“We didn’t push back. There’s no reason to be scared. We had to go after it, and we didn’t.”
That was Paul Gaustad speaking after the Sabres 6-2 loss to the Bruins on Saturday. It wasn’t only embarrassing because of the score, it was embarrassing because nobody stood up for their goalie. By now, most, if not all, the Sabres are aware of what happened two nights ago. Milan Lucic blatantly checked Ryan Miller when he came out to play the puck. If any one needs a refresher here is the hit.
Now, for those of you who may not be totally familiar with the unwritten rules of hockey, you don’t run the other team’s goalie. It’s viewed as gutless and dirty. And any player who does it is often forced to answer for his indiscretion. From the pros all the way down to the beer leagues, you stick up for your goalie.
However, this is something the Sabres didn’t do. Why? Well, I don’t have answer for this. Gaustad pretty much said it all (and took blame for not responding). It’s just a shame Gaustad didn’t have this mentality on the bench. There’s no analytical break down or stats to help explain exactly why the Sabres seemed to have an issue locating their spines after their goalie got hit.
The only way to respond now is in the rematch on November 23rd at the First Niagara Center. From the second the puck drops to the final buzzer, the Sabres goon squad (Kaleta, Goose, McCormick) need to make sure Lucic regrets running Miller. Am I saying to hack and whack their way to lengthy suspensions? No. I’m not. Go out and hit them, stir s**t up, drop the gloves. I included the above picture because that’s what needs to happen. Cody’s eye should be healed up enough for him to throw those cinder blocks he calls hands around. I want to see Patrick “South Paw” Kaleta in action, and I’ve been dying to see Gaustad hulk out like he did at the start of the season.
Personally, last night got my blood boiling. I am still (maybe irrationally) pissed off about the hit. The Sabres need to be even more pissed off, not just in their next games, but they need to be angry going into the rematch on the 23rd of November. If this team wants to respond, this game should be bloodier than the Boston Massacre. Say what you will, the Sabres need to respond not only the score board, but also physically. Respond with their bodies and their fists.
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