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.’

'"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."'

‘A tough call to be sure, but we feel this is Ottawa’s year of destiny. Prediction – Senators in six.’

'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.'

'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.'

'His mere presence on the ice is enough to make opponents wary.'

‘”At this time of year, nothing’s easy,” Regier said. “And you need things to go well for you.”‘

‘”He’ll be fine,” Ruff said. “We didn’t want to take any chances. The ice was getting pretty bad.”‘

‘“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.”’

‘“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.”’