Daily Links for Monday, February 6
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With the football season coming to a finish yesterday, now the major sports outlets can turn their attention back to the only sport that matters, hockey. And just in time for the trade deadline, too.
Miller by the numbers - Sabres EdgeHeres some numerology on Ryan Miller in the wake of his 235th career win Saturday night on Long Island, which allowed him to break Dominik Hasek's franchise record.
Myers making up for lost time - The Buffalo NewsTyler Myers missed 19 games with a broken wrist this season so there's no way he's going to come close to the offensive totals of his first two years. But the Buffalo Sabres defenseman knows he can do more on the score sheet.
Injuries Moved Sabres Gaustad To Wing - WGR 550If Paul Gaustad wanted to come back early from his upper body injury, he would have to move to LW.
Almost all systems go for Sabres - The Buffalo NewsAside from not being able to score, the Sabres' recent games are pretty much what they envisioned for the season.
Channel 2 Partners With MSG: Countdown 2 Faceoff - wgrz.comMSG Networks and the Buffalo Sabres announced Sunday that they will make the February 11th Sabres vs. Lightning game available to fans who have been shutout of watching their favorite team after Time Warner Cable dropped MSG and MSG+ from their channel lineup back on January 1st.
The real NHL trading game - The Globe and MailEric Duhatschek examines the tough decisions facing general managers in his weekly NHL notebook column
Weekend rumblings: Canes decisions, Wings wish list, Jagr's extension talks - ESPNPierre LeBrun updates the latest trade rumblings.
Zach Parise To The Minnesota Wild: Too Easy? - SBNation.comZach Parise is really good at hockey. He doesn't have a contract next season, and the Minnesota Wild could use him. He's from Minnesota. This seems too obvious, doesn't it?
Apologies from 30 NHL teams - THNEvery NHL team has something to be sorry for so Adam Proteau does it for them in this week's column.
Congratulations to Canadiens’ Scott Gomez on the one-year anniversary of his last goal - Puck DaddyYesterday was a big day for football fans, as Super Bowl XLVI happened. But February 5, 2012 is arguably almost as big a day for puckheads: one year ago today, Montreal Canadiens' centre Scott Gomez scored his last NHL goal.
Jokinen has big (Mac) game - NHL.comA trip to McDonald's was just what Calgary's Olli Jokinen needed to snap a lengthy goal-scoring drought by scoring in the Flames' win on Friday.
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Stealth vs. Bandits Recap: Bandits Drop Third Straight In Overtime
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The Buffalo Bandits seem to have issues when the Washington Stealth roll into town as they drop their third straight game of the season with an 11-10 loss. Rhys Duch scored 45 seconds into overtime to give the Stealth their first win of the season. Duch scored a game tying goal with nine seconds to go last season as the Stealth defeated the Bandits in overtime in Buffalo last season.
The Stealth get their first win of the season and it comes on the back of star forward Rhys Duch. Along with the game winning goal in overtime, Duch scored four goals on the night and had four assists as well. Lewis Ratcliff also had an impressive game with three goals and three assists. Stealth assistant coach Art Webster had glowing things to say about Duch and the whole team. "Our best players have to be our best players every night and they have to understand that. Tonight, our best players were our best players."
On the Bandits side of the ball, former Stealth forward Luke Wiles had his best game of the night with four goals and an assist in the losing effort. Mat Giles had two goals and two assists and John Tavares had two goals and three assists. In net for the Bandits, Mike Thompson had 41 saves on the night, with most of those coming in the second half.
The Bandits were able to tie the game up late with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, but they had to consistently battle their inability to keep the game tied late in the game. On two occasions, the Bandits allowed a goal within twenty seconds of tying the game in the second half. That inability to keep themselves on a run of goals was part of the reason they cost themselves this game. Bandits assistant coach Rich Kilgour reiterated that after the game, "This game is a game of runs. If you can only get a one goal run, you aren't going to win many games. We have to start figuring out ways to get a three, four, five goal at a time and find a way to stop those three, four, five goal runs."
The Bandits will try and right the ship as they face off against the Philadelphia Wings on Sunday February 12th and the Washington Stealth will matchup against the Calgary Roughnecks on Friday February 10th.
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Buffalo Sabres vs. New York Islanders Lossthread
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Buffalo Sabres (21-24-6, 48pts)
Game #52
New York Islanders (21-22-7 49pts)
vs.
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Sabres vs. Islanders Recap: Ryan Miller Breaks Hasek's Franchise Record
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It only took Ryan Miller 33 games to get 14 wins this season, but his 14th win was the win that broke Dominik Hasek's franchise record for career wins with his 235 career wins. Jason Pominville scored the game winning shootout goal to give Buffalo their third win in four games and to extend their point streak to four games.
The first period was not the greatest period for the Sabres as they saw themselves in a 3-1 hole by the end of it. Frans Nielsen got the scoring started early, 1:39 into the game, after Mike Weber gives the puck away to Michael Grabner behind the net. Grabner quickly found Nielsen in front of the net and Nielsen snapped it past Miller. Nathan Gerbe tied the game less than four minutes later but the Islanders scored twice more, one by Josh Bailey and the other by Nielsen again.
The Sabres defense locked down for the rest of the game though and the offense was able to actually score two more goals to send the game to overtime. Derek Roy scored his 10th goal of the season in the second period and Paul Gaustad scored the game tying goal with 8:14 left in the third period.
The overtime period saw the Sabres killing off a too many men penalty and the Islanders were able to get a bunch of shots off, nine total, in the five minute period. In the shootout, both P.A. Parenteau and Frans Nielsen missed while Brad Boyes and Jason Pominville scored.
Miller did not have the easiest game for his 235th career win. After allowing three goals on nine shots in the first period, Miller settled down and shut the Islanders out for the rest of the game. Miller made 35 saves on the night and stopped both Islanders shooters. "I'm proud of it, it's nice. I'm proud of being a Buffalo Sabre and was really excited coming in as a young player and looking up to Dominik Hasek."
The Sabres will have the next couple of days off and they will face off against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday at the First Niagara Center. That game is the first of a four game home stand for the Sabres.
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