Top Left Header
Header Header
NHL
Arrow Anaheim Ducks Arizona Coyotes Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Calgary Flames Carolina Hurricanes Chicago Blackhawks Colorado Avalanche Columbus Blue Jackets Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings Edmonton Oilers Florida Panthers Los Angeles Kings Minnesota Wild Montreal Canadiens Nashville Predators New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Ottawa Senators Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins St. Louis Blues San Jose Sharks Tampa Bay Ligthning Toronto Maple Leafs Vancouver Canucks Vegas Golden Knights Washington Capitas Winnipeg Jets
(Logo Source: NHL.com)
Title - Ryan Womeldorf
Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow OurHometown on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS
Good, Bad and Ugly: Sabres vs Calgary Flames
By Ryan Womeldorf
hometownhockey.ca

Good, Bad and Ugly: Sabres vs Calgary Flames
Matt Moulson had a pair of goals and Tyler Ennis added three assists to propel the Sabres over the surprising Flames.
PHOTO CREDIT - fox sports

Buffalo - December 12, 2014 - Following every Sabres game, we’ll be taking a little look at the previous night’s action with a little segment called “good, bad and ugly”. Expect a loooooooot of ugly.

Another game, another win. Let’s dive right into last night’s 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames.

The Good

Enroth stopped 42 of 45 shots on the night and I’ve already said enough about him of late, so let’s look at another big plus from last night: Matt Moulson and Tyler Ennis.

The duo combined for five points last night – Moulson had a pair of goals, including the game-winner, while Ennis had a three assist night – and have generally been the only parts of the offense that function anywhere near normally. Ennis is having a really underrated season right now, with 20 points in 29 games on what is still statistically a pretty hilariously bad offense. He creates space and makes plays, like when he charged in on a dump-in, shoved over the defenseman and found a charging Moulson in front for the first goal of the night.

Moulson, meanwhile, has been the subject of a lot of criticism from fans in Buffalo. They found his deal to be too long and for too much considering he wasn’t a 30-plus goal guy on paper. But his work of late has been exactly what we all expected and he’s really found some chemistry with the 5’9” Ennis. The bubble is going to burst on this team eventually for reasons I’ll cover below, but until it does, the team will ride high on the backs of Enroth, Ennis, Moulson and the few stellar contributors this team has.

The Bad

So I can’t emphasize this enough: when the offense stops making the most of the few opportunities they are getting each game, this is going to get ugly. The Sabres only mustered 19 shots on the night, but still put up four goals. It’s not because they have a dynamic offense that can make the most of very little, it’s because there are a few very opportunistic members of the offense that are getting bounces to go their way. When those pucks stop going in, it’s going to be 110% on the backs of the goaltenders.

Speaking of that, with all due respect to Enroth and the way he’s played of late, there is no freakin’ way he can continue to see 40+ shots per night and still put up the numbers he’s putting up. His play has been astounding of late not just because he’s dragging the lowly Sabres to wins, but because of how he’s been doing it. Of course, I say that the bubble will burst soon, but he’ll go out on Saturday and post a 50+ save win. Just you watch.

It’s fun now, but things cannot possibly continue down this path for long.

The Ugly

This only has to do with the game peripherally, but man, NHL Gamecenter can eat a fat one sometimes. It’s bad enough that I get locked out of nationally televised games considering some genius at NBC booked the Sabres for like a dozen primetime matchups. But when I can finally sit down and watch a game through this service I paid out the nose for, it buffers every four seconds? Seriously?

Now before anyone says “well your internet probably sucks”, I was able to eventually watch from my iPad with no connection or quality issues. But on my XBOX 360? Nothing but issues. Which, considering I can watch Netflix, Hulu, etc with no problem, I shouldn’t expect issues with Gamecenter, right?

Just an all-around frustrating experience in what should’ve been a nice night.

Follow me on Twitter: @TwoPadStackRW

Follow Me on TwitterWhen not inanely bantering about the Sabres, Ryan Womeldorf can be found here and at TwoPadStack.net talking all things hockey. He's usually got a lot to say, but sadly most of it is wrong. If you have any questions, feel free to contact him at rwomeldorf@hometownhockey.ca


Title

Title
Girgensons and Kaleta could return this year; should they?
PHOTO CREDIT:
the sports quotient
Good, Bad and Ugly: Sabres vs New York Rangers
PHOTO CREDIT:
fansided.com
Good, Bad and Ugly: Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs
PHOTO CREDIT:
nhl.com
Super Official Preview: Sabres vs Toronto Maple Leafs
PHOTO CREDIT:
mapleleafs.nhl.com

Title



Title - Story Count
3,472 Stories & Growing Daily...

To date HometownHockey.ca has posted a total of 3,472 hockey stories!

Be sure to check out our Columnists archives or, why not Contribute a Story yourself!

HometownHockey.ca offers a very generous revenue sharing opportunity for our Columnists. If you are interested in learning more details about writing for us, please send us an EMAIL.
PucksTrending Story
SHORT SHIFT - Nifty Fifty for Maggio



Follow OurHometown.ca on... Follow OurHometown on Facebook Follow HometownHockey on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow us on RSS





Twitter Header


Footer