Live from Sabres at Ottawa

OTTAWA -- I really need to learn French. I picked up the press clippings this morning to read over lunch, and half of them were in Francais. That's not good if you don't know the language.

Part of it's my fault. Quite a few years back, when the Sabres had J.P. Dumont, Daniel Briere, Steve Begin, Martin Biron and a couple of other francophones, I purchased a learn-to-speak-French CD-ROM. I figured it would help when they chatted together. It's still in its package next to my desktop.

Part of the blame, though, lies with Frontier Central School District. In the summer before seventh grade, they (apparently) sent out a form asking incoming middle school students what language they wanted to take. I never got one.

When they called to check on it right before school started, I said Spanish. Sorry, all booked. OK, I said, how about French? Nope, filled up. All we have open is German.

So I took six years of Deutsch. With complete confidence I can tell Jochen Hecht what time it is and ask him if he'd like to play ball if it's not too late at night. Nein, danke, meine Mutter ist bose wenn ich spat komme. (I hope I got that right; if not, I can only tell time.)

Anyway, I guess since there's a hockey game in about 18 minutes, you'd rather hear about that. Keep this quote from Lindy Ruff in mind. It's from Friday morning when I had a feeling Patrick Lalime would be starting tonight: "He’s got a lot of extra work. In his case, he sees a lot of game-like situations and is exposed to the types of shots, so Patty will be ready when we need him."

We'll find out in 16 minutes.

7:04 p.m.: By the way, I don't hold that against Frontier. Lots of good times there. And, apparently, it's a fine educational institution. Bob DiCesare, Bucky Gleason and I all went there (though not at the same time). We all went to Buffalo State, too (some of us longer than others).

7:07 p.m.: If you're wondering why I'm chatting aimlessly instead of watching hockey it's because this is a "Hockey Night in Canada" production and the faceoff is eight minutes later than usual.

7:10 p.m.: Mike Fisher in the starting lineup for Senators. I wonder if Carrie Underwood is here.

FIRST PERIOD

7:15 p.m.: Game on. Sabres' starting trio is Jochen Hecht-Tim Connolly-Jason Pominville.

7:17 p.m.: Derek Roy flanked by Thomas Vanek and Clarke MacArthur.

7:18 p.m.: We'll have to wait on the other lines because the short-handed unit is out. Hooking call on Craig Rivet with 1:50 gone.

7:19 p.m.: At least the Sabres don't have to worry about Dany Healthy scoring on the power play like he usually does. Cheap plug: See Sunday's notebook for a story on the Sens' changes without him.

7:24 p.m.: Sabres killed the penalty, and it's the first commerical break which should allow them to get their lines back together.

7:27 p.m.: Tim Kennedy-Paul Gaustad-Patrick Kaleta.

7:30 p.m.: Andrej Sekera-Matt Ellis-Adam Mair. Yeah, with a defenseman who's never played forward before, no wonder it took half the period to see them. Probably won't see them much. I'd have used Nathan Paetsch instead of Sekera, for the record.

7:35 p.m.: One shot for Sekera. One high-stick to the face to Mair (no penalty). One penalty to the Sens, for hooking on Peter Regin with 6:46 left.

7:39 p.m.: Final commercial of the period, still no score with 4:13 to go. Shots are 11-5 for Buffalo, though no high-quality scoring chances.

7:45 p.m.: Good shift by the two Fs and D line. Sabres back on the power play with 1:18 to go as Brian Lee goes to the box.

7:47 p.m.: Power-play goal by Vanek with 51.8 seconds left. Pascal Leclaire stops Pominville's point shot, and Vanek buries the rebound. Both Vanek and Gaustad were parked in front; they usually anchor the two different units.

End of the period, Sabres lead in goals, 1-0, and shots, 17-5.

SECOND PERIOD

8:08 p.m.: Here they go again? Sabres get a penalty in the opening minute, and the Senators' score 10 seconds later when Filip Kuba's shot from the point goes past Lalime and the screen of Milan Michalek with 50 seconds gone.

8:15 p.m.: Leclaire briefly shaken up as Matt Carkner clears Hecht from the crease but also knocks the Sabres' winger into the goalie, whose mask flies off.

8:20 p.m.: It was a matter of time. The zone time was tilting in the Sens' favor, and Daniel Alfredsson makes the Sabres pay by scoring with 11:46 left. It's 2-1 Ottawa.

8:21 p.m.: The Sabres get a chance to regain momentum as Ottawa's Alex Picard goes to the box with 11 minutes left.

8:25 p.m.: Nice glove save by Leclaire as the penalty expires. I know it's only because of injuries, but I think this Vanek-Gaustad pairing on the power play has potential.

8:38 p.m.: Back-to-back penalties on Sabres give the Senators a five-on-three for 1:06 with 3:52 to go. (That's a lot of numbers in a short span, would never write that in a story).

8:41 p.m.: Buffalo escapes the two-man disadvantage to prevent game from slipping away.

8:45 p.m.: Sabres get yet another penalty -- this one to Kennedy for hooking with 1:16 left -- and if my Frontier math is correct, that's four penalties on Buffalo in the second period. They'll have to kill 43 seconds of Kennedy's at the start of the third period.

It's 2-1 Ottawa at the end of two. Sabres hold a 25-17 shot edge, but the Sens had a 14-8 advantage in that period.

THIRD PERIOD

It's 9 o'clock on a Saturday ...: And an irregular goalie shuffles in. Brian Elliott has replaced Leclaire, who must have been injured on the collision.

9:06 p.m.: "Lower-body injury" for Leclaire. Sabres killed the remaining 43 seconds of Kennedy's penalty.

9:08 p.m.: Great sequence by Chris Kelly gives Senators a 3-1 lead with 17:21 left. First, Kelly wins the faceoff in the Buffalo zone, then passes back to Carkner. Kelly then finds a hole in the slot and tips Carkner's shot past Lalime.

9:15 p.m.: Milan Michalek scores to give Ottawa a 4-1 lead with 13:49 left. The Sabres' winless streak will reach three games (0-2-1) barring an appearance by Frank Reich, Steve Christie and Andre Reed.

9:21 p.m.: For Buffalo fans in need of more things to complain about, here you go: Alfredsson scores his second of the night with 12 minutes left to make it 5-1.

9:22 p.m.: Kaleta gets Buffalo within 5-2 with 11:03 left. Ruff was disappointed the Sabres didn't finish well in their 6-2 loss to Florida earlier in the week, so the players have something to prove to him at the end of this blowout.

9:24 p.m.: Well, are the Senators the Houston Oilers? Pominville makes the score 5-3 with 9:30 remaining.

10:45 p.m.: Sabres lost, 5-3. No comeback, just complaints in the locker room about lack of focus.

---John Vogl

Comments

[same-o]

Marcy Regier still has the same team that cannot make the playoffs..small or pansy forwards, only one goalie, overpaid players in Connely, Vanek, etc.....no go to guy,no one that can enforce and win a fight...just like Marcy..,

[roy]

it's not vanek's fault what he is paid. he is, however, the only legitimate first line forward the sabres have. can't possibly compare what he does to the giveaway machines roy, connolly, pominville and stafford.

[Bill]

There's 11 teams between 22 and 26 points. The salary cap has created parity. If Buffalo beats the injury plagued Caps, the Sabres will have the 2nd best winning percentage in the Eastern Conference. If they lose, there's a good chance they'll be eating Thanksgiving dinner in 7th place. This season will be exciting.

Why is Paetsch on this team? If they're going to use Montador or Sekera at forward before Paetsch, what's the point in keeping him? If there are that many defensive injuries, call up Weber or Gragnani. If there are forward injuries, call up Gerbe, Ennis or Mancari. Cut Paetsch.

[Rick]

Well, now its official. The Sabres are the only girl left in town. Get rid of that bum Lalime and go get Ray Whitney and this team can go all the way! Yes! All the way!!!!!

[Greg B.]

I've had enough of the "give Vanek elite players and watch him take off" talk. How about we see him expend a full effort night in and night out first. The guy still floats way too often. He was atrocious for the last two weeks before this weekend. That had nothing to do with his linemates. In fact, his linemates have given him tons of chances over the last few weeks and he hasn't been finishing. Fact of the matter is that Vanek is paid what most dominant players are paid, but he does not make players around him better and he is completely dependent on other players to set him up. The guy is great on the power play, but we're paying him $7 million and he is average at even strength. He hasn't scored an even strength goal since October 21 and that was 14 games ago.

I agree, we should go after a guy like Marleau....to take Vanek's spot! We could get a proven top-6 player and a ton of high end prospects for him. If I'm going to pay a guy $7 million per year, I want him to be better than average at even strength.

[GmR]

Vanek is not the problem. Give him an impact player on the top line and you'll see him score 50-60 goals. The problem is that Roy and Pominville are not elite players. They are good but not game changers. Can we please make a run at Patrick Marleau this summer so Vanek can be paired with someone of his caliber?

[roy]

at this level, vanek needs a center to mesh with. no more evidence than the shuffling between roy and connolly is needed. he's not a puck carrier going to make scoring chances for himself as a top line nhler. pominville and roy are overmatched as top line players. attitude or not, they cannot and do not make plays against top talent. both had the puck all week and couched it up or made awful plays. my opinion is that's the best they have.

[boos]

not so sure there's the presence of "tedd" (talent evaluation deficit disorder)...guys like vanek, roy and pomminville fit seemlessly with the 05-6 edition of the sabres and blossomed in the 06-7 season...the sabres then proceeded to loose their leaders and the league changed as well...

although the three mentioned bettered their point-total in the 07-8 season they lacked the leadership to take the team to the playoffs...they still prefered the "individual-game" as opposed to the "five-man-as-a-unit" approach...when they've trusted the latter they've come out on top way more often than not...

it's not a matter of "tedd," imo...it's a matter of playing with attitude (a western-conference-style attitude) on a consistent basis

[roy]

i can't completely blame these players. there is a blanket talent evaluation deficit in the organization. in specifics, they are trying the same thing with mcarthur that they did with hecht: force feed him top six playing time. and somewhere along the way, they waaaayyyy overcompensated for a lack of depth on defense and created a lack of depth up front. other teams promote players when it is warranted, the sabres do so with hope and imagination.
'grit' does not surface when a player is 25. it is there, or it isn't. and more force feeding of that (a ruff trademark) creates injuries and lack of effort.
this team is rather easy to analyze. too bad the decision makers are unable to see what is going on.
and please, grier got hurt when the schedule got tougher. don't equate a slump with his absence.
for the near future, there are 15 games in december. besides three 3-in-4 nights, the opposition isn't as tough as november.

[Maverick]

I like the comparison of the top 6 core to a lazy teenager. That is absolutely correct. I would imagine if they fall off again and miss the playoffs, a third yr in a row, we may finally see signifigant change. It may include a coach/GM change, or an ultimatum to make big trades or else. Not much can be done now, in season. Lalime is no Miller, but he was victimized by Ottowa's continued domination. Our top 6 don't look like they belong on the same ice with them. It's not a question of spending the money, it is The coach and GM have overestimated the talent and will to win of our so called go to guys. The best you can hope for as far as change in year, might be a 1 for 1 deal ala kunitz for Whitney last yr. That would be a step in the right direction, and might shake up the "Sabre for Life" attitude rampant in the top 6. I think a deal for an upgrade at back up is possible. When Drury and Briere were here, you could count on them to deliver, when the going got tough. I don't see that in our current top 6.

[boos]

maturity-level of top-six (vanek, connolly, staff, mac, roy, pomminville) reflected in their cumulative plus/minus--minus 25

maturuity-level of bottom-six (hecht, kennedy, grier, ellis, goose, kaleta)--plus 12...

primadonna's vs. pro's

this, imo, is a directly related to "the core" regier's assembled up-front...and it's up to him to address it

[Buffalo Excuses]

1st 10 games 8-1-1 - Awesome
2nd 10 games 4-5-1 - Mediocre

Currently 4th in Conference
Currently 2 games out of 11th in Conference

25% of the season is GONE!
75% still remains.

What is Lindy, Darcy and Larry's perspective on their glass?

Here's mine:

Time for the coach to earn his keep. It is absolutely BS to lay it on "mature" players. Yes Lindy, they SHOULD be mature at this point, but SAYING we should be more focussed and actually BEING more focussed are 2 TOTALLY different things.

Coaching is a HUGE part of the difference. If unfixable, then GMing is a BIGGER Part. So then the only question becomes is it the coach or players that need to be changed??? There is still 75% of the season remaining, but history says get your hand closer to the panic button.

Oh, and if GMing can't fix it then...well there's always Larry. What can we sell now?

This team continue to act like a lazy teenager. Works really hard to get up to par, and then slacks off. Then has to work real hard to catch up cause they've fallen behind. If uncorrected, the current course will have us in 11th after the next 10 games.

Most ooaches know the type and this team is LOADED wtih them. Maturity doesn't come with age Lindy, it is earned by those who want to learn and grow. If the coach can't recognize this defect in character, then the coach is just hoping to get a bunch of great players together and let them "do their thing".

I still think this team is better than last years, but I feel a little bit like Charlie Brown lining up for another field goal. My fear is Lucy (Lindy) is going to pull the ball away again at the last second. UUUUUGH!

If I am Tommie Boy, I give my "team" 20 more games to show they deserve to keep me out of their lives. I would be an absent owner, until it becomes obvious that being absent serves no value....

Still holding out hope but beginning to feel foolish....

[Daren Puppa]

Totally embarrassing! Hey Team, let's lose to the teams that have either beat out of a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals a few years ago or to the team that signed all our best players and ruined our franchise!

Ya, no sense trying, we need our rest.

[Maverick]

Once again they look good in October, and when they play teams they need to compete with, they are not up to it. Ottowa has their number. Their forwards skated through our D zone with much greater ease than we did in their zone. As Lindy said, the top end guys are not doing it right now. They are not competing enough. Perhaps they aren't mature enough or good enough.

[cliff]

The Sabres simply have never replaced the adults in the locker room they have lost over the last few years. I am completely unsurprised that the team plays like spoiled children while Mike Grier is out with an injury. It is how I feel when I leave my kids home alone and hope against hope that they won't watch tv and sneak sweets. Did Vanek even play the last ten minutes? Does anyone think Lindy was NOT referring to him as one of the players who pouts when he misses a shot? And the D! Rivet and Butler frankly stink of late and the team is wildly overrelying on Myers who is great for a skinny, inexperienced 19 year old but who should be playing 15 minutes and learning, not 23 minutes and trying to lead. What a joke. They will burn him out(I don't think he can last 50 games at his size and age if they continue to play him 20 plus minutes a game), and they will mess with his head(as they did with Sekera, in my opinion) by asking him to do too much as soon as he suffers the inevitable adversity of any player.

[CalgarySabre2]

Makes me glad I was out refereeing a couple of games and did not see any of this. Mostly I just feel really badly for the sports fans of Buffalo. It seems to me that playing Sekera at forward instead of bringing Ennis up says a few things, none of them good: 1) we are cheap; 2) we expect to lose this game, so wy bother paying to bring Ennis to Ottawa? 3) the usual role for Paetsch is not there any more. I don't understand that one at all. So, to be a broken record: 1) We need a back up goalie who can win the games when he is inserted in to the line up; 2) We need some forwards who can score, especially since the ones who are supposed to score are not doing it; 3) Roy will be well-rested in March because he has done a great job playing himself OFF of the Canadian roster.

[Greg B.]

When Miller starts: 12-3-2. Awesome.

When a backup starts: 0-3-0. Putrid.

How many points are you going to keep giving away, Darcy? Now is the time for a deal. Not later. Call Nashville about Ellis. Call Atlanta about Hedberg. Call St. Louis about Conklin. Get something done. Just like Thibault, Lalime will be entirely out of the NHL after the Sabres are done with him.

[Brian]

Sabres DO NOT have any real strong clutch players who you can COUNT ON to score when the chips are down.

All because you start paying guys big money doesn't suddenly annoint them great players (read: Pominville).

[Lloyd Marshall, Sr.]

Since the Islanders game on Halloween, the Sabres are 4-5-1 in their last 10, sounds like the ship is in big trouble here and that they are going to be mediocre here on out, by winning 3 or so then losing 4 or so. This will get them right back to where they were the last 2 years, then how will management explain this one? Obviously missing the playoffs 3 years in a row with most of the same personnel is telling you one thing, that this team is not a team and collectively all individuals and needs to be fixed, which may not happen for another 2-3 years due to all the long-term contracts they are stuck with and that other teams will not take due to the poor performance of these players. So this mediocre play is probably going to last a few more years no matter who is coaching or is the GM.

[just wondering]

Coincidence that Sabres are 2-3 since Grier went down replaced by Mair?

And why is Sekera playing for Stafford? Why not Ennis again? Does it cost too much to fly from Portland?

And why do the opponent's point shots get through and get tipped or go in through a screen while ours always seem to be blocked or miss the net?

And what are we going to do about losing face-offs cleanly in our own end that cost us the Boston game and a goal tonight?

Just wondering...

[sufferin sabre]

The two lawyers who agreed to donate $1000 to charity when Roy scores made a great deal. Lots of publicity at very little cost. Now if they had agreed to pay $1000 for every time Roy misses the net, $500 every time he makes a dumb turnover on the powerplay, $100 every time he fans on a shot, and $50 for every time he's knocked off his feet, that would have been extremely charitable and generous.

[drynds]

Miller can't play every game! Is it 2 much 2 ask 4 a backup goalie that can win a game! HELP !

[NNY Buffalo fan]

Just saw it's 5-2 now...so that's TWELVE goals in three games. Nice. Can someone get in the locker room at let this testicularly-challenged team have it where it counts?

[philbony]

Ein schlechter Spiel von die Sabres. Absolut schrechlich!

[NNY Buffalo fan]

I've just shut off the game with Buffalo down 4-1. Watching this is unbearable, almost as bad as trying to watch the Bills. Pominville having a BAD night, among many others. How come OUR shots from the point don't get through when other teams' shots do?
Best defensive team in the league, yeah sure. That's 11 goals allowed in the past 3 games and counting. Even Biron isn't the answer here.
Someone, either behind the bench, on the bench, or in the front office, needs to deliver the message that we're VERY TIRED of this losing brand of hockey. And by the way...you have to beat the teams in your own division at least once in awhile. So far the only team the Sabres can beat is the Laffs.
Yes, very exasperated Sabres fan here. I don't expect them to win every one. I do expect them to win games they SHOULD win. If they lose to Carolina next weekend, heads should roll.

[Sabrehockey64]

Ok I see another Sabre collapse for the season, so much for first place, this will be 3 straight losses. Im glad they are playing with such heart

[vegastom]

wednesday night i complained how the schedule is a disadvantage to the sabres...
playing 3 games in 4 nights is not worth having 3 days off early in the week... now maybe those who couldn't see my point will...a 3 game winless streak and the caps coming up....

[Dick Jauron]

Fire Ruff!

[Sabrehockey64]

Sabres really miss Mike Grier. His toughness and hustle are unequalled by any other Sabre.

[Jeff]

If Sekera and Montador are better options at forward than Paetsch, then what's the point of keeping him around? All this talk about the value of his versatility sounds foolish right now. If he wasn't taking up a roster spot, we'd have a real forward playing tonight.

[Sabrehockey64]

Ok pommiville is awful

[sabrehockey64]

Ok whats up with pommiville? Cant keep the puck in the zone at the point

[Sabrehockey64@aol.com]

Ok Does anyone else believe we need a solid back up goalie, Can you Biron

[philbony]

Wie geht's, John? Wenn ich auf Eishockey denke, denke auf die Sabres von Buffalo.

Dein Satz war nicht ganz regalmaesig. Aber habe ich es gut verstehen.

[Tom]

John, I think having Kaleta on the third line weakens the 3rd AND 4th lines. Why not call up Mancari to play with Kennedy and Gaustad ?