Live from the Arena: Sabres vs. Wings

Will we see yet another 1-0 or 2-1 game? Keep it here for updates on the Sabres-Wings contest from HSBC Arena. Don't try tuning MSG on your TV because it's on Versus (and if you're on DirecTV, well, you've got a problem). This is easily the smallest crowd of the three home games. Rows and rows of empties on the corners of the 300 level. No way this crowd even gets to 18,000.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Third Period

15:32 left: Working on print edition stuff but a couple quick notes here. Gaustad makes it 6-1 tapping home his own rebound after a neat Kaleta feed. The fly in the night's ointment, however, is this note: Vanek is out for the game with an upper body injury. More to come I'm sure afterward.

10:35 left: The Wings make it 6-2 on a deflection in front of Miller (official scoring to come). By the way, this is the first multi-point game of Kaleta's career and Henrik Tallinder is a plus-5.

7:53 left: Kennedy to the box for high sticking.

5:41 left: Sabres to power play as Justin Abdelkader goes off for high sticking.

3:00 left: Still 6-2. Tallinder's plus-5 would be a career high for a regular season game if it holds. He was plus-6 in a 2006 first-round playoff game against Philadelphia.

1:30 left: Attendance is 17,459. About 1,200 shy of a sellout.

It's over: With tonight's impressive 6-2 win, the Sabres take over first place in the Northeast Division with seven points (Laffs will fall to 0-5-1 tonight, by the way, with home loss to Colorado). Sabres are only team in Eastern Conference without a regulation loss and one of two in the league (along with 1-0-3 Dallas). Final shots were 37-25.

Second Period

16:49 left: MacArthur fans with a yawning net staring him in the face. Wings cover after a mad scramble. Play reviewed but inconclusive.

13:47 left: The fourth line has been good all night and gets rewarded as Kaleta pumps home his first of the year on the backhand, potting a rebound after a brilliant rush to the goal by Myers. 2-1, Buffalo. Like Myers is EVER going to see Kelowna again. Don't think so.

11:56 left: Go to the net. Put pucks to the net. You hear it all the time from Lindy Ruff. Vanek does that and it deflects home off Niklas Lidstrom to make it 3-1. Sabres have 8-2 edge in shots in this period.

9:02 left: It's an offensive explosion as Roy feeds MacArthur for a neat backhand to make it 4-1. Ruff said this morning the chances were bound to start going in. He was right. Four goals in the first three games. Four goals in the first 31 minutes tonight.

7:14 left: The rout is on as Vanek taps home a Roy feed and that's going to be it for Osgood.  A 5-1 lead. A 14-3 bulge in shots. Jimmy Howard in goal for the Wings. Three assists for Roy.

2:13 left: Penalty shot for Filippula as a dive is called on Myers. Miller with the save on the deke. Everything going right tonight.

End of the 2nd: It's 5-1 through two. Shots were 18-4 in the period and 26-15 overall. Great performance against an elite team, although Wings look incredibly passive and clearly miss Franzen. Osgood less than stellar too. Vanek, meanwhile, has not played since tumbling into the end boards on his goal. He hasn't been on the bench. No word on him yet.

First Period

14:13 left: Two great shifts so far by the Buffalo fourth line (Ellis-Gaustad-Kaleta), which started the game against Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Bertuzzi and created two good chances on the first shift for Chris Butler. On the second shift, Kaleta pickpocketed Brad Stuart behind the net and nearly snuck in front for a chance on Chris Osgood.

11:06 left: Sabres have a 5-3 edge in shots and it's interesting to see how much tougher they are along the wall this season. The majority of puck battles thus far have been won decisively by every Buffalo line. Connolly, however, nearly threw away that advantage with a brutal cross-ice pass in his own zone. The Wings flubbed the interception, however, and that got him off the hook. No changes in the lines. After Ellis-Gaustad-Kaleta, it was MacArthur-Connolly-Pominville, Hecht-Kennedy-Grier and Vanek-Roy-Stafford.

7:33 left: Sabres to the power play after strong work in the Detroit zone by Hecht and Kennedy, who had two shots on the shift. Stuart gets the gate for slashing Hecht's stick out of his hands.

7:24 left: Nine seconds for the conversion as Stafford bangs home a rebound of Pominville's shot from the left point. 1-0. Buffalo had been just 3 for 18 on the PP.

6:13 left: Grier to the box for cross checking.

4:30 left: The Wings tie it at 1-1 as Valtteri Flippula tips home Niklas Kronwall's neat setup from the left circle. Wings are 7 for 21 on PP. Can't give them chances with silly penalties like Grier's.

End-1st: It's 1-1 through 20 minutes. Detroit had an 11-8 edge in shots (and, remember, it was 5-1 for the Sabres at one point). The Wings definitely played stronger in the second half of the period. With about three minutes left, the hit of the night was dropped on Kaleta for once, at the Buffalo line by Kronwall. Quite the collision.

Comments

[John]

YAAAAAY!

But keeping things in that DREADED perspective.....

I'll feel much better if they're still playing like this come December.

[Jeff]

Sending Myers down isn't even a consideration now. He's been their top defensemen, and maybe even their best player so far.

I'd love an honest answer on what they would have done if Lydman hadn't gotten hurt before the opener. Clearly we'll never get it, but the answer would say a lot about their front office. I'd like to think they were planning on using him for 9 games anyways, but you never know. He really does look like something special.

[Greg B.]

Sabres got off to a hot start last year, but you'd be a fool to think that team was better than this year's. If they continue outshooting teams by 10 shots per game, they're going to win a lot more than they lose. It wasn't long ago where this team would've been outshot by Detroit, 40-20. They out-Detroited Detroit tonight. Vanek's injury hurts, but time for Paille or Gerbe to step up. Keep the style of play and success will follow.

[DominicS]

Great game by the Sabres tonight. They had great defensive positioning in their own zone. Play great defense, and your goal scorers will get their chances.

Excellent rush by Myers on the Kaleta goal. Really excellent.

I was at the game, and I watched Miller's crease after the whistles. The Sabres are doing a better job this year of protecting Miller's crease, both before and after the whistle. Just tougher overall.

[DominicS]

Mike, you desreve hazardous duty pay for manning the live chat after Bills games...

[timmer923]

Myers looked great......I'm praying to God that the Sabres don't "develop" him like all their other defenseman projects......
Let him play his game!

[JD]

Way to go boys! To score 6 on the defending Stanley Cup Finalists like that says a lot! That was fun to watch!

[Jeff]

Wow, I forgot Paille is still around. Time to give him his shot. He could rise to the occasion, with his job on the line.

[Mark]

Vanek out weeeks. Not something we can't overcome. Go Sabres....

[Jeff]

Interesting call now....with Vanek out, Gerbe or Mair?

[Kiran]

This is the team we all wanted to see: Aggressive and gritty (for once), talented, good forecheck, solid defense, and Ryan Miller. Sabres can do some damage this year.

[Mark]

berkes, go to atdhe.net...I'm watchin the game on there now...

[Mike Harrington]

Heh. The FCC doesn't govern me. Sorry bout that. I've been waiting to make that typo for three years. Got it outta my system finally.

[Greg B.]

LOL at Harrington's misspelling under the "14:13 left in 1st period" post. The FCC is going to come looking for you, Harrington.

[the berkes]

Harrington, you misspelled something!

[the berkes]

Very, very angry at Comcast for screwing DirecTV!