Ron Rolston was listening to me when I recommended that he play a heavy, veteran lineup in Montreal. He did so on Sunday night.
The kids and the vets blended together perfectly to win their first exhibition game of the season in front of a sold out barn in Montreal. Without the two goals of Zemgus Girgensons the Sabres don't force OT and win it in OT. Without Cody McCormick's vulgar display of power, the kids would not have had teh time and space to skate and create.
B-Harmony.
Kids and vets unite to form a winning team.
See, all of you haters, it can be done. A roster can be tweaked and improved while the team is on the fly. Maybe this sin't a rebuild afterall. Maybe what we're witnessing is a blending of the right kids with the right veterans.
Thomas Vanek told me recently that he's very impressed with the skill and creative abilities of the Buffalo prospects. However, he told me that he feels like the Sabres still need to play veterans like Cody McCormick and Matt Ellis in order to be successful in forging their new identity under Ron Rolston. If Sabres management are planning to re-sign Vanek to a long term deal it better find a way to get McCormick more involved in the Buffalo Sabres roster.
On Sunday night in Montreal, Rolston and his coaches found the right rhythm and harmony. Can he sustain it?
Mikahil Grigorenko's return to the Province of Quebec was a success as the 19 year old former Quebec Rempart junior beat rookie goalie Zach Fucale (Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL) for the shootout winner. Grigo and Fucale know one another well from the battles in The Q over the past two seasons. Grigorenko got the better of Fucale this time around.
Zemgus Girgensons played the role of the "Incredible Hulk", scoring 2 beauties, inckuding his unassisted shorthanded goal early in period two, and making life miserable for the Habs with thundering hits and board battles.
Rolston his dressed snarly vets to counter balance any shenanigans and to act as bodyguards to insure no liberties would be taken on Sabres youngsters Girgensons, Grigorenko, Larsson, Ristolainen, and Zadorov.
Youth movement. Vets needed to protect, serve, and mentor.
The old guys did just that on Sunday night in Montreal. Cody McCormick, Pat Kaleta, Steve Ott, Mike Weber, and Colton Gillies were insurance policies. Their presence opened ice and bought the kids more time to operate and create in space.
The Sabres played their first exhibition game of the season like is was game 60 in the month of March. They were is a foul mood and took no guff from the Canadiens. Their truculence and pugnacity blanketed the bench with a feeling of security. The Buffalo kids reacted confidently like they knew that their big brothers had their backs in the street battles.
Veteran center Cody McCormick tossed the mitts and pounded two different Montreal Canadiens. He protected a teammate, then stuck up for himself after he was run from behind. Cody don't play that. No one had to tell McCormick to step up and represent. He did it of his own volition. McCormick's line mate Pat Kaleta was in a surly mood, too. Kaleta took exception to a check that Habs youngster Alex Galchenyuk landed on Buffalo D Jamie McBain.
Kaleta landed a couple shots then gave the kid the easy way out of teh fight rather than knocking him into next month. All you Kaleta haters can prop PK36 for being a gentleman and not destroying Galchenyuk with a knockout blow. Earlier in the game, Kaleta spent a fair amount of time tormenting Habs forward Brenden Gallagher. The agitator did what he does best by getting Gallagher off his game.
This game featured it all: fights, phyical play, chirps, and 8 goals in regulation, a 4 on 4 session that became a 4 on 3 OT, and a beauty shootout winner from Grigorenko.
In the end, Ron Rolston's plan manifested itself. The Sabres started slowly, yielding a first period goal to the Habs. Just 58 seconds into the second period, Girgensons scored the shorthanded goal that would tilt the ice to the Buffalo end of the rink. Montreal took the lead, McBain tied it up. Montreal took another lead, Girgensons tied it up. Montreal took yet another lead, and the Sabres Gillies tied it up. Rolston's soldiers overcame four, one goal deficits. Exhibition game or not, thats damn impressive.
Matt Hackett denied Alex Galchenyuk, Martin Reway and Brendan Gallagher in the shootout. Hackett stopped 7-of-8 shots in the game after replacing Enroth, who stopped 10 shots.
Fucale, stopped 11-of-13 shots, he signed his entry level contract on Saturday amd was picked 36th overall in the second round by the Canadiens in June after winning the Memorial Cup with the Halifax Mooseheads. Montreal starter Peter Budaj made 10 saves.
Anything Montreal could do, the Sabres did better.
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There was an ugly scene in Phoenix on Sunday night when LA Kings energy winger Jordan Nolan freight trained Coyotes D Rusty Klesla with a thundering body check.
Reports suggest that Nolan will be disciplined for the hit on Klesla.
My thoughts and prayers a with Klesla for a speedy recovery.
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