MOVING ON....

We lost to Detroit and yeah I understand that it was an important game and it would have been nice to win and all but seriously before tonight we won 4 in a row one of the longest winning steaks we've had all season. Let's face it though Detroit is 3rd in the league it wasn't exactly a no brainer that we were going to lose and that's not just me being negative. We played last night, Detroit didn't and if the first two periods of last night's game were any indication we were tired or just not trying hard enough to win although we somehow squeaked by with a win. If we were having that much of a problem against the Rangers it was almost a guarantee that were going to have an even bigger problem against an even better team (aka Detroit).

I have to say that I didn't watch much of the game mainly because I was standing in a crowded bar with fellow bloggers discussing hockey related things (most of the time). It was also hard to watch the game with no sound because the bar was also showing the football games that were on tonight so the sound for the Sabres game was turned down so as not to distract the other patrons from watching grown men tackle each other over possession of a pig skin (not that I'm dissing football, I just think that hockey is more interesting but I've got to be PC here I couldn't risk pissing someone off but then again it's our blog we can do what we will with it anyways back to hockey).

When the Sabres scored I almost let myself believe that maybe we could pull it off (yay Derek Roy) but once again it is the Sabres curse to get your hopes up only to have them dashed at the last second, or the last 3 minutes, which was how long it took Detroit to take a game that was relatively evenly matched to a game that was most certainly a Detroit win.

Even though the Sabres lost I still had fun tonight it was nice meeting everyone and being able to put faces with blogs. Now I'm off to bed to get ready for my return to the academic world on Monday I've got to get all the sleep I can because once school starts it's going to be in short supply.

THE WEATHER CAN STAY COLD AS LONG AS THE SABRES STAY HOT

I admit that I forgot I was going to the game tonight and because of the first two periods I wasn't so sure I was glad I remembered. They were just awful, but the complete hideousness of the game was broken up by Derek Roy's goal with 3:53 left in the second and everyone in the arena at that point was thinking the same thing "It's about time". Through the first two periods it seemed as if the team couldn't do anything right. Their passing was horrible and they couldn't seem to get the puck out of our end with Rangers outshooting us 14 to 7 in the first period. The second period was even worse with first shot on goal coming with 10 minutes already gone in the period. The fans were getting frustrated with good reason because that shot was met with derisive cheering and clapping. The Sabres stepped it up in the third because I'm pretty sure I could hear Ruff yelling, from the dressing room up in the 300s, to get their asses in gear something they seemed to have a problem with in the first and second. The only player who showed up for all three periods was Miller and I'll even forgive him that goal because he was screened and it came from a wrist shot almost out at the blue line.

Overtime was back and forth between zones which was really frustrating because at that point you know that it's going to a shootout. I hate shootouts, I hate them on principle usually because we're always on the losing end but tonight the Sabres pulled it off. Ales Kotalik had the lone goal in the shootout for the Sabres but it turned out to be just enough with Miller stone walling the three New York shots.

It's horrible to say but the Sabres deserved to lose that game because of their play in the first two periods. The Rangers were the superior team for most of the game both out shooting, out skating and overall out playing the Sabres but once again the Sabres managed to pull a goal out of their butts and sneak away with a win in the shootout.

The scariest part of the game came with 16 minutes left in the first period when, after colliding with Paul Gaustad, Michal Rosival fell face into the open doorway at the Sabres bench hitting his face on the corner of the boards. He skated across the ice to the Ranger bench and sat down next to Henrik Lundquist who sat out the game allowing Steve Valiquette to get the start. After being examined by the trainer Rosival was escorted to the Ranger locker room and didn't return to the game. On the post game show it was reported that Rosival had recieved a gash that stretched the length of his cheek. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he also suffered a neck injury after the way he hit those boards with his neck snapping back so quickly it looked like his head was replaced with a bouncy ball.

Speaking of neck injuries from the seats where my mom and I sit for the games we can see the part of the press box that the injured players sit in during the national anthem I turned around to see Pat Kaleta sporting a neck brace and managed to snap a picture of it with the phone on my camera, which is why it's really fuzzy, during one of the stoppages in play. He looked really bored which I would be if I had to sit and watch my teammates play without me. Max Afinogenov put in an appearance leaning over the edge to look out at the crowd during the first intermission. Jeanerette showed up during the second intermission talking to Kaleta all the while chowing down on a cookie.

That's him on the left.

Today marked the halfway point in the Sabres season and before tonights game they were dead even in wins and losses with 20 each counting shootout and overtime losses. Tonight's game was also the 4th win in a row for the Sabres putting them at 4-0 since the New Year if this streak continues the Sabres can say hello to a playoff spot (let's hope) because as it stands right now they are tied with Carolina for 7th place in the Eastern conference.

As the guy in the booth at the parking ramp said tonight it was an important win for the Sabres tonight because tomorrow we play (shudder, cringe) Detroit who we haven't played at all this season and who I'm not looking forward to playing at all for obvious reasons mainly Henrik Zetterberg and Ty Conklin (why is it that we get rid of a player and they do fantastically on another team it's got to be part of the Buffalo curse I tell you).

Well I'm attending the blogger get together tomorrow so for those of you who are going it'll be nice to put a blog with a face I look forward to meeting you.

NEW YEAR, NEW ICE BOWL

Happy New Year everyone, I hope you have all sufficiently recovered from your post party hangovers and if you haven't well at least you have a fun time last night I'm assuming. If you're like me, as in under 21, I'm going to go out on a limb here that you at least had champagne at midnight so therefore do not have a hangover and didn't wake up this morning wishing that you hadn't, woken up that is.

I of course watched the Winter Classic like every other self respecting hockey fan and no matter how much you try to convince me I still believe the one in Buffalo was better. I know I'm probably biased but come on what can beat 80,000 people screaming their heads off in the freezing cold while it snowed and snowed and snowed? And it wasn't just that sleet-snow it was that snow-globe snow the big fluffy flakes that made me want to lie down in the aisle making my best snow angel.

It was an overall good game both teams played well and the game wasn't interrupted ten times by the zamboni which meant that the game didn't last 4 hours. I for one wasn't surprised by the outcome because overall Detroit is the better team better defense (sorry Soupy), better offense (sorry Patrick) and as much as it pains me to say this better goaltending by Ty.

The game play I thought was more interesting this year more goals (9), one bone crushing hit with Dan Cleary ending up in the Chicago bench in retaliation for his hit Tuesday night on Patrick Kane and a dog pile? with most of the players on the ice ending up on top of each other. However, I'm more inclined to believe that the closer a game is the more interesting it is, then there's also the fact that our game went to overtime and then to a shoot out which is sure to get the fans' blood going.

I liked our jerseys for the Ice Bowl better, I thought Chicago's were too dark and that the numbers on the back were hard to see especially when the players were skating I also thought they were ugly with the big white stripe through the middle. Detroit's were cool with the Old English D on the front a throwback to their first year in the NHL the numbers on the back were at least easy to see. If they're going to have an outdoor game where the fans aren't going to be that close to the players they need to make the jerseys and the numbers contrasting colors so that people can see who they're looking at.

I can understand the significance of having the game in Wrigley field I actually think it's cool but it stands to reason that when having the game in a baseball stadium half the fans aren't going to be able to see the puck or the players very well as was the case today. The people who got seats in the outfield probably had no clue what was going on because let's see a small piece of galvanized rubber viewed from approximately 50 yards away...yeah that's not going to happen unless you happen to have the eyesight of a hawk or really really strong binoculars. At least at Ralph Wilson even the people who had the 10 dollar seats or those in the 300 deck could see the puck because they were sitting right on top of the ice almost. The people at Wrigley were in what could be considered the 200 deck and were at least 50 yards offering them little or no chance to follow the game except to look at the large video screens that were set up just for them.

But anyways I still think ours was better no bones about it and I don't care if I'm biased I will always believe that.