Live from Sabres at Bruins

BOSTON -- Rookie goaltender Jhonas Enroth made his NHL debut tonight against the Bruins with Ryan Miller taking a break after the Sabres' 5-2 debacle against the Flyers.

Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said before the game that he decided last Monday to play his backup against the Bruins whether it was veteran Patrick Lalime or the 21-year-old Enroth. Lalime is still suffering from a groin injury. Ruff decided to stick with his plan and play the former second-round pick.

Enroth's first game was against a Bruins team that scored only one goal in their previous three games while suffering through a drought that lasted 192 minutes, six seconds. He was matched against Bruins backup Tuukka Rask in a battle of backups. 

So much for a matchup between Ryan Miller and Vezina Trophy winner Tim Thomas, the two leading candidates to play goal for the U.S. Olympic team. At least the two backups offer some international flavor. Enroth is from Sweden while Rask from Finland, the two countries that played for the gold medal in 2006.

 --- Bucky Gleason

FIRST PERIOD

16:41 remaining: Enroth beaten on the first shot of his career. Mark Recchi deflects Derek Morris' shot from the point just under Enroth's arm with Paul Gaustad off for roughing. It's not the start the kid wanted to his first professional game, but it's a difficult shot to stop.

12:36: The Bruins kill off bench minor for too many men on the ice. The Sabres produce no shots on the power play. The Sabres need to put much more pressure on Boston if they plan on scoring. The Bruins are making it look easy in the early going.

11:40: Pominville made a nice play to intercept a clearing pass in the left circle, but he negated the scoring chance when he missed the net while trying to pick the corner.

11:18: Chara dumped Myers after Big T took a run at Big Z.

9:36: Paille off for goaltender interference after running into Enroth.

8:16: Wideman sent to the box for holding Stafford in the corner, giving the Sabres a two-man advantage for 40 seconds. The Sabres need to do a better job getting pucks to the net. Of course, it doesn't help when they waste the first 20 seconds after losing the faceoff.

7:26: Paille jumps out of the penalty box and gets loose on a breakaway. Enroth makes a good pad save to prevent this game from getting out of hand early.

5:31: Montador and Thornton drop the gloves. Montador was attempting to inject some much-needed energy into his teammates, Thornton earns a decision.

3:29: Chara scores his first of the season on a slap shot through a screen with Grier off for tripping. Enroth never saw the puck with Recchi parked just outside the crease. The Bruins have scored both goal on the power play, which was 0 for 19 going over the previous six games.

0:00: End of period. Bruins 2, Sabres 0.

SECOND PERIOD

18:38: Bitz gives the Bruins a 3-0 lead after a communication breakdown between Enroth and Steve Montador, followed by a terrible clearing pass from Jason Pominville. Steve Begin steps into the passing lane and gets a shot on goal, and Bitz cleans up the mess with a shot into an open net.

17:13: Roy cuts the margin to 3-1 when he collects a bouncing puck in the slot and beats Rask. Craig Rivet made a good play just to get the puck toward the net from the blue line.

13:40: The Sabres are called for too many men on the ice. It's the last thing they needed after getting outshot, 20-10, to that point not to mention outplayed.

8:42: Marco Sturm is called for boarding after running Andrej Sekera into the wall.

2:44: Tallinder misses an open net after a scramble. A goal there would gave helped the Sabres regain some momentum going into the third.

1:42: Rask makes a good save on Roy. The Sabres are trying to apply more pressure.

1:29: Sturm gives the Bruins a 4-1 lead after Roy coughs up the puck in the neutral zone, loses a battle with Patrice Bergeron deep in the Buffalo zone and Sturm is left alone in the left circle. One-timer, goal.

0:00: End of second period. Bruins 4, Sabres 1.

THIRD PERIOD

17:18: Marchand is sent to the box for high sticking. The Sabres generate little on the power play, their fifth of the night.

13:16: Enroth makes a good glove save on Wheeler after he finds an open lane off the wing. It's the 28th save on 32 shots for the rookie. Rask has been tested 19 times.

9:22 Marchand back in the box for holding Tallinder behind the net.

8:55: Bergeron breaks free on another shorthanded breakaway before losing the puck. The Sabres PP is now scoreless in six opportunities.

6:00: Thornton finds himself in another fight, this time with Gaustad. Both players land a few punches before Thornton wrestles Gaustad to the ice. Draw. Thornton hits the showers after getting two minutes for roughing and five for fighting.

2:50: It's getting ugly. OK, it's getting uglier. Jochen Hecht and Mark Stuart square off with the Bruins defenseman landing several punches in a one-sided decision.

2:50: Chara is sent packing after slashing Kaleta and nailing the Sabres' pest with a right hand. Kaleta hits the showers, too, along with Tim Kennedy. Something against WNYers?

1:48: Pominville scores to make it somewhat interesting, but the damage is already done.

0:00: End of game. Bruins 4, Sabres 2.

 

Comments

[ElmaGolf]

Hamilton Fan -

Thanks for the outside perspective.

If we're going to try and win the "Misery Sports Town" Award, we probably should be heading over to the BillBoard Blog.

However, I'm married to a Browns Fan, and I can tell you that they bring a compelling case to make the Bill look like a powerhouse on offense.

[cak]

I agree that it's still too early to declare the season over. Typically by All Star break we know what kind of team the Sabres are and whether they will make the playoffs or not.

A like the depth of have 4 lines that score, but the money players need to step it up and lead the team.

We need players who are willing and able to play physical, take the man. Haven't seen it.

So far & I repeat so far Miller is playing well, but heaven forbid he gets hurt, I have no faith in our back up goalies.

[Hamilton Coyotes Fan]

Congrats on being the first fanbase to declare your season over after only 14 games and while you lead your division by three points and have multiple games in hand on most of those division teams. Your new city slogan should be Buffalo: We're More Miserable Than You.

[ElmaGolf]

I was glad to come here and discover that the Season's Over already. Now I have have an extra 200 or so hours of free time over the next 6 months.

Brian was particularly insightful with his "I TOLD YOU SO" Declaration.

Which would have been gutsy had he actually "told us so."

I reviewed that last few weeks of postings, and I can't see where Brian "told us so." After the Florida, NJ, Tampa, Toronto, Detroit wins - I kept looking for Brian to "warn us" that he knew the team wasn't very good and was the exact same as last year.

I particularly like how Brian chastised fans for all the "backslapping" over the early high rankings. So I looked back at the posting when the Sabres were ranked #1 by TSN to see all the "gloating" in comments such as:

- "I'm glad to see them picking up points early, but I won't even begin to consider the validity of these rankings until the end of December (and that's still early)."

- "It's resonable to expect that the same players have matured and will perform at a higher level of consistency this year. But, let's not start celebrating after 8 games."

- "Great start to the season...but i'm not getting excited yet. There's still a lot more hockey to go. It's a long season. "

- "It's great to see the team doing well. It's great to see so much production from the secondary scorers, but I haven't been happy with the play of the primary scorers: Vanke, Roy, Connolly, Pomminville."

But of course the most insightful comment was from Brian when he said "... ...."

Get over yourself, Brian! For the most part, fans here were taking a "wait & see" approach after the early success and not planning the Stanley Cup Parade. That would have been almost as idotic as declaring the "season over" after the first bad stretch of games.

[Buffalo Excuses]

As I haven't posted in about a week or so, I can't really pile on now.

All I will say is that I was away this weekend and did not know the score of the game this morning when I watched it on TIVO. I used to scan games like this for goals AND fights. Now, well the fights aren't that entertaining.

Fast forwarding is painless...

[roy]

you hit it on the head, timmer: there is no number one line. and vogl had people believing 'balanced scoring' was actually a sabre philosophy. the fact is there are not enough excellent players here. they NEED 15 players doing their absolute best to beat anybody besides mckinley high school. they can talk about accountability in the locker room, but they simply DO NOT MATCH UP on the ice.
and for all the blubbering nitwits out there who bash people for writing after a loss, THEY HAVEN'T LOOKED THAT GOOD IN WINNING. they are less than mediocre in a very mediocre conference!
this roster is only minimally to blame. call out sell-out lindy and doubtful darcy. neither can make ANYONE believe this is the best group they can manage to compete toward a cup.

[Jeff]

Don't be a fool. 2-1 against the Islanders, if they played them that well last year, they make the playoffs. Focus on the loss if you want.

[Brian]

Hey Jeff:

Beaten by the Thrashers & struggling Canadians, WOMPED by the Islanders. Yes, a bunch of wins over mostly crappy teams.

[Jeff]

I tend to be pretty critical of this team, but some of you coming out of no where to post after a lose make me look like an eternal optimist. This team doesn't match up well againt physical teams, no shock there. The top 2 lines are among the softest in the NHL.

Why is this team different than last year?

1. Miller has been significantly better than he was last year. Fewer weak goals and stronger overall play, he looks like an All-Star.

2. They've beaten weak teams. They missed the playoffs last year because they couldn't beat terrible teams. This year is clearly different.

This team isn't as good as October made them look, but not as bad as the last 2 games either.

[burgundy04]

For all you guys posting who think this team is different than the last 2 yrs...let's see some reasons? They have now lost 3 of their last 4 games...5-0 Islanders, 5-2 Flyers, and 4-2 Bruins. 6 of their wins are against the Islanders twice, Tampa (Barely), Phoenix, Florida, and Toronto (Barely)....They beat the Devils and Detroit who were missing their top players...take your blinders off and realize they are not that good and when Vanek coasts like he is, they are even worse. True hockey fans can see when a team isn't right and the Homer fans stay blind to it. I hate writing this stuff about the team but I'm done trying to look for excuses why they don't put consistent effort on the ice...the type of effort needed to win consistently enough to actually make the playoffs and contend. Some of these guys are too comfortable here and need to be benched or traded. I don't care if the season has just started....it's the same guys and the same style of play for two yrs now. They crumble when confronted with physical play...it's pathetic.

[Sam]

If you ever wanted to gaze into the Soul of Buffalo, all you would have to do is check the message boards after a Sabres loss. Depressing, just like the region.

[Brian]

Ready?

I TOLD YOU SO!

I warned that all the fan backslapping over the Sabres' "high ranking" was a bit premature.

Their early schedule was filled mostly with creampuff teams. Their first run at back-to-back non-creampuff teams brings us back to '07-'08 ---or is it'08-'09?

I don't know how so many could've thought this team had magically transformed into a big contender after making minor changes in the offseason.

Little has changed.

[Greg B.]

1st place by three points. 9-2-1 when our starter plays. Those aren't excuses, they're facts. Now respond to that by making excuses about their schedule...

[GmR]

The defense in this game was atrocious. Ruff knows Julien plays a modified trap so why does he let the defensemen try to jump into the play the whole game? Couldn't it be modified for a tighter checking game against specific teams? Also, why didn't he push for a brawl? The Bruins were running the Sabres and they needed to answer. Instead the Bruins instigate the fights and finish them by dropping all three Buffalo players. It's tough to win when you lose the physical battles. The Sabres are still not tough enough and lack the swagger they had in 05-07 team.

[pgr88]

These last few games have looked like the Sabres last year. They play a tough, checking, collapsing-D team, and the Sabres fold.

Connelly, Roy and especiall Pominville - good finesse players, but who are otherwise soft

[burgundy04]

Especially when these good teams are missing their top players! Regier needs to shake this team up...their are too many guys that are comfortable here because they know that Regier won't send them packing. Yeah it's early in the season but I'm sick of hearing that excuse....The last two years the Sabres have spent times as high as 4th in the conference and missed the playoffs...why?? Because they don't know how to sustain the effort needed to win consistently. You're not not being a fair weathered fan by pointing out the flaws in this team that keep them from missing the playoffs. It will happen again unless changes are made. By the way Stafford is not a number one winger.

[lounotinafghanistananymore]

sorry for the choppy posting but a caveat on calling this NOT a top 3 team in the conference. how is this team any different than the dismal team of 08-09? we lost a top defenseman and replaced him with "might-as-well-be-a-rock" montador, threw kennedy on the roster, and another change or two. so how is this team supposedly jumping from mediocrity to top 3 in the conference that won the stanley cup?

[lounotinafghanistananymore]

kiran, are you serious? sabres top three in the conference? clearly you're looking at the newspaper and not the teams and players on the teams. it's november. it's the BEGINNING of november. you're right the season is far from over; but they're definitely not top three in the conference. they've had an easy schedule, and from the past two games, it appears they can't play against good teams

[Kris Drury]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

[lounotinafghanistananymore]

lame calling out fans for being fairweather after a performance like this. for real? did you watch it? so you accept a loss if you're winning more than losing. sounds like a loser mentality to me. that game was ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ boring

[Kiran]

Is being a true fan complaining at the first sign of trouble? Whining about effort isn't going to fix anything. I didn't see half of these people comment when the Sabres won games handily. How can you hold won games against them even if they were against bad teams? A win's a win. It will get better, everyone chill.

[burgundy04]

I love the excuses on here...they lost because of the powerplay, pucks bouncing off skates,,blah blah blah...it's about lack of effort people...if you're true fans you will be honest about the team and the effort or lack thereof that's beginning to creep into this team again. By the way they have now lost the 3 out of 4 and one was against the Islanders and the other two were against teams missing their top players.

[shamus7]

Another typical Sabre effort. This has been a major problem with Lindy Ruff.How many years must we watch a lackluster team. No Excuses allowed.

[Kiran]

Eh, back to back losses, I'm not too worried. Our season certainly isn't over, we are still top 3 in the conference. Special Teams cost us this game, 2 of 3 ppg against and 0-7 for the Sabres.

[timmer923]

My previous posts have been objective and positive.......but after this one , I could be very caustic.......This team has gotten physically soft.....Bos and Philly taking the games their way.....If Vanek, Roy, Stafford is our #1 line, we're in big trouble......these guys are simply not performing......so, ...where the coaching in all of this?

[burgundy04]

This team still gets out worked too easily!! Their so called top two lines do not work hard enough to score.....they think they can just use their skill but that does not work in this league like it did after the lockout. It's time to add a guy like Gaustad or Grier to the top lines because they are just getting out worked. Any true hockey fan that is not a Homer can see this...I love the Sabres but I've watched hockey for 30 yrs now and can see when a team does not have what it takes to be a top team in this league.

[Noons]

It is almost depressing how much the buffalo fans want to complain about the team. "The Sabres Season is over" I just don't under stand it. People only post on here when they lose.

[Buffalo Fans Are A JOKE!]

You guys are in first place and you're saying your season is over after losing two games to teams who were unanimously picked to be top four in the conference this season? Do you wait for things to go wrong like this in your personal lives or is it just limited to sports?

[gameboy]

Are they on powerplay? How come the Bruins are in control.

[moi]

Sabres season is over. No playoffs again this year.

[Tim]

Burgundy, he poke checked Bergeron, it hit Roy's skate, Bergeron no-looked it into the slot where MacArthur was staring with his mouth wide open at Sturm. I'm not gonna fault Roy for that one. Good call on trading Roy, trade the one guy who looks like he's trying tonight.

[burgundy04]

Just a question but when is Vanek going to stop his Miro Satan impression of floating and disappearing for long stretches?? Not worth the 7 million a year if he keeps playing like this!

[burgundy04]

Just saw the replay on the last goal....Roy loses the puck in the neutral zone then gives Bergeron a love tap deep in the zone and allows him to feed Sturm in the slot.....Great play Derek!

[Izzy's mom]

Wasn't that boarding by Sturm in the 2nd period was on Rivet?

[burgundy04]

Hey Tim the puck ended up in the net so I might have to agree with Bucky! This is the same old Sabres get used to it! Derek Roy needs to be traded.

[burgundy04]

What will the excuses be now!! Same team with the same problems!

[Tim]

Buck, NESN was saying what a good defensive play Roy made on Bergeron and you're saying he lost the battle. Thanks again for illustrating to all of us how little you know about hockey.

[burgundy04]

And the downward spiral begins!! Still too much dead weight on this team!

[waz]

I guess so, Bucky seems to have fallen asleep and negated his blogging duties.

[frankinsouthcarolina]

Is this game boring or what?

[george]

I wonder if they had to pay the bag fee to transport the stink from last night to Boston.