SabreSpace

'He'll turn 41 in two months, might be facing surgery to replace two herniated discs in his neck and probably won't be the most attractive unrestricted free agent on the market given the probability of a lockout that threatens to wipe out the entire 2004-05 season.' … [Read more...] about Patrick still isn't shy, retiring type

'The Sabres were in playoff mode for the final two months because they accomplished so little in the first three.' … [Read more...] about Experience under pressure should help Sabres in future

'Both Dagenais goals were stoppable, but don't even think about pointing a purple forefinger at a goaltender when a team is being outshot 24-14 after two periods and 39-27 on the game. From start to finish, there wasn't a helping hand in sight for Noronen - and to his credit, he got his game in order after the Canadiens had taken a 4-1 lead fewer than four … [Read more...] about Habs end on a high note

'At least the Habs showed signs of life last night against a Sabres team that clearly left its game in Buffalo. The Canadiens ended a five-game losing streak with a six-goal outburst that was marred in the late going when Sabres coach Lindy Ruff sent out the thug batallion to stir things up.' … [Read more...] about Leafs likely foes

'Souray, who is playing with an ``upper body'' injury -- a sore wrist or shoulder -- blamed Sabres coach Lindy Ruff for sending out his tough guys in the third period. Andrew Peters tried to start a fight with Souray, but Stephane Quintal stepped in and they squared off. Quintal emerged with a welt on his left cheek. ``That's so typical of … [Read more...] about Montreal 6, Buffalo 3

'"I really wanted to win this game, the last one of the regular season," Montreal coach Claude Julien added. "It was important to beat Buffalo and finish on a winning note. We broke that losing streak and now we have momentum."' … [Read more...] about Montreal 6, Buffalo 3

'The Canadiens jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on tallies by Pierre Dagenais in the first half of the opening period. Dagenais, who had been a healthy scratch for five of the last 10 games took a feed from Michael Ryder on the left side and from the slot sent one past Mika Noronen to open the scoring at the 5:12 mark. A similar play four minutes later would lead to … [Read more...] about Offense finds life in season finale

The Buffalo Sabres took it to the brink. They put enough pressure on the New York Islanders the last two weeks where the Isles actually broke into a little sweat. The Sabres didn't know what was happening in Carolina. Without the knowledge of how the Isles were doing, the Sabres attended to matters at hand and attempted to defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs. … [Read more...] about Playoff hopes come to a screeching halt

'Buffalo can finish with 87 points, which would be the seventh-highest total among teams not to make the playoffs in NHL history.' … [Read more...] about Sabres' playoff dreams fade away

'Yes, there are questions, but now they have far more answers. In that sense, it's progress.' … [Read more...] about Sabres' doom comes with hopeful signs

'"I just think they had more jump than us," Grier said. "It's been a pretty big grind for us. Every game for the last month has been huge. It's been pretty intense and emotional, and I think sometimes that gets to you."' … [Read more...] about Belfour benefits from Isles' triumph

'To qualify for the post-season, the Sabres had to beat the Maple Leafs and hope that the woebegone Carolina Hurricanes could somehow upset the New York Islanders in a game that started at 7 p.m. in Raleigh. Fat chance. The Islanders had a 6-1 second-period lead by 8:25 p.m. -- roughly 20 minutes after the Leafs and Sabres faced off...'. … [Read more...] about One more to win home

'The Sabres, who claimed they had no idea what had happened in Carolina until their game was over, went on to lose 2-0 to the Leafs on third-period goals by Chad Kilger and Joe Nieuwendyk. But their fate had already been sealed when the Islanders held off a late Carolina charge and beat the Hurricanes 6-4, eliminating Buffalo from the Eastern Conference playoff race.' … [Read more...] about No playoff party for Buffalo

I have a lot of great memories here, so it was nice to get a win like this, he said of his 74th career whitewash. We played great defensively, something we will have to do going into the playoffs. … [Read more...] about Eagle Buffaloes them again

By defeating the Sabres, the Leafs set a single-season franchise record with 101 points. Yet that total might be good enough for only sixth place in the East, an indication of just how tight the race in the conference is heading into the final weekend of the regular season. … [Read more...] about Winner goes home