Archives for November 2, 2002

It was like a Fourth of July fireworks attraction that got rained out. The Buffalo Sabres were advertised to be more explosive this year. Scoring was supposed to be up and the Sabres lived up to the billing during preseason and their first two game of the year. Suddenly the well went dry.

'The Sabres again struggled to put the puck between the pipes Friday night, and if not for a third-period goal by little-used defenseman Dmitri Kalinin they would have been shut out for the second night in a row.'

'Sabres defenseman Henrik Tallinder sat out against the Oilers. He suffered a shoulder injury when he got checked into the glass during Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Calgary Flames. His status is day-to-day.'

After losing 3-0 to Calgary one night earlier, they arrived in Edmonton winless in their last four games. Offensively, they were sputtering — more so even than the Oil. The Sabres had six goals in their last five games, eight in their last six, and their best chance in the early going Friday was a second period shot Dmitri Kalinin rattled off the post.

'Right from the start, when the Tampa Bay Lightning used their first pick, third overall, in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft to take him, it's been that way. "Diamond in the rough," the publications would say; "Don't wait too long to take him in your hockey pool."'

'Miro Satan, the Sabres' leading scorer three of the last five seasons, was taken to hospital for x-rays on his hip. Checked into the boards, Satan went to the bench but after his back spasmed, he was taken to the dressing room.'

Well, blame Noronen, for starters. He is the guy who stopped 39 of those shots, including a last-second breakaway by Mike Comrie.

It was more of the same last night as the Sabres came calling on the Edmonton Oilers and settled for a 1-1 tie in a game in which they got a point but went away wanting and still winless on the trip because of their inability to find the twine.

'Buffalo has not scored more than two goals in a game since getting four against the New York Rangers on Oct. 17.'

'"I've only played two games in the last four weeks, so I was really happy about the way I played tonight," Noronen said. "They had some huge chances and I made some huge saves early. I started to feel better and better and made some saves that I didn't even see and that's how it happens some nights."'