Archives for December 27, 2007

'Sabre forward Drew Stafford has been diagnosed with a concussion according to Coach Lindy Ruff. He left Wednesday night's loss to Ottawa early. Stafford must now be symptom free for 7 days before return to action.'

'Craig must build a 1 1/2 -inch, smooth-as-glass surface that will hold up to rain, above-freezing temperatures, and be fit for Sidney Crosby and Company to play upon Tuesday when the Sabres host the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL Winter Classic outdoor game.'

‘The Sabres have been there before.’

'No.1, the Buffalo Bills has been instrumental in guiding us through this. The Sabres staff, being there locally, has been a great help in trying to help us understand how we need to prepare a football stadium for hockey. The ice rink people we’re bringing in, including Dan Craig, the “ice guru” has made a number of trips up there,” he said. “The Penguins staff – we’ve gone to Pittsburgh to talk to them. There has been a boatload of people involved in the process of trying to download all the information from them. We’ve talked to people from Edmonton. We have people coming in from California and Minnesota and various parts of the country.”'

‘In a measuring stick game for the Buffalo Sabres, the Ottawa Senators proved they are still the ruler.’

‘The standard is very high, but it comes with the position. The Sabres became a viable Cup contender when Miller became a starting NHL goalie. He can be very good. But whenever he seems to be making a case as one of the NHL’s elite goalies, he has a slip.’

‘“I was a little low on energy but that’s to be expected,” said Connolly, who missed the homeand- home sweep of Philadelphia over the weekend. “The flu took a lot out of me. I was able to rest and it was good to get out there. We had some chemistry early and had a lot of chances.”’

‘Between now and Monday, the weather will be somewhat mild and occasionally wet, McLaughlin said. Then two cold fronts are forecast to pass through, bringing at least a dusting and possibly some lake-effect snow.’

Related: Photo gallery (Buffalo News)

'"We let up a little in the second period and they jumped all over us."'

'“At times we dominated play, and at times they did, but we’ve got to play a full 60 minutes. They’ve got that one line. If you turn it over, they’re going to put it in the back of your net.”'