Archives for January 10, 2012

‘“We kind of went from a full bar [the previous game] to seven people in the bar,” he said Monday. “The Sabres games have a huge impact, especially if they’re doing well. It’s staggering.”’

‘Bathtub Billy’s at 630 W. Ridge Road in Rochester will be the site of the party, which starts at 6:30 p.m.’

‘”You have these games and they boost your energy up a little bit and get you going a bit,” right wing Patrick Kaleta said. “They’re fun games to play in, especially with the rivalry. You can go back for the longest time. As a player you look forward to these games and going out and fighting for every inch of ice and battling and hitting. Just the game in general, it’s a fun atmosphere, a fun game to [be] part of.”‘

‘The Anaheim Ducks are believed to have looked at both Roy and Drew Stafford when General Manager Bob Murray was in town in late November. Roy’s name is getting more attention lately because his contract has only one more year to run at a salary of $5.5 million but a reasonable cap hit of just $4 million.’

‘Nearly four months later, the Sabres are a mess. Few would argue they’re the NHL’s biggest disappointment exactly halfway through the season.’

‘The battle has cut Sabres television ratings by more than 60 per cent and is hurting the team as it is forced to compensate sponsors for lost audiences.’

Tuesday: Sabres at Leafs (Toronto Star)
Buffalo (18-18-5) at Toronto (21-15-5) (AP)
Buffalo Sabres (18-18-5) at Toronto Maple Leafs (21-15-5) (The Sports Network)
Maple Leafs open up home-and-home with Sabres (NHL.com)

‘Now we all know any trade rumor you hear about the Sabres isn’t true and will never happen, yet people think they know that Derek Roy is a prime candidate to be traded. Roy said, “I just gotta go out and play hockey and worry about what’s going to happen on the ice and help this team win hockey games. I’m not worried about the outside stuff, I’m just worried about how I’m going to play and help my team win. It’s not a distraction, you’ve got to try to put all that aside and go out and try to play your game and worry about what you’ve got to do on the ice.”’

‘The Sabres practiced Monday at the First Niagara Center. Andrej Sekera and Derek Roy were both on the ice with their teammates but were dressed in red jerseys, meaning no contact. Both are considered day to day. Sekera suffered a head injury when he was hit from behind by the Devils Eric Boulton. Roy suffered an upper body injury against Carolina Friday night.’

‘But while the road has been kind to the Sabres over the past six seasons, they’ve now lost six straight after starting the season 8-3-0. Their current 8-9-0 road record is in the bottom third of the league, and their 36 goals scored away from home are second only to Anaheim’s 34 for fewest in the league.’