Just about everybody was on the ice this morning at HSBC Arena as the Buffalo Sabres get ready to face the Boston Bruins tonight in a showdown game.

Just how important is this game? “Every game is important” said Coach Lindy Ruff to the media following the practice. But this one looms large. Given up for dead just three weeks ago, the team could forge a tie for 8th place tonight with a regulation win, and that puts the boys right back in the playoff mix.

Tim Connolly skated today, and Coach Ruff reported that they had a long meeting with Connolly just yesterday, and are monitoring his progress very closely. From the looks of things, Connolly might be ready to go in time for Sunday’s game against Florida. Maxim Afinogenov, however, is a whole other story, and it looks like his recovery has actually regressed.

The other guy on the sudden “sick list” is Dmitri Kalinin, who did not practice this morning and is apparently under the weather. Ruff stated that Kalinin should be OK for tonight, but if not then Nathan Paetsch will be pressed into service on the blue line.

One of the guys adding a huge physical presence on the ice is Patrick Kaleta, and if the Sabres suddenly become totally healthy, he might be sent back to Rochester, and from where I’m watching, that would be a bad thing. His style of play is rubbing off on the entire team.

Ryan Miller will be looking for his 100th career NHL victory tonight… he got 99 in Wednesday’s shootout win over the Devils. And speaking of that shootout, Henrik Tallinder made history with his awesome goal, when he became the first blueliner to ever attempt a shot in a shootout, and obviously, the first one to ever score a goal.

There are only a few scattered singles remaining, so look for another sellout tonight for a 7:30 start.

Ho hum….Sabres/Devils. Sixty minutes, overtime, shootout. This is what has happened for all four clashes between these two clubs this season. And in the end the Devils would prevail.

Must have been the case since Henrik Tallinder wasn’t in the shootout lineup in those games. Tonight the Sabres took the shootout and got the victory in large part to the element of surprise as Henrik’s first shootout attempt (regular season) ever was the clincher in the win. Tallinder faked the future Hall of Fame goaltender out of his pads sending him sprawling helplessly to the ice as Henrik tapped in the easiest goal of his career.

Like the Sabres last game against Jersey, the home team lost a two goal lead to a Devils team that got stronger as the game went on. The overtime was pretty non descript, save for a golden opportunity by Tallinder directly in front of Brodeur that flew high over the net. Obviously, he would get his redemption soon afterwards.

The win snapped a six game losing streak in shootouts and brought the Sabres to within two points of eighth place Boston (the Sabres next opponent).

The population in Pominville went up one and Mike Ryan scored the other goal in regulation for Buffalo, Karel Rachunek and Mike Mattou scored the pair of Devil tallies.

The losing streak is over. And how. Final score… Buffalo 10, Atlanta 1. 

Maybe it was some freaky karma… Lindy Ruff opting out of the morning skate and letting his assistants do the work. Or perhaps it was a pregame event lineup change, with State Trooper Dan Brown bringing down the house singing the national anthems, looking and sounding much like Ottawa’s famed Lyndon Slewidge.But throw out silly superstitions and it was Buffalo’s determined play right from the get go…it was 3-0 Buffalo after 6 minutes, and 4-0 after 10, with “Mr. September” Derek Roy netting two goals. Atlanta goaltender Johan Hedberg was then pulled in favor of Kari Lehtonen, although Hedberg would return in the third period. 

Buffalo would add to their lead in the second., with Jochen Hecht getting his 15^th goal of the season. Derek Roy then made it 6-1 with his third of the night, a tip in while airborne in the crease, although he was not credited with this goal until after the game. Roy had not yet learned of his hat trick feat when we spoke afterwards. “Yeah I was trying for that third goal late, just saying to myself if it happens it happens” said Roy. Thomas Vanek, who had one of his best games in a long long time, then added a power play goal late in the period to make it 7-1. The other highlight of the period was a fight between Sabres defenseman Nolan Pratt and the Thrasher’s Chris Thornburn. Thornburn had intervened in the initial war of words between Pratt and Garnet Exelby, and Pratt managed to land the majority of punches on Thornburn. 

In the third period, the Sabres killed off a 5 on 3 disadvantage for almost two full minutes, before Buffalo made it 8-1 on Stafford’s second of the night. The hats then flew a few minutes later when Stafford scored again to make it 9-1 with just over 8 minutes to play.By then the throaty crowd dispensed with the “1..2..3…” goal countdown and went the short route… “We want 10! We want 10!” Buffalo was awarded a full 4 minute 5 on 3 advantage after Eric Boulton was tossed for taking out two Buffalo players on six cheap shot punches. Buffalo played around with the puck and even had Vanek on the point for a portion of the power play, but got nothing out of it. A subsequent penalty was called on Atlanta giving yet another 5 on 3, and this time Ales Kotalik’s one timer made it 10-1 and that would be all the scoring for the night. 

The locker room felt like a mix of jubilation and relief, with big smiles all around the room. “We really needed this one to set the tone” said Nathan Paetsch. “I think we can head into Toronto now with a good feeling and kind of have the monkey off our back.” Paetsch admitted that he is looking very forward to the first game of the year at the Air Canada Centre tomorrow. “Hockey Night in Canada was a mainstay of my growing up years. The game is on across Canada tomorrow isn’t it?” (Yes it is Nathan.) 

Lindy Ruff was very matter of fact about the entire team’s effort during this excruciating streak which ended tonight. “I wish some of those bounces were a week ago… a few days ago” said Ruff. “we got some breaks tonight… Derek (Roy) gave us a big boost… It was an ugly streak but it was not an ugly effort during that streak.” When asked about why he started the Mair-Ryan-Kaleta line, Ruff replied “I wanted some energy right off the bat. I wanted to get the building into it.” One bit of bad news… Michael Ryan took a hit to the face in the last minute and was immediately taken to the dressing room. He took some stitches and has vision problems and will be examined by an ophthalmologist tomorrow. He may end up missing some time. 

So the Sabres head to Toronto tonight and will take on the Leaves in the first of four matchups at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday. This will be the start of a seven game road trip across the continent, and we won’t see the boys back home until February 6. But if you’re really desperate to see some action on the ice, Disney’s “High School Musical” comes to the H for seven performances!  

One very notable person was missing from the ice this morning when the Sabres did their morning skate at HSBC Arena - Coach Lindy Ruff.

“Yeah maybe he was in the back room breaking down film or something” remarked defenseman Nathan Paetsch.

Ruff’s absence may be checking video, or maybe he’s just trying to shake up the karma. Nonetheless hopefully the Sabres will be doing more than just looking at film when they try to stem the bleeding tonight at HSBC Arena, as the Atlanta Thrashers come to town. The Thrashers got a point last night in a shootout loss at home, and flew into Buffalo late last night. They come in with red hot forwards Ilya Kovalchuk and Marian Hossa, both of who are tearing it up in the scoring column. Last time these two teams met in Atlanta, it was pretty much all Thrashers in a 5-2 win over Buffalo.

One of the players who will be good to go tonight is forward Derek Roy. Asked if he will see regular ice time including power play shifts, Ruff replied “We will see. We will see how it goes. We’ll start it off limited and see where he’s at.” As for defenseman Jaroslav Spacek, he is definitely out for tonight.

Referring to the last game against Atlanta, Ruff commented “We made some pretty big mistakes that allowed them some pretty easy situations. We’ve been able to take away the easy situations since that game and have played a lot better. If you hand them opportunities you are asking for bad things to happen.”

Ruff also stated that there is no more emphasis on this game than the other opponents the team has faced. “We’ve placed emphasis on every game we’ve approached” said Ruff. “For us, we have to win a game.” Nathan Paetsch also stressed the importance of lifting the team with a good outing tonight. “We’re going to be away from here for about three weeks, so leaving on a high note would be huge. Hopefully we will respond.”

Regarding Brendan Shanahan’s hit on Clarke MacArthur in the closing seconds of the Rangers game the other night, Ruff said
“Colin (Campbell) called right after the game, for which I’ve got to give them a lot of credit. They saw the hit. They wanted to know how Clarke is doing.” Beyond that call Ruff has heard nothing further in terms of any sanctions being meted out to Shanahan or the Rangers.

Faceoff tonight is 7:30PM. As of a week ago there were quite a few tickets remaining for this game and the team was pushing heavily on the video board for ticket sales, both on the arena board at last weekend’s Bandits and Sabres games, and on the MSG telecasts. I just checked tickets.com and as of 1PM there are only scattered singles available, so it looks like 18,690 will be the attendance. I’ve got the AV chair tonight and will have a post game recap.

For the ninth time in a row, the Sabres wind up on the wrong end of a decision…..For several games during this streak one could say that while not winning the game outright, the Sabres had their opportunities to win but didn’t. One could walk away knowing that while Buffalo’s effort was good enough to earn a win, it could also be said that the opposition played well enough to win…and would.

Tonight was different…this was a game where the Sabres were the better team outright and going away, yet still the letter “W” remained an elusive target once again. On this night the Sabres failed to convert on several glorious scoring opportunities, couldn’t hold onto a two goal lead in regulation, and for the fifth time during the streak lost a shootout.

As a Buffalo sports observer I left the arena with much the same feeling that I had after the Cowboys stole one from the Bills in October, that kick-to-the stomach feeling though really not as strong. It was that type of game tonight…woulda, coulda…how the ….did they not…..ugh.

It was a night for which Daniel Paille should have been THE star of the game, as he was responsible for both Sabre goals in the first period. While not the prettiest of goals it was no matter. The team had the quick early lead that they needed.

And in period two the Sabres stellar play continued. As Coach Ruff said afterward “we went after it” instead of sitting back against a team not known for giving up or getting too many opportunities. Time and time again in the second period there were point blank shots to be had, yet not a one found the back of the net. The longer the game went on like that it would only be a matter of time before the Devils found the scoreboard and did on a goal from Paul Martin late in the second on a delayed penalty call.

The goal put to an end the dominance of the game by Buffalo and Jersey came to life as they outshot the Sabres from the end of the second stanza by a 15-6 count. The Devils even had a four minute power play early in the third from a Kotalik high stick, but failed to convert. Yet the score wouldn’t be tied until just over a minute to go when David Clarkson snuck one in with the extra attacker on the ice.

The Sabres seemed to be the better of the two clubs during the OT, but the game continued to the shootout where Jason Elias put the finishing touches on the theft of the victory with his shootout goal in the third round.The frustration was and is unmistakable in the Sabre locker room right now, yet Toni Lydman tried to put the best face on it stating repeatedly that “frustration is going to get us nowhere, we just have to keep playing….”It’s a tough time for the Sabres (I believe Lindy used the word tough eight times in his post game Q/A) but here’s some silver lining….

This nine game stretch was the toughest of the entire season schedule wise. Consider that eight of the nine were played against the top three teams in the conference heading into tonight and that only three of them were played at home (OK, the Winter Classic was a home game yet truly not on home ice). This team while not winning any of them took five of them to a shootout before losing. Not the results anyone would want, but certainly upon closer look maybe not such a hideous stretch of play by the Sabres.

“Better Days” are ahead for the Sabres. Trust me on this one.

Since we’re both watching the game AND wandering around checking out the new digs that are the Prudential Center we won’t be doing as much of a liveblog as we usually do. Still we’ll be throwing up the occasional random note from time to time throughout the Sabres latest attempt at a victory.

6:41 This is a pretty sweet venue at first glance. Best part of note, in the main concourse there’s a mural dedicated to the history of the franchise and yes, that includes the KC and Denver years. Complete with the various jerseys(yep, Christmas tree colored Devil digs) and gi-nourmous wall mural of the four arenas that the club has called home since their inception on the prairie in the mid seventies….

6:51 Time to walk around the joint for a bit…back soon(maybe)

7:25 Back up high….still no score half way through the first….Sabres playing relatively well. Other Prudential Arena notes: It’s also the home of college hoop’s Seton Hall Pirates…and the banner for its 1989 run to the NCAA title game hangs proudly amidst the many….MANY banners signifying the Devils on ice success. In the stands its a typical Devils’ crowd, plenty of empty seats in the joint with a nice splattering of Sabre colors. Contrary to the folks on the West Coast the NJ chapter of SabreNation appears to be up to date in their choice of apparel.

7:31 Time for a Sabres penalty kill…..arena note #2….being New Jersey there’s a nice tribute to Thomas Edison in the lower concourse. Always, always, love it when an arena celebrates the local culture and flair. It’s the best way to make a venue unique in my humble opinion.

7:34 - #$@#%!!! power play goal- Devils. Great pass, Miller didn’t have a prayer.7:40 - arena chant…”Rangers Suck, Flyers Swallow”…yep, a family atmosphere here @ Devils games…..off to see more of the venue….

Channel 2 media giant Matt Pearl is in town visiting family in East Brunswick NJ and attending the game..we got to hang out a bit

8:03 - back in the box with some sort of Portuguese food here(Yes, there is a Portuguese food stand here)….this will be interesting to say the least.

8:11 - heard the first “Let’s go Buffalo” chant a couple minutes back….the things you pay attention to when the game is bit of a bore…..

8:13 - Verdict on the Portuguese sandwich….I spent six bucks for this???? Meanwhile, the in arena videoboard is displaying a chicken wing eating contest. Splett, where are you!!!

8:18 - Kotalik was robbed!!!!!!!! Damn, look what Brodeur just found…..

8:30 - End 2…still 1-0. This game is turning into to your typical Devil’s snoozefest. No wonder why this team can’t draw, even winning three Stanley Cups won’t draw fans with their style of play.

8:50 - Period 3 underway and Miller makes a point blank save……

8:59 - Gaustad pass to Stafford……ughh, just a little sooner and would have been nirvana….

9:09 Clarkson misses open net on a 2 on 1…and now Buffalo goes shorthanded….4:39 to go. This isn’t good at all. 1…2…3…4…5..6…staring 7 in the face here.

9:16 - Hallej- freaking- lujah!!!!!! Tie game, and sportswriters with a deadline have to a complete rewrite of their game night stories….The population of Pominville just went up one. And with that we go to ooooooooooooooooovertiiiime!!!!

9:23 - Remind me why they pay Vanek all that money again???

9:26 - Nice OT session for Buffalo, that ought to carry into the shootout. Just ask all the folks at the Ralph….video showing funny video clip of a hockey player and goalie in shootout mode in a “wild west” town with gunslinging music in the background. Zamboni’s out to pave the ice, wonder where that thing was last week @ the Ralph??

Shootout:

McArthur - no
Parise - no

Kotalik - yes
Gionta - yes

Vanek - no
Elias - yes! Game over/ Devils win!

9:33 -And there you have it, the Sabres once again fall in a shootout to the Devils @ the Prudential. Three stars- Andy Greene, Martin Brodeur, and Jason Pominville.

The Sabres losing streak now hits seven(with three shootout losses) and the road doesn’t get any easier with a road trip to Ottawa on Thursday and back home for New Jersey on Saturday.

I’ll close with this quip(put in Jim Mora accent)…

PLAYOFFS? PLAYOFFS??? PL-PL-PLAYOFFS?!???!!!!!???

Looking grim here @ the Rock folks. Sigh….

The view from our hotel room window

The Ultimate Sports Road Trip is in the building!

That building being the Prudential Center, affectionately known as “The Rock” here in Newark.

We had a terrific 220 mile drive from Horseheads down to Newark, with sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s… a springlike day for the middle of January! We’re staying at the Sheraton Newark Airport, around 3 miles away from downtown, and as you can see from the photo, the Prudential Center is readily visible in the center of their downtown core.

Driving in is another story however… while the streets of downtown at 4:30PM are all hustle and bustle, the downtown retail here looks downright scary… plenty of wig stores, dollar shops, electronics outlets, all decaying. Plenty of vacant eyesores and fenced parking lots. It really is not a pretty sight down here, although in the midst of all this are buildings looking like they are ready to undergo residential rehab into upscale units. The arena is an architectural jewel, especially the front side facade facing Mulberry Street, with a massive high tech video board that we could actually see from our hotel room.

We nixed the $20 and $25 lots surrounding the arena and caught a space on the street three blocks down Mulberry. On the walk up here, we saw a nice little tavern called “Arena Bar” that looks decent enough for some postgame libations.

As for the Sabres, they are now the walking wounded, and Patrick Kaleta has been called up from Rochester as reinforcement. Right about now we don’t like the Sabres’ chances to break this brutal losing streak but we shall see.

We plan to actually sit in the seats for a couple periods and get a feel for this building as a spectator. We will try to do a postgame recap if possible, but otherwise we will wait until we return to Buffalo tomorrow to post more pics and work on the venue profile. Enjoy the game. Out from The Rock!

-Andrew

It has been a long time since we made an “official” visit… in fact, November 12, 2006 to be exact, when we attended a game at the new stadium of the Arizona Cardinals.

But today we hit the road for a short road trip down to Newark, New Jersey. Downtown Newark is where the Prudential Center is located, the gleaming new arena for the New Jersey Devils and Seton Hall University basketball.

Here’s the game plan:

Monday - We hit the road this afternoon and will overnight at Peter’s parents house in Horseheads, just outside of Elmira. Gonna hang out and watch the BCS Championship Game and send out for Pudgie’s Pizza, one of the culinary delights of the Twin Tiers.

Tuesday - Continuing on our way down to Newark, we arrive mid afternoon. We’re working on arranging a tour of the arena with the Devils front office right now.

Tuesday night - Faceoff, Sabres and Devils at 7:05 PM. We get to officially mark “The Good Book”, one our USRT traditions, and can once again claim that we have attended a game of all 122 teams in the four major sports in their current and active venues.

Tuesday postgame - Enjoying the lights and glitz of Newark’s fabulous nightlife and bar scene. Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! I think more likely it will be a nightcap at the hotel bar in the lobby of the Sheraton.

Wednesday - Return to Buffalo.

I wanted to extend the trip by another day and catch Peter’s beloved New York Knicks on Wednesday night, but he vetoed that idea. With the Knicks at 8-24 and no end to their futility in sight, do you blame him?

We will file reports from the road, including photos, and of course, we will be doing an official “venue profile” and scoring the Prudential Center. Right now, Nationwide Arena is Columbus holds the USRT crown for top rated NHL arena. Where will The Pru rank? Stay tuned!

The Sabres event crew showed videos and photo montages from the Winter Classic; a full house was on hand primed for a big night for the Sabres.

Unfortunately the end result was another Sabres loss, their fifth in a row, and the team is quickly dropping in the standings, with a tough tough three game road trip now staring them in the face.

The team played a lackluster and uninspiring first period, with Ottawa scoring on their first shot on goaltender Ryan Miller. Andrew Peters and Brian McGrattan dropped the gloves early and had at it, with Peters getting the worst of it. The Sabres managed to kill off a penalty in the first, but Ottawa made it 2-0 on their second man advantage early in the second period.

Ottawa made it 3-0 midway through the second period on a goal by Jason Spezza, and that was enough to chase Ryan Miller out of the net in favor of Jocelyn Thibault. Ales Kotalik answered with Buffalo’s first tally just seconds later, and the second period ended 3-1 in favor the Senators.

The building finally came to life in the second half of third period, as Jochen Hecht scored his team leading 14th goal of the season on the power play. Two minutes later Michael Ryan banked in a goal from an impossible angle to tie the score at three. Buffalo started pouring it on with their best effort fo the night, peppering goalie Ray Emery with shots and scoring opportunities.
“We actually got started up in the seconded period”, said defenseman Jaroslav Spacek after the game.

Michael Ryan described the tying goal which came in from a very bad angle. “Staff did a great job just creating the offensive pressure. He got it over to me and I just threw it up at the net. It wasn’t the prettiest goal but I was sure glad to see it go in. Actually I thought Gaus (Paul Gaustad) got it.” Ryan also admitted that the coming road trip might be the tonic the team needs right now. “Yeah with all the distractions with last Tuesday’s game it has to have had an effect. Different scenery may just do us a world of good, get away for a while.”

Back to the game…Ottawa would go ahead with less than five minutes to go on a one timer by Danny Heatley from the top of the face off circle to take a 4-3 lead. Daniel Alfredsson made it 5-3 a couple minutes later, and that sent fans scurrying for the exits.

That would be it for the scoring, and the boo birds let the Sabres hear it when the final horn sounded.

After the game Lindy Ruff talked about the little things that cost the team the game - passing instead of taking shots, Ryan Miller’s poor play on two of the goals (”He wishes he could have them back”), messing up in little areas. “We’re gonna be in a dogfight. We need to be better in all areas” said Ruff. “I don’t think they got a shot in 14, 15 minutes before they took that one
that gave them the 4-3 lead.”

Daniel Paille took a big hit from Anton Volchenkov in the first period and did not return. I ran into Paille as he was heading out. He was in street clothes and didn’t look any worse for the wear. “He took a big hit and he’s sore right now” said Ruff. My guess is he won’t be sidelined for too long.

The Sabres hit the road for three games (including Tuesday at New Jersey, and the USRT will be in the building!), before returning home next Saturday to face those same Devils.

The big news coming out of HSBC Arena this morning is that Maxim Afinogenov will not play. He is sidelined with a lower body injury to his groin and could miss a number of games, although officially he is listed as “day to day”. Meanwhile, Drew Stafford, who has missed the last three games due to a concussion is good to go and will be in the lineup tonight.

The team had an optional skate today, and five regulars sat out. Lindy Ruff addressed the team’s recent scoring slump “It was time to maybe shake ‘em up a little bit” said Ruff in talking about the planned line changes. Ruff was also asked how important Jaroslav’s Spacek’s role is going to be in getting players to step up, especially now that he’s been named captain. “Well first of all by the way he’s played” said Ruff. “I want him to lead by example. He has a strong voice in the room and is not afraid to voice his opinion when things are not going well.”

Ruff admits that they’ve looked ahead to this month’s schedule, where there are only three home games and long stretches on the road. “We’ve looked at this schedule and there are no easy games.” Ruff emphasized the importance of winning games and snaring points especially with the standings being as tight as they are. “One win puts you in good shape, and one loss and you’re back down there.”

I talked to Jaroslav Spacek, asking him if the games leading to the Winter Classic were lost due to the distraction leading to the big game. “No I don’t think so” Spacek replied. “We had a couple good chances on the road but we could have played better and in the end we just didn’t score. In New Jersey we played a solid game for 40 minutes and then in the overtime couldn’t score with the advantage.” Today’s practice emphasized doing little things and getting the puck to the net. “We know it’s a big big game tonight” said Spacek.

Spacek said that the Winter Classic was televised back home and he got reports from friends and relatives that everyone watching in the Czech Republic enjoyed it. “It was 7 o’clock back home and everyone was still drinking from New Year’s, but it was great fun” Spacek said wistfully.

Puck drops tonight at 7:30 and I will be covering. I will have a postgame wrap up later on tonight.

It was the anthem of Buffalo pride in the 1980’s during the Bills’ Chuck Knox era. The “Talkin’ Proud” jingle.

This past Tuesday around 12:31 PM, viewers watching coast to coast across Canada on CBC saw a 90 second montage which portrayed the best of Buffalo and the best of Sabres hockey over the franchise’s history.

By CBC we mean the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, not the Crosby Broadcasting Corporation, formerly known as NBC.

At the same time, those who were in their seats at RWS at the exact same time got to enjoy the piece on the stadium’s Mitsubishi video board. Check out this awesome video and clap along. And for those of you old enough to remember, how many times do you have to watch the piece before you can identify three Sabres icons from the 70s - Ted Darling, Punch Imlach, and yes… Sundae Bafo!

Memo to the Sabres game night crew - can you make THIS video and THIS jingle a staple of the pregame intros from here on out?

It was not a game for the ages - the bad ice, the chippy play, the elements all conspired to slow down two teams that were supposed to present a “classic” for the biggest crowd in NHL history, and a sizable viewing audience watching in two countries.

For the Sabres, this was the 4th loss in a row, all coming since Christmas, and only two points to show for their efforts, and as of today they are on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs are concerned in what is a very tightly bunched Eastern Conference.

Yet after the game, everyone was happy; there was a sense of joy in the locker room, a buzz in the air as fans left the stadium, relief in the eyes of NHL officials and team executives that this had actually been pulled off. Everyone who had the privilege of being part of this event - the NHL, the players, the management, the media, the fans, the entertainers, the employees, all knew they had just shared a piece of history, a very special day.

Of course we know by now how the game turned out - Pittsburgh scored at the 21 second mark, Buffalo took over play in the second period but could only manage one goal, the Sabres blew a golden opportunity to win in overtime when they had a full two minute power play, and in the shootout that followed, the NHL/NBC dream script worked to a T when Sidney Crosby netted the game winner in the final shot.

While Sabres players were disappointed in the outcome, almost to a man everyone was echoing the same thing - they were in awe of the panorama of this event, it was meaningful to be a part of this spectacle, and they would love to do it again. Said Derek Roy “I don’t know if I’d want to play like this all the time, but having an event like this from time to time is good for the sport and good for the league. It was an awesome day.” Toni Lydman added “What more can one say about these fans in Buffalo? Just coming to the stadium and seeing people cooking outdoors and all the flags and decorations…”

Perhaps no one enjoyed this event and this moment more than Coach Lindy Ruff, who spoke from the heart when he talked about his growing up in his small home town in Alberta and learning how to skate outdoors. And in his postgame comments, he liberally used words like “great day”, “awesome”, “perfect”. When asked about the varsity jacket that he wore for the event, Ruff replied “I thought the jackets fit the game, you know, fit the uniforms, fit the game. It was fun. You know, it’s always good to put the blue and gold on when you wore it for as long as I wore it. I put that jacket on with pride today.” He said it with such sincerity and such emotion, and at that moment I thought about Ruff the player - his scrappy fights, that four goal night he had against Quebec I forgot when, his leadership on the ice. For me this comment was my “choked up” moment at the game, not helicopters flying over or snapshots of tanks or Tynan slobbering all over his microphone.

I would love to see another Winter Classic, but not every year, and I would love to see it back in Buffalo again when it does occur, although my guess is that other cities will be vying to host such a game. But today we should be very proud as a community that we were able to show the best of what Buffalo is about to the entire United States and Canada.

OK back to business… the Sabres next host the Ottawa Senators this Friday at the H. With the distractions out of the way, this team really needs to hunker down and get a big win. After mid month they will be on a brutal three week road trip. We need points!!!

11:45AM - Greetings and Happy New Year from Row A in the pressbox at Ralph Wilson Stadium! It is 34 degrees here in Orchard Park, overcast with winds out of the SW at 13MPH, and a few flakes of snow flying in the air. In other words…. PERFECT!

I arrived at the stadium a little after 9:30AM, and immediately headed to the north side of the property to find Kevin Pritchard and his Bfloblog posse. They were already tailgating in full force, and it was nice to meet some of the Bfloblog regulars who until today only knew from being online. Pete, his dad, and Gary Herman and Mike “The King” Casciano arrived a bit later and I bid good bye to the group to get myself situated up here. Oh one more thing… ran into, of all people, Seamus Gallivan, who was such a gracious host for us during our visit to Round Rock, Texas back in September. Seamus was home visiting his family for the holidays, and tells us he got a promotion and will be moving to Corpus Christi to take over their game day presentation.

Now I am inside the stadium, and I am pinching myself - I got a seat in Row A in the pressbox, right on the blue line. I can’t believe my good fortune! Fans are already streaming into the stadium, they are showing interviews and pregame highlights on the big video board. It looks like all systems go for a faceoff after 1 PM.

12:43PM - The two teams are now on the ice, having walked on in ceremonial procession, done to the music of the Celtic Ride Bagpipes. The crowd here is all hepped up and gave the teams a standing ovation as they entered the playing surface. A light misty snow is falling. This is awesome! 

12:55PM - The warmups are finished and the zambonis are doing their thing in preparation for a 1:20PM puck drop. Game day host Kevin Sylvester  is pumping up the crowd, not that they need any help, and everyone here is on their feet. It is absolutely electric. DVR alert - Glad I set up both the CBC and NBC telecasts and pregames. They showed a CBC produced piece on the big board which was a super highlight reel of Sabres moments, including some Aud footage.. can’t wait to watch later. 

1:24PM - The fans are up on their feet, they unfurled American and Canadian flags at each end zone, and after Oh Canada, out came Ronan Tynan to perform The Dead Fat Woman’s Song, accompanied by plenty of pictures of war war war. The crowd, of course, loves it. I’m in too good of a mood to bitch. And before we could even get settled in our seats, Colby Armstrong scores to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. Sheesh!

1:35PM - Here’s an interesting observation - NO ONE in the lower bowl is sitting. NO ONE. The folks in row one are all standing to try and get at least a bit of a view from their crappy seats, and as a result everyone else has to stand right up to row 45. I’ll say it again - the upper deck seats, especially close to center, are a screaming bargain at $39.

1:45PM - 9:54 to go in the first period and we’re in our first delay, as the zambonis are out on the ice to do a touch up. The snow has just about stopped falling. Official game time temperature 33.1 degrees.

2:05PM - They showed Rick Jeanneret on the video board during the media timeout and that got a charge out of the crowd. Meantime, Buffalo’s short power play went nowhere, with hopping pucks and broken sticks. The period ends with the Penguins up 1-0.

2:30PM - Second period underway and the place just went nuts as Brian Campbell lights the lamp for the Sabres! Time of goal 1:25 in the second and the score is tied. Sabres playing with much more conviction early on.

2:42PM - We’re halfway through the period and Pittsburgh has yet to record their first shot on goal. Buffalo meanwhile pouring it on but score still tied at one. Media timeout and zambonis are doing a touchup. No snow falling but looks like a hint of drizzle in the air.

3:00PM - Two periods are in the books and the score is tied at one. The Sabres played almost a flawless second period, outshooting the Penguins 14-2, but we’re not able to get the go ahead goal. Some heavy snow showers were coming down in the later part of the period, but the skies have since cleared. Official attendance today: 71,217.

3:30PM - The third period is cruising along and neither team looks like it wants to make a mistake. Still tied at one. Now I’ve already got a thought in case this event ever makes a return visit to The Ralph. In the scoreboard end zone corners they set up video boards on the field so the folks sitting in the first few rows can get a better perspective of the action. They need to set these thingies up all around the field, so the front row fans can take their seat and allow the 100 level patrons to not have to stand for all the action.

3:36PM - We’re at the 10 minute mark and the horn has sounded, just as the NHL said they would do. The teams will now change sides for the final ten minutes of regulation. 1-1.

4:00PM - We’ve had two stoppages to do ice repair, so this game has now slowed to a crawl. 5:36 left on the clock. Nobody has left the stadium. It is one big party here and everyone wants to savor the moment.4:10PM - We’re getting lots of video board shots of guys with their shirts off. I’m sort of tempted to take MY shirt off (*kidding*). Meantime, Thomas Vanek had two great chances to get the go ahead goal in the last minute, including a wrap around that failed to connect. But this game is now headed for OH-VER-TIME! And Buffalo will start off with the man advantage as a penalty has been called at the 20:00 mark.

4:15PM - I gotta give HUGE props to Kevin Sylvester who is doing a yeoman job as game day host on the video board.

4:23PM - Buffalo got five shots on goal during the power play but Conklin came up huge. We’re halfway through and the teams are changing sides for the final 2:30 of overtime.

4:27PM - Well I guess this is just fitting that this game will go to a shootout. What an amazing game this has been! I’m hoping the audiences watching on NBC in the States, and CBC and RDS in Canada are enjoying this as much as we are. I will have one final post with the outcome of the shootout. LET’S GO BUF-FA-LO!!!

SHOOTOUT
Kotalik (Buf) SCORES! 1-0 Buf
Christensen (Pit) MISSES! 1-0 Buf
Connolly (Buf) Misses 1-0 Buf
Letang (Pit) Scores 1-1
Afinogenov (Buf) Misses 1-1
Crosby (Pit) Scores…. 2-1 Pitt

Final Score in a shootout - Pittsburgh 2, Buffalo 1

Mike Harrington just called it - “AN NBC FIX!”

I’ll have a postgame report later tonight.

The snowflakes are flying on a crisp New Years Day at Ralph Wilson Stadium

Our sister site Bfloblog hosting a tailgate in the north parking lot

Pregame entertainment on the main stage outside the stadium

They’re lined up ten deep at the merchandise stands all around the stadium

It’s now 6PM and I have been at Ralph Wilson Stadium for almost six hours. I listened in to Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien and star forward Sidney Crosby address the media after the Penguins practice, and they both echoed the same sentiments that their Buffalo counterparts had said earlier in the afternoon.

Asked about savoring the experience, Crosby replied “Yeah, definitely. I think that’s natural. We’ve all played outside at some point and had a great time doing it. I think it brings you back a bit when you’re out there. You know, someone said before, it is a big stage. You know, it’s a big game. It’s a regular season game. But at the same time, you don’t get this chance very often, so you want to enjoy it.” Coach Therrien commented on what he expects out of the game. “The only thing probably our shifts should be shorter, but not the way you’re supposed to play. It’s so tough to try to sell one system. So you come in the day of the game like this and you try to change the way you’re supposed to play and you could end up to be in trouble pretty quickly. We’re going to concentrate on doing the things that we’ve been preaching since day one: Playing our system. We got to make sure we’ve got to be disciplined. We got to play to win the hockey game. I know there’s a lot of attention to that game, but on our standpoint we got to win this game.”

Therrien indicated that former Sabres netminder Ty Conklin will most likely get the start in net.

So I am going to wrap it here for tonight and head home, and I got to say I had a blast here doing this. Being a part of the media experience and being able to report on the day’s events and be a part of the “go go” professional environment is something that most people would dream of having a chance to do, and here I am doing it. This is my RWS pressbox debut and I got to say it is cool just being here. YaY for me!

Tomorrow’s plans… going to hook up with The Bfloblog crew for their tailgate, then head over to get set up in the pressbox around 10:30 AM and I plan to liveblog during the event. The puck should drop around 1:20 PM if the elements don’t throw a twist. Pete and his dad will be sitting in sec 135 directly below the pressbox, and after the game we will be heading out for a postgame meal.

Happy New Year to all our readers and supporters. Hope you have enjoyed the Winter Classic coverage here at USRT and on WNYMedia. Tune in tomorrow!