Mike Santorelli scored the winning goal in the shootout to lift the Panthers to a 5-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.

The injury-riddled Panthers got just their fifth home win in 18 games (5-8-5) this season.

“I felt like there was a feeling on the bench that, you know what, we owed our fans here at home, we owed ourselves,” Panthers coach Kevin Dineen said. “We didn’t want to make it that entertaining but we’ll take it.”

Jonathan Huberdeau also scored in the shootout for the Panthers and Jason Pominville scored for Buffalo.

Santorelli’s winner came on the fourth round of the shootout.

“I saw him poke check there and luckily I was able to go around him,” Santorelli said. “Tonight it was good to come back and finish it off.”

Shawn Matthias had two goals in regulation and Huberdeau and Tomas Fleischmann also scored for the Panthers, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Jacob Markstrom made 36 saves.

Marcus Foligno, Drew Stafford, Andrej Sekera, and Nathan Gerbe scored for the Sabres and Ryan Miller stopped 36 shots.

Huberdeau tied the score at 4-all when he pushed the puck past Miller for a power-play goal with 6:09 remaining in the third period. It was Huberdeau’s first goal in his past 10 games.

“It felt good,” Huberdeau said. “As long as we win, I don’t care if I don’t score for 15 games.”

Foligno’s power-play goal with 8:27 to go in the third broke a 3-3 tie. Jordan Leopold’s shot from the left circle was deflected by Foligno and got past Markstrom, but the Sabres couldn’t hold the lead.

“We had a chance to just hunker down in the third and didn’t do it,” Miller said.

Matthias’s put the Panthers up 1-0 at 3:28 of the first period. Miller blocked a shot but Matthias took the rebound in the slot and beat Miller on the stick side. It gave Matthias eight goals in his past 15 games.

“A couple of lucky bounces. I’ll take it,” Matthias said.

Fleischmann’s power-play goal 43 seconds into the second period made it 2-0. He took a pass to the right of the crease and wristed the puck high into the net.

The Sabres made it 2-1 less than a minute later when Gerbe took a shot from above the right circle near the boards that deflected off a Panthers player and into the net at 1:36. Gerbe has four goals this season and three of them have come against the Panthers.

The Sabres scored twice late in the second to take a 3-2 lead.

Sekera grabbed a loose puck at the point and fired it past Markstrom with 5:04 remaining to tie the score. Christian Ehroff’s shot from above the right circle was deflected by Stafford and bounced into the net with 56 seconds to go to put Buffalo ahead.

The Panthers tied it 3-all on Matthias’s second goal as he got a rebound at the bottom of the left circle and his wrist shot got past Miller at 5:23 of the third.

“Obviously we didn’t get the start we wanted, fell behind and kept composure and bounced back into the game, but again it’s unfortunate to give up a lead,” Pominville said. “Again, it’s one of those one-goal games that we have to find a way to win.”

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“I don’t have a best-case scenario,” the Vancouver Canucks goaltender said amid ongoing speculation that the NHL club may have to lower its expectations to move the pricey puck-stopper after his seven seasons here. “It’s something when you don’t have things that are under your control, there’s no sense worrying about that stuff and letting it creep into your mind and affecting you.”

Cory Schneider will make his sixth-straight start Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche and in five-straight wins has valued to fifth in save percentage (.923) and ninth in goals-against average (2.19). All this over his 19 games with Luongo’s larger presence looming as the franchise’s winningest netminder and a power play that has plummeted to 29th at 13.1 per cent. It was fourth last season and first overall in 2010-11.

“We’ve all seen how Schneids is playing right now and there’s no reason that they would take him out,” added Luongo, who sports at 2.47 GAA (19th) and .904 saves percentage (33rd) in his 15 games. “He’s playing unreal and probably the best goalie in the league right now, so obviously roll with the hot hand and that’s totally understandable.”

So is the fact the goalie market keeps shifting as teams either lose steam in their playoff position pushes, need a quick but costly postseason fix or plan to stand pat at the April 3 deadline. Luongo turns 34 the next day. From the Miikka Kiprusoff saga to Ryan Miller, Jonathan Bernier, Ben Bishop and Mike Smith, there are more options for suitors than taking on Luongo’s long deal that has an attractive $5.33 million US cap hit, but will pay out $6.714 million the next five seasons in the nine left of the deal. The Canucks need a third-line centre, but they may have to take less or draft picks and dump salary with the cap lowering to $64.3 million next season. Or they could try and deal with the dilemma in the offseason. Kind of mind-numbing for Luongo?

“I thought about it before the season and I’m fully aware of the scenarios,” said Luongo, who could be a playoff bench-warmer in Vancouver. “Whatever happens, I’ll be prepared and be a good teammate. I’m trying to be as positive as I can. Things change quick in the league. It’s not good for me to be in a bad spot in my mind if things happen.”

bkuzma@theprovince.com

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Ryan Miller of the Sabres could become only the second starting goaltender under contract to be traded since 2010.  (Jerome Davis/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

So you say your team has a goalie it might want to move before the trade deadline. Maybe he’s been an Olympian or an All-Star. Maybe he’s just a young buck with potential to be both.

And since everyone knows that a good keeper can make or break a team, you’re wanting a fair return in any transaction. Fair as in, a first-rounder, a top prospect, a roster player, concession stand rights and maybe a little something off the top for the guys who are working hard down on the loading docks.

Well, it rarely works out that way. In fact, most returns when a goaltender is moved are fairly underwhelming.

Are Bruins inflating market for Malcom Subban?

To set the stage for what could be a couple of interesting swaps over the next week, we collected every trade involving a netminder during the past four years. There are no 1:1 comparisons to this year’s market — unless Ben Bishop moves again, obviously — but there are a couple of transactions that give you an idea of what to expect when you expect your goalie to be dealt.

Keep in mind that a player’s contract situation is likely the single most important factor in any trade discussion.

Note that this list only includes deals in which a goaltender was a major component so, for example, the 2012 trade that saw Calgary get Karri Ramo as a throw-in along with Mike Cammalleri isn’t included (although Ramo now figures prominently into the team’s future plans).

2013

Dustin Tokarski (to Montreal) for Cedrick Desjardins (to Tampa Bay)
A pair of minor leaguers swap sweaters. We could see a few deals like this as teams look to make slight upgrades on their depth chart.

Tim Thomas (to New York Islanders) for conditional pick (to Boston)
Salary cap dump that moved money off one team’s ledger (Boston) and onto another’s. Probably a one-off.

Henrik Karlsson (to Chicago) for seventh-rounder (to Calgary)
Karlsson was unable to lock down the backup job with the Flames. The Blackhawks bought depth at a bargain price.

2012

Sergei Bobrovsky (to Columbus ) for second-rounder, two fourth-rounders (to Philadelphia)
One of the most telling swaps. Philly managed a solid return for a player who was relegated to a secondary role after the acquisition of Ilya Bryzgalov. The Flyers wisely took another goalie, Anthony Stolarz, with one of the picks. It was a gamble for Columbus, but nearly a year later, the deal looks like a steal for the Blue Jackets.

Jonas Gustavsson (to Detroit) for seventh-rounder (to Toronto)
Detroit places a low-risk bet on a backup with health problems.

Anders Lindback (to Tampa Bay) for two second-rounders and third-rounder (to Nashville)
Despite Linback’s limited NHL experience, Tampa Bay gambles three picks on a jumbo Swedish netminder who many believe has the potential to be a high-end starter. The proverbial jury is still out.

Tomas Vokoun (to Pittsburgh) for seventh-rounder (to Florida)
This is the deal that Detroit should have made. The Pens added an experienced backup at minimal cost when the Panthers decided to cut ties with the pending free agent, and then signed him to a two-year deal.

Ben Bishop (to Ottawa) for second rounder (to St. Louis)
The Blues needed to clear a logjam at the position after the emergence of Brian Elliott. The Sens paid a fairly high price given Bishop’s inexperience (13 games). If he moves again, it might take a Varlamov-type payment (see below). But with Craig Anderson still sidelined, odds are he stays in Ottawa though until the summer.

Curtis McIlhenny (to Columbus) for forward Antoine Vermette (to Phoenix)
The Blue Jackets also got a second- and a fifth-rounder along with the backup netminder.

2011

Semyon Varlamov (to Colorado) for first- and second-rounder (to Washington)
It seemed like a risky overpayment at the time, given the chances for the Avs’ pick to be in the lottery (it turned out to be winger Filip Forsberg at No. 11) and the fact that the Caps had lost faith in Varlamov. Considering what the Jackets had to give up to get Bobrovsky, it probably was.

Ilya Bryzgalov (to Philadelphia) for winger Matt Clackson and two third-rounders (to Phoenix)
This was a decent value for a pending UFA that the Coyotes had no intention of re-signing.

Anton Khudobin (to Boston) for blueliner Jeff Penner, forward Mikko Lehtonen (to Minnesota)
The Wild were happy to get anything for a free agent who was expected to return to Russia after the season. Truth is, they didn’t get much, and the B’s landed a solid backup.

Dan Ellis (to Anaheim) for Curtis McIlhenney (to Tampa Bay)
A couple of benchwarmers switched seats.

Craig Anderson (to Ottawa) for Brian Elliott (to Colorado)
See above. Only this one turned out to have a little more upside for Ottawa. Elliott won the Jennings Trophy with Jaroslav Halak in 2012, but struggled this season and took a seat as rookie Jake Allen was given a look.

Al Montoya (to New York Islanders) for sixth-rounder (to Phoenix)
Seldom-used backup acquired for spare change. Montoya played well for stretches on the Island, but was allowed to walk to Winnipeg last summer.

Dwayne Roloson (to Tampa Bay) for defenseman Ty Wishart (New York Islanders)
Wishart was a former first-rounder moving on to his third team — never a good sign. Roloson was a 40-year-old pending UFA who didn’t fit into the Isles’ future plans. Worked out pretty well for the Bolts, at least until last season.

2010

Cedrick Desjardins (to Tampa Bay) for Karri Ramo (to Montreal)
A flip of a pair of goaltenders who dwelled deep down the charts.

Henrik Karlsson (to Calgary) for sixth-rounder (to San Jose)
Calgary gambled a late pick that it could develop Karlsson into Miikka Kiprusoff’s replacement. He was flipped three years later for a seventh-rounder, so the deal was essentially a wash.

Jaroslav Halak (to St. Louis) for center Lars Eller and winger Ian Schultz (to Montreal)
This only instance of a No. 1 goalie being moved in contract during the last three seasons, and probably the most instructive for the 2013 deadline. Halak returned a solid prospect, though not one of St. Louis’ best, and a project. If Ryan Miller is moved, this is the sort of return the Sabres might expect.

Although they began the shortened 2013 season in disastrous fashion, the Buffalo Sabres find themselves in a bit of a quandary right now. One week away from the trade deadline, the squad sits three points out of a playoff spot thanks to three consecutive wins over the Montreal Canadiens (twice) and Toronto Maple Leafs. While fans were once clamoring for a fire sale and pulling the plug on the season, the Sabres now have some difficult decisions to make. With the playoffs within reach, it’s hard to tear apart a roster that has had recent success. At the same time, this team is not good enough to compete with the likes of the Penguins, Bruins, and Canadiens in a seven game series. This begs the question: What to do at the trade deadline? As much as I love the playoffs, you can count me among those saying “blow it up.”

Why blow it up, you say? A simple look at the statistics tells an ugly story of the Sabres’ season. Only four teams give up more goals than the Sabres and they rank 18th in the league in goals scored. This leaves them with a -0.5 goal differential per game. Simply put, the easiest way to lose a hockey game is to give up more goals than you score. I’d like to look at some other telling statistics, too. Despite recent success, the Sabres still maintain sole possession of the league’s worst power-play unit, which has also given up a league-leading five shorthanded goals. In addition, they have the 26th ranked penalty kill. Adding to these damning statistics is their abysmal 29th ranked face-off percentage and their 3rd most penalty minutes in the league. These statistics only tell a fraction of a very sad story. Plainly put, the Sabres are lucky to be in the position they are. Over the long haul, you can expect things to normalize and the team will fall out of contention. Blow it up.

Let’s take a look at some players who could (and should) be moved at the deadline to improve this team for the future:

Robyn Regehr: An experienced veteran and calming presence on the blue line, Regehr could be a very attractive option for contenders at the deadline. While his game certainly isn’t as good as it was years ago, he will garner serious interest. A team like the LA Kings could look in his direction for a partner for the struggling Drew Doughty. Although he has a no-trade clause, I’d look for him to waive it to move to a contender. He can come back in the summer as an unrestricted free agent if he so desires. I expect his price on the trade market to be fairly high (think 2nd rounder and a middle-tier prospect — or even just a first rounder) despite just being a rental. Any contender would love to shore up their defense.

Jordan Leopold: Leopold is no stranger to the trade deadline game; he has long been a mainstay on the rental market at this time of year. Leopold, however, is showing some serious signs of age in his game. Although he was reliable for the Sabres in the past few years, he has been injury prone and a defensive liability in the recent past. His price tag may not be very high as he is also an impending UFA, but the Sabres could get as much as a second round pick for his services.

Drew Stafford: I can’t and won’t attempt to pretend that my personal bias isn’t part of this. This guy has been one of my least favorite players for a long time for reasons that I think are valid. His best season was when he scored 31 goals in an injury-shortened season of 62 games. That grades out to 41 goals in a full season. So, what’s wrong with that? It was a contract year and he hasn’t come close to that in the subsequent years. I truly believe that he would be a first line player if he gave enough effort, but he doesn’t. He looks lost this year and could use a change of scenery. I think Stafford only leaves Buffalo in a true hockey trade — not a trade for prospects. I’d look for a team like Edmonton to offer one of defensemen Ladislav Smid or Ryan Whitney for the perennial underachiever. 

Beyond these guys, you have some big names that could be available for the right price. Namely, those are Jason Pominville and Ryan Miller. The captain has recently been called out by Coach Ron Rolston for his lack of competitiveness in a loss to the Washington Capitals. While I don’t expect him to move, his contract has one year remaining after this season, and he could attract some interest from a team trying to put themselves over the top. He would command at least one first round pick and a high quality prospect in a trade. Ryan Miller also has one year left after this season. His situation is a curious one. He is always very confrontational with the media, calling out teammates and himself when the team underperforms. I’ve never been a Miller apologist, but he has a bad defense in front of him, yet still keeps the team in most games. One need only point to his 38 saves to one goal against in the last game at Montreal to understand his ability to dominate an opponent. The biggest problem with Miller, though, is finding a suitor. The NHL is moving away from expensive goaltenders, and one has to wonder who would take on his big contract at age 32 (and presumably at a very expensive cost in a trade).

Given the Sabres’ general ineptitude over the last few years, it’s hard to root against making the playoffs. However, it’s important to understand that this team will not fare well in the second season if they are so lucky as to make it. For that reason, it’s best to clear salary cap space and secure a high pick in this year’s loaded draft. More on that in the coming months. Thanks for reading.

It’s now official. The Buffalo Sabres are streaking.

For the second time in five days, the Sabres visited the Bell Centre in Montreal and for the second time in five days, the Sabres left with two valuable points.

Buffalo came into Montreal after defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs in a shootout this past Thursday. That bumped Buffalo up in the standings, leaving them just four points out of a playoff spot. That’s incredible. 

There would be no scoring in the first 30 minutes of the game, and for Buffalo, that was a gift.

The Canadiens outshot the Sabres 13-5 in the first period, and spent the majority of the first 20 minutes in Buffalo’s zone. The effort Buffalo gave in the first period was what every Sabres fan is used to watching. Chasing the puck around in their own zone, not being able to clear the puck out even though there was a clear lane to do so, and Ryan Miller having to do backflips in net. You’d think the Sabres were out of this game, just like you thought they were completely out of the playoff race — but in classic Buffalo style, they prove us wrong.

Nine minutes into the second period, Mike Blunden would be whistled for interference sending Buffalo to the power play. Just 39 seconds after Blunden’s penalty, PK Subban tossed the puck up over the glass which would give Buffalo a 91 second 5-on-3 power play.

Cody Hodgson had the puck along the half wall in Montreal’s zone where he and Jason Pominville would play catch. As soon as Pominville got the puck back to Hodgson, Hodgson fired a pass to Ehrhoff at the point. Ehrhoff let a heavy clapper go right on net that deflected off of Thomas Vanek’s stick and into the net to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead.

Goal Breakdown: Buffalo’s powerplay has been horrific all season, but when there are only three penalty killers out on the ice, the Sabres usually find the back of the net. On this goal, for me, it’s Hodgson’s mindset. He could’ve given the puck to Ehrhoff right away, but elected to play catch with Pominville for a second before sending it to Ehrhoff at the point. The two passes between Pommers and Hodgson spread the three defenders out wide enough so that Ehrhoff would have no problem getting his shot to the net. It also helps having Thomas Vanek planted right in front as well. The goal was originally awarded to Ehrhoff but the team asked for it to be reviewed. After the review, it was evident that Ehrhoff’s shot did go off Vanek’s stick before it hit twine.

About nine minutes later, the Sabres did something that they’ve allowed other teams to do all season long; Score a goal in the final seconds of a period.

Ennis lost the draw in Montreal’s zone, allowing the Canadiens to easily clear the puck. Brendan Gallagher had the puck at center and tried to send it up ice into Buffalo territory, but his stick broke on the dumping attempt. Gallagher’s fanned pass allowed Buffalo to get back into the offensive zone. Ehrhoff took the lose puck, and immediately sent it to Leino who was right on the Canadiens blue line. Leino received Ehrhoff’s pass and quickly sent a cross ice pass for a streaking Tyler Ennis. Ennis had Vanek cutting in front of the net, and hit him with a perfect pass right to the tape. Vanek patiently waited for Price to make his move, and simple dunked the puck on the open side to make it 2-0, Buffalo. It was a pretty three-way passing play.

Goal Breakdown: The best way to describe the Leino-Ennis-Vanek line is: Crafty. Those three can create a scoring opportunity in the blink of an eye, and thats exactly what they did on this play. As soon as Gallagher’s stick broke, Leino knew right away that Ehrhoff would be the first man to the puck, and wisely crept towards the Canadiens blue line. Ehrhoff found Leino instantly and the play was on. Ennis was flying into Montreal’s zone when Leino received the pass from Ehrhoff. Ennis was clapping his stick on the ice calling for the puck, and Leino put it on his tape. Ennis quickly hit Vanek in front, and when Thomas Vanek is in front of the net with momentum and the puck on his stick, it’s usually going into the back of the net.

The Sabres went into the second intermission up 2-0, and outshot 23-13. That’s absolutely amazing considering how awful Buffalo has been in the middle period this season.

Montreal, however, would not go down without a fight.

About seven minutes into the third period Marcus Foligno would be called for tripping, sending the Canadiens to their third power play of the evening.

Andrei Markov had the puck in his own zone with just 46 seconds left in the power play when he sent the puck up to Subban at center. Subban chipped the puck in Buffalo’s zone, and quickly chased after it. Subban split three Sabre penalty killers, and got the puck  back to the point for Markov. Markov immediately fired a shot/pass intended for Michael Ryder’s stick. Markov’s feed was perfect as it deflected off of Ryder’s stick and past Miller to cut the the Sabres lead to 2-1.

Goal Breakdown: This was all set up by PK Subban who has turned into a power play specialist this season. Subban had the puck at center when he chipped the puck into the Sabres zone. Subban slipped in-between Myers, Leopold, and Kaleta, allowing him to get the puck back to center. Subban’s dumb and chase was so effective that it drew Steve Ott over towards the play which left the entire offensive zone wide open. Ryder noticed the Sabres out of position, and went right into the slot when Markov got the puck at the point. Markov sent a hard pass right to the tape that deflected in. Miller was helpless on that one. Subban made that penalty killing unit look like a joke when he chased the puck into the zone so cleanly that it drew all four defenders over.

The Canadiens would continue to bring the pressure and would outshoot the Sabres 16-5 in the period.

Despite being outshot 39-18, the Sabres still found a way to sneak out Montreal with two points. That’s something you wouldn’t say two months ago.

Buffalo is now 4-1-1 in their last six games, and are on a current three game winning streak. A lot of that has to do with fantastic goaltending by Ryan Miller and Jhonas Enroth. Miller didn’t have the strongest game against the Maple Leafs, but he still did his part in the shootout by giving Buffalo a chance to win the game.

The Sabres currently sit in 12th place with 30 points, three points out of the eighth place seed in the Eastern Conference. The New York Rangers are the current eight seed in the playoff picture.

Notes:

- With his assist on Vanek’s goal, Tyler Ennis now holds a 4 game point streak (2G + 4A).

- Ryan Miller stops 38 of 39 shots giving him his second straight win.

- Thomas Vanek – Tyler Ennis – Ville Leino’s line could be one of the hottest unit’s in the NHL if they keep their speed and intensity up.

- Andrej Sekera missed his fourth straight game as he’s still out due to an upper body injury.

- Drew Stafford was a healthy scratch.

- That loss was only Montreal’s third regulation loss on home ice. They’re 20-6-5 on the year so far. After that 6-1 loss over month ago, Buffalo has beaten Montreal in three straight meetings, each time it’s been in a different fashion. First a shootout, then Steve Ott’s overtime winner, and Saturday it was in regulation.

– The Sabres are off until Tuesday when they will head to Tampa Bay to face the Lightning. The Sabres won the first and only meeting all season by the score of 2-1. Puck drop set for 7:30

Before this week, and his wins against Toronto and Montreal, Ryan had hit a skid of 6 games without a win, dating back to March 2nd. On CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada last night, Glenn Healy made a good point during the 2nd intermission of the Leaf’s game, saying that ever since Ryan won the Vezina trophy (given to the best goalie during the regular) following the 09-10 season, his numbers have dropped and has never been the same. And this is true, seeing his GAA and his save % has dropped considerably. What Kevin Weekes, analyst on Hockey Night in Canada, believes Ryan needs to do is just concentrate on stopping the puck. Because his play is the only thing Ryan can actually control, I agree with Kevin, and Ryan needs to focus on regaining his Vezina form.

The Sabres changed owners, with Terry Pegula taking the reins in 2011, and promising to fans that Buffalo would move all in, in the near future, pushing for a playoff spot and contention for the Stanley Cup. Well, since Pegula arrived, all he’s done is bring in Ville Leino who has had one good season and hasn’t done much since, traded for Cody Hodgson (who, in his defence, has done outstanding on the Sabres top line), resigned Robyn Regehr, and fired longtime coach Lindy Ruff. That’s not really the definition of ‘going all in.’ Ryan has every right to be frustrated, not just with his play, but with how everyone else is playing and how management and ownership are handling the situation. He is 32 and has plenty of time left in his career, but I truly believe Ryan wants to play for a division- and cup-contending team now. He has yet to ask for a trade, but I think it is only a matter of time until he asks Darcy Regeir, Sabres’ manager, for a move out of upper-state New York.

At this moment, the goalie market is quite small, so I don’t see any imminent moves for Miller’s services by the trade deadline (April 3rd). However, it is quite possible, that with expiring contracts and teams looking to bolster their rosters over the off-season, we could see Ryan changing jerseys in just a couple months. I am a huge fan of Ryan Miller, and I never get tired of hearing Sabres commentator Rick Jeanneret scream, “It’s Miller Time!!!!!!” every time he makes an outstanding save. But with the Sabres playing so inconsistently, and Ryan not getting as patient or younger, I really think that Miller Time in Buffalo is coming to an end.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_pegula

http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8468011&view=notes

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2637/gamelog;_ylt=Al5pvJdVnPO0V_0SOMLEQ_ZivLYF

http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm?season=20122013&type=CON

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2637/career;_ylt=Al71zYWntIjFCoMcyXpZ7GJivLYF

2. Inconvenient gastrointestinal symptoms.

3. 3 PM at work.

4. Pain

5. Having no options for an endowment increase.

6. Being broke.

7. Payday. No seriously.

8. Mondays.

9. The phone rings and instead of Selena Gomez, it’s your parents.

10. 5 years and George Carlin is still in Hell. No justice in the world.

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Sabres forward Steve Ott did score the game deciding goal, but he did a better job summing up the night in the locker room after the game.

“That’s fun,” said Ott.

Buffalo came back from an early 2-0 deficit to tie the game at three before the end of the second and held on in the third to get the game to overtime before they eventually downed the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 5-4 shootout win in front of 19,070 raucous fans, in both teams’ colors, at First Niagara Center.

“Honestly that’s easy energy you can take from the crowd,” added Ott.

The game got off to a wild start as Buffalo John Scott dropped the gloves with Toronto’s Fraser McLaren as Leafs tough guy Colton Orr tried picking a fight with Sabres pest Patrick Kaleta. Orr was booted from the game and Buffalo started off with a four minute powerplay which they failed to capitalize on.

Toronto would open up the scoring with two goals 1:16 apart just minutes later, beating Ryan Miller twice on five shots in the opening period. Tyler Ennis scored late in the period to cut the deficit to one.

The physical play continued to escalate throughout the game, and Toronto regained their two-goal lead on Mikhail Grabovski goal about nine minutes in. Buffalo would storm back on goals 0:45 apart by Marcus Foligno and Jason Pominville to tie the game, and then take the lead early in the third on a Christian Ehrhoff powerplay goal.

Leafs leading scorer Nazem Kadri would tie the game six minutes later, and except for a lot of hitting, the game was unresolved through 65 minutes of play.

“It was nasty and chippy and that’s the way it should be,” said Foligno.

Drew Stafford tallied in round 2 of the skills competition and Ott would score the shootout winner as Miller stopped 5 of 6 Leafs shooters, complementing his 30 saves through regulation and overtime.

Buffalo, with the win, sits just four points out of 8th place with 17 games remaining. Just when you thought they were out, they suck you right back in.

• John Scott, as much as he gets bashed, may have had his most effective game as a Sabre in 3:02 of ice time. He was able to bait Leafs forward Phil Kessel into a coincidental minor, which is a trade you take any day. And he had some fun after the game.
  
• Marcus Foligno always seems to step his game up when they play Toronto. Not just on the scoresheet (has six points in six career games) but as a physical presence. Makes you wish they played the Leafs more often.
• The drumline in the arena looks dumber and dumber each game. Yes, having someone lead chants is great until they stop, and then everyone else does. You’re creating sheep instead of putting the onus on the fans to make their own noise. Band-aid over a bullet wound.
• Ryan Miller allowed four goals, but honestly, was really, really good. I don’t think he can be at fault for either of the first two Leafs goals. He made the saves in the third period and overtime that he needed to. He made the saves in the shootout. He put them in a position to win.
• Looking like a rookie, Mark Pysyk looked really shaky early in his home debut. He lost track of Kadri on the second Leafs goal. But after that, he settled in and didn’t look too bad, and even had a nice shift in overtime. Even if he goes back soon, I like what I see out of him.
• Can Steve Ott get a letter already? He’s already becoming one of the go-to-guys in the locker room. Leads by example on the ice with passion. He’s becoming what we hoped for when we acquired him.
• After Ott scored in the shootout, Cody Hodgson jumped off the bench to celebrate the win… only problem was that Toronto still had to shoot. Drew Stafford was slapping the boards, cracking up on the bench.
• Hodgson had a great game too. His shift with Pominville after the Foligno goal was masterful, just dancing around the Leafs defense. Pominville scored to tie it and momentum was in Buffalo’s favor. Looked really strong on the puck and made some nice plays. He’s developing into a low #1/high #2 center quite nicely.
• Christian Ehrhoff was fantastic. 27:01 TOI, huge powerplay goal, two assists. Guy’s a steal at $4 million.
• That was a fun hockey game to watch. Building was fun. Wish they had people here that could make it feel like that more often.

3MI Three Star Selections (vote entered around 6 minute mark of 3rd period)
1. Nazem Kadri, Toronto
2. Tyler Ennis, Buffalo
3. Christian Ehrhoff, Buffalo

Official Three Stars of the Game
1. Christian Ehrhoff, Buffalo (goal (3), 2 assists)
2. Nazem Kadri, Toronto (2 goals (13), assist)
3. Tyler Ennis, Buffalo (goal (9), assist)

Quote of the night:

“I guess you’re not allowed to blow guys kisses on the ice, it’s offensive.” — Buffalo Sabres forward Steve Ott

Lawmakers began confronting a multibillion-dollar budget headache Wednesday that’s been looming for years: the funding gap at the state teachers’ pension fund.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office called on lawmakers to erase a $73 billion shortfall at the California State Teachers’ Retirement System over the next 30 years, saying any delay in dealing with the pension fund’s finances will translate into higher costs down the road.

“This is more costly the longer that we wait,” LAO analyst Ryan Miller told a joint Assembly-Senate hearing on CalSTRS funding.

Legislators vowed to deal with the problem, though they indicated it will take time to find a solution.

Click here to view the full article 

Sorry, that was just me losing consciousness because of an attack of severe boredom.

Practically everyone that I know has as at some point been subjected to an extended rant (delivered by myself) about how much I dislike international football. Ok, if it’s on I will watch it, but only to satisfy my football jones, not because of any positive commitment to it on my part. I used to take more interest in it when it was the only thing available. Now I can (usually) watch the matches that I want, so my interest has rather faded. I might add as a caveat that the start of the international tournaments invariably meant that I couldn’t find a place to sit at the George and Dragon (my favorite hangout in Fremont during my Seattle days), so there is an element of personal bitterness here as well.

I always resent these international breaks, but I find this particularly galling because, for reasons of which I am completely ignorant, the league has seen fit to give us a bye this week. So, basically, no football for me this week. Well, I guess Norway is playing Albania tomorrow. I’m sure that will be a pulsating encounter, full of efjkqu4g0yhj035yjuw4jiwjkiwe5. Sorry, lost consciousness again.

On to matters in which I (and perhaps you) have some interest. Here is a bit of postgame interview footage with Will Johnson (I think it continues into a talk RodWal as well). He says just about what you’d imagine. I post it really because I like the guy and he gives me a feeling of confidence, even though he was a bit out of position on Seattle’s goal.

http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf/2013/03/portland_timbers_video_will_jo_7.html

I thought I would devote the balance of this post to the question of formation. We opened the season playing what looked to me like a 4-4-1-1. Chará and Will Johnson in the middle, Nagbe and Alhassan wide, Valeri in the middle right behind Ryan Johnson. Although it took us a while to find our footing against the Energy Drinks on opening night, that was a formation that had a lot to recommend it. Harrington and Nagbe worked pretty well on the left side, and Valeri did a good job of distribution (while opening his own account as well). Putting aside the defensive mishaps for the time being, the real problem them that I and others noted was on the right side. Alhassan and Miller didn’t really function very well together. Blame accrues to both men. Alhassan has definitely improved since last season, but he still hasn’t quite grokked what he is supposed to do in this system. Miller did a decent job in terms of positioning and getting up and down the pitch, but his work on the ball was not great and he seemed kind of discombobulated in his attempts to work with Kalif.

One gets the impression that Porter recognized this as well, because since the second half of the match with Montreal we have been in a process of experimentation on the right hand side. The most prominent change has been the substitution of Zemanski for Miller. I think Miller is a slightly better defender and that might be an argument for preferring him at right back. Zemanski looks quicker to me and is a noticeably better crosser of the ball. Alhassan seems to have been shifted to a reeducation camp for the time being, and I think that this has led to some unfortunate consequences. It means that there is really no full time right side midfielder. Valeri was sort of positioned on that side of the field in the last match, but by instinct and inclination he is a guy who wants to get to the middle of the park. It looked to me as if Chará was trying to slide over into that space at times, but he too is a guy who is better off if he is centrally located.

The match in Seattle represents a peculiar case because it was clear (and Porter said as much) that we were going into the whole thing with a more defensive orientation that in other matches. This is the sort of thing that one might have expected in an away match against a pacey side like the Sounders, even without having conceded five times in the previous two matches. The result was Franken-lineup: Jewsbury inserted as a defensive midfielder and an arrangement on the right side of the pitch that I could have told you was going to be dysfunctional from the off. In the event I was not really surprised that the goal that we conceded came from that quarter. Among Chará, Zemanski, Johnson, and Jewsbury, no one was in a position to shut the whole thing down.

As I said, I understand why Porter sent us out in the formation that he did, and if it was me I might well have done the same. That said, we need to sort out the right flank and do it soon. We have a potent attack up the left hand side, working either down the flank or into the middle, but teams recognize this now (because they’ve seen enough film of us to know) and they are keying on it. We had our most promising moments against Montreal when we were able to shift the ball back and forth between the flanks in a way that didn’t allow their defense to concentrate in good shape on one or the other side of the pitch.

The answer to the question, so it appears to me, has two elements. One is the fullback question. As to this I am agnostic. Both Miller and Zemanski have had their problems. I guess if you put a gun to my head I’d pick the latter just because I think he adds a bit more to our game offensively. As to the right side of midfield, it seems like the options are Kalif or someone else. By someone else I don’t me putting one of our central guys out there. I really mean sticking someone like Zizzo out there to give us some attacking punch. Or we could just go with Kalif until he figures it out.

Having said all this, I will concede that Porter seems to be pretty satisfied with the way that things went in Seattle, at least if this story is anything to go by. Once again, I can see why he feels this way, and he’s not wrong to note that we only gave up eleven shots against one of the more potent offenses in the league. If he can figure out a way to get Jewsbury (or some other defense midfield specialist) in their without absolutely neutering our offensive potential then I say: more power to him.

Magadh

Best buddies again: Ryan Miller feels that Patrick Kaleta’s remarks were misrepresented by a member of the media. (Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

It sounds as though the fences have been mended in the Buffalo Sabres’ room.

Ryan Miller, speaking today to Sabres TV, said he’d cleared the air with teammate Patrick Kaleta after telling him through the media to “grow up.”

“I’ve actually apologized to Patty,” Miller said. “I felt like what I was told he said and what he actually said were two different things. I’m not gonna get too far into it, but the meaning was different enough for me to react the way I did. And what he actually said sounded more like a player who just wants to come back and play as soon as possible, and he’s frustrated…which is completely what you’d expect. So we’re going to try to move on from that.

“Either way, I probably shouldn’t have handled it like that, but again, I was frustrated and I think everyone in Buffalo knows I’m prone to say stupid things…over the course of the season. I handled it with Patty, I wanted to handle it publicly. It wasn’t the right thing to say, no matter what.”

Miller’s initial comments came after Sunday’s 5-3 loss to the Capitals. “You can get me to say anything after a loss like that,” he said.

While it sounds like everyone on the team is back to being Facebook buddies, it’ll be interesting to see how this impacts the team’s relationship with the local media. Miller called the quotes he was presented by Buffalo News writer Mike Harrington “misleading.”

“I felt it was misrepresented what he said to get me to say what I did…That’s why you usually don’t say anything to the media. I made a critical mistake there. I should know better.”

I don’t know Harrington, but I give him the full benefit of the doubt here. You lose the trust of a room quickly if you get a reputation for misquoting players, so it’s a good bet that his paraphrasing of Kaleta’s comments was unfortunate rather than an effort to bait a reaction out of the losing goaltender.

Miller’s an emotional guy, and that’s what makes him a good quote when he opens up. Safe to say we’ve seen the last of that for a while. So as the Sabres slowly circle the drain, we can look forward to illuminating insights like “We’re taking it one game at a time,” “We just have to play our game,” and “Somebody please get me outta here before the trade deadline.”

Alright, maybe not that last one. At least, not yet…

What would I do if I were GM?

First, I’d call all my friends and then have a crazy pick up game going at the First Niagara Center.

After the dangle, snipe, and celly session, I’d get down to brass tacks.

Ron Rolston told the media after practice that he’s thought about breaking up the Vanek-Hodgson-Pominville line. In my opinion, that’s a very smart move. For those of you who think I’m crazy, allow me to explain.

This hockey team isn’t going anywhere. They don’t put out a consistent effort every time they hit the ice, they’re in 28th place in the NHL (two teams are actually worse), and to reach eighth place is a miracle. So instead of having your three best players on the ice for 90 seconds at a time, why not spread out that talent a little bit.

Who would go where?

What I would do is keep Vanek and Hodgson together, and stick Pominville on a line with Tyler Ennis and Ville Leino. Then I’d have Drew Stafford hop on with Vanek and CoHo. The reason for the move?

Trade stock.

Ville Leino is a good hockey player. He’s not going to score 25-30 goals a year, but he will create plays in the done and do a good job along the boards. Having Jason Pominville on Leino’s line would give him more freedom and space which would allow him to expose his talent. Leino’s got a set of mitts on him, and when he was with Briere and Hartnell, had all the space in the world.

Drew Stafford is another player that has failed to live up to his contract. Stafford has scored 20 plus goals in only three seasons. His highest total was 31 goals in 2010-2011, which is the last time the Sabres reached the playoffs (that was the year he had four hat tricks, two of them came against he Bruins). That 31 goal season brought Stafford a four year 16 Million dollar deal. The year after signing his contract, Stafford posted 20 goals in 80 games, and so far this season he’s been irrelevant. He’s got four goals and eleven points through 29 games, and has looked terrible most of the time. Two of those four goals have come in one game, and one of those goals was one of the biggest fluke goals you’ll ever see.

If you put Stafford on a line with Cody Hodgson and Thomas Vanek…I think it’s safe to say Stafford will find the net a lot more than he has this season. Not only that, but he’ll look a lot better than he does when he’s skating with Jochen Hecht and Nathan Gerbe. He failed to do anything on a line with Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno, so if you stick him on a line with your number one Center and best scoring forward, positive results are more than likely to come.

Instead of trying to convince yourself that this year is a fluke, which is what Darcy Regier really thinks, you should try and be the best team come April 3rd.

I’d be open to any ideas as long as Thomas Vanek, Ryan Miller, Tyler Myers, and Mikhail Grigorenko aren’t part of the discussion. Jason Pominville, Ville Leino, Drew Stafford, Tyler Ennis, Steve Ott, Nathan Gerbe, Jordan Leopold, Andrej Sekera, Robyn Regehr, and Mike Weber are all on the table if I’m the GM. If you got a first round draft pick for Paul Gaustad, I’m sure you can get another first rounder for Pominville or even a top six forward in return. Tyler Ennis is another first round draft pick caliber player for a trade.

The reason you keep Vanek, Hodgson, and Miller is because you can build a very good team around that. I understand Miller is 32 and is a big cap hit, but he’s still one of the best goaltenders in the world and he’s showing it this season. He’d be in the Vezina discussion if it weren’t for one of the worst defenses in the league playing in front of him.

Thomas Vanek is your ‘get it done’ player, and in my opinion, he’s the only ‘get it done’ player on the team. He had a great start, but as somewhat cooled off after he suffered a lower body injury a quarter into the season. Cody Hodgson is having a very strong sophomore season, and hasn’t even reached the surface of what he can potentially become. Grigorenko’s obviously a young prospect that you don’t trade away.  Christian Ehrhoff wasn’t listed because of his monster contract, and also because he’s a top tier defensemen that you want to have on your rebuilding team.

Moving some players around also gives you room to think about who you might be able to pick up in free agency over the Summer.

Check out GM Gibs: A Look Into Free Agency, which will be posted soon.

At least the whole country got a taste of this mess.

In a battle of two struggling teams trying to maintain any semblance of playoff hopes, it was the Capitals who walked away with two points and the Sabres walking away with a 5-3 loss in our glorious global superpower nation’s capital.

Searching for another strong start, Buffalo was able to keep the Capitals off the scoreboard for a respectable 19 seconds, as legendary hockey GM Mike Milbury’s favorite player, Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring. That was actually the high point of the first period, which was an overall craptacular period of hockey.

Buffalo would tie it just 12 seconds into the second period, as Cody Hodgson scored his 11th of the year. Washington came back with three straight before Brian Flynn scored his third to make it 4-2 after two.

Hodgson would add another in the third to cut the deficit to one before Washington’s Mathieu Perrault added an insurance marker for the Caps, who jump the Sabres in the Eastern Conference standings. The Sabres now sit in 14th, while the Caps move up to 13th.

Ryan Miller made 20 saves for Buffalo.

• Mark Pysyk looked pretty solid in his NHL debut. Really came out calm and make some smart plays in the first. He looked bad on the fifth goal, but that was really his only hiccup in 14:55 of TOI.
• The game Steve Ott played tonight is the game you really want out of him when he’s not scoring. He was a pest all night, drew a couple penalties and really was all up in Washington’s shit. He didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he was effective.
• Personally, I would’ve gone with Jhonas Enroth in goal tonight. His last performance merited another start. This was the best situation you could ask for. Don’t know when he gets in again. Maybe on the Florida road trip?
• Ryan Miller had some tough comments for Patrick Kaleta after the game. Kaleta was upset about being a scratch. Miller didn’t like him bitching about it in the media. I can say I like what both had to say. Kaleta should be pissed he’s not playing, but he deserved to sit after costing the team a game. But Miller isn’t a bullshitter, and his honesty is refreshing. Dude’s gotta deal with it.
• That Hodgson-for-Kassian deal is looking better by the day.
• Brian Flynn is doing a hell of a job carving out a roster spot for himself. Guy is a finisher. Some people have it, some people don’t. He has it.
• The team misses Andrej Sekera when he’s not in the lineup. For sure. Such a steady presence on the blueline.

That’s all I got right now. This team isn’t good.

Their opponent had limited quality scoring opportunities and good work in the offensive zone gave them a solid 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. But this is the 2012-2013 Buffalo Sabres.

Ottawa stormed back in the second period with three goals, and scored the winner in overtime as they defeated Buffalo by a score of 4-3. Kyle Turris won it with the Senators enjoying the extra man thanks to a Christian Ehrhoff penalty halfway through the extra period.

The Sabres salvaged a point thanks to a third period equalizer by Drew Stafford, who scored his second of the game with approximately eight minutes left. It was his second of the game, doubling his season goal total.

“We gave them a point tonight,” said defenseman Mike Weber, who tallied his first goal of the season. “It’s extremely upsetting. I don’t know what else to say.”

Goals by Patrick Wiercioch, Chris Phillips and Kyle Turris turned the game around for Ottawa, who outshot the Sabres 15-9 in the second. Buffalo, by virtue of the point earned in overtime, temporarily moved into 12th place in the East.

Ryan Miller stopped 30 shots in the loss.

“We’ve got to put together a hell of a stretch here just to have a chance to get in the playoffs. To go to sleep there for 20, it’s extremely disappointing,” said Weber.

• Ville Leino looked really good in his season debut. He picked up an assist on the Weber goal, and was in position to get a piece of it on its way through. It’s hard to gauge how his absence has effected the team. As much as he draws the ire of many, the team is better with him than without him.
• Not sure I’d have called it “interference,” but Christian Ehrhoff definitely earned that penalty in overtime.
• Hopefully, Drew Stafford gained some confidence with his two goals. He earned them how he should be earning them regularly: going to the front of the net and getting pucks on goal. If anyone could use a little hot streak, it’s him.
• The Leino-Ennis-Ott line looked really good overall, especially in the first period. Each player adds a different dynamic. Sometimes those are the most effective lines.
• If this team was really competing for a playoff spot, losing Andrej Sekera would be a big blow. But they’re not, so it’s not that big of a deal. He was only on the ice for 15:39 Saturday and missed time due to an injury.
• There’s few things that make me cringe as a fan of this team, but seeing Daniel Alfredsson with the puck winding up for a shot from the point on the powerplay is one of them. The old man has a cannon and it can be devastating. Can’t wait until that prick retires.
• It’s nice to see Rolston roll four lines in the truest sense of rolling four lines. The team low on TOI was Nathan Gerbe, at 11:06. Everyone was deserving of the shifts they got.
• The Flynn-Porter-Foligno line that has been going so well lately didn’t have as strong of a game as they have been. I did like Kevin Porter and Brian Flynn on the penalty kill. If Flynn can become a defensively reliable player, he’ll have a roster spot.
• There was talk from some that maybe John Scott should’ve played to keep Ottawa’s Matt Kassian in check. Scott was scratched and Kassian played just 3:21.
• Chris Neil is a piece of shit. His targets during the game were 5’5″ Gerbe (both went to the box for two minutes) and 5’11″ Porter, who Neil laid out with a big hit. Robyn Regehr eventually went after him, but the guy picks his spots like no other.
• Getting people with drums in the arena to start chants and stuff is an honorable effort to try something different, but those assholes shouldn’t just be hammering away at their drums to the tune of something incoherent during play. Stupid.

3MI Three Star Selections (vote entered around 6 minute mark of 3rd period)
1. Drew Stafford, Buffalo
2. Patrick Wiercioch, Ottawa
3. Kyle Turris, Ottawa

Official Three Stars of the Game
1. Drew Stafford, Buffalo (2 goals (4))
2. Kyle Turris, Ottawa (2 goals (7), assist)
3. Patrick Wiercioch, Ottawa (goal (4), assist)

Quote of the night:

“Hopefully, we learned a lesson.” — Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller

Regin’s been in the coach’s doghouse for the past couple games. Paul McLean said Regin’s been lacking, “competitiveness.” Regin’s had a bit of a hard run. Two shoulder surgeries have kept him out of the majority of the past two seasons – plus earlier this season he was out 5-6 games with a chest injury. I wouldn’t go so far to say Regin is injury prone – but I definitely think he’s playing a lot more tentatively, since he’s undoubtedly worried about injuries. Too bad – because he’s got the scoring touch, and we could use that.

Buffalo currently sits in 14th place in the East with 23 pts and a record of 10-14-3. Conversely, Ottawa lies 5th in the east with 32 points and a record of 13-8-6. It’s almost fair to say that today’s game is a must-win – I mean, we took Boston & Montreal to a shootout in the past two games, and each of those teams is at the top of the Eastern standings, pointwise. If we can’t beat a Buffalo team that had to fire it’s head coach midway through the 48 game season and is currently in the cellar, then it’s a bad omen. However, as long as the team doesn’t take this game as a “gimme” or look to far ahead, they’ll pull out the win today.

However, Buffalo has all-star goalie Ryan Miller – who is always capable of stealing a game. Naturally, the Sens will have to get pucks towards the net, get lots of traffic in front, go hard to the net and look for some greasy goals and loose rebounds. Ben Bishop gets the start in net for Ottawa, with Anderson still nursing an ankle injury and not expected back any time soon. (I bet Lehner gets the start tomorrow. He’s been phenomenal in the past couple games – despite eventually losing in back to back shootouts.)

Go Sens Go!!!