Archives for January 18, 2007

‘”I don’t think the game is being called as tight as it was,” Ruff said Thursday. “Before, as soon as you put a stick on somebody it was a penalty. Now, you’re getting a free tug at times. You’re getting a free paw at times. … I think there’s games where the whistle has been put away.”‘

‘”It’s getting back to normal, but it’s not where we need to be yet,” Campbell said. “A lot of positives, but we were still a little sloppy. It’s a step in the right direction. We were first on pucks more. We were skating. We had the legs. We were getting in on the forecheck. We were desperate. We needed that win. . . . Hopefully we can kind of turn this thing around.”‘

‘”Anytime you hear news like that you pray for the guy, pray for his health, hope his family is doing all right,” Stafford said. “I gave him a call, left him a message, just wishing him the best, saying I was praying for him. In a situation like that hockey kind of takes a back seat to everything.”‘

‘”I thought he was close to the best player on the ice,” Ruff said after the Sabres’ 6-3 victory over Boston. “If he wasn’t the best player in work ethic and how he skated, I’d argue with somebody over it.”‘

'So how about another NHL All Star Game in Buffalo? “No, we don’t have the convention and hospitality facilities that the league and an event of this magnitude requires,” replies Sabres Managing Partner Larry Quinn. “But I’ve approached [NHL Commissioner] Gary Bettman about the possibility of headquartering the event in Niagara Falls, Ontario and having the game here, thus making it a true regional event. He didn’t say no.”'

‘”It was a slump,” Campbell said. “We were desperate. We needed that win and it was nice to get. Our team expects the best out of each and every one. Our goal (winning the Stanley Cup) is coming and we have to get ready for it and we want a good second half heading into the playoffs. We don’t want to lose two in a row, and never three in a row. Hopefully we can turn this thing around before the break, get some rest and get it going again.”‘

Kessel scores twice in Bruins’ loss to Sabres (Boston Globe)

Allen was one of the positives (Boston Globe)

This time, B’s get foiled (Boston Herald)

Back in NHL, Allen heads for home (Boston Herald)

Buffalo Chases Down B’s, 6-3 (BostonBruins.com)

‘With the win, the Sabres end their three game losing streak as well as their three game home skid.’

‘The Sabres showed the type of desperation that had elevated them to the top of the Eastern Conference. Battles that had previously been lost along the boards and in the corners were won. The power play even returned to some semblance of its former self, while the penalty kill didn’t get scored on for the first time since Buffalo’s last win more than 10 days ago.’

‘”We were the team that was always doing the hunting before,” said head coach Lindy Ruff. “Now we are the team that is being hunted and we haven’t handled it well.”‘