taterhill Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 You know what? Whomever expected this team to have a deep run in the playoffs was fooling themselves IMO. Sabres are a good team, but in no way are they elite...yet. There are a lot of good young players in this roster who will get better...the Sabres need to add some size for the upcoming seasons...and hopefully a guy like Kaissan can provide that sooner or later... A True #1 center is needed too...not Connolly...more like a Lecavalier type. Blaming Miller for this is ludicrous...you know what I blame? This teams inability to clear the damn puck out of their zone and giving the Ruins more chances then they should have...THAT is killing them in this series. This series is not over yet. Win Friday, pressure swings back to Boston. teams win ALL of the time with Great Goaltending and timely scoring...we are not getting any key goals.....this series could just as easily be 4-0 Sabres as it is 3-1 Bruins.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveRalph Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 yes, people do not realize the beating you take sitting in front of that net....i have no respect for anyone that calls him soft or a pansy.....i did notice that we had little presence in front of Rask all night....and when we did good things happen I realize what you're saying and I agree. The front of the net is where goals are scored and where beatings go down. But the truth is, Vanek really only stations himself in front of the net when the Sabres have a power play, when the defense is playing their box, and he isn't necessarily getting bodied 1-v-1 and having to battle for position. Other than that he is a fringe player when it is full strength, causing him to often morph into Thomas Vanish. But like others have said, he certainly would've helped, especially on the PP, in this series. He is an incredibly streaky player and it looked like he was starting up a hot one just before he got injured. But there is no question he is soft. Personally, I can't wait for Regier and Quinn's season-ending press conference where they lecture the fans on how this "young" team (even though they're all 28 and have been in the NHL for six years) gained some valuable playoff experience and they look forward to the internal improvment. Which obviously means 100 points for Connolly next year, 36 goals for Stafford, and Pommer as the league MVP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taterhill Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 I realize what you're saying and I agree. The front of the net is where goals are scored and where beatings go down. But the truth is, Vanek really only stations himself in front of the net when the Sabres have a power play, when the defense is playing their box, and he isn't necessarily getting bodied 1-v-1 and having to battle for position. Other than that he is a fringe player when it is full strength, causing him to often morph into Thomas Vanish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveRalph Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 A True #1 center is needed too...not Connolly...more like a Lecavalier type. I live in Tampa, Vinny is the guy that the Sabres have six of. He's soft and is a fringe player, and likes the pretty play and likes when goals come easily. It's even more frustrating with him because unlike the Sabres' midgets, he is 6'4" 225. As for your "true" #1 center, Lecavalier is the #2 center on one of the worst teams in the league. Stamkos is the face of that franchise now, and they would trade Vinny in a heartbeat if he didn't have 10 years and $80 million left on his contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongLiveRalph Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 I am not anti-Vanek, trust me. But you are not going to convince me that he isn't soft. On and off the ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 OK, well I must just have unrealistic expectations for the "best goaile in the world." Even the best goalie in the world can't score goals. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZC-Boston Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Even the best goalie in the world can't score goals. PTR Rask had an assist last night... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornerville Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 teams win ALL of the time with Great Goaltending and timely scoring...we are not getting any key goals.....this series could just as easily be 4-0 Sabres as it is 3-1 Bruins.... Absolutely...at worst this should be 2-2...and based on that why give up now? What if the Sabres start to make the little plays necessary, this series can be 3-3 heading back to Buffalo very quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 I never said he sucks either. He just isn't clutch WHEN YOU NEED HIM MOST. This doesn't mean he isn't clutch either. I am talking about when the game is on the line and the next goal wins. I just don't get a good feeling in those situations... Then again, it is like KD said... You almost knew what was coming. Maybe that is a BFLO sports thing! Did you watch the first OT period....? He stopped a short handed breakaway, amongst other amazing saves. Blaming Miller for not standing on his head in double overtime while short handed is a bit much, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 The fact that he skated yesterday was probably just done for show (just like Savard skating for Boston), but if he were to somehow actually come back and play game 6, it would go even further towards making those people look like fools. How about game 5....? I'd rather he come back for that.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 Did you watch the first OT period....? He stopped a short handed breakaway, amongst other amazing saves. Blaming Miller for not standing on his head in double overtime while short handed is a bit much, no? I think goalie analysis is something that escapes many. I remember the days when Grant Fuhr was enough to win a cup, obviously you'd need a 90 goal scorer in front of him though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrader Posted April 22, 2010 Share Posted April 22, 2010 How about game 5....? I'd rather he come back for that.... I need to learn how to count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spun Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 I haven't given up on these guys. The Sabres have had the first goal in every game so far. They obviously need to score more than they have. The power play has been pathetic. I think putting Ennis and Gerbe on the pp could pay off in some goals. While not discernible from the shots-on-goal stats, one of the biggest differences between the two teams is the defensive play. The Sabres have gotten many shots from the perimeter while the Bruins have walled a zone around their net. The Bruins have gotten better opportunities. Miller has stood tall. Team defense has failed. The Bruins press on offense but don't get caught on defense. The Sabres need to create some odd man rushes when the Bruins press. As a previous poster pointed out, the Sabres need to back the Bruins up simply by getting the puck over their own blue line. Another way to push Boston back is to pin them in their own zone. The fancy playmaking attempts to send the puck back to the offensive blue line backfire way too often. Keep the puck deep in the Bruins zone. Let the Bruins push the puck back up ice, don't do it for them. Fight for your lives Sabres! Get loud Sabres fans! And no quitting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 The Bruins have won 3 in a row so can the Sabres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chef Jim Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 The Bruins have won 3 in a row so can the Sabres And San Jose is a nice city. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 2-0 Sabres. Bruins have us right where they want us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 Is Vanek any closer to being healthy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meazza Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 2-0 Sabres. Bruins have us right where they want us. Good game. Always believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 Good game. Always believe. If it were a better team than the Bruins I would say the Sabres are still going to lose. But the Bruins are a decent team thats all. Sabres have a great shot.imho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted April 24, 2010 Share Posted April 24, 2010 Potentially good news: "The game ended with a melee in front of the Buffalo bench and five players were penalized. Bruins top defenseman Zdeno Chara was called for an instigator penalty, which if not rescinded will force him to miss Game 6." http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=300423002 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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