Revenge Is Best Served Cold Beer (sabres kaleta)

sabres kaleta

Revenge Is Best Served Cold Beer

By GARTH'S CORNER

Nov 30, 2013 • 11:09 am

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Leafs fans are so predictable and childish at times. They are so easy to laugh at. Like on Friday night in Buffalo. Booing the Sabres and chirping Ryan Miller in his own building is all in good fun.

But, chucking full beer cans at the Sabres players? The Sabres assembled at center ice to salute their fans after Christian Ehrhoff's OT GWG. Then,the whiners and Leafs gallery gods proceeded to pelt the Sabres with beer cans. Hooligans.

An all time low. You should be proud of yourselves, Leafs Nation. So mature and so very generous and thoughtful of you. Public temper tantrums are such a fun spectator sport to watch. Even better when bloated, drunk, disorderly 20 and 30 somethings are the perpetrators.

In the winner's locker room, Drew Stafford recounted the postgame beer blast.

“We know there’s always going to be a rambunctious crowd coming down from Ontario to watch these games, so we wouldn’t expect anything less,… Drew Stafford said after the 3-2 Buffalo OT win.

“Maybe not beer cans and pop cans on a home-ice win, but we won. Nothing else matters.…

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Drew Stafford's overall game has erupted in a positive manner ever since Ted Nolan took over the Buffalo bench earlier this month. The former North Dakota Fighting Sioux star had struggled mightily on both sides of the puck and appeared to have lost his warrior spirit during the Ron Rolston era. Once a 30 goal scorer, Stafford struggled to even get shots in goal last season and then again in the first six weeks of the 2013-14 season. Rolston buried Stafford on the fourth line on most nights this season. He lacked the passion and the tenacity that Rolston was demanding from his vets. Stafford was a shell of his former self. Gone was the swagger and the confidence that the fans, his teammates, and his coaches had grown accustomed to seeing from Stafford in his first six seasons with Buffalo Sabres.

Enter Ted Nolan.

Stafford was immediately bumped to the first line where has been skating and creating alongside Matt Moulson and Cody Hodgson. Stafford has reverted back to his early pro form and is fully engaged in the hitting game and board battle game. He looks like his old self again. he's shooting more. He's skating at a faster pace. He's competing at a high level. He's showing Nolan that he wants to stay in Buffalo and not be traded away. Stafford is showing that he cares about what happens inside shifts and games. Nolan has been rewarding him with more responsibilities and more ice time.

Stafford told me that a big difference in his game right now is that he's having fun.

"Games like this are fun for the boys. We needed it for ourselves and the fans. Its always feels good when you win. You want to do it again. Like tomorrow night, we have to win again".

Stafford actually cracked a smile when he told the story of getting pelted with debris in his own building following a win.

“Look what happened after the game was over,… he said. “After a home win you get beer cans thrown at you. We’ll take it. Everyone’s happy in here. We got to remember how this feels.…

Stafford showed resilience and courage when after he was drilled in the numbers by Cody Franson.

On Friday night, Stafford played the right point on the power play opposite Tyler Myers. That wasn't a mistake. Nolan said that Stafford and Leino need to be those types of players. He said that its important to get 21 and 23 feeling good about themselves from a confidence standpoint so that they can continue to contribute to as leaders on their young team.

Nolan believes that players perform at high expectation levels when they feel good about themselves.

Thanks, sabres.com

Nolan isn't an X's and O's coach. He's a coach who empowers his players to go out and perform at their personal best levels. When they fail, he's not quick to chastise them not tear them down publicly. Nolan gives his players a longer leash that say Rolston ever did.

Right now, Stafford and the Sabres players believe in Nolan because he's believing in them.

Stafford skated 22:22 TOI vs. Toronto, and was arguably Buffalo's best forward in the game.He took 4 shots and 1 hit Reimer. He thinks that he'll bury one or two shortly.

"When you are feeling good about your game, the puck ends up on your stick. I had some chances tonight. I should have scored one. I want that to continue"

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Sabres D Christian Ehrhoff scored the OT GWG through the Leafs D-man's skate blade!

Thanks, Sam Korotkin

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Updated 12am EDT:

Pat Kaleta right leg is the problem area right now.Kevin Oklobzija spoke with Amerks coach Chadd cassidy after the Amerks game tonight. Doesn't sound good for PK36.

Patrick Kaleta, suffered what appeared to be a serious injury to his right leg in the third period. Coach Chadd Cassidy would only say lower body, but it appeared to be either Kaleta's right knee or possibly near the ankle.

"It didn't look good," Cassidy said.

Kaleta was injured as he barreled to the net on a partial breakaway in the third period of the Amerks 5-3 victory over the Lake Erie Monsters.

Pickard made the save and Kaleta went up and over the goalie. The back of his right leg -- right near his ankle or top of the skate -- slammed hard into the cross bar as he somersaulted over Pickard and then fell to the ice. He essentially ended up in the net.

Kaleta stayed sitting on the ice for a minute or two afterward, with trainer Rob Frost assessing the injury. When he did get up, he was unable to put any weight on his right leg and needed help from Frost and Kevin Porter to get to the bench. He was still in the medical room well after the game.

Here's hoping for a speedy recovery for Kaleta.

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Patrick Kaleta has been playing some very productive and inspired hockey in the NHL since he was waived to the Rochester Amerks earlier this month.

According to Kevin Oklobzija, Kaleta may have sustained a serious leg/knee injury vs. Lake Erie Monsters on Friday night.

More news as it becomes available...

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