SabreSpace

'After going without a goal in four games, Lemieux was asked if he should be accountable, too. "Next question," he said. You would have thought Lemieux had said Pittsburgh, and not Buffalo, was the real home of the chicken wing.' … [Read more...] about Time for Lemieux to step it up

'If the Pittsburgh Penguins lose their Eastern Conference semifinal series against Buffalo in Mario Lemieux's comeback season, Lemieux knows who should be blamed. Mario Lemieux.' … [Read more...] about Lemieux: Blame me if Penguins lose

'They're tried adopting a Sabres-like system, one in which the defense creates offensive opportunities, but it hasn't entirely fit well with a team built around creative offensive players.' … [Read more...] about Penguins say changes needed to save their season

'Much has been made of the big changes coming in the off-season for the Penguins, especially the possible trade of Jaromir Jagr. The first change to be made, however, should be behind the bench. The grand experiment of bringing in a European coach is a flop. Even if the Pens somehow find a way to right their sinking ship and win this series, a new captain should be on the … [Read more...] about Pens' Woes Start Behind the Bench

'"We've been sticking to our system," center Curtis Brown said. "We got down early, but we didn't stray away from that. We would have been in trouble if all of a sudden we started panicking and started trying to make things up. There's a system in place for a reason. We stuck to it."' … [Read more...] about Keeping the faith in system pays off for Sabres

'"What, I'm not allowed to change my mind?" Rex said. "I'm supposed to punish myself because the league stuck it to us in '99?"' … [Read more...] about Rex getting another case of fan fever

'Although the Penguins swallowed the most bitter pill - a 3-2 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres in HSBC Arena - Jagr played with vigor for the first time since he got hurt in Game One.' … [Read more...] about Jagr wakes up from series slumber

'Jagr, who missed games 2 and 3 with a shoulder injury, scored the Penguins' first goal and skated better than he had all series. He credited his strong play to an injection he received just before the game.' … [Read more...] about Pain-free Jagr a plus for Pens

'''Somebody told me that history never repeats itself and I really believe that,'' Jagr said. However, unless Jagr's Penguins defeat the Buffalo Sabres two games in a row, that ''somebody'' is going to be wrong.' … [Read more...] about Penguins intent on winning series

'"The way I see it, you always have to work," Brown said. "You can never quit on a play, never let a guy go. You know that if you work hard out there to take away your opponent's time and space away, you can limit them. You might not shut them down, but you can limit them. It's all about work."' … [Read more...] about Sabres' Brown an active pest

'"I was really surprised," Kraft said. "[Friday] after practice, we had a meeting about how to play against Hershey. ... Then, my cell phone rings, and Glenn Patrick told me, 'You got called up.'"' … [Read more...] about Recall's timing catches Kraft by surprise

'Buffalo has had a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series twice in its history, and both times the Sabres won Game 6. The first came in the second round of the 1975 playoffs against the Canadiens, the second 14 years later in the same round against the Bruins.' … [Read more...] about Penguins Report

'What the Penguins really need is for their star players to score, their special teams to click and their luck to change.' … [Read more...] about Penguins aim to force Game 7

'"We got ourselves into some tough situations over the last few years," Brown continued. "It just seems that every time we get into that situation, we look at ourselves and say `we're not going to quit'. We can't guarantee anything, but we're going to keep working hard and do whatever we can to try to get back in this.'' … [Read more...] about Sabres 'no quit' attitude has worked

'Buffalo has been so banged up on defense that it should be apparent to everyone that the Pens have needed to dump it in and make the Buffalo defensemen work. Force them to go back and chase it every rush and rattle their already bruised bodies. Instead, the Pens have stubbornly try to finesse their way through a team that is much faster and deeper. It's not working, … [Read more...] about Will Game 6 be Jagr's swan song here?