http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/players/maxim_afinogenov/4801 Recent articles about Maxim Afinogenov en-us It seems like such a cliché to start something about Jason Pominville with Game 5 of the Ottawa series in the 2006 playoffs.  But really where else can something about Jason Pominville begin?  There are very few people in Buffalo who can’t vividly recall Pominville skating around Daniel Alfredsson, Jay McKee flying out of the penalty box, and Rick Jeanneret bellowing his now classic, “NOW DO YOU BELIEVE?  NOW DO YOU BELIEVE?  THESE GUYS ARE GOOD!  SCARY GOOD!”  I leapt off the couch, jumped up and down and screamed, “HOLY ****, THIS IS SO AWESOME!”  I moved to Buffalo in the summer of 2000 so that was the first great moment of my Sabres fandom, the first moment that really swept me away. Despite that, I’ve always had a bit of a complicated relationship with Jason Pominville.  Before writing this, I flipped through my blog archives, just to get an idea of what I’ve said about him over the years and it’s really been up and down.  I came to his defense when half the world acted li Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:03:53 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/now_do_you_believe/13310737 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/now_do_you_believe/13310737 Now Do You Believe? http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/now_do_you_believe/13310737 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/f/f/ff28721d5262e9a28a1b40dcabe2476efe0b5fb3/mini/Buffalo_Sabres_v_0880.jpg We know that Thomas Vanek leaves this weekend with an NHL leading 19 points, that news has been well covered.  He has carried this team on his back, in a year where the rest of the team, sans Pominville, is struggling to find their offense.  This isn’t unusual for Vanek.  He is notoriously a fast starter.  In fact, over his career, he has more than a point per game average in the first 10 games that he plays in each season.  In the 78 games that fit that category, he has scored 43 goals and has 45 assists for 88 points.  All of those averages are well above his career averages. But let’s take a look at how this year’s start compares to those of Sabres greats, past and present.  Unfortunately, game logs for the NHL are only available starting in the 1987-88 season.  That excludes the entire French Connection, Danny Gare, Don Luce, and some of Mike Foligno, Phil Housley, and Dave Andreychuk’s seasons.  If anyone knows where I can find game logs for seasons prior to 87-88, please... Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:24:01 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/a_start_for_the_ages/12841054 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/a_start_for_the_ages/12841054 A Start For The Ages http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/a_start_for_the_ages/12841054 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/e/4e1e6df769c89a4e7bde3841bd37533767e83a05/mini/Ottawa_Senators_v_83cd.jpg Buffalo Sabres first round selection Mikhail Grigorenko will be fighting an uphill battle just to make the NHL roster in his first year.  Not only will Mikhail have to compete with several other young centers on this roster, but he’ll be fighting a recent history of high draft picks that has been rather bleak up to now.  As we wait to see how Tyler Ennis, Luke Adam, Mikhail Grigorenko, and Zemgus Girgensons develop, we’re reminded of the Sabres inability to draft and develop top flight centers.  General manager Darcy Regier has done a decent job of acquiring pivots via trades, Chris Drury, Daniel Briere, and Tim Connolly to name a few, were all prominent players for Buffalo in the Regier era.  The Sabres are hoping Cody Hodgson continues that trend.  But as far as Buffalo draftees having an impact down the middle with the big club, the cupboard has been rather bare for some time. The list is an unimpressive collection of disappointment, obscurity, and potential, but devoid of establ... Tue, 28 Aug 2012 14:52:40 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/grigorenko_versus_history/11570722 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/grigorenko_versus_history/11570722 Grigorenko versus History http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/grigorenko_versus_history/11570722 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png By Alexander Monaghan Photo Credit: Michael Nugent / Flickr Coming out of the lockout of 2004-2005, the Buffalo Sabres were not followers, they were leaders. Their young, exuberant team — led by spark-plugs Daniel Briere and Chris Drury — came out of the gate with a bang, racing past the competition in their most dominant display of their 42-year history. Those teams won 52 and 53 games, respectively, as the world lauded both GM Darcy Regier and head coach Lindy Ruff for both their blueprint and essentially their foresight. If you dust off a few old tapes of the Sabres it was, simply put, hard to root against them. They were fast, dynamic, and chock-full of talent. Their veteran core knew how to help mentor youngsters like Jason Pominville and Paul Gaustad, and in turn those players absorbed all of it. It seemed like every other minute there was a highlight-reel goal. But as is the case with most great teams, not everyone could be kept. Briere and Drury cashed in on their league-wi... Wed, 18 Jul 2012 11:18:05 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/buffalo_sabres_due_for_a_much_needed_growth_spurt/11244964 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/buffalo_sabres_due_for_a_much_needed_growth_spurt/11244964 Buffalo Sabres due for a much-needed growth spurt http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/buffalo_sabres_due_for_a_much_needed_growth_spurt/11244964 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png from Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News, My first thought after the trade was completed Monday evening wasn’t about who was leaving but who was coming. Derek Roy’s Buffalo career was finished after last season, the minute he had the audacity to mouth off about Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. Speaking against the organization in any way, shape or form is grounds for dismissal. Darcy Regier for years was enamored with soft finesse players who dazzled him with their talent while underachieving during the season and disappearing in the playoffs. You know, guys like Maxim Afinogenov and Tim Connolly, guys who came up small when it mattered most and grossly overstayed their welcomes while honest players like Chris Drury and Michael Peca were sent packing. Steve Ott doesn’t fit the Regier mold. He’s a banger not known for his scoring or speed or skill. He’s a competitive leader and willing brawler who makes life miserable for other teams. continued Tue, 03 Jul 2012 10:42:46 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/trading_for_ott/11145065 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/trading_for_ott/11145065 Trading For Ott http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/trading_for_ott/11145065 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/2/d2f5c88be85caba6688c819bead65a1d7e364df3/mini/Colorado_Avalanche_v_8c99.jpg Ondrej Pavelec has had more NHL experience by age 24 than most goaltenders have had in a lifetime. Not all of it has been good -- he was relied upon heavily when injury prone Atlanta Thrashers starter Kari Lehtonen went down, and after the trade that sent Lehtonen to the Dallas Stars, Pavelec was going to be the Thrashers' goalie of tomorrow. As fate would have it, he's instead the Winnipeg Jets' goalie of today. Pavelec's numbers have steadily improved over the seasons, although his goals against average did take a bit of an uptick this past season. That particular stat has always been abnormally high for a starter, but that's more towards the Thrashers/Jets inability to form a solid defensive corps than almost anything else. Pavelec also occasionally hasn't been the best conditioned athlete, at least in his early years, and the pressure of being tossed from the Wolves onto the Thrashers basically cold could have left him shell shocked. He's still pra... Sun, 10 Jun 2012 19:59:21 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/ondrej_pavelec_said_to_have_been_offered_deal_with_ska_st_petersburg/10983368 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/ondrej_pavelec_said_to_have_been_offered_deal_with_ska_st_petersburg/10983368 Ondrej Pavelec said to have been offered deal with SKA St. Petersburg http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/ondrej_pavelec_said_to_have_been_offered_deal_with_ska_st_petersburg/10983368 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/8/3/83cafd6efdce090cfcf7b2096446d598c98bd1f3/mini/Atlanta_Thrashers_v_8421.jpg The St. Louis Blues signed Russian phenom and Blues 2010 first round pick  (16th overall), Vladimir Tarasenko to a three year entry level contract this past week.  If the Blues learned one major lesson from the second round playoff sweep they endured at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings, it is that they need more offense.  Defense is something the Blues understand very well and they have spent a lot of time working on a strong defensive team.  Playing the Kings was like playing against themselves and the lack of truly go-to scoring was a key reason for their defeat.  Tarasenko can provide offense, but he does so in a way that suits the Blues style.  Unlike Russian players like Sergei Samsonov or Maxim Afinogenov, Tarasenko does not have a reputation as a quick scoring forward that is of little use in his own end.  Instead he is a forward that fights in the corners and can shoot from the point with the best of them.  This is the type of player the Blues need.  I have hoped that St. ... Sun, 03 Jun 2012 20:35:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/vladimir_tarasenko_could_give_blues_needed_offensive_boost/10932701 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/vladimir_tarasenko_could_give_blues_needed_offensive_boost/10932701 Vladimir Tarasenko Could Give Blues Needed Offensive Boost http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/vladimir_tarasenko_could_give_blues_needed_offensive_boost/10932701 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Filatov To KHL, Again To no surprise former 6th overall pick Nikita Filatov is heading back to Russia for the second time in his short career. The Senators announced on Monday that they have loaned the young forward to CSKA Moscow of the KHL. Filatov was traded to Ottawa this past summer (for a 3rd round pick) from Columbus after showing no interest in playing in the AHL. According to scouting reports, he also had no interest in learning the defensive aspects of the game. It’s too bad; offensively he was once compared to a “cross between Ilya Kovalchuk and Maxim Afinogenov. At just 21 years of age, I’m sure another hockey club desperate for offense will take a chance on him somewhere down the road. Until then though, he’ll do nothing to shed the “enigmatic” label that has been stamped on many Russian hockey players. Terry Murray Fired The LA Kings fired Terry Murray this week and is rumored to be replacing him with Darryl Sutter, the former GM of the Calgary Flames. Terry Murray was... Wed, 14 Dec 2011 13:30:04 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/around_the_nhl_downie_fined_filatov_flees_more/8731375 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/around_the_nhl_downie_fined_filatov_flees_more/8731375 Around The NHL: Downie Fined, Filatov Flees & More http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/around_the_nhl_downie_fined_filatov_flees_more/8731375 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/0/f/0feb5bb7012722abe4241671ce07009e492a0303/mini/86.jpg With his wife and tennis star Elena Dementieva in the box watching, former NHL'er Maxim Afinogenov recently got into a tussle during a KHL game -- much to the chagrin of his onlooking wife. Watch the priceless camera work of the fight and her reaction: Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:21:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/tennis_star_watches_husband_fight_in_disgust_video/7546426 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/tennis_star_watches_husband_fight_in_disgust_video/7546426 Tennis Star Watches Husband Fight in Disgust (Video) http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/tennis_star_watches_husband_fight_in_disgust_video/7546426 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/b/5bd70015b2c5d8d0cedb249e90d6764f4f8e0d23/mini/2010_Australian_Open_de18.jpg Former Buffalo Sabres winger Maxim Afinogenov was never a fighter when he played in the NHL. With only 486 penalty minutes in 651 career games, his game was more Russian ballerina-like than Vitali Klitschko. But during a recent KHL game, with tennis babe wife Elena Dementieva in a box watching, Afinogenov flexed his muscle and tussled with fellow former NHLer Jiri Novetny.Afinogenov, in blue, gave up about four inches to Novetny but managed a draw. That didn't impress Dementieva. Was she against Max dropping the gloves? Was not unimpressed by his scrappiness? Priceless camera work by the KHL video men. Propers to Puck Daddy Tue, 18 Oct 2011 21:54:00 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/tennis_star_elena_dementieva_doesnt_like_her_husband_max_afinogenov_fighting/7508707 http://network.yardbarker.com/nhl/article_external/tennis_star_elena_dementieva_doesnt_like_her_husband_max_afinogenov_fighting/7508707 Dementieva unhappy with husband's fight http://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/tennis_star_elena_dementieva_doesnt_like_her_husband_max_afinogenov_fighting/7508707 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/c/5/c5a3cc56d9570325d321ca948a03c1f2a665313a/mini/elena.jpg