Official Sabres-Thrashers game thread

[ckg68]

Have at it,gang...

*The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a story in today's edition which notes that both Buffalo and Atlanta have started off the year playing a bit below .500 . And neither team is at .500 in its last 10 games. Both teams have had trouble holding on to leads(as noted by Jason Pominville),and goalie Ryan Miller was quoted as saying that Buffalo is "going through a stretch where we need to realize that teams will play us differently sometimes."

[Carl J. Ironsides]

Hugely important game for both teams, in my opinion. This could be a playoff-like atmosphere with two clubs trying to gain confidence and climb out of slumps. We need this game; it's gutcheck time.

[OhioSabreFan]

I'll be there tonight!! Anyone else??

[noocllez]

yeah, big game.

[JLB]

Let's play 60 please.

[pigpen65]

All the lines are back to what they were pre-Novotny injury.

[Sabres244]

Buffalo Sabres (35-15-4) http://images.sportsnetwork.com/site02/hockey/NHL/sabres_logo.gif @ Atlanta Thrashers (29-18-8)http://nhldraftnet.aol.com/NHLDraftNet/file.php?ID=17

Season Series: Buffalo 1-0-1

Date: February 6th 2007

Location: Phillips Arena http://www.delonhampton.com/images/dscplns/civil/phillips1.jpg

Time: 7:00 PM EST
TV: MSG
Radio: WGR 550

Projected Goalies:
http://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8468011.jpghttp://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8470140.jpg
Ryan Miller: 24-11-3 2.71 GAA.913 SV% Kari Lehtonen 24-15-7 2.86 GAA.909 SV%

Players To Watch:
http://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8464975.jpghttp://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8460562.jpghttp://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8470598.jpg
http://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8456887.jpghttp://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8466148.jpghttp://cdn.nhl.com/photos/mugs/8469454.jpg

Scoring Leaders:
Buffalo:
Goals: Drury: 30
Assists: Briere: 44
Points: Briere: 65

Atlanta:
Goals: Hossa: 31
Assists: Kozlov: 36
Points: Hossa: 65

Injuries:
Buffalo: Connolly(concussion) Spacek(knee)

Atlanta: Vigier(groin)

Keys To Victory
Buffalo:
1. Play a full game
2. Special Teams
3. Miller

Atlanta:
1. Special Teams
2. Lehtonen
3. Discipline

[Sabres244]

I think the Atlanta jersey could be the worst in all of hockey possibly all of sports

[Chewbacher]

Cheers OhioSabreFan, raise hell for us tonight!

[BlackRockBills]

As other Rangers have noted: big time game here tonight, two division leaders banging heads. Sabres can't look ahead to Ottawa tomorrow, gotta stay focused on the here and now. They've been in GA for a couple days now, hopefully seeing Timmah on the ice gives them a spark.

Gonna be an interesting one; ATL, as we all know, is a dangerous team...

[smashingt2312]

I agree 244, those jerseys are awful.
Good to see the old lines back again.

[OhioSabreFan]

I WILL!!! Heading down soon, had my sweater overnighted to me down here last night, so I'll be supporting the Slugs!!

And Ironically, my nickname is Chew in "real life".

[number61]

anyone know the lines?

[ricogarion]

I hope number 61 can get his game untracked we need him playing to the best of his ability.

[number61]

I hope number 61 can get his game untracked we need him playing to the best of his ability.

yeah i know...i hope he gets back to where he was at the begging of the season

[ckg68]

I think the Atlanta jersey could be the worst in all of hockey possibly all of sports

Apparently,you've never seen the Toledo Storm's jersey....the worst logo ever makes it the worst jersey. (But at least the Storm has a sense of humor about it.)

[shotgun]

let's go sabres big win tonight !!

[Cornellian]

The 2 most exciting teams in the east and there's nobody there in Atlanta.

Seriously, let's move Atlanta and Florida to more caring fanbases.

[Cornellian]

Boy, Max sure has taken a lot of dumb penalties the last few games.

[ckg68]

Florida? Yes.

Atlanta? No.

Funnily enough,Atlanta's PP is worse than ours.

[ckg68]

Atlanta to the B-O-X...

Briere gets tripped up going through center ice.

Havlat goes.

[Cornellian]

Triple post time, I guess.

Those Atlanta uniforms are the ugliest things I've ever seen. Holy crap. It looks like a drunk seamstress threw together 2 entirely different uniforms then shat on the finished product.

[ckg68]

:goal:

Nathan Paetsch's shot rings off the post or a Thrasher...and Daniel Briere,who passed it to him,flips it behind Lehtonen.

1-0 Buffalo on the PP.

[ckg68]

:goal: Atlanta.

Kovalchuk lets it rip from the left faceoff circle.

Tied at 1.

[Cornellian]

"Oh, we're ahead, let's start loathing around."

Grr.

[Denverbillsfan]

What is up with Miller????? There was no one in front of him and the shot was not that hard.

Miller is worrying me a lot.

[Cornellian]

We've almost equaled our shot total in the Devils game. :)

[number61]

anyone know the lines

[ckg68]

Drury,Goose and Kotalik consist one of the lines.

[sukie]

These bathroom intermission breaks are too long...

[ckg68]

Two straight Buffalo penalities...

now Lydman gets tagged for delay of game...

or not. The linesman overruled it.

[ckg68]

Briere puts it wide...

RJ thought Danny scored.

[beTough54]

I thought he did too.

The linesman only waved off the DOG call after Lindy yelled. Lindy is awesome.

[beTough54]

I miss the new NHL. Clutching, grabbing, trapping, and hooking are all back in style. It is so frustrating.

[ckg68]

Dang....RJ & JL thought Atlanta didn't deserve that icing call;they thought it went off a Sabre.

Took Les Thrash a few seconds to figure out.

[beTough54]

I mean, Maxim Afinogenov cuts through the middle of the ice and is tugged at by three different Thrashers and nothing is called. I don't get why the NHL pussied out on calling the ****ing rules.

[CrazzyLegs10]

Atleast Max fights and sticks up for miller, why hes awesome

[beTough54]

Max is the only playing with any balls out there right now.

I am so ****ing sick of watching Roy flit about the ice like some damn fairy. He plays like he is just killing time until he can go out tonight and bang some chicks.

[SabreGirl]

Lines:
Hecht-Briere-Pominville
Vanek-Roy-Afinogenov
Kotilik-Drury-Gaustad
Novotny-Mair-Paille

Damn it! Miller!

[beTough54]

That's ****ing it.

Miller sits and Biron plays until he loses. Miller needs to go see a sports shrink again.

[ckg68]

:goal: Thrashers.

Sim gets his 14th on a partially screened shot.

2-1 Atlanta.

Buffalo,however,is back on the PP.

[SabreGirl]

I'm going to need therapy myself watching this game.
I'm sick of the parade to the penalty box being one-sided.

[beTough54]

Thrashers announcers bitching about the high stick are trying to call Lehtonen's clearing attempt a shot. LOL.

[ckg68]

Thrash to the B-O-X...

Roy draws the penalty,while Atlanta complains that he dived.

Sutton for hooking.

[beTough54]

Roy takes a dive and draws a call.

[ckg68]

:goal:

Vanek lasers it to the top shelf.

Lehtonen comes out to challenge it.

Tied at 2 on the PP.

[Cornellian]

Nice acting job by Roy there. ;)

GOAL! Vanek!

[beTough54]

What a shot by Vanek!

Where has he been recently?

Lots of Sabres fans celebrating that one :)

[ckg68]

Miller gets an assist on TV's goal.

[ckg68]

DeVries to the B-O-X for holding Hecht,who wasn't able to get Pominville's pass.

[beTough54]

The calls are going the Sabres way now, but they are awfully dinky penalties.

Consistency please, refs. I imagine a boatload of makeups are on the way.

Briere!

[ckg68]

:goal:

Nathan Paetsch does a great job of puck control on the near wall...and spots Briere who puts the puck in....well,the same place Vanek placed it.

3-2 Buffalo. On the PP again.

And 2 periods are in the books in the ATL.

[Denverbillsfan]

PP looks great tonight. WHHOOOOO HHHHOOOOOO

[beTough54]

The Thrashers announcers are almost as bad as the Boston ones in terms of whining about the refs, but at least the Boston refs know the rules.

The Atlanta announcers make shit up half the time.

[beTough54]

To be fair, I agree with them that the refereeing has been wildly inconsistent.

[ckg68]

Miller says NO twice....Goose sends it out...

[ckg68]

Buffalo back to the box...

[beTough54]

Wow. What a horribly officiated game. I can't think of a call that has been "wrong" but I can think of tons worse that were missed.

On the positive, both teams are really skating hard and the Sabres are putting out some of the best effort I have seen from them in a long time.

[ckg68]

:goal: Atlanta.

Mellanby scores it,with Hossa and Kozlov getting the assists.

Tied at 3 on the PP.

[beTough54]

Sigh. The refs are all over this mess for both sides.

Should be an entertaining last few minutes. I wonder which side will get the random call with a minute left after the whistles are seemingly put away.

[ckg68]

How about some OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVERTIME?

[beTough54]

A Sabres/Thrashers Eastern Final would be great for the NHL. This is some crazy hockey. I just wish we could have seen more 5X5 action.

[Denverbillsfan]

Let's Go Buffalo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ckg68]

And it's shootout time.

[beTough54]

LOL at the Thrashers announcer saying that last chance by Kovalchulk (Kozlov?) "went off of Miller" instead of Miller making the save.

[ckg68]

Atlanta first up: Kozlov.

NO!

[ckg68]

Buffalo first up: Briere.

:goal:

[ckg68]

Next for Atlanta: Hossa.

NO AGAIN!

[ckg68]

Now for Buffalo: Kotalik.

:goal:

WE'RE DONE!

Ales...oh my YES!

[beTough54]

WOOO Sabres!

Ryan Miller is forgiven :)

Nice to see that bitch Kozlov choke twice too.

[BlackRockBills]

Huge Huge Huge Win

[OhioSabreFan]

That was a playoff like atmosphere, we were well represented.. Everyone I talked to today in Atlanta couldnt believe how many Sabres fans were there.