Goaltenders' nightmare
By Rick Anderson
December 20, 2001
Eleven goals scored in this game, and the goaltenders will be having bad dreams about his one for a long time. With the Sabres behind late in the game 6-5, the Sabres got their best goaltending of the game when Essensa was pulled in favor of the extra attacker.
"We're not going to point fingers in any direction," Ruff pointed out. "A lot of mistakes were made, we could have prevented some. Marty is struggling right now, confidence wise."
Biron, who sat on the bench the last two games as Noronen replaced the struggling goalie, started his first game in a week and looked rusty right from the start. Alexei Zhitnik, who had as bad of a night as all three goaltenders, was a victim of gaveaway and Kyle Calder skated in on Biron's right side, slipping the disc past the goal between the goal post and Biron's pad with only 56 seconds gone by. That was a clear indication on how this game was going to go.
For fans who love a lot of goal scoring, even they were complaining after the game! The goals were not pretty and the porous goaltending on both sides made this look more like a skills competition rather than an actual game.
After Chicago's first goal, Rob Ray of all players tied the game just a little over a minute later when the puck bounced off his chest in past Chicago goalie Jocelyn Thibault.
Boris Mironov got a pass from Alex Zhamnov and one-timed it past Biron at the 3:46 mark. Then the game started to resemble an NBA game as Stu Barnes scored a powerplay goal just a few minutes later.
The Sabres came out in the second period and actually took a 3-2 lead when Slava Kozlov scored at the 2:11 mark. But, in true NBA form, the Hawks came right back and scored a minute later when Calder got his second of the night.
Then came the play that made both Biron and Sabres defenseman Alexei Zhitnik look like clowns on sakes when Eric Daze got the puck behind the net and Zhitnik decided to chase him instead of stand guard in front of Biron. As Zhitnik went after Daze, Daze wrapped around and scored on Biron for his 19th goal of the year. Out went Biron and in came Essensa.
The Sabres would never have the lead again, as the two teams interchanged goals like clockwork. Essensa would allow two goals that an average hockey fan could stop and he definitely is not an NHL caliber goalie. The Sabres were afraid of sending him to Rochester in fear that he would not pass the waivers. They need not fear. No NHL team would want someone who's career has gone down the drain like Essensa on their roster.
The Sabres would get goals by Maxim Afinogenov and Jason Woolley, while Peter White and Steve Sullivan would get softies past Essensa. On Sullivan's winning goal, Essensa may have failed to stop the last shot ever taken on him in the NHL. Sullivan breezed past a stationary Richard Smehlik and put a weak backhand that somehow got through an equally stationary Essensa.
Essensa made a total 3 saves in his relief of Biron. Some novice goalies would have had a better save percentage. This could be the straw that ends Essensa's career. He is 0-4 this season and is not doing the job the Sabres are paying him for. Time to keep Noronen up in Buffalo and split the playing time between the two young goalies. Essensa's time in up.
Remember back a couple years ago when the Sabres would need only 2 or sometimes only 1 goal to win games with Dominik Hasek in goal. These days, even 5 isn't enough. With the kind of goaltending and porous defense the Sabres have been getting, even 6 goals may not win any games for them anymore.
While the netminding leaves a lot to be desired, the Sabres defense, which helped win the Jennings Award last season for least goals allowed, seems to have forgotten how to play this year. Whether it is Ruff's attempt to open the game or lack of cohesiveness, the Sabres need to get back to basics and play the kind of hockey that has the mainstay of their game plan the past few years. Both Smehlik and Zhitnik, the two cornerstones the Sabres rely on, played well below their standards Wednesday night. However, the forwards, who used to come back and help the D out, haven't been doing that either. Curtis Brown has been caught napping on several opposition goals the past week and he needs to step it up on sit for awhile.
With the Sabres getting the worse goaltending they have had in at least 20 years, Ruff realized his mistake in sending Noronen down to the AHL and quickly reinstated him with the big club before the midnight deadline when all NHL rosters were frozen for the Christmas holiday. That could be bad tidings for both Biron and Essensa.
Noronen won his first game last week, playing a solid game. He next outing against the Rangers, he allowed 3 goals in two periods before suffering a back strain and leaving the game early in the third period. Biron, who should have taken to competition from Noronen to turn his game around, went the opposite direction. Wednesday night must have been his worst outing in his NHL career. He allowed 4 goals on 16 shots and the Black Hawks scored twice on their first four shots. It was not a game to build confidence on. Biron has been struggling all season with both the puck and his confidence. Friday's game against the Leafs will most likely see Noronen start his third in four games.
It was hard for Ruff to explain his current goaltending mess.
"He's struggling," Ruff said about his No. 1 goalie Biron. "Let's call a spade a spade. He's at a point right now where stopping a puck isn't coming easy. Pucks are finding ways to slip through him. Every decision he makes is turning out to be a wrong one."
When Chicago had scored their fourth midway through the game, Ruff said enough was enough and yanked Biron.
"You're looking at four goals already, and you're thinking, "Let's maybe get him out before it's a disaster,' " Ruff explained.
"Technically, he's probably done the right thing. The guy's trying to wrap around, he's not going to get the puck up, and all of a sudden it hits a stick and goes in. He's had some bounces go the other way, and I think you start second-guessing a little bit."
Essensa had his say, maybe the last time he will talk to the media as a member of the Sabres.
"As a goaltending tandem we have to be better than that," admitted Essensa. "If Marty or I had been on our game, we deserved to get some points out of this one. Five goals at home has to be enough to win hockey games."
Biron can't figure out why he's having such a tough time recently.
"I've been scratching my head for the past few days but working real well on the ice and doing the right things," said Biron. "It just didn't happen tonight. I've gotta keep battling and probably will need to battle more to make things come to me."
Captain Stu Barnes won't let the goaltenders take all the blame.
"I don't think we can look at our goaltenders and say, "That's the reason we're in this situation,' " Barnes said. "It's all of us in front of our goaltenders that have to pick up our games and play better, clean things up in our own end, don't give the other teams quality opportunities like we have been giving them."
Thibault was glad to get out of Buffalo alive after that shootout. He had the best quote of the night.
"The guys saved my butt," admitted Thibault, who made 24 saves."I wish I could have done a better job. They got some lucky bounces, but that's part of the game."
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On Tuesday, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff sent goaltender Mika Noronen down to Rochester. He obviously made the wrong choice of which goalie to send to Buffalo's AHL affiliate. He should have sent both Martin Biron and Bob Essensa and kept Noronen with the big club, as Biron and Essensa put on a lamentable performance in goal Wednesday at HSBC Arena in Buffalo. The Sabres lost to the Chicago Black Hawks 6-5 in a shootout. The game was a goaltender's nightmare as almost every other shot went behind all three goalies.
The goal that broke Biron's back! Blackhawks' Eric Daze does the wraparound on Sabres goalie Martin Biron for Chicago's 4th goal of the game. Alexei Zhitnik was also to blame for the goal as he chased Daze behind the net and Daze came right back to Zhitnik's vacated zone. Biron was replaced by Bob Essensa after that goal and the Sabres lost 6-5.
[AP Photo/David Duprey]
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