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There's a lot to be encouraged about in Sabreland. Ryan Miller's name is being rightfully and respectfully mentioned in the same breath of that of Dominik Hasek. Rarified air, I know. Its not me making the comparison. Its the scouts, opposing players, broadcasters, GMs and his teammates, who are evoking #39s name. Millsie sits alone his precipice atop the NHL goaltending food chain and his team is going to war and winning for him with uncanny regularity.
Miller is an MVP candidate par excellence. he's your starter for Team USA. he's focused. He's driven. He's damn good.
Too bad he's not the MVP of his own team.
That honour is bestowed upon the once crusty, always sarcastically intense, oft times crabby head coach of the Sabres. Check that. The award goes to the coach who has adopted the "hugs not slugs" parenting style. "New Lindy" is a hit with his hockey team, and he's in large part responsible for the scintilating 12-4-1 start to the 09/10 campaign.
Lindy's Laddies are reading the script and executing it to perfection. They've won three straight to formidable foes in the Oilers, Flames, and Flyers. Impressive achievement considering the team had two practice days in order to smooth out the rough spots, and get ready for Hell Weekend with back to back jacks against Calgary and Philly. Boy did they! Rather than bag skate his boys after the aborion in Boston, Lindy gave his team the next day off. This is the new, kinder, gentler Ruff. in the recent past, "Old Lindy" would have broken the spirit of his thoroughbreds and drove them like sloppy plow horses. In the wake of a nasty flu bender that sapped the energy from his team, Lindy's intuition was correct. they needed a break. rather than pound them and accentuate the negatives, Ruff pumped their collective tires and adjusted the team's confidence and psche in the process. A master stroke from a superior coach. Ruff tore a page from the Mike Babcock coaching guide, carefully it on the walldiagrammed it on the dry erase board at the practice rink, and away they went. The taskmaster turned teacher, and then mentored and drilled his team in the nuances of the D-first, puck possession philosophy.
The by-product was the vaunted "1-3 TRAP".
No more river hockey for Roy, Vanek, Pommer and the boys. The centres are the first man on the puck, skating like they are being chased by a man with a machete. The forwards and soft side D are lined up three abreast, sealing the neutral zone border like the RCMP as if their lives depended on it. The lone Dman back is committed to denying time and space so that enemy attackers cannot get to Miller's blue ice.
Heady stuff. Genious plan. It ain't pretty, but its winning hockey games in convincing fashion.
Ruff's recent change of heart can be directly related to the quality time that he has spent with NHL coaches and peers whose opinion and technical approach he respects. It started last Spring, while his Sabres were at the golf course for the second straight season. Ruff was appointed to the head coaching job at the World Championships in Switzerland. Bigger ice surface to defend meant that he and his wingman, Barry Trotz of the Preds, had to "x" and "o" outside of their NHL comfort zone. Ruff passes that test with flying colours. GM Steve Yzerman and his assistant, Doug Armstrong, were so fond of Lindy's work that they asked, and he immediately accepted, the invite to join Mike Babcock's Team Canada Olympic coaching staff. Ruff was humble when he was warmly accepted by Jacques Lemaire and Ken Hitchcock at orientation camp in Calgary in August. To hear Babcock tell it, Lindy has more than earned his bones to be included in Team Canada's Mount rushmore of coaches. Babcock see a lot of himself in Ruff. Who better to steal the tricks of The Trap from than Babs, Lemaire, and Hitch? These men all possess the one thing that has eluded Ruff in his coaching career: his name on the Stanley Cup.
That may change this season.
In a 27 hour period of time, the Sabres locked down the likes of Iginla, Langkow, Conroy, Bourque, Carter, Richards, Briere.
In those 27 hours, Lindy's boys grew up. They showed up. They put up. The Flames and Flyers shut up. This ain't 2006/2007 anymore.
Last season at this time, the then 6-2-1 Sabres entered November and uncharacteristically flipped the script and deviated away from the plan. That team's on ice "lifestle" determined its "deathstyle". The 08/09 squad got shot in the ass with their own success, and chucked the D-first mantra out of the bus window.
***8**
The Sabres PKer stun gunned the #1 PP unit in the NHL in Philly on Saturday night. Mike Grier, one of Ruff's best PKers sat out Friday and saturday night.
Great job by all.
Miller has been his team's best killer.
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Tyler Ennis was sent back to Portland today. talk about a lasting impression! He scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game and he also took a coupla runs at Franken Pronger.
Attaboy, Ennis!
Stafford's hip will be ok for him to re-join the team in prep for the Florida game in Buffalo Wednesday night.
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http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/GARTH/NE ... VP/6/24327Looks like Garth, and others in the league, are recognizing the Sabres as one of the top teams.
Bummed about Ennis... but I'm sure he'll be back.
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