Saturday Wrap Up

by Anne

Saturday was not so great.

I missed most of the Kings game but I can tell you they lost - yet again- on a Saturday afternoon. This time they made it all the way to the shootout before losing. Alas. They lost 5-4. Somehow Drew Doughty was a +3. That's no small feat when so many goals are scored.

The Sabres lost a snoozer 2-1 as Henrik Lundqvist got himself a Ryan Miller shutout. Pommer scored with 58 seconds left to spoil Lundqvist's shutout bid.

The Canucks also lost, but this loss was perhaps the most painful of those three as they lost to the BUTTER SNAPS, aka the worst team in the National Hockey League.

As I'm sure you're all aware, John Stevens, not this kid from Amherst:

He sang the anthem on Thursday

I almost fell asleep

No, this John Stevens:

He was fired by the Flyers on Friday

Peter Laviolette was instated as the new Flyers's head coach and they promptly lost to the Washington Capitals 8-2. Ouch.

The Penguins played the Blackhawks and the 'Hawks won 2-1 in OT. You'd think these two will meet in the Cup Finals, but I have a suspicion it won't happen. Don't ask me why, I just have a feeling that's all too easy.  The Penguins were without Sid the Kid who sat out to nurse a lingering sore groin. Wonder if there would've been a difference if he'd been out there? Who knows.

Fortunately, the Bills aren't playing today so I have no emotional commitments to today's football games. Although, as of this writing New Orleans and Washington are dead-locked at 30 in OT. Yeesh. Nevermind, the Saints just won.

The Steelers keep losing. I suppose I shall have to start cheering for either Peyton or Brett in the post season. We shall see.

???? Guy Carbonneau Fired???

by Anne

I did NOT see this coming.

Guy Carbonneau was fired as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens and GM Bob Gainey will replace him behind the bench.

Sooo some of your players have off ice distractions, your top player needs a timeout and your wunderkind goaltender is doubling as a sieve and so you fire the coach?

Happy Centennial!

ETA: For those keeping track, that's now 140 coaches fired since Lindy began his tenure in Buffalo.

This Waiting is Unpleasant

by Anne

I love my cousin Jimmy desperately but if spending the weekends with him is any indication of what motherhood is going to be like, I am straight-up not ready for it any time soon. I'm exhausted. When my Mom left Sunday morning, it was all Annie all the time.

Anyway, I feel like I haven't been able to fully commit a freak-out over AnkleWatch 2009.

Puck Daddy offers a real picker-upper for Sabres fans. If you haven't already slipped into the depths of despair over this story, head on over there and join us as we wallow.

Unless Patrick Lalime and Jhonas Enroth can get the kind of play from the players in front of them they need and make anything close to the big saves Miller can provide, this team is not making the playoffs. End of story.

Miller could be out a week or he could be out the rest of the regular season. Who knows. Ankles are very tricky things, especially for goaltenders who rely on lateral movement so much.

If the magic playoff points number is 90, we need at least eleven wins to get there. Of course that number might go up or down a point or two but no team has made the playoffs with fewer than 90 points since the lockout. Truth be told, the Sabres finished last season with 90 points and 10th place so let's say 92 is the likely number. Last season in it was 94 and the two seasons before that it was 92. So we'll go with the average of 92.6 which in hockey means 92.

We need to go 12-10 down the stretch, starting tomorrow at home against Anaheim.

In his career, Lalime is 6-3-0 against the Ducks with a 2.40 GAA and a SV% of .916. He played in the team's other game against Anaheim this season in which he made 34 saves but lost.

One of those teams pushing for the playoffs with us is the New York Rangers who just fired their coach. Good or bad for the Sabres? The Pens have started to show signs of life under Dan Bylsma.

Lindy just added notch #139 to his hockey stick where he marks guys he's outlasted.

12-10