Pominville's OT winner pushes Sabres past Canadiens

Not much has gone right for the Sabres. A season disappointment that's included injuries to top stars Ryan Miller, Derek Roy, Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville hasn't helped Lindy Ruff's club. However, last night a couple of those now healthier parts helped the Sabres post a nice 2-1 overtime win over the hated Canadiens at HSBC Arena.

Not surprisingly when these two bitter rivals get together, there was plenty of chippiness with antagonist Patrick Kaleta infuriating former Islander James Wisniewski after boarding one of his teammates from behind. Wisniewski lost his cool and negated a Montreal power play with a retaliatory crosscheck on Kaleta's teammate Nathan Gerbe. At the moment, Montreal was already leading 1-0 thanks to diminutive rookie David Desharnais' second of the season on their first man-advantage. Wisniewski helped set up the goal along with another ex-Islander Roman Hamrlik to loud cheers from a strong Habs' contingent. Whenever these teams get together, there always are Montreal fans who make the trip across the border to support their heroes. Something quite familiar to Buffalo whenever another top rival Toronto visits.

It makes for an incredible atmosphere. Even if I've never been to a Sabres game, just listening to the "Go Habs Go," chants followed by "Let's Go Buffalo" is enough to enjoy the action. Perhaps that's why Versus wisely selected the heated Northeastern battle over a depleted Red Wing squad that fell to the Crosby-less Pens last night. For those who went, it must've been awesome. When the viewer can feel the environment through the television, it speaks to the nature of an intense rivalry similar to what we get closer to home whenever the locals do battle.

Carey Price was on making it tough for Buffalo to put one past him. The 23 year-old former No.1 pick who's flourished since the club dealt Jaroslav Halak to St. Louis was on top of his game, making plenty of sparkling saves en route to a game high 37 in what amounted to a losing effort. It was still good enough to earn the Habs a point, pushing them one up on the idle Rangers for sixth in the East. One issue for Montreal was that of fallen teammates with Jacques Martin's club losing Max Pacioretty for the remainder after a Wisniewski point shot struck him in the right side. While he was taken to the hospital, top line finisher Mike Cammalleri was already lost due to the dreaded upper body injury. They also lost Jeff Halpern as well. Down three, the Habs competed hard supported by Price's strong goaltending.

It took the power play for the Sabres to finally draw even when rookie Tyler Ennis was able to put home a Thomas Vanek rebound for his 11th with Connolly netting the other helper. The first-year left wing hasn't gotten much pop in a deep rookie class but deserves more attention. His playmaking and wherewithal to get dirty despite a smallish 5-9, 163 pound frame can't be ignored. Ennis wasn't done also helping set up Pominville's OT winner which also came via a power play. He's now up to 23 points (11-12-23) in 45 games after impressing with nine (3-6-9) in 10 last year. The 21 year-old former No.1 pick selected 26th overall in the '08 Draft is definitely one to keep an eye on for Sabre fans, who must admire the edge he brings.

“It’s big, but we have got to have some consistency here," explained the kid from Edmonton of getting two points while erasing a bad 5-3 loss to the Islanders victimized by John Tavares' second hat trick of the season. “We’ve got to build off this.”

Ultimately, it was a loss of discipline from ex-Devil/Ranger Scott Gomez which proved to be the difference. Late in regulation, he lost his cool during a battle with Nathan Gerbe retaliating a slash with a punch to the face. While his second minor of the contest didn't cost his team a point in regulation, it had to hurt watching the Sabres work some magic with Ennis handing for Vanek who wheeled to the front before making a sweet dish to a vacated Pominville for the decider 69 seconds into overtime.

"I’m not going to sit here and blame anyone,” Gomez lamented. “I know better than that. I know not to put myself in that position. I did and it cost us a chance at two points.”

 “Gerbe did a great job getting the penalty to get that power play,” Ennis noted. “When you get a chance in overtime like that, you have to bury it. It was big for us for Pommer to do that.”

In his career high 22nd consecutive start, Miller was also solid turning aside 29 of 30 in notching his 18th win of the season. The Sabres also were down a player with the sizzling Drew Stafford lost after two shifts after injuring his groin. The former University of North Daktota product has come into his own scoring 15 goals, which ranks second on the club behind Vanek (17). He has 23 points in just 30 games thus far, having missed 15 games. Buffalo can ill afford to lose him.


BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Jason Pominville, Buf (OT winner at 69 seconds-9th of season)
2nd Star-Carey Price, Mtl (37 saves)
1st Star-Tyler Ennis, Buf (11th of season, assist)

Miller speaks out on Hjalmarsson hit that drew two-game ban

It was a busy Tuesday for the NHL. Not only did they take thrifty action against James Wisniewski but also banned Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson two games as well for this dangerous hit on Sabre right wing Jason Pominville that gave him a concussion. Pommer was taken off the ice on a stretcher in a game Buffalo lost 4-3 Monday night.

Is the suspension enough for what looked like a blindside hit just before Pominville had the puck? Legendary Sabre announcer Rick Jeanneret thought it was a hit from behind but it came more from the side. The thing is Pominville never had a chance and it was a severe hit on impact that crushed him into the boards. A scary sight. These are the kind of hits the league wants to eliminate. So, why only two games? Hjalmarsson doesn't have a track record for being a dirty player. It's his first suspension. It should also be noted that he was given a boarding major and game misconduct for his actions.

Still, it's awfully hard to agree with the punishment. He got the same ban as Wisniewski. Since when is a risky hit that causes severe injury the same as a silly gesture that's plain offensive? It doesn't make sense. No wonder Pominville's teammate Ryan Miller sounded off yesterday. Via Puck Daddy, here's what the rating Vezina winner had to say on Hjalmarsson's hit and blindside hits in general:

"No matter how badly Hjalmarsson feels, it's still an illegal hit. It still out our guy out and it's still suspendable in my mind. So absolutely needs to be punished. I don't care if it's unintentional. That's what we have to get away from hockey right now, is the culture of it; of I was trying to make a play, so therefore it's not my fault.'


"The hockey hit is to separate a man from the puck. Not anticipating the puck getting there and hitting him from behind and driving him into the boards. You have two things right there: The puck wasn't clearly there, there was anticipation of it, there's no separation, and he was hit from behind.

"I don't know if there was enough made of it, because Jason is walking out with just stitches. What if Jason had a fractured neck? We don't even know what kind of impact it's going to have with a concussion. So no matter how badly he feels, no matter if it's unintentional, we have to change the culture of it if we're ever going to change the situations we're seeing, which is guys on the ice bleeding and missing time with concussions. It's completely an unnecessary play. ... More people should be a little more outraged.

"God, when he left the ice, he was surprised he got kicked out. It's like, 'Are you serious?' I would have started skating towards the locker room if I were him. I'm glad he admitted to it, that he didn't mean to do it. But you have to change the culture sometime. I hope the league wakes up and sets a precedent for the year."

Miller makes some solid points about the way this league operates. He also criticized them for instituting the new blindside rule right before the playoffs, labeling it as 'PR.' Furthermore, he mentioned that it's Colin Campbell's job to make these tough rulings. The League Deputy who's been inconsistent leaving the NHL open to criticism.

Most notably, the eloquent Sabre netminder made sure to include Matt Cooke's dirty cheapshot of Bruins' star center Marc Savard that still has him out with concussion symptoms. He might not play at all this season. When it comes to concussions, you're dealing with the unknown. Who knows? It could be his career. Imagine that Cooke- who has a history with pushing the envelope- wasn't even suspended. What if Savard never returns? How bad would that look?

It's why we can't agree with Puck Daddy chief Greg Wyshynski on Hjalmarsson's suspension. Even if he infers that it wouldn't have even gotten anything if not for the stretcher, the fact was it was a dangerous check. The kind that need to be eliminated. Sure. Hjalmarsson didn't mean to injure Pominville. But nothing good was going to come out of that play. He just needs to be smarter. I doubt Jason had enough time to see him. Should it really depend on how hurt a player is? There's too much of an assertion. If they're serious about making hockey a safer sport, then any suspension on such scary hits must be more than what the Blackhawk defenseman got. Reputation withstanding.

This is exactly what's wrong. If anything, usually Campbell goes tougher when serious injury is caused. A five-game ban would've at least sent a message. Miller's right. Is this the year the league finally gets it right or will it take a life threatening incident for appropriate action to be taken. We certainly hope not.

Devils and Sabres facing obstacles

This year's first round has been unlike any other. Well, at least in recent memory. When's the last time so many higher seeds faced such tough opposition just to reach the second round? Of course, if you're our resident Devil blogger, you've seen this act before. If only it were that simple. Just ask San Jose's Dan Boyle and Vancouver's Roberto Luongo.

Tonight, the Devils face a must win in hostile territory against the dreaded Flyers. Unless you really believe lightning can strike twice a decade apart, it's highly unlikely that they can rally from 3-1 down. Even if it's Brian Boucher. Thus far, it's the Flyers winning the little battles and burying their opportunities. Though it took sudden death and an odd hero in pugilist Daniel Carcillo, anyone can attest to it getting that far thanks to splendid goaltending from future Hall Of Famer Martin Brodeur, who did everything possible to steal Game Three. If only his teammates had been as willing. Following a much improved Game Two that drew them even, New Jersey relapsed. Instead of attacking at every turn, they overpassed- wasting precious opportunities on the power play.

Sure. The Devs cashed in twice thanks to the Ilya Kovalchuk-Brian Rolston combo with their best player Dainius Zubrus in front. No shots from Kovalchuk and two from Zach Parise just won't cut it. Neither will poor efforts from Patrik Elias, Travis Zajac and invisible captain Jamie Langenbrunner. Those are the best players who should be making a difference in this series. Instead, it's Zubrus and Rolston carrying the load. Against a skilled team that features Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Claude Giroux, Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen along with Daniel Briere and Jeff Carter, that just won't cut it. It's time for the big guns along with Paul Martin to step up and give Brodeur some help. It would also be nice if Jacques Lemaire remembered what worked. Changing D pairs and not going back to say ZZ Popp or Zubrus-Zajac-Parise is having an adverse affect. He needs to wake up as does his team.

While the Devs certainly have their work cut out for them, the Sabres need to find the back of the net. It hasn't come easy against bright freshman Tuukka Rask, who stymied them making 32 saves en route to a 2-1 Game Three win that steered the Bruins in front. After a hard fought one-goal win in Game One and a 2-0 lead early in Game Two, Lindy Ruff's crew looked to be in good shape. But then Thomas Vanek went down and everything changed. Over the last five periods, Buffalo's been outscored 7-2 and now face a critical Game Four tomorrow in Beantown. Are they up to the challenge?

For most of what's been a nice bounce back season that's seen the guys represent Western New York by making its first postseason since a Conference Final appearance three years ago, they've been a feisty, resilient bunch. We've seen them comeback to win games they looked dead in. Facing a bitter rival is always tough. Especially given how air tight Claude Julien's club plays minus offensive leader Marc Savard, who's getting close to returning. Without Vanek, the Sabres have struggled to finish. They're also minus Jochen Hecht, who certainly can help. Derek Roy has had a disappointing series and Tim Connolly has done zilch since returning. If they don't get more from their top two pivots, it'll be a very bitter end to such a promising year.

No Sabre has more than a goal including Jason Pominville, who finished strong. If Vanek isn't available tomorrow, he must light the lamp. Deadline pickup Raffi Torres has yet to score since coming over from Columbus. But he does lead the team with two assists- the same amount Henrik Tallinder has. Vanek also had two points- a goal and helper before going down. All year, Ruff's crew were a T-E-A-M who didn't rely on one player to score. How else did they score 231 goals when their offensive leader Vanek had 28? They'll need more from rookie Tyler Myers along with rugged forwards Patrick Kaleta, Paul Gaustad and Matt Ellis, who can't be getting outmuscled by 42 year-old Mark Recchi like on last night's Patrice Bergeron winner. That simply won't cut it.

Drew Stafford and rook Tyler Ennis are also being looked upon for offense. They'll need to be more involved and aid Ryan Miller, who's been the heart and soul all season long. It goes without saying that Miller will do his part. Can his teammates come to the rescue against Zdeno Chara, Rask and Julien? It's time to dig deep.

Statement Made: Sabres overcome 3-goal deficit versus Pens

Sometimes, there are those games which define you. For this year's Sabres, that came tonight versus the defending champs at HSBC. They fell behind three with the skilled Pens chasing probable USA starter Ryan Miller. However, it didn't matter thanks to Drew Stafford and Patrick Lalime, who sparked a great emotional comeback for a 4-3 win, finishing off the 2009 with a bang.

This was quite a statement by Lindy Ruff's club, who rebounded from a miserable first that saw them outshot 10-4, falling behind by two thanks to goals from Jordan Staal and Bill Guerin. Early in the second, it didn't get any better when Chris Kunitz scored his sixth from Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis only 88 seconds in putting Buffalo in a three-goal hole. At that point, Miller's night was done. He permitted three on 11 shots as Lalime replaced him. Following an AHL stint, the veteran who once took the Sens within a game of the Cup Final has been better since, winning two of three starts while nearly backstopping the Sabres past the same Penguins 10 days ago in a 2-1 gimmick loss. Here was a chance for redemption but he needed some support and got it from Stafford.

A healthy scratch at St. Louis, the third-year winger responded by ending a 15-game goal drought, tallying twice in a 2:09 span to get Buffalo back in it. The first came via a momentum shifting penalty shot, which was delayed in itself, due to a lengthy Toronto review on whether he scored previously on Marc-Andre Fleury. While they took time deciding the puck wasn't in, Stafford skated back and forth like a figure skater as comically described by legendary tandem Rick Jeanneret and Harry Neale. When the big moment finally came, he didn't waste any time, quickly beating Fleury five-hole to put the Sabres on the board at 12:46. Apparently, teammate Chris Butler knew where he was going and informed bench reporter Rob Ray, who was only too pleased to tell the audience after the big goal.

Suddenly alive, the Sabres took the play to the Pens, drawing even closer when Stafford got his second consecutive goal from Clarke MacArthur and Tim Kennedy, cutting it to 3-2 with 5:05 left in the stanza. While Stafford was taking care of the offense, Lalime was keeping the Pens at bay turning aside all 18 shots in a more active second that saw the clubs combine for 34 shots (Pit-19, Buf-15).

Down just one, Buffalo came all the way back thanks to a great rush by Stafford which resulted in a goal. Taking a pass from MacArthur, he flew down the right wing skating around Pen defenders before wisely flipping a feed across which Paul Gaustad buried with a backhand, tying the score with 12:32 remaining. Following a couple of key Lalime saves, Craig Adams got nabbed for boarding in the offensive zone, handing the hosts a power play. It took only 50 seconds for them to capitalize when Jason Pominville came out into the slot and wired a shot top shelf for his 10th. Tim Connolly and rookie Tyler Myers netted assists.

Now ahead, the Sabres played tactically against a dangerous opponent who tried to turn it on. The Pens buzzed on one shift with two and a half left but couldn't beat Lalime despite great pressure from Crosby and Co. Despite outshooting Buffalo 9-5 (38-24 overall), they didn't get anymore glorious opportunities with perhaps the best a Kris Letang shot which sailed wide with over two minutes to go. With Fleury pulled for an extra and both Sid The Kid and Evgeny Malkin out searching for the equalizer, the Sabres stood up to them with Gaustad taking Staal off the ice for matching slashes with 26 ticks left. No play further illustrated this than Myers clean takeout of Geno during a puck battle behind his own net with over 10 secs remaining. The kind of physical play that garners attention. One of our good buddies over at Twitter BanginPanger agreed.:

BanginPanger

  

@BattleOfNewYork I've been critical of the fellatio of Myers, buttttttttt tonight, that was as good a game a Sabres d-man has played in ever

Pretty accurate assessment from a Panger fan. Who doesn't love Pang? We even kinda worked with him back at Bristol when ESPN actually still cared. I was one of those stat researchers for Remote Production. Fun days! The real Panger is also on there and can be followed as well.

As for the game's conclusion, one more Sabre clear off a faceoff was enough to finish off the best win of the season. When the buzzer sounded, a bunch of happy Sabres mobbed Lalime even kinda dancing and laughing. It meant plenty. I know the Pens have lost all three to the Devils in Pitt and try again in Newark tomorrow but this was a great victory for Buffalo because it shows that they mean business. Something even our Buffalo contingent can't ignore. ;-) Statement made!

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Jordan Staal, Pit (goal, 4 SOG, 8-9 draws, 4 PIM, +2 in 17:17)
2nd Star-Patrick Lalime, Buf (27 saves incl.18/18 in 2nd in relief)
1st Star-Drew Stafford, Buf (2 goals incl.PS snapping 15-gm goal drought, assist, team high 5 SOG, +2 in 15:05)

Just Wondering

If you had as good a team as the one in Newark, would you boo when they lose a game? Even if the Devils fell to Scott Clemmensen and the Panthers, here's one thing I know. You can't win 'em all. Sometimes, even the best teams have letdowns. I guess that's what happened tonight at The Rock.When you have all that success, it can go to your head. It's not the players we're referring to. Winning spoils.

Ya know. It would be nice if the team I cheer for played winning hockey like the bitter rival across the Hudson/Path. When you have the coach and former Cup winning coach chewing out the team's effort level, something's wrong. I've seen plenty of all four Battle teams and the Rangers are the worst. It's one thing if you don't have skill cause after The Big Ticket, there's little else. But when you don't have a ton of talent, you got to make up for it by giving maximum EFFORT. A foreign concept for the team that plays on 33rd and Seventh. The Devils usually show though I don't know what happened today. The Islanders normally work their asses off. Emerging star John Tavares helps but you have to love their spunk. The Sabres don't have top tier talent outside underachieving Thomas Vanek, who hasn't been the same since his early injury. Derek Roy, Tim Connolly, Jason Pominville and Drew Stafford are nice players but must come to work every night. Buffalo does it by winning the trenches as they were doing at last check versus the super skilled Blackhawks with Patrick Lalime in net.

Aside from the fact that the other three BONY clubs work harder/smarter, they aren't as dull to watch. Somehow, John Tortorella's lost bunch looks a lot like the one Tom Renney coached. I favored the change because it was obvious they tuned the affable man out. So, Tort came in and rallied the troops into the postseason, squeezing as much as he could out of them. He promised high octane. It started well. That seven-game win streak may as well have been ages ago. You mean we actually scored enough goals?!?!?!?!?! Well, don't worry. The rested Blueshirts get a tired Buffalo team tomorrow at MSG. Should be an easy two!