Greetings from HSBC Arena. Long time, no see as the World Series and some post-Series R&R had me off the blog for quite a while. Back on the case tonight as the Sabres host the Florida Panthers but I still feel a little like I'm in Yankee Stadium. That's because the infernal/informal Yankees anthem "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z was blaring through the building here during warmups. Must have heard it a hundred times it seems in those 10 days in the Bronx between the ballpark, radio and (OK) a couple watering holes.
(I've since been told John Vogl may have been involved in prodding the Sabres game staff into putting it out over the airwaves here after he pointed out there was too much Run DMC going out. Let's just say Vogl has probably forgotten more music than I even know so we should probably go with his tastes!)
For those checking in from inside the house and wondering about all the rigging hanging from the ceiling, it's for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular that's here tomorrow. (Vogl probably wants the Rockettes to serve as Sabres Ice Girls tonight since they're playing the Panthers. From previous game threads, I recall he's a big fan of the Panthers Ice Dancers that skate nightly down in Sunrise).
Anyway....Great matchup in goal with red-hot Ryan Miller and Tomas Vokoun. The Sabres will be starting the fourth line (Ellis-Gaustad-Mair) with Sekera and Montador on defense. Onward.
---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
Third Period
12:30 left: Where have I been? Nothing to say. One shot apiece. A game going nowhere. Panthers have to love this.
10:18 left: Kaleta (who else?) tries to spark the Sabres with a couple hits and it works as he feeds Myers in the slot for a one-timer that's Buffalo's best chance of the period. The big guy couldn't get much on his shot and Vokoun handled it easily. The Panthers have just six shots in the last 30 minutes but have the lead. Kind of road game only a coach could love.
9:10 left: The Panthers might have put it away as old nemesis Cory Stillman (Carolina '06) converts on a 2-on-1 to make it 3-1. Perfect pass from Steven Reinprecht and Vanek could not catch Stillman after Rivet didn't keep the puck in the Florida zone.
7:23 left: Close to last-chance time here as Victor Oreskovich goes for hooking. Power play 0 for 3 with five shots so far.
5:43 left: MacArthur converts to make it 3-2 as Rivet holds it, holds it, holds it -- long enough for a female leatherlung below the press box to screech "shoooot it" -- gets it to Vanek and Vokoun can't handle the rebound. Crowd back into it. MacArthur's sixth, tied with Stafford and Vanek for team high honors.
3:05 left: Rivet really skating and feeds Pominville for a slapper from the slot that Vokoun stomachs. Shots are 27-21 for Buffalo and 10-4 in this period. The Sabres have momentum rolling and still plenty of time to get the tying goal. Attendance: 18,546, just shy of a sellout.
2:19 left: Kaleta gets a killer interference penalty, taking out a Panther who had yet to touch the puck. Looked OK with the naked eye. Good call on the replay.
2:02 left: Killer. Frolik tips in a Bryan McCabe shot from the point to make it 4-2 and start the exodus to the exits. His second of the night.
1:48 left: Empty netter as Olesz puts this one away at 5-2.
59.5 left: Utter collapse as Olesz feeds Moore for a tap-in that makes it 6-2. Panthers getting payback for Buffalo's 5-2 win last month in Sunrise.
It's over: 6-2 final. Final shots 28-24, Buffalo.
Second Period
18:39 left: Bad start as Weiss gives the Panthers a 2-1 lead. Frolik got around Montador and Miller made the save but couldn't control the rebound in his glove. As he went to whack it away with his stick, he knocked it right to Weiss, who simply tapped it into the open net.
16:07 left: Sabres go to the power play as Bryan Allen goes for hooking Kaleta, whose solid backchecking in the neutral zone allowed Kennedy to scoop up a loose puck and begin 30 seconds of pressure inside the Panthers' zone.
14:11 left: Five seconds left in that penalty and Olesz gets a delay of game for a puck over the glass.
12:16 left: Rivet rings one directly off the post on a long, low floater from the point. PP blanked.
8:37 left: Panthers to the PP after Roy is called for hooking. Key chance for them to convert and take a two-goal lead. This place is lifeless tonight. In the stands and on the ice.
6:03 left: Ex-Sabre Dominic Moore is stopped on a backhand by Miller. It's the Panthers' first shot in 12 1/2 minutes, since the Weiss goal. It's just 5-3 for Buffalo in this period. Booooring.
3:42 left: Roy gets leveled in open ice by Keith Ballard, then barely misses trying to get payback a few seconds later. A rare moment of spark in this one.
1:09 left: The Sabres are finally getting some chances in the Panthers' zone and Moore took a foolish penalty in the Buffalo end to put the Sabres back on the PP.
End-2nd: Panthers still lead, 2-1 and the Sabres had a 10-5 advantage in shots (even at 17-17 through two). Buffalo finally got some momentum in the final three minutes as Myers was stopped by Vokoun (and the rebound jumped over Gaustad's stick), Vanek was stopped after a Stafford feed and Hecht was also thwarted.
First Period
16:16 left: Rivet off for slashing in the Panthers' zone so it's Florida to the PP. The Sabres had three of the game's four shots to that point. As has been customary the last few games, Lindy Ruff got all four lines a quick shift within the first 2 1/2 minutes (It was actually inside two minutes last week against Calgary). After the Gaustad line came MacArthur-Roy-Pominville, Vanek-Connolly-Stafford and Hecht-Kennedy-Kennedy. The other two defense pairs were Butler-Rivet and Tallinder-Myers. Lydman-Paetsch out as healthy scratches.
13:50 left: No shots for the Panthers on the PP.
12:20 left: Not a great start for Rivet thus far. Stephen Weiss deked him silly, putting the puck through the captain's legs to get in alone on Miller. Of course, that hasn't helped opponents much this year. Stoned.
10:40 left: Best save of the night so far and it's not by either goaltender. It's by Panthers winger Rostislav Olesz, on his knees in the crease to block Mair's backhand with Vokoun out of position. Great work by Mair to get the puck from the Buffalo zone and create a 2-on-1 that eventually led to the scramble.
9:19 left: At the second TV timeout, shots are 5-5. Still scoreless. Only a few empties in Sections 301 and 325 so a near-sellout on a Value night. But not much noise either.
5:37 left: Stafford bulls to the net to beat Vokoun and put the Sabres up 1-0 on a backhand from the edge of the crease. But it was Vanek who did a lot of dirty work to create all that open space. Couple minutes earlier, Vanek hit a post. He's had a good period. Stafford's sixth, tying Vanek for team-high honors. Of note: Sabres are 9-0-1 this year scoring first.
2:02 left: Miller stops point shot by Keith Ballard, his 10th save of the period. Panthers have a 10-7 edge in shots.
1:39 left: The Panthers tie it on Michael Frolik's neat one-timer from the slot, as he chopped it past Miller by beating Tallinder to the puck by a split second (although it was in the high slot and it would have been nice had a foward been there). Great pass from Nathan Horton from the left boards.
End-1st: Tied at 1-1. Panthers have a 12-7 edge in shots.
Recent Comments