Archives for April 5, 2001

Forget all the hype in the media and among the fans — not to mention the lip service by the players — about the “critical importance” of gaining home-ice advantage. The desire of the Sabres to start the playoffs on home ice could not — and could never — come close to matching the desire of the Bruins to start the playoffs on any ice.

Although he had a relatively easy time in the latter stages of the game when the Sabres stumbled over themselves in frustration, Byron Dafoe earned his salary in the first period alone when he made several key saves to keep Buffalo off the board.

'The Boston Bruins played like a team in desperate need of two points Wednesday night, while the Buffalo Sabres played like a team in desperate need of a nap.'

'Mike Keenan doesn't know whether he'll have a job come Monday. The Boston Bruins have 10 days after the season to decide whether they want to pick up the first of two remaining options on his three-year contract to coach the team. If they make the playoffs, Keenan will likely stick around. If they don't, chances are he's headed for the gallows.'

'"Cechmanek will be the obvious favorite in Vsetin and the neighboring Moravian region..Still, Hasek is the national hero and will have a large following, too. I'd say it's split. And age is a huge factor. The kids never saw Hasek play here."'

'The win was the sixth in eight games for the late-charging, playoff-challenged Bruins.'

'He turned down a two-year deal worth an average of $1.4 million in Columbus, leading to the trade that brought him to the shores of Lake Erie, where he now plays on a line with Curtis Brown and Miroslav Satan.'

'The B's got goals from Mikko Eloranta (No. 11), Brian Rolston (19) and Jason Allison (36), plus a big-time clutch effort from goalie Byron Dafoe (25 saves), as they beat the Sabres at their own game – smothering team defense and opportunistic scoring. That's a formula that works well in the playoffs, if the B's are still alive after the regular season concludes Sunday.'

'The Bruins had to silently thank Sabres coach Lindy Ruff for electing to start young Marty Biron in goal last night, instead of the red-hot Dominik Hasek. Biron played well, but committed a costly mistake that led to a Brian Rolston goal during the B's huge 3-2 victory.'

'The out-of-town scoreboard provided them with no help at all, so the Boston Bruins, locked in a three-team struggle for their playoff lives, had to help themselves. And they did, marching into the home rink of the Buffalo Sabres and walking out with a 3-2 victory before a crowd of 17,194.'