Archives for January 15, 2003

'Afinogenov went through his first practice with the Sabres in San Jose Wednesday afternoon, after being cleared to practice without contact after going seven days symptom free from the concussion that had sidelined him thus far this season.'

'Warrener broke the bone in Friday's 4-2 win over Boston, and did not play in the Sabres' 1-0 win in Minnesota on Tuesday. He returned to Buffalo on Wednesday to be fitted with a cast.'

'The Sabres have won three straight games, including two in a row on the road. They are 5-1 in 2003.'

'While NHL player contracts are guaranteed and backed by the NHL, deferred monies are not.'

'A source close to negotiations said that, despite "very productive" talks, there's still a 30 percent chance the deal – including $10 million in arena fix-ups and refinancing a $23 million loan – won't get done.'

'"As far as we've been able to ascertain, this relates back to a $250,000 US payment that's owed Alexander Mogilny by Buffalo," Burke said Tuesday before the Canucks/Predators game. "Why it was recorded as a liability to us, I don't know. I've reviewed the trade memo and it's clear to me it's not money owed to us. From our prospective, it's nothing more than a mistake. We do not owe Alexander Mogilny any money. The Buffalo Sabres do not owe us any money."'

'So far, the Wild has lost to Calgary, injury-riddled Los Angeles and now Buffalo, a team in disarray on and off the ice. Those teams have a combined record of 49-61-14-8, but went 3-0 against the Wild in the past week.'

'"They're a much better team these days," Lemaire said. "Earlier this season, they were finding ways to lose. Now they're finding ways to win."'

'"We definitely had our chances," the Wild's Cliff Ronning said, "but not as many as we should have had."'

'"That's how games go," Miller said. "We had some good looks, and Roloson came up big on a few. We had some close ones that skidded by the post and they hit the crossbar twice. That's just the way it goes."'