Buffalo Sabres fans are saying "Tank You Very Much" to the Arizona Coyotes who blew a 2-0 third period lead to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night.
With Eddie Lack pulled in favor of the extra attacker, former Coyote Radim Vrbata buried a point clapped behind Mike Smith for the tying goal with 53 second remaining in regulation play.
Overtime solved nothing. The two teams drew pistols and settled it in a shootout where the Desert Dogs won the game. In so doing, the Sabres now gain two very important points in the McEichel standings. The Sabres now lead the Yotes by 6 points in the McEichel sweepstakes.
FINAL | #Coyotes 3, @VanCanucks 2 (SO) | ARI goals by @TobiRieder9, Tye McGinn | Mike Smith made 32 saves pic.twitter.com/Drmym6nDK2
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) March 6, 2015
Here are the up to the date McEichel standings:
28th: Arizona: 49 points 29th: Edmonton: 46 points 30th: Buffalo: 43 points
The Buffalo Sabres and Edmonton Oilers were idle on Thursday night.
Taking can be so ugly, eh, Regierizona?
With the @ArizonaCoyotes to help #MikeSmith scare the puck out of the @VanCanucks with his new mask by @darrigoart! pic.twitter.com/AgGWHwbSQa
— Alice Cooper (@RealAliceCooper) March 6, 2015______________________________________________________________________
Finally.
Mikhail Grigorenko is going to get a legitimate shot to show his Buffalo head coach, GM and teammates that he has what it takes to stay and play in the NHL. For the first time in his two year professional hockey career, the Buffalo Sabres actually need Mikhail Grigorenko.
Finally.
His road to the NHL has been pitted with knee-high potholes and divots that frankly have swallowed him up at times. The kid hasn't been able to establish traction on his road to the NHL.
It seems like a 100 hockey lives ago that he reported to the Buffalo Sabres in January 2013. The slick centerrman had just starred for h mother Russia at the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Ufa, Russia. He reported back to his Quebec Remparts junior club, only to be summoned a few weeks later to Buffalo after the NHL lockout had ended. T Then head coach Lindy Ruff liked what he saw of the young center. Thus began his NHL experiment. His struggles were well documented during his rookie season when Ruff used Grigorenko sparingly in games. His confidence was at an all time low. When he did play it was for four minutes a night on the fourth line with John Scott and Drew Stafford. Hardly the place for a 12th overall pick to prove that he belongs in the NHL. Then GM Darcy Regier sent the kid back to Quebec in mid-March 2013. The Sabres burned the first year of his NHL entry level contract by playing him 10 games. All told, he played 25 games in Buffalo his rookie year. Off to Quebec City he went. The following season, Grigorenko again had difficulty making a favorable impression on his second NHL head coach Ron Rolston, who was fired along with Regier in November 2013. Ted Nolan sent Grigo and Nikita Zadorov back to juniors and Rasmus Ristolainen down to Rochester. Last spring, Grigo played the final nine games of the season in Rochester. He also participated in 5 Amerks playoff games.
Grigorenko showed up to rookie camp and training camp in the best shape of his NHL career. He packed on 12 pounds of muscle during the summer and he worked strenuously to improve his skating game. Grigorenko arguably was Buffalo's best player in the exhibition season. He was fully engaged in the process. He threw his body around, blocked shots, set up his line mates and scored goals. He appeared to be a lock to make Buffalo's opening night roster. However, Tim Murray opted to give Same Reinhart his nine game NHL tryout, thus, Grigo was sent packing. Reinhart, the second overall pick in the 2014 draft got the nod over the former 12th overall pick. Zemgus Girgensons, Cody Hodgson and Reinhart were Ted Nolan's centers and there was no use in playing Grigo as the fourth line center for five minutes a night. Back to Rochester. Again. For the umpteenth time in his pro hockey career, the kid was given the pat on the back while being shown the door.
In 39 games played in Rochester this season, Grigo has scored 11 goals and added 21 assists for 32 points. He has accumulated 25 PIMs. A knee injury sidelined him for nearly a month. He was called on Monday night and joined the team in Tampa after Tim Murray trade Chris Stewart, Torrey Mitchell and Brian Flynn on Monday. Grigorenko was sent back to Rochester on Wednesday only to be recalled on Thursday.
Now, he's back. Grigorenko has a goal and an assist in 12 games with the Sabres this season. He has been winning 51% of his draws. He attributes a lot of his faceoff success to his added muscle and his improved edge work. When he foirst reported to Buffalo, Grigo was a straight up and down skater. He tended to glide while reading and reacting on the ice. The NHL is a power skating league, therefore, he was forced to have to reinvent his skating game. Gliding to pucks worked for Grigo in junior hockey because he was a man playing with boys. Not in the NHL. Grigo spent countless hours with Sabres skating coach Dawn Braid the past two seasons. Grigo is now bending his knees while he skates, which gets him closer to the ice. He's taking longer strides with a more powerful stide. The results have been very impressive.
The 30th place Sabres have 19 games left to play in this season from Hell. Tim Murray is offering the kid the opportunity of his Sabres hockey lifetime. He's going to give the kid a genuine opportunity to show what he has learned while playing in the AHL. Girgorenko will play in Ottawa on Friday night. There's no reason to believe that he will be sent back to Rochester if he makes a mistake or a costly turnover. For the first time in a long time, the Sabres need Grigorenko. He no has 18 games to show Nolan and Murray that he belongs in the NHL and that he is worthy of a new contract in Buffalo. He will become RFA in July. The Sabres will likely qualify him and sign him to a new contract, however, where will he be playing next season? In Buffalo or Rochester?
Only Grigo can answer that questions. The 30th place Sabres are fixated on drafting Connor McDavif or Jack Eichel in June's entry draft. Assuming they get the first or second overall pick in the draft, Grigo will have to compete with McEichel, NHL All Star Zemgus Girgensons, and Sam Reinhart for a center job.Cody Hodgson's future in Buffalo is unclear right now. Hodgson is also a center ice man. Grigo will have stiff competition to make the Buffalo roster next season. That's why it is imperative for him to sell-out and play his rear end off the next 18 games of this dismal season in Buffalo. A superior performance will help him to earn a full time job in Buffalo next season. Grigo can also pump up his trade value to a team where he can play a top six role for the next 10 seasons.
Grigo has Tiim Murray's undivided attention.
Thanks, Sabres.com
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