This page is dedicated to tracking the most notable moments of the 2013 Sabres season. As new leaders emerge, we’ll add them to the top of the page.
NOTE: The season wasn’t fun and, therefore, we stopped updating this page.
Current champions appear in orange.
UPDATED: 2/8/13
COMEBACK GAME OF THE YEAR
Sabres 5, Canadiens 4 (SO) (2/8/13)
After Montreal pushes its lead to 4-2 less than a minute into the 3rd period, Thomas Vanek nets a PPG near the 8 minute mark and evens it up on a scrum with 1.9 seconds left in regulation. Vanek and Jason Pominville beat Peter Budaj in the shootout to snap the Sabres 3 game losing streak with a 5-4 victory.
WORST RECURRING COMMERCIAL OF THE YEAR
Running all season, named 2/8/13
The Buffalo News’ [BN] campaign is pretty great. In the social media age, it really lends itself to conversation and the early TV spots were done very well. But the campaign has lost its way with this ridiculous robot. Using 1994’s vision of the year 2000 in an effort to convey that The Buffalo News embraces the technology of 2013 really misses the mark. In fact, it serves the opposite of its intended purpose. This can’t be where the concept was supposed to go. Its creator should [BN]raged.
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UPDATED: 2/3/13
WORST BLOWN LEAD IN A PRESUMED VICTORY
Panthers 4, Sabres 3 (2/3/13)
This game is also a strong candidate for “LOWEST POINT IN THE SEASON” and, had it been, game 10, it’d be posted as such. But, we’ve decided to let the team hit double digits in games played before we bust out the high (low?) watermark.
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UPDATED: 2/2/13
WORST GAME OF THE YEAR
Canadiens 6, Sabres 1 (2/2/13)
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UPDATED: 2/1/13
BEST DAY OF THE YEAR
February 1, 2013- Day after the Game of the Year (see below)
Today is so much fun.
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UPDATED: 1/31/13
BEST GAME OF THE YEAR
Sabres 7, Bruins 4 (1/31/13 at TD Bank Garden)
BEST FIGHT OF THE YEAR
John Scott vs Boston’s Shawn Thornton (1/31/13 at TD Bank Garden)
BEST SAVE OF THE YEAR
Ryan Miller on Boston’s Milan Lucic (1/31/13 at TD Bank Garden)
BEST GOAL OF THE YEAR
Thomas Vanek puts on a show vs Boston’s “Two Giraffes” (1/31/13 at TD Bank Garden)
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UPDATED: 1/29/13
WORST GOAL OF THE YEAR
Leafs’ Matt Frattin vs Ryan Miller (Leafs at Sabres, 1/29/13)
With seconds left in overtime against the stupid Leafs, Jordan Leopold gets smoked and Ryan Miller has no answer. Sabres lose 4-3.
WORST RJ GOAL CALL OF THE YEAR
Mikhail Grigorenko’s first NHL goal (Leafs at Sabres, 1/29/13)
Shot. They score. Dribbled into the net from behind and the Buffalo Sabres have managed to come back and tie this game. And they wanted the guy to get it and the guy that got it was the fella who was just signed to the NHL for a season earlier today, confirmed, Mikhail Grigorenko.
20 seconds after the puck went in, RJ let us know who scored. But, hey, it was better than his discussion of how much time the Sabres would have left to tie the game after the Leafs had already won it in overtime.
MOST DEFLATING LOSS OF THE YEAR
Leafs 4, Sabres 3 (OT) 1/29/13
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UPDATED: 1/21/13
BEST SAVE OF THE YEAR
Ryan Miller on Leafs’ John-Michael Liles (1/21/13 at Air Canada Center)
BEST PENALTY KILL OF THE YEAR
Sabres kill 1:37 of 5-on-3 in 1st period vs. Leafs (1/21/13 at Air Canada Center)
Miller got off to a quick start and shined when his team took three consecutive penalties in a span of 1:37 with just over five minutes left in the first period.
With Tyler Myers and Drew Stafford already in the box with minor penalties, Steve Ott was assessed a two-minute penalty for closing his hand on the puck, prompting Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle to call a timeout. However, once play resumed, his club tried in vain to get the puck past the Sabres’ netminder.
Note: Word is that, due to a “clock malfunction,” the Sabres actually killed an additional :28 on top of the official 1:37.
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UPDATED: 1/20/13
BEST GAME OF THE YEAR
Sabres 5, Flyers 2 (1/20/13 at First Niagara Center)
BEST GOAL OF THE YEAR
Thomas Vanek vs Flyers’ Ilya Bryzgalov (1/20/13 at First Niagara Center)
BEST FIGHT OF THE YEAR
Drew Stafford vs Flyers’ Scott Hartnell (1/20/13 at First Niagara Center)
Hartnell takes the decision in this one but we commend Stafford for doing exactly the type of thing that the Sabres are often decried for avoiding. Stafford doesn’t like Hartnell’s hit on Tyler Ennis, tells Hartnell as much, and then fights him. Good on ya, Drew.
BEST HIT OF THE YEAR
Marcus Foligno on Flyers’ Luke Schenn (1/20/13 at First Niagara Center)
No video available, which should make this one pretty easy to beat.
MOST RIDICULOUS TWEET OF THE YEAR
Jerry Sullivan of The Buffalo News (1/20/13 at First Niagara Center)
This gem came early in the Sabres’ 5-2 win over Flyers. Vanek would tally 2 goals and 3 assists.
Vanek seems slow and ordinary to me
— Jerry Sullivan (@TBNSully) January 20, 2013
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