Archives for June 1, 2006

‘”We just talked about playing our game,” Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff said. “It was unfortunate. They made a nice play. It was a nice pass and a good goal. It was a tough break on the puck going over the glass. This game was probably going to be decided by special teams and they got the job done.”‘

‘Now the second-seeded Hurricanes are moving on while the Sabres — the No. 4 seed in the East — head home with the empty feeling that a season’s worth of hard work went unfulfilled. “Obviously, it stings right now and it should,” Buffalo co-captain Chris Drury said.’

'Ray Whitney jumped on a loose puck behind the net and fed it out front to fellow former Oiler Weight, who broke away from Derek Roy's check and one-timed a shot past Miller just 1:34 into the third period to tie it 2-2. Then came the winner, Brind'Amour pouncing on a loose puck in the slot with Sabres defencemen Toni Lydman and Rory Fitzpatrick unable to locate it, the Carolina captain beating Miller top corner on the stick side.'

'It’s no surprise the Eastern Conference final stretched to a winner-take-all Game 7. The two teams are about as evenly matched as possible. Both teams had 52 regular-season wins. One goal has decided five of the first six games. Most hockey observers agree they’re clones, the prototype for success in the post-lockout NHL with their speed, goal-scoring ability and strong goaltending.'

'Chris Barnes, the vocalist from the heavy-metal band Six Feet Under, calls Tampa home these days, but his heart remains in his home town of Buffalo — and with his beloved Sabres.'

'And late Tuesday night, Card and his agent, Vancouver's Ross Gurney reached an agreement with the Sabres on a three-year, entry-level contract.'

'As for Ruff, he figures the time for gamesmanship is over. "You know what, it is about the game; it's not about Peter and I," Ruff said. "I think you have gone down the wrong trail. They are going to use whatever they can use, I am going to use whatever I can use, but there's going to be 20 players on the ice for each team, they are going to decide the game."'

'A total of 117 series have gone to seven games since the NHL introduced the best-of-seven format in 1939, with the home team winning 73 times (62 percent) and the visiting squad 44 (38 percent).'

'Numminen has been suffering from a hip pointer and played just 4:13 on Tuesday, but remained on the bench in full gear for the duration of the game. With the shaky performances of Jeff Jillson and Doug Janik earlier in the series, Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff has had to rely heavily on Jay McKee, Brian Campbell, Toni Lydman and, in Game 6, Rory Fitzpatrick, who played a startling 25:17 and was minus-1. One has to imagine that at some point, and let's say for argument sake it's Game 7, that has to catch up with the Sabres.'

'Carolina refused to be drawn into that argument before Game 6, but Ruff came across as prescient when the Sabres stormed out and ran all over a stunned-looking Hurricanes team in the first period, setting the tone for Buffalo's win in overtime. He said the attitude shown by the Hurricanes after their back-to-back victories and reports they had champagne helped motivate his team.'