Flyers @ Sabres Game 4: First Thoughts

Well, keep the razors away from the playoff beards and break out the tinfoil Stanley Cups, we’ve once again got ourselves a series. The Sabres pull out Game 4 with another 1-0 shutout on the shoulders of a fantastic Ryan Miller performance, and we can all feel good about ourselves and our hockey team for the next 48 hours or so. Here are my first thoughts:

• The last two days have been the latest in a long list of Holy Wars concerning whether or not we really need or want Miller on this team and whether or not he really is as good as some seem to think he is. I would just like to point out that in the Sabres two wins this series they have now outscored their opponents 2 to 0. So from that perspective, it is almost entirely because of Ryan Miller. Some people are saying tonight was an all-world performance, that it was Hasek-esque, and so on. Let’s not go that far. He was very good and great at times. But a lot of it was defensive responsibility and the Sabres not taking penalties, as well. 

• But the few penalties they did take were dumb ones, and those need to stop, still. I don’t mind penalties if they’re warranted. No retaliation penalties. Myers took one, and could have had another at a critical moment late in the came when he bullied Briere into the ice. He needs to keep his head there.

• But other than that, a great performance by the defense. Of course, defenses always look good when your goalie bails you out of your mistakes, which Miller did tonight when called upon.

• My three stars for tonight: The first star conversation starts and ends with Ryan Miller. Pominville for my number two star with the game’s only tally, and Brian Boucher put on a healthy performance at the other end, though I think his miraculous save against Tyler Ennis was more luck than talent. 

• Speaking of Ennis, it’s nice to see him do more than one thing right in a game for a change. He’s had some trouble this series creating space, but he made space for himself. 

• Poor Vanek probably robbed of a goal when Kaleta crashes into the net on a fall of his own doing late in the game. Something you never see on the stat sheet.

• Is Miller going to have to get 4 shutouts to win this series? Part of what Joe and I talked about in our recent podcast still stands: The Sabres need to score some more goals to win this series. I also said that if Miller was going to steal a game and make it matter, it needed to be this one. Well, it was. 

• And who doesn’t love Miller taking the puck after a mad scramble late in the game, and defiantly chucking it to center ice? In every playoff series, there is that fist-pumping moment where you really feel like you’re on board with your squad. For me, that was the moment. 

• Duds of the game: Tim Connolly almost looked like he was trying to lose so he could get the series over with. Montador was only ordinary, but I suppose that is an improvement over recent events.

• Outlook for the rest of the series: Game 5 is going to be a critical game, I think. How many times can the Sabres get knocked down and get back up? If the Sabres lose the game, I think they lose the series. Win and I think they come back to Buffalo and win it. I still wil take the Flyers in 7, sticking to my recent update of my prediction, because we’ve yet to see Buffalo generate the offense necessary to win a game without Ryan Miller being a ninja. It’s still wait-and-see though, the forwards can show up at anytime.