SabreSpace

'If there is such a thing as a must-win this early in a playoff series, it would be today's game at the First Union Center. The Flyers already have forfeited home ice with Wednesday night's 2-1 loss to the Sabres and can ill afford to fall two back heading to Buffalo for Games 3 and 4 Monday and Tuesday nights.' … [Read more...] about Barber to make changes in Flyers lineup

'Primeau was on the ice for the third straight day Friday, working with skating coach David Roy for 40 minutes. Afterward, he said he is making progress and is holding out hope of playing in Buffalo when the Flyers visit the Sabres in Game 3 of their first-round series Monday night.' … [Read more...] about Primeau skates for third day

'When your route to pro hockey went from the Ukraine, to Finland, to Saskatchewan, to Sioux City, Iowa, all before you turned 21, a 30-minute trip from Philadelphia to Trenton probably wouldn't faze you too much.' … [Read more...] about Fedotenko earns spot with Flyers

'Barber does not expect to see panic in his players when the series resumes at 1 p.m. today at First Union Center, but he would not mind seeing some intensity.' … [Read more...] about Barber to Flyers: Get fired up now

'The implication was that Ruff out-coached the Flyers' Bill Barber despite the disadvantage. Barber said he engages in such chess matches only when he thinks it is appropriate.' … [Read more...] about Flyers Notebook

'However, after Gilmour played center and scored the game-winning goal in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Flyers, perhaps, Gilmour has a better understanding of what his Sabres teammates already know: Buffalo needs a fresh Gilmour to succeed in the playoffs.' … [Read more...] about Sabres veteran has fresh legs

'"We don't want to look at it like that, but it's a big game for us," forward John LeClair said after Friday's practice. "We want to even it up."' … [Read more...] about Flyers face a must-win early in series

Enter Mike Peca. The captain scored 4:32 into Game 1, backhanding one past Tugnutt to give the Sabres a 1-0 lead. Dominik Hasek made 40 saves, including a brilliant stick stop on Alexei Yashin to keep the Senators from tying the game, and the Sabres held on for a 2-1 road win that wrested home ice from Ottawa. If you don't see the striking similarities between the first … [Read more...] about Gratton's goal brings reminders of Cup run

'Twice the Sabres inadvertently put themselves in position to hand the momentum to Philadelphia, and twice Buffalo's defense - once in the form of Hasek, and once in the form of virtually everyone but Hasek - crushed the Flyers by slamming the door.' … [Read more...] about Dom, penalty killers gave Sabres big lift

'"We've got to get ugly," Mark Recchi, Philly's veteran right wing, said after practice Thursday. "We need to get some traffic and find the net and do some things that make it difficult for their defense."' … [Read more...] about Flyers threaten some 'ugliness' in goal quest

'Philadelphia Flyers winger Mark Recchi claims the Sabres still don't need Peca. "They got enough. They got enough," Recchi said. "They got a lot of good players on their hockey club."' … [Read more...] about Absence of holdout Peca not felt so far

'Because the home team has the benefit of countering the visitor's lines on faceoffs, the Flyers held the upper hand in dictating matchups most favorable to them. But Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff negated that edge by masterfully switching lines during play. The Sabres almost always seemed to have the matchups they wanted rather than vice versa, and never really got caught … [Read more...] about Ruff gets big payoff with early line changes

'It's no coincidence that when Keith Primeau went out of the Flyers' starting lineup on March 26 with a knee injury, Mark Recchi's offensive game sank noticeably. In seven regular-season games plus one Eastern Conference playoff game since he lost his partner, Recchi hasn't scored a goal and has just two assists.' … [Read more...] about Clipped Winger

'"I think the coaching staff did a good job building up our confidence," veteran winger Dave Andreychuk said. "Once we got that first goal, it was key because we were going into a series against a guy who had played well against us. But we have to put this behind us and not be satisfied. We're looking at a long series here."' … [Read more...] about Sabres seem better equipped to crush Roman's empire

'"I'm very frustrated right now with myself," Gagne, a soft-spoken French Canadian, admitted. "I'm not very happy with the way I play right now."' … [Read more...] about Fear of a new injury limiting Gagne's game