Don’t let the stats fool you, there were two different hockey teams on the ice at First Niagara Center yesterday.
A dismal start by the Sabres opened up a 3-0 lead for the Flyers only 6:30 into the game, chased Ryan Miller and had every fair weather fan (especially those in section 305) shouting for a trade. Now, the entire team was horrendous for those six minutes. Buffalo was outshot 11-2, outchanced 6-0 and outplayed in every aspect of the game.
Lindy Ruff made his goalie change after Miller was torched high glove for the second time and it was obvious that the team wasn’t responding to much else. From that point the game was fairly even, although the Sabres failed to muster any scoring chances for the remaining 54 minutes. In all, it was a really poorly played game by the team in navy blue.
Thomas Vanek was one of the lone bright spots for the Sabres, he continued to be an offensive force and had a role in both Buffalo goals. Outside of Vanek’s performance not much else was good. Andrej Sekera and Luke Adam tallied for the Sabres on two shots that went in from behind the net. One can only wonder how Ilya Bryzgalov would have fared with the chances Miller faced in this one, he didn’t look particularly sharp at any point. In fact, his only difficult save kept the game from going to overtime when he kicked his pad out on Vanek in the dying seconds.
The Sabres home record fell to 1-4 on the season and they continue to show an inability to play a simple game in front of their home fans. It is hard to blame them for not having an edge at home, the place is practically a crypt, but I’ll offer more on that tomorrow.
- Mike Weber didn’t do himself any favors with his play, neither did Robyn Regehr for that matter. Both were out of position multiple times throughout the first period. After the first they were better, but still not polished. Weber had the look of a guy who has been in the press box for a month. He will need more time to get his game back.
- Something that has been lost in the Miller flap is the abysmal play of the Sabres through the first six minutes. Just about every player stunk, along with Miller for that period. To be outshot 11-2 in 1/4 of a period is quite a feat. The silver lining is that the Sabres managed to outshoot the Flyers 29-15 for the remainder of the contest.
- Drew Stafford was fairly average for most of the game. However, his line as a whole, had a strong game. Ville Leino had his most effective game while Derek Roy was visible at times. They didn’t get on the scoresheet, but their play signified that is inevitable.
- Brad Boyes is stuck. He has been great on the power play skating alongside scorers. However, on a line with Matt Ellis and Cody McCormick, he is registered largely ineffective. Boyes was moved up to skate with Roy and Leino for a short time, but the experiment didn’t last long.
- The line shuffle that occurred on Monday lasted all of five minutes. Not to say the new lines weren’t going to be successful but the team needed a jolt, pulling Miller and moving back to comfortable lines was the only logical decision.
- Tyler Myers is somewhat of an enigma. He either makes great choices with the puck and in the defensive zone, then he passes the puck directly to Jaromir Jagr. It seems like he needs to settle down and make simple decisions. Last night wasn’t his worst game of the year, so there is certainly some progress being made.
- The power play won’t succeed if Derek Roy continues to play on the point. He is a brilliant playmaker and puck handler, but his is not a competent point man. Roy needs to play from the boards or low on the circles. Jason Pominville is a far more competent point man for the power play, even if he breaks five sticks a game.
Three Stars
1. James Van Riemsdyk
2. Luke Adam
3. Jaromir Jagr
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