by: mpatton
There is not much to say. 15 shots on goal in a pivotal game says it all. In order for the Sabres to attempt to claw back into this series, the effort needed to be about survival, pride and passion. Those needs evolved into 15 shots on goal, 0 for 6 on the power play and eventually, 0-3 against a team that seems to be destined for the finals. At the risk of sounding defeatist, all we have left to do is sit and wait for what we know is coming soon.
This is going to be a very difficult summer filled with memories of a lot of great nights that will be easily neutralized by memories of one series that ended it all, yet again. This series is not like last year. Last year, we were the darlings of the new NHL who played the underdog role with an Oscar caliber flare. We rode out the storm all the way to the end and left everything but pints of blood on the ice in Raleigh. Last summer wasn't easy because none of us could wait till October when a team even hungrier would make another push. This summer it's going to be tough because we will find out which teams each of our co-captains will play for and will they, like so many other former Sabres, find glory with another team.
This summer will also be filled with a lot of resentment and many what if's. Hindsight always being 20/20, it's impossible not to ask what if. What if Darcy Regeir doesn't sign Spacek and instead promotes Paetsch uses the extra money to sign J.P. Dumont to a few years? Could the line of Pomminville, Briere and Dumont be the French Connection 2K, but this time with a Cup? Could Briere be convinced that he could never leave such a great line situation behind? We will never know. What if Mike Grier didn't listen to locker room and media gossip and signed with Buffalo rather than San Jose? Could he and Drury locked down the Ottawa top line like last year? We will never know. I fell terrible for saying this but, what if we don't re-sign Tim Connolly and we keep Taylor Pyatt? Between Pyatt, Grier, and Zubrus, it's safe to say Buffalo would not have been banged around like rag-dolls this series. But again, we will never know.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. We do have one more game to lose yet. I have already been chastised as being a coward for giving up after Saturday night's loss by family and friends and perhaps they are right. But, was it my pessimism that lost tonight's game or was it one shot on goal in 6 power play attempts? Was it my lack of confidence in a miracle comeback or was it the Sabres' only two superstars putting up one shot, combined? This is a tough pill because it seems the captains are primed to go down with the ship. I don't doubt for one minute the drive and the resolve of our captains, but it is sure a let down to see them play so brilliantly all year long and then fade out in the Conference Finals. In order for a 2004 Red Sox miracle to take place, aside from Ottawa's top line coming down with the measles, Danny Briere and Chris Drury would have to combine all their good play from the entire regular season and compress it into 4 games of play that would only be described as god-like. I like the thought, but then I wake up with my hand down my pants.
Inside this ugly and disgusting waxy ball of negativity and pessimism that could only come from a transplanted Sabres fan in a state like Maryland, there is one ray of light that is still shining bright and that is Ryan Miller. The entire year, he was the best non-shutout goalie in the league. He didn't dominate like Brodeur or Luongo, but he always did his job which was to keep his team in the game. His mental toughness improved even more than it did last year and his leadership on and off the ice was that of a seasoned veteran. He encapsulates what it means to be a Buffalo Sabre. His goal isn't stardom or headlines in the New York Post, his goal is to win games and to do his job well for his team. My only real wish is that he is a Sabre for a long time and wins the games he deserves to win, such as tonight, because he is the face of this team and what it should stand for.
So, all that is left to do is wait. Much like the Sopranos, we don't know how it will end but we do know that it is going to end. Will it end Wednesday with an embarrassing and demoralizing sweep in front of the Ottawans, or will it be Saturday in front of 19,000 teary eyed Buffalonians? One thing is for sure; in my lifetime, only one team came back from a 0-3 hole in a playoff series. Can't remember? I'll give you a hint, they are one of three teams that are more cursed than the Sabres and they had to wait 86 years for a ring. You know what? If I could be guaranteed the same fate for the Sabres, I would learn to be patient because even at 77 years old, it would be worth the wait.
There is not much to say. 15 shots on goal in a pivotal game says it all. In order for the Sabres to attempt to claw back into this series, the effort needed to be about survival, pride and passion. Those needs evolved into 15 shots on goal, 0 for 6 on the power play and eventually, 0-3 against a team that seems to be destined for the finals. At the risk of sounding defeatist, all we have left to do is sit and wait for what we know is coming soon.
This is going to be a very difficult summer filled with memories of a lot of great nights that will be easily neutralized by memories of one series that ended it all, yet again. This series is not like last year. Last year, we were the darlings of the new NHL who played the underdog role with an Oscar caliber flare. We rode out the storm all the way to the end and left everything but pints of blood on the ice in Raleigh. Last summer wasn't easy because none of us could wait till October when a team even hungrier would make another push. This summer it's going to be tough because we will find out which teams each of our co-captains will play for and will they, like so many other former Sabres, find glory with another team.
This summer will also be filled with a lot of resentment and many what if's. Hindsight always being 20/20, it's impossible not to ask what if. What if Darcy Regeir doesn't sign Spacek and instead promotes Paetsch uses the extra money to sign J.P. Dumont to a few years? Could the line of Pomminville, Briere and Dumont be the French Connection 2K, but this time with a Cup? Could Briere be convinced that he could never leave such a great line situation behind? We will never know. What if Mike Grier didn't listen to locker room and media gossip and signed with Buffalo rather than San Jose? Could he and Drury locked down the Ottawa top line like last year? We will never know. I fell terrible for saying this but, what if we don't re-sign Tim Connolly and we keep Taylor Pyatt? Between Pyatt, Grier, and Zubrus, it's safe to say Buffalo would not have been banged around like rag-dolls this series. But again, we will never know.
Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. We do have one more game to lose yet. I have already been chastised as being a coward for giving up after Saturday night's loss by family and friends and perhaps they are right. But, was it my pessimism that lost tonight's game or was it one shot on goal in 6 power play attempts? Was it my lack of confidence in a miracle comeback or was it the Sabres' only two superstars putting up one shot, combined? This is a tough pill because it seems the captains are primed to go down with the ship. I don't doubt for one minute the drive and the resolve of our captains, but it is sure a let down to see them play so brilliantly all year long and then fade out in the Conference Finals. In order for a 2004 Red Sox miracle to take place, aside from Ottawa's top line coming down with the measles, Danny Briere and Chris Drury would have to combine all their good play from the entire regular season and compress it into 4 games of play that would only be described as god-like. I like the thought, but then I wake up with my hand down my pants.
Inside this ugly and disgusting waxy ball of negativity and pessimism that could only come from a transplanted Sabres fan in a state like Maryland, there is one ray of light that is still shining bright and that is Ryan Miller. The entire year, he was the best non-shutout goalie in the league. He didn't dominate like Brodeur or Luongo, but he always did his job which was to keep his team in the game. His mental toughness improved even more than it did last year and his leadership on and off the ice was that of a seasoned veteran. He encapsulates what it means to be a Buffalo Sabre. His goal isn't stardom or headlines in the New York Post, his goal is to win games and to do his job well for his team. My only real wish is that he is a Sabre for a long time and wins the games he deserves to win, such as tonight, because he is the face of this team and what it should stand for.
So, all that is left to do is wait. Much like the Sopranos, we don't know how it will end but we do know that it is going to end. Will it end Wednesday with an embarrassing and demoralizing sweep in front of the Ottawans, or will it be Saturday in front of 19,000 teary eyed Buffalonians? One thing is for sure; in my lifetime, only one team came back from a 0-3 hole in a playoff series. Can't remember? I'll give you a hint, they are one of three teams that are more cursed than the Sabres and they had to wait 86 years for a ring. You know what? If I could be guaranteed the same fate for the Sabres, I would learn to be patient because even at 77 years old, it would be worth the wait.
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