Updated 9:35 pm:
The Buffalo Sabres are
0-8-1 (2-13-10 on oime ice this season after getting spanked badly by Corey Perry and the Anaheim Ducks.
While the Sabres were losing again, their former captain Thomas Vanek was busy killing the Boston Bruins. Vanek has now scored 59 points in 51 career games vs. Boston.
Vanek scored his first goal as an Islanders and also added an assist on John Tavares' goal.
Vanek has seen Matt Moulson make pretty passes to Cody Hodgson, which inspired the former Sabre to score his first as an Islander for his 500th NHL point Saturday night.
Vanek now has 3 goals in 3 games since the trade from Buffalo on Sunday night.
3-1 Islanders win.
Vanek now has 3 points in his first two games as an Islander.
He's making great music with Kyle Okposo and John Tavares.
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Updated 7pm:
Photo courtesy Dan Hickling
Sabres GM Darcy Regier met with media before tonight's game vs. Anaheim. According to several reports. the embattled GM raised eyebrows and even more question while supplying a couple of answers to teh questions that Sabres fans are stressing out about.
Regier said that the Sabres are "under the thumb" of the NHL right now because his players have been involved in three suspension hearings in the first month of the NHL season. Thus, he attempted to trade Sabres agitator Patrick Kaleta, however, there were no takers. Regier then waived the pesky grinder on Saturday morning. Regier said that he feels that there is a 50-50 chance that Kaleta will be claimed off waivers on or before the Noon Sunday deadline.
Regier announced on Saturday morning that he had hired former Rochester Amerks head coach Randy Cunneyworth as a pro scout. Regier raised more eyebrows in his pregame presser when he said that if Kaleta clears waivers that he will be sent to Rochester where Cunneyworth will work with Kaleta to help him improve his game.I'm very confused. Is Cunneyworth a scout or is he a coach? Why isn't Amerks coach Chad Cassidy going to work with Kaleta?
Kaleta an above average energy man with sick penalty kill skills, will not last on waivers. I predict that he will be grabbed off waivers by one of the NHL penalty kill rankings cellar dwellers:
Kaleta will earn $1.25 million this season and next. He'll immediately improve the PK of any team he joins.
Imagine if a contender like Chicago, Boston or Anaheim claims PK36.
He will come back to haunt Buffalo just like the Dan Paille trade has.
Regoer made a point to say that Ron Rolston's job is safe right now, despite his club's poor 2-12-1 record.
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Just when you thought it was safe to breathe again, here comes another month from Hell.
Tonigh on home ice, the
2-12-1 Sabres kickoff a 13 game slate of games against some of the toughest, high-skilled teams in the NHL.
Here's the scoop:
SAT NOV 2, 2013 DUCK@SABRES
TUE NOV 5, 2013 SABRES@SHARKS
THU NOV 7, 2013 SABRES@KINGS
FRI NOV 8, 2013 SABRES@DUCKS
TUE NOV 12, 2013 KINGS@SABRES
FRI NOV 15, 2013 MAPLE LEAFS@SABRES
SAT NOV 16, 2013 SABRES@MAPLE LEAFS
TUE NOV 19, 2013 BLUES@SABRES
THU NOV 21, 2013 SABRES@FLYER
SUN NOV 24, 2013 RED WINGS@SABRES
WED NOV 27, 2013 CANADIENS@SABRES
FRI NOV 29, 2013 MAPLE LEAFS@SABRES
SAT NOV 30, 2013 SABRES@DEVILS
If this team doesn't get its act together and start competing for a full 60-65 minutes, they are going to be 2-11 or 3-10 at the end of this month.
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Updated 4:15pm:
Doesn't the NHL "justice system" make you want to vomit?
"NHL" and "justice" are an oxymoron.
The NHL has announced that it will not suspend Flyers goalie Ray Emery for beating the skull of Washington goal Braden Holtby on Friday night.
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Updated 3:45pm EDT:
Stop me if you've heard this one before:
A Philly Flyer goon will not face a disciplinary hearing for his role in an ugly on-ice incident.
No hearing for Ray Emery.
At least there's no hearing schedule as of 3:45pm EDT Saturday.
Here's the grotesque beating that Emery put on Braden Holtby on Friday night.
Thanks, CSNWashington
After the game, Emery told the Washington Post:
"... didn’t want to fight and I basically said, ‘Protect yourself,’” Emery said.
“He didn’t really have much of a choice.”
More to come...
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Thanks, Dan Hickling
In bizarre roster move....
Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier today announced that Angola native Patrick Kaleta has been placed on waivers.
“This was a move we thought was necessary to help Pat change his game and preserve his career in this league,” Regier said. “We believe in Pat as a person and we hope he will continue his career in our organization and, if the circumstances are right, with the Buffalo Sabres.”
Kaleta has not recorded a point in five games for the Sabres this season, and is coming off a 10-game suspension for his hit on Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson on October 10. In 306 career games with the Sabres, Kaleta has 27 goals and 24 assists, along with 506 PIMs. The 27-year-old Kaleta was selected by the Sabres in the sixth round (176th overall) of the 2004 Entry Draft.
Personally, I don't get this move at all. This move feels like something bigger than sending Kaleta to Rochester to work on becoming a more 'responsible player". The optics of this waiver move suggest to me that the Sabres want to part ways with Kaleta. In light of the Kaleta-Johnson incident and the Scott-Eriksson, Scott-Kessel incidents, perhaps the Sabres are getting heat from inside the NHL for having a squad that is too aggressive.
If Kaleta clears through waivers at Noon Sunday, he will be sent to the Rochester Americans.
Do you honestly think that Chad Cassidy will take ice time away from prospects and play Kaleta 13-16 minutes a night and play him on all key situations?
Kaleta served his ten game suspension for his head hit on Columbus D Jack Johnson. He was eligible to re-join the Buffalo roster tonight vs. Anaheim.
Kaleta didn't participate in the team's optional game day skate this morning and there were reports that Kaleta didn't report to First Niagara Center.
Say what you will about Kaleta. He's a useful, effective hockey player who works his ass off and is a great teammate. He's a great skater, he kills penalties with a high acuity level, blocks shots with bravery, and plays every shift with tenacity and passion. Kaleta is a good teammate and will always support his guys on the ice.
Kaleta has scored 10 goals in a season before and he has more offensive ability then he's given credit for.
Has he skated outside the lines?
Yes, he has.
He's atoned for his previous sins by serving suspensions and paying fines.
As a coach and GM, I'd rather reel a guy like Kaleta's intensity level in, rather than have to constantly light a fire under a soft players' rump.
I have been told that there will be between 10-15 NHL teams who will express serious interest in Kaleta at the waiver wire. His former head coach Lindy Ruff will likely be one of the teams who will be willing to take a chance on claiming Kaleta off waivers. Brian Burke in Calgary will be another team who may ask about Kaleta.
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In other news, Darcy Regier has hired former Sabre and Amerk player Randy Cunneyworth as a pro scout.
After his playing days were done, Cunneyworth served as head coach of the Rochester Amerks, Hamilton Bulldogs and the Montreal Canadiens.
Here's the team's official statement on the re-hiring of "Cunney":
Cunneyworth most recently served as interim head coach for the Montreal Canadiens after being promoted to assistant coach of the Canadiens following a one-year stint as head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL). He guided the Canadiens to an 18-23-9 record in 50 games after taking over for head coach Jacques Martin midway through the 2011-12 season.
Prior to his time with the Canadiens organization, Cunneyworth spent two seasons as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Thrashers (2008-09 and 2009-10). Cunneyworth began his coaching career as a player-coach under Rochester Americans head coach Brian McCutcheon during the 1999-2000 AHL season. He was hired by the Americans to serve as head coach the following season and retained that post for eight seasons before leaving the Americans to join the Thrashers.
Before retiring as a player, Cunneyworth had an NHL career that spanned parts of 16 seasons. He began his NHL career with the Sabres in 1980-81 after the team selected him in the eighth round of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft and returned to Buffalo in the 1998-99 season for what would be his final NHL season.
The conspiracy theorist in me says that Cunneyworth would make a great replacement head coach in the event that Ron Rolston can't dig his team out of its 2-12-1 sink-hole.
Here's Cunneyworth's NHL career arc:
October 4, 1985: Traded to Pittsburgh by Buffalo with Mike Moller for Pat Hughes, October 4, 1985.
June 17, 1989: Traded to Winnipeg by Pittsburgh with Rick Tabaracci and Dave McLlwain for Jim Kyte, Andrew McBain and Randy Gilhen, June 17, 1989.
December 13, 1989: Traded to Hartford by Winnipeg for Paul MacDermid, December 13, 1989.
March 11, 1994: Traded to Chicago by Hartford with Gary Suter and Hartford's 3rd round choice (later traded to Vancouver - Vancouver selected Larry Courville) in 1995 Entry Draft for Frantisek Kucera and Jocelyn Lemieux, March 11, 1994.
July 15, 1994: Signed as a free agent by Ottawa, July 15, 1994.
August 27, 1998: Signed as a free agent by Buffalo, August 27, 1998.
February 18, 2000: Suffered season-ending knee injury in game vs. Quebec (AHL), February 18, 2000.
September 8, 2000: Officially announced retirement and named Head Coach of Rocherster (AHL), September 8, 2000.
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Mikhail Grigorenko will sit tonight. Too comfortable?
Corey Tropp and Nikita Zadorov will play.
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