Updated:
Poor Zach Kassian. The guy always finds himslef in awkward positions. Like here, when he gets inadvertently kicked in the face by teammate Tom Sestito's skate.
Ouch!
______________________________________________________________________
In case you missed it, here's Rasmus Ristolainen's scintillating OT GWG. Talk about a power move. Damn! Risto's inside-out power move off the wall, then around the Swedish D to below the goal line where he re-grouped, accelerated then attacked the rack! Dansk must have seen his life flash before his very eyes when he looked up and saw the 6'4 225 pound tanker truck bearing down on him.
Props to my man, @cjzero for capturing this slice of television heaven! During the postgame victory ceremony, Ristolainen picked up
WOW!
Sabres super D prospect Rasmus Ristolainen has ended the World Junior Hockey Championships. He did so in dramatic fashion by taking a puck off the wall, and taking a hard, fast, direct charge through the slot where he hammered home a puck underneath the incredible Oscar Dansk for the OT GWG!
Ristolainen scored 9:42 into over time as Finland stunned host Sweden 3-2 Sunday to win the 2014 world junior hockey championship.
Finland lost twice in the preliminary round, including a 4-2 setback against Sweden, but turned it on in the playoffs and beat Canada 5-1 in the
Ristolainen and his pesky Finns would not back down at any time for the favored host team in their raucous building.
Talk about a Cinderella story!
The Sabres cannot allow Ristolainen to go back to AHL Rochester now that he's the talk of the international hockey world. He deserves another shot at the bright lights of the NHL.
Tyler Myers will likely be suspended for his head hit on Dainius Zubrus in Saturday night. If Myers is meeting Shanahan in person in NYC on Monday afternoon, then its likely he'll receive a 5 game suspension. That would open up an immediate roster spot for Buffalo to call up Ristolainen and allow him to receive a hero's welcome in front of a packed arena when Carolina plays in Buffalo on Tuesday night. Team Sweden's Elias Lindholm will play for the Canes in Buffalo on Tuesday night.
Myers is a righty. Ristolainen is a righty.
Addition by subtraction.
Myers will learn his fate around supper time on Monday. If he's suspended, Pat Lafontaine will have a decision to make about Ristolainen.
Personally, I'd bring Ristoalinen to Buffalo and play him while sitting Sulzer and/or McBain.
The Sabres can waive McBain or sit Sulzer to make a roster spot for Ristolainen.
___________________________________________________________________________
Per The IIHF:
The Directorate Awards went to Sweden’s Oscar Dansk for Best Goalie, Finland’s
Rasmus Ristolainen for Best Defenceman, and Sweden’s Filip Forsberg as Best Forward.
The media All-Star Team consisted of:
Goal: Juuse Saros (FIN)
Defence: Nikita Zadorov (RUS)
Defence: Rasmus Ristolainen (FIN)
Forward: Anthony Mantha (CAN)
Forward: Teuvo Teräväinen (FIN)
Forward: Filip Forsberg (SWE)
MVP: Filip Forsberg (SWE)
Call Darcy Regier what you will as a GM, however, there's no denying his keen eye for young NHL talent. Regier drafted Ristolainen and Zadorov in the first round of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Incredible accomplishment for Ristolainen who missed the first two games of the WJCs as he was suffering from the flu. He has scored 2 goals in 5 games played and has been a defensive stalwart killing penalties, playing the point on PP, and playing a shut down role against the opponent's top lines. Ristolainen was an even player in 7 games played.
Zadorov scored 4 goals and added an assist in 6 games played. Like Ristolainen, Zadorov was used as a shut down D. He was +4 for the bronze medal winning Russian squad.
Sabres fans should take solace in the fact that Regier stocked the cupboards with some excellent young players and an NHL net full of premium draft choices that will be used to properly re-build the Sabres into a Stanley Cup contender.
***
Here we go again.
Another Sabres player is headed to the principal's office to answer for his aggressive behavior.
On Monday, Tyler Myers will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety for this hit on New Jersey Devils center Dainius Zubrus on Saturday night at First Niagara Center.
My bad. That was Myers' head hit on Zubrus from 2011 that got the Buffalo D-man suspended.
Here's the most recent Rule 48 violation:
Devils head coach Peter DeBoer told reporters after the 2-1 loss in Buffalo taht he thought that Myers deserved a major penalty for the head hit on Zubrus.
Myers received a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head of Zubrus at 7:02 of the third period. Zubrus didn't leave the game for medical attention. He finished the game.
is Myers headed to NYC for the hearing or will it be over the phone? Here is the official NHL statement on th ehearing:
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers will have a hearing with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Monday afternoon for a hit on New Jersey Devils center Dainius Zubrus on Saturday night at First Niagara Center.
Myers received a two-minute minor for an illegal check to the head of Zubrus at 7:02 of the third period. Zubrus remained in the game.
The following grounds are being considered for supplemental discipline: illegal check to the head. However, the Department of Player Safety retains the right to make adjustments to the infraction upon review
No mention of "telephone" in the statement.
Myers was suspended for three games in March 2012 for boarding Montreal's Scott Gomez.
My takeaway:
I like Tyler Myers when he hits. He' s been laying the body quite a bit since Ted Nolan took over the Buffalo bench on November 12.
I like his overall game right now. Was he wrong to hit Zubrus high? Yes. Will he be suspended again? Its very likely.
If I'm Nolan or Sabres D coach Teppo Numminen do I tell Myers to curtail his hitting game? Hell no. Its unfortunate that Myers (6'8") hit Zubrus (6'4") around the head. That happens in collisions along the boards. Myers meant no malice, in my opinion.
________________________________________________________________________
Sabres prospect Mikhail Grigorenko's first period power play goal started the motor on Team Russia's bronze medal win at the World Junior Hockey Championships in Malmo Sweden.
Thanks IIHF
Grigo banked a shot off Canada D Matthew Dumba's boot from the right face off circle to give the Russians a 1-0 lead in the first.
Russia would take a 2-0 lead into their locker room after 40 minutes of play.
At 12:50 of the third period, Canada's Josh Morrissey gave his team hope when he scored of a gorgeous tip
It was too little too late for Team Canada.
Russia takes home their second bronze medal in a row while Canada head home empty handed for the second year in a row. This marks the first time since 1981 that Canada has been denied a medal in back to back World Junior Championships.
***
Host Sweden will battle Finland later this afternoon for the gold medal
Much more to come.....
****
Danny Briere speaks softly and carries a big stick. On Saturday night, Danny's stick sent a direct message message to his head coach Michel Therrien:
"Hey coach, scratch this!"
Earlier this week, Briere spent two games in Therrien's chateau bow wow (dog house). The coach scratched the 36 year old in Carolina and in Dallas. Briere obviously was not happy about being turfed. He's a proud 36 year old veteran who hasn't gotten his fair shake yet in Montreal this season after signing a two year $8 million contract as a UFA last summer.
Briere scored twice and added an assist while Brian Gionta also had a goal.
Thanks, Habs TV
Perhaps Danny's superlative performance vs. Ottawa was a message to the other 29 GMs in the NHL that Danny Briere is still a valuable NHL contributor, when giving ice time on a line with play makers.
Briere began the game centering the fourth line but then jumped up on the wing with Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta in the second period after a strong start.
"You try not to get caught up too much in it. You try not to think about it," Briere said of the line promotion. "It's a good feeling to be part of the team, to feel like you're helping out."
At the beginning of the third period, Briere brought his team to within one with a nifty move at the side of the net. He managed to jam the puck past Craig Anderson at 1:57 off a behind-the-net pass from Plekanec
Briere sure would like spiffy in Blue and Gold.
___________________________________________________________________________
Join the Discussion:
»