Latvian Locomotive Defeats The Magician (nhl. rangers)

nhl. rangers

Latvian Locomotive Defeats The Magician

By GARTH'S CORNER

Nov 2, 2014 • 10:06 pm

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Updated:

Sabres super sophomore earned his masters degree in stick-to-it-iveness on Sunday night.

Ted Nolan knows what makes Girgensons tick having coached him on Team Latvia for years before he took over the bench in Buffalo last Movember. Nolan trusts Zemgus implicitly, that s why he opted to play Girgensons head up on Pavel Datsyuk line on Sunday night.

Whats the worst that could happen if Zemgus had gotten dominated by Datsyuk> Another Sabres loss.

Nolan's hunch paid off in a big way.

Zemgus spent the entire 65 minute affair literally butting heads with future first ballot Hall Of famer Pavel Datsyuk. The Latvian Locomotive battled The Magician tooth and nail.

Girgensons lost 12 of the 19 (37%) draws that he took against Datsyuk (72%), who won 18 of the 25 draws that he took on the night. That's no slight against Zemgus.

However, Girgensons went 6-for-8 against Datsyuk in the 3rd and in overtime.

After 40 minutes, he was a meager 1-for-11.

Talk about nutting up. The servant to the master out behind the woodshed for a lesson of his own!

He locked horns with one of the best two-way centers in NHL history and he battled him until the bitter end.

When Datsyuk scored the go ahead goal at the 4:27 mark of the third period, it appeared as though all hopes would be dashed for the Sabres.

Rather than fold their tent and skate home, they hung tough and Chris Stewart found a way to beat Howard for the game tying goal with 6:52 remaining in regulation play.

Macho stuff, man.

How about Buffalo not getting stiffed on another NO GOAL.

Midway through OT, it appeared as though Zetterberg beat Neuvirth for the OTGWG, however, Johan Franzen, laying in his first game of the season, was caught for a crease violation and the goal was wiped off the board. After the game, Neuvirth told media that he had spoken with the ref several times earlier in the game when Franzen was standing in his crease. The ref assured Neuvirth that if Detroit were to score a goal and Franzen was on the ice that he would disallow the goal. Thanks, ref!

After the game, Nolan joked that it seemed like Zemgus never left the ice in the 5 minute overtime session. Its true. When Brian Gionta took yet ANOTHER ridiculously stupid penalty after getting burned by Datsyuk, it was Girgensons, Gorges, Myers, Neuvirth who skated to the rescue.

Girgesnons has repeatedly grabbed his teammates by the neck has dragged them into multiple battles this season. Sunday night was no different. The Sabres needed a leader and the kid stepped up and represented in his trademark style.

It was Girgensosn who beat Howard with a deft blocker high missile to give the Sabres a desperately needed shootout win on home ice.

***

Girgensons didn't do it all by himself. He got by with a little help from his friends.

Here's my Buffalo honorable mention roll call from the DeTroyIt game:

1). Tyson Strachan: Skated a season high 15:29. Played well 5 on 5, PP, and PK. Had two more assists. This guy should never sit out another game in Buffalo. I'd waive Meszaros, or trade him.

2). Rasmus Ristolainen: Skated a career high 25:15 TOi and didn't blink first against the all star laden Wings lineup. Very reliable.

3). Tyler Ennis: Skated 22:31 TOI, won 67% of his draws and set up Stewart's game tying goal.

4). Chris Stewart: I love how Stewie got all Hershel Walker by ducking his head and slamming face first into Howard's crease to score his first goal of the season. Excellent effort!

5). Josh Gorges: Great stick. Excellent anticipation and awareness. Skated 25:15. I don't care that he was -2. He was on the ice all night against Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Abdelkader.

6). Johan Larsson: He played a hard game with a lot of bite. . I like his moxy. A lot.

7). Nikita Zadorov: Skated 12:42 TOI, splattered Darren Helm with a great body check (one of his 3 on the night). Nolan said after the game that Nikita was making contact with him all game long to ask permission for power play and penalty kill ice time. Nolan chuckled because he loves Zadorov's youthful, team-first enthusiasm.

**

The Sabres have signed hometown kid Justin Bailey to his three-year, entry-level contract.

Bailey (6’3…³, 190 lbs., 7/1/95) is playing in his third season with the Kitchener Rangers (OHL) and currently leads the team in scoring with 18 points (9+9) through 13 games played. In 124 career OHL games, Bailey has recorded 97 points (51+46) and 68 penalty minutes.

The Buffalo native was selected by the Sabres in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to playing in the OHL, Bailey played in the USHL and the Buffalo Regals organization.

Look for Bailey to play for Team USAs IIHF World Junior Championships team in December and January in Montreal ans Toronto.

à—à—à—à—à—à— Ted Nolan is making changes to his lineup for the Detroit Red Wings game today.

Marcus Foligno is "banged up" and will sit out today. Johan Larsson has been called up from Rochester to replace Foligno.

Also, Nolan will mix up his D by starting Nikita Zadorov and Andrej Meszaros today. Tyson Starchan will remain in the lineup which means that the outspoken Mike Weber and Andre Benoit will sit this one out.

After last night's 5-0 skunk job at the hands of the Penguins, Weber called out his teammates for not playing with aggression and anger.

Weber seemed to suggest that if his squad is going to die on the battlefield, they should die with their boots on.

Thanks, Sabres.com

I happen to agree wholeheartedly with Weber for his candor and his accountability. If only every Sabres player followed his lead.

I wonder if Weber is being benched for inconsistent play or for calling out his teammates?

Michal Neuvirth will start in goal against Datsyuk, Franzen, Zetterberg, Nyqvist, Tatar, Abdelkader, Helm, Jurco and the Motown Freakshow. ***

Last month, the NHL Player Saftey Department caused a mini furor when it appointed former NHL intimidator Chris Pronger to its staff. Stephane Quintal tok over the reins of the player discipline office after Brendan Shanahan took his front office position with the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer. Quintal was looking for a few good men to help to police the game and he reached out to one of the dirtiest players ever to play the game to be his first lieutenant. Who better to catch a bank robber than a former thief turned cop, right? The Pronger hire has prompted questions as to why the Department of Player Safety hasn't hired a former skill player to balance out the truculence of the Pronger presence in the room. Last week, new broke that Quintal has ben speaking with another former hammer in Scott Stevens join his discipline team. Another dubious choice by Quintal given that Stevens made a living by walloping opponents with the types of body checks that the NHL is trying to eliminate today. Stevens wasn't a head hunter, he was a body hunter, and he was perhaps the most feared hitter ever to lace up skates in the NHL. Whereas Pronger was more known for his stick work, punches to the backs of heads and blindside hits on opponents, Stevens was widely feared as one of the most destructive hitters and fighters of his era.

Comes news today from Larry Brooks of the NY Post that Quintal is interested in hiring former Sabres captain Chris Drury to add sanity and balance to the NHL Department of Player Safety.

Brooks reports:

Drury spoke to the league about joining the Department of Player Safety but decided it was not the right fit for him at this time. It is the NHL’s loss, as Drury — twice a concussion victim and never a perpetrator — would have provided a unique perspective to the mix of viewpoints within VP Stephane Quintal’s division

I sure hope for the sake of the game and the health and well being of the skilled players and the rank and file NHLPA members that Drury reconsiders his decision to not join the Department of Player Safety. I feel like he would add common sense and needed perspective to the matter of the effects concussions as a result of flagrant head hits. I feel strongly that Drury would be an advocate for the victims of violent head hits and he would add needed intelligence and experience to an otherwise lunkhead discipline department. Why would Quintal employ only the aggressors and the perpetrators of violent hockey crimes? Why not the victims who could use their testimony and recovery struggles to act as agents of change within the slow to change culture of the NHL?

Drury suffered a concussion on the Neil hit and then another when he was blasted in Calgary in 2009.

Who can forget this Chris Neil head shot on Drury from February 2007?

Sadly, NHL players are still whacking opponents in the head.

Just last night, Edmonton Oilers captain Andrew Ference buried former Sabres tough guy Zack Kassian with this egregious head shot.

When is this madness going to end?

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