SabreSpace

'"I would've been sure we would've ripped the door off the hinges to get out on the ice for this one," Laviolette said. "Instead, we didn't show up. And we got what we deserved."' … [Read more...] about Yashin & Isles Take Hit

'New Buffalo captain Stu Barnes, the first to wear the "C" since Peca did two years ago with the Sabres, scored on a funny bounce to cut the Isles' early lead to 2-1 with less than two minutes to go in the first. Slicing through the slot, a hot knife through a buttery Isles defense, Barnes tapped in a rebound of J.P. Dumont's backhand attempt that … [Read more...] about Isles prosper, then collapse

'"I'm disappointed in the fact that we needed big-time players tonight," Laviolette said. "We needed to show up and compete, and win the one-on-one battles and we got absolutely destroyed."' … [Read more...] about A Rare Night to Forget

'Michael Peca's old team gave a much more spirited effort than his new one.' … [Read more...] about Sabres 4, Islanders 2

'Dumont scored the go-ahead goal with 2:16 left in the second period as the Sabres rallied for their sixth straight victory over the New York Islanders, 4-2.' … [Read more...] about Buffalo 4, NY Islanders 2

'The Nowhere Man has turned into Mr. Everything for the dynamic New York Islanders. He is their gritty captain. He is the center on their highest-scoring line. He is on the top power-play and penalty-killing units. He is on pace to obliterate his best offensive season.' … [Read more...] about Crunch time returns

'"Guys change teams all the time nowadays - it's not a special occasion," Warrener said. "It happens, and it happens a lot. So everyone's dealt with it, and everyone has friends on other teams. I don't think it's any different with Pecs."' … [Read more...] about Players downplay Peca reunion

'The Sabres, coming off a 5-2 victory Wednesday at Washington, have not won consecutive road games all season.' … [Read more...] about Sabres vs. Islanders

'Asked if burying a few goals represented his dream scenario tonight, Peca replied, "No, it's just winning the hockey game." Right, and Tino Martinez truly wishes the Yankees luck in their pursuit of Jason Giambi.' … [Read more...] about Buffaloing Peca Coy on Sabres

'"You play against teams that you have friends on," Peca said. "The only difference is this team seems to have a few more friends than most of them."' … [Read more...] about Peca vs. ex-mates adds spice to Isles-Sabres

'Sources have told The Post that Gratton, the 26-year-old Buffalo center whose career has all but been in a holding pattern since he left Tampa Bay the first time during the summer of 1997, has told management that he would welcome a trade.' … [Read more...] about Sabres' Gratton on Sather's wish list

'Ray said the Sabres shouldn't make the same mistake in choosing their next captain as they did with their previous captain, meaning Peca. Ray felt the Sabres catered to Peca when they gave him the captaincy in 1997 following a contract dispute.' … [Read more...] about It's a Reunion on Ice

'Peca vowed never to wear the Sabres jersey again, sat out all of last season, and sweated out a summer wondering if his trade demand would be met. So it's hard to believe Peca ``hasn't really thought much about it,'' as he said after practice at the Coliseum on Friday.' … [Read more...] about Islanders center plays Buffalo for first time since summer trade

'Buffalo beat the Washington Capitals, 5-2, Wednesday night in part because the Sabres didn't beat themselves.' … [Read more...] about Clean play leads to victories

'"Sure, the game has special meaning to many of us because of Michael Peca. But we can't just focus on him alone."' … [Read more...] about Familiar foe