Repeat offender Patrick Kaleta was lucky to get off so lightly for this hit on Brad Richards. (Bruce Benett/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

It’s clear that Brendan Shanahan hit Patrick Kaleta a lot harder than the Buffalo winger hit Brad Richards.

So why does the five-game suspension that Shanahan imposed on Monday afternoon feel like a slap on the wrist?

Not that anyone should be surprised by this verdict, especially in the wake of last week’s soft touch fine handed down to Dallas’ Jamie Benn. Shanny telegraphed this decision when he offered Kaleta a phone hearing, a format that ensured the sentence couldn’t be more than five games. That’s a significant number because a provision in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement allows a player to appeal any suspension above that level to an independent arbitrator.

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By Allan Muir

It’s become a popular bit around the NHL. Somebody finds a hideous piece of clothing — an old jacket in Boston, a battered fedora in New York – and it becomes a badge of honor in the dressing room, awarded by the players to a teammate who puts in an honest night’s work at the rink.

They do it in Buffalo, too. There, the game’s star is honored with a particularly gamey fur coat emblazoned with the team’s logo. It’s a good gag that promotes team unity.

Except PETA didn’t quite see it that way.

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Flyers-Penguins games are like coins spinning wildly, unpredictably on edge. (Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

A guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• “A dozen preposterously fun things happened” on the way to Philly’s thrilling 6-5 win over the Penguins last night. Please, hockey gods, let these two teams meet again in the playoffs!

• Get to know new Buffalo Sabres coach Ron Rolston.

• Don’t know the origin of this, but it’s brilliant and a great sentiment. Stay classy, Buffalo!

• The Rangers aren’t talking, but all signs point to a concussion as the ailment that’s sidelining star forward Rick Nash.

• Great story by Dave Stubbs on the falling dominoes caused by a goalie recall.

• Tim Wharnsby’s a fine writer, but I think he makes a lousy case against the introduction of a coach’s challenge. I can’t imagine any system being introduced that would allow games to get “bogged down.” Check it out and see what you think.

• Apparently, there are seven levels of dirty plays in hockey. This thing cries out for a visual aid, much like the Swanson Pyramid of Greatness.

• Statistics show Alex Ovechkin isn’t the first superstar to see his goal scoring decline at age 27. True enough, but most of those other superstars found ways to compensate by rounding out their games. Still waiting on that from Ovi.

• The Avalanche made their own luck in Wednesday’s OT win over the Blues. Our own Adrian Dater called this Mark Olver/Vladimir Tarasenko collision a clean hit. How did you see it?

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Many people have been wondering what took the Sabres so long to fire coach Lindy Ruff. (Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

It’s not tough to guess the exact moment when Buffalo Sabres GM Darcy Regier knew it was time to fire coach Lindy Ruff.

It came during last night’s shambolic 2-1 loss to Winnipeg when Ryan Miller, the face of the franchise, threw his arms into the air in disgust after he’d allowed the Jets’ first goal.

It was another selfish display from Miller, a player whose own tenure with the franchise might be drawing to a close. But it also spoke clearly to how out of control the situation had become.

Surely Regier saw that, and then noticed the slump-shouldered resignation that settled into most, but not all, of the Sabres on their bench.

If he hadn’t been convinced that Ruff had lost the team, that moment removed all doubt

And so Regier, whose blind loyalty to Ruff kept the struggling coach employed years after his best-by date, finally made the call to let him go on Wednesday afternoon.

Ruff is a good man and an excellent coach, but his message had gone stale. It was absolutely the right decision by Regier…and absolutely the last one he should be allowed to make.

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Losing has given a decidedly blue cast to goaltender Ryan Miller’s postgame language. (Mark Goldman/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

There aren’t any easy answers anymore in Buffalo.

No team loses more draws than the Sabres. No team allows more shots per game, on average. The Sabres rank 27th in goals-against. They might have the least effective breakout in the league. Their stagnant power play is a disgrace, although a sweet Thomas Vanek deflection on a five-on-three chance Sunday against Pittsburgh snapped an 0-for-14 skid with the extra man.

Even Ryan Miller has battled inconsistency, vacillating between a 38-save win over the Bruins and a 17-save loss to the Habs. But he’d been on a bit of a roll, putting together a .944 save percentage over his previous four games coming into Sunday’s tilt with the Pens.

Sunday was one of those days that reminded you just how good Miller once was, and how good he could be again. His game was colored by patience, not desperation. His movement was calm, precise and he kept his rebounds under control. He made big stops at big moments to keep the game within reach, none bigger than this save on James Neal that left the Pens shaking their heads or laughing on the bench:

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Hockey fans are never shy about expressing their feelings, especially in Philadelphia. (Chris Szagola/CSM/Landov)

By Allan Muir

So Forbes came out with an article detailing America’s 10 most disliked athletes. No surprise that hockey wasn’t represented on the list. I mean, “most-disliked” simply doesn’t apply to this game. We don’t deal in anything so namby-pamby. Hockey’s all about passion, about love and hate. So here are the guys you most love to loathe.

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Tyler Seguin, moved to David Krejci and Milan Lucic’s line, provided a late spark. (Francois Lacasse/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

A guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• The Bruins staged an epic comeback in last night’s 2-1 win over Montreal. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s only the fourth time in history that the Bruins have won in Montreal after entering the third period trailing the Habs. The last time was 1967.

• The Washington Capitals are close to “sacrificing a cow” if that’s what it takes to break out of their early-season slump. Maybe an an offering of cigars and rum to Jobu will take the fear out of their sticks.

• Buffalo GM Darcy Regier promises that it won’t be coach Lindy Ruff who pays the price for the Sabres’ early struggles. Regier might be inclined to patch his leaking blueline instead.

• There are five teams that could use the services of Roberto Luongo right now…and the Vancouver Canucks are one of them.

• The NHL and IIHF will meet in New York next week to talk about the league’s potential Olympic participation. At this point, there’s nothing in the CBA that would allow players to head over to Sochi next year.

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Cody Hodgson and Zack Kassian are blossoming on their teams’ top lines. (Jeff Vinnick/Bill Wippert/Getty Images)

By Allan Muir

Everyone knows that the true impact of a trade can only be determined down the road. Time, after all, reveals more truth than does a gut reaction.

But even if we’re scarcely out of the driveway on the Feb. 27, 2012 deal that saw the Buffalo Sabres send Zack Kassian and Marc-Andre Gragnani to Vancouver for Cody Hodgson and Alex Sulzer, that trade has the look of a winner for both sides, doesn’t it?

It was a nervy deal for both Vancouver’s Mike Gillis and Buffalo’s Darcy Regier, which explains why it came down to the last possible minute at the trade deadline. It was a swap of untapped potential, one that easily could have blown up spectacularly in the face of either team’s front office.

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Bufflao Sabres coach Lindy Ruff: Just trying to keep the peace. (Photo by Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon SMI)

By Allan Muir

Lindy Ruff’s decision to call a timeout with 14 seconds left and a 7-4 lead on Thursday night didn’t go over well with the Boston Bruins.

“Yeah, [Ruff] wants to be a big shot, and that’s not the best play to do,” a fired-up Brad Marchand told NESN. “That’s pretty disrespectful. If he wants to be like that, that’s fine.”

In most cases, Marchand would have every right to be redlining. Calling a late timeout, especially in a blowout, especially in the other team’s barn, is a serious breach of the code.

At least, it would be if Boston coach Claude Julien hadn’t forced Ruff’s hand.

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By Allan Muir

A guide to this morning’s must-read hockey stories:

• That’s how you settle a score. Enforcer John Scott ragdolled Shawn Thornton, and red-hot Thomas Vanek rang up five points as the Buffalo Sabres whipped the “brain-dead” Bruins, 7-4.

• Another night, another parade to the penalty box for the bumbling Washington Capitals. Giving up 40 shots probably didn’t help, either as the Leafs came back for a 3-2 win.

• They’re not just talking about Ryan Kesler in Vancouver. They’re still on about Nail Yakupov’s goal celebration and the need to help players learn to celebrate responsibly.

• The Canucks still don’t have a timetable for Kesler’s return. They won’t really know what they are — or what they need — until he skates.

• Logan Couture shows support for the San Francisco 49ers with the first-known display of Kaepernicking on ice. Oh, and the San Jose Sharks are now 7-0.

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