I didn't want to comment on specifics, since I didn't see the play. Just going off Miller's comments and Brian Coziel.

Yankee, I got mad about that play before Recchi even got the pass off. From what I understood about the rule (which obviously is a crap shoot in the NHL), you can't hit a player that doesn't have the puck unless they just got off a pass or shot. I didn't think Kennedy was going after Recchi, but focusing on the puck, and was surprised by Recchi turning on him for a hit. That's why he got laid out, because he wasn't even going for Recchi. Neither had the puck and it was well out of reach when the hit was made. If Kennedy had been closer to Recchi and then slammed him into the boards while Recchi was closer to winning the race, a penalty is called without a doubt.

I don't understand how the forechecker can simply turn and wipe out the defender. The announcers even said it looked suspicious, but then one spun it to defend the ref saying, "I think it was a good no-call". If it wasn't a penalty, there wouldn't have been any comment on it at all.

Here you go Squanto...

http://sabres.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?h ... 9&fr=false

Yeah... that's pretty textbook interference in my opinion.

...the "system" struck. I'm not going to take a bite out of anyone's ass yet, but that may happen soon enough. Better come up with a better "system" by next game. Using the boards to give it to the other team was an awful idea(but at least they gambled and won trying to play the walls). Playing tight gap directly in front of the other player, which allowed them to use the boards to pass freely(and way more accurately) was an awful plan. Someone on this bench is too stubborn to adjust, and he doesn't wear a sweater. He better pray to God he has a better plan for next game. Hats off to the Bruins game plan(which was made farrr easier by taking Vanek out). It was 2 on 1's for us until he(Vanek) went down. He kept them on their heels.

_________________
"Go out and run 'em."
- Lindy Ruff, 23 Feb. 2007

You can't deny there weren't two pretty obvious non-calls; the interference behind the net, and a high stick (I believe in that same shift!). That was infuriating to me.

_________________

None of us expected the Sabres to give up after half of the second game. It's not a sudden switch of opinion just because Boston beat our team, Boston is beating another team. Not the Sabres we all know, but the lifeless, lazy, Miller depending Sabres.

_________________
"Counting all the assholes in the room, I'm definitely not alone!" ~ Michael Poulsen, Volbeat, Still Standing.

Godzilla, I'm not one of those people that took Boston lightly, just look up the previous threads. I thought Buffalo would win a very close series, but that was before Hecht was declared out, I found out Connolly is skating on a still broken foot, Vanek got hacked down, and the level of non-calls (on both sides).

As for the non-calls, it doesn't really matter anymore as far as PP opportunities go, because with all the injuries Buffalo has they are as inept on the PP as Boston now. But as for 5-on-5 play, we've seen a level of clutch, grab, and chippiness that is beyond the regular season limits, and this favors Boston. I don't like this fact, but it clearly favors Boston since they are the bigger team that plays a more physical style. Before the series started I could have easily predicted the result if I knew how much the teams would be able to get away with.

To back that up, in Buffalo we saw several instances of behind the play BS that was ignored. We saw some high hits that were ignored. Last night we saw Connolly get high-sticked on the PP and a fantabulous 5-on-3 opportunity lost. Later on Kennedy got elbowed or high-sticked in the Boston end and Myers get elbowed in the middle of the play in the Buffalo end on the same shift, and Miller made a great save and we didn't pay for two more blown non-calls. The Recchi hit on Kennedy for the winning goal was textbook interference. Two players away from a loose puck and one drops the other in order to play the puck first. The only reason to not call that is because the ref is afraid to give a PP to the other team in crunch time. Instead he gave a golden scoring chance and rewarded the team that plays more physically - ie Boston.

I'm not saying this is some conspiracy against Buffalo, this is simple logic. Take a skill team and match them against a physical team in a series that will be called very loosely and the physical team has the clear advantage no matter what color sweater they are wearing. Case closed.

I still think this is a bunch of jargin though.

We saw the Sabres own game 1 by skating.

You can't tell me the Sabres have skated the same way in games 2 and 3 as they did in game 1.

When they move their feet, the Bruins can't catch them. They need to stay in good position so the passes can come quickly. That's how you beat the Bruins. They put pressure on the puck carrier, and if you make the pass before they're within enough strides to hit you, you completely eliminate any advantage they have.

For whatever reason, the Sabres aren't moving their feet the way they did in game 1.

Simple as that.

_________________
Wheelhouse

Our company president who has not said a word on anything but the players performance in two years came up to me and asked why there was no interference and no high sticks called.

_________________
Proud LGBTQQ Individual

I believe the politically correct word is "pee pee" Mr Phil. You meant "Go choke on a pee pee." Also acceptable......wenis

_________________
"I can't really hear what Jeremy says, because I got my two Stanley Cup Rings plugging my ears...." -Patrick Roy in reference to Jeremy Roenick's trash talking

PSP, they still had some offensive cohesion going the first game and up until the Vanek injury in game two. Remember, I said two big things happened, one was the loosely called series, but the bigger factor is number two - Vanek's injury which didn't happen until game two. After that the lines were jumbled and there's no amount of "sucking it up" that will replace your best forward when he's playing like a monster. Besides, game one was still a close game that either team could have won. Last night could have gone either way, but Boston clearly had the vast majority of good scoring chances while Buffalo barely sniffed the net.

They look like they're not skating because they have two hurting players and two players out. The shuffling, loss of line chemistry, and plain old lack of talent involved with replacing those players is a large amount of adversity to overcome.

Yeah, I wondered with Ellis missing some time, and two players (Connolly and Stafford) thrown into the lineup without much conditioning, if that affected the energy at all.

_________________
Proud LGBTQQ Individual