Archives for May 8, 2007

'Ottawa blew five leads, two in the third period, en route to a 7-6 loss in overtime. The rest of the series, the goals that flowed so easily during the season had dried up and with along with them the chance to cover up any holes in their defensive game.' … [Read more...] about Previous loss to Sabres sparked the Ottawa Senators’ revolution

'"If it's me, Max [Afinogenov] or [Chris] Drury, it's all about the team now," said Pominville regarding game-changing goals. "No matter who scores those big ones, our main goal is winning. That's what's most important for us."' … [Read more...] about Leaving the Past Behind

'A tough call to be sure, but we feel this is Ottawa's year of destiny. Prediction - Senators in six.' … [Read more...] about CP’s picks for the Stanley Cup final, Ottawa vs. Anaheim

'You have to feel bad for the Rangers. They had Buffalo in Game Five, but they just couldn't close the deal. Overall, when all was said and done, Buffalo's depth and goaltending proved to be the difference.' … [Read more...] about Depth and goaltending proved the difference

'The Rangers put on one heck of a war, and as Lindy Ruff said after Sunday's game, "They really scared the hell out of us." And they did. The Rangers put on a great show and were exceptionally desperate and played that way in the final game at Madison Square Garden.' … [Read more...] about Sabres survive scare

'His mere presence on the ice is enough to make opponents wary.' … [Read more...] about Sabres are a different team with Gaustad

'"At this time of year, nothing's easy," Regier said. "And you need things to go well for you."' … [Read more...] about Sabres getting breaks and healthy preparing to face Senators

'"He'll be fine," Ruff said. "We didn't want to take any chances. The ice was getting pretty bad."' … [Read more...] about Sabres LW Hecht leaves practice early

'“Ottawa has got tremendous team speed,” Ruff said. “They’re as ‘north-south’ as we are and it should be a little bit of a different game, I would think. They’ve come full circle really. They were this explosive offensive team and now they’ve made some adjustments.”' … [Read more...] about Mutual contempt

'“There’s good and bad moments during any big series,” said Teppo Numminen, an 18-year veteran who had never won a playoff series until playing for Ruff. “You have to believe in the system and the things you do. Nothing rattles [Ruff] and he keeps doing his thing.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres follow Ruff, not destiny

'“It’s a very different hockey team than last year,” Senators coach Bryan Murray said Monday. “I think when I came here last year I saw a team with a lot of flare and ability to score goals and be an exciting hockey team to watch, but dependent, totally dependent almost on skill. We talked about changing, but it was difficult to do. But I think the … [Read more...] about Reformed Senators won&#8217t fall into a trap

'These guys are bad. Scary bad. I’m talking about NBC hockey analyst Brett Hull and ESPN hockey analyst Barry Melrose.' … [Read more...] about Hockey analysts shoot wide

'National rightsholders NBC and VERSUS in the United States and CBC, TSN and RDS in Canada will provide exclusive broadcast coverage of the Conference Finals.' … [Read more...] about Series schedule set for Round 3

'"History doesn't mean an awful lot, other than you have to learn from it," said Senators coach Bryan Murray. "(The Sabres) have been a top team in the East and they've learned about themselves after the playoffs last year against Carolina. They've got a hunger and we have the same type of thing."' … [Read more...] about History lessened

'"We'll deal with (the past) and we'll talk about it internally, but like I said, for me it's a non-factor. The big prize here is one team is going to go on to play for the Stanley Cup and penalties for retaliation were something a couple of months ago, but if you're going to take penalties here, your mindset is in the wrong place," said Ruff.' … [Read more...] about Ruff refuses to start fight