Jan 28 2009
Sabres Score 10 In Edmonton
You could just tell the game was going to be something else after Drew Stafford scored 10 seconds into the game on a nice pass from Vanek, and Nathan Paetsch scored just a minute after that. The Sabres won by a score of 10-2 last night and played one of their best games offensively all season. Ryan Miller didn’t earn the victory easily though as he turned away 36 of the 38 at shots he faced. Here are some stats to consider. 12 players recorded at least one point while 10 of those had multi point efforts. Vanek, Stafford, Connolly and Roy each got 3 points on the night with Stafford getting the hat trick late in the 3rd. Stafford also received the infamous pigeon and it can be seen on his shoulder during a post game interview on www.sabres.com. For more on the pigeon just google it. The Sabres were 3/6 on the powerplay and killed off 7 of 8 penalties. They scored the tenth goal late in the third on a 2 on 1 with Hecht and Connolly shorthanded. It was one of those games that was just fun to watch, the Sabres passing was just incredible and on more than one occasion I heard the Edmonton announcers comment on how good the Sabres were passing the puck and that we had good puck control. Pretty good compliments from a Canadian broadcasting company I’d say. This was the Sabres 8th win in their last 11 contests and helped them continue to secure the 7th spot in the East while they begin to inch closer to the upper tier of the conference.
Tonight the Sabres head to the Saddledome in Calgary. I must confess that I do like Calgary, not as much as the Sabres of course, but I enjoy watching them play. They have one of the best defensive corps in the league by far, led by Dion Phaneuf. Their size on the point makes them a difficult team to play and will require the Sabres to play a physical game if they don’t want to get pushed around. Calgary sits 3rd in a very competitive Western Conference. They are also 1st place in their division and are 7-3 in their last 10 and have a 17-5-3 record at home. Their goaltending is very good as well in Miikka Kiprusoff who leads the league in wins with 28. “Kipper” is one of those goalies that can steal the game for his team if the offense is not playing well. This does not happen often however as Calgary boasts a very skilled set of forwards led by captain Jarome Iginla. Calgary has 10 players with at least 20 points on their roster, while 6 of those 10 have at least 30. Five players also have at least 15 goals with Mike Cammallari leading all with 22. Being such a follower of the Flames I just can’t sit here and end this blog, I have to list the players I feel are a threat to the Sabres tonight. So I’ll start with the offense:
Jarome Iginla, Mike Cammalleri, Daymond Langkow, Todd Bertuzzi, Craig Conroy, David Moss, Rene Bourque, Curtis Glencross and Matthew Lombardi. Sure you’re going to say I just listed the top guys in points on the team, well these guys play every night and the depth on this team is extraordinary. It’s no mistake that they are sitting 3rd in the Western Conference, they have such a solid corps of players up front I feel that they can make a run for the Stanley Cup, barring injuries. Their defense averages a little over 6ft 2! Phaneuf is not the only guy that will hit you hard and often, Robyn Regehr, Cory Sarich, Mark Giordano, I just love this team. They were put together very well, are coached well and I wish that the Sabres could put together a team like this. I am going to love watching this game tonight. I am going to root for the Sabres 100%, but if they lose I’ll know why they did and it won’t be such a disappointment.
-Sabs Hockey Nut
