Archives for May 2001

'Slowly, but surely the Pittsburgh Penguins are nearing a second-round exit from the National Hockey League playoffs for the third straight year, and there doesn't appear to be anything they can do about it.' … [Read more...] about Pens limp home with season on the line

'Just a week ago you read in this same space that the Penguins, who were up 2-0, would take out the Sabres in four straight and how the Penguins couldn't collapse as they did last year in the second round against Philadelphia. Instead, what we are seeing from the Penguins seems to be history repeating itself.' … [Read more...] about Pens' collapse looks very familiar

'"I was surprised," Kraft said. "I ate lunch (Friday). Then, I got the call. I had to go to my apartment to pick up some stuff, jumped in my car and drove about 4 1/2 hours from Wilkes-Barre to Buffalo. I don't know how long I'll be here, but now we have to go back to Pittsburgh and win there."' … [Read more...] about Kraft surprised by call-up

'"They dumped the puck and we tried to hold them up. Sometimes, it seemed like they fold easy and the referees are reacting right away," Penguins defenseman Darius Kasparaitis said. "We have to be more careful holding them up because if they are going to fall down all the time, we're going to get penalties."' … [Read more...] about Too many penalties hurt Penguins in Game 5

'That was the Sabres' second short-handed goal in two games, and the irony that it came while the Penguins were on one of their four power plays -- Buffalo had eight -- wasn't lost in the losing locker room. "We finally got a power play," center Wayne Primeau said. "And it backfired."' … [Read more...] about Barnes scores winner as Penguins blow 2-0 lead, lose in OT, trail series, 3-2

'Barnes hadn't scored in 15 games before planting a perfect shot to the same corner behind Hedberg in Game 2. Since then, he has emerged as the dominant forward in the series, netting four goals, including two which have decided games.' … [Read more...] about Barnes shows winning hand again

'Over the past three games, all losses, Buffalo has outscored the Penguins, 8-0, after two periods. This lopsided late scoring indicates the Penguins are tired and that the decision of Coach Ivan Hlinka to go primarily with three lines in the regular season and the playoffs was a massive miscalculation.' … [Read more...] about Hlinka lining team up for loss

'The Sabres had prepared for the Penguins to change systems, but it never happened. "They had the left-wing lock the whole time," Ruff said. "The only difference was that there were a couple of times their defense dumped it in and did the forechecking. It was a lot more aggressive scheme than they had going, but they still played the lock."' … [Read more...] about Penguins Report

'The Penguins must now fight from behind, and maybe that's a good thing. They sure haven't done much with leads lately.' … [Read more...] about Sabres put Pens’ backs against wall with victory

'The Penguins played their best game of the Eastern Conference semifinals Saturday. Their reward was being pushed to the brink of elimination by the Buffalo Sabres.' … [Read more...] about Penguins played well enough to win

'Barnes credited Dumont not only for getting the puck to him but also for setting a screen on the play that denied Hedberg sight of the puck until it was too late.' … [Read more...] about Barnes throws puck at net and good things happen

'"It's a tough game. We get the chances and we don't put the puck in the net," said Hedberg. "But we put ourselves in this situation and we have to get ourselves out."' … [Read more...] about ‘Moose’ shows vulnerable side

'He should not, however, be blamed for the loss. Hlinka went down to defeat yesterday doing what he believes. When given the opportunity, he chose to exploit his team's greatest strength, its tremendous scoring ability.' … [Read more...] about Hlinka gambles and the Penguins pay

'Five games into this playoff series, Buffalo Sabres center Curtis Brown - who had 10 goals in 70 regular-season games - has more goals than Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr combined.' … [Read more...] about Brown starring for Sabres

'Fresher legs, a deeper bench and a little luck have given the Buffalo Sabres the upper hand in their Eastern Conference semifinal against the Pittsburgh Penguins.' … [Read more...] about Sabres win an OT Barnes-burner