Tag Archives: Third Period

Buffalo Sabres, Toronto Maple Leafs

Buffalo Sabres/Toronto Maple Leafs pre-season brawl

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Rivalries.  You know you’re going to have an intense game when two teams who genuinely don’t like each other face off.

The Sabres and the Maple Leafs are rivals.  Only about a 90 minute drive separate First Niagara Center from Air Canada Center, and there are generally just as many Leafs fans at the FNC when the teams play each other there as there are Sabres fans.  So, you expect a fierce game when these two teams meet – but you generally don’t expect it in a pre-season game.

Jaime Devane and Corey Tropp decided to drop the gloves in the third period of Sunday night’s exhibition, which led to Tropp smashing the back of his head against the ice.  The Sabres sent out enforcer John Scott on the next play, who threatened to “jump” Phil Kessel – at least, that’s what Kessel says.

Here’s the video, I’ll update you on any discipline handed down by the NHL if I hear anything.

[iframe src=”http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/embed?playlist=446674″ frameborder=”0″ width=”640″ height=”395″]

Hockey Media

NHL 14 Demo – Thoughts and Points

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For those who havent played it/downloaded it, the NHL 14 playable demo was released recently, and in it, contained three game modes. Play Now, which consisted of playing the third period (and overtime/shootout if needed), between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks. NHL ’94 Anniversary mode, which contains the third period between the Bruins/Blackhawks, and Hockey Ultimate Team, which contains you receiving a random pack, and facing off in a tournament against the Halifax Mooseheads, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks and Team Canada respectively.

A quick analysis on each, possibly detailing what the retail version of NHL 14 could be all about.

NHL ’94 Anniversary mode should be available to play online multiplayer. It is only there as a replacement for the Winter Classic, which wasn’t played due to the lockout. This mode would be more fun being able to play online, as I feel the mode just wont be enough purely as offline single player/multiplayer. NHL ’94 mode is more than fun, and even the beginner would be able to do well in this mode, as opposed to needing to do tricks and dekes in order to be successful in other modes.

Ultimate Team from what I saw, seems to be fairly similar to the NHL ’13 model, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it would be a lot better if they re-introduced permanent training to your players.

Play Now was just a normal game, giving you the chance to show off the new fighting mechanic, the new dekes, and everything else you can think of. The fighting mechanic is 1000% better than previous editions, although they seem to happen a lot more regularly than even a real-life NHL game, which can be bothersome, and just like Madden and FIFA, the game’s looks are tweaked to look better, but the overall feel is pretty much the same as last year’s edition.

Buffalo Sabres

First Sabres post of the season!

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Alright, I’ll admit it.  As a lifelong San Francisco 49ers fan, I’ve been a little distracted from these opening couple of weeks of the NHL season.  It doesn’t help that after going 2-0-0 to start the season, the Sabres slid to 2-3-1.  The heartbreaking loss with 1.5 seconds left in overtime against Toronto the other night hasn’t exactly had me clamoring to tune in to Sabres broadcasts either.  In fact, I was content to ignore the fact they were playing tonight until my wife handed me the remote.

I tuned in during the first period, scoreless in Boston.  I left the room during intermission to get ready for work, and took my time getting back.  It was 1-1 by time I started watching again.  Brad Marchand scored two quick goals to put the Bruins up 3-1 by the time I had to leave for work.  I was ready to count Buffalo out and ignore the rest of the game, but by time I got on my first bus, it was 3-3 at the end of the second.  I plugged my $100 Bose headphones into my $5 Sentry AM/FM radio, tuned to WGR55 AM, just in time for the start of the second intermission.

As the third period began, David Krejci scored 1:45 in, and once again it seemed like my Sabres were doomed.  However, less than a minute later, Alexander Sulzer scored his first goal of the season to tie it right back up.  Great saves by Ryan Miller, a goal from Cody Hodgson, a goal for Thomas Vanek (earning him a hat trick for the evening, and answering my longtime question of “What are the Sabres paying this guy for?”), and an empty netter by Captain Jason Pominville later, and the Sabres have snapped their winless streak, and emphatically silenced the TD Garden in Boston with a 7-4 victory.

Am I ready to believe that the team will start winning consistently and moving up the standings just yet?  No, but rest assured I won’t be ignoring the fact that they’re playing the Canadiens this Saturday afternoon.