Buffalo Sabres

Jochen Hecht #55 / Center / Buffalo Sabres Height: 6-1 Weight: 198 Born: Jun 21, 1977 GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT 2012 - Jochen Hecht 47 5 9 14 6 18 0 1 1 0 69 7.2 Contract: $1,000,000 last season, retired at end of the season. Report Card Grade in 2012: 4 out of 10 Introduction: Jochen Hecht was added to this year's side almost as an afterthought. A free agent after the end of last season, this Lindy Ruff favorite proved that he had recovered enough from the previous season's concussion woes to come back and play for the Sabres again. This shortened season's version of Hecht proved to be much more durable, and more suited for the fourth line anchor role that he played. Rarely spectacular since the glory days of 2006-07, he chipped in with a few goals and assists here and there, but for the most part played the grinder's part alongside John Scott and Patrick Kaleta. Key Stat: Despite the reputation for being a defensive forward and playing only 13:41 per game, Hecht showed his worth on both sides of the ice this season - the team's shooting percentage when he was on ice was only better when Thomas Vanek, Brian Flynn and Cody Hodgson were on, and the Sabres goalies' save percentages just marginally higher when Steve Ott and Patrick Kaleta were on the ice. As always, Hecht does a lot of the little things well, but hasn't particularly excelled at anything either. The Sabres should have no problem finding someone who does well at being average for cheaper while playing a more physical game. Thumbs Up: Apart from John Scott who barely had any minutes, Hecht had the highest numbers for goals against and team +/- when he was off the ice. Thumbs Down: As if it were possible, Hecht's faceoff numbers dipped even further from last year, down to a miserable 41.6%. Voting: Using the good old grade school system of A, B, C, D, F, with A representing a great season, C an average season, and F a very poor season, grade Jochen Hecht on his performance this year according to the expectations you had for him. Poll What grade would you give Jochen Hecht for his 2012-13 season? A B C D F 6 votes | Results

Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports The Boston Bruins stepped closer to the Stanley Cup Finals and a sweep of the New York Rangers last night; and the San Jose Sharks evened the series with the Los Angeles Kings.  Are the Rangers done for – and are the Sharks a contender this year? The Bruins have that tenacity and hunger and could be the team to beat this year.  Is there a way to stop the Boston Bruins? [The Boston Globe]. Former Buffalo Sabre Dan Paille scores the game winning goal against the New York Rangers last night.  [SI.com]. Henrik Lundqvist wasn’t the problem last night at Madison Square Garden.  [NY Daily News]. Brian Boyle says there is still more hockey to play and that the New York Rangers are not done yet.  Someone needs to tell Mr. Boyle that de Nile is a river in Egypt.  [ESPN]. The Ottawa Senators needs to take it a game at a time and play their game if they want to even the series or have a shot against the Pittsburgh Penguins.  [Vancouver Sun]. Ottawa was seconds away from a 3-0 deficit, can they generate lightning in a bottle one more time to force at least six games?  Early I wrote that Buffalo has a good chance of winning the Stanley Cup before 2035 (longer if the league expands) because a different team has won the Stanley Cup each year since the full season lockout.  The New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and San Jose Sharks are our only hope to keep that hope alive.

Sabres Links The Pegula Story no one wants to talk about [Buffalo Wins] This week's Roostcast talks about all sorts of topics, including the Toronto mayor cocaine story [Goose's Roost] Colin Greening should be on the Sabres wishlist [SabreNoise] Around The League Patrick Roy to become Avalanche coach [Denver Post] Predators hire Phil Housley as assistant [TSN] Leafs Leo Komarov talking to Moscow Dynamo [TSN] Alexei Emelin out six months [NHL.com]

May 21, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) deflects a shot by Boston Bruins center David Krejci (46) in game three of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports Heading into tonight’s Game 3 matchup in Round 2 of the NHL Playoffs, the New York Rangers find themselves with the tough task of trying to bounce back from a 2-0 deficit against the chippy Boston Bruins. After finding themselves thoroughly outplayed in Game 2, with reigning Vezina champion Henrik Lundqvist surrendering 5 goals, the series shifts to home ice for the Rangers at Madison Square Garden. FIRST PERIOD RECAP In the first period, the Bruins came out with the upper hand, controlling the tempo and play for most of the period. Despite the advantage of 2 power play opportunities, both were squandered by the Rangers. Boston continually and consistently won the battles along the boards, and was able to move the puck up the middle of the ice swiftly. Lundqvist made 9 saves, including a pair of clean breakaway chances by the Bruins. Aside from that, the Rangers generated little in the way of scoring chances for themselves, making it an easy period for Tuukka Rask. Rochester native Ryan Callahan enjoyed a hard-working period, which included a nice hit on Zdeno Chara, who got punked out and needed Adam McQuaid to stick up for him. Chara was shown bleeding from cuts following the hit. Earlier in the series, NBC announced proclaimed that “no one wants to fight Chara,” which does not appear to be the case. Callahan also blocked a hard Bruins slap shot from the point. For the Rangers to have a chance at winning this game, and climbing back into the series, it will be critical for them to grab the first goal of this game. SECOND PERIOD RECAP As the second period got underway, the Rangers were granted the gift of their 3rd power-play of the game. Unfortunately, their power play stayed putrid, as it has been in both Rounds 1 and 2, and they could not capitalize. Yet, 4 minutes in, former Buffalo Sabre Taylor Pyatt was able to get the Rangers the first goal that they badly needed, tipping in a shot from Ryan McDonagh. After enjoying a few minutes of momentum, the Bruins transitioned right back to their control of the play. Lundqvist continued his stellar play, enjoying chants of “Henrik! Henrik!” by the home crowd following another solid save with 9 minutes remaining. The Bruins continued their control up until the close of the period, with no goals to show for their efforts. Throughout the period, the NBC broadcast crew continued their clear favoritism of the Bruins and their players, with Pierre McGuire in particular having his man-crush on Bruins rookie defensemen Torey Krug in full display multiple times. Yes, Krug has played well since joining the NHL, but not on the level that McGuire would have you think. Zdeno Chara, to his credit, has kept Rick Nash of the Rangers in check. Play of the period? Brad Marchand, he who spelled “Champions” wrong in a tattoo, caught on camera purposely trying to kick a puck into the net, and missing. To this point, Lundqvist has been the story and star of the game. THIRD PERIOD RECAP As the third period got underway, it was clear that both teams realized the stakes. A Rangers win, and New York is back in the series. A Bruins win, and Boston has the series all but wrapped up. 3 minutes into the period, Johnny Boychuk kissed a gift-horse, as he notched the game-tying goal, sending a snap-shot through a swarm of bodies. After that, the pace continued to pick up, as it became a smash-mouth game and war of attrition. Marchand clearly did not want part of it, as his cheap antics led to Scott Thornton having to try and stand up for him against Derek Dorsett. “No one wants number 22,” exclaimed McGuire. Later, Tyler Seguin’s stick connected with Chris Kreider’s face, with

Mikhail Grigorenko #25 / Center / Buffalo Sabres Height: 6-3 Weight: 200 Born: May 16, 1994 G A P +/- PIM 2012 - Mikhail Grigorenko 1 4 5 -1 0 Contract: $1.76 Million cap hit through 2014-2015 Report Card for 2012: None Introduction: It was hard to escape the "Grigorenko Fever" after the Sabres drafted the young Russian in last year's draft. After a solid start to his season in the QMJHL, Grigorenko was given a chance to prove himself on the Sabres after the lockout ended. Hopes were high for the forward, however, he was never able to really get things going in Buffalo. Grigorenko seemed to struggle in proving to either Lindy Ruff or Ron Rolston that he was worthy of solid ice time and was passed by other rookies like Brian Flynn. After 22 games with only five points Grigorenko was sent back down to juniors until his season ended with the Quebec Remparts. After the QMJHL season he returned for three final games with the team before the Sabres season came to a close as well. He was sent down to Rochester for the first time to play the Marlies in the playoffs. Key Stat: Sabres fans learned that how much they'd be seeing of Grigorenko was surely on a game-to-game basis. His ice time was all over the place depending on how Lindy/Rolston felt he was playing. This ranged from 4 minutes and 51 seconds to 17 minutes and 10 seconds. Thumbs Up: Grigorenko was able to get NHL experience under his belt, even though he struggled in his first season. Only a year after being drafted, he is still very young but has shown some flickers of greatness, especially by flashing his sweet passing skills every now and then. Thumbs Down: Grigorenko just didn't seem ready to be in the NHL just yet and at many times looked rather lost. Even at the AHL level for the two playoff games he played in he wasn't on his game, where he scored zero points. Only one goal through 25 games was hardly what the Sabres envisioned for Mikhail's first season. He spent much of his time in Buffalo working on his skating, even taking games off now and then so he could undergo more intense training under the eyes of Ron Rolston and his assistants. How he responds to that training next season will go a long way to determining his NHL fate. Using the good old grade school system of A, B, C, D, F, with a A representing a great season, C an average season, and F a very poor season, grade Mikhail Grigorenko on his performance this year according to the expectations you had for him. Poll How would you grade Mikhail Grigorenko's season? A B C D F 11 votes | Results

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports If you’re a die-hard Sabres’ fan, the looming offseason, filled with so many uncertainties, has you feeling one of two ways: you are either, 1. excited for change and looking forward to watching a young, athletic squad tear it up in the First Niagara Center; or 2. nervously stock-piling weapons and canned goods in the make-shift fallout shelter that you and your weird cousin built in your basement/backyard/storage shed. Actually, number two is more for Preppers’ fans, but I could see it fitting some of our readers, too!  The point I’m trying to make here is that there are a lot of unanswered questions that have to be addressed during the offseason, not the least of which is the subject of today’s poll: since it’s only the most important position in all of hockey, who will be handed the role of Buffalo’s starting goaltender for the 2013-2014 NHL season? As everyone knows, Ryan Miller put his condominium in Elmwood Village up for sale at the end of this past year’s regular season, and everyone who was in attendance at the First Niagara Center for the Sabres’ final game this year – which just so happened to be Miller’s 500th game as a member of the Buffalo Sabres – had to feel like we were saying goodbye to the second-best goalie to suit up for the blue and gold.  Is it absolutely certain that Miller will not return next year?  Nothing is ever certain . . . except this.  I cannot imagine that Miller wants to spearhead another rebuild, so in my opinion, the probability of him playing for the Sabres next year is, sadly, at zero percent. Apr 22, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; Buffalo Sabres goalie Jhonas Enroth (1) during the game against the Winnipeg Jets at the First Niagara Center. The Jets beat the Sabres 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports A possible heir to Miller’s throne?  Jhonas Enroth.  Yes, the same man who EVERYONE was afraid to watch early last season is an actual, legitimate contender for the Sabres’ number one goalie spot.  Whatever funk Enroth allowed himself to fall into, he climbed out of it midway through last season, and from that point on the man was lights out.  He carried his stellar play over to the IIHF World Championships, where he propelled Sweden to the gold medal by going 6-1, with a GAA of 1.15 and a save percentage of .956.  Enroth was named the best goalie of the tournament, and has to be feeling pretty confident that he has earned the right to inherit the role of the franchise’s number one netminder right about now.  Heck, he even wears number one! How much more symbolism do you want? Other options for Buffalo include Matt Hackett, who the Sabres acquired from Minnesota in the Jason Pominville trade and who has had a pretty successful career in the minors, and the obvious attempt to try and package Miller and another player (perhaps Drew Stafford?) in a trade that would bring a proven number one goalie into Buffalo – Mike Smith?  Jaroslav Halak?  I’m inclined to think that the Sabres snagged Hackett for a reason – to back up Enroth during the season.  Of course, I’ve been wrong before . . . lots and lots of times!  So tell us here at Sabre Noise – who do YOU think will be Buffalo’s next number one net minder? Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports The Los Angeles Kings could put a stranglehold on the San Jose Sharks tonight, a win could put the defending Stanley Cup Champions up three games to one.  The New York Rangers need a big win at MSG if they want to prevent the Boston Bruins from sweeping them out of the second round of competition. Henrik Lundqvist isn’t going to let his sore shoulder stop him from tending the net for the New York Rangers.  [New York Daily News]. Rangers head coach John Tortorella staying positive for game three, his time with the boys of Broadway almost up.  [CBC Sports], Don’t count the New York Rangers out of the series just yet, they came back against the Washington Capitals as well.  [TSN]. The Boston Bruins have that look and swagger that they had a few years ago, but is Tuukka Rask a Stanley Cup goalie? [Bleacher Report]. Don’t believe in Boston?  Check out these five statistics about the Bruins that might change your mind.  [Bleacher Report]. Last year the Los Angeles Kings relied on a stable blue line to win the Stanley Cup, this year pairings have been shifting more than a California fault line.  [Los Angeles Times]. Statistics are a funny creature, and you can make them say just about anything, but the Sharks are dominating in faceoffs.  Could it be the game changer? [Mercury News]. Have you Liked us on Facebook yet?  At 500 Likes we will be giving away a Free Fansided T-Shirt.  You can also win a 42 inch television from Fansided and Sabre Noise by liking Facebook and signing up for the daily newsletter below. What are you waiting for?

The Buffalo Sabres announced yesterday that they've re-signed forward John Scott to a one-year extension for $750,000. The contract is a raise over the $600,000 Scott made this season, and is right about where he should be paid for what he offers any team willing to take him on, which is essentially just a massive body. Oh, and excellent post-game interview trolling skills. However entertaining his off-ice antics are, in 34 games Scott failed to register a single point last year, despite seeing his ice time increase at the end of the season. Is it worth it to have such a one-dimensional player taking up an NHL roster spot? Sabres GM Darcy Regier seems to think so, how about you, Sabres fans? John Scott #32 / Left Wing / Buffalo Sabres Height: 6-8 Weight: 270 Born: Sep 26, 1982 GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG GTG SOG PCT 2012 - John Scott 34 0 0 0 -1 69 0 0 0 15

Putting aside the proven fact that the Original 6 teams often get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to NHL Discipline, there are very specific reasons your head should boil over with rage every time some talking head brings up an Original 6 team like a jilted spouse brings up a ten year old argument. The Montreal Canadiens Founded: 1909 (joined NHL in 1917) Logo Most Closely Resembles: An eight year old’s notebook doodle. Biggest Offense: Rampant Xenophobia Why You Should Hate Them: Geez, where do you begin?  If they’re not doing their best to import all the worst parts of French culture and none of the charms, they’re filing police reports against opposing players and finding even newer and more inventive ways to whine.  It’s cool that the Montreal Canadiens have a long rich history, and a ton of championships, but they’ve so watered down their product with pregame delays ceremonies that none of it matters anymore.  The most notable thing they’ve done in the past twenty years was run one of their franchise’s best players out of town.  They’re the New York Yankees of hockey, if the New York Yankees had given up success for lent twenty years ago and then forgot it existed. The Boston Bruins Founded: 1924 Logo Most Closely Resembles: A bicycle tire Biggest Offense: Existing Why You Should Hate Them: Because Boston fans have handled the success of their sports teams about as well as the average lottery winner.  This is what it looks like every time they win even the most meaningless of meaningless games: Or every time one of their gargantuan players beats up on someone five inches and thirty pounds smaller.  They’re billed as a great fanbase even though as few as five years ago they were in the bottom third of the league and they have as many appearances in the top ten since the 05-06 lockout as attendance powerhouses Los Angeles, Tampa Bay, Washington, and St. Louis.  Oh, and they also have the worst home ice advantage in the NHL.  At least they’re not the Red Sox though. The Toronto Maple Leafs Founded: 1917 Logo Most Closely Resembles: Nature’s trash Why You Should Hate Them: On the surface, Toronto almost seems too pathetic to hate.  Up until this season they hadn’t made the playoffs in a million billion years, and they haven’t won a cup since the mesozoic era.  THEN they went and lost to the Boston Bruins in the most ball-kicking way possible.  Plus their ownership constantly bilks their fans out of a ton of money for a terrible product.  I might feel sorry for them if they didn’t send fans over by the truckload to Sabres games to prove that they too cannot handle their liquor.  At least they can probably fill multiple buildings, unlike… The Detroit Red Wings Founded: 1926 Logo Most Closely Resembles: Boston’s Why You Should Hate Them: Ah, the American answer to the Montreal Canadiens’ sense of entitlement and arrogance.  Let’s be clear, ‘Hockeytown,’ isn’t some quaint nickname born out of years of fan support, it’s a marketing atrocity thought up by the team itself that is younger than I am.  The worst thing about the Red Wings is how commentators seem to think they’re some beautiful symbol of American culture.  Which part exactly?  Their mostly European Roster?  The Green Goblin they call their coach, embodying the worst in American villainy?  Their crappy city, high crime, corrupt politicians, and anti-gay partnership?  They’re like the Insane Clown Posse of the NHL, which is perfect because ICP is also from Detroit and also frequently plays to a bunch of empty seats. The Chicago Blackhawks Founded: 1926 Logo Most Closely Resembles: Racism Why You Should Hate Them: I’m sorry, but did everyone convene in 2010 and agree to pretend that the Blackhawks have always been awesome?  From 1999 to 2008, they couldn’t PAY people to watch the games.  Here’s where they

Craig Anderson was near perfect as the Ottawa Senators snuck out a win in game 3. It took nearly 2 overtime periods but the Senators managed to get their first win of the series. When Erik Karlsson took a slashing penalty with 90 seconds left with the Senators down by 1, it looked like the Pittsburgh Penguins would take a 3-0 series lead. Cue Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson. With 30 seconds left in the third period and the Senators down a man, Alfredsson snuck behind the Penguins defence to deflect a pass behind Tomas Vokoun. With 30 seconds left the game was tied and the Penguins were left stunned. Instead of capitalizing on their late power play, they tried to play in a lockdown mode to solidify the win and it cost them the game. Game three proved just how exciting and intense playoff hockey is. As the game advanced to overtime you could sense the tension. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports Everyone sitting on the edges of their seats watching each goalie make save after save. Both Tomas Vokoun and Craig Anderson put on a goaltending clinic, stoning shooters point black. In the end Anderson got the last save and the Senators now have life in the series. Before the game I talked about what the Senators needed to do to get back into the series and win game 3. Get better goaltending, score more goals and keep Sidney Crosby off the scoreboard. The Senators managed to accomplish all three of those things and it resulted in a game 3 win. While they didn’t have an offencive outburst, they did manage to outscore the Penguins. The key to winning a hockey game is to score more goals than your opponent before time runs out, the Senators managed to do that. Game Notes Craig Anderson stopped 49 of 50 shots through 5 periods for the win. He stood tall all night, stopping rush after rush from the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal. With Anderson stopping virtually everything he saw, all the Senators had to do was score some goals. While he hadn’t been great through the first two games of the season, he looked stellar tonight. If Anderson plays as well as he did in game 3, there’s no reason the Senators can’t upset the Penguins. Aside from exciting hockey the other thing the playoffs are famous for is turning some-what unknown players into heroes. Remember Trevor Lewis and Dwight King from the LA Kings Stanley Cup win? They were virtual nobodies before the Stanley Cup Finals. Last night Colin Greening scored the overtime winner which gave life to the Senators. Greening is a player who has come alive during the playoffs. He’s scored 3 goals in his last 3-playoff games. Greening may not be a star like Kyle Turris or Jason Spezza but when he’s contributing it only helps the Sens. Jason Spezza played his first game since January 27th and looked pretty decent. He played just under 19 minutes registering 4 shots and winning 60% of his face-offs. Spezza’s return provided some offencive depth for the Senators and allowed them to play two top lines. After the game everyone was upset with the officiating. While no game will ever be officiated perfectly, the referees have not been great through the first two rounds of the playoffs. The call everyone is most upset about is a missed high-stick to the face of Erik Karlsson. Matt Cooke attempted to clear the puck but instead nailed Karlsson right in the face. There was no call on the play and Karlsson was not a happy camper. Should there have been a penalty on the play? Yes, but Erik Karlsson is beginning to get a bad reputation for diving. He was even given a penalty for diving in this game. It’s a shame because Karlsson is a fantastic young defenceman, but the book on him is that he’ll go down pretty easily with minimal contact. If Karlsson wants to get some of those close calls, he’ll need to stop diving, snapping his head back and yelling at the officials. With game 4 set to go on Wednesday night, the Se