Jan 03 2009
Bruins Are NOT Unbeatable
Sure Boston was undefeated in its last 10 games, and sure they have won their last 14 home games, but all those numbers and streaks were meaningless as the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Bruins by a score of 4-2. The player of the game was Matt Ellis, who was recently called up by Buffalo. Ellis scored 2 goals and recorded an assist and played every shift like it was his last. The effort shown by Ellis paid off and was a big factor in the win. Great goaltending by Ryan Miller was also key, as he turned away 29 of 31 shots, including a few spectacular saves late in the game which made Rick Jeanneret nearly wet himself. It’s clear that the locker room changes, and lines being altered has sparked this team. I felt that the Pominville-Gaustad-Ellis line was the best today, they played sound defensively, and fore-checked which is what allowed their scoring opportunities. This does not take anything away from the rest of the team though, who also played well. Every line played good hockey, and it was definitely a team victory. Thomas Vanek scored his 26th goal of the season as he tipped in a shot by Jason Pominville. Paul Gaustad also scored to make the score 4-2 and give the team some insurance. The Sabres were 1/3 on the power play and 4/5 on the penalty kill against a very productive Bruins special teams. I was very pleased watching the game today. It gives me hope that they can continue this good play for an extended period of time and hopefully ensure a playoff spot. There is still a lot of work to do for this team, but it finally seems like we are headed in the right direction. The next game for Buffalo is Tuesday against the struggling Senators.
On a side note, the NFL playoffs have begun and the World Juniors is coming to an end. Slovakian goaltender Jaroslav Janus did all he could to help his team beat Sweden in the semi-finals today, stopping 46 shots en route to a 5-3 loss (the 5th goal scored on the empty net). Sweden advances to the gold medal game and awaits the winner of the Russia and Canada game on Sunday.
-Sabs Hockey Nut
