I’ve lived back in Buffalo for about five years now and during that span, I’m always struck by how hard the media seems to be on the Buffalo Sabres franchise netminder, Ryan Miller. Last night with a victory against Montreal, Ryan Miller tied Dominik Hasek for career wins as a Sabre (234).
No one will ever dispute Hasek’s greatness, but as sure as the sun rising, Hasek almost exclusively got a free pass in this town. The only one to stand up to him was the late, great sports columnist Jim Kelley and if you’re old enough to remember, you know exactly how that went down.
On the contrary with Miller, the feeling I get is nearly every writer who covers or blogs about the team bashes him seemingly at every turn. They always call into question his attitude, personal habits and general “tell it like it is” personality.
Is Everyone Too Hard On Ryan Miller? – continue reading…
The Buffalo Sabres returned to practice on Monday afternoon at the First Niagara Center, and as expected, reporters swarmed goaltender Ryan Miller following the session to get his reaction on getting pulled last week and benched in favor of Jhonas Enroth in consecutive games over the weekend.
What wasn’t quite expected was Miller’s candid… very candid response to reporters when asked about his feelings on getting pulled last Tuesday against Philadelphia after just six minutes; a span that saw him give up three goals.
“”I don’t want things to be confused… I’m here to win,” Miller told several reporters. “That’s the emotion you get from me. That’s my spirit. I’m pissed off. That’s just how it is. I want to win. I don’t want to be out there getting scored on. I don’t want to be pulled out. I wanna, you know… win the (explicit) game!”
Ryan Miller Wants To Win The Flippin Game – continue reading…
The Buffalo Sabres finally have a solid secondary alternative when Ryan Miller needs a break. Jhonas Enroth, who just inked a two-year contract extension on Thursday, went 9-2-2 with a 2.73 GAA and .907 save percentage last season with the club. The 22-year-old Swede was a key contributor in helping the Sabres clinch a playoff berth, going 3-0-1 when Miller suffered a head injury late in the season.
Enroth is a solid, young goaltender that is likely to continue improving and at some point, could also be a valuable asset to trade if Buffalo looks to acquire a key piece for a playoff run before next year’s trade deadline. But more importantly, Enroth gives Lindy Ruff confidence that he can get the job done in crucial games, something no Sabres backup has been able to accomplish since Martin Biron was traded to the Flyers on February 27, 2007.
Look no further than Enroth’s starts against the Montreal Canadians on February 15th and Carolina Hurricanes on April 3rd as evidence he can get the job done with plenty on the line.
Enroth Will Be Key To Sabres’ Success – continue reading…
The recent acquisitions of defensmen Robyn Regehr and Christian Ehrhoff have improved the Buffalo Sabres in numerous ways. It repairs, if not completely wipes away any past perception that the Sabres organization are little more than a penny-pinching, small-market franchise that lets its best players leave via free agency on an annual basis. Having Regehr agree to waive his no-trade clause proves the Sabres are no longer a team with a recruiting problem and by inking Ehrhoff to a $40 million deal, it demonstrates they will spend whatever it takes to become a Stanley Cup contender.
From a fan’s perspective, the string of notable pickups allows them to stick their chests out and let the hockey world know they’re a fan of a team with an owner in Terry Pegula that’s for real and is wholeheartedly committed to winning a Stanley Cup.
But as elated as Sabres fans are about the newest members of the blue and gold, there may not be a more exultant resident in Pegulaville than Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller.
And why shouldn’t he be?
Life Could Get Easier For Ryan Miller – continue reading…
For six grueling games, the Buffalo Sabres gave the favored Philadelphia Flyers all they can handle and more in their thrilling Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. In gave seven however, with everything on the line, the Flyers flat-out overwhelmed their seventh seeded opponent.
Philadelphia basically did what they wanted through the game’s first 42 minutes; building an insurmountable four goal lead as they chased Buffalo starter Ryan Miller after seeing their own goaltender fail to finish a game three times in six games.
When the game was over, it was the Flyers advancing to the second round with a 5-2 victory.
Coming into the series Buffalo had not lost consecutive games since Terry Pegula took over as team owner in late February. Against the Flyers in the playoffs, it happened twice as the Sabres failed to take advantage of 2-1 and 3-2 series leads.
Sabres Season Ends In Game Seven Loss At Philly – continue reading…
Mike Williams of the Buffalo Bills is their biggest draft bust ever, or at least since 1985, according to Buffalo Rumbling’s author Brian Galliford.
Trent Dilfer thinks the Bills need Cam Newton and short of having the Baltimore Ravens’ defense he had when he played, they won’t win it with Ryan Fitzpatrick, in this ESPN video clip.
This CBS sports article suggests that tackle is clearly a priority for the Bills. Perhaps it’s true, but I can’t get over the article not even mentioning Kraig Urbik among the many linemen in the mix for Buffalo.
The Buffalo taxpayers will be paying the Bills to not play football, in this Shutdown Corner report for Yahoo Sports.
The Daily Links – April 16, 2011 – continue reading…
Last year, the Philadelphia Flyers parlayed an Eastern Conference seventh seed into a berth in the Stanley Cup finals. This time around, the Buffalo Sabres are hoping to do the same thing.
So far, so good.
Philadelphia and Buffalo have met eight previous times in the postseason and the team victorious in game one has won every series. Perhaps that will bode well for Buffalo, who took game one Thursday evening, 1-0 in front of a stunned Wells Fargo Center sellout crowd of 19,929 in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal matchup.
Patrick Kaleta accounted the game’s lone goal and Ryan Miller stole the rest, essentially committing grand larceny on the Flyers’ offense. Miller stopped all 35 shots he faced in his first full game action since suffering an upper body injury at Toronto on March 29.
NHL Playoffs: Sabres Take Game One In Philadelphia – continue reading…
The NHL announced today that Buffalo Sabres Ryan Miller has been named the league’s “First Star” of the week ending March 27.
Miller went 3-0-0 over the past week, posting two shutouts and a 0.67 goals against average. He stopped all but two of the 85 shots he faced.
Miller now has five shutouts this season and 22 for his career. He’s won 220 games with the Sabres, just 22 shy of Dominik Hasek’s team record.
Corey Perry (Anaheim) earned the league’s second star while Henrik Lundqvist (Rangers) grabbed third star honors.
Miller will be between the pipes Tuesday night when the Sabres travel to Toronto.
We’re truly hitting the home stretch of the 2010-11 NHL regular season and right now, there’s no denying the Buffalo Sabres are peaking at the best possible time. Not long ago it seemed a question of where the Sabre would be drafting during the offseason. Seemingly overnight, the discussion now centers around how high the team could finish in the Eastern Conference.
A pair of home victories over the weekend has left the Sabres red-hot. With back-to-back wins over Florida and New Jersey, Buffalo is now 11-3-3 over their last 17 games and 4-0-1 over their last five. They’ve played so well in fact, they’ve now gone over 300 minutes without trailing during regulation.
As a result, the Sabres are close to cementing a spot in the postseason— a conclusion that seemed far-fetched not long ago. It also appears an eternity the team got off to a horrible 3-9-2 start after winning the Northeast Division last year.
Sabres Playing Best Hockey At The Right Time – continue reading…
Brad Boyes scored a goal in his first game with the Buffalo Sabres and Ryan Miller made a sensational glove save in the final 1:05 to preserve a key 3-2 Sabres win over the New York Rangers in the first of a seven-game road trip.
With Buffalo up a goal and just over a minute left in regulation, a crazy bounce off the boards found the puck on the stick of Rangers forward Mats Zuccarella, who was alone in front on Miller. Zuccarrela faked a shot and tried to go to his backhand, but Miller made the biggest of his 29 saves to prevent the Rangers from tying the score in the waning moments.
Boyes, in his first game since coming in a trade from St. Louis, scored on the power play exactly seven minutes into the second period to give the Sabres a 2-0 lead after Tyler Myers scored the lone goal of the first, his 10th of the season, also on the power play.
Boyes, Miller Key Huge Sabres Road Win – continue reading…
While all the talk around the Buffalo Sabres between now and 3pm Monday afternoon revolves around the NHL trade deadline and if the team will be buyers or sellers after adding Brad Boyes Sunday night, the far more important matter is a seven-game road trip that begins this week. Beginning Tuesday and over the next 12 nights, we’ll have a much clearer picture if the Sabres will be participants or spectators when the playoffs begin.
Buffalo is currently on the outside looking in on the Eastern Conference playoff picture but are just two points behind eighth place Carolina with a pair of games in hand. The Sabres are also in striking distance of the New York Rangers (five points) for the seventh spot, but are also just four points away from being down to 11th in the conference— a distinction the freefalling Atlanta Thrashers currently occupy.
By the time the road trip ends, Buffalo will have just 14 games remaining, including a stretch of six of seven on HSBC Arena home ice immediately following these next seven contests.
Sabres To Embark On Season-Defining Road Trip – continue reading…
The Sabres came into Sunday’s matinee against the Washington Capitals desperately needing two points. Buffalo came in losers of straight against beatable opponents (Toronto and St. Louis), and saw their playoff chances take a bit of a hit with Carolina winning Friday to extend their lead on the Sabres to four points.
Buffalo played head and shoulders better than they did Friday against the Blues, but it wasn’t enough as the Sabres fell to the Capitals, 2-1 in front of a sellout crowd at the HSBC Arena in downtown Buffalo.
The Sabres were seemingly outplayed throughout the entire game, the only exception being a twelve minutes[am during the middle to late second and early part of the third period. The Sabres came out sloppy in the first period; taking four bad penalties in a seven minute span. Ryan Miller was forced to come up with save after big save; none bigger than a fabulous glove save on a point blank opportunity by Nicklas Backstrom that kept the game scoreless at the time.
Sabres Offensive Skid Continues In Loss To Caps – continue reading…
Tyler Myers blasted a slap shot from above the right circle past Florida Panthers goaltender Tomas Vokoun;s left shoulder into the net with just 4.5 seconds remaining in overtime, propelling the Sabres to a 3-2 and remaining one of the league’s hottest teams.
The Sabres have now won three games in a row since losing at Pittsburgh in their first game after the All-Star break and are 7-2 in their last nine games.
Ryan Miller started his 30th consecutive game in net for the Sabres and stopped 24 shots.
Mike Weber and Thomas Vanek also scored for Buffalo. Jason Pominville added a pair of assists.
The Sabres moved within two points of Carolina, who lost Thursday to Philadelphia, for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference and Buffalo also has three games in hand.
The Sabres are off until Sunday when they host the New York Islanders as they start a stand that’ll see them play seven of their next eight games at the HSBC Arena.
The New York Islanders handed the Buffalo Sabres an ugly 5-3 loss Friday night at the HSBC Arena. Playing in the rematch Sunday afternoon on the road, the Sabres returned the favor.
Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Myers scored less than four minutes into third period to break a 2-2 tie and Jason Pominville stuffed in an empty netter with 24 seconds remaining to secure the 5-3 Buffalo win.
Gerbe has now scored three goals in his last four games.
Tyler Ennis and Paul Gaustad also scored for Buffalo, who were outshot for the game by New York, 34-22.
Sabres Bounce Back With Win over Isles – continue reading…
Maybe, just maybe the talk of the Buffalo Sabres already being toast for the 2010-11 NHL season may have been a tad premature.
Desperately fighting to get back into the Eastern Conference playoff picture, the Sabres were faced with the task of taking on Montreal at home on Tuesday and Boston on the road tonight; a pair of teams ahead of them in the standings. Buffalo rose to the occasion on both nights, defeating Boston 4-2 to complete the sweep of their Northeast Division rivals.
Buffalo is 7-2-1 over their last 10 games.
Sabres Keep Streak Going With Win Over Bruins – continue reading…
We’re exactly at the midpoint of the 2010-11 NHL regular season and for the Buffalo Sabres, they’re literally right back where they started. A recent hot streak that saw them win four of their last five games has them sitting exactly .500 at 18-18-5; a percentage they haven’t seen since the second game of the season.
After winning the Northeast Division last year, it’s been quite the let down for an organization now in the midst of an uphill battle to reach the playoffs entering the second half of the season.
“We did it to ourselves in the first month and a half.” Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller said in his usual blunt manner.
Sabres Ready To Turn Page At Midpoint of Season – continue reading…
Drew Stafford scored with 1:48 left in overtime to give the Buffalo Sabres two big points via a 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes to wrap up a successful three-game road trip.
Stafford took possession of the puck in his own zone after it went off Jordan Leopold’s skate. He skated through the neutral zone and inside the Phoenix blue line before taking a wrist shot between defensemen Ed Jovanovski’s legs and past Coyotes goaltender Jason LaBarbera for his 14th goal of the season.
Stafford’s OT Goal Gives Sabres Win at Phoenix – continue reading…
The Pittsburgh Penguins skated into HSBC Arena steamrolling through the National Hockey League. Pittsburgh was winners of 11 straight game games, including six on the road and were unbeaten in regulation in 14 straight (13-0-1).
The Buffalo Sabres gave it their best shot Saturday night, getting a passing grade for effort but failing in the production area as the Penguins took advantage of Buffalo mishaps and earned a 4-2 victory.
Ryan Miller faced off against Sidney Crosby for the first time since Crosby scored the overtime game-winner to give Canada the gold medal over the United States in last year’s Olympics. Miller kept Crosby from adding to his league leading 26 goals, but bad luck and poor defensive help in front of his net doomed Miller.
Penguins Keep Rolling With Win Over Sabres – continue reading…
If the Buffalo Sabres are going to climb back into the Eastern Conference playoff race and do damage in the process, they will need to do more than rely on just one or two guys to put pucks in the net and Ryan Miller to prevent them from traveling through his own. Buffalo got that and them some Wednesday night from an unlikely pair of offensive sources.
Paul Gaustad scored two goals and Cody McCormick netted another, the game-winner as the Sabres continued to play well with a 6-3 victory over San Jose Wednesday night at the HSBC Arena.
Gaustad, who had only one goal in 28 games coming in, combined with McCormick for six points on the night.
Unlikely Sources Lead Sabres Over San Jose – continue reading…
Even though the Buffalo Sabres don’t play again until Wednesday night, significant news came from today’s scheduled practice. As a result, Darcy Regier is sure to be spending on the time on the phone with parent club Portland to get some healthy bodies to Buffalo.
Tim Connolly took to the practice ice but was forced to leave early with a pulled groin muscle. His status is in question when the Sabres face the Pittsburgh Penguins at the HSBC Arena Wednesday. While Connolly’s injury will hardly break the hearts of most Sabres fans, in fact it may bring smiles to many, he is a second line center that needs to be accounted for.
Connolly has five goals and eight assists in 22 games this season and has a minus-nine rating.
Sabres Hit Hard By Injury Bug – continue reading…
Buffalo Sabres defensemen Craig Rivet is going through a tough time. The Sabres captain has been inconsistent and an overall non-factor to the point that as his team was dropping a pair of weekend games, Rivet found himself in the press box for both contests rather than the blue line trying to make plays.
“I’m not playing as well as I can,” Rivet said following a Monday practice. “But let me tell you I’m going to work my butt off trying to get better.”
There’s been a growing buzz that Rivet’s absence from the lineup over the past two games could lead him being stripped of his captaincy. Rivet says that he’s not going to voluntarily give up his status as the man wearing the “C” over his jersey.
Rivet Won’t Voluntarily Relinquish Captaincy – continue reading…
It’s remarkable what five-plus months without hockey can do to your psyche. New players come in, old ones leave and buoyant fans permit a sense of optimism to creep in no matter the situation.
And when it came to the Buffalo Sabres opening their season this month, confidence was flooded for good reason. Despite their premature exit from the NHL playoffs, Buffalo captured the Northeast Division last year and looked pretty good in doing so.
However, for the 2010-2011 version of the Sabres in the early going, it’s been a new season with familiarly frustrating results that are reminding everyone exactly why last year’s postseason ended so untimely.
Bounced by the Boston Bruins after failing to capitalize on opportunities at times, while flat-out failing to show up during others in their embarrassing six-game series against Boston, this year’s Buffalo team were supposed to be better.
Will The Real Sabres Please Stand Up – continue reading…
Last season Ryan Miller captured the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goaltender. Wednesday night against the New Jersey Devils, he reminded everybody exactly why.
Miller stopped all 34 Devils shots in regulation, including 15 in the first period alone when the Sabres mustered but one shot of their own. But a pair of mistakes by Buffalo defensemen Andrej Sekera led to a golden opportunity for Ilya Kovalchuck, who buried a shot past Miller to give New Jersey a 1-0 victory in overtime in front of a home HSBC Arena crowd.
The Sabres have lost three straight games, all at home after winning their season opener in Ottawa last Friday.
Miller’s Heroics Not Enough as Sabres Fall in Overtime – continue reading…
After back to back springs of prematurely hitting the links early, The Buffalo Sabres were one of the regular seaason surprises of the NHL 2009/2010 season. Instead of a borderline playoff team relying on streaky forwards and an unproven defense, the squad handily captured the Northeast Division title behind strong team play, the brilliance of rookie defenseman Tyler Myers and Ryan Miller’s emergence as the best goaltender in the league.
Unfortunately, the team fell back to earth in the playoffs, as key injuries to Thomas Vanek and Jochen Hecht put the offensive load on Derek Roy and Tim Connolly, who wilted under the pressure.
The defeat at the hands of the Boston Bruins raised significant questions about the team’s toughness and resiliency and an offseason devoid of blockbuster additions did little to silence the Sabres’ critics. However, although there are a lot of familiar faces donning the blue and gold this season, it will be a new team taking the ice in 2010.
Our 2010-11 Buffalo Sabres Season Preview – continue reading…
Last night during the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on their own ice, Sabres forward Jason Pominville was knocked senseless along the boards on a dirty hit by Chicago defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson. Pominville’s face was smacked up against the glass, causing a concussion that knocked him out and forced the winger to have seven stitches above his eye.
