Miller, Rivet and Afinogenov

[OpIv37]

all played GREAT last night.

Stafford didn't have a great game overall but came through when it counted.

My two complaints so far this season:
1. No sustained pressure in the offensive zone. I said this a couple days ago and even the VS announcers were picking up on it. I think part of the problem may be one too many passes in the defensive zone on the break out, which slows everything down.

2. We ceded one point each to Montreal and Boston by going to OT. With only six games against division rivals this year, that could hurt in the final standings. I'm more worried about Montreal than Boston, but Boston is young so anything could happen.

[BlackMetalNinja]

I fell asleep between the 2nd and 3rd :( Good thing I setup the DVR so I can watch the end after work today though. We really need to get over this whole "slow starting" thing we seem to have going on. It's nice to be able to come back when we put ourselves in a hole, but it would obviously be nicer just to get a lead early instead.

[Dr. Lecter]

A few other notes:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
1. Sekera was all over the place. One great shift and then a terrible one. <o:p></o:p>
2. Tallinder was outstanding as well, often covering for Sekera gaffes.<o:p></o:p>
3. Kaleta is pissing me off. Once again he skated by a loose puck in the offensive zone to hit a guy. Hitting is great, but not at the expense of not gaining control of the puck. Of course, half of the morons in the crowd cheered when he did that.<o:p></o:p>
4. The game was not sold out. About 350 tickets were unsold. Being a division game and with a hot start, this surprised me. <o:p></o:p>
5. Once again, I had a person behind me yelling "shoot" on the PP. When the point guy (I think it was Rivet) did shoot, the shot was blocked by the defender and he yelled at Rivet for shooting. Sigh. <o:p></o:p>
6. The PK streak had to end at some point.<o:p></o:p>
7. Officiating is worse than ever. There was a play where Sekera missed the pass at the blueline (it was a sloppy pass) and the puck was a foot out the zone. Sekera golfed it back in and there was no offsides called. The highstick called on Max was weak. In OT while the Sabres were killing the penalty, Spacek had a clear path to the puck to clear and he was simultaneously held, hooked and interfered with. No call. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>

[RockStar36]

Maybe I'm just being hard on Max because he still makes me want to put my foot through the tv. Miller has been on his game this season, hopefully putting to rest all those people who constantly bash him.

[mchurchfie]

Max was one of the few Sabres that came to play last night. Despite his little screwups here and there he played with a lot of energy, something the others were lacking in sorely. There was no excuse for the slow start, especially after having a few days rest and going against a team that had played late the night before.