Archives for April 15, 2010

'Miller stoped 23 shots in the second period alone, in building on a stellar season in which he won a franchise-best 41 games and backstopped the United States to a silver medal at the Vancouver Games.' … [Read more...] about Miller makes 38 saves in Sabres&#8217 win over Bruins

'Thomas Vanek and Craig Rivet lit the lamp for the Sabres, who won their first postseason contest since the 2007 Eastern Conference finals against Ottawa.' … [Read more...] about Buffalo 2, Boston 1

'Boston came out buzzing during the second period and refused to let up, peppering Miller with a barrage of shots. The Buffalo netminder made 23 saves in the second frame alone, but finally surrendered a power play goal to Mark Recchi, tying the game 1-1. Recchi tucked a rebound just underneath the crossbar and behind Miller, marking his 51st career postseason goal. The Bruins … [Read more...] about Miller Masterful as Sabres Take Game One 2-1

'“We had an idea how good we could go when we started off the way we did,” Ruff acknowledged. “We played some real good hockey in the first 10 games. I think we surprised some teams. I think some teams maybe took us a little bit lightly.”' … [Read more...] about No one taking Sabres lightly, now

'“Raffi’s kind of caught at a crossroads right now,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “We need him on the production side to produce. I think if you’re not producing, you’ve got to bring a physical edge, which I think that he can. One of the places I think he’s always been well has been the playoffs. He’s been a guy that’s been … [Read more...] about Ruff hoping playoffs are better for Torres

'“Early in the year, when we were winning the 2-1, 3-2 type of games, it was really important for our club,” Ruff said. “We played a pretty good brand of hockey when we had the lead. We maintained the lead. A lot of time in the playoffs it isn’t about scoring a lot of goals; it’s something about preserving what you have inside of a game.”' … [Read more...] about Scoring could be at a premium

'"The playoffs are about losing people, and people stepping in and playing bigger roles," Ruff added. "Obviously he's been an important part of our team for the year and now somebody has to step in and fill that void for us."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Hecht sidelined after surgery

'Hecht missed the final three games of the regular season because of the injury, but had practiced the last two days. After the finger was examined Wednesday, it was determined surgery was needed.' … [Read more...] about Sabres forward Hecht has surgery on finger

'“He had a small procedure,” Ruff said following the team’s morning skate at HSBC Arena. “He’s out now for what would be weeks instead of days.”' … [Read more...] about Hecht to miss weeks due to injury

'But Sabres nation has every reason to be optimistic going into this first round of play. Why? In a word: goaltending. Tuukka Rask has racked up some pretty significant numbers since wrestling the starting job away from Tim Thomas. But Buffalo’s Ryan Miller is having a career season. If anything, the Olympics experience just made him that much tougher and focused as he … [Read more...] about Now The Real Season Begins

'Hundreds -- and maybe a few thousand -- Sabres fans are growing playoff beards, tossing out their razors as long as the Sabres stay alive and looking in the mirror each day to measure how much fuzz they’ve grown.' … [Read more...] about Playoff picture: scruffy

'"What he represents is true grit and character of a winner. No matter what, he's going to give it his all. If it doesn't attract you, there's something wrong with you."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Miller padding his resume

'"From what I hear, the atmosphere gets pretty unbelievable," Ennis said Wednesday. "The building and the city, they love hockey here, and it's cool to be in a hockey town."' … [Read more...] about Rookie Ennis enjoying playoff scene

'"Ryan has been there whenever we've needed him," coach Lindy Ruff said as the season wound down. "We've really worked his schedule [of rest] to keep him sharp and he's given us a great season."' … [Read more...] about How the Sabres made their points

'"You don't want to waste them," power-play point man Toni Lydman said. "It's not the easiest spot to stand in, especially with the defensemen trying to get you out of there and trying to distract you."' … [Read more...] about With Gaustad, Vanek battling Chara, Sabres take best shot