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Helter Skelter

February 10, 2013, 3:48 PM ET [502 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Good teams don't take four penalties in a row in the second period of one-goal hockey games.

The Sabres undermined themselves again against a division rival. They were so undisciplined that they ran out of gas and lost to the Bruins.

The penalty killers and Ryan Miller were asked to do the unthinkable against the Bruins.

They were forced to have to be flawless to over-compensate for the running around and helter skelter play in the own D zone. Miller made 38 saves. He needed help on the Bergeron PPG. No help was available to him.

In the end, the Sabres self-destructed. They expended all of their energy, killed their own momentum, and they fried their line rotations.

The Bruins have been idle since they lost 2-1 win at Montreal on Wednesday night. The NHL canceled heir home game against Tampa Bay on Saturday due to a winter storm. Rather than flying into Buffalo in the wee hours of Sunday morning like they would have had they played Tampa Bay, the Bruins sat at the hotel in Buffalo and watched the Sabres eek out a win on Long Island on Saturday night.

The Sabres were the fatigued, loose team while the Bruins were licking their chops waiting to avenge the only loss of their season that was handed to the in embarrassing fashion by the Sabres.




After the game, Lindy Ruff summed up his team's effort:


They wasted too much energy killing penalties.He liked the 5 on 3 PK in P1. The energy lagged midway through P2

Alex Sulzer told me after the 3-1 Bruins win that hsi teammates spent way to much time in Ryan Miller's end of the rink.

"We gave them way too much zone time. We have to be better at getting stops and getting the puck to our forwards.'

The Sabres D careless hockey and didn't protect the puck, Far too many Boston chances were created by Buffalo D-men breaking down and turning over pucks.

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Pat Kaleta told me after the game that losing to Boston doesn't agree with him. "It burns the pit of my stomach. I hate to lose. Hate it."

As for his fight with Gregory Campbell, Kaleta told me:

"I was just doing my job. Thats my role and I play to the best of my ability. I want my team to win. "Fighting, blocking shots and doing the little things, is like the movie "300": the guys know what they are getting themselves into. You do it anyway"



For my money, Kaleta was Buffalo's player of the game, besides Miller. He was engaged in the process from the very beginning of the game. He sold out, sacrificed and laid his body on the line for his team. Wouldn't it be nice if all of his teammates did the same things as Kaleta?



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I rode the elevator down from the press box to the locker room with a scout from the Anaheim Ducks. He's not a familiar face in these parts. He came in to watch the Sabres-Bruins game.

Kickin tires?

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3rd Period:



3-1 Bruins


Ruff pulled Miller with 48.6 seconds remaining, only to have Lucic score into the empty net.



***

2-1 Bruins:


@ 7:24, Mike Weber takes Buffalo's sixth penalty fo the game. Delay of game.

Costly penalty by Weber.

Patrice Bergeron scores the PPG from the slot.


***


Sabres have 19 hits, to B's 10

Otter with 4, Kaleta 3

Sabres with 17 blocked shots to B's 4, Kaleta with 4 BS



***



2nd Period:

Bruins lead shots on gaol after 40: 26-18. They out shot Sabres 10-5 in P2. many of B's shots came on the PPs.



**

1-1


Just after Mike Weber left the penalty box, Drew Stafford, parked on the right wing half wall, threw a lazer beam to Ennis, who was parked all alone blow the hashmarks. Ennis deked Khudonin, who lost the battle, and Ennis deposited the puck into the yawning net.

Ennis looked like Harry Potter as he hypnotized the Boston goalie with his silky sick mitts.




**


Sabres fall behind early in the second period as Bruins gain momentum via their PP.


1-0 Bruins:



Marchand scored his third goal in past two games against Buffalo at 7:10. beat Miller clean high cheese.

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1st Period:

The haters (and there a ton of them) hate him. His teammates love him. He's a human, heat-seeking missle.

PK36. Incoming!

This is why Patrick Kaleta is a valuable member of the Buffalo Sabres team. What neck injury?!





Kaleta finished his man with a heavy, clean body check, then Campbell stuck his nose in the wrong man's face. Kaleta served Campbell with 15 spoons full of uppercut chowder. Mmmm good!

The Kaleta TKO fired up the Buffalo bench and it set the tone for Buffalo's physical finish to the first period. The emotion is good, now, the Sabres have to sustain it for another forty minutes.

**

Shots on goal after twenty: 16-13 Boston.

Sabres out hit Bruins 10-4

Sabres won 63% of draws in P1




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Scouts in the house tonight from Chicago, Edmontin, Philly, Dallas, Winnipeg, Anaheim, Detroit, Montreal.

Why are Western teams watching Eastern teams? The two conferences will not play against one another this season, right?

Things that make you go hmmmmmmm......





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630pm EDT:

Time for warm-ups, where Bruins Thornton, Campbell, Chara, and Ference came dangerously close to the centre ice line several time.

Big John Scott himself did a couple of high speed fly-bys just as Chara skkated aalong the red line at centre ice. Scott and Chara exchanged chirps. On one turn, Scott turned back to see what Chara had to say.

Marchand was last man off the ice and he will play. You'll recall that Marchand scored two goals against Tyler Myers on January 31 in Boston.

Paille and Thornton will play.


This should be a fiercely contested hockey game.

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Lindy Ruff's forecast for Sunday night:

There's a storm system setting up over Buffalo.

That "storm" might will produce thunderous hits, foul language, face washes, fisticuffs and heavy down spouts of defensive hockey.

Ruff has to be expecting revenge for the way the Sabres busted up the Bruins at their own game in Boston on January 31.

Tonight's Sabres lineup will have more of an aggressive feel to it with Pat Kaleta and Cody McCormick in Buffalo's lineup. Big John Scott, Steve Ott, Marcus Foligno, and Drew Stafford will dance if asked to. Old time hockey!

Kaleta missed the Beantown Beatdown due to the ill effects of the neck injury that he suffered when Toronto's Mike Brown steam rolled him from behind in their game on January 27. Kaleta returned to the lineup on Long Island Saturday night. McCormick returned played his first game of the season last week for the Sabres.

Look for Kaleta-McCormick-Ott to bring drive the Bruins crazy tonight, especially Rat Marchand who had the audacity to beak Lindy Ruff for putting John Scott on the ice in the dying moments of the 7-4 Sabres win. Julien threw his cement head, Lane MacDermid on th eice, presumably to get a reaction out of Ruff. The Sabres boss tapped Big John Scott to play bar bouncer. No shenanigans transpired with Scott on the ice.

Marchand should shut his hole and leave the coaching to the coaches.

When you win say little. When you lose, say less.



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Bruins coach Claude Julien wouldn't tip his hand about his starting lineup and his goaltender after his team skated this morning. This game is taking on the added intensity and espionage of a playoff game.

Julien plead the Fifth when asked by bruins.com about whether Khudonin or Rask will start the game in Buffalo.

"They don't even know," said Coach Julien on his goaltenders. "I told them both to be ready."

Julien was a man of few words regarding the playing status of his three injured forwards: Brad Marchand, Shawn Thornton and Dan Paille to the lineup. Marchand tweaked his shoulder Wednesday night in the 2-1 win over Montreal. Thornton hasn't played since he suffered a concussion when he was pummeled by Big John Scott on January 31. Paille ate a Tyler Myers high stick in that game.

"All game-time decisions," Julien said.

"That’s what I told them, to be ready. We have to look at things - I just talked to the trainer, we’re going to put some guys on the ice after the warm-ups. It’s going to be up to me to decide whether I want to move forward with certain guys or not."



***

Robyn Regehr will add equal parts snarl and physicality to the Sabres starting lineup tonight. Regehr will play in place of the healthy scratch, Tyler Myers.


Thanks, sabres.com


***


Lindy Ruff answered questions about his team's win on Long Island and tonight's heavyweight rematch with the Bruins.


Thanks, sabres.com


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The Sabres have waived versatile veteran forward Matt Ellis.

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