Right, so they were a crappy defensive team with an excellent goalie.
There’s no denying that Miller is an excellent goalie and that he helps carry the Sabres at times, but goalies don’t win games by themselves and even the best goalies fail when they don’t have good support in front of them.
Puck Prospectus did an article on goalie support that happened to use Miller as an example.
Regardless, if you want to disagree that Buffalo wasn’t a defensively responsible team then I’m not going to really argue as it isn’t important to the point I was trying to make when I chose to list them, and only serves as a straw man to deflect attention away from the point I actually was making.
The Lester Patrick Award for outstanding service to hockey in the United States has been awarded to former Boston Bruin Cam Neely, Boston University coach Jack Parker, Boston College coach Jerry York, and longtime American Hockey League president Dave Andrews.
Is anybody watching the Caps and Canes?
Did they really play two periods without a shot or penalty?
Halfway thru the 3rd and there seems to be 12 shots total…
OK, looks like the Caps scored, but still two periods without a shot.
what gives with Washington?
I think somebody at the NHL and TSN fell asleep. Sportsnet has the game log indicating action in both the first and second periods.
Big Joe Thornton gets a hat trick!
Speaking of goalies, as much as I love the guy, I can’t understand what’s up with Marc-Andre Fleury? He’s just not playing up to his potential lately. I just don’t get it. 
At the same time, I’ll feel a LOT better when Jordan Staal is back out on the ice.
Andrei Markov will be back tomorrow night.
Alex Auld gets the start tonight against the Islanders.
Unless it’s an injury or some sort of distraction, he’ll get better.
He played above his level in 2007-08 and has been regressing to his mean each season since. Right now he’s below his level, and that will balance out, but he’s also being held up to a standard he can’t be expected to maintain.
In the end, he’s a slightly above average goalie who has consistency problems, so these lows will come with the highs… but he benefits from playing on an offensively gifted team that can help carry him when he struggles, so it’s highly unlikely he’ll continue to rack up the losses.
Video of Brad Richards putting a hole through the glass on a dump-in in Dallas.
We had RIS on last night - they ran a little piece every 5 minutes about Alex Auld starting tonight against the Isles, which prompted us to start with “OMG, Really?” every time they showed it. My husband and I have spent the day texting each other back and forth to remind each other that Alex Auld will be starting tonight. Somehow, at this point, it’s become the most hilarious thing in the world 
Saw part of a Classic Series on NHL Network last night. Toronto v Buffalo (I think 1999?). Dominic Hasek was the goaltender for Buffalo. I’d seen clips here and there but didn’t follow the game back when he played. Holy fuck is he ever insane to watch. Just flipping and flopping around and stopping nearly everything that comes his way. It was so entertaining!
Can’t wait for Markov tomorrow!
There’s a running joke in my family that began about 15 years ago when, on one trip to visit my great-aunt, every 5 minutes she would mention that “Herb (her son) is in Buffalo. Greg’s (her other son) going next week.”
Now if I’m with my parents and hear something about Buffalo on TV or wherever, one of us will always say something like “That’s where Herb is.” Another one of us will always add “Greg’s going next week.”
And the Leafs-Sabres series was indeed from '99, when Hasek was at the acme of his career. He posted save percentages that were just obscenely high–five seasons above .930(!)–and doing all of it facing well upwards of 30 shots a game most nights.
pssst…Alex Auld’s starting tonight!
I hope so – I love the Flower, and I hate seeing him struggle like this. (Although our entire team SUCKED the other night)
Okay, tonight better be good. DIE CRYERS, DIE!!! (Hartnell no longer looks like a Carrot Top clone)
Canes win on the road again. Jeff Skinner continues to impress with 2 goals and an assist tonight. Taylor who?
Pens tomorrow.
I’m hearing a lot of “Fire John MacLean” rumors. Could this happen so early in the season? The Devils have two tough games in Vancouver and Chicago. Would 2 more losses be enough for them to make a coaching change?
I realize that’s late in the third of that game, but wow. “Good seats available”.
Keep in mind that the Texas Rangers are in the World Series for the first time ever.
Lou Lamoriello has a quick hook, but not that quick.
While there are some definite concerns with MacLean’s seeming inability to make the proper in-game adjustments (particularly after the first period… their second period stats are brutal), it’s not like he’s been handed the best hand to start the season with: shortened bench, injuries, cap concerns, etc.
Besides, they’re not rumors, they’re just irate fans unaccustomed to losing looking for a scapegoat. Lou is notorious for keeping things close to the vest, and if he were seriously mulling over firing the coach, we’d be the last ones to know about it.