Sabres/Sens Game Night LIVE BLOG

I'm home, so why the hell not. I'll update as the night goes on.

Feel free to leave comments. If you have questions, I'll answer them.

PRE GAME UPDATE

Scratches:
BUF Nolan Pratt
BUF Maxim Afinogenov
OTT Joe Corvo

Starting Goalies
BUF Ryan Miller
OTT Ray Emery

Sabres Lines
Vanek-Connolly-Kotalik
Pominville-Roy-Hecht
Stafford-Gaustad-Paille
Ryan-Mair-Peters

Game on! Let's hope Heatley doesn't murder anyone tonight.

1ST PERIOD

16:42 left: Right after Peters does a wonderful job accepting a few shots from Brian McGrattan. Ottawa scores on a deflection.

RJ and Harry can't seem to agree on who got it. It's like the scene in Major League where the guys in the bleachers are arguing about how a home run could be "too high" until their friend says, "Who gives a shit? It's gone!"

1-0 OTTAWA
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11:02 left: The Sabres are doing a good job keeping pressure but don't seem to be getting quality shots. They cycle so well that no one thinks to try to get open in the slot. They need to get more pucks at Emery.
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7:35: Daniel Paille just got JACKED UP by Anton Volchenkov. Paille (at the end of his shift, I might add) went straight to the bench. Clean hit. This could get interesting.

And Jason Pominville goes in on a breakaway and either missed the net or got stopped by Emery. That's why he doesn't go in the shootout.
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7:25: Ryan hits Volchenkov from behind, and gets jumped by Shean Donovan. Things are getting chippy.
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2:43: Kotalik makes a great play to take out a defenseman and create a scoring chance. Doesn't net much, but plays like that seem to be lacking most of the time.
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2:03: Vanek knocks the puck past Emery with a high stick. After review, no goal. After Harry Neale poses the question as to how many times goals were incorrectly called prior to video replay, Rob Ray makes a good comment: "How many teams lost Stanley Cups because of no video replay?" Well played, Rayzor.
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0:00: Sabres don't seem to be getting outplayed, but the scoreboard says 1-0 Sens. When you're on a four game losing streak, the bounces never seem to go your way. Just like more of the same. I mean, come on, the Caps just swept a home-and-home against them! THE CAPS!

END 1: Ottawa 1, Buffalo 0
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2ND PERIOD

19:22: Sabres put on some pressure early. Naturally, any momentum disappears as Tallinder shoots the puck over the glass. Sens get the PP.
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18:25: Senators score as Miller never sees the shot from the point. Stupid penalty, and the hole gets deeper.

2-0 OTTAWA
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17:30: Connolly rings one off the post and draws a penalty. HUGE powerplay here. Can't blow these opportunities.
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15:28: Nothing doing on that powerplay. And Paille will not return. Well, we're playing Ottawa, so there's the requisite concussion. Awesome.
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10:25: Michael Ryan busts in the zone and creates a scoring opportunity. Ryan & Mair combine to create some pressure. It doesn't yield a goal, but play is stopped because Ray Emery is hurt.

With the way Gerber's been playing since Connolly clocked him in the head two weeks ago, that may be a good thing.
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9:20: Another crazy bounce, another Ottawa goal. Spezza rings home a rebound.

3-0 OTTAWA

Miller to the bench. In comes Thibault. And here comes the comeback.
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8:59: Kotalik puts a cross-crease pass from Vanek past Emery. Told you so. The wagons are being circled.

3-1 OTTAWA
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3:14: Sabres can't seem to get any great opportunities. Thibault isn't really being challenged either.
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0:00: Period ends with the Sabres still trailing by two. Time for someone to step up.

END 2: Ottawa 3, Buffalo 1
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3RD PERIOD

17:20: Redden just decked Pominville. Thankfully, he gets right back up and stays in the play.
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13:36: Vanek makes a nice move to cut in front of the net for a great chance but loses the handle on the puck. That's is a play he MUST make, whether it turns into a goal or not. He's got to be able to get a shot out of that.
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11:25: Sabres have 31 shots on goal and one goal to show for it. Where's the finishing, blue?
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11:10: Rick Jeanneret hasn't smoked in 15 years. Good to know.
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9:57: Sabres get another chance on the powerplay. They're gonna have to do something eventually.
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8:31: Jochen Hecht deflects a Thomas Vanek deflection of a Jason Pominville shot from the point past Sugar Ray. Sabres pull within one.

3-2 OTTAWA
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7:33: Kotalik rings one off the pipe trying to beat Emery short-side. It's only one shot away from a tie game.
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6:11: That said, Michael Ryan banks one off Emery's skate and into the net. Tie game, bitches.

TIED 3-3
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4:41: So much for that. Heatley drives one past Thibault to take the lead. Man, that Heatley knows how to kill momentum.

4-3 OTTAWA
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2:41: Derek Roy sends Jason Spezza into the boards just in time to let Daniel Alfredsson rip one past Thibault.

5-3 OTTAWA
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0:00: The buzzer sounds. Sabres outshoot the Senators 39-27 in the biggest waste of a 3-goal rally I've ever seen. Make that five games without a win.

FINAL: OTTAWA 5, BUFFALO 3