Randomness, because the NHL does not know how to make a good schedule wherein the Sabres play every night

While perusing all the recent articles on the Sabres' website, I came across this.

• On Saturday night, Jhonas Enroth made 16 saves in his third consecutive victory in the Pirates 5-3 win against the Philadelphia Phantoms.

It was included in a lengthy list essentially detailing why the little tykes in Portland are amazing. Therefore, it caused me to scratch my head... just a little. Why is that awesome, exactly? That's only a .842 save percentage. Is it the part about his third consecutive victory that is supposed to be the good part? Or maybe the part about the fact that the Pirates won? Yeah. Just something... strange. Again, the Sabres need to play every day.

Also...

• The Pirates are 5-0 on Saturday nights this season.

I think everybody's lying when they tell us that Portland is the Sabres' farm team. It is just not possible.

You've no idea how refreshing it is to me to see that Lindy Ruff has essentially gone postal (hyperbole, people) on the team not once but twice already, fourteen games into the season. It means that he cares, that he actually expects something from them this year. I didn't exactly get that vibe from him last season. Not at all. At any rate, I am enjoying these video sessions followed by extended practices that he is putting the team through after they play a crappy game or two. It is also encouraging to read regularly in the paper (well, the online version) that Rivet spends time after practices talking to the team.

Of course, if they do not respond well against the Blues (against whom they traditionally suck), I will have no idea what to think about this team. Well, take that back. I will know what to think. It will simply not be good.

Kostopoulos was suspended three games for his hit-from-behind on Van Ryn. I find that suspension to be absolutely fair... I just had to make mention of it here because, for the most part, I do not agree with the lengths of suspensions that the NHL/Colin Campbell make, but I do this time. Kostopoulos is not at all a dirty player, and, in the words of Colin Campbell:

"It wasn't a hit to the head. It resulted in a check from behind, which is not legal, and then his head hit the glass. It wasn't late. He (Van Ryn) wasn't unsuspecting. He knew there was a forechecker coming. He had the puck, he expected to be played. He started to reverse direction to evade the forechecker and that's when the hit happened. There was an injury to the player, and the player didn't leave his skates, he didn't jump into him."

I completely agree. Plus, I mean, ever since Downie hit McAmmond like he did in preseason last year, I sortof have been using that hit as the epitome of a dirty hit. Completely unsuspecting player, and Downie went for his head along with leaving his feet to the extent that he hit the ice after hitting McAmmond, who, I have heard, is an extremely classy guy (not that that means anything when determining suspension length; I just hate when guys who are actually decent people are hit like that... Fisher and McAmmond are perhaps the only class on the Senators hahaha jk, I hope... oh, and Phillips). That was one of the worst hits I've ever seen... And the hit Kostopoulos laid on Van Ryn was nothing compared to it. That hit received a twenty-game suspension; three games is certainly fair.

Continuing the classy players discussion (because I'm bored)... I hope to one day meet one of the more respected players in the league. That would be... cool? I don't know. But, you know. Steve Yzerman (I don't care that he's retired), Joe Sakic, Shane Doan, Jarome Iginla, Markus Naslund, etc. I've never heard a bad thing about any of them (beyond the Shane Doan ridiculousness that was entirely untrue, as evidenced by the fact that the head of Hockey Canada and a lot of current and former teammates came out of the woodwork to say, "Uhhhhhh, he doesn't ever even swear, soooo that couldn't have been him" ahahaha oops.... I just remember laughing about that whole thing), and in every "classiest player in the NHL" discussion, their names are always thrown around. It would be nice to say... "Yeah, Yzerman's really classy. I was in an elevator with him once. We made small talk. He's really nice. And I've met Iginla, too. He offered to give me an autograph as soon as I let him know that I recognized him. I mean, how ridiculous is that?!" Yeah. I'm bored.

Penguins got revenge on the Red Wings today (if beating them in one regular-season game = revenge for losing the Cup ahaha)... 7-6. What a bastion of defensive play that game must have been.