Knee-Jerk Reaction: Sabres at Lightning

Well that was a productive use of my Saturday night. Nothing like watching my team of 3 scoring lines and 1 checking line get shut out by this guy.

If you don’t recognize him, you didn’t watch a lot of Blue Jackets games the last few years (so, really, you fit the profile of a Blue Jackets fan). He was their backup goaltender, and Garon currently serves as Tampa Bay’s backup goalie. He and the desperate Lightning team worked to absolutely shut down a Sabres team that has been averaging 3.5 goals per game. So there’s that.

• Ville Leino had his second bad night as a Sabre. After taking guff for only having 1 goal in 5 games, Leino came up big in the Florida game with a powerful assist on the second goal. Tonight he looked great in the first period when playing with Roy and Stafford, and I liked that line a lot. Then the rest of the game happened and he had a really, really bad giveaway at the blue line that led to the Lightning’s second goal.
  Give him time, he’ll look great. Just…not yet…I guess…
• When Tyler Ennis took a bad hit, I was really worried he was seriously injured. Then I remembered that he has zero points and I honestly don’t care that much. #IOnlyCareAboutPointScorers
• My god. Whatever jackass has that horn needs to get punched in the gall bladder. Every minute on the minute, BWURRRRR!!! Sit down and drink your beer.
• Brad Boyes is playing with a lot more fire, looking like he wants to get some points and legitimize his role as a goal scorer. I, meanwhile, am working very hard to hone my telekinesis so that I can type without being at the keyboard. I don’t know which of us will be successful first.
• BWWWWWWWURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
  
  
• Oh jeez. Upon checking I see that it’s Brett Connollythat’s been having a very, very good game against the Sabres. Whew, that’s a relief. I was almost afraid of the insult added to injury that would’ve held. 
•  No. Jhonas Enrothwould not have been able to salvage this game. Not unless he could score a goal, and then he would’ve lost by 1. 
• Special teams. The Sabres had four power plays to Tampa Bay’s two. The Lightning didn’t score a Power Play goal, but the Sabres looked anemic when they had more guys on the ice. Hopefully there will be another edition of Lindy Ruff’s stick throwing tutorial at the next practice. Then again, the Power Play’s been really good thus far, so maybe the Sabres simply ran into the brick wall known as Mathieu Garon. 
• Brad Boyes just got hit in the back by a slap shot courtesy of Marc-Andre Gragnani. Congrats, Boyes, you’re actually being detrimental at this point. 
• And there’s the empty net…goal…as soon as he…skates right up…to the blue…paint to tip it…BWURRRRRRRR! 
• Alrighty. The Sabres are now 5-2-0 and managed to win 75% of their first big road trip. They head home to play some crappy team with a 3-3-2 record that have let in 27 goals. I’m sure we’ll-…oh, it’s the Lightning again. Well as long as they play their starting goaltender instead of their backup, we should be fine.
  
• Minus of the night: Christian Ehrhoff with a minus-3. He looked as bad as a guy getting paid $18 million can look at times.
  
• Plus of the night: Robyn Regehrapplying a nice coating of Dominic Moore’s face to the boards. 

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