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Buffalo, NY (WGR 550) -- Hello again from the Ted Darling Memorial Press Box inside of First Niagara Center. It hasn't been that long, folks. Less than 24 hours ago the Sabres were able to come back and score the 3-2 shootout win over the Dallas Stars. Tonight the Tampa Bay Lightning are in town. The Bolts were actually in Buffalo and sitting around last night after losing in New York two nights ago.
The big news from the morning skate was the swap of players between the Sabres and Rochester Americans of the AHL. Luke Adam has been demoted to the Amerks, while Zack Kassian has been recalled. Head coach Lindy Ruff said some of the reason for the move is Adam's recent play in Buffalo, while another part of it is he wants Kassian to fill some of the gap that Cody McCormick's absence with an upper body injury creates physically. For more from the morning skate, click here for Paul Hamiton's pregame primer.
Feel free to interact with me throughout the night one of many ways. Comment in the thread below, text us at 550550 and/or send me a tweet: @PatWGR. Give me a follow while you are there also.
First Period
20:00 - Our Paul Hamilton spoke with Lindy Ruff just prior to the puck drop here tonight, which means the bench boss is once again coaching from the press box.
18:08 - Any fears that Buffalo would have nothing left in the tank after last night's come from behind win go away, at least for a moment, on a nice pass play that resulted in a good scoring chance for Thomas Vanek. The forward took a one-timer shot from the left wing side and Mathieu Garon was able to get his glove on the puck to knock it away.
14:31 - Zack Kassian took his first shift a few minutes ago, and he was paired up with Brad Boyes and Matt Ellis on the team's checking line. No changes to any of the other line combos for Buffalo tonight either, in case you were wondering.
8:57 - The Sabres are outshooting Tampa 4-3 at the moment and the hometown team has had the better of the chances. The Lightning almost scored on themselves a moment ago as well.
5:50 - Buffalo has gone a long period of time without a shot on goal. I don't have the exact number, but they have been stuck on 4 shots for at least the last 2 media timeouts.
1:43 - Tampa goes to the man advantage for the first time tonight as Christian Ehrhoff is called for tripping Vincent Lecavalier at the side of the net. Shots are 8-6, Lightning currently.
End of period
Sabres 0, Tampa Bay 0
Goals
none
Penalties
18:17 - (BUF) Christian Ehrhoff (2 min, tripping)
Shots on Goal
BUF - 6, TB - 12
Second Period
17:17 - Jordan Leopold vacates the penalty box following a tripping minor early in the middle frame. Tampa got absolutely nothing going offensively on that chance, it was a good job by the Sabres PK units to keep the puck away from their own net.
14:25 - The PK by Buffalo gave the team some momentum for a spell which resulted in 5 shots on goal but nothing across the line. Still scoreless and the fans are pretty quiet tonight.
13:35 - A quick glimpse as to how deadly the Lightning can be at any moment with Lecavalier, Stamkos and St. Louis. If you give any of the three an inch they can take full advantage. No score yet, but Tampa easily had their best chance of the night. Ryan Miller has been up to the task all 17 times tonight.
12:29 - LIGHTNING GOAL. Soft defensive coverage down low comes back to bite Buffalo as Steve Downie is able to take a rebound chance and stuff it home past Miller for the first goal of the game. Steven Stamkos started the play, Victor Hedman got the puck to the front and Downie finishes it off. 1-0 TB.
6:44 - LIGHTNING GOAL. Steven Stamkos scores his 32nd goal of the season falling down on his back. Teddy Purcell feathered a perfect pass across the ice and Miller had no chance at it. 2-0 TB.
1:48 - The Sabres have 6 shots on goal this stanza, but quite honestly I cannot remember one good chance they have had on those chances. There is no energy on the ice, and in the stands fans are waiting to see some signs of life as well. Buffalo has not had a PP chance yet either.
End of period
Tampa Bay 2, Sabres 0
Goals
7:31 - (TB) Steve Downie(9), (Victor Hedman, Steven Stamkos)
13:16 - (TB) Steven Stamkos (32), (Teddy Purcell)
Penalties
0:42 - (BUF) Jordan Leopold (2 min, tripping)
Shots on Goal
BUF - 7 (13), TB - 11 (23)
Third Period
19:33 - I echo what Brian Koziol said right before the intermission report ended: maybe an early PP chance for Buffalo can get things going. If they can get a quick goal this period maybe they can mount the comeback.
16:00 - So much for the early goal. Just 1 shots for each team through the first 4 minutes of the frame. A nice job by Vanek to back check on a Lecavalier chance may have helped save a breakaway goal from going in. Vanek got enough of the Lightning captain to disrupt the play and Miller poked the puck to the boards.
13:58 - Maybe the best chance of the night for the Sabres goes to Patrick Kaleta. The forward had a couple of whacks at the puck at the top of the crease, but Garon stayed with him the whole time and did not budge. Maybe this could be the play that starts the momentum rolling in Buffalo's favor? Only time will tell.
12:53 - SABRES GOAL. Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville work together to get Buffalo on the board. The captain records his 20th goal of the year and that was the momentum I was talking about in my last entry. Those two have been dynamite for the blue and gold all season, and in Vanek's second game back from injury he has figured into the team's scoring prominently. 2-1 TB.
8:42 - Shots are 8-2, Buffalo this period. The fans are doing their best to get into the game right now. A section over from our broadcast location is trying to get a chant going and many other fans are chiming in. Don't forget that Guy Boucher and the Lightning may be the new masters of the trap, so any excitiement may come in small pockets.
7:51 - Kassian is going to the box for "slashing." It was a penalty, that is not why I put it in quotes. I put it in quotes because it was a stick that came up in between the legs of Hedman and caught him in a vulnerable spot, from what I could see. Kassian and the fans don't agree but he deserved a minor.
4:52 - Pomnville is denied his second goal of the night thanks to an acrobatic save by Garon. It would have been another Vanek-to-Pominville score to tie the game up, but the glove hand of Garon says no.
4:33 - The Sabres get their first PP of the night thanks to a JT Wyman trip of Drew Stafford. It was a slightly delayed call by the closest referee to the play, but he had to make the call when he saw the stick in Stafford's skates.
1:12 - Timeout Sabres with Miller on the bench in favor of the extra attacker and the team down a goal.
End of Game
Tampa Bay 2, Sabres 1
Goals
7:07 - (BUF) Jason Pominville (20), (Thomas Vanek, Mike Weber)
Penalties
12:05 - (BUF) Zack Kassian (2 min, slashing)
15:27 - (TB) JT Wyman (2 min, tripping)
Shots on Goal
BUF - 12 (25), TB - 5 (28)
Postgame
The blue and gold just simply did not have enough left to tie the game and at least get a point tonight. Ehrhoff cranked to crossbar with about a minute to go, and after that there weren't any more good chances with Miller pulled. Too much sloppy play in their own end and not enough shots on goal in the first two periods are the biggest reasons for the loss. Now these two teams are tied in the standings and a very good weekend of hockey is somewhat ruined with the fact that the Sabres could not make up any more ground with the way some of the other action went earlier today. Next up is a date with the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. The Sabres and Devils will drop the puck at 7 o'clock in Buffalo, catch all of the action the flagship home of the Sabres Radio Network - WGR Sports Radio 550. Pregame coverage with Mike Schopp and the Bulldog begins at 6 p.m.