Refs Decide Another One-Sabres 4, Habs 3

Unreal. Under 8 minutes to go in a tie game. Metropolit and Roy battle off a draw, some slashes are taken, a couple of punches are thrown...and the ref decides to give Metro the extra minor penalty. Ryan O'Byrne then proceeds to take a legitimate high sticking minor leading to a long 5 on 3 and the eventual winning goal. The Buffalo Sabres snuck away with a 4-3 victory. Why would the ref make the call on Metroploit. It was off setting minors, no more, no less. There are 8 minutes to go in a tie game....it's not like the game is going to get out of hand with rough stuff. Making a call like he did only makes sense early in the game after several scrums. Why play the hero card and cost one team the game. I still can't believe it. Andrei Kostitsyn continued his hot play with another 2 goals, while linmate Mike Cammalleri added a single. Kostitsyn ended the night with 3 points, while Cammalleri and Plekanec both had 2 point nights. Jarsolav Halak got the call in net and made 23 saves while Ryan Miller stopped 21 shots. Some other thoughts before my head explodes:

>The PK was strong again, holding to Sabres to only 1 goal (5 on 3) in 6 tries. The PP connected for 2 goals in 4 attempts.

>Ryan O'Byrne struggled, but the rest of the defence looked fairly sharp. O'Byrne did try to get something going with a 2nd period tilt against Adam Mair.

>Metro didn't see the ice after his penalty late in the 3rd. The top unit was very good, but the other lines couldn't generate much offence...although Lil Tits was really effective.

Tough loss again to a very good Sabres team. To look at the positives, the Habs proved they can play with one of the top teams in the league, even without 2 of their top players. Speaking of those players, Markov has resumed skating and is ahead of schedule. No word yet on Gionta but I would assume it shouldn't be much longer. Adding these 2 could be huge. Markov is not only a huge key to the PP, but also the best defender and shut down guy. Gionta is needed to help out Gomez and give the Habs some secondary scoring. The Silver Wolf Whiskey Hab of the Game goes to Andrei Kostitsyn. He appears to have found his groove. Honorable mentions to Pleks and Gorges. Next up, the Devils on Wednesday.