In this episode, Dan and Otto take their best shots at all 8 playoff match-ups. Be sure to post your picks in the comments below the blog. Don't forget misery loves company. Also in the episode, they take a look at the AHL playoffs thus far, the NHL Draft lottery, Coaching and GM moves, the Sabres end of year press conference, and a quick look at the USA IIHF roster.
The link for the Sabres presser referenced is: http://audio.wgr550.com/a/74119983/sabres-end-of-year-presser.htm?pageid=28473
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Keys to an Amerks Upset
As the Rochester Americans head north to take on the Toronto Marlies in a Western Conference quarterfinal matchup I thought I would jot down a couple things that will be keys for an Amerks upset.
- Slowing Down the Marlies Transition Game
in the previous matchups the Marlies have created a majority of their scoring chances off the rush by being able to get around the Amerks not so fast/not so big defense. If the Amerks' D men can keep the Marlies wingers to the outside and prevent/limit odd man rushes, goalie and team MVP David Leggio will stop a lot of pucks. It is the 3rd and 4th skater into the zone that the Marlies bring to the net that tend to pick up rebound goals and create those chances.
-Capitalizing on the Power Play
the Amerks have one of the league's top power play units and will need to cash in on those opportunities in what should prove to be a physical series just like last season.
-Create pressure on the fore check and finish your checks
the Amerks have a huge advantage on the physical side of this match up. Nick Tarnasky, Max Legault, and Cody McCormick all can throw their weight around on the fore check and which should cause some turnovers or sloppy breakouts from the Marlies' defense. As a team the Amerks cannot back down in any area especially against this young arrogant team that the Marlies possess.
-Leggio must continue to be the better goalie
David Leggio has been the team MVP two seasons in a row. The man he will look at across the ice is the same man he changed next to last season. Coming into the 2011-2012 season the Amerks signed Drew MacIntyre to be the #1 guy in Rochester, but a slow start by him and a fast one by Leggio proved costly as Leggio ran away with the job and never looked back. MacIntyre has since made a nice rebound this season joining the Marlies after the lockout and looking very much like the guy who belongs in the playoffs.
-4 Lines Deep
The Marlies have a lot of young talent and some skilled veterans which gives them four solid lines that can create some match up problems for opponents. However, the Amerks are getting reinforcements from the Sabres in the form of Mikhail Grigorenko, Brian Flynn and Mark Pysyk. Those three all saw significant time in the NHL this season to varying degrees of success. With their arrival, the Amerks now how an abundance of top 6 talent at the AHL level and will need all of it to get by the Marlies.
- No NHL hangover
Flynn, Pysyk and Grigorenko cannot have the what I like to call the "NHL Hangover." This is when a player who has been up in the NHL gets sent back down and instead of continuing to play at a high level, they seem disenchanted and uninterested in being back down in the AHL. This is compounded by the fact that they usually come down and play on the top line or PP unit which then brings down the entire team. Now, this might not happen since these guys are going from a non playoff team in Buffalo to a playoff series for Rochester and should be jacked up to play but we shall see.
-Prediction
As I said on the #Thruwaypuck podcast, I believe that the Amerks can take this series from Toronto in 5 games. The key will be taking one of the first two in Toronto. If they comeback down 2-0 in they will have a very tough hill to climb.
Otto has the Marlies in 4
Jay has the Marlies in 4
Let the beards grow!
- Slowing Down the Marlies Transition Game
in the previous matchups the Marlies have created a majority of their scoring chances off the rush by being able to get around the Amerks not so fast/not so big defense. If the Amerks' D men can keep the Marlies wingers to the outside and prevent/limit odd man rushes, goalie and team MVP David Leggio will stop a lot of pucks. It is the 3rd and 4th skater into the zone that the Marlies bring to the net that tend to pick up rebound goals and create those chances.
-Capitalizing on the Power Play
the Amerks have one of the league's top power play units and will need to cash in on those opportunities in what should prove to be a physical series just like last season.
-Create pressure on the fore check and finish your checks
the Amerks have a huge advantage on the physical side of this match up. Nick Tarnasky, Max Legault, and Cody McCormick all can throw their weight around on the fore check and which should cause some turnovers or sloppy breakouts from the Marlies' defense. As a team the Amerks cannot back down in any area especially against this young arrogant team that the Marlies possess.
-Leggio must continue to be the better goalie
David Leggio has been the team MVP two seasons in a row. The man he will look at across the ice is the same man he changed next to last season. Coming into the 2011-2012 season the Amerks signed Drew MacIntyre to be the #1 guy in Rochester, but a slow start by him and a fast one by Leggio proved costly as Leggio ran away with the job and never looked back. MacIntyre has since made a nice rebound this season joining the Marlies after the lockout and looking very much like the guy who belongs in the playoffs.
-4 Lines Deep
The Marlies have a lot of young talent and some skilled veterans which gives them four solid lines that can create some match up problems for opponents. However, the Amerks are getting reinforcements from the Sabres in the form of Mikhail Grigorenko, Brian Flynn and Mark Pysyk. Those three all saw significant time in the NHL this season to varying degrees of success. With their arrival, the Amerks now how an abundance of top 6 talent at the AHL level and will need all of it to get by the Marlies.
- No NHL hangover
Flynn, Pysyk and Grigorenko cannot have the what I like to call the "NHL Hangover." This is when a player who has been up in the NHL gets sent back down and instead of continuing to play at a high level, they seem disenchanted and uninterested in being back down in the AHL. This is compounded by the fact that they usually come down and play on the top line or PP unit which then brings down the entire team. Now, this might not happen since these guys are going from a non playoff team in Buffalo to a playoff series for Rochester and should be jacked up to play but we shall see.
-Prediction
As I said on the #Thruwaypuck podcast, I believe that the Amerks can take this series from Toronto in 5 games. The key will be taking one of the first two in Toronto. If they comeback down 2-0 in they will have a very tough hill to climb.
Otto has the Marlies in 4
Jay has the Marlies in 4
Let the beards grow!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Ryan Miller at the IIHF?
The question Dan and I raised today is the following: could a Ryan Miller appearance on Team USA at the IIHF tournament be beneficial to both he and the Sabres? The premise is the following:
Team USA needs a goalie. After the initial roster announcement (announcing 15 players), Ben Bishop as the starter with Cal Heeter, of the Adirondack Phantoms, as his backup. Nothing against Bishop, but he hasn't established himself as a number one in the NHL yet, never mind an international event. The talk had been that Jimmy Howard could be available if the Wings missed the playoffs, but it is slowly looking like they are going to make it in. With the Sabres being out, Miller has picked up a couple extra days off and could be a nice choice for the American roster. Miller is in line to make $6.25 million in the last season of his contract, his cap hit is the same. While this isn't a huge number, the Sabres could use the extra money to help build up their roster. Miller has been rumored to be devaluing a little bit, but I am a firm believer that it is the result of his surroundings. Between the lack of scoring help, as well as support in the defensive end, Miller as been relied upon year after year to carry the Sabres into playoff contention. If Ryan Miller goes to Finland to play, he could showcase his talents again to build his stock value back up. If he does improve, the Sabres will have a strengthened bargaining chip. The goal tending market hasn't been very active, but after the playoffs, things can change drastically. The only other true number one on the market is Roberto Luongo out of Vancouver. Miller would be a much more appealing option given the opportunity to trade and sign instead of taking on an 8 year contract. By playing for the USA, Miller can prove that he is worth his current salary and then some, just imagine if he can backstop the team to a medal(especially a gold).
If the Sabres can resign Miller at a decent price I would agree with the decision, but my thoughts are that they will either have to overpay to do so, costing them the opportunity to strengthen other parts of their roster, or will lose him at the end of the season with no return. The Sabres need a few offensive threats and a defensive upgrade before they will be ready to truly make a move in the playoffs. Moving Miller could get a first liner, a few solid prospects, or some draft picks, any of which the Sabres could use to help their rebuild. The Sabres have Jonas Enroth as their backup currently who has shown some signs of stardom in his time as well as recently acquired Matt Hackett, who spent some time as the backup in Minnesota. Either could have a bright future as a starter if given the chance. A rebuild needs to happen why not get it out of the way now.
I believe that Ryan Miller in the IIHF tournament would help not only he and the Sabres, but Team USA as well, what say you?
Team USA needs a goalie. After the initial roster announcement (announcing 15 players), Ben Bishop as the starter with Cal Heeter, of the Adirondack Phantoms, as his backup. Nothing against Bishop, but he hasn't established himself as a number one in the NHL yet, never mind an international event. The talk had been that Jimmy Howard could be available if the Wings missed the playoffs, but it is slowly looking like they are going to make it in. With the Sabres being out, Miller has picked up a couple extra days off and could be a nice choice for the American roster. Miller is in line to make $6.25 million in the last season of his contract, his cap hit is the same. While this isn't a huge number, the Sabres could use the extra money to help build up their roster. Miller has been rumored to be devaluing a little bit, but I am a firm believer that it is the result of his surroundings. Between the lack of scoring help, as well as support in the defensive end, Miller as been relied upon year after year to carry the Sabres into playoff contention. If Ryan Miller goes to Finland to play, he could showcase his talents again to build his stock value back up. If he does improve, the Sabres will have a strengthened bargaining chip. The goal tending market hasn't been very active, but after the playoffs, things can change drastically. The only other true number one on the market is Roberto Luongo out of Vancouver. Miller would be a much more appealing option given the opportunity to trade and sign instead of taking on an 8 year contract. By playing for the USA, Miller can prove that he is worth his current salary and then some, just imagine if he can backstop the team to a medal(especially a gold).
If the Sabres can resign Miller at a decent price I would agree with the decision, but my thoughts are that they will either have to overpay to do so, costing them the opportunity to strengthen other parts of their roster, or will lose him at the end of the season with no return. The Sabres need a few offensive threats and a defensive upgrade before they will be ready to truly make a move in the playoffs. Moving Miller could get a first liner, a few solid prospects, or some draft picks, any of which the Sabres could use to help their rebuild. The Sabres have Jonas Enroth as their backup currently who has shown some signs of stardom in his time as well as recently acquired Matt Hackett, who spent some time as the backup in Minnesota. Either could have a bright future as a starter if given the chance. A rebuild needs to happen why not get it out of the way now.
I believe that Ryan Miller in the IIHF tournament would help not only he and the Sabres, but Team USA as well, what say you?
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
#ThruwayPuck Episode 3
Dan and Otto are joined by Jay to preview the AHL playoffs. A look at the most current standings and the handling of Mikhail Grigorenko by the Buffalo Sabres. Find the podcast on ITunes and subscribe. Be sure to add your thoughts on the topics or suggest something for the next episode!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
#ThruwayPuck Episode 2
In the second episode(2 makes it official right?) Dan and Otto pay respects to those impacted by the tragedies in Boston and Texas. Then move on to the current NHL standings, AHL standings, the playoff picture, potential of an AHL team in Utica, and many other topics. Be sure to take a listen on ITunes and subscribe to be notified of any updates automatically!
Saturday, April 13, 2013
#ThruwayPuck - Episode 1
In the premier episode of the Thruway Puck podcast, Dan and Otto hit on many subjects including and intro of who they are, some rule changes the, playoff picture, and more.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Exciting Times for Atlanta Braves' Fans
It's an exciting time to be a fan of the Atlanta Braves! While the team didn't send retiring franchise cornerstone Chipper Jones off into the sunset with a Championship banner after losing in the joke of a "one game playoff", they did adjust (improve) their roster during the winter. The most obvious and most talked about additions to the roster were the signing of B.J. Upton and then trading for his younger brother Justin from the Arizona Diamondbacks. While BJ is not a franchise player (though his contract is the largest in franchise history) he is what the team needed at the time. A right handed OF who could hit in between the left handed hitters that made up the middle of the order. But what the signing also did, was give the team an even better reason to go after Justin. Now I'm not saying that GM Frank Wren wouldn't have made the trade for Justin without signing BJ first, but I am saying that it probably made it impossible for him to resist pursuing it.
What could be the biggest addition not necessarily for this season but for the future is the emergence of Evan Gattis. With a story similar to Josh Hamilton's (drug abuse, rehab, out of baseball, etc..) he has gone from 25 year old no name camp invitee, to (at least while All-Star Brian McCann is on the DL) starting catcher and middle of the order bat. In my opinion, his emergence if it can be sustained might allow the Braves to part ways with McCann when he is set to become a free agent this winter. As a McCann jersey owner, I don't really want this to happen but with everything being about money and it being somewhat scarce in ATL I can see the Braves letting McCann go and using the money to keep it's young stars like hitters Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton, and closer Craig Kimbrel. All of them are going to be due for raises if things go well, and keeping Gattis on the cheap could go a long way in making that possible.
Finally, and probably the most important thing for me personally is that the trade for Justin Upton was in my opinion a swing for the fences. Sure, it has/had the possibility to backfire in their faces, one or more of the prospects they gave up could turn out to be All-Stars for the D-Backs (Otto sure hopes so) and Upton could fail to produce at the level he has the potential to. But at the same time (and so far this season) it could be the move that puts the Braves in contention for years to come. Upton has started the season on a tear and has carried them to a 7-1 start. Wren could have stayed put and possibly made the playoffs as a wild card here and there with the team he had but this move goes for the gusto and says that "simply making the playoffs isn't enough." As a fan here in WNY who suffers through year after year of the Bills and Sabres accepting mediocrity and just going with the flow it was very refreshing.
I know that it is early and that the baseball season is 162 games long with a lots of twists and turns, but as of right now I am officially excited to be a Braves' fan.
What could be the biggest addition not necessarily for this season but for the future is the emergence of Evan Gattis. With a story similar to Josh Hamilton's (drug abuse, rehab, out of baseball, etc..) he has gone from 25 year old no name camp invitee, to (at least while All-Star Brian McCann is on the DL) starting catcher and middle of the order bat. In my opinion, his emergence if it can be sustained might allow the Braves to part ways with McCann when he is set to become a free agent this winter. As a McCann jersey owner, I don't really want this to happen but with everything being about money and it being somewhat scarce in ATL I can see the Braves letting McCann go and using the money to keep it's young stars like hitters Jason Heyward, Freddie Freeman, Andrelton Simmons, Justin Upton, and closer Craig Kimbrel. All of them are going to be due for raises if things go well, and keeping Gattis on the cheap could go a long way in making that possible.
Finally, and probably the most important thing for me personally is that the trade for Justin Upton was in my opinion a swing for the fences. Sure, it has/had the possibility to backfire in their faces, one or more of the prospects they gave up could turn out to be All-Stars for the D-Backs (Otto sure hopes so) and Upton could fail to produce at the level he has the potential to. But at the same time (and so far this season) it could be the move that puts the Braves in contention for years to come. Upton has started the season on a tear and has carried them to a 7-1 start. Wren could have stayed put and possibly made the playoffs as a wild card here and there with the team he had but this move goes for the gusto and says that "simply making the playoffs isn't enough." As a fan here in WNY who suffers through year after year of the Bills and Sabres accepting mediocrity and just going with the flow it was very refreshing.
I know that it is early and that the baseball season is 162 games long with a lots of twists and turns, but as of right now I am officially excited to be a Braves' fan.
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