This is Gonna Hurt: The Buffalo Sabres Experience

[bthomp05]

Quote: Originally Posted by HeroWorship

5 Game Update, and news from the editor Kevin Snow A random sighting near First Niagara Center before the Sabres/Avalanche tilt Boxscores Buffalo Sabres at Chicago Blackhawks Oct 1, 1 2 3 F BUF (5-1-0) 1 1 3 5 CHI (2-3-0) 0 1 1 2 Three Stars Marcus Foligno (BUF) 1 Goal, 2 Assists Cody Hodgson (BUF) 1 Goal, 2 Assists Nail Yakupov (BUF) 1 Goal, 1 Assist Team Stats Comparison BUF CHI Shots on Goal 36 29 Hits 37 10 Faceoffs Won-Lost N/A N/A Penalty Minutes 6 2 Power Plays Converted 0 1 Power Play Opportunities 1 3 Time on Attack 4:39 5:20 Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Foligno 1 (Yakupov, Hodgson) - 19:26 SECOND PERIOD CHI Toews 2 (Kane) - 0:37 (PP) BUF Yakupov 5 (Hodgson, Foligno) - 2:11 THIRD PERIOD BUF Hodgson 4 (Foligno) - 1:36 BUF Steen 3 (Ott, Ehrhoff) - 8:33 CHI Kane 1 - 11:47 BUF Grigorenko 1 (Schenn, Ehrhoff) - 13:58 Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Steve Mason 29 27 93% 2.00 Chicago Blackhawks - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Nikolai Khabibulin 36 31 86% 5.00 Minnesota Wild at Buffalo Sabres Oct 14, 2013 1 2 3 F MIN (4-1-1) 0 1 1 2 BUF (6-1-0) 1 3 1 5 Three Stars Marcus Foligno (BUF) 1 Goal, 2 Assists Steve Ott (BUF) 1 Goal, 1 Assist Tyler Myers (BUF) 1 Goal Team Stats Comparison MIN BUF Shots on Goal 28 33 Hits 15 27 Faceoffs Won-Lost 16 17 Penalty Minutes 9 24 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 3 2 Time on Attack 4:41 4:35 Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF McNabb 2 (Ott) SECOND PERIOD BUF Myers 4 (Foligno, Yakupov) - 1:08 MIN Heatley 1 (Cooke, Brodziak) - 2:21 BUF Ennis 3 (Schenn, Ehrhoff) - 6:29 BUF Ott 3 (Foligno) - 14:39 (SH) THIRD PERIOD MIN Koivu 5 (Parise) - 14:59 BUF Foligno 2 (Weber, Mason) - 19:56 (SH) (EN) Minnesota Wild - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Josh Harding 32 28 88% 4.08 Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Steve Mason 28 26 93% 2.00 Buffalo Sabres at New York Islanders Oct 15, 2013 1 2 3 F BUF (7-1-0) 0 5 3 8 NYI (2-4-0) 2 2 1 5 Three Stars Steve Ott (BUF) 2 Goals, 1 Assist Tyler Myers (BUF) 3 Assists Matt Moulson (NYI) 1 Goal, 2 Assists Team Stats Comparison BUF NYI Shots on Goal 38 37 Hits 40 20 Faceoffs Won-Lost 11 24 Penalty Minutes 36 26 Power Plays Converted 2 2 Power Play Opportunities 3 8 Time on Attack 4:02 5:19 Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD NYI Tavares 3 (Visnovsky, Moulson) - 17:26 (PP) NYI Grabner 2 (Bouchard, Nielsen) - 18:10 (PP) SECOND PERIOD NYI Nielsen 2 (Hamonic, Bouchard) - 3:14 BUF Ott 4 (Leino) - 4:01 BUF Scott 1 - 4:22 BUF Yakupov 6 (Myers) - 7:16 (PP) NYI Tavares 4 (Bouchard, Moulson) - 10:44 BUF Schenn 2 (Ennis, Grigorenko) - 11:51 BUF Ennis 4 (Yakupov, Hodgson) - 15:29 (PP) THIRD PERIOD NYI Moulson 1 (Okposo, Visnovsky) - 13:22 BUF Leino 3 (Ehrhoff) - 16:22 BUF Steen 4 (Myers, Ott) - 19:06 BUF Ott 5 (Foligno, Myers) - 19:26 (SH) (EN) Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 37 32 86% 5.01 New York Islanders - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Evgeni Nabokov 37 30 81% 7.02 Vancouver Canucks at Buffalo Sabres Oct 17, 2013 1 2 3 OT F VAN (4-1-3) 1 0 0 0 1 BUF (8-1-0) 1 0 0 1 2 Three Stars Nail Yakupov (BUF) 2 Goals Eddie Lack (VAN) 36 Saves Cody Hodgson (BUF) 1 Assist Team Stats Comparison VAN BUF Shots on Goal 13 36 Hits 16 35 Faceoffs Won-Lost 11 13 Penalty Minutes 5 5 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 0 0 Time on Attack 5:08 7:03 Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD VAN H. Sedin 3 (D. Sedin, Burrows) - 6:06 BUF Yakupov 7 (McNabb) - 14:32 OVERTIME BUF Yakupov 8 (Myers, Hodgson) - 3:05 Vancouver Canucks - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Eddie Lack 36 34 94% 1.90 Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 13 12 92% 0.95 Colorado Avalanche at Buffalo Sabres Oct 19, 2013 1 2 3 F COL (3-5-0) 1 0 1 2 BUF (9-1-0) 2 3 4 9 Three Stars Alexander Steen (BUF) 2 Goals, 2 Assists Mikhail Grigorenko (BUF) 2 Goals, 1 Assist Christian Ehrhoff (BUF) 3 Assists Team Stats Comparison COL BUF Shots on Goal 18 41 Hits 18 38 Faceoffs Won-Lost 19 8 Penalty Minutes 5 5 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 0 0 Time on Attack 4:50 4:46 Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD COL Parenteau 1 (Tallinder) - 3:00 BUF Grigorenko 2 (Schenn, Ott) - 8:25 BUF Grigorenko 3 (Hodgson, Yakupov) - 14:01 SECOND PERIOD BUF Steen 5 (Foligno, Enroth) - 3:42 BUF Schenn 3 (Grigorenko, Ehrhoff) - 6:12 BUF Tallinder 3 (Ott, Steen) - 16:07 THIRD PERIOD COL Duchene 4 (Johnson, Tanguay) - 0:46 BUF Yakupov 9 (Ehrhoff) - 3:48 BUF Steen 6 (McNabb) - 15:50 BUF Leino 4 (Ott) - 18:28 BUF McNabb 3 (Ehrhoff, Steen) - 19:46 Colorado Avalanche - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jean-Sebastian Giguere 38 30 79% 8.21 Semyon Varlamov 3 2 67% 38.71 Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 18 16 89% 2.00 What people are saying on Twitter The note from the editor: Hey guys, HeroWorship here! So, let's do the math: In my first ten games of the season, the Sabres have won 9 of their first ten games, with a winning percentage of a whopping .900 and 18 out of 20 points obtained in those contests. There are 6 Sabres with ten points or more: Nail Yakupov (16) Marcus Foligno (15) Christian Ehrhoff (14) Steve Ott (14) Cody Hodgson (13) Alexander Steen (11) This means, averaged to 82 games a season.... a) Alexander Steen would have 90 points b) Christian Ehrhoff would have 115 points c) Nail Yakupov (with 9 goals) would have 74 goals. How ridiculous is that? The last defenseman to have over 100 points in a season was Brian Leetch, who scored 102 points for the N.Y. Rangers during the 1991-92 season. There were 6,123 goals scored among the 22 teams in the NHL that season. For perspective, during the 2011-12 season, there was 6,545 goals scored among the 30 teams in the NHL that season. Simply: 1991-92: 278 goals per team 2011-12: 218 goals per team Why does this matter? I've scored 52 goals through 10 games. I'd scored 426 goals throughout a 82 game season at the pace I'm at. In that 1991-92 season, the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins scored 343 games during that season (if the 1991-92 season was over a 82 game season, the team would have scored 351). Well, the title of this dynasty is supposed to be more of a 'suffering' sense. Scoring nearly five goals a game isn't really suffering, it's awesome. Imagine if a team in the NHL went on fire like that this season? I think the Panthers would even sell out a game against that team. I have to change the difficulty. I've played the first ten games on All-Star. I have to make the jump to Superstar. If that doesn't work, I'll have to use sliders. If that doesn't work, then I demand EA Sports to compensate me for my total awesomeness at the game. Or at least send me an old Windows 98 laptop so I can do a PC NHL 97 season with the Sabres (Derek Plante for the win!) Fun fact: This is the game that made me fall in love with hockey to the point of obsession. I still yearn for the Sabres to wear the black and red for a game instead of this: For the record; I already hate this jersey. Fun fact #2; if Zemgus Girgensons makes the Sabres out of camp, I will tell my brother to buy me his #28 in this third jersey come Christmas time. Or else I will flatten his tires. (or resend my offer to take him to the Sabres/Ducks game on November 2nd. #TeemuForever) Plus, what's the fun of kicking *** every game? I'm lucky to score a few goals a season as a defenseman in my floor hockey leagues (I only have an assist despite playing in 7 tournaments spanning from Arcade, NY to Ocean City, MD, levels ranging from A to C. ****.) So, this is a note. This won't be happening. It makes dynasties rather boring to read when teams are winning 60 games a season. A challenge adds some intrigue, and makes it seem less like a video game and more like real life. Plus, let's face it; Cody Hodgson is excellent defensively for me this season. In real life, he's awful. (If YouTube link fails to load, click this -> http://youtu.be/RORm0nGFeUA ) So, let's address the peanut gallery! (err fellow OS posters) seb writes (from the Netherlands!) Looking good. Good luck with your Sabres. What is the trade difficulty? Do you play all your games? Thanks for the luck. And I try to be a little different when it comes to the look of the dynasty. As for the other questions. I made the difficulty medium. Why? a) If I made it difficult, then players that would normally be moved for mid-range prospects (i.e. Brenden Morrow) would demand my best prospects. And they can screw off if they believe I'm sending them Ty Rattie for that pile of garbage. b) I wanted to make Edmonton look stupid in a trade. Kevin Lowe makes me want to demolish buildings, like in Fight Club. Also, I went to the UK over the summer, and I fell in love with the countries. If I can scrap some cash together, I'd love to check out Germany and the Netherlands. If I do go to the Netherlands, you should allow a total stranger like myself stay in your casa while I check out the many fine tourist attractions (or just Amsterdam. Mainly Amsterdam. Yeah, of course Amsterdam). I do play all the games. I may or may not pretend that this is the actual 2013-14 Sabres. bthomp05, a guy I'm happy to see posting dynasties again (legal drinking age is 19 in Canada! I'm two hours away!), writes: 17 goals in one game, wow... I know, right? Of course, I had to get that empty netter to get to the tenth goal. I just had to do it. I would have preferred my fourth line to be out there to get the garbage goal, but I had to settle with Ott. It's like my old days of NHL 2003, when I attempted to get no-name Richard Scott double digits in goals. I wound up with 6. All were empty netters. And stick tap to nuka for giving me the link to make fake twitters. I can now have Devi Lovatio profess her love to me and pretend it's real. What a country!

Holy crap, your Sabres are flying like a hyena is after them. Great work & keep it going..

Thanks, glad to be posting too (Quebec is 18 ha-ha).

[HeroWorship]

Ron Rolston Invites Sabres Critics to "Try Some Viagra"


Yes, this is exactly stolen from a Deadspin article. Yes, I am unoriginal.

Buffalo has wiped the floor in the beginning month of the NHL season, with a record of 13-2-0 and 26 potential points out of 30. People complained that the Sabres are going to falter after their surprising start, to which Sabres Head Coach Ron Rolston says: Play some hockey, or pop some boners, haters.

From Jesse Spector:

"I’d like to advise them to take up sport themselves, and if they have any health issues to go see a doctor," Rolston said at a press conference at the Sabres morning skate at the Northtown Center in Amherst, NY.

"At the end of the day, maybe they should try some Viagra and then life would get better, would reveal some of its vivid and beautiful sides, and they would see the future," he quipped"

There's no time for your complaints, whiners. Suck less at sucking, or take some boner pills. Rolston out.

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On The Farm Report



The hot start for the Sabres hasn't trickled down to the American Hockey League level, as the Rochester Americans sit at a 2-3-2 record in their first 7 games of the regular season. But, some players have shined despite the struggle.

Johan Larsson, acquired from the Minnesota Wild, leads the team with nine points (3+6) in seven games. The 21-year old was one of the final cuts before the season begin. A dependable two-way forward, Larsson has received time on both the power play and penalty kill from head coach Chadd Cassidy.

With both Jhonas Enroth and Steve Mason struggling, the play of Matt Hackett may force the Sabres to give the 23-year old a callup soon. With a 2.24 goals against average and a .914 save percentage, Hackett has cemented the starting role for the Americans, as Andrei Makarov (0-2, 7.71 G.AA) has struggled.

Ty Rattie, acquired in the Thomas Vanek deal, has 3 goals and 2 assists in 7 games. Joel Armia has 2 goals and 2 assists, while Phil Varone has 3 goals and 3 assists.

Despite being the final cut in the pre-season, Zemgus Girgensons has struggled. With only an assist in 7 games, the nineteen year old is making it difficult for Cassidy to justify his minutes. Defenseman Jake McCabe has a -4 in 7 games, with no points.

Cassidy said that 2013 first round pick Rasmus Ristolainen will see some time with the Americans in the month of November. The 18-year old has failed to appear in a single contest yet this season on a crowded Americans blueline.

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Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres
Oct 23, 2013 1 2 3 F BOS (4-4-0) 2 0 1 3 BUF (10-1-0) 1 2 5 8 Three Stars Brayden McNabb (BUF) 3 Goals Tyler Myers (BUF) 1 Goal, 2 Assists, Gordie Howe Hat Trick Steve Ott (BUF) 3 Assists	Team Stats Comparison BOS BUF Shots on Goal 31 41 Hits 24 39 Faceoffs Won-Lost 23 7 Penalty Minutes 9 13 Power Plays Converted 1 1 Power Play Opportunities 4 2 Time on Attack 4:41 5:11
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BOS Lucic 3 (Hamilton) - 2:47 (PP) BUF McNabb 4 (Ott) - 7:43 BOS Bergeron 5 (Eriksson, Marchand) - 14:20 SECOND PERIOD BUF Yakupov 10 (Hodgson) - 13:13 BUF Schenn 4 (Myers, Grigorenko) - 18:14 THIRD PERIOD BUF Yakupov 11 (Foligno) - 2:25 BUF Myers 5 (Grigorenko, Steen) -13:32 (PP) BUF McNabb 5 (Ott, Foligno) - 18:02 BOS Paille 1 (Thornton) - 18:50 BUF McNabb 6 (Leino, Ott) - 19:07 BUF Grigorenko 4 (Myers) - 19:33
Boston Bruins - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Tuukka Rask 41 33 80% 8.00
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 31 28 90% 3.01

Buffalo Sabres at Florida Panthers
Oct 25, 2013 1 2 3 F BUF (11-1-0) 3 2 3 8 FLA (5-5-1) 2 1 2 5 Three Stars Tyler Myers (BUF) 4 Goals Tomas Kopecky (FLA) 3 Goals Sean Bergenheim (FLA) 3 Assists	Team Stats Comparison BUF FLA Shots on Goal 48 15 Hits 33 18 Faceoffs Won-Lost 18 11 Penalty Minutes 5 5 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 0 0 Time on Attack 4:42 3:31
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Myers 6 (Hodgson, Tallinder) - 0:30 FLA Huberdeau 3 (Fleischmann, Gudbranson) - 5:37 BUF Myers 7 (Schenn, Grigorenko) - 8:24 FLA Kopecky 4 (Mueller, Bergenheim) - 8:59 BUF Ott 6 (Yakupov) - 12:26 SECOND PERIOD BUF Steen 7 (Leino, Ott) - 5:02 FLA Versteeg 3 (Huberdeau) - 17:53 BUF Ehrhoff 2 (Grigorenko, Sulzer) - 19:58 THIRD PERIOD FLA Kopecky 5 (Bergenheim) - 4:30 FLA Kopecky 6 (Jovanovski, Bergenheim) - 8:27 BUF Yakupov 12 (Hodgson, Ehrhoff) - 18:17 BUF Myers 8 (Tallinder, Leino) - 19:04 BUF Myers 9 (Steen) - 19:50 (EN)
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 15 10 67% 5.00
Florida Panthers - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Ilya Bryzgalov 47 40 85% 7.02

Buffalo Sabres at Tampa Bay Lightning
Oct 26, 2013 1 2 3 F BUF (11-2-0) 1 2 0 3 TAM (4-5-1) 2 2 2 6 Three Stars Steven Stamkos (TB) 1 Goal, 2 Assists Matt Carle (TB) 1 Goal, 2 Assists Nate Thompson (TB) 1 Goal, 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison BUF TAM Shots on Goal 30 29 Hits 32 26 Faceoffs Won-Lost 8 18 Penalty Minutes 8 2 Power Plays Converted 1 2 Power Play Opportunities 1 4 Time on Attack 4:50 6:21
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD TAM Carle 1 (Hedman, Stamkos) - 0:22 BUF Hodgson 5 (Yakupov) - 2:43 TAM Thompson 2 (Crombeen, Carle) - 5:56 SECOND PERIOD BUF Hodgson 6 (Ennis, Yakupov) - 1:36 (PP) TAM Pyatt 2 (Crombeen, Thompson) - 3:54 BUF Leino 5 (Tallinder, Mason) - 7:59 TAM Filppula 3 (Hedman, Stamkos) - 13:32 (PP) THIRD PERIOD TAM Connolly 1 (Brewer, Salo) - 5:31 TAM Stamkos 3 (Carle) - 16:30 (PP)
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Steve Mason 29 23 79% 6.01
Tampa Bay Lightning - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Anders Lindback 30 27 90% 3.03

Dallas Stars at Buffalo Sabres
Oct 28, 2013 1 2 3 F DAL (8-3-0) 1 1 1 3 BUF (12-2-0) 3 0 3 6 Three Stars Tyler Ennis (BUF) 1 Goal, 2 Assists Tyler Myers (BUF) 2 Assists Nail Yakupov (BUF) 2 Goals	Team Stats Comparison DAL BUF Shots on Goal 18 36 Hits 15 39 Faceoffs Won-Lost 16 16 Penalty Minutes 25 31 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 3 0 Time on Attack 3:47 3:40
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Ott 7 (Adam, Myers) - 13:34 (SH) DAL Dillion 2 (Daley, Horcoff) - 16:17 (PP) BUF Yakupov 13 (Hodgson, Tallinder) - 18:53 BUF Ennis 5 - 19:41 SECOND PERIOD DAL Cole 2 (Whitney) - 4:16 THIRD PERIOD BUF Steen 8 (Ennis) - 3:08 BUF Yakupov 14 (Myers, Tallinder) - 19:02 DAL Wandell 2 (Fiddler, Oleksiak) - 19:12 BUF Foligno 3 (Ennis) - 19:39
Dallas Stars - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Cristopher Nilstrop 35 30 86% 5.01
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 18 15 83% 3.00

Buffalo Sabres at New York Rangers
Oct 31, 2013 1 2 3 F BUF (13-2-0) 2 2 3 7 NYR (5-6-1) 2 3 0 5 Three Stars Tyler Myers (BUF) 2 Goals, 1 Assist Nail Yakupov (BUF) 2 Goals, 2 Assists Marcus Foligno (BUF) 1 Goal, 2 Assists	Team Stats Comparison BUF NYR Shots on Goal 37 26 Hits 15 39 Faceoffs Won-Lost 16 16 Penalty Minutes 25 31 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 3 0 Time on Attack 3:47 3:40
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD NYR Del Zotto 3 (Stepan, McDonagh) - 1:03 NYR Boyle 1 (McDonagh, Del Zotto) - 11:25 BUF Yakupov 15 (Myers, Ehrhoff) - 12:14 (PP) BUF Foligno 4 (Hodgson, Yakupov) - 17:36 SECOND PERIOD NYR Pouliot 3 (Hagelin, McDonagh) - 3:23 BUF Schenn 5 (Tallinder, Ennis) - 5:42 BUF Leino 6 (Steen) - 6:50 (SH) NYR Nash 6 (Stepan, Staal) - 7:16 (PP) NYR Callahan 4 (Nash) - 14:21 THIRD PERIOD BUF Myers 10 (Ehrhoff, Yakupov) - 6:31 (PP) BUF Myers 11 (Foligno) - 16:58 BUF Yakupov 16 (Hodgson, Foligno) - 19:48 (EN)
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 26 21 81% 5.00
New York Rangers - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Martin Biron 36 30 83% 6.06

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The Doghouse

This is a insider look into the mind of both Sabres Head Coach Ron Rolston, General Manager Darcy Regier, and informant/ruler HeroWorship (goes under the pseudonym Nivek Janikowski) as they view the players that are currently in the doghouse, where it's very cramp and has no heating for the upcoming winter months

Corey Tropp - RW -> While not projected as a goal scorer by anyone, his careless play in several games have him on the verge of being scratched. He'll need a solid next few games if he wants to be removed from the confines of the doghouse. He's lucky to not have been scratched yet, as Patrick Kaleta has seen 4 games from the press box already this season due to his lack of scumbag-like play that has made him a fan favorite in Buffalo, but a pain in the arse to the other 29 NHL clubs.

Jamie McBain - D -> He wasn't impressive enough in the first five games in the season, and only an injury or terrible performance from another defenseman will give him a chance to return to the lineup.

Mason/Enroth - G -> While the team has been successful, the goaltending duo has been a nightmare for the Sabres and fans alike.

Slogan for the month of November:



Chicks.....and America

[bthomp05]

Top of the Adams, not bad.

[GoldenJet]

This is Nail Yakupov's pool, and we're all just swimming in it apparently. Great to have another HeroWorship chise, man

[HeroWorship]

Going for Blood


Oh Phil Kessel, we're coming for you, and we're looking for your blood on the ice in Buffalo

Anaheim Ducks at Buffalo Sabres
Nov 2, 2013 1 2 3 F ANA (4-8-3) 0 1 0 1 BUF (14-2-0) 2 1 1 4 Three Stars Alexander Steen (BUF) 3 Goals Christian Ehrhoff (BUF) 2 Assists Brayden McNabb (BUF) 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison ANA BUF Shots on Goal 19 39 Hits 23 35 Faceoffs Won-Lost 11 16 Penalty Minutes 10 16 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 0 3 Time on Attack 5:16 6:11
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Steen 9 (Leino, Mason) - 9:18 BUF Steen 10 (Hodgson, Foligno) - 15:57 SECOND PERIOD BUF Steen 11 (McNabb, Ehrhoff) - 8:51 ANA Silfverberg 4 (Fistric, Hiller) - 15:15 THIRD PERIOD BUF Grigorenko 5 (Ehrhoff) - 19:23
Anaheim Ducks - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jonas Hiller 39 35 90% 4.00
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Steve Mason 19 18 95% 1.00

Buffalo Sabres at San Jose Sharks
Nov 5, 2013 1 2 3 F BUF (14-3-0) 1 0 1 2 SJS (7-7-1) 2 1 0 3 Three Stars Joe Pavelski (SJ) 2 Goals Brent Burns (SJ) 1 Goal, 1 Assist Alex Stalock (SJ) 24 Saves	Team Stats Comparison BUF SJS Shots on Goal 24 27 Hits 25 20 Faceoffs Won-Lost 5 21 Penalty Minutes 4 2 Power Plays Converted 0 1 Power Play Opportunities 1 2 Time on Attack 5:06 5:56
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD SJS Burns 5 (Thornton, Marleau) - 7:10 SJS Pavelski 4 (Burns, Boyle)- 13:04 (PP) BUF Sulzer 1 (Ott) - 14:56 SECOND PERIOD SJS Pavelski 5 (Havlat, Vlasic) - 2:27 THIRD PERIOD BUF Schenn 6 (Steen)- 18:43
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Steve Mason 27 24 89% 3.00
San Jose Sharks - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Alex Stalock 24 22 92% 2.00

Buffalo Sabres at Los Angeles Kings
Nov 7, 2013 1 2 3 F BUF (15-3-0) 3 1 4 8 LAK (11-5-0) 2 2 0 4 Three Stars Tyler Myers (BUF) 1 Goal, 3 Assists Nail Yakupov (BUF) 2 Goals, 1 Assist Christian Ehrhoff (BUF) 1 Goal, 2 Assists	Team Stats Comparison BUF LAK Shots on Goal 44 26 Hits 30 23 Faceoffs Won-Lost 3 27 Penalty Minutes 7 15 Power Plays Converted 2 1 Power Play Opportunities 4 1 Time on Attack 5:31 5:38
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD LAK Brown 7 (Voynov, Williams) - 8:51 BUF Grigorenko 6 (Schenn, Ennis) - 9:56 BUF Ehrhoff 3 (Myers, Tropp) - 11:39 LAK Voynov 3 (Kopitar, Carter) - 12:18 (PP) BUF Hodgson 7 (Yakupov, Foligno) - 19:57 SECOND PERIOD LAK Frattin 3 (Richards, Carter) - 3:55 BUF Ennis 6 (Myers, Ehrhoff) - 12:58 (PP) LAK Brown 8 (Kopitar) - 19:59 THIRD PERIOD BUF Yakupov 17 (Hodgson) - 2:36 BUF Steen 12 (Myers, Ehrhoff) - 7:15 BUF Yakupov 18 (Sulzer, Schenn) - 19:21 (PP) BUF Myers 12 (Leino, Ott) - 19:56
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 26 22 85% 4.00
Los Angeles Kings - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Ben Scrivens 44 36 82% 8.01

Buffalo Sabres at Anaheim Ducks
Nov 8, 2013 1 2 3 F BUF (16-3-0) 3 2 0 5 ANA (5-9-4) 0 0 0 0 Three Stars Christian Ehrhoff (BUF) Natural Hat Trick Cody Hodgson (BUF) 3 Apples Nail Yakupov (BUF) 1 Goal, 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison BUF ANA Shots on Goal 34 11 Hits 35 23 Faceoffs Won-Lost 11 11 Penalty Minutes 5 9 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 2 0 Time on Attack 4:48 3:27
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Ehrhoff 4 (Myers, Yakupov) - 4:47 BUF Ehrhoff 5 (Hodgson) - 7:45 BUF Ehrhoff 6 (Hodgson) - 8:14 (PP) SECOND PERIOD BUF Grigorenko 7 (Ennis, Schenn) - 8:20 BUF Yakupov 19 (Hodgson) - 19:42
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 11 11 100% 0.00
Anaheim Ducks - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jonas Hiller 34 29 85% 5.00

Los Angeles Kings at Buffalo Sabres
Nov 8, 2013 1 2 3 F LAK (12-6-0) 2 1 0 3 BUF (17-3-0) 2 0 4 6 Three Stars Alexander Steen (BUF) 2 Goals Christian Ehrhoff (BUF) 1 Goal, 2 Assist Cody Hodgson (BUF) 1 Goal, 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison LAK BUF Shots on Goal 22 38 Hits 23 27 Faceoffs Won-Lost 21 12 Penalty Minutes 33 15 Power Plays Converted 0 4 Power Play Opportunities 0 9 Time on Attack 5:08 5:07
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD LAK Richards 3 (Doughty, Brown) - 1:58 LAK Stoll 3 (Richards) - 11:40 (SH) BUF Grigorenko 8 (Schenn, Ehrhoff) - 14:48 (PP) BUF Ehrhoff 7 (Yakupov, Hodgson) - 16:40 (PP) SECOND PERIOD LAK Nolan 3 (Fraser, Muzzin) - 19:34 THIRD PERIOD BUF Steen 13 (Myers, Ehrhoff) - 3:17 (PP) BUF Steen 14 (McBain) - 4:06 BUF Hodgson 8 (Yakupov, Ennis) - 8:56 (PP) BUF Leino 7 (Schenn, Enroth) - 19:53 (EN)
Los Angeles Kings - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jonathan Quick 37 32 86% 5.05
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 22 19 86% 3.06

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Next 5 Contests:

November 15th, 2013: vs. Toronto (10-5-2)
November 16th, 2013: @ Toronto (10-5-2)
November 19th, 2013: vs. St. Louis (10-5-1)
November 21st, 2013: @ Philadelphia (4-11-2)
November 24th, 2013: vs. Detroit (13-5-1) - Loss on October 2nd 6-3

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Sabres waive Adam



Despite a hot start to the season, the Sabres feel that changes, whether minor or not, are needed to sustain the team throughout the long regular season. It turns out that Luke Adam is a casualty of this.

The Sabres announced the team has waived the 23-year old center, making him available to the other 29 NHL franchises for the next 24 hours to make a claim on. Any team will have until 12pm Thursday to make a claim.

Playing on the fourth line, Adam has only 1 assist in 20 games this season. The 2008 second round pick has played in 95 games with the Sabres from 2010 to 2013, spending the majority of the time with the Sabres AHL affiliates the Portland Pirates and Rochester Americans.

It is unclear who the Sabres will replace Adam with. If Adam clears, he'll be assigned to Rochester.

[bthomp05]

Interesting move. Who's in the running for his job?

[Ichiroooooo]

gorilla is not dead

[HeroWorship]

EASN Buy or Sell, The Sabres to win the Adams Division?


This is how Jamie McBain reacts when the puck slides past his legs

The Panel: Ron Barr (EASN), Mike Milbury (NBC), Jeremy Roenick (Invited Himself), Chris Chelios (FOX)

Buy or Sell: The Sabres win the Adams Division

Barr: I'm selling the idea the Sabres will win the division, but I would buy a playoff appearance from the team. They began the season on such a scoring bonanza, that the hockey community were freaking out over this. They lead the league in goals by a wide margin, but the last few games shows that team's have found ways to contain their scoring opportunities. Plus, Boston is only two points from claiming the division lead, and you can't expect some of their players to sustain their rapid pace of scoring.

Chelios: I'm selling as well. This is a team that has provided fits for opposing teams with their strong, offensive play, but they've gotten shaky goaltending from their duo of Enroth and Mason. Like Ron said, the Sabres are being contained better, and teams are beginning to figure out how to stop them. They have a surprisingly good defense, but it won't matter if their goaltenders flutter in 3-4 goals a game. Forget winning the division, if they can't figure out their goaltending situation, they won't even make the playoffs!

Milbury: I think it's ludicrous to suggest this isn't a playoff team, at least. They won't win the division; this is a division with teams like the Canadiens, Bruins, Leafs, and Red Wings. The Sabres are still a team that is in their re-building stage, and scoring is going to begin getting tougher to come by soon. Chris is right; there goaltending will dictate where this team goes for the remainder of the season. They'll need strong performances from guys like Mason and Enroth if they expect to stay in the playoff race.

Roenick: I'm going for the sweep; this is not a division winner. They've gotten lucky so far this year. It's quite the accomplishment to be the first team to 20 wins. I didn't even think this team could win 30. They'll exceed that total, but c'mon, this is a team that has no goaltending, little grit, and a no-name head coach who no one has ever heard of. They will have to look into the trade market for a goaltender if they are thinking playoffs this year, because neither Mason or Enroth will cut it.

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After losing Adam, Sabres sign Gillies


Gillies celebrates his third goal of the season

After Luke Adam was claimed by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sabres had a hole to fill at the fourth line spot. They solved the issue by signing former Wild first round pick Colton Gillies to a one-year contract.

The 24-year old forward spent the last two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets after being claimed on waivers from them in 2011. He spent the first month of the season on a one-month contract with EV Zug of the Swiss League.

Gillies has played in 154 games, with 6 goals and 12 assists. He was the Wild's first round pick (sixteenth overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft.

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Remainder of the November Schedule (all games played)

Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres
Nov 15, 2013 1 2 3 F TOR (12-5-2) 0 1 2 4 BUF (17-3-1) 1 1 1 3 Three Stars Cody Hodgson (BUF) 2 Goals Christian Ehrhoff (BUF) 2 Assists Phil Kessel (TOR) 1 Goal, 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison TOR BUF Shots on Goal 38 28 Hits 18 20 Faceoffs Won-Lost 15 15 Penalty Minutes 12 10 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 0 1 Time on Attack 7:22 3:52
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Hodgson 9 (Yakupov) - 12:27 SECOND PERIOD TOR Smith 1 (Ashton, Colborne) - 8:55 TOR Colborne 3 (Kessel, Franson) - 13:08 BUF Ott 8 (McBain, Ehrhoff) - 19:15 THIRD PERIOD TOR Kessel 10 (Bolland, Kulemin) - 2:33 BUF Hodgson 10 (McBain, Ehrhoff) - 19:59 OVERTIME TOR Gunnarsson 1 (Kulemin) - 3:10
Toronto Maple Leafs - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA James Reimer 28 25 89% 2.85
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 38 34 89% 3.80

Buffalo Sabres at Toronto Maple Leafs
Nov 16, 2013 1 2 3 SO F BUF (18-3-1) 1 0 0 1 2 TOR (12-5-3) 0 0 1 0 1 Three Stars Jhonas Enroth (BUF) 39 Saves Jonathan Bernier (TOR) 29 Saves Phil Kessel (TOR) 1 Goal	Team Stats Comparison BUF TOR Shots on Goal 29 39 Hits 18 23 Faceoffs Won-Lost 9 19 Penalty Minutes 9 7 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 1 2 Time on Attack 6:53 5:45
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Scott 2 (Tropp, Weber) - 9:54 THIRD PERIOD TOR Kessel 11 (Fraser) - 18:10 SHOOTOUT BUF Grigorenko
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jonathan Bernier 29 28 97% 0.92
Toronto Maple Leafs - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 39 38 97% 0.92

St. Louis Blues at Buffalo Sabres
Nov 19, 2013 1 2 3 F STL (12-7-1) 2 1 1 4 BUF (18-4-1) 1 0 2 3 Three Stars Patrik Berglund (STL) 2 Goals Henrik Tallinder (BUF) 2 Assists T.J. Oshie (STL) 1 Goal	Team Stats Comparison STL BUF Shots on Goal 32 28 Hits 21 18 Faceoffs Won-Lost 21 11 Penalty Minutes 19 19 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 2 2 Time on Attack 5:02 6:59
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Yakupov 20 (Foligno, Tallinder) - 0:26 STL Berglund 5 (Schawrtz, C. Porter) - 10:16 STL K. Porter 1 (Leopold, Halak) - 12:41 SECOND PERIOD STL Berglund 6 (Tarasenko) - 2:41 THIRD PERIOD BUF Ennis 7 (Grigorenko, Weber) - 6:04 BUF Gillies 1 (Tallinder, Scott) - 11:15 STL Oshie 5 (Backes) - 19:56
St. Louis Blues - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jaroslav Halak 28 25 89% 3.00
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 32 28 88% 4.00

Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
Nov 27, 2013 1 2 3 F MON (17-6-2) 1 1 2 4 BUF (18-7-1) 0 1 1 2 Three Stars Tomas Plekanec (MTL) 2 Goals Steve Ott (BUF) 1 Goal Carey Price (MTL) 24 Saves	Team Stats Comparison MON BUF Shots on Goal 22 24 Hits 18 20 Faceoffs Won-Lost 20 10 Penalty Minutes 8 2 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 1 4 Time on Attack 4:21 7:40
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD MON Gallagher 3 - 1:11 (PP) SECOND PERIOD MON Galchenyuk 6 (Markov, Prust) - 13:03 BUF Ott 9 (Leino, Steen) - 14:37 THIRD PERIOD MON Plekanec 13 (Bouillon, Murray) - 8:40 BUF Tropp 1 (Scott, McBain) - 16:56 MON Plekanec 14 (Briere, Emelin) - 19:11
Montreal Canadiens - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Carey Price 24 22 92% 2.00
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 22 18 82% 4.01

Toronto Maple Leafs at Buffalo Sabres
Nov 29, 2013 1 2 3 F TOR (15-7-4) 1 1 1 3 BUF (19-7-1) 1 3 2 6 Three Stars Alexander Steen (BUF) 3 Goals Ville Leino (BUF) 1 Goal, 1 Assist Mikhail Grigorenko (BUF) 1 Goal, 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison TOR BUF Shots on Goal 31 34 Hits 19 12 Faceoffs Won-Lost 23 12 Penalty Minutes 13 5 Power Plays Converted 0 2 Power Play Opportunities 0 4 Time on Attack 5:22 6:14
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Steen 15 (Schenn) - 12:35 (PP) TOR Bodie 2 (Colborne, Fraser) - 16:17 SECOND PERIOD BUF Grigorenko 9 (Ennis, Tropp) - 7:52 BUF Steen 16 (Grigorenko, Ehrhoff) - 9:44 (PP) TOR McLaren 2 (Bodie) - 11:04 BUF Leino 8 (McBain) - 11:47 THIRD PERIOD TOR Phaneuf 3 (Kulemin, Franson) - 6:24 BUF Steen 17 (Leino, Ott) - 11:04 BUF Yakupov 21 (Foligno) - 19:19 (EN)
Toronto Maple Leafs - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jonathan Bernier 33 28 85% 5.01
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Steve Mason 31 28 90% 3.01

Buffalo Sabres at New Jersey Devils
Nov 30, 2013 1 2 3 OT F BUF (20-7-1) 0 1 1 1 3 NJD (18-8-1) 0 0 2 0 2 Three Stars Steve Mason (BUF) 33 Saves Ryane Clowe (NJ) 2 Assists Jamie McBain (BUF) 1 Goal	Team Stats Comparison BUF NJD Shots on Goal 38 35 Hits 22 15 Faceoffs Won-Lost 7 30 Penalty Minutes 2 0 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 0 1 Time on Attack 8:00 5:38
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF Foligno 5 (Hodgson) - 5:13 THIRD PERIOD BUF Gillies 3 (Tropp, Kaleta) - 5:06 NJD Elias 11 (Salvador, Clowe) - 10:50 NJD Jagr 9 (Clowe, Greene) - 11:13 OVERTIME BUF McBain 2 - 4:05
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Steve Mason 35 33 94% 1.87
New Jersey Devils - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Cory Schneider 38 35 92% 2.84

Buffalo Sabres at Philadelphia Flyers
Nov 21, 2013 1 2 3 F BUF (18-5-1) 2 0 2 4 PHI (5-14-2) 1 2 2 5 Three Stars Jakub Voracek (PHI) 2 Goals Henrik Tallinder (BUF) 1 Goal, 1 Assist Claude Giroux (PHI) 1 Goal, 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison BUF PHI Shots on Goal 31 33 Hits 19 16 Faceoffs Won-Lost 12 23 Penalty Minutes 24 22 Power Plays Converted 0 1 Power Play Opportunities 1 2 Time on Attack 6:22 5:32
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD BUF McBain 1 (Ott, Leino) - 11:33 BUF Gillies 2 (Tropp, Tallinder) - 16:05 PHI Giroux 10 (Hartnell, Meszaros) - 18:35 SECOND PERIOD PHI Voracek 3 (Lecavalier, Giroux) - 12:33 (PP) PHI Voracek 4 (Simmonds, Pronger) - 14:12 THIRD PERIOD BUF Tallinder 4 (Ott) - 7:02 BUF Ennis 8 (Yakupov) - 11:15 PHI Hall 2 (Newbury, Pronger) - 16:25 PHI Timonen 2 (Streit, Read) - 19:25
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Steve Mason 33 28 85% 5.00
Philadelphia Flyers - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Ryan Miller 31 27 87% 4.01

Detroit Red Wings at Buffalo Sabres
Nov 24, 2013 1 2 3 F DET (16-8-1) 1 2 0 3 BUF (18-6-1) 0 0 0 0 Three Stars Jonas Gustavsson (DET) 28 Saves Mikael Samuelsson (DET) 1 Goal, 1 Assist Darren Helm (DET) 1 Goal	Team Stats Comparison DET BUF Shots on Goal 29 28 Hits 13 21 Faceoffs Won-Lost 21 8 Penalty Minutes 2 9 Power Plays Converted 0 0 Power Play Opportunities 0 0 Time on Attack 6:20 5:52
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD DET Samuelsson 1 (Smith) - 19:33 SECOND PERIOD DET Helm 4 (Samuelsson, Miller) - 19:33 DET Datsyuk 9 (Zetterberg, Kronwall) - 19:57
Detroit Red Wings - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jonas Gustavsson 28 28 100% 0.00
Buffalo Sabres - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Jhonas Enroth 29 26 90% 3.00

The last three games were not boxscored due to a clerical error. We have fired our intern, bluejayfan65 over the issue.

vs. Montral: L 4-2
vs. Toronto: W 6-3 (Steen Hat Trick)
@ New Jersey: W 3-2 (OT)

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AHL Report: Rochester Americans

Record: 8-10-3

Leading Scorers

Points: Johan Larsson (17)
Goals: Johan Larsson (9)
Assists: Brian Flynn (11)
Penalty Minutes: Drew Bagnall (95)
Plus/Minus: Mike Zigomanis (+3)

Notable Prospects
(expressed: GP-G-A-P-+/--PIM)

Zemgus Girgensons (2012 1st Round Pick, 14th Overall): (21-5-8-13--12-5)
Ty Rattie (Acquired in trade from St. Louis): (21-3-9-12--2-4)
Joel Armia (2011 1st Round Pick, 16th Overall): (21-7-4-11--5-2)
Mark Pysyk (2010 1st Round Pick, 23rd Overall): (13-2-5-7--4-5)
Ramus Ristolainen (2013 1st Round Pick, 8th Overall): (9-1-2-3--5-2)

Andrei Makarov (undrafted free agent, 2012): (1-4, 4.77 G.AA, .831 SV%)

During the Olympic Break, two games of the Rochester Americans will air on Empire Sports Network. The February 16th contest against the Texas Stars and February 21st game against the San Antonio Rampage will be played.

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Big Thanks to Fiddy's NHL 14 sliders. I began to use them after beating the Kings 6-3, and have gone 3-4-1 since using them. This was done so that, well, I didn't win every game 7-3.