Archives for 2004

'It's just a tease. The Sabres' current lineup simply isn't good enough, or deep enough, to maintain the pace they'll need to reach the postseason. Remember, the 14 points they picked up over the previous 12 games marked their best stretch in years. Now they need to do it almost three more times - over the next 35 games - just to have a shot.' … [Read more...] about Improved Sabres still not good enough to make playoffs

'The entire scouting staff of the Buffalo Sabres gathered at Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial the past two nights to watch their prospects play. They left town knowing the player they drafted in the first round in 2001, center Jiri Novotny, indeed has a future.' … [Read more...] about Novotny's offense gives Amerks spark

'Still, Bowman was worried. The Sabres had the No. 6 pick overall, and Bowman was concerned that someone else would choose Housley, particularly Philadelphia, which picked No. 4 that year. But Philadelphia chose Ron Sutter, allowing the Sabres to grab Housley.' … [Read more...] about Hall of Famer Bowman was sold on Housley right away

'The Sabres entered the game 6-4-3 in their past 13 and had closed to within three points of the Islanders in the conference standings. But they looked relatively flat against an Islanders team that skated hard from start to finish and never looked back after the quick two-goal lead.' … [Read more...] about Power-Play Specialists

'In breaking a three-game slide without a victory, the Islanders (21-19-4-1) jumped into a tie with the Rangers for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. "The biggest thing is, we feel we're headed in the right direction," said Ronning, who made his Islanders home debut after signing as a free agent Jan. 9.' … [Read more...] about Polite Islanders Rookie Has Not Had Rude Welcome

'"I don't think too many guys are looking backwards. We're looking upwards," Kenny Jonsson said. "We have to keep looking forward instead of behind us."' … [Read more...] about Islanders finally turn on the power, stop Sabres

'There is a developing pack of five teams, including the Isles, Rangers, Atlanta, Buffalo and Carolina, that appear ready to fight down the stretch for the eighth and final playoff spot in the conference. The two points earned last night, which may prove to be gargantuan when all is said and done, vaulted the Isles back into the top eight and ahead of the Rangers, and … [Read more...] about Desperate Isles get one they really need

'``That dug us a hole right off the bat,'' Ruff said of the two power-play goals. ``Our skills guys -- I didn't like our emotion or work ethic on our power play. You have to tell me where Miroslav Satan was tonight. You have to tell me where Curtis Brown was tonight. Five-on-five, we were pretty decent. We still have a lot of work to do, and that's what … [Read more...] about NY Islanders 4, Buffalo 2

'"This was a game of special teams. From the beginning, they got 5-on-3," Noronen said. "It was a tough start. Those two goals, I want back. They were from pretty far range. There was some traffic in front. Letting four goals in, it's not fun."' … [Read more...] about NY Islanders 4, Buffalo 2

'"What we've been doing on the road hasn't been working. We've played better. We've scored more goals, but we've given up some. I think if we can tighten the defensive part of it up and be a little bit more frustrating to play against, a little tougher in our end . . . it may lead to a few more wins."' … [Read more...] about Sabres can't afford woes on the road

'RW J.P. Dumont, C Tim Connolly, C Chris Taylor and LW Taylor Pyatt were all draft picks of the Islanders.' … [Read more...] about Sabres vs. Islanders

'"Every game right now we have to play like a playoff game," Sabres defenseman Henrik Tallinder said. "Every game. Now."' … [Read more...] about Sabres miss chance to gain ground

'They found themselves repeatedly bumped, dropped, tripped or shoved by the Boston defenders and were unable to consistently create real scoring chances in the Bruins' zone. Add Potvin, who quickly swept up any loose pucks in his zone, and scoring was impossible.' … [Read more...] about Boston, Sabres rivalry still alive

Funny how the game works sometimes, Botterill told The Sun from Buffalo. I was up at the start of the year and, to be honest, had good feedback from the coaches, and personally thought I played fairly well. But I just could not buy a bounce. … [Read more...] about Botterill a sharpshooter for Sabres

'"I thought we played a pretty good game," said Sullivan. "We had a good first period. We started to control territory and our second period as well. In the third period, we didn't pursue it maybe quite as much as we wanted to or as much as we did in the first two periods, anyway. But I thought our team, for the most part, did a pretty good job … [Read more...] about Sticking to the plan