Archives for April 3, 2016

‘Defensemen Mark Pysyk (interference) and Casey Nelson (hooking) were called for minor penalties on the same play and the Sabres were in a huge hole. The crowd howled, sensing the climax to a big comeback. But it never happened.’

‘As for Rochester call-ups, it stands to reason that Williamsville native Justin Bailey could be a candidate for another recall. Bailey played eight games without a point for the Sabres earlier this season. He entered Saturday with 17 goals and 23 assists in 62 games for the Amerks. Prospects like Nick Baptiste, Jean Dupuy and William Carrier are all looking for their first NHL call-ups and have had up-and-down seasons in Rochester.’

‘Saturday’s game was Buffalo’s second straight win and improved the Sabres to 6-2-2 over their last 10 games. At 33-35-11 with three games left, a .500 season remains a possibility for the Sabres. They need five of the six points in their final three contests to finish with 82 points in 82 games.’

‘“Every night should be fan appreciation night,” said Joe Short of Tonawanda. “My tickets have gone up 40 percent in five years, and the hockey has been hard to watch. Can $1 of my increase go to giveaways for kids? Make it more fun for the families.”’

‘The backlash was centered on O’Reilly’s DUI incident in Ontario last July that will be going to trial in London this summer. As the chapter chair, I was subjected to hundreds – yes, hundreds – of tweeted protests of this nomination, many filled with the requisite amount of eighth-grade profanity that’s such an ugly part of social media. It was telling that exactly one tweeter identified himself or had a bio that indicated he was from Buffalo and politely said he had a problem with the nomination. There was pretty much zero dissent on this issue from Sabres fans because they know what O’Reilly has meant to this organization this season, just like the media that regularly covers the team.’

‘One aspect of Rigas’ life has not changed. Even after a federal jury in 2004 convicted him and his son, Timothy, of fraud and conspiracy charges, and even after prosecutors argued they “looted” Adelphia of $100 million while hiding $2.3 billion in debt, he maintains his innocence.’

Poised to Celebrate, Rangers Fall to Lowly Sabres (New York Times)
Henrik Lundqvist pulled as Rangers fail to clinch playoff berth in 4-3 loss to Sabres (New York Daily News)
Lundqvist pulled, clinch delayed, but Rangers won’t show worry (New York Post)
How Henrik Lundqvist plans to rebound from terrible night (New York Post)
Rangers’ rally falls short against Sabres, lose third straight (Newsday)
As always, expectations high for Rangers come playoff time (Newsday)
Rangers fail to score on two-minute, two-man power play (Newsday)
Photo gallery (Newsday)
Rangers fall to Sabres, fail to clinch playoff spot (Bergen Record)
Rangers again fail to clinch playoff berth (White Plains Journal News)
Rangers beaten by the Sabres 4-3 (NewYorkRangers.com)
Photo gallery (NewYorkRangers.com)
Photo gallery (Sabres.com)

‘”We’re doing everything,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to be spoiler, we’re just trying to play our game. We had a tough start and we are just jelling as a group now. You’re starting to see it all come together, the chemistry, the compete we have. It doesn’t matter where you are in the standings. You want to win.”‘

‘Added Ryan O’Reilly: “I think we knew what to do. We knew what to do.”‘

‘The Buffalo win snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Rangers dating back to April 19, 2013.’