So let’s give this Live Blogging of the Flyers/Sabres game a try. Click on the read more link to follow along!
1st Period
10:22 Rob Niedermayer has been one of the stars of this series for Buffalo and don’t let anybody tell you difference. His patience alone is a difference maker for this team right now. Great pass to Pominville for the lead.
9:00 Whistles plentiful again. People who complain about the shootout in the regular season, do you complain about the playoffs having turned into a special teams contest?
8:30 Whoever is running the SabresDotCom Twitter tonight, cool down, not everything is the greatest thing that’s ever happened.
6:00 Back on the Powerplay and ringing one off the pipe. This game has the same feel to it, but some guys who we need to step up (Myers, Vanek) have an extra jump in their step so far. NOW FINISH.
5:40 Penalty is on Boucher. He’s a “wiley veteran”, sometimes that’s hockeyese for “guy who tries to cheat a lot”. Jury still out.
4:20 Hey regular season Connolly, how have you been? Lets a guy go right by him for a scoring chance for Philly. That’s the Timmy I know and love. The Sabres have difficulty against aggressive penalty kills. Philly is definitely that.
3:30 Another post, Boyes could use one.
2:15 If a Tyler Myers falls in the middle of a forest and no one is there, does he make a sound? TIMMMMBEERRRR. Hope he’s okay, can’t afford to lose him.
:55 It would behoove the Sabres defense to stop being turnover machines.
END OF FIRST PERIOD: Nice first half of the first period. If Buffalo plays the way they did for the last five minutes, they’ll lose this game. The turnovers and shakiness in their own zone with the puck has GOT to stop. That’s what leads to all the penalties.
1st Intermission: Your time-on-ice leader for the Sabres right now, Marc-Andre Gragnani, yet again, with 8:39. What a difference a few month’s can make. Lowest on the totem pole, Nathan Gerbe, at 3:23. That doesn’t seem right. Montador is second lowest — now there’s an earned spot.
2nd period
20:00 Myers is back and so am I!
18:40 Nearly 2-0 off the stick of Niedermayer. Slow release in his old age.
17:10 The Flyers try to draw penalties more than just about anybody. A Laviolette strategy. Professional hockey players don’t fall over this frequently. Especially not on a 2 seed.
16:30 Has Butler regressed a little bit this series?
13:45 Holy moly Cody McCormick is slow.
11:15 High tempo but not a lot of scoring opportunities, and when it’s all said and done, it’s still 1-0. This series is still about the Sabres need to finish. You can dictate the pace of play all you want — if you don’t score, it doesn’t matter.
10:20 Vanek has been working on a new curl-and-drag move for the better part of the season. It’s a low percentage play — lower still in the playoffs when obstruction is a penalty far less often it seems. Too cute, as I’ve said before. Take the shot from the slot there and crash.
8:30 Carcillo cross checks Miller, Miller hits Carcillo in the face. Trade penalties. Dirty play by Carcillo, I’m fine with the retaliation there.
7:00 How Ennis has more ice time than Nathan Gerbe is a mystery forever unsolved. Lots of tugged guys down on both sides now. Mystifying how these referees can make the calls they do in one period and none in the next. At least it appears to be even so far.
5:30 Sabres penalty. Who is it on? I don’t know, MSG doesn’t care to tell us before going to some Veins Veins Veins!
5:30 Looks like it’s on Myers. Like Montador, Myers has played a dumb series in terms of discipline. Flyers can bait him, and way too easily. He needs to lower the testosterone a little bit. Tyler, look: You’re a 6 foot 9 ogre, you don’t have anything to prove if someone knocks you slightly off balance. Keep your head.
3:45 Penalty killed. Do the Sabres want to be the tougher team or the team that wins the series?
2:10: Another period where the Flyers end strong and the Sabres fizzle. Not good.
2:05 Too many men on the ice for the Flyers. Sabres need a smart powerplay here, not necessarily a goal, but a momentum builder.
1:35: Worst game of the series for Tim Connolly? He looks tired.
10: An inconceivable 5 minute major for elbowing on Mike Richards pre-empting a Pat Kaleta hit. I don’t know if I agree with the call, but I’ll take it.
END OF SECOND PERIOD: Sabres had some offensive zone time again and a few scoring chances, but again are unable to bury. Philadelphia puts the pressure on late in the period yet again, something the Sabres NEED to stop from continuing to happen. Miller stood tall when necessary this period. Hasn’t been since Game 1 that we could say that. A weird, weak call on Mike Richards at the end of the period for a 5-minute elbowing major. I think it was worthy of 2 minutes, but 5 is funky. Anyway, Buffalo needs to capitalize on this to start the third period. Show me something; anything, offense.
2nd Intermission: A great game going on at Madison Square Garden between the Capitals and Rangers if you have a chance to take a look during the intermission. Chris Butler has taken over the lead in ice time at 17:42, Gragnani has fallen to third. Jason Pominville leads the Sabres with 3 shots, James Van Riemsdyk leads the game with 6, so naturally he is the first star no matter what happens in the third period.
Speaking of the third period, how about we win the period? Win the period, win the game, win the game and suddenly it’s a best of three. The Sabres have not put a complete period together in this series. Now is the time.
Third Period
20:00 And away we go. Biggest period of the season. I’ve said that enough lately!
18:00 Too much looking for the perfect pass here. Get pucks on net. Make Boucher work. Nearing overtime in Caps/Rangers game…
16:45 Gaustad bringing the puck in on the Power Play. Uh, that’s a problem. At least were killing over 4 minutes here. This is not the power play of a series winning team.
15:05 Without letting up a goal, that was about the worst outcome for that 5 minute major that you can possibly imagine.
14:30 Where did all the intensity go?
13:15 A few years back, Miller became convinced that he needed to drastically change his playing style, and this including emphasizing his angles as much as possible and challenging shooters at every conceivable opportunity. The problem with that is that you play patient teams in the playoffs, and patient teams can work around that aggressiveness. This happened many times against Boston. It almost happened again there. It creates a lot of scrambly plays, too, where the defense looks desperate and foolish because they’re always trying to recover the empty space that Miller is no longer occupying, but should be. Sometimes the defense looks worse than it is, I think, as a result. But it’s worked so far tonight, so I can’t complain.
11:00 The first nice chance by Ennis in the series.
10:25 Briere and Gerbe get tied up. Gerbe says, “Hi, I’m the new you.”
9:40 Can McCormick clobber somebody already? What is he doing trying to skate and stick handle? You’re paid to be a bulldozer. Bulldoze!
8:10 Not enough real estate for Briere on that shot. A little too close. Still, great patience by Miller, save of the series so far.
8:00 That’ll be the talk of the next two days if the shutout holds. T minus about 2 minutes until you’re regularly scheduled Flyers takeover?
5:20 Gorgeous move and shot by Ennis. Great save by Boucher. Ennis, I temporarily unhate you. Remove yourself from the dog house, but leave your things behind. You’re probably going back.
3:30 Kaleta loses an edge and Vanek loses a golden scoring chance. Awkward and awful timing.
1:30 Great chance for Flyers. Longest minute ever….
:45 Absolutely LOVE Miller tossing the puck to center after the whistle. That’s the type of attitude we want.
:00 Buddubadubdubadubdubadubdub that’s all folks. A little extracurricular by the Flyers who lose composure after the loss. I’m telling you: They do not do well playing from behind. They’re not that team. They’re front runners. Get a lead in Philly, see what happens. We’ll have my final thoughts in a few minutes.
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