Archives for April 2011

'The goal was set up by hard work along the boards by Nathan Gerbe and Paul Gaustad. When Gaustad came up with the puck, he sent a pass across the ice to Marc-Andre Gragnani, who then fired a slap shot from the point that was stopped by Flyers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Kaleta was racing toward the net and was there to knock in the rebound for his second career playoff goal … [Read more...] about The aftermath: Sabres 1, Flyers 0

Certainly 'a good way to start' for Pirates (Portland Press Herald) Voakes already playoff primed (Portland Press Herald) Pirates strong start gives them series lead (Maine Hockey Journal) Whale Fall Short In Playoff Opener (Hartford Courant) Pirates Slide Past Whale (PortlandPirates.com) Whale Lose to Pirates in Playoff Opener (CTWhale.com) Photo gallery (Buffalo News) … [Read more...] about Friday’s Portland Coverage

'The turnaround started in earnest Dec. 28 with a 4-2 victory in Edmonton. From that night on, the Sabres did a lot of things right.' … [Read more...] about A tale of two seasons

'"We said we had to cut it off for a little bit, but I'm sure that whoever loses won't want to talk to the other one for a couple extra weeks after that anyway," Briere said. "We might not be talking for more than a couple weeks."' … [Read more...] about Old rivalry hits fast forward

'"We need to raise our level of intensity," Flyers center Daniel Briere, the ex-Buffalo captain, said when the team was in town last week. "We have to find a way to show more urgency in our game. It's a dangerous game when you get a big lead in the standings. It's kind of the same thing I went through with the Sabres [in 2007]. It's a mind-set that's tough to fight. It's human … [Read more...] about Skidding Flyers stuck in reverse

'"Our fans, they don't want to get hurt again," Gaustad said. "I get that, but so what? Go for it. That's sports, and it hurts sometimes. The players hurt, too. But I've seen how loud our crowd can get, and it would be such a huge advantage for us. We want our arena to be the toughest arena to come into and play.' … [Read more...] about Hot Sabres create buzz not felt here since ’06

'From the Broad Street Bullies and the French Connection to the Legion of Doom and The Dominator, from the Aud to the Spectrum, and from HSBC Arena to the Wells Fargo Center, here's a look back...'. … [Read more...] about Playoff rivalry has checkered and check-filled past

'Miller has been mediocre much of the season, finishing 23rd in goals-against average and 18th in save percentage after landing second to Rask in both categories last season. But Miller has been playing well for several weeks and now takes on Sergei Bobrovsky, whose 2.59 GAA for the season is identical to his. The $6.25 million goaltender must prevail over the $900,000 one. … [Read more...] about Sabres-Flyers Scouting Report

'"I think focusing on keeping it simple will be important," Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers said. "They obviously have a lot of firepower up front and many skilled guys. They'll be tough to handle, but if we focus on playing like we did the last three months of the season by keeping it simple, we'll give ourselves a chance."' … [Read more...] about Sabres must weather early storm in Philadelphia

'“We all like Danny, we all respect him as a person and as a player,” Miller said. “I guess the thing is we always like to beat him. He’s that kind of competitive player where he’s not going to give you an inch on the ice, you’re not going to give him an inch, but you walk off the ice and he’s still going to be your buddy. But it never … [Read more...] about Letting Briere go still haunts the Sabres

'"He's coached for a long time, but he hasn't been the same coach through the entire time," said Jackets defenseman Craig Rivet, who played two-plus seasons for Ruff. "He's had to evolve and try different things and act different ways. It's helped him survive in one place for so long."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Ruff stays afloat in turbulent profession

'Keep the belief alive, Buffalo.' … [Read more...] about Playoff fever runs high among Sabres fans

'"It's a matter of just playing the same hockey we have, but take it up a notch," Boyes said. "It's a matter of going faster, going harder, a little extra effort. That's going to be important."' … [Read more...] about Boyes ready to have some postseason fun

'"There's going to be odd-man rushes," blue-liner Chris Butler said. "We're going to do our best to try and limit those, but we realize there are going to be breakdowns, things are going to happen -- bouncing pucks, whatever it may be -- and we've just got to be ready for basically defending the rush."' … [Read more...] about Transition defense puts in some overtime

'“I expect it to be very busy (tonight) with the playoffs,” Dahlman said. “Hopefully we can get a couple months out of it and make a deep run.”' … [Read more...] about Season reaching fever pitch