Approaching this game, the most feasible explanation for how the Sabres could end their 12-game losing streak on the road against a goaltender they’ve had trouble with would be simple: Don’t let the other team score.

(Ed note: The least feasible would be a team of angels assisting them in exceeding their capabilities.)

For the most part, Buffalo took care of that. And it worked.

Riding a horrible stretch of play into the final game before the NHL All-Star break, the Sabres found a way to get it done, stealing a 2-1 shootout victory in New Jersey.

“This is huge for us,” said Sabres defenseman Jordan Leopold, who scored in regulation. “The past few week have been tough and challenging and we capped off a long, long road trip with a win. It was not a perfect game. We got outshot and outchanced but in the end we got a couple of big saves from Ryan. He kept us in the game and we were able to win in the shootout.”

Leopold’s fluky goal late in the first period was all the cushion Ryan Miller needed to get them a point, as he stopped 27 of 28 shots through 65 minutes. Jason Pominville scored in the third round of the shootout to extend it, and Nathan Gerbe scored the walk-off winner in round 4.

Buffalo pulled out two points despite registering a mere 14 shots on goal through regulation and overtime.

The Sabres hit the mid-season siesta sitting 14th place in the Eastern Conference, ten points out of a playoff spot with 33 games remaining.

• Ryan Miller, when he plays like this, is worth every penny. He needs to be surrounded with talent. I truly think, as bad as this team is, that he can be part of the solution instead of being considered a problem.
• In the talk about what’s wrong with the team, and how injuries can’t be an excuse, the one valid argument in this recent run of horrible play is how much the absence of Christian Ehrhoff hurt. Tyler Myers is clearly not in a position to carry this team as a #1 defenseman, and without Ehrhoff, the team suffered. Ehrhoff played a team high 24:27 in his first game back. Having him in the lineup makes this team remarkably better defensively.
• Thomas Vanek’s pressing hard and the results aren’t there. The team’s going nowhere if he can’t start getting the results.
• Robyn Regehr’s return was also a big help. He was incredibly solid. Having the veteran presence on the back end was missed.
• With 33 games remaining, the indispensable Sports Club Stats has the Sabres with a 0.6% chance of making the playoffs. To earn a playoff spot, they’ll need to get approximately 95 points. They have 45. It’s going to take at least 23 wins in 33 games. Pack it in, guys. No need for a heroic run to 10th.
• Jordan Leopold now has eight goals this season. He’s tied for fifth on the team in scoring. He’s been struggling terribly over this rough patch, but I think he’s definitely in a better spot to contribute when Ehrhoff and Regehr are back in.
• Luke Adam played just seven shifts for 4:39 in his last game before heading to Ottawa for All-Star Weekend. His last goal was December 17. He’s playing mere minutes a game. Maybe this weekend will be a nice confidence boost. If he doesn’t start putting up points or earning a regular shift, they gotta put him in Rochester once they get another forward healthy. This kid needs to be a part of the team’s future. He has to develop properly. Having him play five minutes on the fourth line isn’t going to do that. He’d be better off playing 20 minutes a night and being a force in the AHL than being an afterthought on the bench.
• Derek Roy took a couple of penalties (the only two penalties the team took) which obviously drew the ire of the fans. I honestly thought he was really good in the first period. His presence still might be a problem, but he’s not killing them.
• 14 shots on goal. Incredibly awful. Incrediful.
• Drew Stafford played well. There was mention during the broadcast of how he was good friends with Zach Parise. If he’s part of the Sabres’ long term plans, they should have him making phone calls once July 1 rolls around.
• Anyone wanna bet Jason Pominville gets picked last in the All-Star Fantasy Draft? I think he’s a clubhouse leader. No disrespect to Jason, but if he doesn’t want the car, I’ll take it off his hands.

(Ed. note: That was stated with sarcasm.)

For as bad as the team has been playing (and they’ve been awful), this is the game on the roadtrip of death that they seemed least likely to win. And they didn’t.

The St. Louis Blues moved to 21-3-3 at home on the season, the best mark in the National League, as they defeated the basement-dwelling Buffalo Sabres by a score of 4-2 Saturday night.

An early goal by Mike Weber rewarded the Sabres for a strong first period, after which they led 1-0. St. Louis took over in the second, and by the time Tyler Myers scored to get back within one in the third, it was too late.

St. Louis got two goals and two assists from David Backes, whose empty netter sealed it.

Ryan Miller made 23 saves on 26 shots in the loss.

“It kind of got away from us in the second period,” Miller said. “We didn’t do some of the things we needed to do. It turned into a period that gave them back the edge.”

Again, like many of these now 12 straight road losses, Miller has made the saves early and failed to see the team take control offensively. A one goal head-start lasted into the second and was never recovered.

Buffalo next heads to New Jersey on Tuesday for a date with the Devils.

• Lindy Ruff reunited the Luke Adam with Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville to start the game, and their first few shifts were pretty solid. Unfortunately, the line didn’t produce much. Pominville added an assist on Myers’ late goal, but Adam finished -2 and Vanek -3.
• Brad Boyes had a very good game, albeit one where he failed to score yet again. He generated some good pressure offensively, and played 19:00 in his return to St. Louis. It was the first time this season he broke 19:00 in TOI. He’s had more than 17:00 of ice time just five times this season. 
• Tyler Myers had a powerplay goal and an assist and was still a -1. Great that the kid produces offensively here and there, but he hasn’t been good defensively at all this season.
• Thomas Vanek’s goalless drought is now eight games. That’s not helping.
• This game shouldn’t have pushed anyone over the edge. As I noted earlier, it was probably the least winnable of the trip. The Blues are straight-up dominant at home. Even if the Sabres were going well, I had low expectations.
• Barret Jackman should be on Terry Pegula’s shopping list if he hits the market. Exactly the kid of defenseman this team can use. Gets it done defensively and takes absolutely no shit from anyone. Having him with Regehr on the roster makes the defense much, much tougher.
• Buffalo’s -31 goal differential is currently the second worst in the league. In the oft-mentioned comparable 2002-2003 campaign, they finished at -29. This team is terrible.
• Each loss brings more and more pressure from certain media types to make a move immediately. Credit Regier for not being reactionary. This team is broken. Make the best deal. If he does nothing, that’s a problem. But if he’s just doing nothing right now, fine.
• Still another week and a half until the team plays a home game. Fans are gonna sit on this streak until then. Can’t wait to see what kind of crowd shows up.

Yes, 11.

This time, it’s a 4-1 defeat to the team formerly known as the Atlanta Thrashers at an AHL arena somewhere in Canada.

Drew Stafford scored the lone goal for Buffalo. Failing to beat goaltending icon Ondrej Pavelec more than once isn’t going to get anyone very far.

Special teams wasn’t an area of strength on this night either, with the powerplay leaving empty handed after two opportunities and the penalty kill allowing two goals on four chances.

“You’ve got to win that battle,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said about the special teams. “We had a tough time getting shots through. They got theirs.”

The solution to the team’s problems getting points continues to elude the roster and coaching staff, and the season continues to slip past the point of saving. Ryan Miller, who started extremely strong in this game, stopping 18 of 19 shots in the first period and making key stops on many of the 30 shots he faced through two periods, couldn’t have stolen this one.

Another game, another search for answers.

• His play of late hasn’t been stellar, and his name keeps popping up when talking trades, but Derek Roy made a subtle and crucial play on Buffalo’s only goal. With Nathan Gerbe and Drew Stafford charging ahead with a two-on-one break, Roy made a nice positional play that prevented a second Jets player from getting back into the play. Roy cut right in front of the defender to open up the passing lane that Gerbe was able to use to get the puck over. If Roy doesn’t make that play, that puck doesn’t get through, and there’s no goal. Watch the replay. Didn’t seem like anyone else noticed it.
• Ryan Miller did play extremely well early, but without any offense, he’s not going to be able to sit back and weather the storm the whole game. The inability to carry offensive pressure is putting more on him to do everything to keep the game close. He faced 19 shots in the first period. That’s on the team defensively to limit that number. 19 is embarrassing.
• The defense is currently a mess. Christian Ehrhoff is desperately needed to bring some calmness to the team’s breakouts and possession in their own zone. Robyn Regehr’s steady play is absent too. Few guys have been able to step up and play decent.
• Thomas Vanek has no goals in seven games.
• If anyone’s been noticing on Twitter when teams play in Winnipeg, the 50/50 raffles at games have been absurd. The jackpots in Buffalo, on good nights, surpass $10,000. The jackpot for Thursday’s game was $41,140.00 CDN, which is slightly above average. Unfortunately, with the exchange, that’s about $82.50 US.
• Luke Adam’s name has been brought up multiple times here because of his lack of playing time, being arguably the most skilled center on the team. He played 13:50 on Thursday, the second time he’s broken 13 minutes in the last 11 games. It takes an injury to Paul Gaustad to do that though.
• Cody McCormick dropped the gloves with Mark Stuart early in the game. It was his first scrap since December 13. He still has no goals this season.
• Should be noted the last road win was December 3rd in Nashville, a 3-2 win on a night Ryan Miller was absolutely lights out. Buffalo had exactly 14 shots on goal. Prior to that their previous road win was a 1-0 shutout in Carolina, with Jhonas Enroth stealing the show on November 18. One road win in two months.

Alright, it’s not even worth trying at this point.

In a game where few objective fans could convince themselves that the end result would be in doubt, it proved to be another nail in the coffin for the Sabres’ 2011-2012 season. Chicago, battling for the top spot in the West coming in, now sits atop the heap after handing the floundering Sabres a 6-2 defeat.

All-star captain Jason Pominville scored both goals for Buffalo, who have lost ten straight road games.

“We’re not dealing well with adversity,” Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. “Until we learn to win again, you won’t win on the road.

“We’ve got some players that are way away from their game, and we’ve got some guys that I thought were good tonight, but we didn’t have enough of them.”

Pominville’s second goal tied the game at 2-2 minutes into the second period, but the Blackhawks scored four unanswered goals to coast away with two points.

Jhonas Enroth, who has been strong lately despite not finding wins, allowed six goals and stopped 29 of 35 shots. Enroth hasn’t picked up a winning decision since November 26.

The team flies to Winnipeg to face the Thrashers on Thursday night.

• With the need for some roster changes obvious, it’s a common topic of discussion to consider what players should be considered untouchable. Obviously, Thomas Vanek is the top name on the list. Many would throw in Tyler Myers as well. (I wouldn’t.) But Jason Pominville has been everything we could’ve hoped for when he was given the “C”. He’s having a phenomonal year, contributes in all areas. He’s part of the solution, not part of the problem.
• The NBC Sports crew calling the game were quite critical of the Sabres throughout the broadcast. Some on twitter seemed taken aback by it. It’s nice to get an objective opinion once in a while, isn’t it?
• Jochen Hecht’s pass to Pominville on the opening goal was absolutely sublime.
• Paul Gaustad was hurt after being boarded by Jamal Mayers in the second period. He’s actually been contributing of late, so his absence could be a blow. The team’s faceoff specialist was 2-of-10 on the night before getting hurt.
• It’s good that Lindy Ruff went with Enroth over Miller Wednesday night. First, Enroth deserved it. He’s been playing great. After Miller’s poor performance Monday, it’d be good to let him stew on it a little bit. He’ll be motivated Thursday against a team that is beatable. The only question is whether the 18 guys skating up ice will be motivated as well.
• The difference between a team like the Sabres and a team like Chicago? The Blackhawks were absolutely horrible for a few years and picked up guys like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane with lottery picks. Premier talent comes through the draft.
• Congrats to Andrej Sekera for being the Sabres’ only defenseman with a positive plus/minus, as he was one of three players to be +1, along with Pominville and Hecht. He was pretty good considering the group he was playing with.
• Jordan Leopold, who was superb all season, has been downright terrible the last few games. Not sure if it’s Christian Ehrhoff’s absence, or maybe even Tyler Myers’ presence, but he’s playing the worst hockey of his tenure as a Sabre. Ehrhoff was hurt December 30. Myers returned January 6. In the two games between, as the top guy, Leopold had a goal and two assists as the Sabres went 1-0-1. Since Myers’ came back, Leopold has no points and is -9 as the team has gone 1-5-1. Starting to wonder if they might be correlated.
• The Ville Leino turnover that led to the Hossa goal was argued about extensively on Twitter. What I saw: Leino looked back, saw he had Drew Stafford trailing him. He buried his head and Stafford cut into the slot instead of coming in behind Leino. Leino, under the impression he had support, dropped it back to nobody. T.J. Brennan was pinching but was too far back to get to the puck, but still caught up ice. Marian Hossa was waiting at the blue line for the breakaway pass. Argue about the merit of the play, but it was clearly a miscommunication. With the way things are going, that puck was going to end up in the net.

In this episode, we talk Detroit curbstomping a struggling Sabres team, last week’s “Sabres Summit” with the bloggers and Ted Black, why we should watch and what we do until the mess is cleaned up.



Got comments? Hit us up below or on twitter, @3rdManIn or @2ITB_Buffalo. Enjoy.

Things didn’t look too promising coming in to Monday’s game at Joe Louis Arena.

Riding an eight-game losing streak on the road, Buffalo was about to run into a buzzsaw. Detroit was ready to extend their home winning streak to a franchise record 15. The numbers indicated it could be trouble for the Sabres.

Surprise, surprise.

While they held them off the board for just over five minutes, there wasn’t much reason to think the Sabres had any chance to get out of there with points, and they dropped a 5-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings presented by Amway.

“We’ve got to wake up,” Buffalo forward Jason Pominville said.

Ryan Miller got chased after allowing five goals on 14 shots in the first 24:32 of action. He expressed his frustration after the game, and, just like many of us have been saying, there’s no magical cure in his eyes.

“If you want to just destroy a team and go out and be reckless and do something, yeah. Then there’s going to be new guys in here. But other than that, this locker room is going to be pretty much the same, if not completely the same and we gotta find it from in here [points to chest]. You can’t sit and wait for somebody else to fucking do it.”

The nine game losing streak shows no signs of stopping, with the team unable to put together a good road game and visits to Chicago, Winnipeg and St. Louis, all arenas where the home team has dominated, awaiting them.

This is what a season slipping away looks like.

• Lindy Ruff decided to mix up the defense pairings and forward lines after seeing the team fail to beat the last place Islanders on Saturday. With Andrej Sekera returning in place of Robyn Regehr and T.J. Brennan replacing Joe Finley, there wasn’t going to be much continuity on the blueline anyways. It turned out to be a disaster. Jordan Leopold and Mike Weber looked lost playing together, both being on the ice for four of the five Detroit goals.
• One of the changes Ruff made was putting Derek Roy between Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. Defensively not withstanding, that line looked alright in the offensive zone, especially Roy, who I thought looked good in the attacking zone. The trio had 10 of the Sabres’ 27 shots on Detroit’s Jimmy Howard.
• Oddly enough, Marc-Andre Gragnani was even on the night. He’s been one of the team’s shakiest defenseman. Somehow his plus-minus doesn’t reflect that.
• Brad Boyes came in with good career numbers against Detroit, potting 20 points in 25 career games against the Wings. He was on the fourth line with Matt Ellis and Luke Adam, and played 9:47. When a player has a good track record against a certain team, I’m a fan of pushing them a bit more. Some guys just respond in certain environments (see Miller against Toronto, Vanek against Tampa Bay) and Ruff didn’t exactly give Boyes a situation he can succeed in.
• Jhonas Enroth was very strong in relief, stopping all 12 shots he faced. He’s been really good lately. In his last four appearances (three starts and Monday’s relief appearance) Enroth has allowed just seven goals in 221 minutes and has a .949 save percentage over that span. I’d like to see him get the start Wednesday in the first half of the back-to-back.
• Pavel Datsyuk was unreal for Detroit. The difference between the Sabres and a team like the Red Wings is having a guy like Datsyuk. While Thomas Vanek is an elite player and the closest thing Buffalo has, Datsyuk is just on another level. Guy is unreal. Finished with three assists.
• Shoutout to Nathan Gerbe for showing effort even late in that game. Guy may not be producing, but he’s playing with heart. In lieu of results, we’ll just have to be happy with that.
• Anyone who thinks the team isn’t going to do anything to change the makeup of the roster is just a negative, ignorant person. Terry Pegula sat there and watched this game in person. He claims he wants to follow the Detroit model. Seeing first hand what of a gap there is between where the Sabres are and where they need to be, he’s going to make changes. It’s just a matter of making the right changes and waiting for the opportunity to make them.

Facing the 15th-best team in the Eastern Conference should fall into that category. Saturday night’s game in New York didn’t fall into the “win” category, though.

Despite another phenomenal performance from rookie Jhonas Enroth, Buffalo couldn’t get the goal support or the defense it needed, dropping a 4-2 defeat to the last place Islanders.

“When you don’t execute exits out of your zone, you have a hard time generating much at the other end,” Ruff said. “On the bright side, I did think Jhonas was terrific.”

Enroth’s 36 saves were in most instances timely and crucial to keeping the game close. The Sabres got goals from Patrick Kaleta and Derek Roy, but a late goal by New York’s Michael Grabner was the deciding marker.

Buffalo got a chance to tie the game, as Thomas Vanek got a penalty shot with just 1:24 left, but the team’s leading scorer rang a shot off the post behind Isles goalie Evgeni Nabokov. New York added an empty netter with 30 seconds remaining to seal it.

Next up for the Sabres is a trip to Detroit, where they face the Red Wings on Monday night, winners of 14 straight of Joe Louis Arena. Oh boy.

• Robyn Regehr left with an upper body injury and was deemed as out for the coming games by Lindy Ruff. With Andrej Sekera ready to come back, it won’t necessitate a call-up, but the defense has struggled mightily. Mike Weber has been alright, but right now he’s getting #4 minutes. Marc-Andre Gragnani and Joe Finley looked like a dumpster fire in their own zone for much of the night. Sabres need to get Christian Ehrhoff back badly.
• Derek Roy came through with a big goal to tie the game right after the Isles made it 2-1. The second line finally chipped one in. Oddly enough, it was on a night where the top line wasn’t making an impact on the scoresheet.
• The lack of production from the first line can be correlated with Thomas Vanek getting drilled in the side of the head by a Jochen Hecht shot. Vanek has been taking a beating lately. They can’t afford to lose him. If he’s done, they’re done.
• Patrick Kaleta was given another minor penalty, again for charging, in what appeared to be a dubious call. The play could’ve been deemed interference, but it wasn’t. He has minor penalties in four of his last six games. Whether he’s being targeted or not, eventually he needs to learn the line and stay inside it.
• Tyler Myers was on the ice for 31:05, thanks to the Regehr injury and tenuous third pairing. Myers hasn’t been that good. If he’s playing half the game, well, you’re not in good shape.
• Does it seem like Michael Grabner always scores against Buffalo? Well, he kinda does. 8 goals in 6 career games against the Sabres.
• The Sabres have an exactly identical record after 44 games this season as they did last season. That team needed a huge surge to battle into the seventh spot. Is a heroic march to seventh and a first round defeat really the target right now?
• Luke Adam played just 6:29. Matt Ellis played 15:55. Does this look like the marks of a team that’s playing well? I don’t think so.
• In his last 10 starts, Jhonas Enroth is 1-6-3. Buffalo has scored more than two goals in exactly two of those games. Can’t blame him, can you?

It wasn’t very high, but high enough.

Thanks to two first period goals from the team’s fourth line, solid goaltending, and the team’s leading scorer coming through as usual, Buffalo was able to secure a split to the home-and-home with Toronto, as they pulled out a 3-2 win at First Niagara Center.

Matt Ellis opened the scoring at 1:05, banking in a shot from behind the goal line. The rare fortunate bounce was followed up by Gaustad ripping a wrister past Jonas Gustavsson less than three minutes later.

“We haven’t got many of those,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff admitted in his press conference, referring to the team’s bad luck of late.

Buffalo’s two early goals were answered by the Maple Leafs before the end of the first, as they scored two goals in just 2:46 to even the score.

The tie was broken with just over five minutes remaining in the second, as Thomas Vanek threaded a beautiful pass to Jason Pominville at the back door for the All-Star’s 15th of the season. The Leafs defense failed to notice the captain sneak around the goal to the backside of the crease.

“We should’ve had the coverage in front of the net,” Leafs coach Ron Wilson said after the game.

Ryan Miller made 24 saves for the win, and allowed two goals or less in consecutive games for the first time since October. Jonas Gustavsson allowed three goals on 25 shots to a team he shutout a few days before.

The game wasn’t without the reemergence of the story of the season, as Brayden McNabb left the game with what could be a concussion. Ruff reported that he did in fact visit the “quiet room” and is out for tomorrow’s game on Long Island.

• Getting goals from guys like Paul Gaustad and Matt Ellis is the difference between this being a competitive team and an average team. That depth in offense is crucial. The second and third lines didn’t contribute any themselves. Thanks to Gaustad, Ellis and Patrick Kaleta (two assists) chipping in, they got two points.
• I’ll say there were probably a solid 9-10,000 Leafs fans in the building.
• Derek Roy came out extremely strong and overall had a pretty solid game. He was doing good things with the puck down low, created a couple chances too.
• Mike Weber had an extremely rough game. A miscommunication between he and Robyn Regehr led to the first Toronto goal, and he got knocked over and lost the puck in the slot for the second one. He was the Sabres’ only minus player, and was -2 in 19:58 of TOI.
• Bad break for McNabb, as the rook was having a solid night. Despite leaving early with the injury, he picked up an assist on the Gaustad goal and was +2.
• For as much energy as Leafs/Sabres games tend to have thanks to the fan interaction, the early buzz was systematically killed throughout the game. As a follower on twitter put it, “I’m literally falling asleep right now.”
• Ryan Miller putting two solid games together is encouraging as the team heads out on this road trip that could make or break their season. He’s settled in and stopped a lot of the shots he needs to.
• That high-sticking penalty on Marc-Andre Gragnani was atrocious. Only two penalties against the Leafs were tangible: delay of game (puck over glass) and too many men. Referees weren’t making judgement calls against them. Same thing happened Tuesday.
• On Gragnani, he played just 7:51 and took two minor penalties. This “five defenseman” thing with Gragnani only getting spot shifts and powerplay time is questionable. Sure, they’re kind of hand-tied with Ehrhoff and Sekera out, but it’s not good to be riding the same five guys every night.
• You know what’s the best? Watching Toronto lose. You know what’s better? Watching Leafs fans watch their team lose.

Preamble

It really is the center of the hockey universe. Whether we like it or not.

Living in Buffalo, you get used to Toronto being “right there.” Honestly, it’s a nice perk. I hate Canada in general with a passion, but, to be truthful, I love going to Toronto. It’s beautiful.

I’ve made a habit of heading north to catch Sabres games since the lockout. Thanks to the Sabres’ ownership of the Leafs on the scoreboard since then, it’s been a habitually great trip. Heading into Tuesday, I had attended 15 Sabres/Leafs games at Air Canada Centre, with Buffalo winning 13 of them. Really. When you can leave an opposing arena on a winning note, it makes the trip much more enjoyable.

A couple weeks ago, I found a few standing room only tickets on StubHub for a reasonable $49.99 each. You read that right. Those damn fees turned into $60 each, but I’m a huge fan of the SRO areas at the ACC. You basically stand right at the top of the 300 level, with a birds-eye view of the ice and some space to breathe. Some would look at a $60 ticket that doesn’t include a seat and question it, but I don’t. It’s Toronto. It’s a different world.

So I headed north with some friends eager to see another win. Um, well…

Sabres @ Maple Leafs
Viewed at: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

You can’t win if you don’t score.

Thanks to an impotent offense and 60 minutes without a single powerplay, the Sabres had no chance to win in a 2-0 loss to the Maple Leafs.

First period goals by Nikolai Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski were plenty of cushion as Jonas Gustavsson got the shutout for Toronto. Ryan Miller made 26 saves in the loss.

Buffalo was in rough shape early, as Thomas Vanek played just four minutes due to illness and left the game during the first period. Without their leading scorer, the Sabres struggled.

“We need to get one and it will make the boys in here feel good and hopefully we can string them on from there,” Sabres forward Drew Stafford said. “We’ve got a great opportunity in the rematch in a couple days.”

Opportunities are only useful if they’re converted.

• The officiating was horrendous both ways. The only penalties called, save for the Patrick Kaleta charging penalty, all required tangible evidence to prompt a call. Stafford put the puck in the crowd. Then Stafford pushed a guy into the net and knocked it off. Then Mike Weber put the puck over the glass. That’s weak.
• Love the atmosphere at Air Canada Centre, but honestly, that was the weakest vibe I’ve experienced there. Crowd was absolutely dead. If I ranked all the games I’ve gone to there in order of quality of atmosphere, that one was 16 out of 16. Shitty intro video doesn’t help get the crowd going either.
• Speaking of penalties, how the fuck does Toronto get through a game like that without committing one infraction?
• Your team has serious issues if Matt Ellis and Cody McCormick are on the ice with under three minutes left in a two-goal game.
• That charging penalty on Kaleta is a valid call if the officials are calling a tight game. They weren’t. The guy is officially useless. He’s getting blackballed so he can’t hit. His hands aren’t being effective enough. It’s a shame, but he’s got a target on his back.
• Really liked Nate Gerbe’s intensity. He hasn’t been effective enough offensively, but he’s showing up.
• Another guy who stepped up and showed effort? Drew Stafford… after he took two penalties. He looked pissed. Pissed-off Stafford isn’t quite the game-breaker Pissed-off Vanek is, though.
• Toronto’s crossover play entering the offensive zone gave the Sabres fits early. On the other end, Toronto collapsed around the net so well, most of the Sabres’ 32 shots were low-percentage. They never really had a chance.
• Maple Leaf Square is incredible. Absolutely incredible. We went to the Real Sports Bar right across the street from ACC for a beer before gates opened. Holy shit, that place is beautiful. I envy Toronto for having a place like that to go before a game. I could wax poetic on how Buffalo wouldn’t let something like that exist, but whatever. I was blown away.
• This team with Thomas Vanek is average. This team without Thomas Vanek is atrocious. The team should assign a personal physician for Vanek to minimize the risk of injury or sickness.
• Fans in Buffalo who go to Sabres/Leafs games at First Niagara Center can’t possibly grasp how welcoming the ACC atmosphere is. One guy booed us in the hour before the game. On the way out, one guy said “Buffalo sucks!” which was quickly followed by “Just kidding!” Those assholes in Toronto are so goddamn nice it’s disgusting.

Some insight from Josef (@Beam_Machine) on the game and the Leafs fans:

• I noticed at the Air Canada Centre tonight there was a very tame crowd, you couldn’t tell this was a team holding on to a playoff spot, having one of their best seasons in a while. This is one of the greatest fan bases in the NHL? Didn’t seem like that tonight.
• There was a guy next to us in the always amusing standing room, who was just like the crowd, tame, until the last ten minutes of the game. It was either this guy finally realized he was at a sporting event, or that there were Sabres fans next to him and was going to attempt to get under our skin and it didn’t work. This guy was saying the dumbest things like “I really hate this team.” Dude, really? You really hate this team, you’re so psyched that you’re about to beat the 11th place Buffalo Sabres? I know its been a while but when you’re a winning team and in a playoff spot, you don’t overreact to a victory over a underachieving team.
• Best quote of the night: “Thomas emptied his tank at the first intermission” — The soon to be ex-coach Lindy Ruff

And some thoughts from Tom (@BuffaloFenian) as well…

• When I said I was going to the ACC, my friends and family were worried I’d end up in a fight. I am sure that I would have had to pay someone to fight me in Toronto. We heard a handful of lighthearted “boo’s”, and not a single aggressive comment. I found this a bit disappointing.
• The arena gets a solid 4/5 stars overall. I liked the lower bowl, 300 level hallways, and general vibe I got while walking around. A lot of concrete, and not too much useless promotion. The 300 level has a large metal railing in between every row of seats, and this really segregates the section and kills any feeling of being a group up there. I’d hate to ever see that at FNC. The 300 level bars are outstanding (and yes, I said bars…in the 300 level).
• The game presentation was one of the worst I have ever seen, and that places it at par with the Sabres. Intro video left everything to be desired, bloopers were in abundance and the intermission “entertainment” was better suited to Coca-Cola Field (or a carnival). In addition, the crowd at ACC can only be compared to a morgue…on a Sunday. It was silent, even though a few gentlemen in the 300′s tried their best to initiate a rousing “Go Leafs Go!” Just sucked the life out of an already brutal game.
• Gerbe was one thing that kept me energized throughout the night. Nathan showed his usual spirit during the first and second periods, and really illustrated his determination by getting chippy with only minutes left in the game. He was clearly frustrated with the team’s dismal performance, and did everything he could to turn things around. On a side note: man crush.

After the game ended, we waited for the crowd to clear out a bit and headed for the car. One of the perks of going to games in Toronto? Outbound traffic on the Gardiner is minimal after the game. Made it back to America at 10:58.

Overall, an a solid, entertaining trip. Would’ve been nice to see a goal though.

A superb effort from Jhonas Enroth went to waste, and Buffalo continued their free fall, losing to the team stolen out of Atlanta by a score of 2-1 in overtime.

“It’s tough to win a game with one goal,” said Enroth

The rookie netminder collected his second consecutive overtime loss, making 39 saves on a night where, unlike many games of late, the team got strong goaltending.

Tyler Myers opened the scoring midway through the second period, tapping in a beautiful pass from captain Jason Pominville. It would be the only time the Sabres would beat goaltending legend Ondrej Pavelec, who stopped 31 of 32 shots.

Buffalo dropped to 18-19-4 on the year, and at the season’s midpoint, sit in 11th in the East, five points out of a playoff spot.

• Tyler Myers got a goal. He was also on the ice for both goals against. I’m wondering if he’s the kind of player that Lindy Ruff can build around under the current system in place. Sometime I’ll explain that a bit more.
• Ville Leino was pretty solid in his return. The Leino-Brad Boyes-Drew Stafford combo was alright in generating pressure, but no results means it doesn’t matter.
• Thomas Vanek played just 13:31 thanks to Tyler Myers drilling him with a slap shot. If Vanek goes down, ever, this team is fucked.
• Leino appeared to score a late goal to give Buffalo the lead with just minutes remaining in regulation. A point shot was stopped by Pavelec, and Leino poked the puck free and jammed home the loose puck as the official blew his whistle. As expected, fans and media were acting as if the Sabres got screwed by the official. The referee, on the opposite side of Pavelec, made the call he should’ve made, blowing a whistle as Pavelec had apparently frozen the puck. There shouldn’t have been a dispute. Had the call been the opposite way, and Enroth had gotten pick-pocketed, everyone would have freaked out if they called it a goal. Be objective people.
• Very scared about Brayden McNabb being paired with Myers. He’s going to get lit up. Being a young, impressionable player, it might not be a good idea to have those two paired up, no matter what dream you have of them being “the pairing of the future.”
• Not even gonna freak out about what music they were playing. If they can’t figure it out on their own, they deserve the shitty product and upset fans.
• I cracked up when Lindy Ruff referred to the “schedule” when asked after why Jhonas Enroth got the start. Is it shtick at this point?
• Patrick Kaleta is a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Is there a reason they should resign him?
• Some discussion on twitter last night about the team’s lack of center depth and who actually is the team’s best center. The majority agreed that Luke Adam was probably the best pivot on the roster last night. First, wow. Second, he was centering a line between Matt Ellis and Cody McCormick. Um…