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Buffalo, NY (WGR550) -- Welcome yet again into the Ted Darling Memorial Press Box, high atop ice level, at First Niagara Center. The Buffalo Sabres are looking to snap out of their funk and erase the three-game losing skid they find themselves on against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Just over a week ago the blue and gold enjoyed a 2-1 win at Air Canada Centre. Of course, the bigger news this night is that rookie Mikhail Grigorenko will stay with the Sabres and now use a year of his entry level contract, instead of heading back to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. I have gone on the record saying I would like last June's 12th overall draft pick to go back to "The Q," but general manager Darcy Regier and the Buffalo coaching staff has different plans.
Be sure to interact with me throughout the night - let me know if you think Grigorenko staying is the "right thing" to do. I will add my comments, in addition to the scoring plays during the game. Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter: @PatWGR and while you are there, follow Brian Koziol as well: @BrianWGR. One last thing...for Paul Hamilton's pregame preview, click here.
First Period
20:00 - I have to admit, my favorite nickname on sports right now is that of Leafs starting netminder James Reimer, or "Optimus Reim." Love the "Transformers" reference. Robyn Regehr (lower body), Nathan Gerbe, and Alexander Sulzer are the Buffalo scratches, meaning T.J. Brennan and Mike Weber are making their season debuts tonight.
18:26 - Weber taking his first shift for the Sabres, and he is paired with Christian Ehrhoff. With Jordan Leopold and Tyler Myers the starting pair, that leaves T.J. Brennan with Andrej Sekera. Grigorenko is skating between Marcus Folingo and Jochen Hecht.
15:15 - The fourth line created some good momentum for Buffalo, and they are continuing to make good transitions out of their zone early. Jason Pominville had a golden 2-on-1 chance with Cody Hodgson, but passed to the center streaking down the middle. Hodgson could not get to the puck, and the play went for now. Would have liked the captain to take a shot there and let Hodgson follow up for a rebound chance.
13:00 - It is all Sabres early on. As Brian and I just discussed...the team needs to capitalize, and not let this be another "typical" Sabres night: have a goofy bounce end up in your net and be sitting there down 1-0.
11:41 - For all I said about Buffalo controlling play early, shots on goal are 1-1 as we hit the first media timeout of the game...
10:35 - MAPLE LEAFS GOAL. There it is...a shot rings off of the post, and with no defenseman collapsing down on top of the crease allows Jay McClement to sneak the rebound chance past Ryan Miller and into the Buffalo net. Nazim Kadri took the original shot, and Tyler Myers tried to go out and block the shot, but to no avail. 1-0 TOR.
7:50 - Hecht is moving very well early tonight, and it nearly resulted in the equalizer. The veteran simply threw the puck to the net on a backhand, and Foligno deflected the puck off of the post. Reimer had to slide his pad across, and a teammate swept the puck under the goalie for a stoppage. Hard work will create more of those chances.
6:52 - Mike Brown "punched" the puck back out of the face-off circle, and that is a penalty in the NHL this season. Buffalo will gain the first power play of the game as a result of the minor.
5:32 - SABRES GOAL. The captain, Jason Pominville, comes through after a scramble in front, and this game is all tied at 1-all. Credit Marcus Foligno with helping set up the screen in front by tying up a Toronto defenseman, and Christian Ehrhoff for keeping the puck in the zone on a very difficult play on the PP. 1-1 tie.
2:26 - Weber making his presence known with a fight against Mike Brown. The Leaf may have gotten the better of the exchange, but Weber showing he is up to the task. That brought the crowd to its feet. Patrick Kaleta went right to the locker room after getting a shot right between the numbers by Brown.
First Period
20:00 - I have to admit, my favorite nickname on sports right now is that of Leafs starting netminder James Reimer, or "Optimus Reim." Love the "Transformers" reference. Robyn Regehr (lower body), Nathan Gerbe, and Alexander Sulzer are the Buffalo scratches, meaning T.J. Brennan and Mike Weber are making their season debuts tonight.
18:26 - Weber taking his first shift for the Sabres, and he is paired with Christian Ehrhoff. With Jordan Leopold and Tyler Myers the starting pair, that leaves T.J. Brennan with Andrej Sekera. Grigorenko is skating between Marcus Folingo and Jochen Hecht.
15:15 - The fourth line created some good momentum for Buffalo, and they are continuing to make good transitions out of their zone early. Jason Pominville had a golden 2-on-1 chance with Cody Hodgson, but passed to the center streaking down the middle. Hodgson could not get to the puck, and the play went for now. Would have liked the captain to take a shot there and let Hodgson follow up for a rebound chance.
13:00 - It is all Sabres early on. As Brian and I just discussed...the team needs to capitalize, and not let this be another "typical" Sabres night: have a goofy bounce end up in your net and be sitting there down 1-0.
11:41 - For all I said about Buffalo controlling play early, shots on goal are 1-1 as we hit the first media timeout of the game...
10:35 - MAPLE LEAFS GOAL. There it is...a shot rings off of the post, and with no defenseman collapsing down on top of the crease allows Jay McClement to sneak the rebound chance past Ryan Miller and into the Buffalo net. Nazim Kadri took the original shot, and Tyler Myers tried to go out and block the shot, but to no avail. 1-0 TOR.
7:50 - Hecht is moving very well early tonight, and it nearly resulted in the equalizer. The veteran simply threw the puck to the net on a backhand, and Foligno deflected the puck off of the post. Reimer had to slide his pad across, and a teammate swept the puck under the goalie for a stoppage. Hard work will create more of those chances.
6:52 - Mike Brown "punched" the puck back out of the face-off circle, and that is a penalty in the NHL this season. Buffalo will gain the first power play of the game as a result of the minor.
5:32 - SABRES GOAL. The captain, Jason Pominville, comes through after a scramble in front, and this game is all tied at 1-all. Credit Marcus Foligno with helping set up the screen in front by tying up a Toronto defenseman, and Christian Ehrhoff for keeping the puck in the zone on a very difficult play on the PP. 1-1 tie.
2:26 - Weber making his presence known with a fight against Mike Brown. The Leaf may have gotten the better of the exchange, but Weber showing he is up to the task. That brought the crowd to its feet. Patrick Kaleta went right to the locker room after getting a shot right between the numbers by Brown.
1:04 - Weber gets an instigator penalty for sticking up for his teammate. That is how dumb the NHL rules can be at times. Kaleta gets drilled from behind, and you cannot have a teammate stand up for him. Dumb.
End of Period
BUF - 1, TOR - 1
Goal Summary
BUF: 14:28 - Jason Pominville (4) PPG. Assists, Marcus Folingo and Thomas Vanek.
TOR: 9:25 - Jay McClement (1). Assists, Nazim Kadri and Nikolai Kulemin
Shots on Goal
BUF - 5, TOR - 6
Second Period
18:50 - Nifty play by Folingo to tip the puck in between his skates and put a shot on goal. Buffalo already with four in the period, while Toronto has none. Overall the Sabres are in front 9-6 in shots.
17:32 - SABRES GOAL. That is a pass, and a deke, to watch over and over again. Drew Stafford backhanded a pass through two Leafs defenders, and Andrej Sekera make a great move on Reimer to tuck his shot under the crossbar, and into the net. That was the play early on in the stanza fans were waiting for. 2-1 BUF.
16:20 - MAPLE LEAFS GOAL. Well, that did not take long, eh? Matt Frattin follows up Cody Franson's initial shot on goal, and stuffs the puck home to tie the game. MIller got a pad on the shot, but the uncontested Leaf was able to make short work of it. 2-2 tie.
17:32 - SABRES GOAL. That is a pass, and a deke, to watch over and over again. Drew Stafford backhanded a pass through two Leafs defenders, and Andrej Sekera make a great move on Reimer to tuck his shot under the crossbar, and into the net. That was the play early on in the stanza fans were waiting for. 2-1 BUF.
16:20 - MAPLE LEAFS GOAL. Well, that did not take long, eh? Matt Frattin follows up Cody Franson's initial shot on goal, and stuffs the puck home to tie the game. MIller got a pad on the shot, but the uncontested Leaf was able to make short work of it. 2-2 tie.
14:32 - Buffalo trying to find its legs after giving up the game-tying score. The Leafs were able to pin the blue and gold in their own zone for the first moments following the goal, but it looks like Buffalo now has some momentum flowing their way.
13:39 - MAPLE LEAFS GOAL. Toronto wins an offensive zone faceoff, and BOOM, Cody Franson wires a shot through traffic and into the back of the net for another Leafs lead. Anyone want to tell me that winning a defensive zone faceoff does not matter? 3-2 TOR.
8:11 - Brian and I are staunchly on the faceoffs matter train. It is all about possessing the puck, and winning the draw means you have a better chance of doing that and getting the puck out of your zone. If you win the draw, worrying about a screen in front of the net, or good pass across the ice to feed a goal is less likely. Not every faceoff is the same, and using a blanket statistic to back up your point is wrong.
4:05 - This game has gone a awfully long time without a whistle. Some good end-to-end action with chances for both teams. Maybe not the prettiest of play, but plenty for the fans to ooh and ahh about.
3:19 - Steve Ott gets in too close on Reimer on a breakaway chance, and essentially shot the puck right into the goalies pads. Quality scoring chance goes by the wayside as the puck deflects into the netting.
13:39 - MAPLE LEAFS GOAL. Toronto wins an offensive zone faceoff, and BOOM, Cody Franson wires a shot through traffic and into the back of the net for another Leafs lead. Anyone want to tell me that winning a defensive zone faceoff does not matter? 3-2 TOR.
8:11 - Brian and I are staunchly on the faceoffs matter train. It is all about possessing the puck, and winning the draw means you have a better chance of doing that and getting the puck out of your zone. If you win the draw, worrying about a screen in front of the net, or good pass across the ice to feed a goal is less likely. Not every faceoff is the same, and using a blanket statistic to back up your point is wrong.
4:05 - This game has gone a awfully long time without a whistle. Some good end-to-end action with chances for both teams. Maybe not the prettiest of play, but plenty for the fans to ooh and ahh about.
3:19 - Steve Ott gets in too close on Reimer on a breakaway chance, and essentially shot the puck right into the goalies pads. Quality scoring chance goes by the wayside as the puck deflects into the netting.
End of Period
TOR - 3, BUF 2
Goal Summary
BUF: 2:28 - Andrej Sekera (1). Assists, Drew Stafford and Christian Ehrhoff.
TOR: 3:40 - Matt Frattin (2). Assists, Cody Franson and Leo Komarov. 6:21 - Cody Franson (1). Assists, Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak.
Shots on Goal
BUF - 15 (20), TOR - 7 (13)
Third Period
18:10 - Well I think the appropriate word for how the Sabres killed that four-minute Hecht penalty is survive. Buffalo survived a couple of tense moments in their own zone, and still trail by just a goal.
13:46 - It seems like just a matter of time until Buffalo gets the equalizer. They have been creating some good offensive possessions.
12:30 - SABRES GOAL. The first of his NHL career is a big goal for b. The rookie used a backhand shot sliding across the ice to beat Reimer five-hole to even the score. b was so excited for the rookie that he tackled him in celebration. 3-3 tie.
10:40 - Grigorenko received a standing ovation from the sold out crowd as the goal was announced over the public address system.
8:29 - Buffalo has not ceded the momentum since getting the game-tying goal. The blue and gold have had a couple of chances to regain the lead, but have come up oh-so short.
12:30 - SABRES GOAL. The first of his NHL career is a big goal for b. The rookie used a backhand shot sliding across the ice to beat Reimer five-hole to even the score. b was so excited for the rookie that he tackled him in celebration. 3-3 tie.
10:40 - Grigorenko received a standing ovation from the sold out crowd as the goal was announced over the public address system.
8:29 - Buffalo has not ceded the momentum since getting the game-tying goal. The blue and gold have had a couple of chances to regain the lead, but have come up oh-so short.
5:26 - Man, this game has gone a long strecth without a whistle. The arena is buzzing.
2:26 - This one has the makings of a 4-3 OT thriller, or lenghty shootout classic.
2:26 - This one has the makings of a 4-3 OT thriller, or lenghty shootout classic.
End of regulation
BUF - 3, TOR - 3
Goal Summary
BUF: 7:10 - Mikhail Grigorenko (1). Assists, Mike Weber and Marcus Foligno.
TOR: none
Shots on Goal
BUF - 10 (30), TOR - 8 (21)
Overtime
5:00 - We now get a 4-on-4 session for five minutes or less. If the Sabres win this one, the roof is going to blow right off, metaphorically.
4:58 - MAPLE LEAFS GOAL. Unbelievable, as Matt Frattin is able to slide into the offensive zone and beat Ryan Miller with a shot. Just 1.5 seconds remained as the puck crossed the goal line, and the visitors walk out of the building with the win. The play was reviewed to make sure it indeed was a good goal, and was confirmed. 4-3 TOR.
Final Score
Toronto 4, Buffalo 3/OT
Goal Summary
BUF: none
TOR: 4:58 - Matt Frattin (3). Assist, John-Michael Liles.
Shots on Goal
BUF - 2 (32), TOR - 3 (24)
Postgame
This is one that got away from the blue and gold. They had the better of the scoring chances, and they had plenty of opportunities to bury the Leafs. It is a shame to spoil Grigorenko's first NHL goal. Yes, the Sabres get a "survival point," but it was a chance to snap out of their funk and propel themselves forward heading into Boston on Thursday. Buffalo and the Bruins drop the puck just after seven o'clock at TD Garden on the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network - WGR Sports Radio 550. Pregame with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog beings at 6 p.m.
This is one that got away from the blue and gold. They had the better of the scoring chances, and they had plenty of opportunities to bury the Leafs. It is a shame to spoil Grigorenko's first NHL goal. Yes, the Sabres get a "survival point," but it was a chance to snap out of their funk and propel themselves forward heading into Boston on Thursday. Buffalo and the Bruins drop the puck just after seven o'clock at TD Garden on the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network - WGR Sports Radio 550. Pregame with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog beings at 6 p.m.