First Period

Some more from the Classic…

If the slow ice conditions are affecting anything, it’s the power play. The Sabres had a hard time clearing the puck, but half of the clearing attempts would have been successful if this had been a regular indoor game. The extra few feet taken from the neutral zone and added to the attacking zone are amplified in these conditions. The weather during the second and third periods, and who can adapt to the changing conditions could determine the outcome of the game.

The ice is also killing any momentum the puck may have gathered, making it easier to keep the puck in the corners. Possession of the puck is getting longer, and each team is able to keep the puck in the zone easier. How a defenseman plays at the point is going to be crucial for the game. At least, until the weather lets up, which it looks like it’s going to.

Just saw Ryan Miller trip up a little on the ice, after the dry scrape. He looked like you or I do when we trip on a sidewalk, looking back at whatever it was that caught him.

The dry scrape has changed the game completely. It’s starting to look like an NHL game again. The speed is picking up, and the passing is starting to be a little more like a game.

A hole in the ice is causing a few problems for the crew. Turns out it was the same hole Miller tripped in. This could be the longest first period in NHL history. Giving the players a little more rest, are we going to see record first period ice times for the top lines?

“If you are quick enough to get in the way, you’re quick enough to get out of the way.” A Gerry Cheevers quote pulled out of the way back machine. This is stuff you aren’t getting on the NBC broadcast.
Game on, with the ice finally repaired. The abuse an ice surface takes from a hockey game, be it NHL or beer league, must be enormous.

Did Ty Conklin just make the save of the game? Nope, off the bar.

Dan Craig is still working on the same patch of ice. Not a good sign.

Speaking of ice problems, how many players are going to come out of this game with sore groins? Speed and poor ice conditions are a bad combination.

End of the first period: More to come. Oh, and Don Cherry says the ice is bad. Good call, Don.