A Night To Czech Out As Dominik Hasek And Goalies Highlight The Night

Dominik Hasek has been an iconic symbol of the goaltending world in hockey since he personally patented a hybrid style that revolutionized the way goalies moved in the crease. Tonight he is being commemorated and immortalized in the rafters of First Niagara Center as his #39 is retired from the Sabres. This man is the focal point of the evening, but let us not forget that there is still a game to play after the ceremony. This matchup features the Buffalo Sabres and Detroit Red Wings, and how fitting is it that the goaltenders featured in tonight’s matchup are both of Czech descent.

Michal Neuvirth will be tending the crease for Buffalo and Petr Mrazek will be in goal for the Red Wings. Both of them will no doubt be inspired to play their hearts out in front of their childhood idol.

Buffalo Sabres Keys

Putting the ceremonies aside for a moment, let’s take a look at the Sabres and what they will need tonight for a win. They are currently on a 7 game losing streak and are in dire need of a shovel to dig themselves out of this rut. The shovel they should be looking to is the defense. Recently the defense has not shown enough support for their goaltender (and I for one felt terrible for Neuvirth in his last start considering how well he played) and the defense needs to shape up in their own end to win tonight. Defense needs to come first. It’s a simple solution as far as is goes on paper. The less time you spend in your own zone, the more you spend in the offensive zone. That formula leads to more goals for and less stress on the goaltender.

Neuvirth is still a key element to winning tonight and if he plays like he did against the Lightning then the Sabres will do Mr. Dominik Hasek proud and win on the night of his number retirement. Michael Neuvirth has been solid between the pipes for a majority of his games and if he retains his composure and the defense comes to his support tonight, then a win is almost guaranteed.

Detroit Scope

The Red Wings are a puck moving team that likes to cycle their offense and get teams running around to catch them. This style of play makes players like Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and Gustav Nyquist as dangerous as they are.

Let’s not forget that the Sabres were terrorized by Tatar in their last game against Detroit and he will need to have some pressure put on him to prevent his scoring touch from emerging.

Final Thoughts

All in all, the night will be one to remember whether the Sabres win or lose, but it would be fitting for Buffalo win considering the majority of Dominik Hasek’s career was played in a Sabres sweater. They picked the perfect night to have Hasek be appreciated as his two main teams will be facing off, and it will be a night to remember for everyone on the ice and in the stands.

I’ll predict a 4-2 Buffalo win tonight.

LET’S GO BUFFALO!!

Next: Fan Memories Of Dominik Hasek

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