Ryan Miller let his team down

[beTough54]

The Sabres were doing a great job until he let that crappy second goal in. The team visibly deflated after it and never recovered.

The patchwork defense played pretty well. The offense sucked. Lindy was out-coached once again tonight. Miserable experience live.

[HURLS]

The Sabres were doing a great job until he let that crappy second goal in. The team visibly deflated after it and never recovered.

The patchwork defense played pretty well. The offense sucked. Lindy was out-coached once again tonight. Miserable experience live.

In regards to Miller, how many goals did Buffalo's vaunted forwards pump in? IIRC, Miller gave up goal after goal vs Ottawa in Game 1, IN OTTAWA. This was a home game in which they shit their pants when they needed a collective effort most. How was Lindy(the Sporting News Coach of the Year) outcoached? He's short 3 top defenseman, and his offense crapped out. That's his fault? What, was his magic wand on the fritz? Get a grip.

Look at your damn player card Sig and explain his disappearing act.

[Ralonzo]

Que? Can you give me a quick count of how many empty cans of Reddi-Wip are lying at your feet? Miller still hasn't seen that puck. You might be the only guy on earth blaming him for that one, blue.

At the very top of the rules for playing defense in ice hockey:

1) Let the goalie see it.
1a) If you don't, then you better stop it.
1b) If you're wearing black socks, don't EVER let a shot go through your legs (I added that one for my team. They're kind of slow on the uptake.)

Goal #1: Jillson coughs it up, then screens; Recchi maybe gets a layer of tape on it.
Goal #2: Puck goes right through McKee's legs and a Cane was screening too.
Goal #3: Jillson takes a nap (Janik actually played it right).
Goal #4: Fluke, but it was on an odd-man chance.

Miller had very little chance on any of those. Don't take my word for it, ask around. If the team quit it wasn't because Miller daggered them, it's because Gerber did... or maybe they were just gutless tonight.

[TRIPLE P]

The Sabres were doing a great job until he let that crappy second goal in. The team visibly deflated after it and never recovered.

The patchwork defense played pretty well. The offense sucked. Lindy was out-coached once again tonight. Miserable experience live.


I disagree...... Ryan Miller scored the same amount of goals as the rest of the team, and the same amount of goals he scored all season

You're allowed to let a bad one in, 3 of the 4 were not his fault.

How can we stress "the second goal" when they only needed 1 to win?

[HURLS]

I smell a ton of Neg Rep on this one. hehe

[The REAL Sabres]

Wrong.

Next! ...

[Sabres244]

It was a piss poor team effort, now let's move on......WE WILL play better sunday you can a guarntee that!

[foster]

The team in front of Ryan Miller let Ryan Miller down.

[Sabres244]

I emphasize team for a reason too

[CupCrazy]

The Sabres were doing a great job until he let that crappy second goal in. The team visibly deflated after it and never recovered.
That's bullshit. The 2nd goal was a screened shot and he never had a chance. He didn't give up any soft goals and he made some big saves.

Granted, he didn't look as confident as he has in other games, but how could you POSSIBLY put this loss on Miller's shoulders? The score was four to NOTHING...not 4 to 3 or anything even remotely close. The Sabres offense racked up a grand total of ZERO goals tonight.

And you're gonna blame Miller for that? Get real.

[Sabres244]

That's bullshit. The 2nd goal was a screened shot and he never had a chance. He didn't give up any soft goals and he made some big saves.

Granted, he didn't look as confident as he has in other games, but how could you POSSIBLY put this loss on Miller's shoulders? The score was four to NOTHING...not 4 to 3 or anything even remotely close. The Sabres offense racked up a grand total of ZERO goals tonight.

And you're gonna blame Miller for that? Get real.

Finally somebody with some good sense about this topic! :n4clapping:

[Haven Moses]

The makeshift "D" was uninspiring and the forwards downright sucked...I will say this about Miller....whenever he shifts quickly from one side of the ice to the other the legs naturally have to open to allow this...It is imperative that a goalie keep the blade of his stick "dragging" on the ice....It's a common goalie technique that he does not do well...(something to look for in future games)

[ICRockets]

The Sabres were doing a great job until he let that crappy second goal in. The team visibly deflated after it and never recovered.

The patchwork defense played pretty well. The offense sucked. Lindy was out-coached once again tonight. Miserable experience live.

It was only for a second, and I couldn't tape the game so I can't go back and check, but I think towards the very beginning of OLN's broadcast, when they showed HSBC Arena on the bottom floor by the escalators and box office, that for a split second right before commercial, i saw your sister walk by the camera and point or wave or something. It wasn't long enough for me to confirm that it was her, or see who (you, I imagine) she was walking with, though.

[Scary Good]

Janik and Jillson blew...it wasn't Miller

[HURLS]

Thought that was a dude. :D

[M76]

i'll take gerber over miller

[HURLS]

i'll take gerber over miller

Hope you're talking Baby food or something. :D

[TheAnswer74]

I will tell you one thing, either Ryan Miller needs glasses or he needs a new glove.

He scares the crap out of me when he attempts to snag the puck with his glove. I dont know why, but he always looks uncomfortable when he does that. Its almost like he closes his eyes and hopes the puck is in the glove when he opens it.

He needs to work on that in the offseason.

[ricogarion]

My oh my taking shots at Ryan Miller will wonders never cease.He is a major reason this team is where its at,just keep that in mind.We are decimated with injuries and Carolina was torturing our defense before we lost Numminen and Tallinder.What could happen without those two pillars on our defense out of the line-up? you got a taste of what could happen last night. Say what you will but The front office needed to step up at the Trade Deadline and that second rounder we got for Noronen looks pretty invisible now when a good replacement is sorely lacking.Its the lack of effort or sucsess in trading at the deadline that has this team playing Amerks defenseman that otherwise would have never seen the ice this playoff year.Mr. Quinn,Mr.Regier thank you for your inactivity,that mistake is rearing its ugly head right now.It may be enough to derail what should have been a ride of a lifetime.

[SHINEdown30]

The Sabres were doing a great job until he let that crappy second goal in. The team visibly deflated after it and never recovered.

The patchwork defense played pretty well. The offense sucked. Lindy was out-coached once again tonight. Miserable experience live.


The team deflated after Gerber made those beg. 3 saves. Which were big saves and it just shut the crowd up and the Sabres!

[Ralonzo]

Mr.Rigas thank you for your inactivity

Hey, now, lay off the old man for his inactivity. He only gets one hour each day to exercise in the prison yard.

[Sabres244]

My oh my taking shots at Ryan Miller will wonders never cease.He is a major reason this team is where its at,just keep that in mind.We are decimated with injuries and Carolina was torturing our defense before we lost Numminen and Tallinder.What could happen without those two pillars on our defense out of the line-up? you got a taste of what could happen last night. Say what you will but The front office needed to step up at the Trade Deadline and that second rounder we got for Noronen looks pretty invisible now when a good replacement is sorely lacking.Its the lack of effort or sucsess in trading at the deadline that has this team playing Amerks defenseman that otherwise would have never seen the ice this playoff year.Mr. Quinn,Mr.Rigas thank you for your inactivity,that mistake is rearing its ugly head right now.It may be enough to derail what should have been a ride of a lifetime.


that puck was tipped when it was shot, it was like knuckle ball in baseball, no need to get all worried over it....ever play baseball and try to catch a knuckle ball....its not easy and I can imagine a hockey puck wabbling around like that isnt easy to catch easy

[petep1980]

For the Sabres to win last night Miller would have had to allow only -1 goals. Last night was a team effort.

[foster]

Miller was fine, he wasn't the best he's ever been, but he was good enough for the Sabres to win had they showed up and played.

11-7-4 Shots on goal by period - Gerber made 3 great saves and the Sabres slowly made their way to the bottom of the bowl.

[TheAnswer74]

I wasnt blaming Miller, it wasnt his fault. I just feel he isnt great with his glove.

[JLB]

:rangemobile: I am not sure if its true in Hockey as it is in Football there is a saying. The saying is Zero to Hero. The message in this is obvious were going come out Sunday flying hang on to your seats. GO SABRES!!!:rangemobile:

[emo]

For the Sabres to win last night Miller would have had to allow only -1 goals. Last night was a team effort.
I've seen miller do it before dammit!!!

[beTough54]

People know I'm not an up and down poster, I'm pretty consistently positive about everyone besides Rory and Biron... I've been pretty positive about this team and Miller throughout the season. Everyone deserves blame for last night, and that includes Miller and Ruff.

The Sabres were stoned by Gerber early, but kept coming because they felt they could crack him with a few more shots. As soon as Miller let in that second shot, the team stopped trying. It was simple as that. I can understand blaming a screen if the shot gets around a goaltender, but IIRC the shot went through an opening in Miller's stance. That's not a screened shot issue, but a positional issue.

The third goal wasn't good either. Jillson and Janik didn't tie up their man in the slot, but Miller also put the juiciest rebound yet this season right on the stick of the Carolina player.

The Canes defensive system was brilliantly executed last night. You probably don't see this on TV as well, but from behind the net in the 300s you can see it all. The Sabres got frustrated because they kept trying the same break-in every rush and kept getting the same result: nothing. The responsibility has to fall on Lindy to recognize that and change SOMETHING about the break-in.

Of course, the fact that the refs were letting the little clutches, grabs, picks, and holds at the line and behind the net go pretty much all night didn't help the Sabres, but they didn't try anything different all night to fix it.

Miller has had 3 meh games in a row. He had a slump earlier in the season and broke out of it into a hot streak. You can't afford extended slumps in the playoffs. If he does not come back tomorrow, the Sabres will lose this series. This is the first time all playoffs where I think there is a real chance the Sabres lose a series.

[CupCrazy]

The Sabres were stoned by Gerber early, but kept coming because they felt they could crack him with a few more shots. As soon as Miller let in that second shot, the team stopped trying. It was simple as that.
So, with about 55minutes left to play in the game, the Sabres threw in the towel...and this is Miller's fault?

I've seen Miller and Biron give up disgustingly soft goals before and the team rallied back to defeat their opponent. Remember game 1 of the Ottawa series? How many soft goals did Miller allow in that game??

What bothers me most about last night is that in the final 13 minutes of the game, the Sabres had ZERO shots on goal. A 3-0 lead with 13minutes left in the game is nothing in today's NHL. A few years ago I watched the L.A. Kings come back from a 3-0 deficit with less than 6minutes to go...they tied up Detroit, won the game in OT, and went on to win the series. If anything, the Sabres should've played HARDER in those final minutes to set the tone for Sunday night.

The sad fact is that the Sabres just had a BAD game. It happens. What's important is how THE TEAM responds in the next game. If people start pointing their fingers at any one player and say "it's his fault" then there is no team left and failure is inevitable.

You should keep that in mind.

[Josh Reed]

Bullsh!!t, you need to score to win, the rest of the team needs to do thier part.

[ninecarpileup]

This is why I kept saying if Mair was cleared to play, put him in. It may not have made a difference, but they lacked emotion, the very reason I was hoping he wouold play. Buffalo needs a change in plan, they do not have the same team, so they can't play the same way. Put Mair in the linup with Gaustad and Pyatt, turn this thing gritty, it is easier for a young defense to play in that type of a game. When a game turns gritty and bodies are flying, you have less time to think and your natural instinct takes over. Like I said before the game yesterday, throw that line over the boards every third shift, and have them splatter anything in RED. The rest of the team will feed off the energy they create.

[Millertime27]

In regards to Miller, how many goals did Buffalo's vaunted forwards pump in? IIRC, Miller gave up goal after goal vs Ottawa in Game 1, IN OTTAWA. This was a home game in which they shit their pants when they needed a collective effort most. How was Lindy(the Sporting News Coach of the Year) outcoached? He's short 3 top defenseman, and his offense crapped out. That's his fault? What, was his magic wand on the fritz? Get a grip.

Look at your damn player card Sig and explain his disappearing act.


Excellent Post.

[Iggy72]

This is why I kept saying if Mair was cleared to play, put him in. It may not have made a difference, but they lacked emotion, the very reason I was hoping he wouold play. Buffalo needs a change in plan, they do not have the same team, so they can't play the same way. Put Mair in the linup with Gaustad and Pyatt, turn this thing gritty, it is easier for a young defense to play in that type of a game. When a game turns gritty and bodies are flying, you have less time to think and your natural instinct takes over. Like I said before the game yesterday, throw that line over the boards every third shift, and have them splatter anything in RED. The rest of the team will feed off the energy they create.

You just might get your wish. TSN is reporting that both Mair and Teppo might play Game 5.

As for the rest of it, from what I've read and seeing the highlites, the Sabres did collectively sag after the 2nd goal. For one player to do it is bad, but for the whole team to do that is inexcusable.

They have to go back to what got them here--a fast skating team with heart. That's Lindy's job, and he'll take care of that.

Pax.
Iggy72

[ddpderek]

We got 0 goals ... dont blame Miller that is crap

Oh and Pyatt still sucks and will not be on this team next year. You ofcourse will praise him but what has he done?

Hecht and Dumount need to step it up to they are skating like highschool kids!

Also where is Max?

If Max and JP step it up we can win if they get nothing again and again we will need a miracle.


sorry if off topic im in rant mode.

[Thumper]

EDIT

(my roommate likes playing tricks on me)

[beTough54]

Fourth straight meh game for Miller. He has one more chance to turn it around or the Buffalo Sabres season is over.

[emo]

Fourth straight meh game for Miller. He has one more chance to turn it around or the Buffalo Sabres season is over.
he blew this game i'm not a goalie but that williams shot should have not gone in adn he should have stopped brindamour's pp goal, deflected or not

[beTough54]

I don't blame him for the PP goal, it was deflected into a perfect spot that Miller couldn't possibly have covered.

[emo]

i'm sickened, just sickened by tonight's performance

[bthom85]

agreed, two goal lead gone in a matter of minutes. season is over indeed. and the canes are gonna take us down in our own house, what a bad way to go out...

[Scary Good]

you guys need to get off Miller...he had no chance on a few of the goals.

[Iggy72]

The game was lost in the latter half of the 2nd period, when the Sabres stopped skating again. Geez, you'd think by now that they'd go for the jugular after getting a 2 goal lead after all that's happened this playoff series.
Killer instinct is what these guys have to develop.

Pax.
Iggy72

[emo]

The game was lost in the latter half of the 2nd period, when the Sabres stopped skating again. Geez, you'd think by now that they'd go for the jugular after getting a 2 goal lead after all that's happened this playoff series.
Killer instinct is what these guys have to develop.

Pax.
Iggy72


like the bills missing an offensive line for years, the sabres miss having a legitimate sniper, a goal scoring forward, and have tried doing it by committee for years. I will probably get roasted for this but the sabres need an honest to god offensive presence that can put the put in the net

[LetTheJillsPlay]

it was a great year...be proud....IT IS OVER !!!
the Buffalo Jinx continues

[LALAFONTAINE]

Oh and Pyatt still sucks and will not be on this team next year. You ofcourse will praise him but what has he done?


Set up several game winning goals and won nearly every battle on the boards, which really matters.