Sabres Leafs Preview

Hey you know a day like today, where the snow is lightly falling, in November would put a smile on your face. Like its beautiful and picturesque. But since its February, it makes you grumpy. Stupid Snow, please go away, I'm tired of you. That's how I feel about the Leafs. In November, its like ooo the Leafs, rivalry, beat em bad! Now its like ugh the Leafs. Because really its a lose lose situation. The Sabres beat the Leafs, they are supposed to, they lose, and its, these guys suck, they can't beat the Leafs, plus you have to deal with Toronto fans either way.

The Sabres are back home after playing 6 straight on the road and having the All Star Break mixed in. They haven't played at home since Teppo took a puck off his face against Carolina. Hey and guess who's back tonight. Appartantly he and RJ needed a vacation. He takes MAG's spot in the lineup and he can go back to Portland to learn how to play defense. This is also the first of 3 games against the Canadian teams in the Northeast division. These are much bigger games then the last 4. Which were an exhibition in my mind.

So we haven't seen the Leafs since the Sabres beat them New Years day 4-1. And they beat the Sabres 2-1 in December. This is the 3rd of 6 games, and its split so far. The Leafs continue to be out of the playoff race, as they seem to be most of the time since the lockout. Sitting 11th in the conference. 6 points back of 10th Pittsburgh and 10 points behind the Sabres. They are playing for next year and seeing who should stay and go. Its open audition time for Brian Burke. Which will lead to strong play from some.

The Leafs don't have any superstars, but a lot of mid range scoring. They just need that go to guy, that Mats Sundin was. Who that will be I won't know. But I'm sure Brian Burke knows, and he has some ammunition for deadline day to improve the Leafs. But here are some of the guys to watch for, many you know.

• Nik Antropov and Jason Blake both with 38 points.
• Matt Stajan who has 36 points
• Alexei Ponikarovsky who has 35 points
• Tomas Kaberle with 30 points, but also a -12
• Lee Stempniak, local kid doing good.
• Mikhail Grabovski who has 13 goals.

Another player to watch is Rookie Luke Schenn, who had quite the night on Saturday. He is coming along and good be one of the more rock solid defensemen several years from now. And was Tyler Myers defense partner. He plays in the NHL, Tyler is still with Kelowna. (Probably one injury from being on the Sabres though)

The Leafs will put in Justin Pogge tonight. Who has one good game, and one bad game. So I can't tell what will happen tonight. The Leafs have given up 186 goals this year, the most in the NHL. So this kid will be seeing some rubber tonight, lets up the Sabres can't put some past him early to shake him up. But he is having a nice year with the Marlies. But he ain't playing the Portland Pirates tonight.

I'm sure there will be a large Leaf contingent tonight in HSBC, but we get RJ back, so that should make up for that.

Sabres Leafs Preview

Well its a Friday Night Sabres Leafs game. Which can only mean one thing. Lots of blue and white downtown tonight. All delusional about their Leafs. We got Brian Burke things are gonna turn around!!!! Well you don't have a Chris Pronger. So hold on Leaf fans.

The Fiancee surprised me with tickets to tonights game for my birthday. Totally unexpected. She is the best and no one else can have her. Somehow she deals with me, and treats me great. Don't know what I do to deserve it, but I ain't asking questions. I'll go and enjoy the game win or lose.

On to the game. Its an important game. The Leafs are only 5 points behind the Sabres. So a win tonight for the blue and gold, will put more space between them and give the Sabres more confidence heading into the Holidays.

The Leafs

Coming into tonight are 3-5-2 in their last 10 and 2-3 in their last 5. They beat the lowly Islanders on Monday. Which isn't an accomplishment. Their record on the season stands at 10-12-6 or 10-18 if you Sullivanize the records. The Sabres are 14-11-3 or 14-14. Either way it doesn't tell you much.

The Leafs have some scoring with 9 guys with 5 goals or more. Led by Antropov and Grabovski with 10 goals each. Yes I know Thomas Vanek has more then him combined. But its a team game. Matt Stajan is the leading point getter with 23. Gone are the days when you said stop Sundin and that would be the defense. It seems theres a more balanced attack. Ponikarovsky and Hagman both have 19 points. Kaberle has 18 points and Jason Blake has 16 points. There are 2 solid lines for the Leafs, not super dangerous, but you can just show up and win against the Leafs anymore. Ron Wilson turned it around.

Except on the defensive side, where they let in a lot of goals. 98 on the year so far. Which is 17 more goals then the Sabres have given up. There are a lot of minus players on the Leafs. Their defensive players are also banged up with Van Ryn out and now their star rookie Luke Schenn out for a couple weeks. So its gonna be tough on Kaberle, Kubina, Stralman and Finger.

The goalies have not helped the Leafs out at all. Toskala has started 25 of the 28 games and is at a 3.15 GAA and a .887 Sv%. Though he might be on the overworked side due to the failure of Curtis Joesph to provide adequate backup relief. His stats are 3.95 GAA and a .851 sv%. Though the Leafs haven't played since Monday, fatique shouldn't be a factor. Just staying sharp.

Sabres

The Sabres are coming in on a 3 game win streak, two straight 2 goal comebacks, and probably looking to make it 4. The atmosphere won't be dead at all so it should give the players a extra lift.

Thomas Vanek continues to be on fire. And a unstoppable force, he actually scored on a breakaway the other day. Hes better around the net. Now lets get Pominville and Roy on the same streak and the Sabres might have something.

Rivet looks to have solidfy the backend for the time being. With Sekera struggling a bit, you need the Vet leadership back there. Also to help out Miller who likes to be out of position ALL THE TIME.

What I'd like to see.

Since I'm going to be there in person. Here are somethings I'd like to see.

Gerbe score his first one. (Saw Mancari's, maybe I'm good luck)

Vanek get his 23rd, 24th and 25th

A Toronto Player do this.



Never gets old.

And hear my fiancee bad mouth Ryan Miller, its funny when she does it. As a former goalie, she does not like Millers form at all. Last year, she was rather embrassed by Alex Auld and look how good he is doing this year. She knows talent.

Well anyway see you at the game!

Sabres Leafs Preview

Well here we go the 3rd final game of the season, errr, sorry Regular season. Because until the math works out, the Sabres still have playoff hopes. Do I really have to root for the Canes tonight? But the Sabres are on the road, where they can play their hockey. Or they just play better in white, I don't know. But its up the QEW to the ACC to the Leafs. At this point last year, everyone was like get the year over with, so we can get to the Playoffs. Which of course were a gigantic disappointment. The Sabres are 4-3 against the Leafs this year, which is kinda sad. Because the Leafs aren't that good. Well neither are the Sabres, its tough get out of that mindset of how good the Sabres were. But its a must win for the Sabres, the Leafs, a eh it'd be nice if we won win. So should be interesting to see what happens tonight.

The Leafs

Well the Leafs continue their annual tradition of missing the playoffs, despite being the top valued club in the league. The fans keep lining the pockets, and the team keeps sucking. Well apparently Mats Sundin is done for the year, so they won't have to deal with him and Raycroft will be in the net. So the Sabres should have some help in the less talented Leafs. But effort always decides these ones. Theres probably a bunch of young kids hungry to show they belong, that they work hard tonight for Toronto. The Sabres have got to match the intensity. Antropov will be in so there is some offensive weapons still. But who knows how a team shows up when there isn't much to play for. Though the Leafs have won 6 of their last 9 games, and showed some fight. They just might pack it in for the season.

Outlook

The leafs are hurt, raycroft is starting, and the Sabres need to win. Sounds like the Sabres will come out firing in this one? Probably not. This team has a self motivation issue. Winning has come easy, so its like they forgot how to win. Thus resulting in a season where they will probably barely miss the playoffs. Maybe thats a good thing. The Islanders sneaked in last year and they are worse this year for it. Take a summer off. Get your head together. Let Darcy mold the team to where it should be. Now he knows who he needs to make the team better. This year, they cut down on the payroll, and tried to be competitive, didn't quite work. Next year they need to win. Or people will stop coming. Hate to say it, but the Sabres need to win to sell out. We aren't the fanbase we think we are. There was a poll, from the players who were the best fans. The Sabres weren't in the top 10. The fans complain about spending money and getting nothing for it. Well its only a recent trend. Long term trends say, they won't stick around for very long. So what do the fans deserve? They only came back because they were winning. Sure thats good consumerism, why buy a bad product. Anyway. The Sabres need to win. But I don't know who will show up tonight.

Sabres Leafs Preview

Hey its the Leafs at HSBC, yay, for dumb leaf fans streaming into WNY to see their leafs play in person. One of these days I'll go to a Sabres Leafs game to see what its all about. But I'm glad in staying home to watch. I'd rather not be arrested for Assault. But seriously they are Leaf fans, so you really should feel bad for them. Especially with Sundin and Antropov not in the lineup tonight. And their playoff hopes pretty much over. Good job jerking around your fan base by sucking most of the year, then when the calender says March, actually start playing. Good job overpaid Leaf players. But who knows what Sabre team shows up they might be all about wednesday game think they got this one in the bad and totally flop. Or realize if they win, they tie the Bruins, and put themselves into a playoff spot. I'm sure Lindy has let them know the situation. But you always have that fear with this team, they'll get mentally weak and let down. But they are in a hot streak, and when in a hot streak they tend to stay in that hot streak. But if Vesa Toskala comes to play and stands on his head, they could get out of the game plan. But its always a worry.

The Laffs.

The Leafs come in winners of 3 of their last 4, of course their last loss was to these Buffalo Sabres. They come in banged up and with little hope of making the playoffs. Even with their great run of late, they didn't make up much ground. Now with Sundin out for a decent amount, they have not many offensive weapons left. So I imagine they will try to lock down on the defensive side and not give up a lot of chances. Their last game was against the Islanders so thats not a good measure what to expect. Probably what happened last time is a better measure. So guys like Kaberle, Steen, Blake, Stajan and Ponikarovsky are the ones to look out for. But it will be all about the defense and goaltending. If Toskala doesn't have his "A" game, this one is over before it starts.

Outlook

Well with the Sabres not playing till tuesday, and the Leafs with a game in Ottawa tomorrow. I expect the Sabres not to hold back, especially if Lindy said if they win and play well they get the Easter Weekend off. A couple days off is an incentive for anyone to play balls out. I just can't see the Sabres laying an egg tonight. But I've been known to be wrong. And if a couple soft goals go in. The Sabres could do whatever. But lets hope they know whats at stake and after the almost Tampa disaster, they won't screw around again. Lets hope they make Good Friday a good one for the Sabre fans and finally put the Leafs out of their misery.

Sabres Leafs Preview

Oh boy a road game against the Leafs after a thrilling comeback victory. It should be interesting. Toronto is another one of those lesser opponents the Sabres should beat, but doesn't mean they'll show up to play. But after struggling to score goals again it was nice to see a short explosion of offense. Of course its against the Lightning, who are terrible, but it builds confidence. Then again one line is generating all the offense. Good news, bad news type of deal. And the GCFB has always been in the Thomas Vanek corner. I just think he's a special player and if it weren't for Kevin Lowe, he wouldn't be crapped on. 3 Seasons in the NHL and hes scored 25 goals or more in all 3. Mmm thats pretty good last time I checked. Hes 7 goals away from 100 in his career. Of course he scored 46 last year, he was in the last year of his deal. Contract year baby!

So the Leafs, whats going on?

Well the Leafs are still near the cellar of the East and are worrying about no trade contracts. Overpay and give them the right not to be traded. JFJ, must have been the greatest GM of all time. But the Leafs are playing pretty ok of late, 3-2 in their last 5 games, including that 1-0 game against the Sabres. The Leafs are getting healthier with all their main weapons in the lineup. Sundin, who should be traded, Kaberle, who they need, McCabe who the Sabres need on the Leafs and Antropov who they should keep. I'm assuming Toskala will be in net, instead of Red Light Raycroft, who is terrible and just another one of those bad signings. I was thinking the Leafs had some decent young talent, but it seems all of it is struggling, Wellwood, Devereaux and Steen. But really as a Sabre fan its good to see the Leafs struggling. If they were actually good. I could feel the smugness from Toronto.

Outlook

I hate predicting things, since I'm never right, I would have never saw yesterday coming. But say what you will the Sabres have some major offensive issues of late. Of the last 12 goals 8 of those were scored by Thomas Vanek. Thats good for Thomas, but not for the rest of the team. Jochen has gone in a shell, and has taken Pominville with him. Macarthur is worthy of a demotion, Kotalik is the invisible man again and Connolly and Roy have been the reason for Vanek's success. They need all the lines working again. And a game against the Leafs is probably what the doctor ordered. But I would always look out for Mats Sundin he is always dangerous and also look for a quiet building, those business types have had a rough week I bet.

Sabres Leafs Preview

Hey the leafs are in town, thus their fans come along too. Which is good for the economy, but bad in every other way. Have obnoxious leaf fans who think their team is great and their city better, well it might be, but most the Leaf fans don't live in Toronto. The Leafs have won 3 of their last 4 and seem to be getting healthier, before you know they ship off Sundin to an actually good team. The Leafs currently are sitting in 14th place one point out of being dead last, which doesn't mean much to team management since they still rake in the cash. The leafs also give up a lot of goals, only 4 other teams in the league have given up more, 3 reside in the Southleast.

Who might do what?

Well its all about Mats Sundin. He is the leading scorer with 58 points, the leading goal scorer with 23 and the leading +/- player with a +9. He really is the Leafs. And by getting rid of him, it would mean they are tanking the season. When will Leaf fans wake up? Well they do have other weapons in Nik Antropov, Jason Blake, Kaberle, Kubina and a bunch of others. Who most of you know about. Including Darcy Tucker, who is only a weapon with his knees. But its the Leafs so I hate them all. You don the blue and white and you're automatically the enemy.

What do I foresee?

I definitely didn't see last night coming. Thats for sure, thats why I see the exact opposite happening tonight. You know, oh boy we're back in the playoffs, wham 4 goals in the first. Wait Is T Bone in net tonight? I hope to god not. They need to ride Ryan Miller till his frail frame falls apart in the net. But I see a lot of noise when the Leafs score that will only drive Sabre fans crazy. I just see one of those let down games. They got two big games on the weekend with New York and Pittsburgh and its like, eh its the Leafs, they blow.

But I love this piece on Mike Robitaille.

Sabres Leafs Preview

Well tonight should be an interesting game. Two teams battling for the bottom of the Northeast Division. Both teams are struggling of late, the Sabres just off a 10 game winless streak and the Leafs are 3-7 in the last 10. But with 2 wins in a row after 5 straight losses. Its a hockey night in Canada game and I always feel the sabres struggle in those contests. But its the leafs and the Sabres have been playing the leafs well the past few years. Though are 1-1 against the boys from Toronto this year.

So whats with the Leafs?

The leafs are struggling again this year, which seems to be commonplace of late. Sitting only 3 points out of the basement of the Eastern Conference, and only ahead of 2 other teams point wise in the entire league. The leafs struggle to keep the puck out of their own net giving up 155 goals on the year. They are also terrible on the power play and the penalty kill sitting 26th in the league in both. The Sabres are 13th in the league on the power playwhich seems better then it should be. Looks John Ferguson is in trouble again in Toronto. And the Leafs want to bring in Cliff Fletcher to take the hardest job in hockey. But with the Payroll the Leafs can have, not making the playoffs really isn't an option. They are the Yankees of the NHL, except without all the championships. But the fan bases? Very similar.

Who does what on the Leafs

It starts and ends with the Captain Mats Sundin. He leads the team in goals, points and plus/minus. He really is playing out on a island. A true great stuck in a good hockey city, playing on terrible teams. He needs to be shipped out just out of respect. Mats has 20 goals and 51 points on the year. And a +10 which shows he isn't struggling on the back end. Other offensive weapons on the leafs are Nik Antropov with 37 points not a total bust, Kaberle with 30 from the defensive side and Jason Blake who I thought would be a good free agent only has 8 goals. McCabe, Wellwood and Tucker are all having disappointing seasons. In net probably Vesa Toskala who is having an alright year with a 2.71 GAA and a .906 GAA. Andrew Raycroft is a disaster and I hope hes in net tonight.

Outlook

Well the Sabres broke out of a losing and scoring drought last night. Who knows if they feel, whew thats over with, and come out and lay an egg. But I doubt that will happen. Its a game in Toronto with lots of people watching. Last thing they want is friends and family watch them suck. I'm not calling for a win, because it seems I have no idea what will ever happen, but I can see them rolling again tonight. Confidence when gone is dangerous, but when confidence comes back its just as dangerous, to other teams.