Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

The newest depth chart, hopefully this will be permanent until the Tylers get back from the IR.

Connor Knapp is on Rochester's roster, but this indicates that he will be the first goalie to be called up if (god forbid) Miller or Theodore gets injured.

Buffalo Sabres Depth Chart - 1
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LW	Matt Moulson	Ville Leino	Kevin Porter	Johan Larsson
C	Cody Hodgson	Steve Ott	Leo Komarov	Cody McCormick
RW	Drew Stafford	Luke Adam	Marcus Foglino	Patrick Kaleta
D #1	Christian Erhoff	Mike Weber	Mark Pysyk	X-John Scott
D #2	Jamie McBain	Alexander Sulzer	Yann Sauve	X-Brayden McNabb
G	Ryan Miller	Jose Theodore	ROC (1st to be called up) Connor Knapp

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty



Pittsburgh Takes Down Buffalo 3-2
Despite a Marcus Foglino goal, assisted by new linemate Leo Komarov (and Kevin Porter), Buffalo lost to the Pens 3-2. Brent Sutter had a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh, which leads the Metropolitan Division. Matt Moulson also scored for Buffalo, assisted by Drew Stafford.

Sabres Win 2-1 In OT As McBain Slaps Game-Winner From Point
Ryan Miller stopped 27 of 28 Philadelphia shots and Jamie McBain scored the game-winner late in OT as the Sabres won their first game in a while. Drew Stafford also tallied a powerplay goal for Buffalo.



Game Gets Ugly As Theodore's First Start Ends In 7-6 Loss To NYR
Jose Theodore let in 7 (albeit ticky-tacky) goals on 22 shots as New York held onto a 7-6 win over Buffalo. There were two own goals, 2 goals against the Sabres that hit off skates, and questionable penalties late. Derrick Brassard had two goals and two assists. Cody Hodgson had 2 goals, Drew Stafford had a goal and two assists, and Christian Erhoff had 3 assists in the disheartening loss.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

5 Up, 5 Down: Sep. 31—Dec. 24

This is a new feature I'll be instituting in this dynasty. Every 2 weeks of my franchise, I'll write up a 5 Up, 5 Down post. This is basically a summary of the past few games. SO, this can be read instead of all the game summaries (which I'll still write up).
Hopefully, Tazer will make an awesome banner for this that you can look for when scrolling down to look for these posts.

This is the first one, and it will cover the entire season as of December 24th.


1. Excellent Line Combos
The lines need no further doctoring with the newly found chemistry of Leo Komarov and Marcus Foglino. Top line's productive, second line is OK, and third now gels.

2. Powerplay
The powerplay, now at 24.6% is the top powerplay in the league. Top line is the same as regular, second subs Foglino in for Luke Adam.

3. Drew Stafford
Ever since he returned from an early-season injury, Stafford has been on a tear, with points in 10 straight games—and more importantly, the ability to set his linemates up in the slot.

4. Christian Erhoff
Erhoff leads the team in assists with 19, and more importantly he is a huge leader and top-line defenseman.

5. Step-up Players
Luke Adam played very well and earned himself a promotion to the 2nd line. Johan Larsson played well in Stafford's absence and hung around in the NHL. Jamie McBain stepped into the first-line D when Tyler Myers was injured, and has been excellent.

Banner courtesy of LopaKa!

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty


1. Rebounds
The defense and backskating forwards have been miserable at grabbing defensive rebounds, leading to way too many putback goals, while the offensive rebounds are rarely converted.

2. Finishing
The 13-16-2 record says it all, we just have not been able to finish games out.

3. Getting Sniped
Almost half the goals that we have given up have been because the defense allows opposing skaters to penetrate too far into the zone. In consequence, we get SNIPED (see Letestu, Mark).

4. Cooling Down
Ville Leino, Matt Moulson, and Steve Ott all cooled down after hot starts, and in general, have not been able to recapture their former form.

5. Too Many Penalties
Opposing teams have been drawing ridiculous numbers of penalties, and we've got plenty of fights to go around. Being a hard-hitting team, that's expected... but the 0.8 tripping penalties per game are not appreciated.

Banner courtesy of Tazer!

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty



Sabres Down Lightning in Shootout Despite Stamkos Hat-trick
Mike Weber scored the lone shootout goal, in the eighth round, to send Buffalo past Tampa Bay despite Steven Stamkos' hattrick. Drew Stafford drew a game misconduct, and there were 46 PIMs. Christian Erhoff had 2 assists for Buffalo, and Matt Moulson, Ville Leino, and Marcus Foglino all scored. Ryan Miller made 35 saves.

Payback! Moulson Scores With 0.7 Seconds Left As Sabres Beat Toronto 2-1
Just after their penalty expired, Matt Moulson skated up ice and beat James Reimer high to the stick side as Buffalo won their 2nd straight. Moulson also assisted on Drew Stafford's first-period goal (along with Yann Sauve), and Ryan Miller made 26 saves. James van Riemsdyk scored the Maple Leafs' lone goal.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

Source: Sabres Looking To Ship Miller and Ott For 1st and Prospect

A source close to GM Akilles Yurevich has reportedly told reporter Jayson Blair that the Buffalo Sabres are looking to trade their two major upcoming UFA's for a 1st-round draft pick and a good prospect.

Both Ott and Miller have been solid but unspectacular for the Sabres this year, who are 17-19-2 and likely will miss the playoffs for a 3rd straight year. The trade will likely occur at the trade deadline (March 6), or when center Tyler Ennis returns from the IR. He is likely to take back his 2nd-line center duties, and Ott is the odd man out with the Sabres happy with recently acquired center Leo Komarov.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty



4 in a Row! Sabres Beat Leafs 5-3 Behind Stafford's Two Goals
Drew Stafford scored a shorthanded goal and later added the game winner as the Sabres beat Toronto for the second game in a row. Jose Theodore got his first win in Buffalo, making 21 saves. Christian Erhoff and Marcus Foglino each had a goal and an assist, and Kevin Porter had Buffalo's other goal.

3rd Time's The Charm As Bolts Finally Top Sabres
Steven Stamkos' unassisted powerplay goal with 10 minutes left to play was enough to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 win over Buffalo. B.J. Crombeen and Teddy Purcell also scored for the Lightning, while Ville Leino (0.6 seconds left in the second) and Matt Moulson (PPG, Stafford and Hodgson) scored for Buffalo. Ryan Miller made 26 saves to Ben Bishop's 24.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

Sabres Linked With Avalanche in Trade Rumours

The Buffalo Sabres have been linked to the Colorado Avalanche in trade rumours. The Sabres are, and have been, shopping elite goalie Ryan Miller and centre Steve Ott. The Sabres are looking for Colorado's 2014 1st-round draft pick and possibly a talented winger to replace Ville Leino with. Colorado is currently the 3rd-worst team in the Western Conference, in need of many positions.
But goalie is a good place to start: Ryan Miller is only 33, good for another 5-6 years. He currently has a sub-2.50 GAA, a .915 + save percentage and most of Buffalo's wins.
Buffalo is currently in a state of flux. Their premier talent is not yet NHL ready, but Zemgus Girgensons, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Nikita Zadorov will be a dangerous trio when called up. To this mix the Sabres look to add the 3rd overall draft pick (Sam Reinhart, anyone?). The future awaits them.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

Sabres Fall To Stars 3-2
Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist, and Erik Cole put home the game winner as Dallas took away a road victory 3-2 over Buffalo. Kari Lehtonen was superb, going 32 for 34 and stifling some major chances. His counterpart Ryan Miller made 27 saves. Matt Moulson scored both goals for Buffalo, assisted on both by Cody Hodgson.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

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Sabres Get Tyler Myers Back From IR

The Buffalo Sabres have been 5-5-0 in their last ten games, and they've received their best news of the week: Tyler Myers is back.
The 1st-line defenseman was put on IR after he suffered a concussion a week into the season. Myers had been performing very well before his injury, and his return gives the Sabres yet another large defensive presence.
Tyler Ennis is also due back from a broken leg in about a week or so. The return of both of these top-two liners should give Buffalo a major boost, continuing their hot streak and maybe even pushing them back into the playoff race.

Spoiler

Boy do I need these guys back. Really badly.
Anyways, the reason I haven't updated for a while is that I was out of town (D.C.) and when I came back my data wouldn't load (turns out my Xbox360 profiles got screwed up, I was on the wrong one).

It's good to be back.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty



Sabres Trump Oilers in OT Behind 3-Point Night From Moulson
Matt Moulson scored once, assisted in the 1st period and fed Cody Hodgson for the game winning goal in OT, over a sprawling Devan Dubnyk. Hodgson also had an assist, while Drew Stafford and Corey Tropp both scored for Buffalo. Tyler Myers had 2 assists in his first game back from a concussion, and Ryna Miller made 30 saves.

SABRES GET TYLER ENNIS BACK FROM BROKEN LEG, TO PLAY RW ON SECOND LINE UNTIL FULLY HEALED

Miller Stellar in 3-1 Win Over Dallas
Steve Ott scored once (assisted by newly-returned Tyler Ennis) and assisted on Ville Leino's ENG as Buffalo beat the Stars 3-1. Cody Hodgson netted the game winner for Buffalo.
The Sabres have gone 6-4 in their last 10, and they are slowly climbing out of the basement of a tight Atlantic division.


The Dallas Stars have traded Colton Sceivour to the Buffalo Sabres for a 5th round draft pick in 2014.

I feel that this is a good trade for us in our goal this year to accumulate young assets. We liked what we saw in Colton, and at 24 [74 OVR] we think he can develop into a key part of our franchise.

—Sabres' GM Akilles Yurevich

Please click on this spoiler.

Spoiler

Really liked the Sceivour pickup, and for a 5th it was an easy choice.
Upcoming posts:
Nearly at All-Star break, so standings and stats and all that stuff is coming up soon.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

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Sabres Stocked With Young Talent, Draft Picks
After the Sabres' recent acquisition of Colton Sceivour from the Dallas Stars, let's take a look at how their future looks.

Young Forwards
Zemgus Girgensons, Mikhail Grigorenko, Johan Larsson and (to an extent) Cody Hodgson make up a core of young and talented forwards. Hodgson is already the No.1 option at center, Larsson saw some extended action in the NHL this year and Girgensons and Grigorenko are still developing.

Younger Defenseman
Great group of young blueliners for the Sabres. Tyler Myers has been great this year (when healthy), Jamie McBain's been a top-4 all season, and Mark Pysyk has impressed enough to stick around in the NHL. Add recent first-round picks Rasmus Ristolainen and Nikita Zadorov, and this defense will soon be going strong.

Draft Picks
The Sabres have 4 first roun draft picks in the next two years, and 4 (!!!) second-rounders in 2014. Maybe use those to trade up for, say, Aaron Ekblad? Connor McDavid?

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

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A look at how the Rochester Americans are doing, halfway through the season:

22-13-6 (50 Points)
Goals Leader: E. Rankin—17
Assists Leader: Z. Girgensons—23
+/- Leader: P. Rissmiller— +14
PIMs Leader: N. Tarnasky—52
Wins Leader: D. Leggio—27

The Amerks currently sit second in their conference.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

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Sabres Targeting Kane?
As the all-star break looms large on the horizon, so do many blockbuster trades. One of these is reported to concern Evander Kane, winger for the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets, especially Kane, have been linked to the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have been looking for a dynamic second-line winger while trying to get value out of no-longer-necessary center Steve Ott. The Jets sit 6th out of 7 in their division, while the Sabres have 4 second-round picks next year.

[AdamJones113]

Re: Menin Aeide Thea—A Buffalo Sabres Dynasty

Standings as of the NHL All-Star Weekend:
Western Conference
Division A:
1. San Jose Sharks—58 Points
2. Vancouver Canucks—53 Points
3. Edmonton Oilers—49 Points
4. Anaheim Ducks—45 Points
5. Phoenix Coyotes—43 Points
6. Calgary Flames—40 Points
7. Los Angeles Kings—39 Points

The warm weather catches up with the Kings, the Oilers top 3 of RNH, Hall, and Eberle starts working, and the Sharks are good.

Division B:
1. Chicago Blackhawks—59 Points
2. Minnesota Wild—58 Points
3. Nashville Predators—55 Points
4. Dallas Stars—55 Points
5. St. Louis Blues—53 Points
6. Winnipeg Jets—51 Points
7. Colorado Avalanche—39 Points

Avs are crying their heart out for Reinhart, and its a dogfight otherwise. The sixth-place Jets would be 3rd in Division A.

Eastern Conference
Division C:
1. Toronto Maple Leafs—62 Points
2. Boston Bruins—57 Points
3. Detroit Red Wings—54 Points
4. Ottawa Senators—46 Points
5. Buffalo Sabres—44 Points
6. Montréal Canadiens—44 Points
7. Florida Panthers—44 Points
8. Tampa Bay Lightning—41 Points

Leafs on fire, and its a battle royale for 4th place with 5 teams in the mix.

Division D:
1. Pittsburgh Penguins—64 Points
2. New Jersey Devils—62 Points
3. New York Rangers—57 Points
4. Columbus Blue Jackets—56 Points
5. Carolina Hurricanes—54 Points
6. Philadelphia Flyers—54 Points
7. New York Islanders—46 Points
8. Washington Capitals—46 Points

Pens look like the class of the league, and another good fight for 3rd/4th.