It was Slug Appreciation Day, every one and their third cousin came to the First Niagara Center to upgrade their logos. Tonight also marked the first time all the arena upgrades would be on display for the fans to see as the first hockey game was played under the First Niagara Center banner. Oh yeah, the Sabres came back to win 3-1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.
While there wasn’t any pomp or circumstance to the new arena name, or the snazzy new upgrades, the Sabres played to a sell out crowd for a preseason hockey game. It was pretty clear that the hockey community was beyond ready for this game to happen as the Pegula Effect has been in full swing all summer.
The Sabres iced a pretty strong roster with about a 50/50 split of players expected to play with the big club and those destined for Rochester. Ville Leino and Drew MacIntrye were the only new faces to play this evening. For what it’s worth, Paul Gaustad wore the ‘C’ while Tyler Myers and Drew Stafford both served as alternate captains. Of course, the ‘C’ and ‘A’s will rotate as the preseason carries on, but Gaustad and Myers are certainly on the leadership track for this hockey club.
As for the game:
– Drew MacIntyre was pretty average in net. I think he showed why he has never been able to crack an NHL roster. MacIntyre struggled with rebound control most of the evening but only surrendered a goal on a breakaway created by a defensive breakdown. Jhonas Enroth received a great ovation when he replaced his partner in net and showed significantly better chops than MacIntrye did. His rebound control was far better than MacIntrye, even though Enroth had a few moments where he fought the puck as well. Still, Enroth made a pair of sparkling saves when the game was still 1-0 to keep the Sabres alive. Both only saw 30 minutes of time, but in that 30 minutes Enroth showed he will finally be the answer the Sabres have been looking for in a back-up goalie.
– Tyler Myers was steady. As were Mike Weber and Andrej Sekera. I thought Marc-Andre Gragnani was okay, same with T.J. Brennan. Both were underwhelming but weren’t horrendous. Alex Biega actually played a solid game, I would put his performance above his partner, Brennan. Overall the defense was fine, for a preseason game there weren’t too many chances or breakdowns, so there isn’t much to complain about.
– Paul Gaustad, Nathan Gerbe and Patrick Kaleta probably changed the pencil to pen on the lineup card for Lindy Ruff. This line was easily the Sabres’ best before taking care of all three goals. Gaustad scored the first and put some sauce on a cross-ice pass to Gerbe for the go-ahead-goal. Kaleta capped the night with an empty netter with one second left on the clock. Gaustad was the only one to not record three points, but the empty net goal was beyond meaningless as the scorekeepers just let the clock run after the goal was scored. This line was great in-zone and on the forecheck all night and both goals were a result of their efforts forechecking the Hurricanes.
– Ville Leino and Tyler Ennis are going to be scary all season for the Sabres. Leino is silky smooth with the puck and will only get better when the games actually matter. Hopefully Drew Stafford can make some space for his linemates as Ennis and Leino will be very lethal due to their prowess with the puck. It may have only been one game, but it certainly seems as if Leino is going to be a good center for the Sabres this season.
– The remaining two lines were just ho-hum. Zack Kassian looked like he was floating a little too much as both sides stayed away from the physical aspect for the entire game. Marcus Foligno showed a bit more drive, as did Luke Adam. Kassian needs to come out an run people through the boards on every shift while creating a bit of offense if he hopes to make the team, his play tonight didn’t appear to reflect the true desire to make the big club. I would hope that he gets the nod in Montreal on Wednesday so he can continue to show if he belongs in the NHL.
– One player I was pleasantly surprised with was Derek Whitmore. He played with a high motor all night and seemed to have a nose for the puck. He had a poor effort on a prime scoring opportunity, but I still saw some potential from him. If he can keep that drive he would certainly push to be the extra forward for the Sabres, filling a fourth line role getting six to ten shifts per night.
For a preseason game this was pretty typical. Neither team really pushed hard for the win and it was reflected by just about every player on the ice. Aside from a few players the game was touch and go without and big hits or high-paced action. I would expect the intensity to get amped up after some players are allocated to their junior teams. The threat of a bus ticket out of town will likely light a fire under those hoping to earn a roster spot in the NHL.
Next game: Wednesday, September 21 at Montreal 7:00 p.m. Televised by RDS, catch the radio call for play by play. Or learn French and use the super secret internet station.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
