Sabres outlast rival Senators in fight-marred shootout

[Robert 21]

No love lost

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/hockey/nhl/02/22/senators.sabres.ap/index.html

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Goaltender Martin Biron couldn't be more proud with how his Buffalo Sabres responded after co-captain Chris Drury was blindsided and knocked woozy by Ottawa's Chris Neil.

First, the Sabres got back at the Senators during a wild second-period melee -- a brawl that involved all 12 skaters on the ice, including Biron taking on Ottawa goalie Ray Emery.

Then, despite a depleted bench, the Sabres won the game 6-5, when Drew Stafford scored the lone shootout goal Thursday night.

"Emotions were running high. ... It didn't matter who was on the ice, anybody would've responded," said Biron, who was ejected along with Emery and Buffalo tough-guy Andrew Peters. "That was really satisfying. And it's satisfying to see the way we played after that."

What incensed the Sabres was seeing Drury, with a deep cut across his forehead, needing help to get up after being bowled over by Neil. It happened 5 minutes into the second period after Drury had just snapped a shot on net from the right circle. That's when Neil, without slowing, hit him from behind. Neil's shoulder caught Drury across the side of the head, sending Drury flying and his helmet off.

Neil was not penalized for the hit, but Sabres coach Lindy Ruff called it dirty..........The game was delayed by about 20 minutes as officials issued 100 penalty minutes, 63 against Buffalo.

Video of the Melee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhjoq24Kvkg&mode=related&search=

The 2 Teams will faceoff again tonight @ Ottawa 7 p.m. EST



***Ahh, Old Time Hockey......Where have You gone ?***

 

[EagerBeaver]

Neil is a goon, especially picking on a little guy like Drury with a blind side hit. He will receive his comeuppance, either tonight or down the road. And payback is gonna be a bitch.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Neil is a goon, especially picking on a little guy like Drury with a blind side hit. He will receive his comeuppance, either tonight or down the road. And payback is gonna be a bitch.

Neil is not a goon...he's one hell of a tough hockey player who plays very good hockey, often being put on the powerplay. I must admit that when he first came up with Ottawa, he was looked upon as being an enforcer. But when coach Bryan Murray to over the team a year or two ago, he changed Neil's role on the team and made him into a very good player who's not only looked upon for his toughness, but also for his playmaking abilities and leadership. Bryan MacGratton is now the team's goon and will be playing tonight. Please don't think i'm taking Neil or Ottawa's side, since i hate the Senators and they're my team's number one rivals (i'm Leafs fan) these past few years.

The hit on Drury was a clean hit. He hit him with his shoulder & all replays have proven this. Some say he hit him late, but when you replay the hit, it took place a fraction of a second after Drury had released his shot. All Neil did was finish off his check and Drury simply should have kept his head up. This is the first thing they teach in minor hockey when hitting gets implanted into the game (Bantam level, i believe). "Keep your head up!" As for the hit itself, no penalty was called on the play. The problem with these hits are the 'football' type of equipment that players now play with. Elbow & shoulder pads are built differently than years ago.....they are made of solid plastic and feel like cement. The players now look like Robocop with a hockey sweater on. When i used to play, all we had back then were elbow pads made of padding...no plastic. I still remember hurting my elbows whenever i'd fall to the ice & land on them, even with an elbow pad.

Another problem today is that many facial injuries are caused by the player's helmet/visor. When the helmet or visor is struck by an opposing player, they cut into the players skin as the movement occurs. This is what likely happened to Drury the other night and the fact he was severely cut made it look worse than it was. He likely was cut by his own visor as he was being checked by Neil. Anyways, until they start outlawing hits to the head by shoulder pads, it still stands as a clean and legal hit not warranting that a penalty be called.

What was worse in that game, in my opinion, was when Lindy Ruff then sent his goons onto the ice on the following shift to play against Ottaway's skill players (Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley) and basically attacking them. The goalies then go at it and after Ottawa's goalie (Ray Emery) beat up Buffalo's goalie (Martin Biron) & their fight was over and done with, Buffalo head good Andrew Peters skates over to Ray Emery and begins to fight with the goalie!! Rarely have we ever seen a goon take on a goalie...i mean, this is embarrassing!! Fighting a goalie!!! The goalies aren't able to fight very well due to their excess equipment on their torsos....almost impossible to lay a good punch. But remarkably, Emery fought Peters to a draw and was smiling during the whole time!! LOL

I can't wait for the game tonight....same teams are meeting one another again. I might even watch that game over my Leafs' game!

 

[voyageur11]

dirty but legal hit

 

[picasso]

Lindy Ruff

dirty but legal hit

True. It was clearly a cheap shot on the replay. Neil had plenty of time to let up if he chose to. I guess the Sens are trying hard to do away with their traditional image as bunch of softies... Good luck, Bryan

Lindy Ruff is a player's coach and he did what every solid, tough, no-nonsense coach would and should do. I have nothing but the greatest respect for Ruff. It's fucking bullshit that the league decided to fine him $10K for that brawl.

 

[Robert 21]

This Video has the 2 Coaches, Buffalo's Lindy Ruff & Ottawa's Bryan Murray, dropping F Bombs ~ the 3:30 Mark


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp9R3rMoq2I&mode=related&search=

In the Northeast Division the Sabres are 41-15 (87 Pts, 1st Place) and the Senators are 35-22 (74 Pts, 2nd Place).
The rest of the Division is as follows:
Montreal 32-25 (70 Pts)
Toronto 29-23 (67 Pts)
Boston 30-26 (64 Pts)
*************************************************

If the Eastern Conf Playoffs were to Start*
#1). Buffalo - 87 Pts (61 Games Played)
2). NJ - 82 (61)
3). TBay - 73 (63)
4). Pitts - 75 (60)
5). Ott - 74 (61)
6). Atl - 72 (63)
7). Mont - 70 (63)
8). Carl - 69 (63)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Living on the Edge
9). NYI - 68 (61)
10). Tor - 67 (61)
11). Bos - 64 (60)
12). NYR - 64 (61)

*http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=StandingsPage&type=CON


***Hockey, I LOVE THIS GAME !***

 

[Doc Holliday]

It was clearly a cheap shot on the replay. Neil had plenty of time to let up if he chose to.

Since when has hockey stopped being a hitting game? It was a bone-crushing check & it was successful only because Drury kept his head down & was admiring his pass. If he would have kept his head up & remember that this is a hockey game, it would have been a hard check and nothing more.

Neil didn't have PLENTY OF TIME to let up if he chose to...less than second to react is not PLENTY OF TIME. Sure, he could have stopped moving and try not to touch Drury...but why would he have done this? Neil leads the lead in 'hits' and this is his game. If a player such as him stops hitting & playing aggressively, he's out of the NHL. Period. Maybe if those pantsies on skates called the Habs would have players such as Neil, they wouldn't miss the playoffs this time around. Missing the playoffs 2 years out of 3....now that's sad for once a proud franchise. I heard they benched one of their few tough guys with talent today....Latendresse....in favor of some ballerinas on skates. You don't win crucial hockey games this way & that's how you wind up with a crappy 'soft' team & miss the playoffs.

 

[picasso]

Hey Doc check your eyesight...

Since when has hockey stopped being a hitting game? It was a bone-crushing check & it was successful only because Drury kept his head down & was admiring his pass. If he would have kept his head up & remember that this is a hockey game, it would have been a hard check and nothing more.

Neil didn't have PLENTY OF TIME to let up if he chose to...less than second to react is not PLENTY OF TIME. Sure, he could have stopped moving and try not to touch Drury...but why would he have done this? Neil leads the lead in 'hits' and this is his game. If a player such as him stops hitting & playing aggressively, he's out of the NHL. Period. Maybe if those pantsies on skates called the Habs would have players such as Neil, they wouldn't miss the playoffs this time around. Missing the playoffs 2 years out of 3....now that's sad for once a proud franchise. I heard they benched one of their few tough guys with talent today....Latendresse....in favor of some ballerinas on skates. You don't win crucial hockey games this way & that's how you wind up with a crappy 'soft' team & miss the playoffs.

Which replay of the hit on Drury did you see or are you just regurgitating what you read in the Ottawa sports column? . Make no mistake about it, Neil got away with an elbow to the head of Drury and that's a cheap shot. If it was just a routine check, e.g. shoulder to shoulder hit, it wouldn't have provoked the Sabres bench.

BTW, since you decided to bring in the Habs into this thread, here's a simple question for you. Where are the Maple Laughs in the standings right now? If Darcy Tucker is such a tough guy how come the Laughs are where they are? And last I check, if the playoffs were to start right now, Habs are in and Maple Laughs are OUT. Talk is cheap...

 

[Cosmo]

I beleive the hit was legall.
As for the Habs,I have to agree that there is way too many ballerinas on this team and that a guy like Neil would be a necessity,especially with Begin out of the line-up.
Latendresse is though,yes but he's still a 19 y/o rookie and his game,just like the rest of his teammates has been on the down slide lately.
He has to play the way he did during pre-season and first half of the season,wich is not the case presently.
Not to mention he was sidelined because he took a couple of dumb penalties against the Predators.

 

[joelcairo]

It would help the Habs if their ballerinas could at least score but they haven't had a scorer for years. No scoring and no muscle equals no Cup...but give the Habs their due: decades ago they were the best team in the NHL and perhaps decades from now they will be again. I sure as hell don't live this dream but many do so let's not rain on their imaginary parade.

 

[EagerBeaver]

You guys don't know how to watch tape. When he was hit Drury had already shot the puck so what was the point of the hit except to injure Drury and inflict a concussion, which Neil did? Whether it is a "legal" hit or not is irrelevant. The tape does not lie and I don't believe in the NHL they go back and look at instant replay to determine whether a penalty should have been called, like they do in the NFL.

It was a dirty hit by Neil. He will get his down the road. Make no mistake about this as retaliation is a recognized strategy in the NHL.

As far as the shouting match between Ruff and Murray, I thought it was kind of funny but I would have liked to have seen them both jump in that penalty box and have a go at it.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Which replay of the hit on Drury did you see or are you just regurgitating what you read in the Ottawa sports column? Make no mistake about it, Neil got away with an elbow to the head of Drury and that's a cheap shot.

Every replay that i've seen in my opinion did not see Neil's elbow being raised. It was a shoulder hit & that's why there was no penalty & no suspension by the league. I've watched the same tapes that Colin Campbell watches & it was a shoulder. I don't read the Ottawa sports columns, by the way....i hate the Senators. I only read Toronto's & Montreal's....even though i'm not crazy about the Habs either, neither are their sportswriters it seems. Talk about jumping off the bandwagon everytime their team goes on a losing streak!

Where are the Maple Laughs in the standings right now? If Darcy Tucker is such a tough guy how come the Laughs are where they are? And last I check, if the playoffs were to start right now, Habs are in and Maple Laughs are OUT.

The Leafs are exactly 1 point behind the Habnots with two games in hand. They're also 1 point behind the Isles & a playoff spot & two behind 7th-place Carolina with 2 games in hand. The Leafs are presently playing great hockey & 3 of their top players have been injured for months, but will likely be back prior to the end of the regular season. Kubina, one of their top 3 rearguards, is now out for 2 weeks with a broken finger, but since the Leafs have depth (unlike the Habnots), it won't matter much since they've got a bunch of promising young defencemen able to step up & do the job. By the way, check again. Your Habnots are presently NOT in the playoffs. They're in 9th place. Last time i checked, only the top 8 teams in each conference make the playoffs. As for Darcy Tucker, he's one of the toughest two-way players in hockey & was leading his team in scoring when he went down to injury just under 2 months ago. So that's why the Leafs are where they are now, fighting for a playoff spot. No Tucker, no Wellwood, no Pecca.....not as many wins in the win column.

Bottom line: Leafs are playing great hockey for the past month. They have depth and it shows. Hal Gill has been a defensive stallwart on the blue line & he's usually covering the other team's top player & constantly killing penalties. Andrew Raycroft is back to playing like he did a couple of years ago back in Boston & reinforcements are on the way. The Leafs will make it, i have no doubt. The Habnots saw their playoff dreams disappear when their savior Huet went down for the rest of the season. It'll only get worse by the time Souray gets traded by next Tuesday's trading deadline.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Drury had already shot the puck so what was the point of the hit except to injure Drury and inflict a concussion, which Neil did? Whether it is a "legal" hit or not is irrelevant. The tape does not lie and I don't believe in the NHL they go back and look at instant replay to determine whether a penalty should have been called, like they do in the NFL. It was a dirty hit by Neil. He will get his down the road. Make no mistake about this as retaliation is a recognized strategy in the NHL.

The point of hitting Drury was to inflict a bonecrushing check in order to get the player off his game & get him worried about being hit again for the rest of the game. It's not to injury him, but these things happen in hockey. It was a legal hit. It appeared worse than it really was if you watch the replays in slow-motion. When you watch them in normal speed, you can see that Neil was in the process of delivering his check prior to Drury getting rid of the puck & all he did was finish off his check. That's what our coaches always thought us in minor hockey and later: finish your checks. If it wasn't a legal hit & if it was indeed an elbow and a cheap shot, Neil would have been suspended by the league, even if he didn't get a penalty on the play. Yes, the league reviews the tapes and regularly suspend players when they deem that something innappropriate has occurred during a game. The zebras were right there when the play happened & didn't call a penalty. It's finally nice of the league to step up for their referees & back their on-ice decisions.

As for "Neil getting his down the road", don't count on it. Several Sabres players had their chance last night & one of their tough guys, Adam Mair, even backed down to a challenge from Neil. They'd rather send Andrew Peters to attack their skill players (e.g. Wade Redden) instead. Only when Bryan MacGratton stepped in for Redden did Peters drop the gloves. Very good fight it was, by the way. Fairly even with Peters landing the early bombs while MacGratton finished great. It was quite amusing to see the Ottawa players (e.g. Jason Spezza) with huge smiles on the bench once the fight was over. The bottom line is the Sabres probably realized by watching the replays of the first game that the Neil hit was a legal one & that the shoulder pad along with Drury's visor likely caused the damage. That's why the game last night was a very clean & exciting one & Ottawa prevailed by the end of the night, though barely. All appearances were that the 'war' was over and both teams put it behind them. I wouldn't be surprised if Chris Neil didn't call or go visit Chris Drury after the first game. Even though some games are played like wars, many opposing players are quite tight off the ice & the last thing they want to do is to seriously injure a fellow hockey player.

 

[Robert 21]

By the way, check again. Your Habnots are presently NOT in the playoffs. They're in 9th place. Last time i checked, only the top 8 teams in each conference make the playoffs.

*http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=StandingsPage&type=CON

If the Eastern Conf Playoffs were to Start*
#1). Buffalo - 87 Pts (62 Games Played) - Lost last night to Ott 6-5, play @ Tor on Tue. 7:30 p.m. ET
2). NJ - 82 (62) - Lost yest to Wash 4-2, play @ Wash today 1 p.m. ET
3). TBay - 73 (63) - Off, host Pitts today 5 p.m. ET
4). Ott - 76 (62) - Beat Buff last night 6-5, play @ Carl Tue. 7 p.m. ET
5). Pitts - 75 (60) - Off, play @ TBay today 5 p.m. ET
6). Atl - 72 (64) - Lost last night to Carl 4-1, play @ Bos Mon. 7 p.m. ET
7). Carl - 71 (64) - Beat Atl 4-1, host Ott Tue. 7 p.m. ET
8). NYI - 70 (62) - Beat Mont yest 3-2, host Phil Tue. 7:30 p.m. ET
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Living on the Edge
9). Mont - 70 (64) - Lost yest to NYI 3-2, host Tor Mon. 7:30 p.m. ET
10). Tor - 69 (62) - Beat Phil last night 5-2, play @ Mont Mon. 7:30 p.m. ET
11). Bos - 64 (61) - Lost last night to Fla 7-2, host ATL Mon. 7 p.m. ET
12). NYR - 64 (62) - Lost last night to CBJ 3-2, host Mont Tue. 7 p.m. ET


No rest for the Habs......they host Tor Monday Night @ 7:30 p.m. ET, then, on Tuesday travel to play the Rangers @ 7 p.m. ET .....Tor after playing the Habs will then host Buffalo on Tuesday @ 7:30 p.m. ET.

 

[picasso]

EB,

The puck may be long gone from Drury but Neil is allowed to finish his check. Just because players don't have the puck doesn't mean they're untouchable. You should go to a real live hockey match some time.

DH,

Headhunting are for cheap shot artists. No matter what replay you saw, Neil went headhunting and he will get his just due in time. There's clean hitting and then there's dirty shit like this in hockey. The very first thing I learned from my coach when I played hockey is to respect your opponent. Play your opponent tough but no cheap shots. Oh yeah, when cheap shots happen you stick for your teammates and go after the cheap shot artist.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Headhunting are for cheap shot artists. No matter what replay you saw, Neil went headhunting and he will get his just due in time. There's clean hitting and then there's dirty shit like this in hockey.

It's not Neil's fault that the player he hit is shorter than he is. Any collision with his shoulder was bound to strike Drury's head since he's the shorter player. Other players (e.g. Eric Lindros) have a tendency to play with their heads down & others tend to admire a pass or shot they've made....when this happens, they are at the mercy of the bodycheckers. If you don't keep your head up & continuously admire your passes & don't pay attention to what is going on around you in this league, you'll eventually suffer the consequences.

By the way, i had written in a prior post that Adam Mair backed down from an invitation by Chris Neil to drop the gloves last night. I only found out a short while ago when watching a replay of the game that they did indeed fight later in the game (i was watching the Leafs/Philly game while that game was going on). Neil grabbed Mair and didn't give him much of a chance to back away & they went at it, with Neil winning an easy decision.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Habs trade Craig Rivet to San Jose Sharks

Well, it seems like the fire sale might have started....the Habs have just traded defenceman Craig Rivet to the Sharks for defenceman Josh Gorges (no clue who this guy is) & a 2007 first-round pick. With Rivet, they send a 2008 5th round pick to the Sharks. Even though the Sharks' pick will be around the 25th overall selection or so, i think it's a great trade for the Canadiens. Rivet has made it no secret that he loves playing for Mtl and he's a free-agent at the end of the regular season. Who knows...he'll get a taste of the playoffs with the Sharks and might return with Mtl next season as a free-agent.

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070225.wsptrivet25/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/home

 

[joelcairo]

Great deal for the Canadiens is right - why would the Sharks want a fading journeyman like this under any circumstances?

 

[picasso]

Salary cap room for Habs

This is a good deal for both teams. The Sharks are strong upfront but need an experienced D-man on the blue line for their playoff drive in their tough conference. But overall the Habs come out ahead in the long term. They dump a high salaried 12-yr veteran who's been shelved with pneumonia for the last two weeks for a 22 yr old D-man with upside potential who can play right away. It also gives the Habs some cap room for next year. Signing both Souray and Markov has to be a priority for Gainey. I'd look for him to trade Kovalev and maybe even Koivu to create even more cap room.

 

[Doc Holliday]

But overall the Habs come out ahead in the long term. It also gives the Habs some cap room for next year.

I agree the Habs come out ahead in the long term & to be honest, Gainey likely had no choice but to jump at this deal when it was offered to him. As for the cap room for next year, isn't Rivet an unrestricted free agent anyway? The cap room would have been there even without the trade.

Signing both Souray and Markov has to be a priority for Gainey. I'd look for him to trade Kovalev and maybe even Koivu to create even more cap room.

There is no way in this lifetime that Souray is going back to Mtl next season. One of his ultimate goals in this lifetime as of now is to be as close as possible to his young daughter & that's by playing for one of the California teams. I do see Markov re-signing with the Habs unless they get outbid for his services by a team such as the NY Rangers. As for trading Kovalev, good luck! There aren't many teams out there willing to trade for an underachieving headcase with a $5 million+ annual salary. Few teams have the cap room to deal for such a player anyways, especially considering he still has a year or two left on his contract. Same story with Samsonov. As for Koivu, he's possibly their player with the most tradeable value, including Souray who's unrestricted at the end of the year as mentionned. But i doubt Mtl will trade their captain at this crucial time in the season since he's looked upon to lead the team into the playoffs & he's well-liked by the Mtl fans. Heck, some people out there actually think he's a near shoe-in for the Hall-of-Fame!!