Archives for April 2007

'After no scoring in the first the scoring picked up in the second. Adam would create a turnover by checking Trent Hunter off the puck and the Sabres would head on a rush with Chris Drury finding Mair to make it 1-0. Buffalo would extend their lead just minutes later as Thomas Vanek stuffed home the puck on a wrap around that was reviewed and determined to be a goal after the … [Read more...] about Sabres Hold On For Game Three Win

'By game's end they were playing the type of hockey we expected to see all series -- speedy, gritty, and relentless as a unit.' … [Read more...] about Grading the Sabres: Game 3

'At Rattles to Reading Day Care Center in Akron, you can't walk more than two feet without spotting a new piece of Sabres regalia. Most of it is made by the kids themselves, from a homemade Stanley Cup to pennants for each individual player.' … [Read more...] about Day Care Center Raising Sabres Super-Fans!

'Goals by Adam Mair and Thomas Vanek spotted the Sabres a 2-0 lead. New York cut the deficit in half on Trent Hunter's tally. But when Buffalo center Daniel Briere netted his first goal of the series during a 5-on-3 power play it turned out to be the game winner.' … [Read more...] about Sabres Gain Series Lead

'"Our secret all year long, and its not really a secret but our strength, has been our strength of scoring," said head coach Lindy Ruff. "That strength of scoring through all the lines is something that has kept teams on their heals because we can get rolling and it can come from any line at any time."' … [Read more...] about Three Lines Score in Game Three

'Having recaptured home ice advantage in the always-pivotal swing game, the Sabres answered their skeptics and critics by winning with opportunistic offense and suffocating defense.' … [Read more...] about ECQF # 3: Sabres 3, Islanders 2

'The goal seemed like it would give New York some momentum heading into the third period, but they mustered only two shots over the final 20 minutes of play. The officials may have had something to do with that, though.' … [Read more...] about Back on track

'This game never slowed down. Both teams played extremely well, and they kept a feverish pace throughout. The Sabres' transition game started to pick up some steam as the game grew older while the Islanders played tough from start to finish. This was an exciting 60 minutes of hockey as neither team let up on the gas pedal.' … [Read more...] about Hit and run

Card returns to Amerks (Rochester D&C) Bulldogs Playoff Preview (Hamilton Spectator) A Helping Hand (Sabres.com) Janis Sprukts named Amerks MVP (Amerks.com) Amerks begin Calder Cup playoffs Thursday (Amerks.com) … [Read more...] about Tuesday’s Rochester Coverage

'The common denominator? Against the best, Drury is very average. Hurricane Rod Brind'Amour -- who finished third in faceoffs in the regular season a year ago -- ate Drury alive in the seven-game series, winning 54 of 86 draws.' … [Read more...] about Slow on the draw

'When they host the fifth game of that opening round series, the Sabres will have welcomed 841,050 people into HSBC Arena this season. Only the 1998-99 edition, which made it to the Stanley Cup finals, and the 2000-2001 team, which made it to the second round of the playoffs, accumulated better attendance marks.' … [Read more...] about With playoffs Sabres' gate keeps rising

'It just hasn’t felt like the playoffs yet. In fact, the Sabres’ lone preseason game at home back in September had more emotion than the first two games against the New York Islanders. I'm not trying to exaggerate a point, in fact, that is the point. These playoffs feel like preseason compared to what we grew accustomed to last spring.' … [Read more...] about Let’s get serious

'The Sabres are stacked from top to bottom, but it’s the top that has coach Lindy Ruff’s attention. The No. 1 line of center Daniel Briere, left wing Jochen Hecht and right wing Jason Pominville -- who combined for 85 goals and 134 assists in the regular season -- has been subpar. Briere, the catalyst, has just one shot in each game.' … [Read more...] about Sabres forwards disappear

'The Sabres are the Cup favorites for a reason. The one looming question is whether Miller can play at a consistently high level in the playoffs. He was great at times a year ago in his rookie playoff run. At other times, he was merely average. He was not a difference-maker in the conference finals against Carolina.' … [Read more...] about Sabres need Miller to win goalie battle

'“I think sometimes your game almost simplifies on the road,” Ruff said Sunday. “We have a lot better tendency of having a more basic game when we get on the road. You try to drive that home. If we take care of the little things, we’ll have success.”' … [Read more...] about Trends favor Sabres in Long Island opener