Hello Pensburghers,
It seems like I spend just as much time here at Pensburgh as I do at Die by the Blade lately. It's not even Christmas yet this is going to be the third meeting between the Sabres and the Pens. We here and Buffalo are not going to complain about playing the Pens because they bring out the best in us. The last meeting between the two teams was probably the Sabres best game they have played all season.
Believe it or not this team has had a lot happen since the last meeting. After that game they quickly went back to their losing ways and things have gotten a bit rocky. After a 2-1 loss in Florida on Thursday, Lindy Ruff questioned the effort from some players and he singled out Ryan Miller. Miller took exception with the comments and many people thought there was a mini-fued brewing between the two. It doesn't look like much is going to come of it but Miller let in a couple more softies on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Sabres finally got a win on Saturday against Tampa Bay but the biggest story was the NHL debut of Nathan Gerbe. Gerbe is a huge story in Buffalo and throughout the NHL because of his size and skill. At 5'5" he looks like a little kid on the ice but he is definitely a talented offensive player. In his first game he played on a line with Derek Roy and Thomas Vanek. He didn't get any points but he was a plus two because of goals by Roy and Vanek. Ironically it was Drew Stafford that was bumped to the fourth line because of Gerbe and he scored the Sabres first goal on Saturday.
I wish I could tell you what to expect from the Sabres but thruth be told...I have no idea. Sabres fans, myself included, are hoping we see the same team that played against the Pens 11 days ago but we won't be surprised if we see the team that lost eight of their last 11 games.
By the way...I love the name Pensburghers! The SB Nation Buffalo Bills blog (Buffalo Rumblings) has Rumblers and you have Pensburghers, at Die by the Blade we feel left out.
Good luck,
D.O.
www.diebytheblade.com
