SabreSpace

'The Sabres controlled the majority of the period, registering 11 shots on Gerber, but reached intermission with nothing to show for their efforts. Worse still, Buffalo would manage just another 11 shots the rest of the way.' … [Read more...] about Sabres offer no defence to fend off Hurricanes

'"I think there is an identity with the working people, an identity and a tie to the working player," said Mair, who scored just twice in 40 games this season. "They're pretty knowledgeable about the game and realize that it's not just the goals and assists and saves that win games, but it's the little intangible areas."' … [Read more...] about Mair at home in Buffalo

'"We need certain players to step up," Williams said outside the Hurricanes dressing room before taking the ice in Game 4. "I'm definitely one of those guys."' … [Read more...] about Carolina searching for missing Williams

'Staal's 19 playoff points leads the league, and the 21-year-old extended his post-season point streak to 14 after scoring his seventh goal last night. (Pavel Bure holds the record with points in 16 consecutive playoff games in 1994.)' … [Read more...] about Staal finds playoff bounces going his way

'But don't lay too much blame at the hands of Sabres' fill-in defencemen, this was a team loss.' … [Read more...] about Hurricanes blow by lacklustre Sabres

'Back in early March, as the trade deadline closed in, the Sabres were urged by every observer in western New York to grab a serviceable NHL defenceman for insurance, or maybe even to usurp some of the workload of one of their less highly-regarded rearguards. Buffalo management was allegedly of the same mind. But by the dinner hour on March 9, when all the transactions had been … [Read more...] about Sabres done in by defence

'"My dad pretty much went out of his way not to push me into football," Grier said yesterday. "I think if it was something I wanted to play, he would have let me, but he never pushed it. I love football though. Sundays in the fall, I sit home and watch football all day. I'm not really a Pats fan anymore. With my dad in Texas and my brother in Miami, that's pretty much who I … [Read more...] about Notebook

'Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said anyone who would blame the defense for the loss would be "looking in the wrong place." "Our power play wasn't very good," Ruff said. "Our special teams and our forwards have to be better. I'm not looking at defense as an excuse for losing."' … [Read more...] about Sabres don’t blame ‘D’

'In my experience, the best high-temperature wings in the world come from Buffalo Joe's in my hometown of Evanston, Ill., and the now-closed Chicken Hutch in Nashua, N.H.' … [Read more...] about A search to find Buffalo’s top wing

Canes make their move (Raleigh News and Observer) Laviolette makes a statement (Raleigh News and Observer) Sabres don't blame 'D' (Raleigh News and Observer) Canes improve power-play performance (Raleigh News and Observer) A search to find Buffalo's top wing (Raleigh News and Observer) Turning Point (Raleigh News and Observer) Return not in Cole's cards (Raleigh News and … [Read more...] about Saturday’s Carolina Coverage

'"It's not like we brought in a guy from the minor leagues or a backup per se," Coach Peter Laviolette said of his decision to start Gerber.' … [Read more...] about With Gerber Back in Goal, Carolina Is Back in the Series

'Getting an early lead didn't hurt either against a team that has thrived by getting the jump on opponents throughout the playoffs. The Sabres have won nine of 11 postseason games in which they've gotten on the board first, but their inability to solve Gerber turned out to be their downfall.' … [Read more...] about ‘Canes get home ice back behind Gerber’s top-notch effort

'But brave words don't make plays. Players do.' … [Read more...] about In need of healthy defensemen

'In Game 5 on Sunday night in Carolina, the Sabres will be looking to make life a little more difficult for Gerber. "He played very well, but I didn't think we got to the net enough," Sabres co-captain Daniel Briere said. "We're going to have to get more traffic around him in the next game. We have to make it tougher for him. I didn't think we did that tonight."' … [Read more...] about Gerber gives Carolina much-needed lift

'The Sabres are asking a lot of guys like Jillson and Janik to play significant minutes in a situation like this. The entire Buffalo defence is getting stressed by the absence of Henrik Tallinder, Teppo Numminen and Dmitri Kalinin. This is a huge storyline and I'm not sure how Buffalo recovers from it.' … [Read more...] about Sabres defence a huge concern