#God bless linus ullmark

[my-nameis-death]

SWAYMARK NATION, HOW WE DOIN???

[swaymark]

god bless linus ullmark

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 56 - NYI - Buy Me Tickets

Last game I acknowledged the high emotions of a playoff push on a fanbase like ours: so out of that picture for so many years now. Perhaps there is an added word along with that to say that when you talk shit to an opposing fanbase in a stretch like this it’s not personal, it’s just sport. There exists no better example of this than the New York Islanders. I don’t personally hate the droves of downstate kids who emerge from the area’s colleges and universities for a game like this. I do however resent the snootiness about your organization that fell ass-backwards onto a hot second half. Again, it’s not personal. This scenario is also true for Robin Lehner. Giving up the first round pick for him was why he always had a target on his back in Buffalo; from there on out he was never going to not hear it with every blown angle and wide open five hole. Yeah, the Sabres defense was bad then, not much better now, and evidently he had some personal addiction issues and let’s make this clear: God bless you, Robin Lehner. Hockey aside, getting your life together is great and everyone here in Buffalo is proud of you for that. It’s rad you probably see the playoffs on the island this spring. Also: thanks for not having a great night last night. With no further ado: Playoff Trash talk. Islanders, there would be a couple decent storylines in a playoff series between you and us. The first all New York matchup since 2007 when Maxim Afinogenov made the Rangers cry. We can agree on enjoying the Rangers’ misery but you better understand Robin Lehner is untested in the postseason with a propensity for giving up clutch goals. Anders Lee replacing Johnny T as Captain is like buying the discount cereal because milk gave you stomach problems. Your team plays at Barclays Center which is fitting for a team as forgettable as the Brooklyn Nets. The Sabres have less playoff experience but the Islanders have a way of never looking all that threatening in the postseason. The late season heroics will cool off and the Sabres win this series in 6. This game last night was probably supposed to be an L but I was there and got to enjoy the unlikely W. You expect a Winnipeg game but got a Minnesota game. If we’re going to make the playoffs you take wins like this and run. 2 points is 2 points but beating these guys should be a mental boost.

As the Sabres took the ice I got all riled up as the sound system played “Never too late.” Hell yeah, the Sabres aren’t done yet! The first ten minutes of this game however belonged to the Islanders. The Sabres hardly got four shots on goal before the midway point of the first period while the Islanders dominated the possession game. Linus Ullmark looked good from the start. It seemed like at some point the home team realized they were not done yet and woke up a bit. Jeff Skinner certainly did when he got the puck off the faceoff and looked around a forest of Islanders defenders and his own teammates before wiring a slapper past a screened Robin Lehner. 1-0 Sabres with 3:35 left in the first and I recall saying these words aloud: “Just please don’t give up the response goal now.” Tim Murray must still work for this club in the disappointment department because a couple minutes later that was exactly what happened. Rasmus Ristolainen was dispossessed or… just thought he had a quota of defensive zone giveaways to meet, and Casey Cizikas got the puck in the slot and shot it too fast for Ullmark. 1-1 and that was that for the first period. There was a small contingent of Islanders fans, right in that annoying golden age of 19-21, sitting a couple rows down from me. When Cizikas scored they chanted their “Yes, Yes, Yes” goal song and I got to admit I’m on the fence about that. On one hand it sounds awfully unique; on the other hand it does kind of sounds like you’re a three year old celebrating your mom making mac & cheese. I suppose I got no legs to stand on considering the Sabres just made some random 70s party rap their goal song. At the end of the first period I was not expecting anymore rap but was fully prepared for more yes’s. Let’s put it that way.

Those feelings are safer to have than the more bull-headed “the boys got this” in recent games. We were all pleasantly surprised in the second period. Well the Islanders were continuing doing a good job of boxing Buffalo out of the net-front the home team didn’t stop testing them there. Jeff Skinner and Jack Eichel teamed up in a wicked scoring opportunity that followed up the weirdest botched pass defensive zone turnover on the part of the visitors. That was at about 7 minutes into the middle frame and maybe by that point we started seeing chinks in the Islanders armor. It was not long after that opportunity when Jack Eichel and Jason Pominville came streaking in following an offensive zone turnover. Jack Eichel took the puck along the wall before getting it over to Pominville with perfect timing for him to just give it a little cheeky five-hole tap. Robin Lehner’s five-hole must be a parody account somewhere, right? Perhaps shockingly, the Sabres were now up 2-1. Every line was contributing to a better shots count this period for the Sabres but the CJ Smith – Vladimir Sabotka – Tage Thompson was surprisingly bad turning over the puck and generally just looking aimless in the offensive zone; bench Sabotka whenever you want, Phil. The only powerplay from either team came this period and it was in Buffalo’s favor. No luck there and you knew that. The Isles probably got more chances on the Sabres PP… woof. At some point in this stretch Rasmus Dahlin leveled Cal Clutterbuck in front of the Sabres net earning the Carubba Collision of the game. Nice. Some fans complained a lot at this game for how few calls there were. As long as it’s consistent I don’t mind and the whistles were overwhelmingly put away in this game. The defensive scheme looked better for Buffalo as this game went on and that’s a welcomed change if we’re going to make the playoffs.

The fact that Pominville scored the go-ahead goal was fun because I am about 60% certain I was sitting next to a couple Frenchmen really enjoying this game in their Sabres uniforms. However by the end of the game I am not exactly sure what language they were speaking as everyone there kind of exclaimed the same sounds of urgency. This 2-1 lead did not feel safe, especially as the Isles pushed hard in the third. The final frame felt prideful for all of us in the Linus Ullmark Fan Club. He looked like a starting goaltender in this third period, really the whole game. Eventually it would earn first star honors. He had one save against Clutterbuck that you look back on and understand hot it really saved this game for the Sabres. I don’t expect Housley to ever appoint him long-term starter explicitly but he’s getting the starts now and he’s staying hot against really good teams. That’s how you win a crease. You win games by scoring goals and although the skaters on this team have learned the dump-in and drop-pass a little more fervently than I would like they scored more goals than the visitors in the third. It was the hardest working fourth line in Hockey that yielded the insurance goal. Kyle Okposo got the puck in the slot from Zemgus Girgensons and shot it dead center on Lehner with about 2:25 left in regulation. The puck trickled through that five-hole and none other than Old man Larry Johan Larsson tapped it in: 3-1 Sabres. I’m down for Okposo’s permanent deployment on the fourth line pending his buyout in summer 2020 and I am so very down for Old Larry making his mark. The Larsson goal allowed us to breathe a sigh of relief and the boys in blue and gold played a little bit less desperately in the last two minutes. There was one Isles shot that rung off the crossbar but this one ended 3-1 in favor of the home team. I could do without chanting Lehner’s name but a win is a win and two points is two points. Nonetheless, if these are the kind of games the Sabres will play down the stretch then buy me tickets!

Speaking of tickets, the thing happened again: whether it’s pretty or not every Pegula-owned team wins when I am in attendance. What does that mean? It means buy me tickets. How many classes am I willing to miss for a Sabres playoff berth? There is no upper limit there. The Amerks won 7-1 the other night when I was there! Whether I’m there or not the Sabres got one more home game on this long home-stand Friday night against the Rangers: let’s sweep downstate, just for all the lovely downstate hockey fans that go to area colleges. It was uniquely satisfying watching those three obnoxious probably-UB-student Islanders fans leaving with a minute left in the game. Hey, it was 9:45ish at that point: they could have made it back to North Campus in time to get a late night snack at the Dining Hall. In the quest for the ever-elusive two-straight wins the other New York provides an excellent opportunity and one this Sabres team really ought to capitalize on if they’re going to be taken as serious playoff contenders down the stretch. Like, comment, and share because the Sabres ain’t done yet! If you can beat the Islanders right now you can win two in a row in the following game against the Rangers, right? Right? RIGHT!?

Thanks for reading.

P.S. My wife was having a rough day so she brought a book to read to this game. Apparently her mom brings books to baseball games. Am I mean for saying hockey is different? Or should you not bring a book to any sporting event?

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 29 - TOR - 2.7 Seconds

I have been accused of hating the Toronto Maple Leafs more than I love the Buffalo Sabres. Really, I’m leading off with that? YES I AM; because once upon a time I thought this made up hatred with this team that hardly existed in my hockey lexicon (Yes, I only trace my Sabres fandom back to about 2011 so give me a break here) was all hype from a bygone era that never actually happened according to the actual history books. Then my hatred for the Leafs came alive in 2016. If you want that spiel go back to Preseason Game 4. No, today I want to meet that truly pretentious chirp with more relevant, contemporary thoughts. Although all the Leafs other rivals are either kicking their ass in the playoffs or in the dumpster (blink twice if you’re reading, Steve), Buffalo is now here to make life difficult for the lesser blue and white team in this division. All you Leafs fans up in your high tower have benefited from drafting on easy mode for a few years now The Sabres just caught up. Rasmus Dahlin and the New Look Sabres are coming to get you! Hell, we might even meet in the playoffs this year. Oh God have mercy upon this earth! Even I would drive up to your overpriced City for that series! AAAAAAGGGGGHHHH I AM SO READY! I came in person to this game to be at least one voice against the invasion of would-be NHL Hamilton Hockey fans at this game. It had been on my bucket list for five years and finally the day hath come! ITS TIME FOR THE TIM HORTONS RIVALRY MATCHUP!

Oh, I almost forgot: I turned on the roast but forgot to crack open the Burn Book! That’s right, forget reasonable word counts, it’s time for: Why do we hate this Atlantic Division team!? With no further ado: let’s crack open that burn book. Toronto: You pioneered cheating with the salary cap and everyone still lets you. Sure you basically pay for this junk league to exist but you’re not the center of the hockey universe no matter how many plush Auston Matthews dolls you sell! Toronto Fans seem to think we eat their trash here in Buffalo but your greatest player in decades is Made in America, baby! It’s easy to overshadow a city that is smaller in every metric but that just makes you assholes. We relish beating you and reminding you all how bad the traffic is on the bridge afterward. Original Six Stanley Cups don’t count and if you really think this is your year than maybe give Morgan Reilly some help back there. Speaking of the big dance: the only playoff battle between these two Tim Horton’s loving cities ended with the Sabres going to the Stanley Cup Final! It is almost with pity us here in Buffalo smile on this new Leafs squad: Buffalo may have no Cups yet but Toronto suffering is long having not seen a Cup Final since Gilbert Perrault was playing after-school shinny in Quebec you snooty assholes! I suppose I better stop there. I think we can agree the shit-talking has gone too far when French Canada is brought up. That said who in the US hates the Leafs more than Sabres fans? Boston? Sit down you drunkards; you can’t hate a team you beat every friggin year. Well anyway, onto the matchup.

In spite of having a positively brutal stretch of games recently (most of which the won fyi) the Sabres came out in this game with a vendetta. No penalties were called in the first while the boys in the darker blue peppered Fredrick Anderson with shots in the first. As the period dragged on there were some Leafs chances as well but Anderson really got peppered and according to the Leafs fan next to me when he’s warm he’s at his best. Linus Ullmark faced only the token efforts of what is supposedly the best offense in the Eastern Conference. There must have been a grand total of five maybe six Leafs shots that first period. It ended up really just being a great conversational period. That Leafs fan sitting next to me was actually a really nice man. He had enough kids that looked like him that they may have been the stunt doubles for the Weasley family in Harry Potter but hardly a chirp out of this dude. Apparently Kitchener, Ontario has some pretty wicked hockey.

The second period is when the temperature began to rise. 8:33 in Auston Matthews gets a charitable pass behind the net and bounces it in past Ullmark off the back of his leg. The thunderous applause of the Leafs invasion was surprised because if you watch that play it didn’t seem likely it was going in. You really can’t blame Linus on that one. It was long before I got to jump around: six minutes later that beautiful top line with Jack and Sam were on the ice and Samson Reinhart roofed it on an arch shot that probably doesn’t go in if the Leafs defenders weren’t screening Anderson. The biggest criticism of this Toronto team is always a bad D-Corps. I say the D-Corps is supposedly bad but the guy named Par Lindholm who screened Anderson is a forward evidently. He better be a decent golfer at least with a name like that. One of the other guys on the ice for that goal, Jake Gardiner, got the Leafs back on top 2-1 with a shade over ten seconds left in the second period. That goal stung a little going into the 2nd intermission but if there is any place the third period Sabres show up, it’s in third periods against the Leafs. Twitter predicted it and it came true the third period was fun.

Before that though can we talk about the officiating in this game? I am not going to go into how many times Eichel was slashed or Casey Mittelstadt being dragged down because that’s the low hanging fruit. At one point in the second period the Leafs net was off its moorings. I am no ref but I really thought it was officiating 101 that you blow the play dead when that happens. One use for the refs that was never needed weirdly enough was for a fight. Rasmus Ristolainen was tearing it up and getting shots like a frat brother in this game but he never fought which is surprising for him against the Leafs. I’ll take it. I’d rather have the Risto that shoots for the net than the Risto that shoots at Leafs faces although both are fun. 2:39 into the third frame and our sweet ginger boy Jack Eichel evened it up after a quick feed from Ristolainen. You won’t see his name on the score sheet but let me tell you Rasmus Dahlin was ludicrous in this game. He must have been responsible for half of the times the Leafs turned over the puck, especially in the second and third periods. He very nearly got a goal here in the third too. But no, it was Captain Jack again at 12:57 to put Buffalo on top. These games against the Leafs never feel totally like a home game with all Leafs fans that come into town but that goal sounded like it was just us and it was beautiful. The Sabres took the game back now, it was a rare Leafs setup in the Sabres zone that yielded the puck bouncing charitably off the boards to Patrick Marleau who evened it up. That guy is 38 now from what Leafs fans told me. If that’s true god bless the guy for still be this decent at hockey. This one went to OT where the Sabres dominated possession and once again outshot the Leafs. It was their last ditch effort with the shootout practically a formality when somehow, Auston Matthews got a pass from Kapanen and ended it. For those of us who were there it was probably the second most painful way this game could have ended right behind a regulation blowout: there were literally 2.7 seconds left in overtime. I have photographic proof of that. This game ended 4-3 Leafs and the Sabres really nearly got two points in this game but they’ll walk out with only one.

You don’t want the loser point in rivalry games like this, you want both winner points. Maybe I’m not as grumpy as I could be because all the Leafs fans around me were sober and personable. You tell me your experience of the rougher variety and I’ll be hard pressed to not see where you’re coming from. The Sabres played the better game. Nathan Beaulieu, remember the guy who fought Leafs Matt Martin and talked afterward about how much he hated the Leafs? Yea, he may be one of the most improved Sabres players this season, particularly in this game. Captain Jack played with the hate he professes for the Leafs and very nearly won the game with a hat trick a few times. He certainly played better than the other two-goal scorer in this game: his good American friend Auston Matthews but I won’t be throwing stones at a guy who’s scoring at a tad over a goal a game. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if he’s not wearing a Leafs jersey, Auston Matthews is probably my favorite non-Sabre in this league. I already talked about Rasmus Dahlin but it’s worth noting he passed Drew Doughty’s 2008 record for most time on ice for an 18 year old defenseman with 29:15 in this game. He’s still 18 and he is already dominating opponents. I really look forward to Rasmus Dahlin torturing Leafs for years to come.

Gee, this one is getting long in the teeth. The Sabres had a brutal stretch going into this game. They won most of those games and got so far ahead that if you’re going to go on a four game losing streak this is possibly the best way to do it… yea I just can’t say that with a straight face after losing with 2.7 seconds left in OT. Holy shit, I hate the Leafs. Anyway, if the team with these stats was not named the Leafs and we played this game against them this is probably the closest thing you can get to one of those non-existent moral victories considering injuries, schedule and… just how well you controlled play through this game. Linus Ullmark looked like a starter in this game and you will not change my mind! This matchup still has three games this season and maybe a playoff series. Tell me that series wouldn’t be absolutely bonkers. A series loss would sting an awful lot but if the Sabres could win in 7 and prevent this Leafs team from a series win for their third straight year… I wouldn’t know how to put that kind of pleasure into words. Like, comment and share this blog around, even if you’re Leafs fan. I get the feeling this rivalry is going to finally be the war we’ve been waiting for and if 2.7 seconds is the only thing that’s going to separate the two teams that oh holy hockey gods is it going to be fun.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. Credit to Steve Dangle for the “Tim Horton’s Rivalry” moniker. He’ll probably tell you he wasn’t the originator of that title but I heard from him first so there you go.