Archives for April 15, 2011

'The Sabres put in a clutch rebound, held the Flyers scoreless on the power play and showed a hostile opposing crowd can’t slow them down.' … [Read more...] about Sabres no pushover vs. Flyers

'"It's been a heck of a career," Ruff said. "To play the number of games he's played, it's pretty special. He's had a role that has fit his game and he's been a good leader inside dressing rooms and he's a good person, and I think that's made him very effective."' … [Read more...] about Grier persevered to carve out lengthy NHL career

'Chris Butler played only 49 regular-season games, at one point sitting 17-of-18 during one miserable winter stretch. Marc-Andre Gragnani spent most of the season dazzling in the AHL, finally earning a late recall and sticking in March. Mike Weber was a healthy scratch 20 of the first 22 games this year. All three Buffalo Sabres defenseman made their NHL playoff debuts Thursday … [Read more...] about Sabres&#8217 youth was served against Flyers

'Sabres coach Lindy Ruff improved to 9-2 in Game One when starting a series on the road. The momentum favors Buffalo, a shift made clear as the sellout crowd in Wells Fargo Center began booing their punchless club during the final eight minutes.' … [Read more...] about Sabres grind one out on Kaleta rebound goal

'"It was a tough time there for me for about a month when I didn't see any ice time," Butler said. "I give a lot of credit to [assistant coach] James Patrick and [player development coach] Kevyn Adams, who were real helpful to me. [Patrick] told me he went through the same thing and if you look at the career that he had, it can happen to anybody."' … [Read more...] about Young Sabres’ defensemen ”Great, real good, excellent’

'"It's why he's the best goalie in the league," defenseman Mike Weber said. "Game One is huge, especially when you're on the road. He stole the show tonight. Huge save in the second period on Carter. When he makes that save, you know he's in the zone. He was stellar all night."' … [Read more...] about Miller finds way into the O zone

'"Everybody in the room will be happy to have him in here but he's not," added coach Peter Laviolette. "He hasn't been here for a while so it's business as usual."' … [Read more...] about Flyers stay evasive on injured Pronger’s status

'How do you argue with perfection? Miller stopped all 35 shots he faced, earning his second career playoff shutout. The first came against the Flyers during the opening round in 2006.' … [Read more...] about How Game One was won

'They have history on their side. Together, that might simply prove too much for even the Flyers to overcome.' … [Read more...] about Game 1 triumph is good sign going forward

'Neidermayer and Grier haven’t shown much this season, but this time of year is why they’re on the roster.' … [Read more...] about Grizzled vets grind one out

'"We wanted to come out and establish that we can play with these guys and go from there," Miller said after stopping all 35 Flyers shots. "We still think they have a load of experience, and they've been down before, so we certainly are not going to be comfortable in this situation. We like where we're at, and we know that team has a lot of fight."' … [Read more...] about Miller looks fresh in goal

'"He was locked in," said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff.' … [Read more...] about Miller is a healthy sign in Sabres win

'"You have passionate fans here, and we have passionate fans back on our end."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Ruff appreciates passionate fans

'“You can’t control everything out there; you have to stick to one mindset,” Miller said with the same sense of calm he’d exhibited during the game. “With help from my guys, I was able to accomplish that, because I didn’t have to worry about too many scrums in front. A couple of times they got inside and got some crease presence, but we did a … [Read more...] about Only Sabres’ Miller can outmatch van Riemsdyk&#8217s energy

'Through it all, Miller was unflappable.' … [Read more...] about Bob good, Miller better in Game 1