PK Subban deserves a pat on the back for committing his stupid and selfish penalty just 17 second into overtime. Subban tried to wreck Mark Pysyk with a careless attempted hip check. His body shot didn't land and PK was sent to the box for high sticking.
Opportunity knocked. Steve Ott and the Sabres answered.
The Buffalo PP jumped onto the ice and the collective sighs from Buffalo were heard round the hockey world. There the game was for the taking. A delicious 4 on 3 PP opportunity, just like the one that Ottawa used to sink Buffalo last Saturday.
With one second left in the critical PP, Steve Ott scored the OT GWG.
Just the way Ron Rolston drew it up on the dry erase board.
Ott got the scoring started in the first period with his fourth goal of the season. Tyler Myers also scored and Jhonas Enroth made 32 saves, including 24 over the second and third period.
Tyler Ennis made it 2-0 Sabres when he re-directed a Tyler Myers point shot.
The Sabres (11-15-4) earned their second win in eight games (2-3-3).
Former Sarnia Sting sniper, Alex Galchenyuk appears to have hit the proverbial "rookie wall". He has recorded onely one assist in his past ten games. He has three goals and tens assist in his rookie season in the NHL.
It matters not to the Habs front office and to their head coach Michel Therrien. The Habs have made a long term commitment to developing their rookies Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher while they get necessary and invaluable experience while playing in the best league in the world. Habs GM ad his assistant Rick Dudley are aware of the pitfalls that rookies encounter in the NHL. Its happens to the best of young players. Its Montreal's management's position that there is no substitute for the real McCoy.
Galchenyuk, the third overall pick in last June's NHL entry draft, will stick stay and play with the Habs, despite his struggles. The Canadiens feel like the NHL is the best place for their 19 year superstar in the making to learn the pro game and to learn to fight through the rigors and the grind of the NHL season.
On The Ides of March, the Sabres sent their 18 year old superstar in the making, Mikhail Grigorenko, back to Patrick Roy and the Quebec Remparts. Darcy Regier felt that it was in Grigo's best interest to get more touches and to play 20+ minutes (including PP time) in The Q.
Its a tale of two stars-to-be. Its also a tale of two organizations and how they choose to develop their young stars. There's no right or wrong approach.
Habs head coach Michel Therrien, who knows a thing or two about coaching young stars offensive stars having mentored Crosby and Malkin in Pittsburgh, told Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette that its critical for youngsters, like Galchenyuk, to play at least 12 productive minutes per NHL game.
Sounds like Lindy Ruff's plan for Grigorenko, who was lucky to earn six minutes per game while riding dirty with John Scott and Pat Kaleta on Buffalo's fourth line.In 22 games with Buffalo, Grigo scored a goal and added four assists. His time on the Buffalo PP was limited, to say the least.
Galchenyuk has averaged 12:39 TOI this season.
“He (Galchenyuk) is playing a mature game,” Therrien told Hickey this morning.
“Sometimes he’ll miss a few things, but we’ll sit down with him and show him. He’s part of every power-play meeting and every penalty-kill meeting. We know he’s going to be there and he’s going to be ready.”
The Habs recognize that there is a big jump for Galchenyuk from playing in the OHL to the NHL.
“He has a tendency to handle the puck too much and try to make the good play,” said Therrien. “In the NHL, the play is so tight and the opening is so small and you have to see it. You always have to do the percentage play. It’s part of the learning process. You have to accept what the other team is going to give you. When there’s time, you have to make the play and where there isn’t time, you can’t force the play.”
The Habs are not worries that galchenyuk isn't lighting the lamp every game for them like he had in The O. They are taking their time to develop the kid.
Galchenyuk sits in on every PP and PK meeting.
He is +8, which is third best on the Habs this season.
“I feel that I’m better in our zone and I’m learning every game,” said Galchenyuk. “It’s getting tougher with the schedule, but I feel I’m doing pretty good.”
The Canadiens have the luxury of bringing Galchenyuk along slowly at the NHL level. Right now, they are a playoff bound team. In the 48 game season, the fast and furios pace hasn't had a negative effect on their club. The Galchenyuk situation reminds me a lot of how the Boston Bruins brought their then rookie Tyler Seguin along in a similar slow manor in his rookie in 2010.The Bruins were a stacked team, and the kid was able to practice, train, and travel daily with a largely veteran group of players led by Tim Thomas, Zdeno Chara, and Mark Recchi. Seguin's minutes increased and his rile was expanded once the post season began in 2010. His rookie season development came to crescendo in the Stanley Cup Finals when the Bruins disposed of the Canucks in seven games.
The Sabres are in a much different situation right now than Montreal are in.
The Sabres are struggling to win games and their team isn't playing well at all. The team will have to play .850-.900 hockey if it wants to earn the eighth and final eastern playoff spot. Its a long shot.
Regier felt it best to send the Grigorenko back to Quebec so that he could once again feel the euphoria of scoring four points in a game, like he had on Sunday versus Rimouski in his first game back in Remparts gear. Lets the kid play his twenty plau minutes, get his PP time, and touch the puck 40-50 times a game. let him apply the power skating and face off winning techniques that he was taught in Buffalo.
Grigorenko will be a better player for having spent 22 games in Buffalo during this trunctaed season.
besides, maybe the Sabres sent him down so that he is not exposed to the drama that always is the by-product of the NHL trade deadline. They don't want the kid getting freaked out by all of the anxiety.
Thomas Vanek's offensive production has slipped in the past 15 games. He knows it. Is he injured? Slumping? Both?
Though has has impressive numbers with 14 goals and 17 assists in 26 games, something is amiss these days with Vanek. Is his back bothering him? Don't know for sure.
Tonight, Vanek switches LW places with Steve Ott. Vanek will ride with Ennis and Leino, while Ott runs with Hodgson and Pominville. Vanek says that he found out about the switch by looking at the roster posted inside the Buffalo room. he saw the lineup on the way to the ice this morning. Vanek says that he is okay with the move. Whatever helps the team win.
Thanks, sabres.com
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Updated 12:10pm:
Sabres tough guy, Pat Kaleta, told sabres.com today that he is not holding any ill will towards Ryan Miller.
'He's (Miller) like my brother, one of my best friends on the team. Some things were misunderstood there but we're family".
Thanks, sabres.com
Kaleta had been Miller's road roommate for the past three seasons. The new CBA calls for all players to get their own rooms on the road.
After Sunday's loss to Washington, Miller responded with this rant after he was told by media that Kaleta had said earlier Sunday that Kaleta said that he would have to speak with his teammates to see if they wanted him back in the lineup after he had sit out his NHL mandated suspension for his hit from behind on Brad Richards of the Rangers.
“ He’s dramatic. No, we are not into discussing what Patty said, because that’s drama and he needs to just grow up of he‘s going to say that to you guys (the media). Ya know what? He has a stupid play in a game He sat, he was punished, just get over it and move on. We handled it. He doesn’t have to go to you guys and say that stuff. There. I’m addressing it and now I’ll go talk to him about it. Its not need to just say that”.
Miller was asked if the Sabres leadership group approached Ron Rolston about giving Kaleta more time of:
“We don’t make lineup decisions. We’re plugged in. You guys think we have more power than we’ve got, man. We talk about this every year around trade deadline… when something comes up. We’re plugged in, we play. Sorry it’s a bad tone, but you caught me in a crappy night. He (Kaleta) doesn’t have to handle it like that., so we’ll deal with it internally”.
Miller apologized to Kaleta for his comments on Monday in Montreal.
Its all good in the Sabres hood... for now.
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Updated 10:53am:
Jhonas Enroth ws the first Sabres goalie off the ice at the skate, therefore, he will start in the cage for Buffalo tonight.
***
Rolston is moving the sandpaper and skill of Steve Ott to Buffalo's top line for tonight.
Ott has been Buffalo's most consistent forward for the past few games. He's hitting, chirping, scoring, setting up goals, moving the pucks, and excelling on special teams.
It appears to me that Vanek is nursing an injury.
**
Updated 10:42 am:
Kaleta is on the ice for the game day skate in Montreal. he will play tonight, per @kwsnow.
Gerbe is the healthy scratch.
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The Sabres will hit the ice at 10:30am in Montreal.
There's been quite a furor the past couple of days since Kaleta's NHL-imposed five game suspension ended after the Ottawa game on Saturday. Kaleta was under the impression that he would be playing in Washington on Sunday, until such time that interm coach Ron Rolston told PK36 in a private conversation that the robust winger would be a healthy scratch for the Capitals game. Kaleta reacted predictably to his benching: he was pissed. I'd be pissed too. I'd be very concerened with Kaleta if he has reacted to his benching with a favorable attitude. Kaleta has tiger blood and Adonis strength. He's an alpha dog. When healthy, and not suspended, Kaleta wants to attack the opponent, not sit on the porch.
Kaleta and Scott have been healthy scratches of late. Sabres keep losing.
Why not insert both into the lineup in Montreal to help Steve Ott, Mike Weber, and Robyn Regehr to counter-balance the truculence of Brandon Prust, PK Subban, Ryan White,Travis Moen, and Colby Armstrong?
The Habs are winning more than they are losing these days because opponents don't like get tweaked with. The Habs ball busters are getting under the skin of their enemies and its opening up huge chunks of ice for the skilled guys like Pacioretty, Galchenyuk, Gionta, Eller, and Desharnais.
The last time these two teams met, there was some bad blood spilled on the ice. Thomas Vanek scored the game-tying marker with just two seconds left in regulation, as the Sabres rallied to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 5-4 in the shootout.
At 7:32 of the third period, with teh Habs leading 4-2, Steve Ott sucked Ryan White into taking a stupid double minor penalty. Ott chirped White, who drop his gloves and threw punches at Ott, who had his gloves on and stick in hand. White's lack of discipline cost his team the game.
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