Here’s a scenario that would normally be reporter heaven… you are covering the Sabres; no competition as the only other beat reporter covering the game is John Vogl from the News; the Anaheim media contingent is skimpy to begin with and all engaged with their players; the locker room isn’t the labyrinth of side rooms and coves where players duck out like in Buffalo, but just one big room with locker stalls and an adjacent shower. I walk in and nirvana!… 25 hockey players in various stage of undress, and Media Coordinator Chris Bandura beseeching me to please have at it and interview anyone I like. I have the room pretty much to myself.

The down side? We know the Sabres sucked tonight, the players know they sucked tonight, Lindy knows his team sucked tonight, and who the hell really wants to rehash all that!

But I dove right in, and started with our favorite Andrew Peters, who was very much a factor in the game, taking on Ducks bad boy George Parros not once but twice in spirited fights, finishing the evening 1-1. “That’s what I’m paid to do” said Peters. “Their guy goes after Paille, and later on cheap shots Mairzie, if that’s the way they want to play the game then fine just let me know.”I asked Peters what went down when the final buzzer sounded, and it looked for a moment like both benches might spill out onto the ice, and he was right in the thick of things. “Oh just the usual trash that goes on in a situation like that. The referees were right there it wasn’t going any farther.”

To a man, the players insisted that jet lag or fatigue was not a factor in the outcome and that the team was feeling fine. “We got out here on Monday so everyone has had time to adjust to that” said Jaroslav Spacek. Jochen Hecht was equally adamant. “That is never an excuse and we just played horrible hockey thats all and that has to change.”

Goalie Ryan Miller took the perfunctory questions and gave the pat answers looking weary of the whole thing, but when I asked him this question his eyes seemed to light up. “Ryan, so how was it like seeing your brother in competition on this stage, and when will you two guys rehash the evening that was?” “Having this chance to play each other is something that two brothers just dream of as kids and here we are in the National Hockey League together. Our parents flew out to watch us play and my aunts and uncles are here as well. It’s a shame because of the conference set up we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like but hopefully next year when the schedule changes that too will change. But yeah, this was something very meaningful for all of us I just wish it had ended better for our team.” I could tell that this was a very special night for Ryan Miller and his family.

Lastly, on to the Lindy Ruff press conference. Lindy is usually full of quips, anecdotes and great quotes. But not tonight. “Played a terrible second period, cost us the game” said Ruff. Answers short, replies curt. You know you want to press for more, but you also got to know when to stop. I ask, “So what are you planning to tell the guys as they try and regroup tomorrow?”. Lindy’s reply “I tell them we’re playing the Kings tomorrow.” Like on cue, all the reporters tape players snapped to off. You knew it was time to end this.

Pete had the easier task, talking to Ducks forward Drew Miller after the game. “First game ever against your brother?” “Yeah” replied Miller. “Juniors, minors first time we ever crossed paths.” He described the shots he took on his brother (didn’t figure in the scoring), and when he was told “Well you got a Stanley Cup right?”, Miller laughed and replied “Yeah well I won’t hold that in his face.”

We’re still learning, even after all these years, how to do this reporter biz, but anyone who thinks that this is easy and the free popcorn and $8 buffet is so awesome really ought to try this and see how challenging it could be. Make no mistake it is work “covering” a game, and that’s why we’re learning that attending a game the old way like we did this past weekend, having your ticket ripped scanned, buying a program and a popcorn and just cheering from your seats has it own joy and charm.

Our agenda today is to skip the morning skate and bop around LA and sightsee; we’ll be at the Staples Center for the 7:30PT/10:30ET face off against the Los Angeles Kings and will be live blogging again.

6:25PM… The teams have yet to take to the ice for their pregame skate, but the pressbox is totally empty right now, because everyone is down in the media room attending a 6:30PM press conference. Ducks GM Brian Burke is set to announce that Scott Niedermayer is apparently not retiring after all, and is set to return to a Ducks uniform. Pete is downstairs attending and we will have more.Meantime, about 150 fans have gathered around the visitors tunnel entrance to the ice, chanting “Lets Go Buffalo!” Sabresfan is in the building! (How shocking) -ak

7:02 PM Brian Burke’s quips from earlier press conference played over center ice scoreboard. Scott Niedermayer has decided to pull a Roger Clemens and return to the team. Burke stated that he should be ready to play within the next 7-10 days. Chris Pronger will remain team captain. -pf

7:07 PM Just noticed that directly below me in the arena’s top row is LeafFan. Travel 2600 miles and I still can’t get away from these freaks…..game on! -pf

7:13 PM - Pominville to Hecht on a smokin’ two on oh breakaway and just like that it’s 1-0 Buffalo. The Let’s Go Buffalo chants are beginning. -ak7:18 PM First noticable “Let’s Go Buffalo” chant quickly drowned out by Ducks fans.-pf

7:25 PM Second media timeout, useless thought of the day. You know you’re in SoCal when the big local newsstory of the day is about the dangerously high waves hitting the beaches today. Back to action - pjf7:28 FIGHT! Peters v. Parros….lengthy, seems like Parros got the better of it - pjf

7:32 Goal! Turn that stupid horn off!!!!-pjf

7:39 End of 1. 1-1 SOG Dux 9, Sabs 8…..Not a power play opportunity to be had by anyone….

7:55 They’re playing the Niedermayer announcement again….no word as to whether Suzyn Waldman is in the building or not…. -pjf

8:01 Was that Todd Bertuzzi I just saw???? Hockey oblivion I tell ya. Ducks control play early… - pjf

8:07 1st TV time out, shots on goal 8-0 Ducks for the period. -pjf 

8:12 I just got back from taking a walk around the building concourses to do a few snaps for the web site. Most of the Buffalo fans are wearing the old black and red jerseys. Must be expats. The hallways here are very pretty and opulent, marble tile and mirrors everywhere, but the seating bowl is sterile and uninspiring. I like our building much better. -ak 

8:13 First PP of the game, message to Anaheim PA guy, it’s pronounced spah-check, not spay-check…. successful PK-pjf

8:20 Second penalty on Spacek, and again PA guy gets it wrong…..arrgh…..2-1!-pjf

8:24 If you’ve gone to bed after the first period, not to worry apparently so have the Sabres. Not a pretty sight here for Buffalofan here at “The Pond” SOG for second period is currently 13-1 in favor of Anaheim. - pjf

8:30 five on four? No difference from the rest of the period. - pjf

8:32 3-1! Todd….@#$#!! Bertuzzi! The cigar is out of the pocket, if Anaheim scores next I will light it…-pjf

8:36 End of 2….Anaheim 3, Six guys wearing Sabre jerseys 1….I thinks the real Sabres are still out on the beach. SOG Ducks 16(25) Buffalo 3(11). - pjf

8:45 Stat that needs to be mentioned in an effort to jinx Anaheim: The Sabres have not lost at “The Pond” since Ted Nolan was behind the bench(5-2, 1/10/97). - pjf

9:00 Clock strikes midnight back east, and its Bertuzzi v. Gaustad on the ice….Bertuzzi making me look silly for my “oblivion” comment…..now it’s Peters v Paroos again…and this time Peters makes quick work of it. Guess they’re making up for the fact that these two clubs haven’t…ummm….faced off since October of ‘03. - pjf

9:05 The attendance has been announced at 17,174(sellout). All I’m sayin’ is that a couple thousand people, give or take a couple grand paid not to see the game. That’s all I’m sayin….-pjf

9:10 Sad Sabre PP, can’t get much going with Niedermayer without a stick for over a minute….Anaheim kills, and quickly here comes another. Pronger to the box, hmmm…..this is the game for all intents and purposes(damn you Kotalik!)-pjf

9:16 Kotalik penalty(ain’t it something) PP goal….cigar is lit….everyone back east go to bed now. - pjf

9:31 2:31 to go and Miller just made a great save, still fending for himself out there. This clock going waaaaaaayy too slow. - pjf

9:36 Finito! 4-1 Ducks…..postgame crap to come……

We are at the Honda Center in Anaheim this morning, where the Buffalo Sabres are getting ready for their first appearance on the west coast since 2003.

The local media out here is making much of the face off between brothers Drew Miller of the Anaheim Ducks, and Sabres goalie Ryan Miller, who is expected to get the start in net tonight for Buffalo. Both players have expressed their close bond as brothers, and both admit it will be weird facing each other at this level.

On the Anaheim side of the ledger, another Duck with close ties to Buffalo, Todd Marchant, was a healthy scratch the other night against Edmonton, a rare occurrence for Marchant. He might be watching tonight’s game from the pressbox as well, as he is apparently deep in Coach Randy Carlyle’s doghouse, Carlyle suggesting the Marchant needs to show a higher level of “tenacity”.

The Buffalo Sabres did not take to the ice this morning for a practice, after arriving on Monday they had a full practice at the arena yesterday and had the day off in preparation for tonight’s game.

Buffalo has had a lot of success against Anaheim here at “The Pond”, as it used to be called, posting a 7-2 record here in California since the beginnings of this franchise. The last time these two teams met here in ’03, Buffalo won the game 5-2.

USRT notes… last time WE were here was in January of 2000 for our “official” visit, and the Sabres were the opponents that night. It was all Buffalo on that occasion as well, shutting out the Mighty Ducks 5-0, and Miro Satan scoring a garbage goal with a second left on the clock to cap off a great night for the Sabres.

No silly banners hanging in the rafters on our last visit, but this time the three championship banners from 2007, including the most important one, for the Stanley Cup, all hang proudly.

The fact that an east coast team is playing here is something of a curiosity, but apparently Buffalo is not exactly a big draw. They are offering 4 packs for tonight’s game in the upper deck, which includes 4 hot dogs, 4 pops and a program for only $66. Good deal!

Face off is at 7PM PT/10PM ET. We are assuming that unlike in Buffalo, media wi-fi is universally available here, and if so we will be live-blogging throughout the game.

Well, we’re at it again folks! The USRT is off on a weeklong visit to the West Coast to catch some college football, Sabres hockey, and NBA hoops, some of which has its roots back in WNY. Ostensibly I’m heading out to see my sister/husband and newborn nephew but c’mon….who the heck are we kidding!

Posting this now while we’re in the Vegas International Airport being delayed(no shock) while laying over on the way to San Diego.

Schedule lines up as follows:

Sat 12/1: 4:30 UCLA/USC @ LA Coliseum
Sun 12/2: 3:30 Pacers/Clippers
9:30 Magic/Lakers….both @ Staples Center
Wed 12/5 10:00 Ducks/Sabres @ Honda Center
Thu 12/6 10:30 Kings/Sabres @ Staples Center

Check back for daily updates and then some as we enjoy kinda, sorta sunny California…..

Hmmmm….still delayed….wonder if I should hit the slots here in the terminal. Nah….

1…2…3…4…5…We want 6!

Oops, not tonight.The Sabres lost to the St. Louis Blues tonight as the Bluenotes stormed back from a 2-0 second period to win 4-3 with the game winner coming in the final minute of regulation as Brad Boyes smacked puck into the net to finish off what had been a wild scramble in front of the net.

The opening period featured just one goal as Jason Pominville took a pass from Clarke McArthur to slide one past Manny Legace.

From the intermission on this game was all about the Blues. St. Louis outshot Buffalo in the second by a 12-4 advantage and dominated play, yet still the Sabres led 2-1 at the second intermission thanks to a power play goal from Ales Kotalik. Later in the period Martin Rucinsky would finally get the Bluenote on the board with his third of the season.

Wonder if he still thinks the Sabres are an average team with a great goaltender…..

In the third the Blues began to show their dominance on the scoreboard with two goals in the first seven minutes of play with Paul Kariya scoring on a two on one break as Miller didn’t have much of a chance to stop that one. The next one was a softie without question as Mike Johnson slid one underneath the pads to put the Blues ahead for the first time all game, and by the way they were playing this lead appeared to be pretty solid.

An unheralded player came to the rescue for Buffalo with about nine minutes left as Andrej Sekera let rip from just inside the blue line for his first career NHL goal. His goal seemed to awaken the dormant crowd and team on the ice as well, but in the end the stage would be set for Boyes’ heroics in the final minute.In the locker room afterwards players were a bit frustrated to let this one get away but were realistic about it. Jason Pominville stated that “We didn’t deserve to win. (The Blues) were the better team and with the game on the line they were the better team. And that’s not the team we’ve been the past few games and that’s not the message we want to send….it’s not the way we want to play.”

Lindy was straightforward in the postgame conference calling out the carelessness of his team, forwards in particular in handling the puck, adding that “As a group I didn’t like the play of the forwards…didn’t like the battles on the walls….didn’t like the fact that they weren’t in shot lanes….it hurts….and I could see it early…..and you can’t play like that.” And on that note he left the podium.

Sabres now stand at 11-11-1 with Carolina coming up on Saturday night followed by a trip out to California….and guess who will be out there with them for the Southern California portion of it? You got it, so stick around for the next few days for daily updates from West Coast starting on Friday…..

Quick! Can you name the last time the Buffalo Sabres defeated the St. Louis Blues?

The answer is October 22, 1995…. a 5-2 win at the Aud. The Sabres are winless in their last 10 games against St. Louis, going 0-7-1-2 during that stretch, and have never defeated the Blues at HSBC Arena.

Nonetheless, Lindy Ruff discounts any such streaks and records as the two teams prepare to meet. “I remember the last game, a low scoring affair where we had a goal disallowed and we ended up losing in a shootout. Other than that reaching out over the years really makes no sense.”

Former Sabres defenseman Jay McKee is making his first return to Buffalo since his departure at the end of the 2005-06 season and will clearly be the center of attention when the players take the ice tonight. “It’s a special feeling” said McKee after the morning skate “being able to skate out there and look up at the rafters and just remember the special moment and teams you were a part of.” McKee stated that he had no regrets leaving, saying he doesn’t live his life that way. He also admitted that he came very close to quitting hockey for good this past summer, battling through a severe pelvic injury. “I battled through the pain and it’s all behind me now. I feel real good.”

McKee spoke about the magical 2005-06 season which ended in the conference finals against Carolina. “I truly believe that we had the best team in the league that year. But injuries happen and when the story line is written on those teams it is those things which come into play. But that year and the ‘99 run is what I will most remember about the time I spent here.”

Drew Stafford will be in the lineup tonight, perhaps returning a bit early from his shoulder injury, but it is a move of necessity. Forward Andrew Peters has the flu, which got worse overnight, so he will be a scratch tonight. Stafford will be paired up on his familiar line with Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy.

Game time is 7:00 PM, and there aren’t even scraps available at the box office for this VALUE priced game, so look for a very packed house on hand. Peter has the AV chair tonight and will have a post game wrap up.

Here’s a streak we would like to see continue…for the third game in a row, the Sabres scored FIRST. This time a power play goal by Derek Roy on a pretty feed pass from Maxim Afinogenov. The Sabres played an intensely offensive first period getting plenty of scoring chances, but couldn’t put another one past Montreal goalie Carey Price until the second period. Tim Connolly, back for only his second game after recovering from his most recent injury, scored to make it 2-0.

Montreal, however would come back to tie the score, getting one in the second period; then Montreal’s Guillame Latendresse was absolutely robbed by Miller in the final seconds of the second. In the third Montreal tied it on a breakaway by Tomas Plekanec. Buffalo would regain the lead at the 11:27 mark in the third, on a power play by Thomas Vanek, only his fifth of the season. From there Buffalo played a lot of keepaway, first star Ryan Miller took care of business, then Buffalo added an empty netter by Danny Paille on a feed from behind the net by Afinogenov, and the team won its third straight, 4-2.

I had said earlier in the day that the game would be a sellout. Well I was right but this was one contrived accomplishment. There were thin gaps of empty seats in the 300s corners as well as scattered empties in the 100 level end zones. Memo to Sabres: $85 is TOO MUCH money to charge to sit in the top row of the building. Official paid attendance: 18,690, which means that the Sabres get to keep their sellout streak intact until…. ummm… the next GOLD game, December 21 vs Philadelphia. You fans in sec 301, 303 and 325 in the upper rows are welcome to wear your plastic blue seat costumes again then.

I’d guess about 1000 Habs fans in the building, pretty sedate compared to Leaves fans, breaking out in the “ole ole” song after each Montreal goal. Enjoy your stay in Buffalo and have a nice ride home, you visitors from Montreal Stevensville and Welland.

The home and home continues in Montreal tomorrow, and ends the streak of nine straight games against divisional opponents.

One thing we learned when attending a press conference by Montreal head coach Guy Carbonneau, he breaks it into two sessions - the first part is done in French for the French media, then he switches over to English for the Anglophones. Undoubtedly he answers the same questions twice in some situations.

So this morning when Lindy Ruff met the press following the morning skate, someone jokingly asked if he could please do the conference in French. He smiled, but then when the first real question was fired - “What happened to Drew Stafford the other night?”, Ruff replied, je ne sais pas! Typical Lindy!

But Stafford’s injury is no laughing matter, and with him being out for the next couple of games at least, look for Ales Kotalik to get a bigger role and more ice time. Ruff also plans to match up Michael Ryan and Daniel Paille on Gaustad’s line. “they’ve given us a lot of energy and a lot of shifts.”

Despite rampant speculation that Ruff might sit slumping forward Maxim Afinogenov for a game or two, there are no plans to do that, for now. “The one thing I am is patient, we’ve had meeting and talked to Max on ways he can improve. He’s got to make a bigger commitment in certain areas. I’ve asked for a bigger commitment, and I’ve seen some areas of improvement” said Ruff.

Regarding the Canadiens, Ruff says, ‘Yeah we’re getting a heavy dose. There really are no secrets between these two teams. Our job is to get traffic in front of the net and create scoring chances, as well as neutralizing their power play.”

There are still pairs available in the upper reaches of the 300s, and scattered singles elsewhere for this Gold priced game, and being a Friday night and a holiday weekend, expect those tickets to be gone by faceoff time, which is at 7:30pm. I’ve got the AV chair tonight and will have a post game report later on tonight.

As we are walking out of the arena tonight, dozens of fans are stopping our guest to congratulate him and wish him well. One asked for an autograph; another pleaded to have his photograph taken with him; later on at the Anchor Bar, two girls planted firm kisses and asked “where else but Buffalo would you get kissed by two girls?” 

So who is this guy getting the rock star treatment? His name is Steve Williamson. He is a sports road tripper from Orlando, Florida. And he is doing something that, to our knowledge, no one has successfully accomplished - attending a game of all 30 National Hockey League teams -  IN THIRTY DAYS! 

Much to the Sabres credit, when it comes to special visitors like this, the organization pulls out all stops in making a special occasion out of it. In this case, Marketing Director Rob Kopacz fixed Steve up with a first row club seat. He was then feted on the video board during one of the first period media timeouts. In addition Williamson was a guest on the MSG telecast during the second intermission with Robie and Kevin Sylvester. Earlier in the day, Channel 2 dropped by his hotel to do an interview; and of course Buffalo’s coolest and bestest alternative news weekly did a story on him as well. 

Tonight was Steve Williamson’s 27th stop on his amazing odyssey, and being the sports road trippers that we are, we were anxious to hook up with Steve to share our stories from the road and get his takes on his entire Buffalo experience. So what better a place than the historic Anchor Bar, where we covered the table with pitchers of Labatt’s Blue and a platter of the good stuff - half medium and half barbecued. Only when the food arrived did we learn that Steve is not a big wing enthusiast, likes the boneless tenders instead. But the beer? Oh yeah! 

As we talked, Steve admitted that this grueling schedule of travel and seeing games night after night is making all these experiences become a blur. Nonetheless, he had nothing but complimentary things to say about Buffalo, the Sabres, and HSBC Arena, first of all thanking the front office for all the special treatment. “Everyone here has been so nice since I arrived.” Steve got the pregame tour of the arena, and got to meet Managing Partner Larry Quinn before the game. Once he got the video board introduction early on, wearing his trademark “30 in 30″ Lightning jersey, it was instant recognition everywhere, with Sabres fans welcoming Steve to Buffalo and offering support and congratulations on the trip. One fan, an off duty Buffalo police sergeant, gave Steve his card and said “If you get in any trouble during your stay just give them this.”

Steve was very impressed with the arena. “I really like the atrium pavilion it is a signature part of the building.” He also made a note of the green floors on the 100 level with the white markings denoting various designed plays. Steve walked around all three levels of the building, snapping photos and taking notes of design elements which caught his eye. He also had nice words for the fans. “You don’t have to sell me on what great fans they are here in Buffalo. I have known that all along and it is such a great hockey town. I knew I’d be in for something special here.” Of course the place was rocking tonight, a great win for the home team and fans pouring out of the building on a happy note.  

One more thing Steve pointed out to us which really made us pay attention. “You guys have the cheapest concession prices in the NHL.” You mean among the cheapest right? “No… the cheapest, and it’s good stuff too.”After paying $13 for a beer at the ACC in Toronto the night before (and that’s in Canadian dollars, folks, which these days means what… about $22 U.S.?), it was nice to bring Steve back down to Earth.

By midnight or so they were shutting down the Anchor, Pete had to dash to make the last LRRT train back to South Campus, Steve had to catch some zzzzz’s before catching an early flight to Nashville, his 28th stop on Thanksgiving night, so we said our farewells and promised to hook up with Steve down in Orlando next March. That’s when the USRT heads to Florida for the NCAA basketball subregionals and some Grapefruit League baseball.

Steve Williamson maintains a web site and a blog titled 30 games in 30 nights. Drop him a line and say HI!

A few days ago after the Montreal game, Kevin at our sister site Bfloblog said it best…Nice Win - We Just Need Five More in a Row. Well tonight at HSBC Arena, the building was electric, and the Sabres felt like the team of old, again scoring three goals in the first period, then after surrendering two bam bam goals in the second (including a horrible giveaway by Henrik Tallinder to Daniel Alfredsson), Drew Stafford notched the team’s fourth goal on a nifty feed from Thomas Vanek.

Just like last Friday against Montreal, that was all the scoring as the team played a solid third period, including killing off a late penalty and then Jason Pominville almost scoring an empty netter. Final score 4-2 Buffalo against the nemesis Ottawa Senators, currently the hottest team in the NHL.

With the win, the Sabres have their first two game winning streak since late October, and look to make it three in a row when the Montreal Canadiens come to town once again this Friday.

Tonight the Sabres welcomed road trip enthusiast Steve Williamson to the arena, giving him his 30 seconds of fame on the video board. Williamson is attempting to visit all 30 NHL venues in the span of 30 days, and tonight was his 27th stop. Andrew will have more on this story.

Game night presentation alert — during one of the late media timeouts they did the “chicken dance” on the video board, and the cameras kept focusing on one hot dark haired woman who was just nailing it. My pressbox seatmate Matt Ondesko was all a ga-ga over this lady. Turns out (and we have it on good authority) that this dancer was Ryan Miller’s MOM, who apparently is one stunningly attractive woman (and a good chicken dancer to boot!).

Habs come to town on Friday… Andrew’s covering but it is my scheduled day off from work, so if the boss doesn’t call me in for OT I might head down to catch the morning skate.

Happy Thanksgiving to our readers and supporters, and to all our fellow writers and bloggers in the WNYMedia family!

After the endless string of heartbreaks, near misses, and disappointments these past few weeks, this is just the type of game the Buffalo Sabres needed.

The Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens tonight 4-1 at HSBC Arena, sending the home crowd happy for the first time in who knows how long. The team made a statement right from the get go, at one time enjoying a 9-0 shots advantage, First period goals by Clarke MacArthur, Daniel Paille and Drew Stafford put the Sabres up 3-0 after the first. This was the first time in 15 games that the Sabres scored the game’s first goal.

The Canadiens played a better period offensively in the second, peppering the Sabres with 19 shots on goal. Michael Ryder got a gimme unassisted goal off a terrible giveaway by Toni Lydman, but then MacArthur answered with his second of the night to give Buffalo a 4-1 lead. That was if for the scoring, and the third period was mostly a lackadaisical one with few scoring chances for either side.

Lindy Ruff was in a happy and joking mood after the game… “Never thought I’d be hearing Neil Diamond again” he quipped, drawing a laugh from the media. He emphasized the importance of getting ahead early, though was somewhat perturbed about the sluggish performance in the second. “Anytime you give away a puck like that, you give them a chance to get back into it” said Ruff. He praised goalie Ryan Miller’s stellar performance, especially in that second period.

I usually have a commentary on the game night presentation, and tonight is no exception. The pregame intro has devolved into total crap, to put it mildly. Remember the days when Sabretooth would drop from the ceiling to the pounding sound of “Street Fighting Man”? When “Hurricane 2000” got the fan’s blood pumping and heart racing?

Well, they gave the hook to the “Say Hey Say Yeah” Bon Jovi feel good video, and instead Sabretooth entered the darkened ice driving some sort of ATV with headlights on; he parked at center ice, vehicle pointed towards the zamboni entrance, and then just awkwardly sat there before driving off. What was up with that? The intro video, with random shots of Sabres plays, sucked, and then the team comes onto the ice. I know we’ve had a bad run of late, but this is no way to get the fans on their feet and clapping.

During one of the TV timeouts they did rebound, somewhat, with a clever prerecorded “man on the street” montage, asking fans to spell “Afinogenov”. Took several tries before someone nailed it. One shot of Max on the bench and you could see he got a kick out of it.

I also chatted a bit with former ‘GR radio personality Brad Riter who was up in the box tonight. He is gearing up for a new gig on Time Warner Channel 13. He is also blogging now and tells me he is in talks with The Big Toe about hooking up with the WNYMedia family. Brad is a cool guy and we’d love to welcome him over here.

The Sabres are off until Wednesday when they host the Ottawa Senators. Ronan Tynan comes to town, meaning fans for sure will be treated to The Dead Fat Woman’s song before the 7:05 puck drop.

Well it wasn’t really much of a morning skate… more like a morning meeting as the ice was empty for the scheduled practice, and evidently the team was behind closed doors during that time.

Want some ugly stats? The last time the team held a lead during any point of a game was 21 days ago against Florida; the Sabres have surrendered the first goal in 14 straight games, the franchise record is 17; the Sabres have 113 shots on goal in the last three games and only 3 goals. Seven months ago the team stood at the top of the heap, first place in the entire league and President’s Trophy winners. Today they are dead last. (OK OK tied for 29th with the Caps and yes we beat them so we hold the tie breaker)

Lindy Ruff again praised the team’s effort, and lamented at the lack of lucky breaks and finishing their chances. “There were a lot of good things in the (Ottawa) game. When we miss the opportunities we miss it hurts us.” Ruff stated that the team is playing better than it did ten days ago, and that the effort continues to get better. “You can see it in the effort that they (the players) believe it.”

Ruff also praised Clarke MacArthur’s presence on the power play. “I thought he did an excellent job. He’s been a good power play guy in Rochester, and we’re looking for a guy to make some plays.”

I popped my head back out to the rink before leaving… about 8 players, including Jocelyn Thibault and guys like Peters and Paille, were on the ice loosely batting the puck around. Nothing like an intense and fiery practice with all men present to try and right this ship. (sarcasm intended)

The puck drops at 7:30 tonight and only a few single tickets are left in the 300s. There are, however, tons of tickets left for next Friday’s return clash between Buffalo and Montreal. What a difference a “silver” vs a “gold” priced game makes!

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.

It was an optional skate this morning for the Buffalo Sabres, which was nonetheless very well attended, except for forward Thomas Vanek, and the best news was that Jaroslav Spacek was in full uniform this morning, and looks like he’s good to go tonight, so that will be a huge boost to the injury riddled team, especially on special teams. I talked to Jaro and he said he feels good. “I’ve been going to the doctors and they’ve been giving me tests” said Spacek. “It has felt fine along but we shall see how it goes once we get into full contact.” Spacek also admits it’s been frustrating watching the team from the sidelines and unable to help. “I’ve traveled to all the games and I am with the guys. We have to become more loose that’s out style of play.”

Off the ice, the big news was the morning press conference where Managing Partner Larry Quinn announced that the team will be releasing some 4500 “obstructed view” tickets for sale at the price of $10 each. Shameless self plug time - WE were the first media outlet to break the news of $10 seats back in September.

Quinn indicated that these seats will only be sold in pairs or groups of four and will be color coded so that one member of the party must be 16 years of age or under. I asked how this woud be policed, and he replied, “We’re hoping that people honor this on their own, but we will be enforcing this at the turnstiles, and turning away people if they don’t have a youngster present.” Quinn said that there is a possibilty that there will be a dedicated entrance for people holding these special tickets. They are onsale now on the Sabres website and fans need to register for a random drawing to earn the right to buy these specially priced seats before November 16. Only purchasers with a Buffalo area ZIP code or Southern Ontario postal code will be allowed to participate.

Despite all the consternation about alleged scalpers and out of town interests buying up huge blocks of tickets for this event, Quinn stated “at least 54,000 tickets went to the fans of Western New York.” He stated that through corporate and sponsor obligations, more tickets will most likely filter into local hands. He readily admitted that the organization had no idea that interest and demand would be so huge.

I asked Quinn if the team had set up rules for parking lot tailgating how early would lots be opened and what parking would cost, and he replied that those details are still being worked out. He also stated that other ideas are floating about for a “Party in the Plaza” type event at HSBC Arena, and invited the public and the media to send in suggestions for programs that might enhance the event.

Season ticket holders, mini pack holders, and those lucky enough to get “additionals” will see their tickets in their mailboxes today. (Ours arrived yay!)

Puck drops tonight at 7:30PM, and the house should be rocking. Pete was supposed to have the AV chair tonight, but his dad is in town from Horseheads and they are doing some home improvement work at Chateau du Farrell, so yours truly will pinch hit and cover.

For about a period and a half you could hear the electricity in the building… that hum of the florescent lights overpowering the quiet and uninspired crowd. Surely the Sabres can’t be that bad can they?

Nonetheless, for the 11th game in a row the Sabres surrendered the first goal in the game, and when Kotalik’s one timer from the point finally put Buffalo on the board, it had been 99:13 of ice time and five days since the Sabres had scored a goal.

Probably the most entertaining aspect of the game for us guys at the far end of the pressbox was listening to the rambunctions of one screechy mouthy teenage girl, sitting just below the top row of the 300s, who was shouting stuff like “C’mon Sabres you got balls use them” and exhorting them to “shooooot” even when Boston had the puck. She actually had the attention of about half of the front row in media row.

The tempo of the game finally picked up in the third period, with Buffalo having to kill two penalties, and then Buffalo got a timely power play with 2:35 left in the game. While the Sabres had many chances and even hit a post, they could not put one by goalie Tim Thomas, and the game ended tied at one at the end of 60.

On to overtime and the Bruins continued their stifling backchecking style of play which limited Buffalo’s scoring chances. That is, until the puck got free in the slot right in front of the net, and Clarke MacArthur one timed it into the net 3:16 into the period. Final score 2-1 Buffalo.

MacArthur was the center of attention in the locker room after the game, and was clearly basking in the glow of the media crush. He likened this goal to the best of his career, but having just arrived this morning from Rochester, offered his best insight into comapring this year’s Sabres squad to last year’s. “Everyone here is so tight and it seems like everyone is pressing. Last year it seemed like this room was so much more relaxed and everyone seemed to having much more fun.” Coach Ruff gave MacArthur over 16 minutes of ice time, and was happy with his performance. “Clarke gave us a spark when we needed it, and looked very crisp in his play out there.”

I asked Brian Campbell if falling behind in every game was a disturbing trend. “Of course we’re concerned that we’re always playing from behind, and it’s something we’ve been talking about during practices. Hopefully we can get one or two and give ourselves the cushion to relax the temp of play.” Ruff also commented on this trend, saying “Constantly playing behind in the game or even certainly puts the pressure on us and we would like to give ourselves the opportunity to play with the lead.”

On to Friday and the Leaves and their crazy fans come to town. Being a weekend and Veterans Day here and Remembrance Day in Canada, the place should be rocking. By the way, the Canadian dollar now fetches $1.0782 US at the close of trading today. Toronto fans should be in a spendin’ mood.

Lastly, prior to the game, Head Coach Lindy Ruff was honored with a short presentation for coaching in his milestone 750th game, a point he reached against the Florida Panthers this past Friday.