Morning Wrap: Bruins vs. Sabres Skirmish Starts and Finished With Matt Bartkowski

((ht: cbssports.com))

Um, this play may and probably will draw some fines. And is the part of hockey that isn't necessarily the good part.

Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Bartkowski triggered a full scale Pier 6er Sunday afternoon when he blew up Buffalo Sabres captain Brian Gionta as Gionta was waiting to receive a pass.

Bartkowski went high towards Gionta's head, leaving the Sabres captain sprawled out on the ice and requiring medical attention. Sabres forward Marcus Foligno immediately jumped Bartkowski and a brawl ensued.

And yeah...Bartkowski got the better of Foligno too. The Bruins defenseman racked up 20 minutes of penalty time on the play. Gionta was not able to return to the game. The Bruins got the win, 4-3.

The NHL hasn't fined anyone yet for this...but it's coming...

Carolina's Jordan Staal breaks leg in NHL preseason game

Jordan Staal is not happy. (photo courtesy The Canadian Press)

Ron Francis, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, tonight announced that center Jordan Staal suffered a broken bone in the lower portion of his right leg during the team’s preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres.

Staal, 26, was injured during the third period when he got tangled up with Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges in the third period of Carolina’s 2-0 exhibition loss. Staal will return to Raleigh with the team on Wednesday and will be evaluated by team doctors on Thursday. 

A timetable for his recovery has yet to be determined.

Carey Price Is Not Afraid Of Anyone

((HT: Sportsnet/TSN))

Much less the Buffalo Sabres...

Actually, there aren't a whole lot of folks afraid of the Sabres...

Carey Price got the shut out tonight against them and things got out of hand in front of his own net...
And he wasn't having any of it...

Ryan Miller Speaks And There's Trade Analysis, Too...

((HT: TSN/MSG))

Buffalo Sabres Ryan Miller and Steve Ott got the opportunity to address their move to St. Louis earlier this evening...


And here's analysis as both teams move forward with Geno Reda et al.


Christian Ehrhoff has submitted a list of teams that he will accept a trade. For anyone who wants to pick up the rest of his contract, it's seven years and the balance of the $40-million that he signed for...

And It Begins: Ryan Miller To St. Louis

Trade Deadline Day is just around the corner... and we now have our first salvo in the run...

Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak were straight up dealt to and from Buffalo and St. Louis

The full deal is:

Ryan Miller and captain Steve Ott to St. Louis for Halak, forward Chris Stewart, prospect William Carrier, a 2015 first-round pick and a 2016 third-round pick.

When asked about it yesterday, Miller said: "I'm trying not to be too sentimental.I think everyone in Buffalo kind of knows how I feel about the city. [I've] always enjoyed the people, I've always enjoyed the city."

Sabres General Manager Tim Murray had talked with teams about a deal for Miller. “The route that we’re looking at is to get value for him, to put him in a position to succeed,” Murray said. He went on to call Miller a “good soldier” two days ago when all this was initially discussed...

Ott and Miller are both unrestricted free agents after this season- Ott makes $3.2-million and Miller $6.25-million

Stewart has one more year left on his deal at $4.2-million. Carrier is under an entry-level deal in the minors. Halak is an unrestricted free agent after this season at $4.5-million.

The Sabres now possess 10 picks in the first two rounds of the 2014 and 2015 Drafts.

The larger question for the Sabres is who may be next out the door by Wednesday- Tallinder, Ehrhoff, and Moulson all may be in someone's crosshairs by the time we're done. Murray admits that there are no untouchable players and that this is a complete rebuild.

Murray appeared on Hockey Central to admit that Miller says its time to go...
((HT: Sportsnet))

Save Of The Year: Early Contender From Buffalo

((HT: Sportsnet))

Jhonas Enroth tries to upstage teammate Ryan Miller for his save against Claude Giroux of the Flyers...

What say you, dear reader...???

Whose save is better...???

Sabre Thrown Out Of Faceoff By Make-A-Wish Kid

((HT: CSN Washington))

Braden Nienaber had his Make-A-Wish Foundation wish granted in and around the Washington Capitals day against the Buffalo Sabres...

And the best part was what he did at the opening promo faceoff between Alexander Ovechkin and Steve Ott

Here's the video...


How cool is that...???
And great presence of mind by Braden...

Puck Into Pants= Game-Winning Own Goal

((HT: NHL))

Okay...

Goal or not a goal...


Apparently, in the eyes of the league...
It's a goal... and it gave Buffalo a win over Phoenix...

At 3:47 of overtime in the Coyotes/Sabres game, video review supported the referee's call on the ice that Mark Pysyk's shot deflected into the air and landed in goaltender Mike Smith's equipment and, while attempting to make the save, Smith's momentum propelled him and the puck completely across the goal line. Good goal Buffalo.

And the goalie for the Coyotes, Mike Smith, wasn't happy...

Joe Yerdon from Pro Hockey Talk via his own Twitter:

"It's an honest game and if you don't play how you're supposed to play... you get it jammed right up your butt."

And from John Vogl of the Buffalo News via his Twitter:

"I guess if they don’t see the puck they’re supposed to blow the whistle, but that’s not what happened."

But Rule 85.3 says: "Should a scramble take place or a player accidentally fall on the puck and the puck be out of sight of the Referee… he shall immediately blow his whistle and stop the play."

And it didn't happen in this case...

The HQ doesn't think this is the last we'll hear of this, either...

Let The Housecleaning Begin In Buffalo

[HT: Buffalo News]

It was only a matter of time after the John Scott incident and this timeless rant...
((HT: NHL on NBC/Fred Murtz))


But, today in Buffalo, it all blew up...

"Last night I relieved Darcy Regier from his duties as Buffalo Sabres general manager and Ron Rolston as head coach," Sabres owner Terry Pegula said at a news conference in First Niagara Center.

In are Pat LaFontaine and Ted Nolan.

LaFontaine will carry the title of President of Hockey Operations and will hire a general manager to oversee the team.

"I can't tell you how excited and ready I am to take this position." LaFontaine said at Wednesday mornings presser.  "...the first thing I wanted to do is something at the player's level. We'll bridge it together."

The culture is about to change in Buffalo.

The Sabres have been god-awful this year.  As of Wednesday Buffalo is 4-15-1 and dead last in the NHL Atlantic Division.

"I don't know there's enough words inside me to express how excited I really am," Nolan said.  

Nolan was head coach of the Sabres for two seasons (1995-96 and 1996-97 seasons) where he led Buffalo to a division title in his final season and won the Jack Adams Award.

Nolan will serve as interim head coach was emotional during the presser.  

Let's just say Tuesday night and Sabres will rock bottom.  

(Thanks WVIB-TV)

This Is Awesome! Jeanneret Calls Game From Ice Level- Not By Choice...

((HT: NHL/MSG))

What else could go wrong this season for the Buffalo Sabres...???

First off, they're really, really bad...

But second the building that they're skating in, (now) First Niagara Center, had elevator issues all day Tuesday...
No one up, no one down...

And that includes Sabres play-by-play legend Rick Jeanneret...
He couldn't call the game from the booth, so he joined Rob Ray downstairs...


But Puck Daddy gives us a play from the game where Rick might have been calling "May Day! May Day!"
((HT: EyeOnHockey))

NHL Refs Miss OT Goal, Sharks Lose In Shootout...

((HT: Sportsnet))

This was one that the zebras missed last night...

Tied at fours in the San Jose-Buffalo game, the Sharks' Tommy Wingels did the following but wasn't credited for it...

The Sharks would lose in the shootout to give the Sabres some hope of something this season...

What that is, exactly, the HQ isn't sure...

DEVELOPING: John Scott Gets 7

((HT: Sportsnet))

The Buffalo Sabres now have another suspension on their hands...

John Scott gets seven games in addition to the 10 games that Patrick Kaleta got for his extra-curricular activity...

Scott got seven for his extending an elbow and a head shot on the Boston Bruins Loui Eriksson...

Here's Doug Maclean and Hazel Mae discussing...

Just to add to the Sabres issues...
Why not...???

HockeyCentral Discusses John Scott

((HT: Sportsnet))

Here's the first salvo in the John Scott shenanigans...

Brad Fay, Doug Maclean, and FOSG Billy Jaffe try to figure out where the league and the NHLPA "should" go next...

The only question is now: Does Scott get the book thrown at him...???

Just How Bad Are Things In Buffalo...??? (UPDATE: Mike Milbury Explodes And NHL Responds)

((HT: Sportsnet/NHL on NBC))

Let's face it... the Buffalo Sabres are not a very good hockey team and the only thing saving them from being a horrific hockey team right now is the goaltending of Ryan Miller...

The Wednesday night game against the Boston Bruins showed just where the franchise is...

After Boston took a first period lead, the building shut up until this moment in the third that should get John Scott a phone call from the league office...

Here's the short version...
Scott went straight for Loui Eriksson's head and didn't even mask it... Here's the long version... ((HT: Fred Murtz)) The Twitter machine has been in overload identifying that Sabres head coach Ron Rolston won't even make the end of the year with his team and apparent coaching style. NBC Sports Mike Milbury said postgame that Rolston should be fired tomorrow and Scott should be out of the league. Evidence here... ((HT: Once again, Murtz and NHL on NBC)) But, as a history lesson, Sabres GM Darcy Regier has had heavyweights on his rosters before (read: Patrick Kaleta et al.) and there are even more who are saying that "The Code" has been thrown out the window in any future match-ups with these two teams. The only solution is to have Zdeno Chara square off against Scott since he would be picking on somebody his own size at that point... The HQ would suggest the following: The offending player sits for the same length of time that the injured player has to recover from the injury and the team gets fined a matching amount that the player gets fined as well. The coach also serves a suspension... Just a thought... that the HQ knows will NEVER EVER HAPPEN... PM UPDATE: The NHL has upheld the 10-game suspension on Kaleta and has suspended Scott indefinitely pending a hearing...

NHL Lords Of Discipline Just Got Busier

((HT: NHL/NBCSN))

First, Patrick Kaleta got a ten-game suspension for this hit on CBJ defenseman Jack Johnson...


Now, it looks like the Blues Maxim Lapierre should be getting a notice from the league office in Toronto after this movement against the Sharks' Dan Boyle this evening...


The larger question being will Lapierre match Kaleta's number even if the reputations and histories don't...
Boyle was alert on his way to hospital...

A Good, Old Fashioned Line Brawl

((HT: Leafs TV/NHL))

In the exhibition season, no less...

There's no secret that Toronto and Buffalo don't really like each other... and the exhibition season is no different...

Here's the output of an out of control third period...


"I just saw everyone fighting and I wanted to defend my teammate, I guess," Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier said.

By the end of the game, 239 minutes in penalties were handed out.

The larger question is just how many games David Clarkson will get for jumping the bench to get involved...

Here's analysis from "Hockey Central" at noon...
((HT: Sportsnet))

Sabres Alternate Sweater Catching Grief

((HT: WGRZ-TV))

A lot of it...

Here's the coverage of the reveal...

People were joking on social media that the Atlanta Thrashers 3rd sweater (the "Defender" look") was laughing at that one revealed above... and the thought is with Ott doing the reveal is that he may be the new face of the franchise...

Well, okay then...

Boston Sings Anthem In First Event Since Marathon

((HT: NBCSN/NHL/SB Nation))

The only word that the HQ can use for this is amazing...
#BostonStrong


Nathan Paille, 5:45 in, got the crowd even more involved with the first goal of the game against the Sabres...

More when we have more...

And here's the tribute that aired inside the arena before the anthem was sung...
((HT: NHL.com/NBCSN))

Has Steve Ott Snapped In Buffalo...???

((HT: CBC/MSG/NHL/HockeyVideoHD))

Steve Ott is an alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres... and his evening against the Montreal Canadiens started like this...


The HQ would always like to know how every fight involving the Habs involves Boullion...

And then, he seems to treat Jeff Halpern like a popsicle at faceoff...


His third act was very special, according to Matt Barnaby and his Twitter:

Ott just snapped coming off ice. Threw helmet and stick. Looked like both hit razor and Healy. Razors cranium broke both on contact

Toronto vs. Buffalo: Hockey on Undercard to Fight

Nothing like a good hockey game in between a fight.

That's basically what happened Thursday night when the Buffalo Sabres got a hard-fought 5-4  Shootout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

And we say hard fought, we mean HARD fought.

The highlight of the evening to many: A Fight/Dance featuring a fight between Buffalo's John Scott and Toronto's Frazer McLaren who "Oh, by the way" have some history together. The undercard featured Colton Orr of Toronto and Patrick Kaleta of the Sabres.

That was triggered after Orr cross-checked Kaleta with his stick on a face-off.

Orr left for the evening--he was ejected.

Here is your carnage from our friends at hockeyfights.com: