grrr. argh.

the final score was 5-2, but that does not even come close to telling the story of the game.

ottawa got out front early, two to zip, with goals from fisher and alfie. the first was shorthanded and the second was on the powerplay. it looked grim.

enter max. 2-1 at the end of one.

in the second, things were a lot tighter… a bit better back and forth.

loooooooooodman ties it up with a walk-in on emery that, i think, startled everyone.

after that…? all sens.

saprykin, of all people, scores in the third followed by spezza on the powerplay. mcammond tossed in an empty netter to make it 5-2.

where are the sabres of the regular season? where hath thou gone special teams play?

questions, i hope, that will be answered on saturday.

at the end, i stood in the middle of our living room with my hands in the air. noiseless. motionless.

after, finally, getting back to the style of hockey that has made the sabres the highest scoring team in the league this season, buffalo took the run and gun to the rangers, at msg, and took the game 5-4.

jochen (not bro-chen or cho-chen…) hect scored two NICE goals. one on a 3 on 2 with a nifty wrister that went high glove and the other on a sick tip of a briere shot.

the sabres fell down 1-0 late in the first period, but never looked back after scoring 4 goals in the second period.

it was not a total shutdown of jagr, but they certainly “contained” him enough…

on to ottawa now for the eastern conference final. it should start this thursday, but round 2 in the western conference is not complete yet and we have to wait for that in order to get a firm schedule.

even listening to it as a short audio highlight from WGR550… spine. tingles.

it was a 0-0 hockey game. another goalie classic in a playoffs (not just this series) absolutely full of them. chance after chance turned away by both miller and lundy. briere must have had 3 or more point blank chances and he was stoned each time.

heartbreak… with only ~3:30 left to go in the game, straka lets one loose from just inside the blue line. the red light goes on. the ref waves it off. play continues for another 15-20 seconds. replay. oh, yes. definitely. it was in. just over miller’s shoulder and off the center bar in the back of the net and out in, literally, a second…

1-0 rangers.

the sabres turn on the heat for the remainder of the game. miller is pulled. the pressure in the offensive zone is fantastic to watch. the rangers, for the second game in a row, inexplicably ice the puck with less than 30 seconds to go. drury takes the faceoff. the puck goes to the near corner. zubie almost tackles a rangers D-man and the puck comes out to timmah in the high slot. hard shot off lundy’s shoulder. puck comes to drury on the side of the goal. captain clutch takes it, vanek turns and opens his skates on the ice, lundy is out of position and two rangers D try to get to the post… drury puts the rising puck through vanek’s legs and up into the top corner of the net. 7.7 seconds to go. the team erupts. the buffalo home crowd erupts. we are going to oooooooooooovertime.

it is important to note that when drury scored alison thought misha was going to have a heart attack based on my reaction.

overtime. drury catches what shanny calles (after the game) a weak hooking call and the rangers are on the PP early in the extra session. buffalo’s best penalty killer — in the box. ugh. but the sabres come through again — just like their shutdown PK had done all game long. a few minutes farther in, the rangers’ betts takes a penalty (again, a pretty soft call..) and the sabres PP sets up… max to tri. rotate. tri to max. rotate. max shoots… SCORES!! five hole! max turns around, cannot think of anything to do and bellyflops across center ice. everything erupts. including the parucki household.

2-1 — sabres over the rangers in OT. back to nyc for a sunday afternoon game with a 3-2 series lead for buffalo.

thank you to craig for making it over for the game… plus, he brought molson. there is a lot of canadian beer in the hizzouse. and, of course, sorry craig. he was wearing his rangers leetch jersey.

game 4 of the sabres/rangers series…

i honestly expected a completely different series based on how high flying both teams were in the last few weeks of the regular season. however, after a lot of media outlets said “the regular season games will bear no resemblance to the playoff series…” — the playoff series seems an awful lot like the regular season. fabulous goaltending, a lot of 1-4 type of play as the teams try to slow each other down and complete domination by one team or the other resulting in… not much in the way of goal scoring.

game 4 was no different. the rangers dominated a lot of the game. the sabres looked a bit shellshocked and they were making a lot of turnovers — including the second rangers goal by shanny.

timmah continues to be impressive — his stickwork is just mind boggling. if only he could put it in the net!

the last 5-10 minutes of the third, though? it was like watching the sabres in october/november.

inexplicably, the rangers iced the puck twice in the last minute of the game.

and then…. controversy. in the waning seconds of the period, as the sabres were putting on tons of pressure in the offensive zone, lundy plays the puck — poorly — and briere gets the wrap around. lundy was back in the net, but his right pad was across the goal line. which is where the puck was. called a no goal on the ice and, without high def cameras at msg (what???), the video replay was inconclusive.

game over.

i really liked the way lindy took the high road in the post game press conference.

on to game 5 on friday — in buffalo. paul gaustad (GOOSE!) should be back in the line-up. can’t wait!

thanks to john, his girlfriend and monty for joining alison and i at the hizzouse with the new tv!

ugh.

this was not the finest day for the sabres — or for me personally…

kevin and i started out on the 2 train up to penn station. after everything i said about how “quick” it would be…? it was running local. wonderful.

photos: http://www.erock.org/gallery/2007/200704_Kevin_in_NYC/

we started out in semi-awe of the festivities outside msg… there was a (good!) cover band all wearing rangers jerseys and the space outside on the 7th avenue side had a LOT of people. however, we decided it was no “party on the plaza”, that we were both outnumbered in our sabres jerseys and we headed into the bowels of penn station to a bar called tracks.

alison is a bit more familiar with the place than i am, but i like it there — great staff and interesting people to talk to. we got through a coupla beverages and chatted with two rangers fans sitting next to us at the bar…

into msg we go…

our seats (in section 402) were surprisingly good. we had a view of the entire ice from the corner. the folks around us were certainly ranger faithful, but cool nonetheless. we joked a bit about them booing malik right from the opening faceoff.

midway through the second period, i received a text message from alison. her father had some serious medical trouble and we got up (at a whistle…) to call her from the upper lobby. we started catching shit heading up the stairs and, i think, this is where i started to get very pissed off.

while on the phone with alison, i am still catching shit from rangers fans heading by even after kevin and the concessions folks told ‘em what was up and they should just chill… now i’m really starting to get angry.

there is nothing alison and i can do from nyc and she assures me it is best to stay at the game and wait for more info…

the nice concessions folks call security as kevin and i continue to get razzed and i start flipping people off and challenging (and being challenged) to fights from dozens of rangers “fans”.

we get our own security force from here on out…

i cannot believe how many total pricks there were at madison square garden. and i mean total pricks. i have lived in nyc for over seven years and i have been to msg plenty of times, but i have never, ever seen anything like this. without the security folks, i am positive that kevin and i would have been pummeled by hundreds of rangers “fans”. even when the security guards let them know i was having a tough time — on the phone — and to just chill out… that just egged them on more. part of this is my mistake. i was enraged by this point and i was ready to take all comers. this was just the opposite of what i should have done, in retrospect, and i blame myself for not keeping better check of my emotions.

however…

one of the rangers fans that kevin and i met at tracks stopped over to see what was going on as he was sitting a few sections over. i told him what was going on and then something amazing happened… for the next 10 minutes, fan after fan stopped over — some of the same guys that were shouting up and down at us just a few minutes earlier — and apologized. i’m not sure what that rangers fan said to them all, but i sincerely thank him for helping to diffuse a really bad situation.

we never went back to our seats.

we stood at the back of our section — with our security army — for the rest of the game. before the first overtime, they walked us halfway around the rink and in front of an elevator so we could go straight down without hitting the escalators.

directly when the rangers scored in the second overtime, we were whisked into the elevator with a few other sabres fans and hit the cab stand before most of the arena hit the street.

we went down to qdt for a few and then headed home…

kevin left this morning (snakes on a train!) and made it home safely (denny crane!) this afternoon.

thanks, kev, for coming down! it was certainly an experience!!

my brother and i are going to head out soon for game 3 between the sabres/rangers.

should be a good one. the sabers will want to get to a strong forecheck early and stay physical. the rangers will have their fans behind them this afternoon and they need to slow them up…

my brother and i will be in section 402. thank you, stubhub!

my brother did not get here until just before 1000pm last night. technically, game 2 of the sabres/rangers series was over. but he had been on a metro north train and i had been watching the red sox/yankees game. after making sure we both had enough “blue”, we started the game…

my sister and her husband were AT the game in buffalo. we did not see their sign on the nyc msg feed, but it said:

“just married. this game is our honeymoon.”

nice!

a night of sleep removed from the game, i can say that i was a bit nervous, but mostly heartened by the outcome of the game. the rangers were on fire — especially in the first 40 minutes — and nearly outshot the sabres 2 to 1 for the game. getting outshot — and outworked — can make even the most fairweather hockey fan nervous, but when the opposing team is not scoring it can certainly bring a feeling of “destiny” in there…

soupy with the laser wrister to the top corner of the net. druuuuuuuuuuuuuuury with the slick mid slot redirect of a looooooodman slapper. vanek with a close-in shot after a nifty between the legs pass by stafford.

miller showed the playoff jitters are nearly gone stoning chance after chance from the constant ranger attack.

of course, the real reason my brother is in town is because we have tickets at msg to see game 3 on sunday. can’t wait!

funny ha ha!!

there is a bar in nyc — the blue moon cafe — at 75th and 1st that has been home to sabres faithful wanting to catch the game on tv. it is a bit far north for me, but the times i have been there have been fun. plus, they have labatt’s on tap!

a note from the new york city buffalo bills backers mailing list this afternoon referenced a post on craigslist from a desperate rangers fan:

“CALLING ALL NY RANGERS FANS. I NEED YOUR HELP !! PLEASE LOOK !!!! - $1

——————————————————————————–
Reply to: sale-318602527@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-04-25, 1:53PM EDT

ALL NY RANGERS FANS. THE RANGERS HOCKEY BAR IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. WELL PROBABLY THE ONLY HOCKEY BAR IN MANHATTAN, ( NYC ), ON 75 STREET AND 1st AVENUE CALLED ” THE BLUE MOON” HAS BEEN TAKEN OVER BY BUFFALO SABRES FANS. THIS IS A RANGERS HOME BAR !! MY FAVORITE AND ONLY BAR THAT SHOWS ALL HOCKEY GAMES ALL THE TIME. USED TO BE OWNED BY RANGERS MCPHEE, PATRICK AND GRESHNER. FOR SOME REASON SABRES FANS HAVE TAKEN OVER THE LAST MONTH. I NEED ALL RANGERS FANS TO SHOW UP TO ROOT FOR THE RANGERS !! EVEN THE BARTENDERS ARE LOSING THERE MINDS, BECAUSE THEY ARE RANGERS FANS TOO.
P.S. IF YOU WANT TO SIT AT A TABLE I WOULD CALL TO RESERVE ONE. ASK FOR CARLOS or DAVE AND TELL THEM TALLJOE SENT YA !! LETS GO RANGERS !!!”

this email has been making the rounds in buffalo today — and on the radio…

“Lord Stanley, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy playoffs come, thy games be won, on the road as it is in Buffalo. Forgive us our many goals, as we forgive those few who score
against us. And lead us not into overtime, but deliver us victory in regulation. For your cup, your power and glory will be ours, Forever and ever. In the name of Ryan Miller, Mad Max, and the holy Ruff.
Amen

Hail Lindy full of grace, the Lord Stanley be with you, blessed are you among defensemen and blessed is the strategy of thy coaching genius. Holy Lindy, father of the Sabres, pray for us sinners now in regulation and in sudden death.
Amen

Our God
Who art in HSBC
Miller Be they name

Thy puck come
Thy save
be done
On the air as it is on ice

Give us this day
our STANLEY CUP
and forgive us of slashing
as we send out Peters
for those that slash
against us.

And Lead us not into golfing
but deliver us from injury

For Miller is the Goalie
the power and the glory
for ever and ever…

Also, the Sabres 10 Commandments:

10 Thou Shall Not covet thy neighbors Labatt’s. Thou shall not be envious of his autographed Ryan Miller jersey nor his hot girlfriend in the pink Sabres hat.
9 Thou Shall NOT bear false witness, like saying you were at the game when Dave Hannan scored in quadruple overtime against New Jersey in 1994. The Aud held 16,500 people, yet everyone in Buffalo “was there.”
8 Thou shall NOT steal Rick Jeanarette sayings and pass them off as your own. Really, Top shelf where momma hides the cookies was your idea? Ya, don’t say?
7 Thou Shall NOT allow Brian Campbell to commit adultery. Whatever, Brian Campbell.
6 Thou Shall NOT kill. (”Not applicable to Leafs fans”)
5 Honor Lindy Ruff. If he says eat your peas, then eat your peas. I’m talking to you Derek Roy!
4 Keep holy the Sabbath, which is any day the Sabres are playing. Your boss will understand why you need 16-28 days off over the next 3 months…if not, Commandment 6 may be waived. I have no patience of religious intolerance.
3 Thou shall not take Jochen Hecht’s name in vain, even though it may be fun to say things like, “You must be Jochen” or “Jochen do it.”
2 Thou shall not worship false idols. Careful Sabretooth. Careful.
1 There is only One Team, One Goal!”

I was honestly too beat to post when I returned to Manhattan last night…

Three of my fellow hockey players at Chelsea Piers and I headed out to LI to catch the Sabres beating the Islanders 4-2.

Some notes…

Before the game…

* Spent about 90 minutes at Blue Moon before heading out to LI — really nice folks and it was great to talk to a few Sabres fans that got there real early to watch the game…
* On the pre-game radio show on the way out, there was a Nolan clip with him saying (regarding the bottle throwing on Monday) “if I wouldn’t get in trouble with the league, I would have thrown bottles too…” I can’t believe he said that.

Notes on the game…

* There was a lot of good “jump” on the Sabres side
* The Sabres had a LOT of sticks in the right places — not just for shots or passes, but getting into lanes (offense/defense/neutral zones), knocking pucks out of the air, etc…
* Vanek, Drury and Mair were all “noticeable” presences on the ice for me…
* Briere actually (*gasp*) backchecked on at least half of his shifts
* Sitting in the corner in the end where the Sabres shot twice and watching Max come down at full speed was inspiring…
* Timmah! really has some great stick moves, but he looks very tentative on the finish — especially if he is moving to the net — and in the corners…
* DP looked pretty solid — the Islanders D did not do a good job of moving Sabres from the net, though…
* From the opposite end of the rink, it looked like Blake jumped into the boards on the Teppo hit
* From the opposite end of the rink, there was no way for me to tell if it was a goal or not at the end of the game and my view of the scoreboard was blocked…

Notes on the Coliseum…

* There were a LOT of Sabres fans in my section (335) and a few rows in 334 as well
* Those fans, however, did get really cocky toward the end of the game with a lot of “in your face” stuff that IMHO was not warranted in someone else’s barn…
* There was a nice couple (and their 4 year old) sitting right below us and they were very cool
* Just across the aisle from me was an Islanders fan, in his 30’s, wearing the same Isles jersey he must have had when he as 12, who spent the ENTIRE game SHOUTING at the top of his lungs at EVERYTHING going on on the ice. Profanity, etc… Sadly, he did not even know who #55 was on the Isles…
* Found a small group of guys that we play hockey against at Chelsea Piers two rows below us — small world…
* The bottle throwing is just crazy to me. Stupid.

All in all… It was TOTALLY worth it.

Irony/weirdness… Our brand new 56″ 1080p TV arrived yesterday — on the day I was actually AT the game.