Pre-Season Game 2

by Anne

So I couldn't watch the game so I was forced to just listen to it on an ancient radio.

I just wrote these thoughts as they popped into my head.

First Period:

• What the *bleep* happened on that first Montreal goal? Rick seemed totally bumfuzzled

• I squeed more than anticipated when Rick said something like "The rebound is covered up but guess who's right there. If the puck's there, he's there. Nathan Gerbe." or, as I heard it "Anne, your love is justified, Nathan Gerbe is totally legit, even if he's limited your profile so you can't write on his wall and profess your hockeylove, and I keep pronouncing it 'Gerbay' but I'm Rick Jeanneret and you love me, so you're ok with it."

• Drew Stafford, you suck. We had 29 seconds of powerplay and you ruined it. Good luck appearing on my top list this season. WHY MUST YOU TREAT MY HEART WITH SUCH DISREGARD
  

• Sabretooth has been there for three days. Three days?!?! Was he just wandering around? Did he have a hotel room? Did he and Youppi have any comical mascot outings together? Did Rick Martin translate his silent mascot gestures into French for him?
  

• The listener gets the impression Rick Jeanneret can't see much at this arena, he and Harry keep going "Uhhh well, I'm not sure what happened, but play has stopped." "I don't know what the penalty is and they're not speaking English, so we'll have to wait and find out." "I'm not sure who is who when they're skating towards us, they're too far away."

• Patrick Lalime seems like he's doing well for us out there. Obvi, I can't see, but he seems to be coming up big, based on Harry and Rick's commentary. That goal seemed to deflect freakishly off of Tone and Lalime, so you can't really fault him for that. I'm still looking at Mr. Lalalalalime with rose coloured glasses, give it time, Patrick, I might hate you soon, just ask Drew Stafford

• KSylv tells me TIMMY is wearing the C. I didn't see this coming. COME ON. I CAN'T HANDLE THIS SUDDENLY RESPONSBILE, HAPPY AND POTENTIALLY LOVEABLE TIMMY. I need to be ready to hate him in case we lose him soon.
  

• I think Brian Koziol is calling it "Robertval", like its named after a man named Robert
  

Second Period:

• Rick and Harry are talking about hot dogs and the wacky route back to the airport in Chicoutimi and how loved ones of the players shouldn't wait up. I think we get it, Roberval is not exactly a bustling metropolis
  

• I just realized that Gerbe and Roy are on the same line with Max. Who is the muscle on that line? Hahahahaha. Do you think Roysie specifically requested Gerbe? Do you think Max has even noticed he's there?
  

• Harry just went on for a little too long about Gerbe's legs and how great he is, and how he's all over the place. I think Harry has a crush on little Nathan

• Staffy and Sergi KosTITSyn were mixin' it up. Don't bother Staffy, I don't even CARE about him, bother Timmy, who I suddenly and inexplicably care a lot about in a "he's a real hockey player" way, not in a "please just don't kill him" way
  

• On a totally unrelated note, my dream man from one of my classes and I actually carried on a conversation today. It's only small steps to true love
  

• Patches attempted a spin-o-rama and got tripped for his trouble. At least we got the power play
  

• We get our powerplay song in Roberval. Awesome.

• Gerbe on the top power play unit makes me happy

• Big fat nothin' on the PP. I couldn't see him, but in my mind I yelled at Timmy to shoot, just for old time's sake

• Buffalo broke up a 2 on 1? WHAT. Everytime last season I heard the words, "Here comes [insert opposing team here] on a 2 on 1." I knew we were going to get scored on. On the only 2 I've been listening to in these last 2 games, we haven't been scored on. Sweet.

• Harry has declared Mark Mancari is making the line-up. Thus Harry spaketh and thus it was...? I'd be fine with that.

• Lalalalalalime has a great save. Those words are music to my ears.

• A Stafford pass is intercepted. Color. Me. Surprised.

• TONE. DON'T TAKE PENALTIES.

• OH GOD. TIMMY GOT HIT IN THE HEAD WHILE ON THE PENALTY KILL. Oh, phew, Rick has instantly reassured us that Timmy is not hurt, the shot was not that hard.

• O'Byrne sounds like a douchebag. He knocked down Timmers. DON'T HIT TIMMERS. HE'S FRAGILE. THIS IS PRESEASON. STOP IT. HE'S OUR CAPTAIN TONIGHT. I KNOW, RYAN O'BYRNE, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT EITHER! BUT, REGARDLESS, DON'T HIT HIM
  

• Don't hit Roysie either! Geez louise! Sabres are getting taken down left and right.

• Back on the PP. Five forwards. SHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!

• Great, a Montreal short handed goal. Great. Just. Great. Great. Great. Awesome. Wow. Great. Thanks. This is awesome. Great. I hate hockey.

• Come ON already. SCORE.

• Sweet, another PP attempt that will go nowhere

• WOW. Another short handed goal on a 2 ON 1. THIS SUCKS.
  

• I take back all of my predictions for a good season. I'm just battening down the hatches now. I'm a Buffalo sports fan, I don't take our failures lightly
  

• Great. Now we're getting Ole'd on yet another PP that did absolutely nothing

• What a terrible game thus far.

• 0 for 6 with the man advantage. Great. Just. Great.

Third Period:

• I stopped blogging as I listened, so I'll just say WHAT HAPPY DANCING AND LEAPING AND SQUEALING THERE WAS WHEN GERBE SCORED!!!!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! Can't he make the club right off the bat, please? please?!?!?!!

• I suppose Staffy slightly redeemed himself by making it possible for Derek Roy to score. But he got yet another penalty so he's still just mostly dead to me.

• I don't exactly know what happened with the last face off but I get the impression no one was near the faceoff dot when the ref dropped the puck. I'm sure if I had seen it I'd have more to say so for now I'll just say: "????????????"
  

Over all:

Better than the first game but still not great. Being a Buffalo sports fan, I have now predicted this team to finish 13th in the conference with Atlanta and Florida the only teams behind us.

And tonight I learned that Craig Rivet has a toy poodle apparently named Ted. I love him more with each passing day. That, and because he hasn't played yet.

I really wanted Timmy's debut as Captain to go well. Alack and fie, it did not. Boooooo.


And to answer my previous question, yes apparently Youppi and Sabretooth did have fun mascot-y adventures:

Better to send Sabretooth, Youppi is more than a little terror-inducing, sick children have enough to face without his wacky red hair and dopey expression
Wait, Brian Campbell?

Oy. It's only the preseason, its only the preseason.