Sports Then and Now

A two goal game may not be a career night for many players, but for Patrick Kaleta it was just that.

Buffalo was up for another big challenge on Saturday night. Although the Sabres had Ryan Miller in net, the Rangers have had a day off in between games. The Sabres played their third game in four nights.

Patrick Kaleta's two goals led the Sabres to a 3-2 win over the Rangers.

The prior two games may have come as a shock to many fans. Buffalo played two elite teams: one from each conference. On Wednesday, Buffalo was able to shutout the league’s top scoring team. Then, on Friday, the Sabres held the Blackhawks to just one goal (with backup goaltender Patrick Lalime in net).

Nathan Gerbe was not in the lineup tonight, due to a sore groin. The team called up Mark Mancari for the game. Mike Grier was also out of the lineup due to his mother passing away. He is expected to be back for Monday’s game against Montreal.

As for tonight’s matchup…..it was only one week ago when the Rangers beat the Sabres 2-1. Tonight, Buffalo got revenge. They had Ryan Miller, who is coming off of a shutout, to help them find two points. Read the rest of this entry →

Martin Biron would like to be more than just a backup goaltender for the Islanders.

Becoming an NHL goaltender is hard enough. Becoming an elite starting goaltender is even more challenging.

However, there are always backups. Every team has them, but they don’t necessarily prefer to use them. A starting goaltender is expected to make at least 60 starts a season, barring any type of injury.

The biggest challenge for a starting goaltender is to help their team win games. They also have to maintain their current job as a starter.

As for the backup, it is much more than just sitting on the bench watching the game. That goaltender must be prepared at all times, just like the starter. If there is any type of injury, the backup is called in and is expected to compete at their best level.

After sitting on the bench for an amount of time, it is difficult to come in and perform well.

Having a reliable backup goaltender is a very important part for a winning hockey team. There are some teams who rarely have to use the backup goalie. On the other hand, goaltenders can get injured, allowing the backup to perform.

If the team does not have a solid backup, they are going to struggle to win games. The Buffalo Sabres found this out last season.

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Paul Gaustad knocks down Jason Spezza in the first period against Ottawa on Saturday night.

Buffalo has now lost three in a row, the first time all season. Ottawa’s win puts them only one point out of first place in the division.

The backup goaltenders played against each other. Patrick Lalime played against his former team, stopping 21 shots. Pascal Leclaire began the game but left due to a groin injury. Brian Elliot came in and finished the job as the Senators played well and earned the victory.

Patrick Lalime has yet to win a game for the Sabres this year. At 35 years of age and the way he has played since coming to Buffalo, he is not considered a reliable backup. His goals against average was above four coming into the game, then he allowed five more in Saturday’s game.

Buffalo needs to find a goalie to backup Ryan Miller. With Rick DiPietro returning for the Islanders, Martin Biron remains a solid option. He is cheap, and the Islanders do not need him as much. Plus, Biron would love playing for Buffalo again, and so would the entire city of Buffalo.

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Thomas Vanek comes within inches of tying the game as he shoots one off the post.

Buffalo (12-4-1) vs. Florida (7-9-2)

The score did not resemble the game at all. For about 50 minutes, it was a one goal game. Here is how it happened:

Drew Stafford scored the first goal of the game late in the first period, his sixth of the season. Coming into the game, Buffalo is 9-0-1 when scoring the first goal.

Florida answered back just a few minutes later when Michael Frolik scored his third goal in the last five games.

The Panthers outshot the Sabres 12-7 after the first.

Paul Gaustad leads the NHL with a 68.2 faceoff win perctage.

Ryan Miller gave Stephen Weiss his sixth of the season. Miller misplayed the puck right in front of the net, allowing Weiss to put the Panthers on top 2-1.

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When it looked like Buffalo was struggling against a team with one win, they pulled through and found a way to earn the two points. The Sabres have been doing this all season long. Buffalo has found ways to win when they are not at the top of their game.

The Sabres were not on their game Friday night against Toronto, but goaltender Ryan Miller was. Buffalo was outshot 35-28 and Miller was the main reason the Sabres were even in the game. “That’s who [Ryan Miller] is. He’s a battler and the backbone of our team,” Buffalo captain Craig Rivet said about Miller.

“We played against a feisty team that wanted a win, and he stood on his head a couple times to help us out. He was the main reason we got the win.”

He stopped 33 shots, and with the help of the goal post and some luck, the Sabres stole two points from Toronto.

Miller improved to 8-0-1 on the season as he leads the league in goals against average (.944) and save percentage (1.65).

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Clarke MacArthur helped the Sabres remain undefeated on the road.

Buffalo improved to 4-0 on the road with Wednesday’s win in New Jersey as the Devils fell to 6-4 on the season with the loss.

It was Clarke MacArthur who put Buffalo on the board.

MacArthur scored 81 seconds into the game for his 5th goal of the season.

Welcome to Buffalo, Tim Kennedy!
Rookie Tim Kennedy scored his first NHL goal six minutes into the game. He came out from behind the net, spun around, and shot it past Martin Brodeur to give Buffalo a 2-0 lead. It was a goal Kennedy will never forget.

New Jersey got themselves back into the game when Andy Greene scored a powerplay goal, his first of the season. That was all the Devils would get though. Buffalo did not give New Jersey any chance of a comeback. It was a solid game all around from Buffalo and it paid off in the end as they earned the two points.

Midway through the third, Paul Gaustad scored his 2nd goal of the season, putting his team up 3-1 with ten minutes to play.

Jason Pominville put the game away with a power play goal with less than three minutes to go in the 3rd.

Buffalo now has 15 out of a possible 18 points this season.

Defenseman Tyler Myers has one more game before Buffalo has to keep him up. General Manager Darcy Regier needs to make a decision before Myers plays 10 games. It would not be a surprise to see him stick around in Buffalo for awhile.

New Jersey falls to 1-4 at home, while remaining a perfect 5-0 on the road.

Former Buffalo Sabre Andrew Peters signed with the Devils, but did not play in Wednesday’s matchup.

Ryan Miller improved his record to 7-0-1 on the season.

Buffalo has held opponents to only 17 goals this season, best in the NHL.

Bufalo will return home Friday night to host the Maple Leafs.