Friday night in downtown Buffalo…. Sabres… Leaves… does it get any better than this?

For the second time this season, the Buffalo Sabres and the Toronto Maple Leafs squared off at HSBC Arena, with an estimated Toronto contingent of about 4000 patrons cheering on their Leafs.

While Buffalo played a much more solid offensive game, peppering Leafs goalie Andrew Raycroft with 15 shots in the first period, they could not put one in the net, although a Sabres goal in the first was disallowed on a very questionable goaltender interference penalty, where replays showed that Paul Gaustad was pushed into the goaltender by the Leafs defender.

For the 12th game in a row, the Sabres gave up the first goal of the game, when Bryan McCabe scored for the Leafs. Mats Sundin made it 2-0 early in the 3rd. And that was it.

Want a hero? Try Jaroslav Spacek, who was captaining the power play, hitting everything in sight, and making a real difference on the blue line. Buffalo’s power play generated significant scoring opportunities, but the lack of finishing meant many close calls but no goals.

Want a goat? Maxim Afinogenov was a liability on the ice tonight. The score sheet probably won’t reflect the six or more giveaways he was responsible for, including one that lead to Sundin’s goal.

By the end of the game, the derisive chants “Mil-ler….Mil…ler” were raining down on the ice from Leafs fans. It only got worse when Toronto added the insurance goal by Paul Devereaux in the final minute.

Entertaining game? You bet. Butt-ugly outcome? Yeah this was one that really stung. Yet after the game Lindy Ruff said this was exactly the type of game he wanted the team to play. “We hit three posts, we had a goal taken away” Ruff said. Despite the somber mood in the dressing room, Ruff tried to convince everyone listening that it is only a matter of time before the bounces start coming Buffalo’s way.

Best sign of the night: (from Leaves fans) “We miss you Harry Neale”

Runner up: “Vote for Rory ‘08” Heh heh.

Props: to the game night crew. That nerdy game night host was nowhere to be found, the video clips were absolutely hilarious, including repeated clips where Sabretooth jumped on the screen and obliterated a Leafs fan by drawing a Sabres logo on the fan’s jersey. We’ve been saying it all along – get rid of screaming host and do cool music bumps and video clips and that will be enough to entertain the crowd.

The team heads to Boston tomorrow night. Anyone geeked?

Didn’t think so.

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