Game +/-

By Anne

So was there really any - to this game?

The only thing I can think of is that that SHG slipped by the PP. I still hate shorthanded goals, no matter how many goals we have up on a team, short handed goals suck.

OK !!!

+:

Dear Drew Stafford,

No joke, the other day I was thinking to myself: ya know, I can't believe Drew hasn't gotten himself a hat trick yet in his time in the NHL. He's pretty BA so I'm surprised.

So what did you do? You went and stole my heart forever by putting up a 5 point night (3+2) with a hat trick of your own and setting up 2/3 of Roysie's goals for the night. AND scoring the game winning goal.

As if that weren't enough, finally, NHL.com gives its first star of the night to you and your "what's that on the floor under the camera" roster photo is available for all to see with a sweet #1 right next to it. I'll frame it for you.

You are so firmly entrenched as my favorite Sabre that no one can take you down. You haven't yet reached Pat Lafontaine or Brett Favre (I know he plays football but I really love him) status in my heart, but keep it up, and you'll be giving La-la-la-la-la-la-la-fontaine a run for his money.

Love,

Anne

Derek Roy is also now firmly entrenched as S(h)ara's favorite Sabre. Scrappy-doo comes back from a shoulder injury having prepared and skated and kept up his conditioning in his off time to score his first hat trick of the season. Both of our boys netted 3 goals. Granted, one of them bounced of Roysie's leg as he went flying through the crease, but WHO CARES! He still threw himself across the goal crease. I'll take it. I kind of wish Pie-YAY had gotten credit for that goal, but then Roysie couldn't have been the comeback kid he was tonight. So in my heart they both scored that goal.

The Roy-Stafford-Vanek line was freakin' on FIRE tonight. 7 goals tonight among the 3 of them. Not while all on that line, but they produced at least 2 in the 1st as a line. Staffy had 5 points, Roysie had 4 and Vanek had 3. After scoring 1 on the power play and having some seriously BA playmaking, SabreBritney totally gets the babies back.

Yoyo had a 3 point night (1+2), Danny Pie-Yay had 2 and DMITRI KALININ had 3!?! He hasn't notched a point since the season opener. What was in that gatorade?

You know the team is on a roll in the game when you look at a player who didn't get a goal and you think, what's wrong with you? Sorry, Grizz.

So when down by like, 8 goals, what's the most logical step? Oh, right, take 19 minutes in penalties, just to you alone, Eric Boulton. Including a game misconduct AND getting thrown out of the game for crosschecking Pommerdoodle into the half wall? Excellent, classy, well done.

Games like last night are one of the greatest feelings in the world. As I said last night, if this was last season and we were playing a team that was in the bottom of the conference and this was the result, it wouldn't feel as good. Don't get me wrong, I'd still love it, but it wouldn't be as sweet. We scored 1 goal for every game we didn't win. Sweet, beautiful, poetic justice. I think last night's game should count as 2 wins at least.

Remember when I almost didn't watch last night's game? I tuned in just to check the score when I got in my car after rehearsal. It was just after Roysie made it 4-0. I wasn't listening during the actual goal scoring, I only heard it announced over the PA while Rick was talking and I thought he said Buffalo's 4th goal of the night, but I figured he must've said 1st. Then I listened to ATL score their goal, but Rick didn't seem upset. (At this point, after listening for like 6 minutes, I still didn't know the score). When I heard 4-1 I nearly drove off of the road.

COULD YOU IMAGINE IF I HADN'T WATCHED THE GAME AND I MISSED DREW SCORING HIS FIRST NHL HAT TRICK? I would be so pissed. Thankfully, I listened to or watched all but the first 10 minutes of the game.

So let's keep this energy alive. While we don't expect 10 goals every night, we do enjoy goals, and we'd like you to score as many of them as possible for the rest of the season.

As if there were any doubt, Staffers is clearly game BAMF. With and honorable mention to Roysie and SabreBritney.

Just enjoy:

In sad, nonSabre news, Sid the Kid has suffered a high ankle sprain and is out for the next 4 weeks. What have I done? Heatley? J-Spezz? Alfie? Now Sid? With the exception of Dany Heatley who is a total piece of garbage, I don't really want terrible things to happen to the top players on any teams. When I said I wanted them to go away, I meant more things like they got confused and thought they played baseball for a living or went to the wrong arena and missed the game, not serious 4 weeks of no skating high ankle sprains and hip injuries. Whoops.

So the next 7 are on the road- - we'll be ok. We need to send mad Buffalove to the Sabres on the road.

For those who haven't heard (because you live under a rock or don't listen to WGR) Slick Ricky will not be doing the play by play in Phoenix or Dallas, that baby-faced slickster Kevin Sylvester will take over the responsibility. If I have to be without Slick Ricky, I'm very glad its K-Sylv whose taking over. I love Kevin Sylvester. He always looks optimistic and genuine and when we lose, his face is easy to hear the bad news from. Roby, not so much. He's the bad cop to Sylvie's good cop. I'm still working on a Kevin Sylvester nickname, it'll be in the works.

In spite of all the goals, my favorite moment of the night goes to Adam Mair. Mairsy, who I deem to be one of the most terrifying men in the NHL in spite of the fact that he's a Sabre takes this moment when, while we reviewed his mic'd-up footage, he looked over to equipment manager George Babcock mid-game, not to get a new stick, sharpen his skates, or fix a helmet problem no, no.

Mairsy: Hey George! ya got any gum?

Perfect.