Pegulaville26

After an impressive post deadline performance with the Sabres Alexander Sulzer has resigned a one year $725,000 dollar deal according to capgeek. Sulzer found a home on the Sabres blue line with fellow German Ehrhoff. He had 8 points in 15 games and was a +2. The Sabres blue line is now crowded with 8 NHL defenseman (Ehrhoff, Sulzer, Sekera, Leopold, Regher, Myers, Weber, and McNabb). Let the speculation begin on which defender will be wearing a new sweater next season.

After some time away from the NHL and only enjoying playoff hockey on TV I am ready to get back into the blog/hockeyforums world. I was reading an article the other day about the top 100 NFL players of 2011-12. That inspired me to put together my own top 100 of current NHL players. I have worked on this for a few days and I'm 99% sure I will not put in someone important. So with your help maybe we can put a list together with all of your input. So without any more delay here is my top 100 NHL players. Steven Stamkos-Tampa Bay Lightning Claude Giroux-Philadelphia Flyers Sidney Crosby-Pittsburgh Penguins Pavel Datsyuk-Detroit Red Wings Jonathon Toews-Chicago Blackhawks Evgeni Malkin-Pittsburgh Penguins Daniel Sedin-Vancouver Canucks Henrik Sedin-Vancouver Canucks Henrik Lundqvist-New York Rangers Alexander Ovechkin-Washington Capitals Shea Weber-Nashville Predators Zdeno Chara-Boson Bruins Nick Lindstrom-Detroit Red Wings Corey Perry-Anaheim Ducks Zach Parise-NJ Devils Anze Kopitar-LA Kings Erik Karlsson-Ottawa Senators Jonathon Quick-LA Kings Ilya Kovalchuk-NJ Devils Pekka Rinnie-Nashville Predators Eric Staal-Carolina Hurricanes Ryan Getzlaf-Anaheim Ducks Rick Nash-Columbus Blue Jackets Jarome Iginla-Calgary Flames Jordan Staal-Pittsburgh Penguins John Tavares-NY Islanders Marian Hossa-Chicago Blackhawks Ryan Callahan-New York Rangers Henrik Zetterberg- Detroit Red Wings Ryan Suter-Nashville Predators David Backes- St. Louis Blues Kimmo Timmonen-Philadelphia Flyers Jason Spezza-Ottawa Senators Bobby Ryan- Anaheim Ducks Kris Letang-Pittsburgh Penguins Dan Girardi-NY Rangers Gabriel Landeskog-Colorado Avalanche Patrick Kane-Chicago Blackhawks Mikko Koivu-Minnesota Wild Marion Gaborik-NY Rangers Jordan Eberle-Edmonton Oilers Marty St. Louis-Tampa Bay Lightning Patrice Bergeron-Boston Bruins Alex Pietrangelo-St. Louis Blues Cam Ward-Carolina Hurricanes Duncan Keith-Chicago Blackhawks Oliver Ekman-Larsson-Phoenix Coyotes Brad Richards-NY Rangers Braydon Coburn-Philadelphia Flyers Dustin Brown-LA Kings Jeff Skinner-Carolina Hurricanes Tj Oshie-St. Louis Blues Erik Cole-Montreal Canadiens Phil Kessel-Toronto Maple Leafs Matt Duchene-Colorado Avalanche Tim Thomas-Boston Bruins Nicklas Backstrom-Washington Capitals Patrick Marleau-SJ Sharks Shane Doan-Phoenix Coyotes Mikka Kippersoff-Calgary Flames Daniel Alfredsson-Ottawa Senators Teemu Selanne-Anaheim Ducks James Neal-Pittsburgh Penguins Ryan Kessler-Vancouver Canucks Ryan Miller-Buffalo Sabres Evander Kane-Winnipeg Jets Brent Seabrook-Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Sharp-Chicago Blackhawks Dustin Byfuglien-Winnipeg Jets Scott Hartnell-Philadelphia Flyers Thomas Vanek-Buffalo Sabres Milan Michalek-Ottawa Senators Joe Thorton-SJ Sharks Vinny Lecavalier-Tampa Bay Lightning Marty Brodeur-NJ Devils Tyler Myers-Buffalo Sabres Dan Boyle-SJ Sharks Carey Price-Montreal Canadiens Kris Versteeg-Florida Panthers Martin Erat-Nashville Predators David Krejic-Boston Bruins Max Pacioretty-Montreal Canadiens Kevin Bieksa-Vancouver Canucks Ryan McDonagh-NY Rangers Christian Ehrhoff-Buffalo Sabres Michael Del Zotto-NY Rangers Tyler Seguin-Boston Bruins Mike Richards-LA Kings Mark Giordano-Calgary Flames Joe Pavelski-SJ Sharks Taylor Hall-Edmonton Oilers Jeff Carter-LA Kings PK Subban-Montreal Canadiens Tomas Fleischman-Florida Panthers Mark Streit-NY Islanders Mike Smith-Phoenix Coyotes Tyler Ennis-Buffalo Sabres Zach Bogosian-Winnipeg Jets Alex Burrows-Vancouver Canucks Dennis Seidenberg-Boston Bruins That's my list I even altered it some more as I was typing it up. Let me know what you think and let me know who I obviously missed.

Haha r u trying to spin the theory that the oilers knew a new sabres owner would come in and allow them to spend so they jacked up vaneks contract to handcuff us??? Sabres screwed themselves by not signing drury and Briere. Think if we took the 4 first rd picks...

@Miller Time dude this happened 5 years ago.....let it go...nothing like living in the past and we shouldn't call anywhere a tundra it's April 23rd and it's a blizzard outside. I must say you always amaze me with the crazy stuff you come out with and make me shake my head and laugh.

Coaching in my opinion is very overrated especially in a 82 game regular season. Maybe in the playoffs you have some coaching decisions like matchups and when to call a timeout. Honestly how many games did Ruff or any coach for that matter win/lose their team in the regular season? Is Ruff responsible for Miller standing on his head the second half of the season or is it because he was healthy? Is Ruff responsible for Leino being a 3rd line winger at best making 1st line player money? I don't care how many playoff appearances, division titles, or Finals apperances he has. Besides Barry Trotz who might get his cup this year, who else has been with one team for 14 years and has 0 championships.......? Players are getting sick of him, think about it if your Derek Roy or Thomas Vanek and this guy has pounded you into the ground for 5 or 6 years wouldn't you put the mute on too? Look at what he did to Luke Adam this year, kid was on fire with Van and Pommer and after going to the All-Star game he was sent down. He started the season playing 15+ minutes and the ended up on the 4th line by the halfway point in a impossible to produce situation playing 5 minutes. Top prospect that Ruff may not be able to get back is a common trend in Buffalo. New direction is needed and it's not because Ruff is a bad coach I just think a new voice is needed to change the culture.

I think Buffalo did to much last year with Leino, Regher, Ehrhoff, and Adam all new to the opening night roster. I would make one move target Parise or trade up in the draft for a big player. Parise is going to cost you 7+ million easy, which means someone has to come off besides Boyes, Hecht, and Roy. I was never a big Nash fan and I'm still not to much for a player that has not done a lot. Then they maybe need to make one more small move get a 3rd line center or winger, like Chris Kelly, Brandon Prust, or Ryan Clowe. Hodgson and Ennis are your top two centers. Curious to see what they do with PK36 and Adam. Luke could be used as a trade asset to move up in the draft.

The Buffalo Sabres and USA hockey have teamed up to bring the first ever All-American Prospects game to Buffalo on September 29th. The game will feature only american born players regardless of the league they play in that are draft eligable next season. Pegula taking another stop to making Buffalo a top hockey destination. His second big event (World Juniors) in two years. See article here at Washington Post...http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/buffalo-selected-to-host-usa-hockeys-all-american-prospects-game-in-september/2012/04/16/gIQAJLnyLT_story.html

Tonight begins the best playoffs in all of sports. Even the though the Sabres are not part of the tourney, I'm still excited. Anyways I stated in the last blog that I was going to focus on some league issues. Today I am going to start with the point system the NHL has in place, specifically the "loser point". For winning a hockey game via regulation, overtime, or shootout a team is awarded two points in the standings and loser gets zero unless the loss comes in OT or a shootout, in which they would receive one point. I know that what I just said is obvious. However read it again and think of the logic. How can winning in regulation be a two point game, but past regulation is a three point game? I don't know if it's just me, but the majority of games went past regulation down the stretch. If the game was tied after two you could almost bank on the game going to extra time. This season 300 games went to overtime or a shootout in 2012, 297 in 2011, and 301 in 2010. So in other words 300 points a season are handed out to teams that lost a game (10 points per team). In 2010 184 games went to a shootout, 144 in 2011, and 181 in 2012. Now before I tell you where I'm going with these numbers let me preface it with this: I think that winning a game in regulation AND overtime the winning team should be awarded 3 points. If the game gets to a shootout then the game is basically a tie and it goes to a skills contest. In this case the winner gets two and then the loser gets one. Let me show you how it breaks down by the numbers if my idea is used. 2012: 300-181= 119 loser points awarded 2011: 297-144= 153 2010: 301-184= 117 On average this means each team would get 4 to 5 loser points a season. Cuts the loser point issue down by half. Let me elaborate more on why I think only in the shootout the points should be split. The NHL last year recently set up the ROW as the tiebreaker for the playoffs (regulation overtime wins). The league is saying only regulation and OT wins count really and shootouts should not be the reason teams get into the playoffs. A bit contradictory if you are going to award the loser point in OT and a shootout. A team winning in overtime should be awarded more for winning in that session, thus creating more exciting overtime sessions. Also I think that overtimes should ten minutes of 4 on 4 hockey. It will be fairly difficult to keep a team off the board in ten minutes of 4 on 4. It is hard to play for the shootout for ten as opposed to five. Now don't get me wrong I love the shootout and it isn't going anywhere because it attracts fans. However using a skills competition to determine standings for the playoffs the same way OT is used is illogical to me. Lets look at how the standings would be if each team only had 5 loser points (on the math above), two points for a SO win, and three points were awarded for a win in regulation or OT: East 1. Rangers 150pts 2. Boston 134pts 3. Washington 123pts 4. Pittsburgh 140pts 5. Philadelphia 138pts 6. NJ 125pts 7. Ottawa 116pts 8. TB 113pts 9. Winnipeg 108pts 10. Buffalo 108pts 11. Florida 107pts 12. Toronto 102pts 13. Carolina 102pts 14. Islanders 93pts 15. Montreal 88pts West 1. St. Louis 144pts 2. Vancouver 142pts 3. Phoenix 119pts 4. Nashville 139pts 5. Chicago 131pts 6. Detroit 131pts 7. Dallas 117pts 8. LA 113pts 9. SJ 113pts 10. Colorado 110pts 11. Calgary 107pts 12. Anaheim 101pts 13. Edmonton 91pts 14 Minnesots 88pts 15. Columbus 84pts Notice that the playoff teams change allowing for Dallas to get in the West and Tampa Bay to get in the East. Also the lottery changes now being (5-1) NYI, Edmonton, Minnesota, Montreal, and Columbus. Also the point differentials may look large to the eye however remember a win is 3 points so in reality the playoff races are only seperated by a game or two. Also the Rangers win the Presidents trophy and the Blues win the West. The NHL will probably never do this because of the large point totals that would ruin the record books, but this isn't something to be ignored. What do you think?

This year is perhaps the most open the race to the cup has ever been. Not one team is a favorite, the Cup winner could come from a bottom or a top seed. Should make for a fun playoffs full of drama. Well let's get to the predictions. Eastern Conference: 1. New York Rangers (51-24-7 109 pts) vs 8. Ottawa Senators (41-31-10 92 pts) I think that the Rangers should be happy with this matchup. The Rangers would have prefered the Capitals, but the Sens are not a bad matchup either. Ottawa stumbled down the stretch and raised questions marks. First and foremost starting with goaltending, Craig Anderson has had an up and down season. The chances of Anderson outplaying Lundqvist are slim to none, and that would need to be the case for the Sens to pull the upset. It will be interesting to see what kind of game Erik Karlsson brings in this series after a unbelievable regular season. Ottawa has surprised a lot of people this year with making the playoffs, and playing with nothing to lose is a definate benefit to the Sens. Of course the pressure is on New York and the Rangers never seem to thrive under pressure. However I think Ryan Callahan is built for this time of the season and he will not allow his team to falter in round 1. Key Players: Erik Karlsson, Craig Anderson, Brandon Dubinsky, Henrik Lundqvist Prediction: Rangers in 6 2. Boston Bruins (49-29-4 102 pts) vs 7. Washington Capitals (42-32-8 92 pts) The Washington Capitals saved themselves from mass chaos for the time being. However I think they have only delayed the inevidable. Major changes will be needed in the offseason with coaching, management, and players. Alex Ovechkin decided to play hockey in the final month of the season getting the Caps into the post season. However a match up with the defending Champions is not ideal. Especially with Thomas Vokoun and Michael Neuvirth on the shelf. Young Brayden Holtby will be in charge of guarding the cage against the strong Bruins offense, a tough task for any goalie let a lone a youngster like Holtby. Boston is built for playoff hockey, but the question is will they get the goaltending they got in last years run. To start the season Thomas was on fire, however in the second half he looked bad. Tuuka Rask was primed to steal the starting job again until he was injured. Having Rask back for the playoffs will give the Bruins needed insurance. This Boston team has been here before, I expect them to run over Capitals. Over/under on two games until Semin runs and hides? That buzzing noise you hear in the backround when thinking of this series is the buzzsaw ready to roll through the Capitals. Key Players: Alex Ovechkin, Tim Thomas, Brayden Holtby, Mike Green, Alex Semin Prediction: Bruins in 5 3. Florida Panthers (38-26-18 94 pts) vs New Jersey Devils (48-28-6 102 pts) Congrats to the Devils for winning the 1st round lottery. Congrats to the Florida Panthers for making the playoffs for the first time in 11 years. However sorry Florida there are no loser points or shootouts in the playoffs. New Jersey will make quick work of the Panthers in this series, one step closer to the Devils convincing Parise NJ is the place to be. The technically under .500 division winning Panthers will need a small miracle to compete in this series. They have no edge over NJ including defense and goaltending. I am kind of pushing for NJ this season to perhaps see Brodeur go out on top. It will also be interesting to see Ilya Kovalchuk play in his second playoff series, his first was in Atlanta in a 4-0 Rangers drubbing. Pete DeBoer will take joy in knocking out his former team, but you have to commend the job Kevin Dineen has done. Florida is heading in the right way for the future, but the nice story ends here. By the way how about three 100 + point teams in the Atlantic Division. Key Players: Jose Theodore, Illya Kovalchuk, Marty Brodeur Prediction: NJ in 4 4. Pittsburgh Penguins (51-25-6 108 pts) vs. 5. Philadelphia Flyers (47-26-9 103 pts) Boy is this going to be a dandy. Two teams that straight up HATE eachother. The unfortunate part is that a top team is going to be sent home in round one and the winner may be too beat up to go past round two. This series boils down to one person and one person only, Ilya Bryzgalov. The Flyers need Bryz to be at top form to take this series. With Bryz not being 100% I'm not so sure I like the Flyers chances. Sure the Flyer D is solid and they can score with anyone, however how do you bet against Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Neal, Kunitz, and Orpik. The only saving grace for Philly could be if they catch MA Fleury off his game. I am not a huge fan off Fleury even though he already has a ring, to many times have I seem give up bad goals and play poorly. Tough call here, but game 7 will be played in Pittsburgh and that is what pushes me over the edge. Key Players: Ilya Bryzgalov, Marc Andre Fleury, Danny Briere, Evgeni Malkin, Scott Hartnell, Sidney Crosby Prediction: Pens in 7 Western Conference: 1. Vancouver Canucks (51-22-9 111 pts) vs Los Angeles Kings (40-27-15 95 pts) Hang onto your hats with this prediction. The Kings had problems scoring all season long even though they have excellent players like Brown, Kopitar, Richards, Doughty, and recently Carter. Jonathon Quick had an excellent season and in my opinion stole the Vezina from Lundqvist. Vancouver with only one Sedin and now being a two line scoring team instead of three after the Hodgson trade they don't scare me as much. They seemed to get back to form as the season came to end however with the enigma that is Roberto Luongo the Canucks could be in trouble. I have no doubts that Corey Schneider will seem time in this series, but I think the goaltending issue will ruin Vancouver. Quick is the better goalie in this match up and if they Kings can find the net they have a good chance in this matchup. Key Players: Jonathon Quick, Roberto Luongo, Sedin/s, Anze Kopitar, Mike Richards, Ryan Kessler Prediction: Kings in 6 2. St. Louis Blues (49-22-11 109 pts) vs San Jose Sharks (43-29-10 96 pts) The Blues and Sharks were both surprises this season for two different reasons. The Blues were on top of the conference and the Sharks were on the bottom. I think SJ is in for a similar fate like the Caps. The Blues are carried by strong goaltending and defense. I think Neimi, but both Blues goaltenders are better. SJ has had troubles scoring and this match up will not make things easy. I am not 100% sold on the Blues, but I think they at least get to round two. Which Joe Thorton will show up? Which Sharks team will show up for that matter. Key Players: Antti Neimi, Joe Thorton, Brian Elliott, Jaro Halak, David Backes, Brett Burns, Alex Pietroangelo Prediction: Blues in 6 3. Phoenix Coyotes (42-27-13 97 pts) vs 6. Chicago Blackhawks (45-26-11 101 pts) This matchup is similar to the 3 vs 6 in the East. The 6th seed is the better team, however in this match up not by a lot more. The question here is if Mike Smith can steal this series for the Yotes and can Corey Crawford hold up for the Hawks. Chicago can score like not many teams can, but who can match the scoring on the Coyotes? If Chicago can get back David Bolland and Jonathon Toews this series won't be that close. The Yotes just don't have the fire power to hang with the Blackhawks in this series. If I were Phoenix I would have rather lost the division and played Vancouver or St. Louis. The Hawks also feature a strong D core that can match the D play of the Coyotes. Key Players: Mike Smith, Corey Crawford, Jonathon Toews, Patrick Kane, Shane Doan Prediction: Hawks in 6 4. Nashville Predators (48-26-8 104 pts) vs 5. Detroit Red Wings (48-28-6 102 pts) Another crazy good matchup and I love watching Pavel Datsyuk work during playoff time. To this very moment I am torn on who I want to pick here. I like Nashville with Pekka Rinne in goal and the strong defense. However it is so hard to go against the Datsyuk and Lindstrom. This year Nashville features an element they have rarely had in the playoffs, scoring. With Alex Radulov in the fold and the acquisition of Andrei Kostitsyn makes the Preds more dangerous. This is going to be a battle of two strong teams and a shame one will have to go home early. I don't feel good about my choice, but I'm going to go with Nashville. Key Players: Pekka Rinne, Jimmy Howard, Alexander Radulov, Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen, Shea Weber Prediction: Preds in 7 Cup Prediction: Penguins vs Blackhawks Blackhawks win it all in 7

For the second straight season, the Sabres were sent home after a game in the Wells Fargo Center. Offically making it 5 years without a playoff series victory and missing the playoffs 3 out of last 5 years. As I take a step back today and look at the big picture, I ask myself what this run really did for the Sabres as an organization. Sure you found out Miller can still play, Foligno is promising, and Ennis has a bright future. However Buffalo now sits with a mid first round pick and a late first round pick and nothing to show for it. You still have questions marks on your team in the likes of Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek being the headliners. Before I go any further let me say Darcy Regier and Lindy Ruff WILL be back next season. I'll get to Ruff in a little bit. The most important thing to me right now is someone telling me what the heck is wrong with Thomas Vanek. His shoulder better have been taped to his body to explain his second half performance. Sure he had 9 points in his last 9 games however he was nothing close to the player he was before the all star break. If he is not hurt, we have BIG problems there. Also I had to check the score of last nights game at least three times today, everything I read blamed Miller for the loss last night. Reality check to Sabres fans he is reason number 1, 2, and 3 that they got back into the race. Sure he got beat on a breakaway goal by a 20 goal scorer in Matt Read (who he already stopped on a SH breakaway earlier in the game). Had his forwards converted on one of the two, 2 on 1's they had minutes before that it wouldn't have mattered. I texted numerous folks after the first 10 minutes of this game, stating Lindy Ruff installed his panic game plan and the Sabres were doomed. The last three weeks the Sabres have put up huge offensive numbers, however last night with the season on the line they went away from it. Playing a conservative game to not lose instead of going for it all. Sure you were down Ehrhoff, Myers, and Sulzer, so what. I rather go out swinging instead of playing hope for a 1-0 win hockey. I remember maybe two times I thought nice save Bryzgalov, he has a bum foot and was barely tested. If Buffalo comes out hard and forechecks like they did against Toronto Tuesday, maybe they get 2 quick ones and Philly calls it a night. With the passive game plan Foligno was almost a non factor being unable to forecheck after he was a force against the Leafs. Buffalo had very little puck control in the offensive zone not taking advantage of a short handed Flyers D. That is the reason I think Buffalo needs a new coach, the loser mentality needs to stop. I don't want my team to be afraid of the Flyers, Bruins, or Penguins. I want them to go out and throw the punches. Under Terry Pegula I expected a new mentality or a new direction and it's the same old ideology. Well now I get to turn my focus in these blogs to some league issues I want to talk about. I also get to jump on the Chicago Blackhawk bandwaggon. They are my go to team when playoff time comes around.

Personally I would rather the Sabres play any of the other 28 NHL teams tonight besides the Flyers. This goes all the way back to game 7 of the playoffs last year, when Philly blew the doors off a injured and overmatched Sabres squad to send them home. Well tonight the Flyers may have that chance again. With a Caps victory against Florida tonight and a Sabres loss the playoff race is over. However flip that scenerio and the Sabres will have a playoff birth by the throat. All that will be needed is a point against a Boston team probably without Chara, Bergeron, Thomas, and other top players. Also both teams could win tonight and then Florida, Buffalo, and Washington will be playing for their playoff lives Saturday. The Flyers themselves are locked in a battle for home ice advantage with the Penguins in the 4-5 matchup. The Pens have a 3 point lead and can lock it up with a win tonight against the Rangers. Personally if I was a Flyer fan I hope for two Flyer L's and two NJ W's and a first round matchup with Florida or Washington. The Flyers come into tonight's game off of a 5-3 loss to the Rangers Tuesday night. Philly forgot the game started at 7 and before they knew what hit them the Rangers put up a 4-0 lead after the one. That would be all King Henrik needed to lock up the division title for New York. Philly comes in a little banged up. They will be without Danny Briere, Andrej Meszaros, and solid trade deadline pickup Nick Grossman. Also Illya Bryzgalov is only playing his second game coming back from a chipped bone/fracture in his foot. Many people do not think he is 100% yet and Buffalo would be smart to take advantage of that. Bryzgalov was red hot in March and the Sabres need to get to him early. Making Bryz uncomfortable should be top priority tonight. Buffalo also comes in with two big injuries. Both Tyler Myers and Christian Ehrhoff will miss the remaining two games and possibly longer. Without those two on the blue line Buffalo has given up 14 goals in two games with the Leafs and one game with the Penguins. That needs to change tonight or the offensively gifted Flyers will end the night quickly. Philly has won all 3 matchups this season. At times they appeared to just toy with the Sabres. In the first game they chased Miller within 5 minutes, the second game they pulled a vintage 2011 playoffs comeback to win 5-4 in OT, and the most recent game was a 7-2 laugher where the Flyers put up 7 unanswered. However something Sabres fans can grab onto is that these three matchups were before Ryan Miller got hot and the new bodies in the lineup in the form of Marcus Foligno, Tyler Ennis, Cody Hodgson, and Alex Sulzer. Also two of these games happened when Leino had under 5 goals and he scored in one of them. He has 7 now! Sorry, I thought Flyers fans would like that. This is technically Buffalo's 3rd "game 7" of the season the first a 5-1 win against the Caps in DC and the second a thrilling 6-5 OT win against the Leafs Tuesday in the FN Center. Two different ways to win, but both count for two points. One of these days these games are going to give me a heart attack. Projected Lineup: Stafford-Ennis-Foligno Vanek-Hodgson-Tropp Leino-Roy-Pominville Gerbe-McCormick-Kaleta Regehr-Sekera Sulzer-Leopold Weber-McNabb Miller (Enroth)

Last night was the entire Sabres season wrapped up into one game. At 3-0 you were angry and thought it was over, at 3-2 there was hope, 4-2 it was over again, 4-3 hope again, 5-3 this time it is really over, 5-4 it was well maybe, at 5-5 it was are you kidding, and at 6-5 it was pandemonium. This could be just a game that in the end is just another game of 82 in a disappointing non playoff season. It also could be the game that makes you believe Buffalo is destined for the post season. With this comeback win, Stamkos late goal on Monday, and the comeback win by the Jets last night in Florida. The Sabres defense looked lost for the 3rd straight game without Myers and Ehrhoff. Myers could possibly play Thursday in Philly. If something does not change quick in the D zone, the scoring power house that is the Flyers will run Buffalo out of the building. What I mainly want to focus on here is the first hand look the Toronto Maple Leafs go into the Sabres future. Marcus Foligno and Brayden McNabb were at top form last night in a huge game. Foligno came out to set the tone by sending Carl Gunnarsson into next week with a clean hit behind the Leafs net ten seconds in. McNabb followed up by hammering Lombardi with a solid check and then standing up to Jay Rosehill. Foligno was not done he steamrolled Bozak and made Matt Frattin regret dropping the gloves with him for his first NHL fight. Finally Foligno capped his night by punking Mike Komisarek that led to the tying goal in a mad scramble. The 6'5 220 lb Brayden McNabb again shows his promise as a future stud on the blue line. Sabres fans should be over joyed with the thought of the 6'8 Myers and 6'5 McNabb running the blue line for the next 10 years. Punishing top lines around the league. Once McNabb develops the offensive game he had in Juniors with the Kootney Ice at the pro level he could be dynamite. What more can be said about Marcus Foligno. The NHL Rookie of the Month for March has been the shot in the arm this club needed. His line has 21 goals and 46 points over the last 12 games since Foligno's recall (Stafford and Ennis other two line mates). The 6'3 230 lb 20 year old from Buffalo has the size, skill, and hockey smarts the Sabres need. He has made Zach Kassian an after thought to Sabres fans. The future for Buffalo with players like McNabb, Foligno, Adam, Hodgson, Ennis, Armia, Pysk and Catenacci in system is very bright. A lot of people can hate on Darcy Regier, but he can draft and produce prospects like not many other people in this league. EDIT: Just announced Myers out remainder of regular season at least. Gunnarsson is still looking for the # 82 train.... First NHL fight a beauty... Game highlights watch Foligno punk Komi on the 5th goal....http://www.nhl.com/i...vid=DL|NHL|home

Be fair minus Ehrhoff, Weber, and Myers, also after playing in 21 of the last 22 games (I stopped counting at 22). Just saying.

At this time last night Buffalo appeared to be in good position in the playoff race. After a tough 5-3 loss to the Penguins last night the Sabres no longer have the game in hand and sit in 9th with the Capitals owning the tie breaker. Sidney "Sabres Killer" Crosby was at top form last night with 1 goal and 3 assists. The Sabres didn't help themselves missing numerous chances to put the puck past Johnson. I am stunned that Buffalo did not put at least 8 into the cage on Johnson. He looked clumsy and uncomfortable the entire game last night. The news got worse today with Ottawa beating the Flyers in a shootout 4-3. The Sens now sit with 90 points and pretty much seal the 7 spot. Also the bad news came in when the Capitals announced that superstar center Niklas Backstrom will return tonight against the Habs. That should give the Caps a boost the Sabres don't need them to get. The last set of bad news came on the injury front. The injury bug has hit the Sabres hard again and could be enough to knock them out of the race. Tyler Myers was hurt last night blocking a shot and will not play tonight in Toronto. He is listed as day to day, Mike Weber will also not play tonight with shoulder injury he received after a hit from behind by NHL goodie goodie Matt Cooke. The good news you have the Leafs twice before finishing the season in Philly and Boston. More bad news going 4-0 doesn't mean your in the playoffs. Washington has four games left as well against the Habs, Bolts, Panthers, and Rangers. A far easier schedule than Buffalo. You can count on the Rangers not showing up on the final day of the season. Probably the same with Boston for Buffalo. Projected Lineup: Foligno-Ennis-Stafford Vanek-Hodgson-Tropp Pominville-Roy-Leino Gerbe-Boyes-Kaleta Regehr-Sekera Sulzer-Leopold McNabb-Brennan Miller (Enroth) Toronto will counter with AHL goalie Ben Scrivens tonight. The Sabres cannot take the Leafs for granted and need to turn the fans on the home team right away. An early goal will do just that. The more "Let's Go Blue Jays" chants you hear tonight the better for Buffalo.

Tonight at the FN Center the Buffalo Sabres will honor their fans. We deserve a lot of praise for putting up with the horrible start and constant stress that comes with a playoff push. Some of the things that will occur tonight include the "Shirt off our Back" Promotion, where at the end of the game, 20 lucky fans will be randomly selected to receive the game worn jerseys of all the Sabres dressed. Also a 50/50 raffle with a minimum prize of 25K (or you could $640 million with the mega millions). The Sabres will also give you the fanciest noise makers I have ever seen, they are blue and gold with the words "Lets Go Sabres", should be super annoying to anyone over 9 in attendance. However should make for one heck of a dual outside the arena after the game. Other prizes will be given away tonight and the much loved "Party in the Plaza" is back tonight. Two huge screens outside for fans without tickets to enjoy the game. Now onto the Sabres opponent tonight the Pittsburgh Penguins enter on a two game losing streak, after losing a home and home to the Islanders. Buffalo leads the season series 2-1 with crazy games. A 2-1 Jhonas Enroth win on the 4th night of the season, a 8-4 beating by the Pens in Pittsburgh, and a 6-2 beat down by Buffalo just last month. The Pens will be without Ben Lovejoy and Kris Letang tonight, they are also giving the fans a prize by putting Brent Johnson between the pipes. However you got to feel the Pens will come hard tonight they are fighting for home ice with the Flyers in that nasty 4-5 matchup. The Pens are pretty much out of the division title race with the current slide. Sidney Crosby took a puck to the face last night and after the NHL was deciding whether or not to cancel the season, Crosby did return and only has a busted up nose. On the injury front for Buffalo Christian Ehrhoff will miss tonights game and probably the remaining four after tonight. Mike Weber will step in and will need to play well. The Sabres D will get a full blast of offense tonight. Nathan Gerbe is still not 100% and will not play tonight. Crazy PK36 will play tonight after blocking a shot with his broken thumb Tuesday. Yes his thumb was broken before the game and he still went all out and blocked a puck on purpose with said hand and thumb. Dedication. Andrej Sekera also good to go after blocking a shot from Ovechkin. Miller in goal of course. Red hot, he will need to be on his game tonight. My hatred for the Bruins grew last night a little more with their 3-2 shootout loss to Washington. The game was boring and the Caps had a commanding 2-0 lead late in the 3rd. However Boston teased Buffalo fans by scoring two goals in the final three minutes to send it to extra time. Only to lose in a break away contest, in which they were only a Tim Thomas save on Alex Semin away from a W. Thanks Boston. Two big points on the line tonight and with two games with the train wreck Maple Leafs coming up soon, the Sabres can try to distance themselves from the Caps. Let the playoff hockey continue. Projected Lineup: Foligno-Ennis-Stafford Vanek-Hodgson-Tropp Leino-Roy-Pominville Kaleta-Boyes-McCormick Myers-Leopold Regehr-Sekera Weber-Sulzer Miller (Enroth)

As Gus Johnson would say, the Sabres were Coooold Blooooded last night. They walked into the Verizon Center and they dropped the hammer on the Capitals. Buffalo skated and hit their way to a 5-1 win and sole ownership of 8th place. After the first 10 minutes of the first period this game was never close. Alex Ovechkin had the chance to again carry his team and prove he is a true superstar. Instead he literally and figurativley fell on his face. Ovechkin was dangerous one maybe two times throughout the entire game. Tyler Myers and Andrej Sekera used their speed to take away the time and space AO had. He couldn't pick up any speed in the neutral zone and was noticeably frusterated numerous times. Eventually causing him to coast and disappear. If you want a blue print how to stop Ovechkin watch the game last night. I want to touch on a few guys that deserve a lot of props for their performance last night. First Ryan Miller, he has returned to Vezina Year form. He is reason number one, two, and three Buffalo has made the run they are on now. This run started on January 24th with a shootout win in NJ. In that time Miller is 19-3-5 with a 1.80 GAA and a .940 save %. He has allowed one goal or less in his last 5 games. He has rebounded from a poor/injury riddled start and now he is carrying his team. Two other guys I want to touch on from the blue line are Andrej Sekera and Alexander Sulzer. Sekera has been one of the top D-men over the last 20 games. Solid in his own end and producing offensively. His combination of speed and physical play make him a dominant force on the blue line. Where did Alex Sulzer come from? He has been nothing but a surprise, he has 3 points and is a +3 in 13 games. Sulzer has found chemistry with fellow countryman Ehrhoff and the two have locked it down. Buffalo was down to four defenders last night at one point and they never missed a beat. Stick tap to the 5 men on the blue line last night. Last two I want to touch on are Drew Stafford and Cody Hodgson. Stafford has come to life with Ennis and Foligno adding two more goals last night. He looks like the Stafford from last season playing with speed and using his body like he should. He has 19 goals and could get near 25 which would not be a bad season after such a poor start. CoHo struggled early in his Buffalo career, but he has found his stride. Last night he was flying, splitting the Caps slow defenders numerous times. One time resulting in Vanek burrying the 3rd goal on a rebound that sent Holtby to the showers. Playing big minutes on the PK and as a top six center. Exciting future for Sabres fans. The bad news that came out of the game last night was the injury to Ehrhoff. He left after a nasty knee on knee freak collision with Troy Brouwer. Ruff said today the news was better than expected, but he is still going to miss sometime. I am betting on a knee sprain. Weber must step in and play his role like the other five on the blue line. Next up the Pens on Friday. Magic # to clinch is 9. Want a summary of last nights game? Watch Sabres captain Jason Pominville put in the dagger... Love this clip and the Sabres were sure Cold Blooded last night...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuK5X8MRLdc

Rangers please and thank you. I want zero part of the Penguins they can go play with Philly and beat each other up in a 7 game series. I think your stretching a bit with the invincible part. This is a better team than the team that lost to Philly last year, however I don't think they are going to steam roll anyone in the playoffs if we get there (still got to close out). It will be a hell of a series against the Rangers, the Pens probably lost the division last night in their loss to the Isles. I would expect 6 or 7 hard fought games of 2-1, 1-0, or 3-2 scores. I will say though boy was that a beating laid down last night. Loved watching AO get rolled over by Pommer and watch him put in the dagger from his stomach in the neutral zone.

God no I don't need Weber missing any more back door coverage Alex Sulzer stole his job from him and Leo is a top 4 D-man. Lines will stay the same they have been for 2 weeks: 82-63-21, 26-19-78, 29-9-23, 36-22-8. PK36 will attempt to get into AO's head, but the HUGE HUGE player tonight is Robyn Regehr this is the game we got him for. Make it hard on other teams top players.

Tonight is the night when most of the hockey world will focus on the Sabres vs Capitals game tonight in the Verizon Center. Buffalo and Washington come into tonight's game tied for 8th place in the Eastern Conference with 84 points. Winner takes lone possession of 8th place. Let me say this before I go any further. THE LOSER OF THIS GAME WHETHER IT BE BUFFALO OR WASHINGTON IS NOT OUT OF IT. With that being said whatever team walks away with the two points will feel pretty good going into the final 5 games. The Sabres come in on a 4 game winning streak after wins over Tampa Bay, Montreal, Rangers, and Minnesota last week by a combined score of 17-5. The Sabres have found the scoring touch with the Ennis line rolling and Cody Hodgson finding is comfort zone. Hodgson has had at least two points in 3 of the last 4 games. The Caps come in continuing their roller coster season, last week they got smoked by the Hawks, rolled the Wings in Detroit, gave up a 3-0 lead for a OT loss to Winnipeg at home, lost to the Flyers in a shootout, and beat Minnesota 3-0 on Sunday. The consistentcy in the last week has come from Alex Ovechkin, he is red hot and has 9 goals in his last 7 games. Sabres will need to wrap him up tonight to have a chance for two points. On the injury front for Buffalo PK36 will return to the lineup tonight resulting in Travis Turnbull being returned to Rochester. Turnbull was impressive in his first NHL call up with a goal in NY and bringing the physical play. Nathan Gerbe was cleared to play, but with only one practice under his belt since his injury he will sit out until Friday against the buzzsaw known as the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Caps will be without Nik Backstrom tonight, but he has been cleared for contact and it is believed he will play again before the regular season ends. Vokoun is still out with an injury meaning young Brayden Holtby will get the cage tonight allowing one goal in his last two starts. Miller obviously in goal for Buffalo. Dale Hunter will roll with the same lineup he used against the Wild dressing 11 forwards and 7 D-men, allowing for Ovechkin to be double shifted and be on the ice for 50% of the game. Buffalo will try to counter with Robyn Regehr and Andrej Sekera to hold on AO. Although with Ovechkin being double shifted the other two pairs will need to be on their game and take away time and space. The first goal tonight will be huge if the Caps get up early the crowd will get into the game and if Buffalo gets on the board early they could quiet the rackus house of red. All in all should be a battle and tons of fun to watch. Gotta love the NHL playoff race/playoffs. Projected Lineup: Foligno-Ennis-Stafford Vanek-Hodgson-Tropp Leino-Roy-Pominville Kaleta-Boyes-McCormick Myers-Leopold Ehrhoff-Sulzer Regehr-Sekera Miller (Enroth) How about some playoff motivation...

Come on you can't believe this yourself. Philly dominated most of all 7 games Miller stole game 1 and 4. Only reason we weren't swept was because of the 3 bums they had in goal. Also if I'm not mistake Boston beat everyone they played in the playoffs. That's why they got the big trophy at the end.

@Miller Time sooo since Semin has had an off year (full of talent when he wants to play) they are a one man team? You forgot to mention Green Johansson Brouwer Chimera Carlson Backstrom Wideman.

@Miller Time your running the car off of reality road again. Sure the Capitals have a superstar in AO and he needs to be contained tomorrow, however in no way shape or form are the Caps a one man show. Mike Green, Alex Semin, Marcus Johansson, Troy Brouwer, John Carlsson, and Nik Backstrom will be back soon. Kaleta isn't playing because he is hurt and has a cast on his hand. You can't hit Ovechkin and rattle him because he will just hit you back, you have to take away time and space. Should be fun tomorrow though.

Ennis in reality was the biggest injured play missed honestly I'm still critical of ruff sometimes and I think the coach is a tad overrated in hockey anyways. However the injuries were a HUGE factor and it's now obvious. Imagine if the flyers had timmonen giroux hartnell read Bryzgalov coburn Simmonds pronger and meszaros out at the same time for a quarter of the season or more.

One of the reasons I want buffalo in the playoffs so bad is I want to see how Leino performs he made a name for himself in Philly with his postseason play. Need the 2 against the Wild tonight.

Tonight Buffalo will have another shot to tie the idle 8th Washington Capitals. Another team they are creeping closer is the Ottawa Senators. A win tonight puts Buffalo 4 points behing Ottawa, within yelling distance. Ottawa plays Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Winnipeg in their next three (at Winnipeg). Right now though the focus remains on Washington. Tonight division rival the Montreal Canadiens come into the FN Center. Buffalo has won 4 of the 5 meetings this season. The last game was a 3-2 OT win. Tyler Myers returns tonight after being suspended from a hit on Scott Gomez in that Montreal game. Buffalo went 1-0-2 in the games Myers was out. Montreal comes in 4-3-4 in their last 11, and by no means are a push over. Buffalo got a small break last meeting with Peter Budaj being in goal. No such luck tonight Carey Price will be in goal tonight for the Habs. A little bit of surprising news came out today in the morning skate Patrick Kaleta will not play tonight because of another injury. Also Nathan Gerbe will again be out of the lineup tonight with a strained muscle. To replace PK36 Buffalo has called up Travis Turnbull from Rochester. Turnbull is having a career year with 27 points in 53 games (12 g 15 a). Turnbull is more of the grinder type that is being brought up to handle any possible ruckus the Habs try to throw out in response to the Myers hit on Gomez (wouldn't Habs fans be happy Gomez is out?). With Myers back Ruff has to make a decision on who to play as the 6th defenseman Sulzer or Weber. Some people thought Buffalo would roll with 7 D, however Ruff already said Turbull is playing so Weber or Sulzer has to come out. My money is on Weber sitting. Miller in goal obviously. The FN Center should be rocking tonight with 8th place on the line and half of the arena full of Habs fans. With it being 80 degrees in Buffalo on March 21st, you can smell the playoff hockey in the air. Projected Lineup: Foligno-Ennis-Stafford Vanek-Hodgson-Tropp Leino-Roy-Pominville Myers-Leopold Ehrhoff-Sulzer Regehr-Sekera Miller (Enroth)