The Buffalo Sabres debuted their new third jersey tonight against the Bruins, more than two months after initially unveiling it. The retro-themed sweaters brought the Sabres a much-needed victory.
I got a few emails tonight talking about the alternate uniforms with some info worth sharing. Bill wrote in to point out that the classic logo seen on the front of the jersey is also featured on the helmets. However, on the right side of the helmet, the buffalo is actually facing the right.
You can see this here on Jason Pominville's helmet. Pominville and Derek Roy had a lot to celebrate tonight. Bill says this is the first time in franchise history that the logo has been modified this way. I'm not that familiar with the use of this logo so I can't say whether that's true, but I have no reason to doubt it.
He also pointed out that the pants for this uniform are actually shells. Notice the way the regular pants stick out in this picture of Drew Stafford.
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, I'll explain briefly. Rather than having multiple sets of pants, players tend to have just one. That's why you always see the Sabres in blue pants whether they're wearing blue jerseys or white. (Also white pants look silly, as the Giants pointed out over the weekend.)
When third jerseys are introduced that require a different pant design, teams will use shells as a cost-cutting measure. The shell usually fits over the pants, giving the illusion that they are different. Sometimes during game action, shell will slide out of place as seen in this photo and others.
By the way, the Sabres weren't the only team wearing their third jersey tonight. Four other teams joined them, including the Sharks, Stars, Hurricanes and Lightning. Just to keep you updated, alternates are 17-17 on the season so far.