To follow Nick on Twitter, click here. For his first-third report card: here.
(WGR 550) -- Unfortunately, 82 isn't divisible by three, so 55 games is as close to two-thirds of the way through the Sabres season as you can get (besides 54). Even after back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh and Ottawa, should we be having a positive discussion about this team?
Yes, but not without it's share of negatives. Every team goes through rough stretches, but Buffalo is just 4-5-3 since Jan. 9, a stretch that does include a seven-game road swing. 16-7-5 overall for the second-third, which is slightly better than how they started: 16-9-2. Here's what I wrote about in the intro to the first-third report card:
"So here's the harsh truth: The Buffalo Sabres are a good hockey club that needs two things -- some tough love and another scorer."
Seems like they're still in the same spot, eh?
SABRES FIRST-THIRD REPORT CARD -- PART I -- GOALTENDING -- GRADE: A (FIRST-THIRD GRADE: A-) -- Ryan Miller's numbers have dipped very slightly since the first-third of the season -- GAA from 1.90 to 2.12 and save percentage from .935 to .932 -- but he's still having an outstanding campaign. One of the amazing fun facts of the campaign is that Miller is better when he gets more work (in a single game). In contests he's faced more than 40 shots, he's 3-0-1, including Jan. 8's 3-2 win over Toronto, when he stopped 48 of 50.
You really have to wonder where would this team be without him. Once you consider that, you also have to look at who else in the league has been as valuable to their team. Henrik Sedin may have a leg-up in the race despite Roberto Luongo being his tender, but Martin Brodeur has benefited more from the increased freakish play of Zach Parise than anything of his own doing. Devils' goalies have faced the second-fewest shots in the league, while Sabres' netminders have looked at the fifth-most. That's a difference of 217 shots.
Patrick Lalime has been better after an awful first-third. He's 3-1-2 since then and has only allowed more than three goals once. Clearly, that's the reason he's played twice as often in the second-third of the season. His only truly poor performance was his last one - four goals allowed in 10 minutes at Anaheim. That's a goals against average of 23.00 if you're keeping score at home.
By the way, I'll say it again: I am not scared of the Olympics taking a major toll on Miller.
PART II -- DEFENSEMEN -- C+ (FIRST-THIRD GRADE: B-) -- Things are kind of a mess right now, but I'll try and keep-in-mind that this report card goes over 28 games. A bunch of guys are in a really bad way right now. You can't bench a captain, but Craig Rivet is having a lot of trouble. Splitting up Rivet and Chris Butler could be a damning look for one of them, as the pairing has been just brutal. Rivet's on pace for his fewest points since 2003-04, and is a minus-player for the first time in several seasons. He has one goal and three assists in the second-third, and rates a minus-2.
Butler has seen his offensive game grow by leaps and bounds, but it's come at the expense of defense. From a plus-12 on a bad team last year to a minus-11 on one of the league's best sides so far in 2009-10. Explain that. Butler has regressed defensively, but we have to be careful when evaluating young defensemen from here-on-in. It's extremely rare for a young kid to have a Tyler Myers start to his career. Butler has a goal and 8 assists since coming back from injury on Dec. 27, during which time he's rated a minus-5, which is actually better than the start of the season. That's very hard to believe.
Toni Lydman seems a target for message board posters around here, but has been pretty good. As always, he's prone to the occasional puck gaffe or putting himself way out-of-position to make a hit. He's a plus for the second-third, but a minus-8 in his last five games. Former linemate Henrik Tallinder has officially shaken off the cobwebs from the injury woes that had him playing meek for two years. You'll have to watch closely, but Tallinder is playing as physical as ever before, as indicated by his rough-ride of Daniel Alfredsson in the third period of last night's contest.
I'm not sure what else you can say about Tyler Myers, but if you're not glowing about the 20-year-old Calder hopeful, than you're trying too hard. Not only that, but the manchild did the right thing in going after Chris Phillips last night when his teammates -- besides Tim Kennedy -- just watched. The best part? Myers didn't see the hit. He just knew what he needed to do.
Steve Montador is struggling right now, but on the whole has been pretty good. As a friend put it, "He needs to realize he's not Mike Green." That's more harsh than I'd put it, but the Sabres' increased focus on defensive contribution has costs Montador a little bit. He has two goals and seven assists in the second-third, which may surprise some people, likely because his plus/minus over the last few weeks is minus-6. I don't see why he's getting benched twice in a week for lesser crimes than Rivet and Butler, but I'll trust that Ruff knows what he's doing with the blueliners.
Andrej Sekera is still a hit-or-miss player with more offensive upside than defensive promise, but I'd like to see him a bit more. Nathan Paetsch works in the role that he's in, but you have to wonder if he won't be tossed-in to sweeten up a deadline deal, provided the Sabres make one.
PART III - OFFENSE - B (FIRST-THIRD GRADE: C) -- Yes, they've been a full letter better.
Buffalo finished the first-third of the year in the league's bottom 10 in goals-per-game. Not good. Now, they rank No. 12 in the league, which would put them somewhere in the top 10 for the second-third (I am not doing the math for every team in the league).
Let's start with the elephant in the crease that has been Thomas Vanek. The Sabres best forward registered a paltry eight goals and 10 assists through the first-third of the season, so how did the second-third go? Nine goals and eight assists. Not much better, though the Austrian does have 10 points in his last 10 games while submitting a plus-1 rating. Hopefully, he's heating up.
Seemingly against all odds, Tim Connolly has played in all 55 games this year, and recently has been showing up for all of them. The wildly-talented center has been playing tougher hockey and boasts multiple decent-sized point streaks. His 52 points are just outside the league's Top-20, so I'm going to have to relax on my sensitivity to his play.
The numbers are also on the rise for Jason Pominville, who is second on the team in points. The 27-year-old winger had a solid second-third, with 21 points, eight of which were goals. He's a plus-six during that part of the campaign, and I wouldn't be surprised to see his 15 goals turn into 30 overall after the last 27 games of the regular season.
Derek Roy remains an enigma. Every time you're ready to see him shipped out-of-town for what would be a king's ransom -- given his reputation around the league -- he seems to nab that goal or helper to win you the game. When he's going right, so are the Sabres. It's just that he's not going all-that-right right now. Just one goal, two assists and a minus-4 for Roy since the 7-2 blow-out win over Phoenix
Jochen Hecht is Jochen Hecht, but not the Jochen Hecht of last year, which was awful. He's doing alright. Clarke MacArthur and Drew Stafford fit into the "Roy enigma" mold. One night they are delivering some the biggest hits on the ice -- especially MacArthur -- the next they are falling all over themselves to give the puck away in traffic.
Tim Kennedy has hit the rookie wall, but your concern should only be for this season. Kennedy has had the opposite of a sophomore slump at almost every level he's played, and his grit for a kid his age is doing the Western New York hockey player proud. He just needs to refind his groove. His stats say he's a playmaker, but I'm telling you he can shoot.
Mike Grier has been what the locker room needs, and his play on the ice has been generally quite inspired. I've enjoyed watching him work the boards and gain position on the guy he's battling for the puck with. I'd still like to see Patrick Kaleta fight more, but I'll trade it for his goals. The only difference between the night-in, night-out efforts of Matt Ellis and Adam Mair is that Mair takes a dumb penalty every other game. Center-ice-face-wash last night? In the words of horrible football analysts, "C'mon, Man."
Who have I missed? Ah, Paul Gaustad, who hasn't scored in the new year, but has otherwise been everything the Sabres need. Slap the 'C' on this guy when Rivet leaves town, because "Goose" gives five-on-five effort like a champ. He's a minus-11, seriously, since his return from injury on Dec. 18, which makes me wonder if he isn't still hurting.
PART III - FRONT OFFICE - INC (FIRST-THIRD GRADE: TBA) -- We're going from a TBA to an incomplete, because I think the time has come to add a player into the mix. The Sabres need a veteran and a scorer, hopefully both. I've detailed that in other places. If Darcy Regier can get a true power play quarterback to let Craig Rivet focus on defense and Chris Butler play on the second unit only when necessary, that would be great. Again, the time to trade has come. Give the guys more time to gel than the traditional month-or-so after the deadline.
OVERALL GRADE: B+ (FIRST-THIRD GRADE: B) As I wrote after the first-third, I predicted the Sabres to come in sixth place, so anything higher is gravy to me, though the stakes have been raised by Buffalo essentially playing better hockey in the second-third (until recently). This team is overachieving because of their goaltender and third-and-fourth lines, but the Top-Six are starting to come around. I'd love to see the team makes some changes to its Top Six (It would be very nice for MacArthur or Stafford to become a third-liner), but the more pressing issue is one I didn't have until last night.
You can play tougher overall, which they have all year, but when an Ottawa player throws his shoulder into goaltender's face/chest, everybody's gotta get in on the mix, and only the two youngest kids on the roster did. Good on you, Kennedy and Myers.
Let's see, last year Gomez took out Miller and absolutely nobody did anything. This year Phillips takes out Miller and only Myers and Kennedy do anything. And they weren't here last year. Yep, the people that were on this team last year haven't changed one bit. I'm sick of hearing about Roy, Pomminville, Hecht, MacArthur, and everybody else's "better attitude." That was your chance to show it, boys, and you got showed up by two kids.
02/04/2010 10:09AM
Darcy, Darcy, Darcy..
The Sabres are in the top 8 in the conference but certainly not Stanley CuP material. When Miller was bowled ocer and only Myers came to his rescue, that told us a lot about these players. It's time that Regier woke up and started to make some moves. It's sickening watching players like Stafford and Roy go through the motions with an occasional good effort. We need more scoring and more guts on this team. Darcy, don't tell us there are no deals out there. You can package some of these guys to improve play and attitude. Vanek is no superstar even though he is paid like one. It's tiring hearing annual excuses for these same guys. Darcy, stop always being afraid to make a significant move! That is the difference between an average GM and a successful GM!
02/04/2010 10:14AM
hit em with yor purse ( at least )
Come on, how many times are we going to let Miller get run over without a real response from someone, anyone ?
02/04/2010 10:14AM
Ummm 1/3 way through the season??
Don't you mean 2/3 way through the season with 1/3 left?
02/04/2010 10:24AM
once again
nobody mentions lindy ruff. of course not! he never does anything wrong. butler and rivet are bad? what do you mean? lindy has them as our top pair and hes NEVER wrong.i blame EVERYONE except lindy for every loss and give him credit for every win in sabres history. why would anyone at wgr ever mention lindy ruff in a negative light...or why would you mention him in your column nick..you might actually have to criticize him for once? but otherwise i think you were bang on in a lot of areas. just please someone other then me point out that ruff makes the same coaching mistakes game in and game out, season after season.
02/04/2010 10:29AM
why not run miller?
if i was an opposing coach id run miller all day long. the sabres are soft and hes the only thing they have going for them. its the same thing with kaleta, the guy takes a beating from other players (blocks shots as well), and the sabres' powerplayis an absolute joke so there is no threat of physical retaliation or some payback on the scoresheet. and then kaleta will get benched. This team is built to win in a crappy division this year and has no heart, toughness or ability to win in the playoffs.
02/04/2010 10:41AM
lindy ruff
lindy is top 3 coach in the league man, yea hes going to do things you dont like, by the way i hate rivet but leave butler alone the guy is in his second year its called a sophmore slump look at steve mason of columbus im sure there not going to ship him out of town after one bad season. Name 5 better coaches then lindy ruff?? Your not going to find them. Now if this team somehow (which they wont) misses the playoffs lindy and darcy will both be gone. But lindy is as solid as they come but lindy is not going to read your post and say wow i need to bench butler, He knows what he is doing. My beef is with darcy cause we need another defenseman that can step in and make an impact and another scoring threat like a ray whitney or matt cullen or idk someone other than dominik moore lol
02/04/2010 10:53AM
Need a trade
The Sabres need a goal scorer, someone who makes the other team nervous when they are on the ice. Watching the game Monday and sitting at the game last night you get a little nervous as a fan when Crosby-Malkin or Spezza-Alfreddson come on the ice... that is just not the case with the Sabres. Please Darcy make a big trade and get a goal scorer, if the team takes a hit for the future so be it... we are used to it here anyway!
02/04/2010 11:01AM
kassian...
hope he makes the big club next year...you have to believe that he makes people think twice about running miller
02/04/2010 11:08AM
It makes me sick
That this team represents Buffalo! They should be doing Disney on Ice!
02/04/2010 11:46AM
Darcy...Hello?
Hey Darcy, dont make a move and that makes it easier for me as a season ticket holder, I wont make a move on buying playoff tickets...
I'll also say what I yelled at the game lastnight, what a shame that the 20 yr old rookie is the only one with a set of balls to defend when their goal tender gets run. Kudos to you Myers and shame on the rest of you bitches.
02/04/2010 12:16PM
top 3 coach?
FOR DOING WHAT????? the only time hes ever won is when hes had a vezina caliber goaltender. hes done NOTHING!! his teams collapse at the same time every year. he constantly allows players like rivet and butler to make the same mistakes in every single game but sits hard working players like montador, lydman and kaleta. back up goalie rotation? nuff said. poerplay? nuff said. and its been like that for his entire career. hes had good teams and LOST, hes had great teams and LOST, hes had bad teams and LOST! hes done nothing but lose! how bout i just give you one coach instead-cory clouston. or how about anyone from the ottawa orginization. get rid of lazy larry and sleeply darcy too if youd like.
02/04/2010 12:36PM
soft
a bunch of soft push overs
02/04/2010 12:56PM
Since the 7 game road trip
My grade: (F-) This is getting pathetic. I'll just put it blatant in one word: CHOKE!
02/04/2010 1:17PM
Pathetic
The reaction from the sabres after miller got hit was pathetic once again. The worst part was, when the 2nd best player in the team (Myers) stepped in to defend the best player, he had to take on two guys! Why didn't the rest of the spine-less players help Myers out when Carkner stepped in. What a buch of wimps. That means you Stafford, Vanek and Tallinder!
02/04/2010 1:28PM
Look At The Past !
How many Sabres players were givin loads of ice time here, (ice time they would never get anywhere else)and left Buffalo and went on to make an impact somewhere else?? Who since Regier took over? The list is very short. Dumont perhaps,borderline Briere. The truth is that the Sabres draft and give mediocre players gobs of ice and eventually they will score a bit.With the exception of a few players that have left via trade, free agency etc..became 3rd & 4th liners for other teams with many being cast off to the minors or out of the NHL within a couple years after leaving Buffalo. Darcy Regier uses his book of excuses as to why it is difficult to make trades every year when the fact is that no one wants most of our players. If I were GM for a month I would do the following to the Sabres... Bring up Kassian & Weber. Waive and demote Mair, Ellis & Lalime. Bring back Biron to back-up Miller so maybe they can confidently rest Miller on occasion. Publicly put Roy, Stafford,Rivet & Lydman on trding block and see what happens. If that doesn't light a fire under they're butts then nothing will. That is my 20 cents.
02/04/2010 1:40PM
re: look at the past
i believe its lindy ruff who decides ice time. i wonder if rivet and butler would get any time anywhere else?
02/04/2010 2:09PM
Why does Gaustad always get a free pass?????
It been 15 games since his last goal. How come Ruff never benches this guy? His play has been pretty awful for the last month or so. Maybe he is upset about not making the Olympic team. To be honest I can't believe he was even being considered. Don;t give me that usual crap about his grit and great face off percentage. There are plenty of players who are gritty and good on draws that are far superior players to him. I'm sick and tired about hearing how this guy should be the captain after Rivet. He is nothing more than a fourth line player who can win some tinely face offs and kill penalties. I don't want my captain to be a fourth line role player. How often does a team name a role player a captain? Not that often and for a reason.
02/04/2010 3:00PM
Problem
We are loaded with 3rd and fourth line players. When was the last time we had two players in the top 10 in scoring? I'll give Connolly a pass. He is a second line player. Vanek is a joke!
02/04/2010 5:01PM
hockey teams loose
Why is it that everytime the sabres loose a game everybody gets all crazy about benching this guy and trading this guy, and firing this guy? The sabres are still in first place in the division and have two games in hand on ottawa. yes a trade before the deadline would be nice, but we need to realize that whoever we bring in is probably only going to be a rental player for the year. so are we willing to get rid of a major piece of this team only to have a decent goal scorer for the playoffs?
02/04/2010 6:33PM
yes
yes. we NEED more offense. its simple as that. miller can keep us in some if not most games, but when hes standing on his head to keep our team in the game and we cant muster on average more then 2 goals a game then we are not going to make it far. We need more fire power. Look at washington, top offensive team in the league, with barely decent goal tending in theodore and neuvrith, yet they STILL roll over every team hence there 11 game winning streak. Teams are intimidated by goal scorers more then defense and goaltending. get a REAL goal SCORER
02/05/2010 3:19PM
Overreacting does nothing
Those of you who look at the past to predict the future is lame. Yes, the team this year has been built to be entertaining, not to win the Cup. So their record is a nice surprise. That is a good thing. Yes, the team from the first game of the season needs more offensive talent. It is not in the best interest OR financially smart to give up multiple players for one guy who wants 7-9 million a year. MOST teams do not go far in the playoffs with 2-3 guys making 7-9 million a year. Yes, it may be time to part with Roy, Hecht, and Paetsch. But in order to get 2 guys in here that won't cost a ton AND put in 30-40 goals a year, you'll need to give up prospects AND/OR high draft picks. So if you want to part with all those guys PLUS 2 prospects for 2 guys that may work out, and may sign on in the off season, that seems like a huge "IF". NO one will take a player that is doing bad on one team and give you a player that is doing good on another team. That is why there should not be any loyalty to a certain player, only loyalty to a sport, and the local hockey team you watch. I think ANY player is tradeable at anytime for any reason. Most players think that way too by the way. Especially when it comes to money.
To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 1 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 2 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; tournament; WGR; Jeremy White; Golf; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 3 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy tips.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 4 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 5 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 6 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 7 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala; To prepare you for the WGR Celebrity Golf Tournament 2008, this video focuses on Hole 8 at Tri-County Country Club's course. Video hosts Jeremy White and Steve Warzala will share each hole's layout and strategy.; Golf; WGR; Jeremy White; Tri-County Country Club; Steve Warzala;
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