I Like Dmitri Kalinin

Since the Finals are still refusing to start, I would like to talk about Dmitri Kalinin. I was planning on saving all the posts about individual players until the off-season since I have no idea what I'm going to write about all summer but chances are good that Tri will no longer be here. Don't worry, haters, I'm not about to argue that the Sabres re-sign him although I certainly don't think it would be a huge mistake. No, I just want to go on the record as saying that I think Dmitri Kalinin has repeatedly gotten the shaft in Buffalo.

Listen, I understand why people find him frustrating. He's inconsistent and he never quite seemed to get his confidence together. One mistake, even a small one, totally sent him spinning and it sometimes took him weeks to get himself back together. But I've never understood why the criticism of him is so intense compared to other players. I'll use last year's playoffs as an example. Dmitri Kalinin was one of the best Sabres in the first two rounds. Some nights he and Ryan Miller were the only guys who looked awake. One of the best plays made in the postseason - the only one I still remember now - was Dmitri Kalinin. Ryan Smyth was making a break toward the goal and Tri made a picture perfect diving defensive play. He lifted Smyth's stick, knocked the puck away, and did it without taking a penalty. It was gorgeous. But I'd bet I'm one of a handful of people who remember it because most of Buffalo stopped seeing Tri do anything good long before that. In the Conference Finals he made a turnover that led to a goal and then everyone started taking notice even though again, he'd been one of the few good players up to that point. It wasn't the first turnover in that playoffs to lead to a goal and it certainly wasn't the worst play that year. Derek Roy and Jason Pominville were garbage from the word go. Danny Briere disappeared in the Conference Finals. (Kind of like this year.) And the great Chris Drury got his butt kicked in the faceoff circle (one of his most cited strengths) especially in the Conference Finals. But none of those guys got the crap that Tri did. The second he messed up all hell broke loose on message boards across the internet.

Photo by Mike Lynaugh (See MikeLynaugh.com for more of his excellent Sabres photos)
Same thing with the end of this past season. Post-Campbell trade the entire defensive corp was shaky. (In some ways because of Campbell's absence, in some ways that were simply created by the loss of a starter.) Tallinder and Lydman were crap (sorry, Hank) and they didn't really have an excuse. They were playing with the same partner in the same role against the same competition they've had for the last couple of years. Tri went from playing on the third pairing to playing on the second pairing and more importantly, I think, went from playing with Nolan Pratt, who he'd developed a very nice chemistry with - something very important to his success - to playing with Jaroslav Spacek, someone he'd never played with and someone who plays a very different kind of game than Pratt. I was shocked that he had a hard time adjusting.

If I can psychoanalyze the city for a few minutes, I think Buffalo as a whole has had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that Dmitri Kalinin has not turned into the top pairing defensemen they expected him to be. He was a first round draft pick and he had a very good season the year before the lockout. And then he just never got better. And instead of accepting him for what he was - a solid third pairing d-man who showed flashes of being even better - everyone just got all tied up in what he wasn't. My one major criticism of Lindy Ruff would be that I think he fell into that same trap. Let me make it clear that this is my interpretation. Obviously I have no idea what Dmitri Kalinin is really like and obviously I have no idea what's gone on between him and Lindy Ruff but from an outsider's point-of-view, I'm not sure Lindy ever got a handle on how to coach Tri. When word broke late this past season that Lindy had publicly berated Tri at a practice I said to a couple of different people, "That is so not going to work." And guess what, it didn't. Some players respond to that kind of thing but some don't. I've never seen anything to suggest that Tri would handle a public calling out well and Lindy has clearly become frustrated with him.

I don't want to suggest that Lindy Ruff is a pussycat because lord knows he can blow a gasket and he's not afraid to come down on players. But he also knows when to gather them up under his wings and protect them and I don't feel like Tri ever got the protection from him that others have received. Lindy isn't above making excuses for players at times and he's never made excuses for Tri. I can't cite quotes because I have to pay to access the local newspaper's archives and I'm not making enough money off this gig to do that but his remarks about Tri and Tri's play always seemed harder, more impatient, and sometimes even a little bit mean. At one point last season Lindy complimented Nolan Pratt's play, saying he was successful because he always stayed within himself. He understood Pratt's strengths and weaknesses and never put Pratt in situations he couldn't handle. I'm not sure he did the same for Tri.

So as much as I like Dmitri Kalinin, I think it probably is best for him to move on and get a fresh start somewhere else. But unlike those of you out there who will say, "Good riddance," I'll wish Tri a genuinely fond farewell. I hope he finds a good place to land. I hope he finds teammates who love him, a coach who handles him well, and a fanbase that accepts him for who he is instead of hating him for who he isn't. I may be the only one, but I'll miss you, Tri.

Grow Up to Be Strong and Straight (The Title Has Very Little to Do With the Post and Nothing To Do With the Game So Don't Think About It Too Hard)

First, something I meant to include in my off-topic post a couple days ago and forgot: I want to kill every single person in that Scrabble-ROTFL commercial. The grandmother, the mother, the kids. Every. single. person.

On to the game:

- The Sabres were clearly a team missing a) their best defensive forward and b) their best defensive d-man, both of whom usually line up across from Alexander Ovechkin. Jochen Hecht and Henrik Tallinder are exactly the kind of players who get overlooked by people outside of Buffalo - if not by people in Buffalo sometimes - but when they're gone, they leave a hole. Overall I think Andrej Sekera did really well considering what a big job he had and how much time he's had at the NHL level (not much) but holy moses, what was with all the breakaways? If you take away the breakaways it's a different game. Unfortunately, you can't take away the breakaways and good for the Caps for capitalizing on them eventually. We sure gave them enough opportunities to do so.

- Ryan Miller needs to have that third goal. He kept the team in the game up to that point but he really needs to have that third goal.

- Jochen Hecht looked really dapper and handsome in his in-game interview, all decked out in his suit and tie, but if he and/or Hank don't come back soon, I'm jumping out the window beside me as I type this.* We need them badly. It's like the man says: Injuries like these can decide the playoff race. I realize I'm kind of repeating myself here but I'm that stressed about these two guys missing much more time.

- Dmitri Kalinin, you sure know how to make it tough on a girl. After I ranted and raved about him being the scapegoat too many times, he went and had a brutal game. Just brutal. I didn't really make a big point of it earlier but I told Mark part of the reason I didn't like Tri being the guy who got screamed at in public is because I didn't think he seemed like the kind of player who would respond well to that kind of treatment. Obviously, I'm just a fan and really don't know anything of the players other than what's presented to us but for tonight at least, I was right! Ha! (Remember that for next time, Lindy.)

- What was that goal review? The first angle was inconclusive with the puck disappearing - one of those "common sense says the puck probably went in but we can't go by common sense" things - but the second angle we got on MSG, one that was kind of from ice level was conclusive. Puck over the line. So why was it a no goal? Because the whistle blew? I was under the impression that Toronto didn't call for the whistle. And if the whistle blew why did we spend so much time reviewing the play in the first place? I'm not saying that was a difference maker because the Caps earned the goals they got, the Sabres were sloppy, and we still would've been down by a goal with only a couple of minutes left but I've found the officiating to be kind of baffling in the last couple of games. And sometimes in our favor so please no, "You're just saying that because the Sabres got screwed!" comments.

- Before any Caps fans who wander over here get upset about the next thing I'm going to say, they should check out the comments on the Buffalo News blog where people raved about Alexander Ovechkin. The same thing happened on sports radio. It was an all-day love fest for Alex. I am in no way representing anyone but myself when I say this: I am so tired of Ovechkin. He is an amazing player, he is fun to watch, he can totally take over a game. I would love for the NHL to turn the volume down about a hundred degrees on the hype machine. I had the same complaint about Sidney Crosby when he first showed up on the scene (and still do sometimes). I would enjoy watching these guys play a lot more if the machine would just shut up and let me enjoy them. And while I really don't have much of a problem with him taunting the crowd by putting his hand to his ear after scoring a goal, I seem to recall Ilya Kovalchuk getting really criticized for behaving in a similar manner when he came into the league. When he suckered Crosby into a penalty, scored on the powerplay, and then pointed at Crosby coming out of the box (which I thought was HI-larious), a lot of people nailed him to the wall. Is it really that different?

I certainly understand why Ovechkin is newsworthy. I just don't understand why he's the ONLY person who's newsworthy. I think when the NHL zeros in on one or two guys they do a horrible disservice to themselves because they're ignoring a lot of other very good players and stories.

- If anyone tells me that the Sabres lost that game because Brian Campbell is no longer in a Sabres uniform, I'm kicking them in the head. The only difference is that he's fast enough that he might have been able to catch up with the guys taking off on the breakaways. I'm not believing that he would have played them much different otherwise. Again, his absence hurts because it means Nathan Paetsch and right now, Dmitri Kalinin are in the line-up. It does not hurt because we're missing him defensively.

- Definitely a tough loss as far as playoff hopes go. We only have so many losses to give up and even then we might have to hope for a little help from a team or two above us which is really frustrating. It's not like I have any control over how the Sabres play but I feel even more helpless when I need some other team to win and/or lose.

- I feel like little Joey, yelling as Shane rides away only I'm yelling, "He'd never been able to score a goal if you'd seen him! He never would've even got a shot off, would he, Hank! Lindy's got things for you to do! And Toni wants you! I know he does! Haaa-ank! HAAAAAAAAAANK! COME BACK!"

*Don't worry. Our apartment is on the first floor so I'm not really going to do much damage jumping out the window as long as I avoid the left ankle. In fact, our apartment is really below ground level so I'd have to jump up to get out of the window in the first place. I'm pretty safe.

ETA: I don't imagine the Campbell highlight from tonight will get as much play as the spin-o-rama goal did. The one where Mike Fisher got past Campbell and Craig Rivet (his defensive partner) and Campbell pushed Rivet into Fisher with his stick, sending Rivet into Evgeni Nabokov (his goalie)? I hate to sound like I'm picking on Soupy but as long as I have to listen to people bemoan the loss of Soupy I'm going to remind said people that there's a reason the Sabres didn't want to fork over the big bucks and that reason is spelled d-e-f-e-n-s-e.

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANK!

I totally admit it. I had pretty much given up. The Sabres weren't playing badly really but they only had a one goal lead. And then Henrik Tallinder got boarded and collapsed in a heap. (That gut-wrenching scream you heard around 7:48 or so was me.) And then the Flyers tied up the game. And I don't know, I was ready to throw in the towel. Andrej Sekera was killing penalties, Toni Lydman was playing on the powerplay. Our best defensive forward and best defensive d-man were out with injuries. I was ready to admit it just wasn't going to happen this year. I even had a post half-written in my head about how it might be a good thing in the long run for the team to miss the playoffs. And then it turned out that Sekera was playing pretty well. And Max came out of nowhere and started playing like he's capable of playing. And they won. The little rat bastards won and now I'm hopeful all over again. They're gonna be the death of me, these kids.

Don't get me wrong. I think if Jochen Hecht doesn't get back soon and if Hank is out for any extended time, we're pretty much screwed. At this point the team does not have a lot of games to fritter away. But it was good to see the boys take control of the game and push it out of Philly's reach.

According to Versus, the Sabres didn't really earn much of anything in this game. Every penalty was "sold" to the refs (which is not to say that the officiating was stellar because it was not and Philly got the worst of it) and every goal was because the Flyers screwed up. They didn't look great on any of the goals but they weren't responsible for the perfect tape-to-tape passes up the ice, the Sabres were.

And that never-ending interview with new NHLPA head Paul Kelly was awful. It was boring. He speaks in a monotone and he didn't say anything interesting. (Hockey players are "true human beings." As opposed to fake ones? Droids? Cylons?) And it took place over the play! I know it's a regular complaint that people make about Versus but good grief, guys, there's a game going on! Wrap up the interview or squeeze Boring Cliche Guy into the stops in play. Don't ignore Max going in on a breakaway. I doubt there are a ton of non-hockey fans tuning into a Tuesday night game on Versus but if they are, what are they supposed to think of a game that's so unimportant that the guys calling it can't be bothered to pay attention to it? Kelly also talked about the Sabres playing a blue-collar, physical style of hockey which proved that he hasn't seen much of the Sabres.

This is getting off-track but one of the unexpected side-effects of blogging has been how much more confident I am in my own opinion even when it doesn't line up with what other people are saying. I haven't really been following hockey for that long and often in the past if someone disagreed with me I automatically assumed they knew more than I did and were seeing something I was missing. One of the startling realizations I've had this season is that just because someone is in a position of power or is on a national broadcast, it doesn't make them right about everything. I know that is a super obvious thing but I don't know, it took a while to get through. Brian Engblom (just as an example) may be very knowledgeable about hockey and have insights to it that I don't since he is a former player, but he doesn't watch every game that every team plays. He can't! There's no reason for me to assume that he knows the Sabres better than me since I choose to torture myself by watching every single game they participate in. So when Keith Jones said tonight that Steve Bernier has the potential to be a fifty goal scorer I got really excited. And then I remembered that last week he called Brian Campbell one of the best open ice hitters in the NHL because he's seen two or three hits played over and over and realized that he might have no idea what he's talking about.

And speaking of opinions that don't often line up with others, I hated Dmitri Kalinin being scratched tonight. I hated it. It worked out okay in the end but I hated it. He and Nolan Pratt had become a very good pairing and then Campbell was traded and he switched partners. Now he's playing with someone who plays a totally different kind of game than Pratt and was maybe playing against competition that was a little tougher than he was accustomed too. To pick him out as the scratch seemed unnecessary to me. I will go to my grave arguing that Kalinin has too often been the scapegoat for poor play from the team during the past few years. He gets very little credit when he's playing well - even if he's one of the only ones playing well like during the first couple rounds of last year's playoffs - but the second the wheels come off everything comes down on his head. I would love for the Sabres to re-sign him. I think he's a solid defenseman who can chip in his fair amount on the offensive side, especially when paired with a partner he's comfortable with. But I also feel like it might be best for him to end up somewhere far away from the expectations Buffalo fans have that he'll never live up to. Maybe some fanbase out there can just be satisfied with Tri being the defenseman he is instead of fixating on how he's not the defenseman they wanted him to be.

I just read that Hank's definitely not playing tomorrow. Ugh. I'm unhappy. Who's gonna defend Ovechkin? And seriously, that wasn't boarding? And while I hate throwing around the word "classless" - a lot of behavior I've seemed deemed as classless is simply people pulling for their team/against the opposing team - a crowd booing a guy wobbling off the ice is pretty classless. What a bunch of douchebags. If you don't want to cheer, don't cheer. But don't be a douchebag and boo. Also, I'm still convinced that first goal was actually Hank's. I never saw it touch Pommers. (That wasn't boarding? Am I being too sensitive? Because I'm totally willing to admit I might be a little sensitve on this one.)

Sweet Relief!

This morning I got the following email from Mark.

If Derek plays tonight, he will have a huge game. When I came in this morning and turned on my adding machine, the number 9 appeared! Okay, I must have bumped the 9 key, but still!!

Monday we're going to see if he can accidentally punch in 26.

In a season when a couple of my favorites have fallen hard (Spinorama on outta here, Soupy! Dipsy-doodle your way to a new city, Timmy!), I'm a little relieved to report that I've really missed having Derek Roy in the line-up the last few games. He hasn't had a very good season and he can be completely exasperating - we have a very intense love/hate relationship - but dang, when I love him, I love him. It sure looks like he took Lindy's words about certain players needing to step up to heart because he had a great game. He was buzzing everywhere, he was involved in a handful of the goals and I admit it, I'm totally tickled at the goalie - I think it was Kari Lehtonen at that point - shooting the puck at him. Hee. Even though he was kind of tripped into the crease, I do think little Roy-Z is at his best when he's bugging other people. I'm a little disappointed that his hat-trick was awarded after the game though. I hate when that happens! Here's a hat from me to you, Roy-Z! You were my first star of the game.



Other observations:

- Despite the fact that he keeps hitting crossbars, I think Thomas Vanek looked pretty good tonight. He was going to the net more often than not and made some really nice passes to the front of the net. I fully expect the message board denizens to pick everything he did apart to pieces and fault him for not earning $70 million in one game but for tonight, they should really give it a rest.

- That was one of the most complete games they've played all season. They'd start to cool off just for a couple of minutes and I'd start getting a little worried but they always pulled it together quickly. The Sabres definitely got some bounces but they also worked really hard for sixty minutes. It's a cliche that you create your own bounces but it's a cliche because it's true.

- I try to not let the girlie side of me come out here too often because I don't want to be accused of being a puckbunny - seriously, try it and see what happens - but that backhand by Smokin' Jochen Hecht was seriously sexy. You can keep your showy slapshots, backhands make me swoon. (Of course, I also have a terrible, terrible slapshot so maybe I'm just pretending to not be impressed with them. I do, however, have a pretty good backhand if I do say so myself. Yo-Yo and I are hockey soul mates because I'd be all about ugly goals, I think.)

- I admit, I tend to kind of ignore it when Henrik Tallinder isn't playing well - he's my favorite player so that earns him a little slack - but he really has looked a ton better the last handful or so of games, even in some of the losses. Good job, Hank. It's nice to be able to actually say, "Hey, my guy is playing really well!" instead of just closing my eyes and pretending I'm not seeing you.

- If I were nice, I wouldn't point out that a clean giveaway by Brian "Six Million Dollar Man" Campbell led directly to the Thrashers only goal. But hey, if you guys want to give him that much money... Okay, seriously, it's just as likely that was Ryan Miller's fault. I mean, the poor guy had a FOUR GOAL LEAD. He was probably panicky and confused. And hey, atleast we didn't have to hold our breaths waiting for the last second goal to ruin the potential shutout.

- Two gorgeous passes from Dmitri Kalinin. Oh, geez. That pass/shot over to Vanek on the side of the net was so, so nice.

- Loved the mic'd up segment when Adam Mair hollers for a piece of gum and somebody brought out a little tupperware dish full of sticks of gum. I don't know, for some reason that little dish cracked me up. I can't believe they chew gum while skating and getting knocked around though. Seems dangerous.

- Nice to see some bumping and scrapping from a lot of different guys. I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get full-blown fights out of Hecht and Toni Lydman though. They're not very good fighters and it doesn't happen very often but I love the way they go from mild-mannered to total flip out and they didn't quite get there tonight. And geez, Jason Pominville got nailed by Eric Boulton. I think I heard him whimpering from my living room.

- All in all, a much needed victory for both the team and the fans, I think. Part of my brain is whispering that it doesn't mean anything until we string a bunch of wins together but the other half of my brain is telling that half to shut up. For tonight, I'm happy. At the very least, it was nice to see some smiles on the bench again.

Ryan Miller - Stars 1-3

A few quick hits on the Islanders game since I'll admit, I was in and out all night. I was really in the mood to watch a game last night - I ended up watching the Sharks/Ducks games on Yahoo (I'm nursing a little bit of a thing for Joe Thornton) - but tonight? Eh, I wasn't feeling it. Probably didn't help that the Sabres were... not really good.

- The Sabres were noticeably more sluggish after Derek Roy went out. He's been really buzzing lately and they missed his zip.

- Jochen Hecht had probably his worst game of the season. I'll cut him some slack though since he's been so solid.

- Dmitri Kalinin looked pretty good considering this was his first game back after such a long absence - calm, dependable, and even a little bit physical. I don't know what happens when Teppo Numminen comes back and I'm not going to hazard a guess right now. We'll just have to see how Tri plays and how Teppo looks after his return. Although I thought Nolan Pratt had earned a spot over Nathan Paetsch so what do I know?

- Ryan Miller won this game. He could've been all three stars. He's really put together a nice string of games. But geez, could he get a little help? Out shot 43-17? Pretty sad. That's expecting an awful lot of your goalie. I'm glad we're winning close games, but like Rob Ray said during the postgame show, that's playing a dangerous game. Some of the opponents we have coming up aren't going to be as easy as the Islanders.

- Speaking of Rob Ray, he was full of crazy little asides tonight. I think my favorite was the following exchange:
Kevin (doing highlights): There's Denis Savard, coach of the Blackhawks -
Rob: He spit on me one night.
Kevin: Did you deserve it?
Rob: No!


ETA: I knew I was forgetting something! I just wanted to say my piece on Chris Simon's suspension. As someone who works with emotionally disturbed kids (I hate when people say "as someone who..." - sorry), Simon looks very much like one of them all grown-up. He appears to need help that's far beyond what the NHL can offer him. I have some sympathy for him, but I feel pretty good in saying that it's not safe for him to be working a job that involves high levels of emotion and adrenaline and hard physical contact with others. Most of my kids would be powder kegs waiting to blow in that kind of situation and Simon doesn't appear to be much better off. He should've been gone for the season at the very least.

E(again!)TA: This is what I really forgot. This exchange during the postgame interview with Jason Pominville cracked us up at our house.
Rob: Jason, how does a team with so much offensive talent only manage to create 17 shots on goal?
Jason (tapping headphones and looking around): What? I didn't hear that question.

I'm sure Pommers was being sincere but it totally had that, "You're breaking up! I'm losing you, Rob!" feel about it.

You Gotta Have Heart

I'm not going to comment too much on last night's game because I missed it due to work. Because I didn't see it, it's hard to separate the reality of the game from the standard Buffalo crazy. I did also promise myself I was going to give the team 20 games before I made too much criticism of how they were playing because I do think it's going to take them time to get settled into new roles on and off the ice.

But I will say this: The lack of effort at important times the last couple of weeks is disheartening. At the very least I expected this team to play hard. They should have a chip on their shoulders about the way people seem so eager to credit all the success of the last couple of years to Daniel Briere and Chris Drury. They should be chomping at the bit to show people they're not devastated or rebuilding. They went from pressing a little too hard in the first couple of games to looking pretty disinterested in the last couple. I'd much rather watch a marginally talented team that plays hard than an extremely talented team that coasts so hopefully this gets straightened out quickly. Right now this isn't about Darcy Regier, Lindy Ruff, Chris Drury, or Danie Briere. The Sabres are not losing because they're getting out-muscled or out-skilled. It is about the players on the ice deciding they really want to win more than the other team. It's lovely that they're saying all the right things but at some point you have to stop talking about working harder and start to do it.

A few random thoughts:

- I can't believe how dismissive some people are being about Dmitri Kalinin's injury. He's been our best d-man so far this season (which is damning with faint praise, I know) and outside of the Ottawa series, I'd say he was probably our most consistent d-man last season too. If Tallinder and Lydman don't pull it together quickly, our defense could be extremely ugly without Tri in the line-up.

- I also think it's time for the Teppo haters to admit that our defensive group - if not the whole team - misses him and his steadying, veteran leadership. And while we're being honest, let's also admit that Nathan Paetsch was not ready to step seamlessly into Teppo's minutes. I'm not going to come down on him too hard right now since it's early and everyone is playing like crap, but he's looked very overwhelmed in his own end.

- I understand that Ryan Smyth was in Edmonton for a very long time and that the fans there loved him, but I do not get the concept of a pre-game video tribute to an active player on the opposing team. In fact, it's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Oilers fans, Smyth could've taken $100,000 less and stayed in Edmonton. He also could've come back to Edmonton as a free agent. Also did I mention that he's there to play on the other team? As in, against your team? I can't wait for the Jay McKee video tribute next month!

- “The Sabres have asked the NHL “to wear white jerseys at home for the month of November so that fans could differentiate divisional games from non-divisional opponents,” Sabres managing partner Larry Quinn said.” Thank you, Larry. How would we know the difference otherwise, especially since we play the same three teams 27 times in November?

I'm going to miss tomorrow's game too but I'm going to hope the 20 minute closed door team meeting involved someone flipping benches and throwing chairs and that we'll see a different team in Florida. I do not want to go sit in my freezing car during my break and turn on the radio just in time to hear the opponent score its fifth goal and our enforcer take yet another stupid, poorly timed penalty. So here's hoping!

Girls Just Wann Have Fun Unlike the Buffalo Sabres

So that game really blew. I was there and here's what I remember about the action on the ice:

- Dmitri Kalinin taking a roughing penalty. It was definitely a penalty but I was kind of tickled since Tri doesn't usually get fired up like that.

- Henrik Tallinder blowing a gasket about a penalty and slamming his stick on the ice. Very uncharacteristic and I'm a little surprised he didn't end up getting an unsportsmanlike conduct call on top of the initial penalty. On the one replay they showed at the arena it looked like it was a penalty so I'm not sure what Hank's beef was. I'm assuming he thought the Blue Jacket player was holding his stick.

- Derek Roy sucking it up big time. Derek, you do not make it easy sometimes. (More about him at another time.)

Annnd... that's about it. This game was pretty unmemorable and kind of boring and almost every Sabre was completely invisible. The only semi-analysis I'll make is that the Sabres are really going to have to find a way to play against teams that bottle up the neutral zone and/or collapse around the goalie because they're going to see a lot of that this season. Opponents are going to do whatever they can to avoid a run and gun track meet.

Oh, actually I'll also say this: This game was a perfect example of why I think the RAV line should be broken up. When Vanek, Roy, and Afinogenov are playing well, they're great but when they're struggling at all, they completely drag each other down. Max starts playing the "I'm going to score this goal all by myself!" game and Derek immediately follows his lead. Vanek doesn't seem to do that quite so much but with his two linemates playing all by themselves, he's left on his own. That line was absolutely brutal tonight on both ends of the ice. When Derek plays with someone who's more defensively responsible - or just responsible period - it seems to trigger something in his brain and he plays more responsibly too. He and Max together? Bad combo.


Hank and Toni (BFF!) at skate-around, pretty much the highlight of the game.

Fortunately, even though the game was a bust, the company was great. After hearing all week about the fun everyone else was having, I finally managed to meet up with Kate (of The Willful Caboose) and Pookie and Schnookie (of Interchangeable Parts) and we had a total blast. We started the evening with dinner at local institution Chef's. Mark and I had been there once before and while I wasn't a huge fan, I hated to sound negative since I'm really not a huge fan of Italian food to begin with. I will admit to being a little relieved that none of the girls seemed particularly taken with Chef's either. I'm convinced that my meatball sub was a piece of bread, a layer of meatballs, and then an entire block of cheese melted over the top. They are not stingy with the cheese at Chef's. But hey, I suppose it's one more thing we can check off on the "Things to Do In Buffalo" list. That said, Daniel Paille, it might be time to try some new restaurants in Buffalo because there has to be something better out there.

After dinner we headed off to the game which, as we've already established, was not very enjoyable. It didn't take long for us to zone out and start talking about totally random things like who's funnier looking, Drew Stafford or Ryan Miller, Ryan Miller's playlist, how handsome Paul Gaustad is in real-life, and how bad Derek Roy sucks. For the record: I think Stafford is way funnier looking but I think I was in the minority. We all agreed that Ryan spent hours poring over his CD collection trying to find exactly the right songs and most likely had lengthy, in-depth reasons behind each selection. And the Derek conversations all went something like this:

Pookie and Schnookie: God, Derek Roy sucks.
Me: Stop it, he can totally be good, I swear! Just not you know, tonight!

We were right behind Ryan's net for two periods so we spent a lot of time watching him. He's pretty fascinating. At one point he was clearly upset with his teammates - I think it was Schnookie who said it appeared that he was telling them to check somebody but there was definitely general disgust, atleast momentarily. My favorite part of the night was when he skated over to the ice guy during a TV timeout and carefully explained what needed to be done to the ice in the crease. After the guy cleaned it up, Ryan skated back over and inspected the guy's handiwork so closely that his nose was practically against the ice, decided something was lacking and used his water bottle to fix up a spot by the post, which he then seemed to obsess about for a while. Goalies are great, Ryan Miller is even greater.

Other than that, the highlight of the game was the guy behind us who was clearly drunk by the halfway point of the first period and completely fixated on Pookie and I knowing where Sabretooth was at all times. (Pookie: I don't mean to alarm you, but there's a large tiger behind you. Do not make any sudden movements.) Oh, there was also the small boy in front of us who decided to rally the Sabres by stripping off his shirt and twirling it over his head. And there was the laughing and giggling over the signs I made for the occasion:


The wording and the lettering did, unfortunately, bring to mind small-town strip joints. Sorry, Hank!


Both of these signs were inspired by comment threads at IPB. "Tally Ho" is the affectionate - I think - nickname given to me by Kate and Pommerdoodle is the nickname given to Jason Pominville. In case the sign doesn't make it clear why, it's because he totally looks like a labradoodle puppy.

I also made this one but unfortunately, didn't get much use out of it tonight:



It turns out that I really enjoy making signs more than I enjoy holding them. I felt kind of stupid. I think to really pull off a sign you need to be either under the age of 10 or a committed puck bunny, two things that I am not. Kate slumping in her seat to hide behind the signs in embarrassment didn't help either. Also, it's a plus if your team isn't sucking it up on the ice. So mostly the signs just got trampled on during the game but it was worth the work for how amused we were by them.

We ended the night with dessert at Butterwood, a dessert restaurant in Williamsville. We sat in traffic for what seemed like an eternity, frightened that Butterwood would close before we got there and we would go home dessert-less, but the way did finally clear and holy cow, everything was very tasty. The IPB girls have photos of our plates up if you'd like to see them. We all ordered something different and shared. I had the molten lava cake with a smattering of fresh fruit and a little scoop of vanilla ice-cream. The way the waitress explained all the elements of each dish made me feel like I was on Top Chef but it was pretty cool. I even got an explanation of the powdered sugar which cracked us all right up.

So despite the wretched hockey game, it was a delightful evening. After we dropped Pookie and Schnookie off at their hotel, Kate and I were talking about how their blog is very representative of who they are. If you've read Interchangeable Parts, you've met Pookie and Schookie. I would also say the same for Kate and The Willful Caboose. I have no idea if that's the case for me, but I think that's probably a large part of why both of those blogs are so much fun to read - Kate, Pookie, and Schnookie are writing from their own perspsectives with their own voices and personalities rather than trying to be something they're not. Anyone who ever has the opportunity to hang out with any of them should definitely seize the day.



Ryan Miller's Playlist.
I don't remember hearing The Verve but bravo, Ryan. I like that one.

I'm a 'Tri Hugger

I don't know if every sports fan has that one guy that they kind of inexplicably like and root for even when she can't really explain why or if it's just me, but that's totally how I feel about Dmitri Kalinin. I don't know what it is, but I like the guy and the more people attack him, the more that kicks in. Over the past couple of years - this last year in particular - I've developed a strangely maternal protectiveness toward him. I just want to find him and hug him some days.

Here's the thing: I get why some people would like to move him. He's probably never going to be the top 2 guy he was supposed to be when he came to Buffalo. He clearly lacks self-confidence and no matter how much he seems to build up, one mistake is often enough to undo everything. The boy totally unravels. One mistake turns into a bad game which turns into two bad games which turns into a week or more of struggle. It's extremely frustrating for me, and I like 'Tri. I can't imagine how frustrating it is to people who don't like him to begin with.

I don't really understand how and why Kalinin has become the team scapegoat though. The second he made a bad play in the Ottawa series, message boards blew up with threads about trading him, about cutting him, about doing bodily harm to him (exaggeration on the part of overly passionate fans I'm hoping), and I don't get it. Yes, it was a terrible turnover. Yes, it led directly to a goal. But guess what? It wasn't the first time in the playoffs that a terrible turnover or penalty led to a goal for the opposition. 'Tri was one of our best players down the stretch. He was one of the only players not named Ryan Miller who showed up every night of the first two rounds. His diving lifting of the stick move against Ryan Smyth (I think) was one of the best defensive plays from anyone in blue and gold in the postseason. I suppose it's a cumulative thing - fans have watched him come undone one too many times now - but overall he had a much stronger postseason than many of his teammates. Derek Roy, a guy I usually love watching, was absolutely brutal. Jason Pominville mostly looked flat and disinterested. Can we give those two a little of the venom being spit at Kalinin. Please? It would make me feel so much better.

I suspect this is one instance where the female part of "female sports fan" really starts to poke through because I just feel for the guy. I like him. He doesn't do many interviews, but when he does he always comes across as very shy and unsure of himself. He clearly doesn't have the confidence in his English that the other Europeans on the team have. He looks desperate to get the interview with over as soon as possible. Like I said before, I just want to hug him and tell him how adorable he is. Is that so wrong, people? Is it?

This is why I can't do those player profiles many blogs do in the off-season. My entry on 'Tri would look something like this.

DMITRI KALININ, D

Cons:
Struggles with confidence
Unravels easily

Pros:
Quietly consistent
Improved offensive instincts
Adorably shy
Self-concious English speaker
Seems huggable

Hey, maybe I should be writing these things. Atleast they'd be different.

I went to my last regular season game last night. A co-worker was selling off some of her season tickets and I went in with a few buddies at work and bought a few games. Most fun thing ever! Here are my girls (Monica, Kathy, and Sue) celebrating after goal #4:



The first period was fantastic. The boys were doing everything they hadn't been doing consistently for a while - playing tight in the defensive zone, being aggressive and simple in the offensive zone, taking advantage of any and all mistakes made by the opposition - and it showed on the scoreboard. In the second period the Islanders came out a little bit stronger, particularly Jason Blake, and the Sabres went into lock-down mode which made for a really dull 20 minutes. I barely remember that period. I do however remember the third period because it was kind of ugly. The boys went back to some of the bad habits they've developed over the past couple of months - passing instead of shooting, trying to be too fancy, playing sloppy in their zone. Ryan also gave up his regular last minute goal - it's like he has an attention span of exactly 58 minutes and after that he's gone. Still... they hung on for the win.

Random observations: Chris Drury looked the most like himself he's looked since coming back from his concussion. Derek Roy is primed and ready for the playoffs. He's so much fun to watch. Henrik Tallinder got absolutely smoked on one of the Islander's power play goals which doesn't happen very often. I'm a little worried that his ankle is still bothering him. And with apologies to the Kalinin haters, Tri was once again one of the most solid players in the game. He's moving into playoff form as well, I think.

And Thomas Vanek. Geez. After his goal last night Monica and I looked at each other and said at the same time, "That was AWESOME." It was right in front of us so we had a great view. There was definitely skill involved but a lot of it was sheer effort. He wanted the goal and he was going to get it. Thomas handled his benching during last year's playoffs pretty maturely and he responded to it exactly the way he should have - he worked his ass off in the off-season and has improved just about every aspect of his game this season - but he's made it pretty clear that he didn't entirely agree with the benching. I'm hoping he carries a little bit of a chip on his shoulder about that into the post-season. I absolutely cannot wait to see what he does because man, it could be amazing. I hope to see him in Sabres blue and gold for a very long time.

Tonight: Montreal and potential clinching of first in the East.

Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You

Since we have a few days off, I figured I'd take this opportunity to answer some questions about myself and my feelings about hockey and the Sabres so anyone who stumbles across this knows what they're dealing with.

Should the Sabres keep Daniel Briere or Chris Drury?
I'm so not having this discussion right now. We're still playing! We're heading into the playoffs! This team is awesome, totally capable of bringing Buffalo its first professional sports championship! I'm not interested in discussing the best way to break up the team right now. Can we please, please just enjoy le petit Briere AND Drury while we definitely have them both? Please?


No thoughts on the matter at all?
No!


Okay, fine. Who are your favorite Sabres?
I'm happy to say that there's no one on the team I really dislike. There are a few guys I'm a little indifferent to - I don't mind them being around, I wouldn't be heart-broken if they weren't - but there's no one player I wish was elsewhere. (But you're on probation, Mair.) That said, I do have my favorites. I'll spare you a breakdown of the entire team and give you my personal top 5. Please keep in mind that I'm not saying these guys are the most talented or the most valuable. They're just my favorites.

1. Henrik Tallinder - I simply adore Hank. He's so steady and so dependable. He never panics and almost always does exactly the right thing with the puck. He goes one-on-one with the league's best offensive players as well as anyone in the NHL. And in addition to that, he's just a beautiful skater. I could watch that long, lean frame move effortlessly up and down the ice all night.

2. Tim Connolly - Watching Tim Connolly blossom last season was one of the most fun things I've seen since becoming a hockey fan. I'm afraid some fans are going a little overboard with the "Timmy will fix everything about our special teams!" stuff, but I'll take what he can give us, that's for sure. I've missed watching him this year and hope he comes back with a vengeance.

3. Brian Campbell - I just like him, plain and simple. There doesn't really seem to be any divas on the team, but Soupy comes across as particularly good-humored and down to earth. He's another guy I love to watch skate even in warm-ups and he always looks like he's having fun out there. Almost every game there's atleast one shot of him with a huge "Holy crap I can't get believe I get PAID for this" grin on his face.

4. Derek Roy - Little D, as he's known in my house, isn't perfect. While I'm glad to see he's cut down on the diving, I could do without the whining after every non-call. He's also prone to taking bad penalties when frustrated. That said, the kid is a dynamo. He plays as hard as anyone on the ice and he's turned into a really solid 2-way player. I love watching him kill 20 seconds off a penalty all by himself and I really love watching him mix it up with guys twice his size. Some fans are disappointed with his offensive output, but he has centered the most consistent line all season, even when his wings changed. Gotta give him some credit for that.

5. Chris Drury - Heart and soul of the team, no doubt in my mind. I think his value to the team was perfectly demonstrated by the response to Chris Neil's hit on him a couple weeks ago. Chris does all the little things night in and night out. You might have to watch him regularly to really appreciate how much he means in a game, but trust me, he means a ton.

Wait a second. Chris Drury is on your list of favorite players and Daniel Briere isn't. So you'd keep Chris, right?
Again with this?

What do you think of the Sabres' new unis?
They're godawful ugly. They were ugly when they were introduced, they're ugly now. The fact that the Sabres have sold a bajillion dollars of merchandise with that logo on it doesn't make it any less ugly. When the logo first started showing up on merchandise I half joked that I was boycotting it, but I still haven't bought anything with it for myself and now I'm going to see how long I can hold out. I did buy my husband the new blue Drury jersey he wanted but the only things I've purchased for myself this season are a t-shirt with the vintage logo and a vintage 3rd Tallinder jersey. After getting an up-close view of my husband's jersey, I don't hate the colors although I do think the bright vintage blue is much more distinctive. Half the teams in pro sports wear some variation of navy blue now it seems. But I don't like the design and the logo... well, it is just not pretty. And to the idiot who tried to tell me that my lack of support for the logo means I'm not a true fan, hey, you can bite me.


Dmitri Kalinin sucks, doesn't he?
Honestly, I think 'Tri has been one of the most consistent d-men this season. He does have the occasional horrible turn-over but he's hardly alone there. And chances are good that if a puck deflected off of someone and into our own net, it probably went off 'Tri but what are you gonna do? It happens. He's mostly solid and he's definitely been the best thing about our power play lately. He does still seem to struggle with his confidence, something that isn't new, but maybe it has something to do with every single game resulting in a "Kalinin SUCKS" thread on Sabres' message boards. I admit, I've developed a bit of a maternal protectiveness toward him. Ignore the haters, 'Tri and keep plugging away.

What are some of your favorite things about being a Sabres fan?
- sitting in a sold out arena even on a Wednesday night
- 18,000 fans yelling, "Chris! DRUUUUUUUUURYYYYYYYYY!" along with the PA announcer
- getting to watch a team grow up and mature together
- cheering for a team whose ownership appears to really understand and appreciate its fanbase
- Rick Jeanneret and the way he can make a pretty dull game seem a little more exciting
- all the great calls Paul Gaustad's nickname of Goose has led to, namely, "The Goose is really honking now" and "If you're out and about, give a honk for the Goose!"
- seeing one of the best young goalies in the league develop
- looking at the team and organization now, realizing how close Buffalo came to losing the Sabres as recently as three years ago, and feeling overwhelming relief and amazement
- screaming "LET'S GO BUFF-A-LO!" It has a good flow and it even rhymes for crying out loud! Seriously, try it. It's fun.

I hate Sabres fans! They're obnoxious and they probably eat babies.
Some of us might but I assure you that most of us are normal, excited, enthusiastic fans. I know many of you have had very poor experiences with Sabres fans in your cities and buildings over the past year and a half but try not to paint us all with the same brush. Trust me, it bothers me to hear stories of obnoxious behavior as much as it bothers you. Probably more since I'm the one getting lumped in with these losers. My devotion is to my team first and foremost but I love watching a lot of other teams and players as well.

Yeah? Like who?
Just to name a few, Dany Heatley, Vincent Lecavalier, Jarome Iginla, and while I don't see him as much as I'd like because he's in the Western Conference/not on a Candadian team, Scott Niedermayer.

You're a girl, you write for HLoG, and you're starting your own hockey blog. You're a puck bunny, aren't you?
Oh, yay, the one question I hate more than the Drury vs. Briere debate. Listen, I'm a red-blooded female and I'm not going to pretend I don't notice when a guy is good-looking. But I also understand what's going on the ice and appreciate the athletic ability and dedication required to play professional hockey. As a former athlete of decent talent, I'm in awe of the variety of skills necessary to play in the NHL. (Of course, it also helps that I don't really see the appeal of any of the Buffalo puck bunny favorites. Miller? No, sorry. Pominville? Eh. Totally average. Roy? Well, we're getting a little closer atleast. Henrik Tallinder and Paul Gaustad are the only Sabres I would consider above average, especially now that Jay and Marty are elsewhere.)

As for HLoG... If you've never checked it out, you should. You might be surprised.

Okay, you're not a puck bunny. But you MUST have an opinion on the Drury/Briere issue.
Okay, fine! Sign me up for Team Drury. Geez.