Good on Marcus Foligno. The kid has been riding the rookie roller coaster all season long. One minute up, the next minute down. The ebb and flow of his game has been slow to develop in this lockout shortened season. Success seemed to come so easy for the kid as he tore up the NHL the twenty games of the 2011-12 season along with then linies Drew Stafford and Tyler Ennis. Foligno's offensive struggles have been well documented this season. His goal scoring production is off pace, and he hasn't been living up to the expectations that were placed on him by the organization.
The 82-63-21 line was discarded and Marcus spent a big chunk of time on the third and fourth lines. He was recently healthy scratched in Sunrise, while on the Sabres mentor trip. Marcus told me last week that he felt that he deserved to be benched by Ron Rolston because he wasn't playing the robust, rowdy role that had defined him in his twenty game NHL audition last Spring. Marcus told me that he had several conversations with his father Mike about how to smooth out the rough spots and how to correct the flaws in his game. Marcus told me that perhaps he took last season's new found success for granted. He told me that he learned a valuable lesson from his benching: hard work always wins. No shortcuts, not easy solutions.
Marcus looked like his old brahma bull self against the Rangers on Tuesday night. he registered tree hits and made life miserable for Rangers on the glass and on the walls. He screened Lundqvist early and often and he was a general pain in the ass to Dan Girardi and the Rangers D corps. Foligno was hungry. He was driven. he played angry. he was a man on a mission. He was confident.
Marcus got his mojo working!
Big Marcus flashed his brute strength and silky mitts all at the same time on his first goal of the game on The King. Marcus fought for his ice as he posted up Girardi in the low post. he pushed off on Girardi to create space for himself, then hunted the loose puck that kicked to him off the dasher board. Marcus's confidence and creativity found a flash point when he went between the legs to score this beauty of a game tying goal
Two weeks ago, a more up tight Foligno doesn't make that same impressive play. Tuesday night, he did just that. The crisis of confidence appears to be over for Foligno.
On Tuesday night, Foligno scored two beauties to propel Jhonas Enroth's first win in what seemed like an eternity. Enroth found out after the team meeting this morning that he would be starting in goal for the Sabres because Ryan Miller was suffering the ill-effects of a sinus infection. The win was Enroth's first of the season in five appearances, thus snapping a personal 0-10-3 winless streak for the Swedish coffee drinker that dated back to 11/26/11. The victory was also Buffalo's first in five games (1-2-2).
Foligno's second goal of the game gave Buffalo a two-goal lead at 11:48 of the third period. Foligno buried a fat rebound off Reggie Sekera's shot for his third goal of the season, and second of the night.
Marcus set the tempo of the game by throwing his body around the barn, like this car crash.
Rags head coach and stand up comedian, John Tortarella refused to tip his helmet to th esabres after the 3-1 Buffalo win on Tuesday night. Was Buffalo the hungrier team, Torts?
Torts propped Buffalo's third line of Foligno-Porter-Flynn for shutting down the Nash-Richards line. I thought all four Sabres lines played well in the win. Torts sees it his way.
Henrik Lundqvist did his part to keep his team in the game in Buffalo. They don't call him The King for nothing.
Check out this sick sequence of saves!
Leave it to Nick Kypreos, and the Sportsnet Hockey Central Insiders to mix it up.
On Tuesday night, Kypreos revealed that he's hearing that Ryan Miller will be on the move at or before the trade deadline.
Thanks for the video, Kukla's Korner
Miller is 32 years old and he's an intensely loyal guy. He's seen the good in Buffalo, having played in two Eastern Conference Finals. He's also seen the darkest days with having missed the playoffs a handful of times in his Buffalo tenure. He's also seen Lindy Ruff fired, and the departures of his good friends Paul Gaustad and Tim Connolly from the organization in recent years. Miller represents a $6.25 million salary cap hit for next season.
Miller, Vanek, and Pominville will all become UFA in July 2014 as well.
Is it a mortal lock that Miller will be re-siging a long term deal in Buffalo? No, far from it. The contract extension that Ryan Getzlaf signed in Anaheim late last week is the first jumbo-sized contract of the new CBA. Getzlaf's 8 year, $66 million deal will now be the standard by which all high-profile UFAs-to-be wil demand to be paid in accordance with.
Can Buffalo commit to paying their big three to $198 million in combined contract extensions to keep #s 30, 26, and 29 in Blue & Gold for the next eight years apiece?
No. I dare say that one of the three all stars will be gone in the near future.
I wouldn't rule out a Miller or Pominville trade. Think of the type of player the Sabres could fetch in exchange for Miller or Pommer. Corey Perry? Paul Stastny?
If you want to land a whale, you have to hunt with tasty bait.
Miller is a prized possession, and he has high value amongst GMs around the NHL. Would the Sabres consider trading him before he becomes UFA?
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