Sabres Edge

Welcome to HSBC Arena and another season of Sabres Edge game updates. It's the Sabres and Montreal Canadiens in the season opener. Keep it here all night for updates and thoughts.

---Mike Harrington

OT

2:18 left: Habs win, 2-1, on a fluke as Gionta takes one off the backboards out of the air and beats Miller. Final shots 35-17. Tough way to lose.

Third Period

First off, kudos to the game staff for their intermission music choice. Just as the clock hit 9 came cued up, "It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday" and there was a pretty good Billy Joel singalong going. See, we don't need crazy videos and heavy metal to have a good time here. Hope they remember that.

19:05 left: Sekera is back but just got hit with a tripping penalty.

12:00 left: Sabres have outshot the Habs, 6-1, in the period and 29-15 for the game. You have to like their grit, the push-back edge they're showing in this one. We'll see if it turns into two points but it's definitely a good sign for the rest of the season.

10:49 left: Steve Montador has had a pretty good debut game but that was not a smart play. An obvious hit from behind on Maxim Laperriere. Got two minutes for boarding. Lucky it wasn't more.

8:45 left: Great work by Myers and Hecht kills off another power play. The Habs are 0 for 5 tonight.

7:43 left: Myers draws his second penalty of the night, a tripping call on Andrei Kostitsyn behind the Buffalo net. Sabres could use a strong PP here -- and, of course, a conversion.

5:30 left: Never mind. Two shots, not much puck control.

4:52 left: A sellout of 18,690 is announced. I boo that.

39.3 left: Price robs Pominville on a one-timer after a great MacArthur feed. That's 11-1 in shots for Buffalo in this period and 34-15 for the game. And that's 80-42 against the Habs in two games and they're about to get three out of four points and maybe four.

On to OT: Still 34-15 through regulation. Reminder on standard blog OT/shootout rules: We have to make the quick run to the elevator for the locker room as soon as this one ends. But be sure to come back to vote in our three-star poll that will appear a few minutes it's over and leave your comments.

Second Period

16:10 left:  Big scrum in front of Miller shows Sabres are definitely trying to be much more aggressive this year. Kennedy and Cammalleri going at it. Rivet and Butler working over Gomez (last year's memory certainly in mind). Hal Gill comes in to get at Butler. Gomez, Kennedy and Butler all get two minutes but Gill gets four.

11:50 left: Sabres have a 5-4 edge in shots in the period and still lead, 1-0, nearing the halfway mark. Myers was on the ice for the last 55 seconds of a roughing penalty to Roy. Incredible poise for a 19-year-old.

11:46 left: Silly tripping penalty in the offensive zone by Gregory Stewart puts Buffalo on the power play.

9:34 left: Great saves by Price on Kennedy and Roy to thwart the PP. Just as it ended, Lapierre bumped Miller on the way by the net -- and Myers jumped him by the glass. Nice. Lapierre gets two minutes for roughing and Paul Gaustad gets four for roughing. Ridiculous. Explain that one other than it's a makeup for Gill's four minutes.

9:07 left: That's it for that PP as Gionta takes a silly interference penalty on Roy in the Buffalo zone.

7:27 left: The Habs tie it at 1-1 as Travis Moen is credited with a goal from the seat of his pants. He slides into Miller (maybe thanks to a Sekera push) and pushes Miller and the puck into the net just before it comes off. Bizarre, ugly looking. And goes as a short-handed goal too.

2:25 left: Sabres' power play is struggling and the team and crowd have clearly lost some starch since the Montreal goal. Sekera really having trouble getting the puck out of his end. Not good. And now Tallinder goes for interference.

41.8 left: Rivet doesn't get the puck out and Spacek lets one fly from the point that gets deflected and drills Sekera in the face. Knocked his mouthguard right out. He leaves bent over and you have memories of the two broken jaws in two weeks last year (Vanek and Numminen). You hope you haven't just seen another because there's not much if any blood.

End of 2nd: It's 1-1 through two. Sabres had an 11-9 edge in shots (23-14) through two. Kaleta just hammered Hamrlik to the boards at the end of the period and Paul Mara took a step on to the ice to bark at him. They have history of course with Kaleta crushing Mara's orbital bone two years ago when Mara was with the Rangers and then allegedly asking him, "How's your face" on the ice at MSG last season.

First Period

17:26 left: Habs' Metropolit off for hooking Kaleta after a great shift by Buffalo's fourth line. Nice physical play by Kaleta and Ellis with Stafford creating chances.

17:20 left: It takes six seconds for the PP to pot the season's first goal as Connolly pounds home a Rivet rebound from the slot. 1-0 Buffalo.

13:05 left: Sabres have a 4-1 edge in shots and a big edge in play. Perfect start. No surprises on the lines. Kennedy started between MacArthur and Pominville (and won the opening faceoff over Scott Gomez). Then came Vanek-Roy-Connolly, Hecht-Gaustad-Grier and Kaleta-Ellis-Stafford. On defense, it's been Butler-Rivet, Sekera-Montador and Tallinder-Myers. John Vogl notes it's the first time in a while the Sabres have had all six defense playing L-R with no one playing on their off side.

10:27 left: Sabres nearly got another as Roy popped one off the post to Carey Price's left. Kaleta is running around all over causing havoc and the Habs at the last whistle circled him with five guys. Just what the Sabres want if Montreal forgets about hockey to get at Kaleta. Especially when Kaleta is creating scoring chances like he has in the first nine minutes.

6:37 left: Lots of uneven officiating so far. Hecht got worked over in the corner and no call. Vanek pulled down a Hab in the slot. No call. Rivet goes finally for cross checking right after he got drilled to the ice by Georges Laraque.

2:41 left: Great shift by Kennedy, who gave the Habs fits along the boards, created a turnover, had a good chance from the slot and then drove to the net to draw a roughing penalty from Ryan O'Byrne. Kennedy and Kaleta, the two local boys, have had terrific moments in this period. No fear using the kids by Lindy; Myers was killing the second half of the Rivet penalty and Kennedy is in the middle of the action.

By the way, this one is NOT sold out even if the Sabres announce it is. There are three or four rows of empty seats visible from the press box at the top of Sections 315 and 325.

End of the first: It's 1-0 for the Sabres, who had a 12-5 edge in shots on goal. A solid 20 minutes all around. The Sabres won 12 of 19 faceoffs (Ellis was 5 for 5 and Kennedy, still learning the position, split his six draws). Hecht and Sekera were the only Buffalo players with two shots. Kaleta was credited with three hits. Rivet (8:12) and Montador (8:08) were the ice-time leaders. Myers played 5:11 and Kennedy 4:51.

The ceremonies: We're looking at a 7:15 faceoff after all the pregame ceremonies are complete. You're going to love the open video when you come to the arena. Trust me. Raucous, pounding AC/DC. You will get pumped. The team skated on to the ice from the zamboni entrance, gathered around the center circle and saluted the crowd. Cool. Then it was off to the blue line for individual intros.

The loudest cheers went this way: Ryan Miller, Mike Grier, Tyler Myers and local boys Tim Kennedy and Patrick Kaleta. It looked like Kennedy gazed up at himself on the HD board as his name was called and the place was erupted. Bet he's never forgetting that moment. And coming close to the roar for Miller was the greeting for Lindy Ruff. Doug Allen does his usual stellar job on the anthems. Excellent job of presentation for an opening night shindig. Team staff gets an A.

Of Note: The Sabres are 21-14-3 in season openers, including 15-6-3 at home. The Sabres will be opening at home against Montreal for the fifth time and are 3-0-1 in the previous four, including last year's shootout win. The Sabres are 5-1-1 against the Habs in season openers -- and the only loss was way back on Oct. 15, 1970, a 3-0 defeat in Buffalo's first home game at the Aud.

Pregame

6:08 p.m.: The HD board just revved up a Sabres classic against the Habs from the late 80s. Puppa in net against Patrick Roy. GM Gerry Meehan watching in the stands. Kinda spooky to watch these now for the first time with the old Aud finally torn down.

6:11 p.m.: The Sabres went 4-1-1 against the Habs last year. Doesn't mean anything anymore with all the changes in the Montreal lineup. My prediction of the Red Wings to win the Stanley Cup has taken an early dent with their back-to-back losses to the Blues in Stockholm, including today's 5-3 defeat.

6:13 p.m.: The teams hit the ice in about 15 minutes. That's when we'll find out who the Sabres have named as alternate captains at home. There will be two at home and two on the road.

6:20 p.m.: Ryan Miller emerges from the runway to the Sabres bench to cheers for his pregame solo meditation. Always fascination to watch how Miller wants a few minutes to himself out of the locker room. Steely-eyed, leaning on his stick, gazes to the ice.

6:24 p.m.: As usual, there are dozens of red and white Canadiens jerseys crowded around the runway leading to the visitors dressing room. Lots of blue and gold around the Sabres runway as well. Buffalo will be wearing its alternate third jerseys tonight (no flying shrimps) while the Habs will be in their classic whites.

6:25 p.m.: The visiting fans start a big "Go Habs Go" chant and start singing the infernal "Ole, Ole" song. They're met with boos both times.

6:30 p.m.: The teams take the ice and here's the first bit of news for the evening: Paul Gaustad and Jason Pominville are the home alternate captains. Good choices there. I think it's long overdue that Gaustad gets a letter.

6:40 p.m.: Couple interesting links for you as the warmup concludes: No. 1 pick Zack Kassian apparently has a shoulder injury at Peterborough and will miss tonight's game against Sudbury and fellow draftee Marcus Foligno. Meanwhile, ex-Sabre Andrew Peters tells the Newark Star-Ledger he's glad the Devils saw fit to keep him as an enforcer.