Archives for February 2009

'“I hope that I haven’t lost too much of my fitness but we’ll see about that once I start skating again,” Vanek wrote in a diary entry posted on his official Web site for fans in his native Austria. “The doctors said that I would miss at least four weeks altogether but it also could be five to six weeks. We’ll just have to wait and … [Read more...] about Vanek not counting on a speedy return

'"It's frustrating to have to sit out for sure," Paille said. "But you've got to fight through it and wait until your time comes again. You can't pout. You have to go to the next game and try to get back in. You have to forget about it, play now and see what you can do now. It's something I have to do a lot more for this team, and I did a better job of it."' … [Read more...] about Paille throws his weight around

'One might need an astrological chart, a slide rule, a protractor, and a copy of the Koran to help decipher it all, but in the details comes an intriguing offer: Sign up by March 20 to renew your season tickets and buy playoff tickets, and for each playoff game played you will receive a “rebate” which will be credited to your 2009-10 invoice. The deeper the team … [Read more...] about Rebates offered to shore up season ticket base

'"There is more player movement now," Regier said. "If a team performs well, you can't keep your team together. If you have young players performing well, you have to deal with the mental aspect of new and bigger contracts ... There are a lot of variables in place that are not going to allow teams to perform at a high level, or for as long of a period as we have … [Read more...] about Sabres aren’t rattled despite loss of Vanek

'Numminen under went an eight-hour open heart surgery. It was a success and he doesn't need blood thinners so playing became an option he didn't want to miss. The highs and lows of recovery faded when he returned to the ice for his 20-th season. He says, “I think it took a year to feel normal and be confident about my health and my mental state.”' … [Read more...] about Skating with heart

'When the Sabres played the Leafs on Tuesday evening at the Air Canada Centre, the underdog Ellis played in his 104th career NHL game and marked the occasion with his eighth career goal. The determined fourth liner even saw time on the power play.' … [Read more...] about Ellis makes his mark

'“It’s about moving up and moving forward,” said goalie Ryan Miller, who made 27 saves. “We can hold onto that for at least an evening. We’re pretty proud of the effort, but we have a lot more challenges ahead.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres bounce back against Leafs

'“Sometimes you need to get your feet under you,” Miller said. “We had a tough game against the Hurricanes, where we weren’t skating well. We needed to get some confidence back after Lindy made it a tough practice (Monday). It was a little bit getting our legs, a little bit getting our confidence. From the 10-minute mark of the first period it was a lot … [Read more...] about Thanks to Miller, shabby Sabres overcome Leafs

'The Buffalo Sabres reassigned rookie forward Nathan Gerbe to their AHL team in Portland on Wednesday, clearing the way for center Paul Gaustad to make his return from a shoulder injury that has sidelined him the past six games.' … [Read more...] about Sabres return Gerbe to Portland of AHL

'Gerbe has one assist in 10 games this season.' … [Read more...] about Sabres return Gerbe to Portland

'"You look at some of the acrobatic saves he made, it could have been 3-nothing the other way at the end of the first period, and maybe it's a completely different story," Sabres defenseman Chris Butler said. "But I think he gave us a lot of confidence, and about the midway point there of the first period we really started rolling."' … [Read more...] about Miller displays net worth to Sabres

'"As long as I'm contributing, especially now with Thomas out, that's good," Stafford said. "We're going to need all the goals we can get. If that's what I'm going to be contributing, then so be it. It's not going to happen every night but we have a lot of guys who can do it in the scoring department. I'm just trying to do my part."' … [Read more...] about Points piling up for Stafford

Trial by fire for Pogge (Toronto Sun) Pogge takes his lumps (Toronto Sun) Moore's stock is up (Toronto Sun) Pogge wins over Wilson (Toronto Star) Boo-birds should give young Pogge a break (Toronto Star) Fans should give Sundin standing O (Toronto Star) Pogge pains keep coming (Toronto Globe and Mail) Losses looking all too familiar for Pogge (National Post) Don't blame … [Read more...] about Wednesday’s Toronto Coverage

'“He’s been making some plays, moving his feet down low,” Roy said of Stafford. “He’s a strong body in front of the net on the power play and we need that from him. He’s playing really well, he had a couple more chances to score some more goals tonight.”' … [Read more...] about Stafford scores twice, Sabres beat Leafs 4-1

'The Sabres looked lacklustre in a loss to Carolina on Sunday and didn't come out with much energy in this one either. If not for some great play by Ryan Miller, the Leafs would have had an early lead. The Sabres goalie made a few fantastic saves with his team a man short, sprawling around the crease and keeping out a couple sure Toronto goals.' … [Read more...] about Drew Stafford scores twice as Sabres pull out 4-1 win over Maple Leafs