. Their top guns are a threat every time they take the ice. But Emery is in goal, so there's still hope for the Sabres --- Jerry Sullivan

5:41 left in the third -- Wow. They didn't get one, they got two. First, they cut it to 3-2 when Kotalik scored off a nifty deflection from Vanek on the power play. Two minutes later, Ryan scored from behind the goal line when he fired the puck in off Emery's leg. You figured Emery would be good for a bad goal at some point tonight. The crowd was in full throat with the "Emery, Emery!" chants after that one --- Jerry Sullivan.

9:52 left in the third -- Sabres go on the power play after a call on Jason Spezza. Down two goals against a team that knows how to close the deal, they desperately need one here --- Jerry Sullivan.

11:00 left in the third -- Thomas Vanek had some terrific chances early in the period, but can't find the net. He had a goal disallowed early in the game because he knocked the puck in with a high stick. You get the sense that he might be on the verge of a breakthrough. Of course, we've said that before this year --- Jerry Sullivan.

15:45 left in the third -- It suddenly occurred to me as I watched the Sabres fail to muster a good scoring chance in the first four minutes: Not once tonight have I said to myself, "Boy, they really miss Afinogenov."

End of the second -- The Sabres rained 17 shots on Emery in the period, but only beat him once. They're outshooting the Sens, 26-20, for the game. This team just doesn't seem to have enough finishers. Vanek had a great chance just before the horn and whistled it wide. Earlier, he skated through the crease and threw away a pass rather than shoot on goal. Just two days earlier, he was talking about how he needed to be more selfish and shoot more --- Jerry Sullivan.

2:25 left in the second -- This game is definitely a mirror of last week's game. The Sabres are down 3-1 late in the second, same as the previous game. Remember, Alfredsson scored early in the third in that game to make it 4-1. The Sabres are pressing in the last minutes of the period -- like a team that knows it won't make up a two-goal deficit against  Ottawa in the third. The Sens are 17-0-2 when leading after two periods, by the way --- Jerry Sullivan.

7:15 left in the second -- Miller was clearly miffed when he was pulled, storming right to the dressing room. It's understandable. This is the first time in his career he's been pulled from a game at home. Ruff has done it four times in road games. Ruff wanted to give his team a lift, no doubt. But I'm sure he also wants to give Thibault some action. Thibault hadn't played since Dec. 6 at LA --- Jerry Sullivan.

8:56 left in the second -- Who says pulling the goalie doesn't pay dividends? The Senators went ahead, 3-0, midway through the period and Ruff pulled Ryan Miller for Jocelyn Thibault. Seconds later, Ales Kotalik scored to cut the deficit to 3-1. Thomas Vanek assisted on the goal, his second assist in the last 20 games. Way to make a difference, Thomas --- Jerry Sullivan.

16:00 left in second -- Whatever Lindy Ruff said between periods, it didn't work. Henrik Tallinder took a penalty for delay of game early in the period and Ottawa quickly capitalized on a slap shot by Andrej Meszaros, which went in off the post to make it 2-0. This is starting to look suspiciously like the game these two teams played a week ago, except the Senators look even more superior. Word just arrived that Paille is through for the evening --- Jerry Sullivan

End of first period -- They changed the scoring on the first goal. It goes to Cody Bass, the first of his NHL career --- Jerry Sullivan

7:30 left in the first -- Ottawa defenseman Anton Volchenkov announced his return to the lineup in a big way, crushing Daniel Paille along the boards with eight minutes left in the period. Volchenkov, one of the game's top defensive defensemen, had missed 15 straight games with a broken finger. Tonight is his first game since Nov. 29 --- Jerry Sullivan

9:41 left in the first -- Sabres fell behind early, 1-0, when Mike Fisher deflected the puck past Ryan Miller. The Sabres missed a gorgeous chance just 23 seconds into the game, when Jochen Hecht fired the puck wide of Ray Emery from point-blank range. Emery seemed beaten on the play.  It would have given the Sabres a nice lift against their division rivals. The Senators are 21-3-2 when scoring first, so the Sabres have their work cut out for them. That Daniel Alfredsson can really play, by the way --- Jerry Sullivan

7:25 p.m. -- Maybe there's hope, after all, for the rest of the Eastern Conference. The goaltending situation is becoming an ugly, divisive issue for the conference-leading Senators. Two weeks ago, backup Ray Emery threw his stick in the stands after a morning skate and was sent home the next day after Emery showed up late for practice. The other day, Martin Gerber was pulled during a loss to Washington and complained to the media that pulling the goalie never does anything for a team. Let's see how Emery responds tonight. He looked horrible during the game-day skate and got lit up by the Sabres earlier in the season. The Sens gave up 14 goals to Washington during their current two-game losing streak, so there should be no excuse if the Sabres have another weak offensive performance --- Jerry Sullivan

Comments

[cliff]

RJ has it exactly right. This team died on July 1, 2007 and will not be reborn without some new players. And they need not all be superstars, but we do need a new Drury, a new Grier and someone who has size, fury and talent(ie a Peters who can play hockey). I have said(to great scorn) since last summer that this team will achieve around 90 points, sneak into the playoffs and go out early. I may have been too optimistic(though I was bashed as a Sabre hater, bandwagon-jumper etc), but that is still my prediction. By the way, in anticipation of the trash talking to come now that I have said the unspeakable(the Sabres went down last summer), I have actually paid and taken my family to games this year at HSBC. How many of the bashers have done so? One last point--get off Miller and Thibault, for God's sake. Miller has been uneven but overall good. With Brodeur or Luongo they might have a couple more "stolen" wins, but that would only mean they are back to the 90's with Hasek as virtually a one man team. We used to have a whole team in Buffalo post-lockout until Larry Quinn worked his magic.

[rj]

one gets the feeling the sabres were no more than a pesky fly to the sens. teams that have thoughtful management, and players filling roles can always beat the sabres now. that will not change with pseudo-heroic efforts, line shakeups or goalie changes.

[cynic]

Sully,

Your lack of insight into the game of hockey is becoming tiresome.

Enough already with the passive aggresive bitchy comments about Vanek. When he picked up that first assist tonight, did you stand up and yell "That's what you're paid for, Vanek!"

If you didn't I suggest you start doing that from now on every time he records a point.

Actually, there's an appropriate Slapshot reference you could have yelled about Thibault, too.

Speaking of Thibault, way to hedge your bets. Is it that he doesn't have the talent, or that he hasn't played in 20 games? If Ruff played him more would he be better? I thought he "simply isn't good enough," in which case playing him more frequently would put the Sabres at quite a disadvantage. Let me guess - you supported dumping Conklin and picking up Thibault at the time, so now you're just grasping at straws.

[cynic]

Yeah, this one was about goaltending. As in, all of it sucked.

Thibault is Thibault, and the Sabres should have known that this is what they were getting. Somehow I did, and whenever I warned my fellow Sabres fans about Thibault the most common response was "Oh yeah, well who the heck is Conklin? He's the worse goalie ever. You're an a**hole."

Uh huh.

And, even though Emery got the W, he is BRUTAL. The guy doesn't watch the puck to save his life. Take that to the bank. He's terrible.

[SMB]

Boy oh boy are Campbell & Ruff mad, and boy do they have good reason to be. I had a really bad feeling about Ottawa's next shot on Thibault, and look what happened!!

This was a really bad loss for Buffalo, really bad.

[James Z Kaisertown]

That's why the other team dumped this bum to Buffalo.

He stinks.

The Butterknives are a farm team for other teams to grab Buffalo's top players.

Golisano won't pay the bucks to keep the best players here.

The stupid fans think that's NOT a problem.

DUMB. REALLY DUMB.

[James Z Kaisertown]

So, what are the Chinese words for "You suck Miller?"

GAME OVER MAN. GAME OVER!!

THE BUTTERKNIVES HAVE NOW LOST 5 IN A ROW AND ARE DEAD LAST AND OUT OF THE PLAYOFF PICTURE.

BUT, the stupid fans here, still see no problem with that. What? NO problem?

When the Butterknives scored, you'd think they won the Stanley Cup or something. The Capitals put up a better fight against Ottawa, which OWNS the Butterknives.

You embarrass the whole city, you sad sack LOSERS.

TERRIBLE. JUST TERRIBLE.

POOR GOALTENDING.

[SMB]

What the hell? Thibault couldn't stop a beach ball!! He is the only reason we didn't at least get a point! He wasted a decent effort by the rest of his team!