Usually the Buffalo Bills serve as the muse for finding every way in which to leave their fans befuddled. After a 2-1 overtime loss to Winnipeg, it would seem the Sabres are exhausting any remaining avenues for evaluation.
Despite both teams tossing plenty of shots on goal, the game was rather dull. It should be mentioned the full house of fans were incredibly tame too. Based on the last two games, it would seem the biggest culprits regarding the First Niagara Library are the fans. Of course, there isn’t much to cheer for on the ice.
Buffalo received a great effort from Jhonas Enroth in goal, turning aside 39 shots in the loss. Not only was this the second straight game in which Enroth faced a barrage from the opponent, it was his second-straight overtime decision.
Between performance and the apparent fact that Enroth is the only player capable of securing at least one point each night, Lindy Ruff may need to revise his decision to ride Ryan Miller.
Last night’s loss was yet another one-goal effort from the Sabres. This time, Tyler Myers registered the tally on the power play. What seemed lost on many of the fans in the arena was the tremendous passing play that created the goal. While fans complained of too many passes, or yelled shoot, Pominville’s centering feed got behind Ondrej Pavelc. So much for high hockey IQ.
Obviously scoring is the plague killing this season. No matter how bad the goaltending has been, it truly only can be held accountable for a handful of losses. Expecting a shutout or a one-goal against performance each night is foolhardy. Until more scoring finds its way into the lineup, this team will be heading for a lottery pick.
- The uproar over Ruff’s decision to start Enroth seemed a little shortsighted. A back-to-back weekend was a good time to start Enroth, especially considering his last outing. If Ruff re-evaluates and decides to get more games for Enroth, it wouldn’t be a bad decision. However, until that happens there is no reason to think he is sticking with his decision to ride Miller.
- Myers lost a few battles in his end last night. It certainly wasn’t as strong of an outing as he had in Carolina. However, Ruff rewarded him with quality minutes and seems confident in leaning on the cornderstone. A quality, while not outstanding, outing was certainly tarnished by the errant pass that led to the game winning rush for Winnipeg. Myers game far exceeds the struggles he had earlier in the year, it seems safe to say he is turning a corner.
- Ville Leino’s return was a success. He was strong on the puck, made some fantastic feeds. Two resulted in chances and a subsequent penalty. His no goal was probably a good call considering he dug the puck from Pavelec’s pads. However, given how quiet that arena was, no whistle blew. Unless the call was intent to blow (which it wasn’t), there may be an argument in allowing that one to stand.
- The Sabres should research a headset device that fans can wear which feeds them corrections to some of the things they say during games. For example, when one fan exclaims at the stupidity of placing Vanek on the point for a power play the device can point out that two defensemen are indeed on the ice but one is playing deep in the zone. Just spitballing on that one.
- You can officially call him Grocery Stick Gragnani. The “defenseman” saw only nine shifts for 7:02 TOI. A majority of that time came on the power play. Obviously he is seen as a complete liability to this team. There doesn’t seem to be much risk in waiving him and bringing up any one of the players in Rochester. Again, T.J. Brennan exhibited a fine two-way game while be heads and shoulders better than Gragnani in his own zone.
- Drew Stafford is in a serious funk. His goal against Edmonton should have acted as a catalyst to spur a scoring streak. However, he looks like he may be yet another player who needs a change of scenery to break out. Tim Connolly was stale in Buffalo and giving minor contributions, he is enjoying some sound hockey in Toronto. Perhaps a similar change is necessary for Stafford.
Three Stars
1. Johnny Oduya
2. Ondrej Pavelec
3. Jhonas Enroth
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