Buffalo Sabres News and Discussion

‘”It never gets old when you open up a room like this for kids,” said LaFontaine, whose foundation cut the ribbon on the playroom in Buffalo Women and Children’s Hospital in 2005 and in Roswell Park in 2007. “The kids are the inspiration. My goal and my hope and calling, I think, in life is to touch as many and help as many kids, and I’m just a small part of it. At the end of the day, we’re up to almost impacting 45,000 to 50,000 kids a year around North America.”‘

‘The hardest-shot challenge will be Adam’s only event. Pominville will be the target shooter in the skills challenge relay and skate in the elimination shootout for the team captained by Daniel Alfredsson.’

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‘Despite the grim outlook after such a promising start, the captain does have hope that Buffalo can make a run at a playoff spot, adding, “there’s a lot of games to be played yet and we gotta make a push and we gotta make it soon but at the same time…it is tough to keep it off your mind, you’re constantly thinking about it.” Winning in New Jersey to start the All-Star break was a step in the right direction for Buffalo. The victory snapped a 5-game losing skid and gave the team only their third win in January (3-7-1).’

‘“I know Ryan Miller is one of the best goaltenders in the game but there seems to be something missing chemistry wise in the locker room” Roenick said. They’re just not playing together, playing hard for each other when they get onto the ice.”’

Amerks fall behind early, lose to Crunch (Rochester D&C)
Syracuse goalie Tarkki perfect as team blanks Rochester 4-0 (Syracuse Post Standard)
Amerks shut out in Syracuse, 4-0 (Amerks.com)
Crunch Shut Out Amerks (SyracuseCrunch.com)

‘Pominville, the Sabres’ leading scorer with 47 points in 49 games, was selected 36th overall (third-to-last player taken) during the draft by Team Alfredsson. The final four picks, all forwards, included Pominville, Couture, Boston’s Tyler Seguin and Dallas’ Jamie Benn.’

For Rochester Amerks, victories becoming more crucial (Rochester D&C)
Amerks collide with Crunch Friday night in downtown Syracuse (Amerks.com)

‘“He’s not good,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff told reporters in New Jersey. “He’s got concussion symptoms. (He) wasn’t feeling bad (Monday). He took a hit from (T.J.) Oshie in St. Louis, kind of an elbow Ö and came off (Tuesday morning) and he was a mess. He couldn’t focus. Emotionally, he was really unstable. He’s in a tough place right now.”’

‘”Our customers come here knowing they can watch hockey,” Hickey said. “I think we’re lucky we already had satellite so we didn’t have to make the switch or leave other customers wondering if they could come to our place and catch the game … and because a lot of people still have Time Warner, they’re coming to us to catch the games, because they don’t get them. It’s definitely a perk for us.”‘

Grand Rapids Griffins score early in win over Rochester Americans (Rochester D&C)
Grand Rapids Griffins beat Rochester Americans, climb out of last place (Grand Rapids Press)
Strong first period sends Griffins past Amerks, 4-1 (Amerks.com)
Strong first period sparks Griffins’ 4-1 win (GriffinsHockey.com)
Photo gallery (GriffinsHockey.com)

‘”To finally win one, at least you can feel good going into the break. This would be a really tough break if you walk into the break with even a shootout loss, but this picks your spirits up. It creates hope. You heard it. It’s the first time in a while the guys have really felt good.”‘

‘Reaction to the column was interesting if not entertaining, and it sparked arguments among several readers.’

‘”He’s not good,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. “He’s got concussion symptoms. Wasn’t feeling bad [Monday]. He took a hit from [T.J.] Oshie in St. Louis, kind of an elbow — and came off [Tuesday] and he was a mess. He couldn’t focus. Emotionally, he was really unstable. He’s in a tough place right now. We’re worried. … To come off and be the way he was tells you that there’s something wrong.”‘

‘”As poorly as the Sabres have been playing, they’ll surely finish ahead of at least Columbus and Edmonton.”‘