Congrats to Canada on winning the gold in both men and women's hockey. USA got embarrassed in both of them, falling short by one goal all over again.
We didn't get to see Ryan Miller as much as I would've liked, but Quick played very well, with exception of the Finland game. Russia wins the final medal count, and just like that, the Olympics come to an end.
Watching the USA vs. Canada game kind of felt like a typical Sabres game, where Buffalo competes against a better opponent, but just falls short.
This could have been the final time we see NHL players take part in Olympic hockey. It has it's pros and cons, but I doubt we see the NHL involved four years from now. John Tavares is the biggest example to look at it, who is now out for the season. Garth Snow was furious as expected, but that's the risk these players are taking, which is enough for me to believe the NHL will want out next time. Even though many of its' players are spotlighted for performing so well, the injury issue might be too much of a reason.
So now we turn our heads back to regular hockey as teams will get into action in the next few days. Carolina and Buffalo will start off NHL action a day early to make up the postponed game, and many other teams will return on Wednesday.
It feels like the Sabres haven't played in forever, but they'll be playing often as the schedule is jam packed over the next couple of months.
The Sabres are on a four game losing streak, and have been outscored 18-6 during that span. Ryan Miller is expected to get the start on Tuesday against the Hurricanes.
Before NHL action returns, there could be some bigger things to focus on, at least for Buffalo. The trade freeze is lifted tonight at 11:59 p.m., and teams can start moving players again. There have been countless rumors going around, but with the trade deadline just over a week away, things will likely intensify.
By then, we should finally be able to see the direction Murray heads with guys like Miller, Moulson and Ott. We'll see how quickly things get moving after the freeze is lifted. I expect Buffalo to be involved in a few trades over the next 10 days.
As always, thank you for reading!