NHL "Parity"

Every sport tries to say they have it. Parity is the word that means you have achieved ultimate sporting success. There is true competition amongst the teams in your league. But really... so far as I can tell... only the NHL has achieved such a thing.

Proof is in the series between the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche. First, they are the 4 and 5 seeds in the Western conference. That means they were the closest to each other in points. They are a great matchup on paper. But then, you have the actual games. Each of the three games so far has ended 3-2... in overtime. Including last night's game. Minnesota has a 2-1 series edge, but I fully expect a 3-2 OT win for Colorado the next time they play. This series is great!

So far there is only one series that is a potential sweep. (Well, two, but only one that might actually end up a sweep.) The Pittsburgh Penguins seem to have Ottawa's number. This is interesting in that Ottawa ousted the Penguins last year fairly easily (4 or 5 games) and this year were tearing up the Eastern Conference for quite some time. They have faltered at the end here, but still have some fantastic players who can score anytime they want to. (As evidenced by a late season 6-3 win over the Sabres - a game in which the Sabres held a 3-2 late third period lead!!)

Some other great first round matchups include the Caps and Flyers, Flames and Sharks, Rangers and Devils, Bruins and Canadiens... well, really.. ALL of them! The defending champs (Anaheim Mighty Ducks) are down 2-0 in their series, but I wouldn't expect that to continue... that should end up a great series as well.

So if you have Versus (a cable TV network) they are showing two games every night, and they have some great coverage between periods and after the games. NBC is carrying games on weekends. I think.

And, if you live in Canada... you're set. :-)

NHL Playoffs are here, and it is the #1 sports spectacle in all of pro sports! Enjoy it while it lasts!

Just Sayin'...

I did a little figurin' tonight, and even if - best case scenario - the Sabres were to win all three of their remaining games, finishing with 92 points on 40 wins... we still probably won't make the playoffs!

Best I can figure, from who's playin' who from here on out... Sabres will end up tied with Washington with 92 points (that's IF they can win the rest of their games!) and if Boston loses the rest of theirs, then we'd finish ahead of them.

We need:

1. To win the last three games, getting 6 points
   
2. AND... Boston to lose all three games, getting AT MOST one more point
   
3. OR, Philly could lose all three of their games, and we could sneak past them...
   
4. AND... Washington to only get 3 more points. Max.
   
5. OR, Carolina to lose the rest of their games. (Washington wins that division, we beat Carolina for last spot. I think.)
   
6. LOTS and LOTS of luck!

:-)

Playoff Beard Hanging On For Dear Life

This time of year, many players in the NHL refuse to shave until they are eliminated from the playoffs. It's a bit of a good luck charm. A superstition. Not sure that's it's really all that effective, but you'll notice that most players on the Stanley Cup winners are sporting a very hairy face when they hoist the prized trophy in early June.

I do not play hockey. (Well, except for a bit of street hockey with my boys yesterday...) I just watch hockey. But I really don't like to shave, so... when my team is in the playoffs - or this year, in playoff contention - I also refuse to shave, hoping to bring the Sabres loads of good luck.

OK... I just don't like to shave. But, this is a fun reason not to!

The playoff beard is hanging around for at least two more days as the Sabres did beat Boston 2-1 in OT yesterday. They are 5 points out of the final playoff spot with three games left. In hockey, you get 2 points for each win, so you do the math. Basically, the Sabres need the Bruins to lose (they're in the 8th spot right now) and the Caps to lose (they're in the 9th spot) and they need to win their final three games. It's kinda like a playoff series already, and we started out down three games to none.

Last night did make it three games to one, but in this case... we don't control our own destiny, as they say.

So, we are watching the Caps, the Bruins, and the Sabres... and hoping for the best.

And I'm hoping I get to keep this beard a little bit longer... :-)

R.I.P. Big Ten

With State being trounced 92-74 tonight, that completed the "sweep" of the Big Ten teams in the NCAA tourney this year. Two made it to the Sweet Sixteen, none made it past that. Quite uncommon.

State scored 54 points in the second half, and did pretty well in all aspects of the game for that 20 minutes. That should tell you how the first half went. :-)

In other sporting news...

The Sabres did manage to salvage a point, but gave up another lead to lose in overtime. They basically threw away a much-needed point. That pretty much sums up the Sabres' 2007-2008 season. Work really hard, get some great goals... then have the other team tie it with 14 seconds to go, only to lose in OT. (I believe it's our 12th OT loss.) Surprisingly they are still in the hunt for the final playoff spot, but at this point, every game is a win or your out kind of game. Fun stuff.

So, it looks like my teams are either out, or soon to be out of my two favorite annual sporting events. Not a good sports day here!

Just When We Thought They Were Finished...

The Sabres continue to surprise us. This team has been very streaky in 2007-2008, and thought replete with talent, they seem to lose to teams they should not lose to.

Partially that is due to an amazing season of equality in the NHL. Every team can beat any other team on any night. Pretty amazing. There are 6-7 teams fighting for the final few playoff spots in each conference, separated by only a handful of points. Pretty spectacular for the fans, for the most part.

But also very frustrating.

Wednesday night the Sabres were hosting the last place Tampa Bay Lightning, very much needing to win due to the teams closest to them in the standings winning the night before. Seemed a perfect opportunity, being on a bit of a winning streak, and playing at home against a seemingly easy opponent. But don't forget what I said above. This season, every team in the league can beat any other team on any night. The Lightning apparently knew that.

Leading 2-1 after one period, and 4-1 after two (with the Sabres mustering only 2 shots in the second period) the Lightning seemed in complete control, and Sabres' fans booed their team off the ice into the intermission.

Perhaps that had the desired affect. In the third period, the Sabres looked like the team they really are capable of being (super-talented, high-scoring, fast, aggressive, fun-to-watch, young team) and posted their second and third goals within 16 seconds of each other, then once they tied it, didn't stop till they tallied six altogether in the third period! Thomas Vanek even had a natural hat trick, scoring the tying goal, the go-ahead goal, and the clincher! Fantastic.

Tonight (Friday) the Sabres host the Toronto Maple Leafs who are closer in the standings to the Sabres, but whom the Sabres have recently had a pretty easy time with. This is a game the Sabres should win, and need to win. Two points are a must.

After the second period Wednesday it seemed the team had given up, and with only 8 games to go, it seemed time for me to face the non-playoff reality. BUT, after that third period... perhaps we are seeing the final streak for our boys in Blue and Gold? A good streak in the final eight games could conceivably get them as high as sixth place. That would pit them against the Southeast division champ (likely Carolina) whom the Sabres have had a pretty good time with this year!

They're still sitting in a very precarious 9th place for the time being, but this team has a good chance to land a playoff spot, as long as they can be the team that we saw in that third period last night.

Here's hoping they've got one more good streak in them this year! :-)

Too Many Streaks

This is the year of the streak for the Buffalo Sabres. Frustrating to fans, perhaps even more frustrating to the players and coaches.

Just when it looks like the team is getting back to their winning ways, the Sabres seem to match a long winning streak with an equally long losing streak. The result has been hovering about in the middle of the conference standings, with just over a .500 record on the season.

Now three points out of a playoff spot, with key losses to the teams they are chasing in this current losing streak, the Sabres are definitely in danger of not even qualifying for post season play. And they know it. The players held a "players only" meeting following yesterday's embarrassing 4-2 loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

At least they understand that they need to step it up. And I believe they can. But will they? Maybe they can have a nice win streak to make the push for the playoffs, followed by their typical long losing streak, followed by a long winning streak to carry them into the playoffs? Not sure there's time. Then, wouldn't they just be saving their losing streak for the first round of the playoffs? :-)

It looks as if this year's team may have taken too much of a hit with the loss of Briere and Drury in the summer, and now losing one of their top defensemen, Brian Campbell (who always logged a lot of ice time) in a trade to the Sharks. Time will tell. And it will tell soon.

I remain hopeful, but weary of the streaks.

Not A Bad Deal, Eh?

Sabres fans are still sad to see Soupy go west to San Jose, but the guy we got in return had a decent start... TWO GOALS and an ASSIST in his first game! (He score the first two goals!) Ha!

Highlights above...

Sabres Deal Campbell to Sharks

As predicted last night, the Sabres did find a taker for their all-star (super star) defenseman. He will join the San Jose Sharks who are having a very fine season, and look to make a run at the Stanley Cup. He'll also join former teammate Mike Greer, who joined the Sharks a couple years ago.

The Sabres acquired winger Steve Bernier in the trade, along with the Sharks' 1st round and 7th round picks in 2008. They are definitely looking at it as getting something instead of nothing for Campbell. This article at NHL.com says that Regier tried to sign Campbell till the last minute here, and then dealt him so they didn't just lose him.

It's sad to see him go. That's three really big name players that we have lost in the past year. Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, and now Brian Campbell. Ouch.

We did sign Thomas Vanek, though...

The Sabres are in a bit of a slump, still riding a ten game streak with no losses in regulation, but only 2-3-1 in their last six. That puts them in 9th place for the moment, and out of the playoffs if they began today. Not sure if Bernier will be enough boost (or compensate for the loss of Campbell?) but perhaps the Sabres are not done dealing just yet.

They are a good team with a lot of talent. But this front office is getting a little annoying. It's time to hold on to guys like Drury, Briere, and Campbell. Is Ryan Miller the next to go?

Let's hope not.

Trade Deadlines and Free Agency

It's that time of year again, in fact this year it's one week of craziness in my two favorite sports.

On the one hand, the NHL has set tomorrow at 3pm as the deadline to deal players. A couple trades have already occurred, more will come tomorrow. The NHL is pretty good at keeping things fresh, to be sure. People get caught up in the frenzy of the deadline as Sabres' GM Darcy Regier says above.

The main name on the board for the Sabres is all-star defenseman Brian Campbell. (Note: had my sister have been a boy, that would have been her name!) Campbell is fantastic, and could be a foundational piece for the Sabres for years to come, but for some reason, they have not come to terms on an extension. He's set to be a free agent come July 1st of this year, so the Sabres are certainly considering a trade in order to get something out of losing him (if he were to choose to leave).

On Friday, we have the other side of things. Free agency begins Friday Feb 29th for the NFL. That means players whose contracts have expired can shop around to the highest bidder. Last season the Bills knew exactly who they wanted, and they got them within half a day of the free agency period starting gun! Will that happen again? Not sure. We had some big name guys who were set to leave last year, not so much this year. And there aren't a lot of big name players on the market who have generated the press you might expect leading up to such a deadline.

One deadline ends with a frenzy, the other begins with a frenzy. And all in one week!

So, stay tuned, I'll probably have a report here, and definitely on my Buffalo Bills site.

Sabres Rolling!

I've mentioned here before that the Sabres were at or near the bottom of the Eastern Conference not that long ago, but since the All-Star break (and I think one game before) the Sabres are one of the hottest teams in the league! 6-0-2 in their last eight games! (They have been AWFUL in the shootouts this year! Those two shoot out losses were games they had very late leads in as well. But as soon as it goes to OT and then the shootout, it's almost a guaranteed loss of a point!)

The best part about those 14 out of 16 possible points is that most of them came on a long road trip! Seven straight games on the road. Fantastic. So, as you can see above (click for larger view) the Sabres are still on the outside looking in, but only one point out now (and they have played fewer games than most teams), and they are even only 12 points out of FIRST place! Who knows?? :-)

Go Sabres!

Why The Super Bowl Is Not A Big Deal

At least, not to me. And, I actually mean that more as a compliment than a slam. Let me explain.

When it comes to the playoffs, and especially the finals of most sports there is an intensity like no other time during the season. The players step it up, the fans step it up... the atmosphere and the play on the field, court, ice are electric. There's a big difference for example between a regular season hockey game and a playoff hockey game of any level, let alone the Stanley Cup Finals or especially a Game Seven of the finals!

Other sports are the same way. Looks at the fantastic athletic event that is March Madness in college basketball. Play in the regular season may be exciting for die-hards, but come March, tiny schools who weren't even on the national fan or media's radar are suddenly playing like - and becoming? - champions.

There's just a different level to the playoffs in most sports.

Except the NFL.

I don't mean that as a knock on the NFL players, coaches, fans or anything. Again, it's really more of a compliment. I don't know if it's because there are fewer games, or because of the sheer intensity of the sport, but I believe every NFL game offers the same level of competition, energy, atmosphere, and fun for the fan. Now, there are some that are a small step up. The Bills hosted their first Monday night game in over a decade this past season and their stadium was rockin'! Fans were totally pumped up. The team played out of their minds. But what for? Just a regular game.

This is my point. The NFL has the best overall product because every game can be - and usually is - as intense as if it were for the ultimate championship.

But then we have the Super (Hype) Bowl. Two weeks of incessant media hype, covering every story from every possible angle ad nauseam. We don't watch much TV around here lately, so actually I haven't been bombarded as much this year as past years. But it's still there. I've caught the fringe stuff. And tonight there will be all the flashiness that the NFL wants to bring to their "showcase event".

Does that make it better? Does that make it a more competitive game? Do we really need all that stuff?

In the end, I've already seen all the best games this season. (I could be surprised, but usually the Super Bowl does not live up to its hype...) The Patriots vs Dallas, Indy, and even Jacksonville in the playoffs. All the Bills games... ;-) And a handful of other very exciting competitions. Probably were better games than tonight's game will be. At least they were better than some other Super Bowls I have seen.

So, I'll stick with my vote for the NHL playoffs, March Madness, and maybe even a few others as being a bigger step up in the post season than the NFL offers. I'd rather watch most any NHL playoff series than the Super Bowl most year.

(Of course, it would help if my team was in the Super Bowl... then I might be saying, "This is going to be the best game EVER!!) ;-)

Nah. Gimme some NHL playoffs and March Madness. I'm good to go.

Luck

Last night Jen and I played a new card game called Tunge. (Not sure how you pronounce it.) She discovered it on a blog she reads and wanted to play it with me. I'm always game for a new ... game. :-)

So, we figured it out pretty easily and had a good time playing. Mostly. That is until I noticed that this game - as with many card games - is almost entirely won by luck. You just have to get the right card. "By the luck of the draw." Those aren't my favorite kind of games. I like knowing that I won (and you lost) because of my skill and cunning and craftiness.

:-)

But what all that reminded me of was my Buffalo Sabres.

See, this year, the Sabres - who last year finished the season with the best overall record - are not doing as well. At a quick glance, you might even think they were bad. I don't remember if they were ever officially last in their conference... but they were at least second to last. (That in itself is deceiving as they were still only 6 or 8 points or so out of a playoff spot.) Most people do assume that the Sabres are just a shell of their former selves, losing their two captains from last seaons, Chris Drury and Daniel Briere.

It's true that they miss the leadership and production of those two guys, but it's not true that they are as bad as their record would indicate. Hockey is certainly a game of skill, on many levels. But it also involves a good bit of luck.

The bounces have not gone the Sabres' way this year. They have outshot teams many a night, and come up losing by a goal. The goalie has made incredible save after incredible save, only to have a puck bounce off the boards behind him and either into the net, or right to the lucky opponent standing near the crease to cash in. Goal posts have rung, goals have been disallowed, injury after injury after injury have plagued this once-feared team.

We do not have cable this year, and so have only kept up with the team via radio (over the internet) and reading at sabres.com and NHL.com. We have also caught the occasional Sabres game on Versus.com. But from everything I have seen, this team is still very good. Very young, but very good.

I try and catch the post game interview with Lindy Ruff after every game. (Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes.) I like to hear what he's got to say. He's seen this team be the best, and now struggle through a year of seeming mediocrity. When things are bad, he says it. This year he has not said it. Almost every night he has nothing but positive things to say about the players and their effort and the chances they have created. He usually says something like, "It just didn't bounce our way." That has been my observation as well. The Sabres have just as much fight in them, just as much skill (though, more injuries to be sure) but they do not have as much "success".

It will come. Luck works both ways. At least over the course of a whole season. The Sabres are coming out of a horrendous stretch of two wins in fourteen games. They have won three games in a row, looking for four tonight in Atlanta, where they play a Thrasher team that is tied with them in the conference standings.

Perhaps this small streak is the beginning of things starting to go our way. Maybe the Sabres will be on the more fortunate end of bounces, calls, injuries, etc.

If we're lucky... ;-)

Ryan Miller Speaks Chinese?

I heard about this a while ago... just saw it today on the Sabres website. Ryan Miller trash talking... in Chinese. :-)

I heard an interview where the reporters asked him to say it again. It was funny. He said he just said it over and over about 50 times and just can't forget it now. So he knows one phrase in Chinese. Pretty funny commercial. :-)

Enjoy.

Tape Delay

So, you just gotta love TiVo. It's so easy. You watch what you want, when you want to (or can) and you can even fast-forward the commercials!

I love hockey! Versus carries at least one NHL game on Monday and Tuesday nights. I'm busy every Monday night, and somehow we are usually busy on Tuesday nights, so I have gotten in the habit of TiVo-ing them.

Well, tonight after recording the show, I picked up where I had left off when I went up to the office to record. Thing is, Jen was there, too. And, while I like hockey... I like talking with my wife more. So, we did.

At one point I finally noticed that the hockey game I had recorded was playing in the background while we chatted and snacked.

Do you find that odd too? Who records something in order to not pay attention to it? :-)

NHL Hockey... Outdoors?

Rumor has it that the Sabres/Penguins game scheduled for January 1st, 2008 in Buffalo could be held outdoors at Ralph Wilson Stadium!!! How cool is that?!? We would really like to be there, if that ends up being the case.

[Read the Buffalo News article that mentions this possible location for the game.]

Sabres Schedule Announced

The Buffalo Sabres today announced their 2007-2008 schedule. (Didn't they just finish playing the 2006-2007 season??) :-) We were really hoping that the Sabres (1) would play the San Jose Sharks this year, and (2) that they would play IN San Jose, and then (3) that it would coincide with our trip out there this fall.

BUT, alas... they will be on a road trip during that week... and they do play in San Jose this year... just, not at the same time.

November 15th is already circled on my calendar. First game against the Senators. The first games against Drury and Briere's new teams will be interesting as well. The season opens with a "home and home" against the NY Islanders, whom the Sabres ousted in round one of last year's playoffs.

Bring on the hockey season! (Football first... but hockey a close second!)

Free Agency in Sports

As you most likely know by now, Chris Drury and Daniel Briere have moved on from the Buffalo Sabres to $$$Greener Pastures$$$. They were signed by two different teams (Rangers and Flyers) for a combined $84 million!!! Holy cow, that's a lot of moola! The Sabres were unable and/or unwilling to match that, and in the case of Drury, he just chose to go to the Rangers (they were his favorite childhood team) instead of stay in Buffalo (who would have matched the Rangers' offer.

So, good for those guys... at least financially. But this brings up yet again the sad state of sports with free agency and salary caps. There are many factors, and I really don't want to get into it here, but I do want to say that I am not a fan of free agency.

I understand that it is very cool for the player. They get more money for sure, they also get the chance to determine where they will play (like Drury). But both Drury and Briere were captains on the President Trophy winning Sabres (for the best record in hockey) and they left that behind (understandably, in many ways) to pursue their goals. Not those of the team.

Does any player care about the game, or the team, or the city anymore? Perhaps that is unfair. Both of these guys said they would like to stay in Buffalo. Particularly Briere. But in the end, he was offered $25 million over 5 years by the Sabres, and the Flyers offered him $52 million over 7 years.

Yeah, I would too.

I think. Part of me says I wouldn't. I would take the "paltry" $25M and stay with the team that I had helped build. I would not move the family and start over again... I would be OK with $25 MILLION DOLLARS. But, why take $25M when you can double it?!? So crazy.

It's sad that this is hurting sports in so many ways. Small market teams are unable to keep up as they can not charge as much for tickets, and don't have other sources of revenue to keep up with the larger salary caps. It's also just raising the price of tickets in general across all the sports leagues. Many sports writers are prediciting we'll just be seeing another lock out in the not-too-distant future if the NHL continues this way.

What if players decided they love the game, and love to win, and build a championship team. What if teams fairly compensated those players who made a commitment to stay with one team for their careers? We will likely never see a team that can repeat what the Bills did from 1990-1993, going to four straight Super Bowls ... mostly due to free agency.

It might sound like sour grapes, but even before we lost Drury, Briere, and even Zubrus a couple days later, I was not a fan of free agency. Maybe it's because my team is one of those "small market teams", but I think it's cause I love the idea of buildinig a team of guys you know and can root for for at least a good chunk of their careers. Now when you buy a jersey (like, #23 or #48) it's obsolete in 3 years or less.

Too bad.

The Sabres did manage to hold on to Thomas Vanek last week, matching an offer that came in from Edmonton. They were not going to lose another one! Good for them.

I read a great article on this at NHL.com today. Check it out if you've got time.

The Sabres will go on. As will the Bills, and every other team. It's the path that pro sports have chosen. I do wish there was some happy medium where players could be happy, not at the expense of the team, city, fans, owner... and vice versa. I don't think we've found that just yet.

Ducks Take The Cup

For those of you following along with all of my previous Sabres' posts...

Last night was Game Five of the Stanley Cup Finals, and with the Anaheim Ducks leading 3 games to 1, it was rather shocking to see the game end with a 6-2 victory for the Ducks! It seems Ottawa, who had a very good season - certainly played fantastically against our Sabres!!! - and deserved to be in the finals, would have put up a bit more of a fight?

It was Anaheim's series from the start.

So, we let the boys stay up last night for the whole game. Anticipating the conclusion of the NHL season. We were right, and it was fun to see all those guys toting around the most prized trophy in all of sports. Only one Anaheim player has ever been there before. Scott Neidermeyer has won 4 cups, actually (including this one). But everyone else, including his brother Rob, was experiencing the moment for the first time. It was fun to watch. :-)

The only part that wasn't fun was, as a Sabres' fan, thinking, "This should be Chris Drury, and Danny Briere, and Max Afinogenov, and Ryan Miller, and Thomas Vanek..." But, it was not. Maybe we'll get to stay up late to see that scene next season? Probably not with all of those same names, unfortunately :-(

With the clinching of the Stanly Cup, the Ducks have ended the 2006-2007 NHL season. I miss it already! :-( But it's not long till they lace up their skates again and the fast-paced action starts circling ice rinks near you.

For now, it's time to focus on BILLS FOOTBALL! Whoohooo!! :-)

What A Difference

Since the Sabres pulled off the win in Game 4 this thought has crossed my mind several times: “What a difference one of those first three games would make right now!” If the Sabres could have won Game 2, where they jumped out to a 2-0 lead, and even came back to tie the game with only 5 seconds left, but lost for the first time in 47 opportunities when they had a 2-goal lead. Or, if the Sabres could have somehow gotten any of those dozens of blocked shots through to the net in the 1-0 Game 3 loss. If they could have taken even just one of those, the series would be 2-2 headed back to Buffalo, instead of 3-1.

What a difference that would make, eh?

But, it’s not. It’s 3-1. And the Sabres have a good chance to make it 3-2. Just go out and win this game. At home. Crowd behind you. Ottawa is a good road team, but I do like the Sabres chances in this game. If they do pull off the victory, Game Six will likely be the biggest challenge they have faced all year. Ottawa fans want a trip to the finals bad.

But then... so do Buffalo fans. :-)

Can’t wait for the game tomorrow! We’re TiVo-ing it to make sure we get to watch it... as we’ll be traveling back tomorrow from our awesome vacation! (And there’s a birthday party we want to attend right in THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME tomorrow. That should tell you how much we love these friends....) :-)

Go Sabres!!!

Hockey Update

The Final Four are set. Sabres vs Senators in the East, and Red Wings vs Ducks in the West. 1 vs 4 and 1 vs 2. I would love to see Sabres/Red Wings... just for the Dominik Hasek angle. But the Ducks are FAST (like the Sabres) and can score... would be an exciting Stanley Cup Final.

But wait... we have to beat the SENATORS first. :-)

The Sens have been playing great. Great goaltending, great defense and they've been scoring. That's about all you can ask. The Sabres will need to play at least at the same level they did since the last 10 minutes of Game 4 in round two. I think they know that now... so they just need to do it. They'll need to improve their special teams as well. They showed flashes of great penalty killing but the power play was horrendous. (Save for a couple clutch goals in the last two games.)

Here's the schedule for the Sabres series vs their hated division rival, Ottawa:

• May 10 - Ott at Buf - 7pm
  
• May 12 - Ott at Buf - 8pm
  
• May 14 - Buf at Ott - 7pm
  
• May 16 - Buf at Ott - 7pm
  
• May 19 - Ott at Buf - 2pm*
  
• May 21 - Buf at Ott - 7pm*
  
• May 23 - Ott at Buf - 7pm*

* - if necessary.

I see the series going at least 6 games... though it wouldn't surprise me if the Sabres won in less. It would shock me if the Sabres were beaten in less than 6.

They have had one goal since losing in game 7 to Carolina last year. They're almost there. Four wins to the Stanley Cup Finals. Eight wins to Stanley Cup Champs.

Go Buffalo!!

What It Takes To Win

I was watching the second hockey game last night, featuring #5 seed San Jose vs the #1 seed Detroit Red Wings. And I noticed what I think the Sabres might be lacking so far in the playoffs.

Yes, they won the first round in 5 games over the Islanders, and have a 2-1 advantage in this series - only because of a 2OT victory where the Rangers played the best they could, and just barely beat us. But, they have not been impressive in most of the games they have played. They don't look hungry.

The thing our Sabres are missing is the hunger to win. The drive. Whatever you want to call it, I saw "it" in the Sharks last night. The Red Wings might have better players, but the Sharks wanted it more. And they got it.

I'm not sure how (or if?) the Sabres can get that. I have seen them have it this year. People talked about them being able to "flip a switch". It's true. They're scary like that. But the playoffs are for real. If you wait too long, you might not get a chance to flip it "on".

What I have noticed is that when you finish first there are expectations. From without and from within. The Sabres seem to be playing a little tentative at times - you know, to "not lose". They have been winning their games, but have been unable to put games away when they have the lead. (One game the Islanders came back when the Sabres had a 4-1 lead... and I think that was more on their effort than on the Sabres tentativeness... they were great that game.)

It's strange to complain about the #1 team, who has a 6-2 record in the post-season thus far. But... I just notice that they look different than San Jose. And perhaps some other teams. Ottawa really wants it right now too. And they're up 2-1 in their series. That would be a tough, tough series for Buffalo.

But first we have to win this one.

Game four is tonight in NY. Should be tough, but if the Sabres remember what they have been playing for all season... I'd say you'll see the Sabres control and win this game tonight. I won't say easily, but I do think they will control the game tonight.

We'll see if they have what it takes to win!

Round Two Starts Wednesday

Looks like the Sabres/Rangers series will begin Wednesday night in Buffalo. The Lower Hudson Online (the Journal News) is reporting that the Rangers have received the preliminary schedule. I can't wait! Go Sabres!!!

Campbells of the Woods

Well, not really the woods so much, but we sure did spend a LOT of time outdoors this weekend!!!

I had really two goals this weekend. I wanted to clean out our van, which was just disgusting after a whole winter of not being cleaned. Then, I hoped we could get all the sticks and other random junk out of our yard. We have about a quarter acre, so it's not a huge task, but it did take some effort.

Add to those tasks the goal of having burgers on the grill for Saturday and Sunday's evening meal (hopefully with friends!) and we had a full weekend!

• The Van
  Saturday morning began relatively early for a Saturday. I was outside around 9am getting to work on the van. I had to take out all the seats and worked for about 30 minutes just pulling out all the stuff so that I could get in there with the ShopVac. It was really nasty. I think I finished around 12:30pm with all the cleaning... so a good three and a half hours to clean just the inside of our van. Whew!
  
  
• The Back Yard
  Meanwhile, Jen and the kids picked up sticks and raked up the rest of the junk in our back yard. Jen really does not like any sort of yard work, so it was a struggle for her, but she helped a LOT. We stopped for lunch around 1pm or so (a nice Sub from Breen's, with carrots and potato chips... very summer-y) and took a break till around 3pm when Grandma arrived and the boys and I ended up back outside to finish the back yard job. I must say, they did a great job sticking to it, and we finished in pretty good time! The yard looked great, and my boys helped make it that!
  
  
• Cookout #1
  I mentioned Grandma came over... she took the kids to the park for a while and then we all shared a fun summer meal from the grill. We had some fantastic burgers, including a Greek Burger (tomatoes, onions, greek dressing and feta cheese) among others. We even had a few stragglers join us... :-) Our neighbor and his dad were hanging out outside as I was coming in and out from the grill, and so I offered them a burger :-) (One of my favorite things to do is provide food for people...)
  
  
• The Front & Side Yard
  Sunday morning we got a bit of a later start (had waffles for breakfast!) but that was OK, cause the front and side yards are a lot smaller job. We all went out and picked up the piles like the day before, and Mom & Ian worked under the porch, clearing out a bunch of junk that has collected under there over the past four years. We finished up pretty quickly and then headed inside to get lunch ready...
  
  
• Picnic In The Park
  As we were working outside, I thought it was such a nice day that we should go up to the park and have a picnic in the park! Everyone agreed, so we started packing up our sandwiches for the trip. When I got all the sandwiches made, and the other food collected I said, "Where's our picnic basket??" I forgot we didn't have one anymore... So a few seconds later, Kirstie comes around the corner holding a little basket she had emptied of its contents saying, "Here's a basket, Dad!" :-) Very cute!
  
  So we rounded up everything and walked just around the corner to our Village Park. It was just us! They hadn't set up the picnic tables yet (!!) so we ate on the steps of the pavillion at the center of the park. The kids were kinda distracted by eating outside, but I thought it was fun still anyway :-) We stayed and played in the park for at least an hour afterwards. Swings, slides, that spinny thing. Ian fell off of that once. Not good. But Ian also made some fantastic catches of football passes from Dad! It was definitely a highlight of my day! :-)
  
  
• Relaxing Afternoon
  When we got back, the girls took their nap, and the boys and Dad watched the rest of Around The World In 80 Days that we had started a week or two ago. It's THREE HOURS! But we did finish, and we liked it. After that we watched the third period of the NJ Devils vs Tampa Bay Lightning series. Well, I napped for a good bit of that... but I was in the room. :-) The Devils won, so the Sabres will now play the Rangers in round two. That's cool...
  
  
• Cookout #2
  To finish off the weekend, our friends the Stupins came to join us for cookout #2. This was a bit more adventurous for some reason. When I put the burgers on the grill, on low flame... the fire just erupted! The flames were shooting out of everywhere on the grill at least 2 feet in the air!!! Somehow, the burgers were still edible, but man that was crazy!!!
  
  We had fun just playing in our yard (they have three young girls, our kids' age) after dinner for a while. We were also joined bu our neighbors. It was a nice way to spend the evening.
  
  
• Ice Cream!!!
  But we weren't done! Everyone else had to go home around 8pm (bedtime??? crazy!) but we decided to head up to Chill & Grill to top off the weekend with some ice cream!!!! Well, as we were just leaving our house, we saw our babysitter heading home on her bike, and invited her to join us for some ice cream! She agreed, and we had a nice walk up there. (She rode slowly on her bike...) BUT THEN... as we got closer, we noticed there was no line out the door at Chill & Grill... and the OPEN sign was not lit!!!! It wasn't closing time yet... so what's the deal????
  
  We went up to the door and the sign said they were "out of inventory"!!!! NO!!!!!!! We just walked about a mile for their ice cream and they were all out!!!!!! :-(
  
  So, Kristin went home (the babysitter) and we ended up getting some ice cream bars from Breen's (which is just across the street) and eating them at the employee's picnic table behind their store. :-) Not quite the same, but still kinda fun.
  
  
• Late Night Hockey
  We were pretty exhausted when we got home, but we watched the end of the first period of the Detroit / Calgary game and then put most of the kids in bed. Ian got a special treat of some late night hockey watching with Mom & Dad. But at the end of the second period, Mom couldn't even make it anymore so... just Dad remained.
  
  I had to take care of the financial things (paying bills, balancing check books etc) so I did that as I watched... and watched. :-) The game went into a second overtime period before they could decide it. Unfortunately, Detroit won and ended the series. I was at least hoping for a game seven. Calgary pretty much gave all they could though. Detroit is just better. Will be interesting if Buffalo faces them in the final.

And that was our crazy weekend. We definitely enjoyed every last moment of it. I have the tiredness and the SUNBURN to prove it!

I think I'll have some more iced tea now. :-)

Ryan Miller's Big Save!

I wrote up a nice review of the game last night, but a website crashed my browser :-( I was looking for a video of Ryan Miller's big save on NBC.com and some video on their site made my browser shut down :-(

So, no good review... just click the photo above to watch the save (I recorded it myself!) And, check out the article links below:
Newsvine || NHL.com || ESPN (includes video)

Fourth?

The Buffalo Sabres were the one team everyone figured was a lock to advance to the second round. The outcome of every other series going into round one of the Stanley Cup playoffs was at least a little bit in question. But almost everyone agreed that there was really no chance that the Islanders could actually upset the President Trophy winners.

So how is it that three teams have already advanced before the Sabres?

The Sabres have a chance to become the fourth team to advance to round two tonight as they host the Islanders in Game 5 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, leading the series 3-1. (Note: If the game goes into super overtime - maybe third or fourth OT? - then there is a chance that Buffalo would be the fifth team to advance, should the San Jose Sharks finish of the Predators in a game with a start time that is two hours later than the Sabres. But... that's unlikely.) :-)

The NY Rangers were the first, finishing off the higher-seeded Atlanta Thrashers in a sweep. (The only sweep in round one.) They are the likely opponent of the Sabres, if indeed the advance tonight, or any time in the next three possible games. Also moving on yesterday were the Ottawa Senators, making easy work of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks sent the Minnesota Wild home with a 4-1 win last night.

Just over a week into the playoffs and we're getting ready for round two! It's getting pretty exciting here! Let's hope Buffalo can finish off the Islanders tonight and get a bit of a rest before suiting up to take on the Rangers, or perhaps the Tampa Bay Lightning? We shall see!

Sabres Lead 3-1

Chris Drury scored two more goals as the Sabres outplayed the scrappy Islanders, taking a 3-1 series lead with the win. The Sabres were the better team overall, but they never could put it away by scoring a few "buffer goals". The lead was only one goal until Jason Pominville scored on an oustanding individual effort with 1:12 remaining.

There's been a lot of whining by the Islanders, which I (as a Sabres' fan) find interesting... from my perspective, many of the calls/breaks/whatever have gone their way as well. Problem is, they need them ALL to go their way in order for them to have a chance in the series. I like Ted Nolan, but I have not liked the way he has handled himself in the post-game press conferences so far. He definitely feels like his team is being treated unfairly, that's pretty obvious.

But, no matter. His woes will soon be over as Buffalo should finish up the series at home Friday night. Game time is 7pm. With a win, the Sabres advance to round two, and most likely will take on another New York team, as the Rangers swept past the Thrashers with a win last night. If Tampa Bay can upset #2 seed New Jersey, then the Sabres would play them in round two... but that's not that likely as NJ tied up their series last night with an overtime win.

I am of course getting ahead of myself. The Sabres still need to win one more game, but with three chances to do that... it's pretty likely.

Go Sabres!

(read the game recap from nhl.com)

Sabres Take Game Three

It wasn't easy, but they did manage to pull out the win, never trailing in the game.

Quite different from game two, Buffalo scored the first (and second) goal of the game, and then added a 5-on-3 power play goal to make it 3-1, holding on for the 3-2 win.

All of the scoring was in the second period, with Ryan Smyth scoring at 19:22 of the 2nd to make it seem close. It was lazy play by the Sabres (as though the period was already over) and great play by the Islanders... but NY just never quite matched up tonight.

The game felt close, right down to the finish, but this was another game where the Sabres were just better. New York played a great game, but never really caught up.

If the Sabres can win on Wednesday night, it would be really, really difficult for the Islanders to even win another game - let alone compete to advance to round two. Game Four is definitely important to both teams.

Things are looking good for the Sabres again! They now lead the series 2-1. Go Sabres!!

(Other Eastern Conference action... The Devils (2) lost tonight and now trail Tampa Bay (7) 2-1 in that series.... New York Rangers (6) are leading their series 2-0 against Atlanta (3) ... and Ottawa (4) leads Pittsburgh (5) in their series 2-1. If they advance, the Sabres will play the lowest seeded team to advance to the second round.)

I Love This Time Of Year!

I have been watching SO MUCH HOCKEY since last Wednesday when the playoffs got off to a GREAT start with a 4OT game out in Vancouver! (Unfortunately, the 4th OT was pre-empted for an infomercial... that was not good...) But it's great! There are 3 or 4 hockey games per day!!! And it's GREAT hockey. Everyone just plays much harder. Everyone. (Except the Sabres for that first 15 minutes on Saturday... but hopefully they learned their lesson!)

I've been watching the Vancouver series, another great game last night. The Canucks won in OT. The only two Canadian teams this year are Vancouver and Ottawa. As a Sabres fan, and not a fan of goon hockey, I can't really root for Ottawa, but you have to root for at least ONE team from Canada to reach the second round!!

It will be interesting, if the Sabres advance past round one as they are expected to, the Rangers are also currently leading their series against Atlanta, so they might be the next opponent for the No. 1 seed Sabres. And, likely, the New Jersey Devils might be the other team to make the Eastern Conference Finals, so it's plausible that the Sabres could play three opponents all from the same area to get to the Stanley Cup finals.

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. :-)

Sabres play game three tonight, and then game two of the double-header on Versus is Nashville at San Jose!