Is it too soon for Ryan Miller to play in front of the home fans tonight?
He was booed vociferously by the locals during Friday night's loss to the Rangers that eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs.
They dished out the smack and boos. Miller dished it right back at them.
I don't care what industry you are on, its not okay to antagonize and disrespect the paying customer. I don't care if you work in health care, retail, or pro sports. The customer is never to be taken for granted. The fans pay the inflated salaries. No fans, no money. No money, no game.
What Miller did on Friday night by playing to the crowd with a glove gesture was wrong. He's a veteran. he knows better than that. Its not the first time that he has done it either.
A smart move would be to play Jhonas tonight to calm the crowd.
Then play Miller on Tuesday in Pittsburgh.
Give Miller the net back for Friday night's season final vs. NY Islanders.
History was made the last time the Winnipeg Jets played in Buffalo on Tuesday February 19.
The Sabres were caught sleep walking through their 2-1 loss to the Jets and it sealed the fate of Lindy Ruff.
Thanks, sabres.com
The Sabres played that game like they were tryingto get their coach fored. It worked.
No passion. No urgency. No push back. No answers.
I'll never forget the tension that hung in the air inside the arena that night. the leather lungs were out in full form, booing the team loudly during a TV timeout, and at other junctures in a one goal game. The atmosphere and emotion of last Friday's loss to the Rangers reminded me a lot of the last time Winnipeg played in Buffalo. The fans were not happy and promptly voiced their displeasure.
Ruff was fired the next morning. The Sabres were 6-10-1 and had lost two games in a row, and four out of five games.
Management couldn't fire all of the struggling players.
A good man and a great coach lost his job as a result of the continued struggles on the ice.
I’m thrilled for Mikhail Grigorenko that his interim head coach Ron Rolston has committed to playing rookie center in the final three games of the season. Pat Kaleta’s oft-wounded paw has rendered him done for the rest of the season.
One man’s loss is another man’s gain.
I hate to be a buzz kill, but it doesn’t seem like the organization is embracing the return of Grigorenko with a lot of zeal. I just don’t get it. The team felt strongly enough about their 2012 1st round draft choice (12th overall) to keep him in Buffalo for the lockout-shortened season. By doing so it activated the first season of his entry level contract. Its like buying a 100-inch high def TV, mounting it on the wall for only 22 viewing sessions, then taking it down and boxing it back up for a month only to unpack it and to begin watching again just because your older TV was on the fritz.
What’s up with that?
Wouldn’t you be happier if Grigo’s playing time in the final three games were a reward for his perseverance and his persistence during his first year of pro hockey?
I know its asking a lot, but just once I’d like to hear an enthusiastic Rolston step to the podium and say “Grigorenko has paid his dues, and he’s earned a serious look”. Rather, the kid has become a place holder. There’s no fanfare or adrenaline surrounding his re-entry into the Buffalo lineup. He’s just an injury replacement for a third liner.
Frankly, I think it stinks that Grigorenko is being moved inside and out of the organization like a hockey bag.
Grigorenko has waited for what seems like a hockey eternity for his opportunity to show his coaches, GM, and teammates that he is ready for prime time. His NHL trajectory has been as mercurial as the weather in Buffalo in April: one day its 80 and sunny, the next day its 40 and raining.
When the NHL lockout ended, Grigo impressed the Sabres brass enough to earn a roster spot in Buffalo. His former head coach Lindy Ruff liked what he saw of the kid enough to skate him in a regular line in Buffalo’s top nine forward group. Ruff was complimentary of Grigo’s well-rounded game and was a proponent of the kid staying in Buffalo to practice with NHL vets and to work with the team’s power skating coach on the few and far between off days. Sounds like a plan. Submerge the prospect in the team’s culture and watch him grow before your eyes. That’s the same template that other NHL clubs follow with their kids. Grigo’s case was different in that Buffalo could not send him to Rochester. Like Tyler Myers before him, it was NHL-or-bust for Grigorenko. The Sabres opted to punch his ticket to the NHL. They appeared to be happy with his progress from late January and into the high pressure games in February. Suddenly, the plan changed when Lindy Ruff was fired in February. In an instant, Grigo’s role had changed dramatically. Goodbye top nine forward group. Hello healthy scratch. When he did play, he rode 5-6 minutes TOI on the fourth line with John Scott, Drew Stafford, and Jochen Hecht. Grigo was told that he had to “earn” his ice time. Bit of a challenge there in that the Buffalo lineup was loaded with chronic under achievers for a six week stretch of games before Ruff was shown the zamboni door. Vets were left in the lineup to toil and play their way out of prolonged slumps. Rookies were called up from Rochester to calk the leaks in the lineup. The Russian rookie became the odd man out. In all, Grigo played 22 games in Buffalo before he was sent back to Quebec City on March 15.
The kid finished the Remparts’ regular season with a bang. He led them through their first round playoff series win over Chicoutimi. He struggled in their second round series loss to Rouyn-Noranda. On Monday 4/15, Grigo was recalled to Buffalo to complete the regular season.
Talk about the circle of hockey life. Grigo is now back where he belongs.
Rolston opted to scratch Grigorenko for the Boston Bruins and NY Rangers games last week. The kid skated at practice with Jochen Hecht and Nathan Gerbe on Sunday.
Not for nothing, but if Rolston and Regier want to give the Grigo a fair evaluation, why bother playing him with 55 and 42?
Hecht: 4 goals and 9 assists in 44 games.
Gerbe: 5 goals and 5 assists on 39 games.
Why Rolston is intent on playing Grigorenko with a soon-to-be-gone UFA in Hecht, I do not know. The Sabres brass should want to get a glimpse at their near future, now.
The team has missed the playoffs for the past two seasons. Their focus is now on the draft and on training camp. Why not create a power trio of the horses that will be pulling the organizational wagon for the next five seasons?
Skating Foligno-Grigo-Ennis for 20 minutes TOI for the next three games makes a ton of sense to me. Or, play him with Ott and Vanek.
I’d play him on the first PP unit. What harm could he cause the pathetic PP?
I'd love to see Rolston throw aside the script and to trust the kid's offensive instincts.
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