tonight something wonderful happened.

I'll say it again: tonight something wonderful happened. The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins. In regulation. Heyo!!!

Unfortunately I missed the first period, where Claude Giroux scored the first goal of the game for the Flyers. Giroux has continued to be hot for the Flyers with 15 goals and 14 assists so far this season.

Evgeni Malkin scored a power play goal for Pittsburgh in the 2nd period to tie the game at 1. Tonight was Malkin's first game back after missing four games with a knee injury. I think it's safe to say that he's returned to full health.

The Flyers answered with this great goal from Nikolay Zherdev:


Zherdev did a great job of being patient with this one - if he had taken a shot sooner, it would have been easily blocked by Orpik or Fleury.

Malkin answered again on the power play to tie the game at 2.

The Flyers reclaimed the lead and kept it after Scott Hartnell scored a power play goal by deflecting in a shot from Chris Pronger. Hartnell also had a great chance in the 2nd period when he missed a nearly wide open net.

Aside from getting assists on both of Malkin's goal, Sidney Crosby didn't do much else besides throw himself on the ice and flail around trying to get penalties.

I'm glad to see the Flyers win this game. I think the game could have been more physical - it usually is when these teams play each other. I'm not happy that it broadcast on Versus, those commentators are awful and it's glaringly obvious how much the NHL worships the Penguins and Crosby (maybe that's is part of why he's one of the players I can't stand). All the Flyers need to do now is get control of their power play, and I think they'll continue to dominate.

In other news, the Sabres continue to be up and down. I haven't seen a lot of their games lately, but what I have seen has been really sloppy play. Tomorrow night they face the Boston Bruins, who defeated them last week in overtime. Lets go Buffalo!

Am I a traitor?

Last night I did something that I've never done before: I talked smack on the Buffalo Sabres. That's right. And you know what? I have no problem doing it every day until they win in regulation. Let's talk about the last ten games. We lost five in regulation and one in overtime. We won two in a shootout, and two others in overtime. Now, each of these games has been a different story. Some games had the Sabres completely out of synch. I was able to attend the game on Nov 11 against the Rangers where they lost in overtime. In that particular game, I thought the teams were pretty well matched. The Sabres had Enroth in goal due to an injury to Ryan Miller, but he made 25 saves and I thought he played well overall. Last night's matchup against the Vancouver Canucks was frustrating. The Sabres put the first two goals on the board, and then let the game slip. Patrick Kaleta was injured halfway through the game, and as of right now he's day to day. Ryan Miller made 36 saves in the game, many of which were pure luck. The highlight for me was Tyler Myers scoring the winning goal in overtime - I've been wondering when the kid will settle down, and hopefully he's started to. The Sabres have so much talent: Vanek, Roy, Miller, Myers. They need to get their act together and start playing some hockey.

Part of the reason why I'm feeling guilty about my attitude toward the Sabres is the fact that the Flyers have been playing so well. They are seriously hot right now (they're only 2nd in the entire league)! Let's talk about their last ten games: they've won nine of them, and didn't need any overtime to get the job done. Their only loss was against the Capitals, which did go into overtime. So many players on the Flyers are heating up right now: Giroux, Richards, Briere, Carter, and Leino. One of the highlights of the last few games for me has been watching Richards and Giroux on the ice together. I think they're going to continue to be the most dangerous pairing on the team. Take a look:



It's beautiful!! Seriously!! And can we talk about Sergei Bobrovsky for a minute?? This young rookie is already making a name for himself because of the fantastic job he's been doing in goal. Sure, he's got great defensemen to help him out, but this kid is quick. He's currently ranked 6th in the league with his 2.01 goals against average. Ryan Miller is currently 18th in the league, just to put some perspective on it. Last night the Flyers easily won against the Ottawa Senators, the final score was 5-1. Dan Carcillo was injured in the game, he'll be out for a couple weeks with a sprained MCL.

Now, the bottom line is that it's still early in the season. The Sabres can hopefully shake things up and get their game together, as long as Lindy Ruff isn't holding them back (GET A NEW COACH!!). The Flyers need to stay healthy and keep the chemistry going, and I have no doubt that they'll dominate.

Weekend Recap

The games of Friday and Saturday night were a mixed bag for me. On one hand, the Sabres are looking pretty bad. On the other hand, the Flyers are playing like champions.

Let's start with the Sabres so I can get this over with.

Friday night they faced the Atlanta Thrashers. Atlanta is a decent team, but not a team that should really give the Sabres a hard time (at least in my mind). They don't have any superstars. Sure, Dustin Byfuglien is a good player, but I don't think he's that dangerous. But regardless of all that, the Sabres still managed to lose. They played well in the first period, and then dropped off the radar. Atlanta tied it up in the second, and then each team scored in the third. The Sabres lost in overtime when Byfuglien scored the final goal on Ryan Miller.

Saturday night the Sabres played against the Dallas Stars. This game was absolutely boring to watch. The Sabres didn't score any goals, and looked sluggish. Patrick Lalime was in goal for the Sabres. Lindy Ruff made some sort of excuse about the team being tired as their reason for losing. Whatever Lindy, maybe your coaching is tired. Craig Rivet, the Sabres captain, was a healthy scratch for the second game in a row because Lindy is trying send the team a message. Here's a message for you Lindy - learn how to motivate your team. Be a coach.

Now on to something a little more upbeat:


On Friday, the Flyers continued the battle of Pennsylvania when they beat the Penguins with a final score of 3-2. The rivalry between these teams is epic. The fight between Mike Richards and Matt Cooke was quickly followed by a fight between Jody Shelley and Deryk Engelland. I love it when these teams play each other because of how physical the game gets. This game was great to watch. Claude Giroux is really starting to heat up - he scored a shorthanded goal in the first period and a power play goal in the third. Daniel Carcillo scored in the second period. Letang and Kennedy were the goal scorers for Pittsburgh. Rookie goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves in the game - not too shabby.

Saturday night's game against the Islanders was a scoring spree for the Flyers. Timonen and Nodl each scored, while Carter and Pronger each scored two goals. In the midst of the scoring, there were plenty of punching, shoving, and high sticking. There were 120 penalty minutes racked up during the game. Danny Briere was especially fiesty during the game. Briere was the first player to get rough after Trent Hunter hit Andrej Meszaros into the boards. Hunter received a five minute major and a game misconduct for the hit. Briere stayed fiesty all the way to the end, when he crosschecked Nielson. A scuffle erupted and lured Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro out of his net for the second time in the game. DiPietro left his net after Hunter's hit on Meszaros. The Islanders were clearly frustrated with how the game was going for them. Bobrovsky played another excellent game with 30 saves. The only goal for the Islanders came from a penalty shot after a weak call by the officials. The Flyers seem to have found their stride. Now that's a team I can root for, especially with Daniel Carcillo tearing it up:


This week the Sabres face the Bruins (Weds), Canadiens (Fri) and Leafs (Sat). The Flyers play the Hurricanes (Mon), Rangers (Thurs) and Islanders (Sat).

Dear Sabres

Dear Sabres,
After the last few games, I was really hoping that last night you would play your hearts out and beat the Philadelphia Flyers. You had two days of rest. You beat the Devils on Saturday. You've left me wanting more.

Thomas Vanek, you really got my hopes up when you scored the first goal of the night. But where you for the rest of the game? You think that one goal is really going to cut it against a team that appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals last season? Shame on you. You hit it and quit it, and that isn't cool. Oh Sabres, I can forgive you for Danny Briere's power play goal that made the score 1-1. Your penalty kill is kind of weak, and Briere is dangerous. But you should know better than to let things like that happen!

Tim Connolly, what were you thinking pushing Briere into the net? You realize you're the reason why Nikolay Zherdev was able to score, don't you? I never really liked you as a player, and now I don't think I ever will. Steve Montador, meet Claude Giroux. He's the Flyer who breezed past you to set up Darroll Powe for the goal that made the game 3-1. Ryan Miller had no chance against those two.

Let me talk about Claude Giroux one more time. He's a player that all you Sabres should know about. He's hot right now, you know, scoring goals and making plays happen. So you shouldn't have been so surprised when he scored right off the faceoff. Yeah, that's right Ryan Miller, that would make the score 4-1. Here's two other Flyers that you should know: Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. Remember when they out played you to make the score 5-1? You're breaking my heart!!

Now I can appreciate the effort you put in late in the 3rd period. I just wish you would have played that way for the entirety of the game. And sure, Paul Gaustad, you were trying to be fiesty and tough. Tyler Myers, you still look like you're a little out of your element, but that goal you scored to make the game 5-2 sure was pretty. Montador, I'm still mad at you, but you should know the goal you scored is going to help me get over it faster.

Ultimately, you boys let me down. A score of 6-3 is shameful. Surely we don't rely on Neidermayer and Pominville that much - we should have won this game. Lindy Ruff, I'm mad at you too. You may be the longest tenured coach in the NHL, but it's time to get these boys moving.

Please get your act together before Friday's game against the Atlanta Thrashers. If you lose that one, I might not be able to cheer for you anymore.

Thanks,
Remmy

Buffalo vs Ottawa, 10/8/10

The Sabres started off the 2010-2011 season last night with a 2-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

Before I dig into last night's game, I've got to highlight the players who made an impression on me during the preseason. I caught a good chunk of the game on September 28 against Ottawa, and I was lucky enough to attend the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 1.

CODY MCCORMICK. McCormick is new to the Sabres this year, and he has already impressed me with his play in the preseason. In the game on September 28 against Ottawa, McCormick was feisty and physical. He and Cody Bass were going at each other for the entire game, and fought in the 2nd period - McCormick came away as the winner. I think if he keeps up the physical level of his play, he'll quickly turn into one of my favorite players.

ROB NEIDERMAYER. It's no surprise that Neidermayer has already been a playmaker for the Sabres. He's been in the league for 16 seasons and he's won a Stanley Cup. He's going to have a huge impact just by being a leader on the team. He scored a goal in the preseason against the Leafs, and I'm sure there's plenty more to come throughout the season.

Last night's game wasn't really that pretty to watch. The Sabres seemed like they were all over the place, especially in the first period. Derek Roy scored a beautiful goal 8 minutes into the first period:


The Senators tied the game in the last minute of the 2nd period with a goal from Chris Kelly. Derek Roy scored again during a power play in the 3rd period to win the game for Buffalo. Tyler Ennis assisted on both goals - I think Ennis is definitely a player to watch this year.

The Sabres killed off 5 penalties last night, but seemed to struggle on the power play. Tyler Myers seemed awkward on the ice, like his legs were on backwards. I wasn't impressed with Paul Gaustad either - he looked sluggish. Ryan Miller played well, but still had one or two "oh crap" moments, but that's not really out of the ordinary for him.

A win is a win - way to start the season boys! I'm almost proud enough to go out and buy this shirt designed by Alyssa Milano - look, it has a bow:


The Sabres face the New York Rangers at home tonight.

LETS GO BUFFALO!

Reasons why I love this game: Big Burly Defensemen

They're big. They're tough. They block shots. They hit people. They have ferocious slapshots. The big defensemen are one of my favorite parts of the game.

CHRIS PRONGER. Pronger is 6'6", 220 pounds. He currently plays for the Philadelphia Flyers, but he's played for a few teams in the NHL and was part of the Anaheim Ducks when they won the Stanley Cup in 2007. He played a crucial role in the Flyer's success in the playoffs last year, and he finished the season ranked 5th among all defensemen. He also logged 79 penalty minutes last year. The thing that I like about Pronger is that even though he's a big guy, he's not a bully. He plays the game well and doesn't usually get dirty. Just look at how he makes Simone Gagne look like a child on the ice:


ZDENO CHARA. Chara is a 6'9", 255 pound monster. He's the tallest player in the NHL, and he plays for a team that I hate, the Boston Bruins. He won the Hardest Shot competition two years in a row - in 2009 he won with a shot that was 105.4 miles per hour. He's a big, beastly player with a crazy hard shot. The thing I hate about Chara is that he's a mix between a bully, a smart player, and a goon. He doesn't exactly take cheap shots on other players, but he definitely uses his size to pick on everybody else on the ice.


TYLER MYERS. Myers is 6'8", 222 pounds. He plays for the Buffalo Sabres, and he's only 20 years old. It's my opinion that Myers has the potential to be one of the greatest defensemen in the NHL. Last year was his NHL debut, and he made the most of it by winning the Calder Trophy (for best rookie). He finished the season ranked as the 11th best defensemen in the NHL. He is a smart player, he scores goals and makes plays. Check him out against the Boston Bruins - keep your eye on number 57.



Honorable mention:
SERGEI GONCHAR - 6'2", 215 lbs, Pittsburgh Penguins
BROOKS ORPIK - 6'2", 219 lbs, Pittsburgh Penguins
MIKE GREEN - 6'1", 204 lbs, Washington Capitals, In 2008, Patrick Thoresen (of Philadelphia) blocked a shot from Green that almost ruptured his testicle. What!

What's not to love about huge, testical-rupturing dudes on skates?

Reasons why I love this game: The Pretty Boys

I'm usually not the type of person to get all excited over good looking celebrities. Sure, there are some good looking actors out there, heck, there might even be a good looking baseball player out there (although I highly doubt it). But there are a few players in the NHL that I must admit that I have a little crush on.

PAUL GAUSTAD. He plays for my favorite team, the Buffalo Sabres. He's 6'5". He's pretty tough too - in February of 2007, he was injured in a collision with another player, leaving him with a sliced tendon in his leg. The injury could have ended his career if it had been an inch deeper. Gaustad recovered ahead of schedule and re-joined the team during the playoffs of that same season.


MIKE RICHARDS. He's the captain of my mistress team, the Philadelphia Flyers. He knows how to score goals, he finished 18th in the league for the 2009-2010 season. In the 2008-2009 season, Richards became the first player in NHL history to score three 3-on-5 goals in his career, and he led the league in short-handed goals for the season. Richards isn't afraid to get physical on the ice either, he usually gets into a few fights each season and logs a decent amount of time in the penalty box. I think it's Richards' style of play that makes him attractive.



MIKE GREEN. Green plays for a team I really dislike, the Washington Capitals. However, he fits into this category quite nicely. If you google the phrase "hot hockey players", you'll see his name appear on quite a few times. He's a 6'1" goal scoring defenceman, in the 2008-2009 season he scored 31 goals.


VINCENT LECAVALIER. He's the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He's 6'4", and quite the goal scorer - he was the league leader in goals in the 2006-2007 season. He's had a somewhat rocky career with the Lightning, he was first named captain back in 2000, but was stripped of the title before the 2001-2002 season began. At the time he was the youngest captain in NHL history. He's grown up as a player, and was renamed captain prior to the 2008-2009 season. Way to go Vinny.


I could go on for quite a while. It's all a matter of opinion anyway. There's people out there who find Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin to be attractive. There's less than 20 days until the season officially begins - let's see what these guys are going to do this year.

Teams I love to hate: The Toronto Maple Leafs

As long as I can remember, I've hated the Toronto Maple Leafs. There is a slight rivalry that exists between the Sabres and the Leafs - with cities that are geographically close, its understandable that the teams and fans wouldn't get along. The fact that my own brother is a Leafs fan makes it even worse for me.

MATS SUNDIN. Sundin played for the Leafs from 1994 - 2008. For twelve of his thirteen seasons with the Leafs, Sundin was the leading scorer, and during his time with the Leafs he broke several goal and point scoring records. He was definitely a player that the Sabres had to keep their eye on. Having one of the best goaltenders in the NHL at the time was key - Dominik Hasek. Sundin recognized Hasek's strength: "When you face a player of Hasek's caliber and a player that's got that reputation that he's almost unbeatable, sometimes it has happened in the past where players try and look for that perfect shot." As much as the Sabres might have dreaded facing Sundin on the ice, he knew he was up against a great goaltender.

TIE DOMI. Domi was the enforcer of the Leafs from 1995-2006. He holds the record for most penalty minutes served in Leafs history. Domi was suspended and fined numerous times in his career - he even fought a fan during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. One reason why I can't stand the guy is that Domi fought Rob Ray of the Sabres 13 times, and Ray is one of my all time favorite players. With a goon like Domi, it's no wonder why I've always hated the Leafs.


The current Leafs team isn't that hot. They finished the 2009-2010 season at the bottom of their division with a record of 30-38-14. In my opinion, the best player on their team right now is defenseman Tomas Kaberle - he finished 10th among defensemen in the NHL. Even though no other players from the Leafs finished with impressive numbers, I think they have a couple players to look out for this year: Mike Komisarek, Phil Kessel, and Colton Orr.

Go Leafs Go?

Reasons why I love this game: The Bad Boys

Boarding. Charging. Cross checking. Elbowing. High sticking. Holding. Hooking. Slashing. Tripping.

If you know anything about hockey, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't know anything about hockey, just use your imagination and you probably won't be too far off.

I absolutely love the physicality of hockey. When players get fired up, I get fired up. These guys can change the momentum of a game. They get their teammates excited, they get the other team angry, and they get the fans into the game. They push, shove, throw punches, and serve the most time in the penalty box. The bad boys are one of the things I love most about hockey.

Let's throw it back to one of my all time favorites: ROB RAY. Robbie played for the Buffalo Sabres for 14 seasons as their main enforcer. He logged over 3000 penalty minutes in his career (6th in overall NHL history). The NHL implemented a fighting rule that is nicknamed the Rob Ray rule - he used to remove his jersey and pads during fights, which made it harder for his opponent to hold on to him - the rule gives additional penalties to players who remove their jerseys or pads during a fight. Rob Ray was one of the best fighters of the 1990's, and helped to fuel some bitter rivalries for the Sabres, namely the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Boston Bruins (two teams that I still hate to this day).

So I don't love this guy but he fits the bill: DONALD BRASHEAR. I'm not a huge fan of Brashear, but he definitely needs to be included in this post. He is extremely aggressive - he was the league leader in penalty minutes for six seasons, and is ranked 15th in NHL overall history. I think Brashear is one of the kings of taking cheap shots - he has been suspended numerous times for blind siding his opponents and intending to injure them. Even though he's definitely a bully, Brashear is the victim of what I think is the most outrageous incident in NHL history (if you don't know what I'm talking about, google Marty McSorley).

Here's a player from my mistress team, the Philadelphia Flyers: DANIEL CARCILLO. In the 2009-2010 season, Carcillo was 4th in the league for penalty minutes served (he led the league in the 07-08 season when he played for the Phoenix Coyotes). During the 2010 Winter Classic, he fought Shawn Thornton of the Boston Bruins, which was the first fight in Winter Classic history (and it totally made my day). He goes crazy when he's in the penalty box, yelling and throwing stuff around, getting all hyped up. He's totally exciting to watch. If I'm not laughing at his antics it usually means I'm yelling at the person he's going after. Who wouldn't love a game with this guy in it?


I could go on for quite a while: Derek Boogaard, Tie Domi, Ian Laperriere, Colton Orr, Dave Semenko...so many goons, so little time.

The team I will always love: The Buffalo Sabres

I know I'm not the only person to have a nostalgic love for my hometown team, I know it isn't such an unusual thing. But I will always love the Buffalo Sabres.

My family has strong roots in Buffalo hockey history. My mom's father was a part of the Buffalo Bisons organization - my uncle still has a championship ring that belonged to my grandfather. I remember being a little kid, going to games with my dad's mother (who was a season ticket holder for more than 20 years). Those were the days of Pat LaFontaine, Alexander Mogilny, and Rob Ray. I remember how disappointed our city was when we lost in the Finals in 1999 - in fact, I still see "NO GOAL" flags when I go back to visit.

I moved from Buffalo to Philadelphia in 2004, and even though I've developed a certain affection for the Flyers, the Sabres are still my number one team.

I'm excited for the new season to start (thirty one days!!) and here are some of the reasons why:

TYLER MYERS: The 2009-2010 Rookie of the Year is one of my players to watch this year. He's a 6'8" workhorse - he blocked 137 shots last year and put up 48 points, not to mention posting the most ice time for the Sabres. He's a smart defenseman, especially for a rookie, and I'm pumped to see what he's going to bring to the ice this year.

PATRICK KALETA: Now I know that this guy isn't going to be leading the league in goals, shots, or assists. Most people think that this hometown boy is just a goon (and they might be right). But he's capable of scoring goals as well as delivering hits (148 last year to be exact). One highlight of mine from last season was watching him score 2 goals against the New York Rangers on December 12. I'm looking forward to seeing him shake things up on the ice.

RYAN MILLER: I'd honestly like to skip having to write about Miller, but since so many people proclaim him to be the best goaltender in the NHL, I think he's worth mentioning. He has great stats - I can't argue with that. The thing that drives me nuts about him is every once in a while he gets into a really stupid situation. He needs to stay healthy and play solidly.

I'm excited to see what a few others will do this year, namely Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe. I'm also curious to see if Thomas Vanek will heat up a little more than he did last season.

The Sabres start the 2010-2011 season off on October 8th in Ottawa.