SabreSpace

'McKee led the NHL in blocked shots, and one of those shots eventually caught up to him. A puck that cut open his shin during the second round became seriously infected this week. The Kingston, Ont., native was treated at a Buffalo hospital on Wednesday and released, but he did not make the trip to Carolina with the Sabres.' … [Read more...] about Buffalo short on defence

'Midway through the third, Buffalo defenseman Brian Campbell shot the puck over the boards, giving the Hurricanes a power play with 9:42 to play. On the man advantage, Eric Staal took a shot that got caught in traffic in front of the net and sat loose in front. Brind'Amour jumped in from the right circle to fire it past Miller.' … [Read more...] about In Rod they trust

'"There's nothing that can be said to make us feel good right now," Briere said.' … [Read more...] about Sabres mauled by injuries

In Rod they trust (Raleigh News and Observer) Goalie is 'not a kid anymore' (Raleigh News and Observer) Weight delivers (Raleigh News and Observer) Sabres mauled by injuries (Raleigh News and Observer) Good Game 7, great series (Raleigh News and Observer) Many Hurricanes have ties to Alberta (Raleigh News and Observer) A toast to the captain (Raleigh News and … [Read more...] about Friday’s Carolina Coverage

'"I was thinking that we'd been here so many times," Coach Peter Laviolette said. "I don't think being down is something that scares this team. The third period has been our period all year, and I think tonight was another example of that."' … [Read more...] about Hurricanes Advance to the Stanley Cup Finals

'"I think everyone gave it all they had, but it wasn't enough," Buffalo forward Mike Grier said.' … [Read more...] about Hurricanes blow past Sabres and into Cup Finals

'Brind'Amour said Weight's goal took the pressure off the 'Canes. "We could just go out and play after that," Brind'Amour said.' … [Read more...] about Weight redeems himself after Game 6 misstep

'"I think the healthiest team ultimately won Game 7 in Carolina. Buffalo was awfully banged up, missing four defencemen," said MacTavish.' … [Read more...] about The Weight is on

'For the Buffalo Sabres, a seemingly routine remnant of a blocked shot turned out to be the unkindest cut of all.' … [Read more...] about Infection ended Sabres Cup hopes

'But feeding off the energy enveloping their building, the Hurricanes controlled the tempo of the game and for much of the night, kept the Sabres pinned back in their own end.' … [Read more...] about Carolina uses tempo, crowd to finish off ailing Sabres

'"It's not a curse," Ruff bravely said of his team's predicament. "It's the way we play. I fully expected to lose some guys to injury. Did I think we'd lose this many? No. But you've got to put your body on the line to win games. They've paid a price. The way they battled, the way they faced adversity, you can hold your head up. They're a special group of guys." Yes, but not … [Read more...] about Buffalo curse lives on

'While Buffalo was one of the best power-play teams during the regular season -- it ranked third at 21.2 percent -- it stumbled along at less than 16 percent in the postseason, and was just 6-for-34 in this series. While that number might not look too bad on the surface, the reality is that the Sabres failed to cash in when it mattered most.' … [Read more...] about Blame it on the Sabres’ power play

'"It hurts big time right now," said Sabres co-captain Chris Drury.' … [Read more...] about Brind’Amour leads by example in crucial Game 7

'On Thursday night, the Sabres were the victims of a bad rule. In this case, it was the rule against shooting the puck over the glass. Brian Campbell was called on it in the third period, and Rod Brind'Amour scored the eventual game-winner on the resulting power play.' … [Read more...] about Sabres victims of a bad rule

'What will linger for Sabres fans is the sense that this series was never contested on a level playing field. Center Tim Connolly, a would-be force on the power play, never played in this series due to a concussion. Numminen's ability to move the puck - he was third on the team in power-play assists with 20 - no doubt could have helped the team's sputtering special teams. It … [Read more...] about The thin blueline