Archives for February 21, 2004

'"I believe that the team you're seeing now is the team we've been capable of being," noted Briere. "That's not meaning that we're going to score seven goals a night all of the time. I'm talking about the wins category, the collective play that we're displaying out there."'

'The Isles are 2-0 against the Sabres this season, having outscored them by a combined 10-2 margin. New York has won five straight meetings overall, including three straight at Nassau.'

'D Kenny Jonsson has a goal and three assists in two games against the Sabres this season.'

'At home, however, the Isles are unbeaten (5-0-2) in seven, and their 20-8-2 home record stood fourth in the league at 42 points, with their 20 home victories second-most in the league.'

'The Sabres are two games above .500 for the first time this season and extended their unbeaten streak to six games for the first time since they won the Prince of Wales Trophy in 1998-99.'

'The Sabres are starting to remind me of the lovable rough-and-tumble group in 1995 that punched first and asked questions later. It wasn't a playoff team, but it was learning how to win. They have become a likable, gritty team going in the right direction for the first time in the post-Dominik Hasek era.'

'The Lightning have earned at least a point in 20 of their past 22 games.'

'20-Lightning shots in the third period. … 265-Power play goals by Dave Andreychuk, reclaiming the NHL record he had shared with Brett Hull for two days.'

'"After they tied it, we just decided to let it all hang out," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. "It didn't matter if we lost, we were going to try for the two points."'

'The Sabres (28-26-6-1) now have one more win than they managed last season…'.