Archives for March 31, 2012

Buffalo Sabres at Toronto Maple Leafs: Saturday game preview (Toronto Star) Buffalo (38-30-10) at Toronto (33-36-9) (AP) Buffalo Sabres (38-30-10) at Toronto Maple Leafs (33-36-9) (The Sports Network) Sabres need bounce-back win at Toronto (NHL.com) … [Read more...] about Saturday’s Toronto Coverage

'"The biggest difference was we didn't get the job done penalty killing, which hurt us," coach Lindy Ruff said.' … [Read more...] about A bump on the playoff road

'"It wasn't like they blew us out of the water," Stafford said. "It's why it hurts a little bit more. They have two of the best players in the world on their team, but we could have played even better. We didn't play our best, but we were in the game with them. I had a chance in the end to tie it up, and I just missed it. It's frustrating."' … [Read more...] about Missed opportunities leave a sting for Sabres

'"We need to make sure we have good habits and the last two games weren't a good display of that so we had to bounce back," Crosby said. "We did a great job of that all the way through."' … [Read more...] about Crosby continues making his points

'“We dug ourselves a hole a few months ago, but through solid play and sticking with it we’re right where we need to be and we have another chance tomorrow to keep pushing toward that goal,” said Drew Stafford, who had a golden opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds but saw the puck jump over his stick. “It was frustrating tonight, but we have to get ready for … [Read more...] about Buffalo Sabres lose to Pittsburgh Penguins

'In his first appearance here in 15 months, Crosby torched the Sabres for four points – one goal and three assists – helping the Penguins down the Sabres 5-3 in a wildly entertaining affair before a loud capacity crowd of 18,690 fans inside the First Niagara Center.' … [Read more...] about Crosby’s big night pushes Penguins past Sabres

'“It’s great,” Hodgson said about the area. “I like the fans, too. They’re passionate. They know the game. They want the Sabres to do well.”' … [Read more...] about Hodgson finding comfort with new city, Sabres

Penguins snap slump with help from No. 2 goalie, No. 1 player (Pittsburgh Post Gazette) Niskanen, Vitale return to lineup (Pittsburgh Post Gazette) Crosby, Pens bounce back (Pittsburgh Tribune Review) Niskanen returns to Penguins' lineup (Pittsburgh Tribune Review) Endgame: Penguins 5, Sabres 3 (PittsburghPenguins.com) Johnson Has Strong Showing in Return … [Read more...] about Saturday’s Pittsburgh Coverage

'“We won’t beat this thing to death,” Sabres defenseman Jordan Leopold said. “There’s a simple formula, we just move forward. We know we can play better.”' … [Read more...] about Crosby sparks Penguins’ 5-3 win over Sabres

'"It's been a playoff mentality for us for a while now," said Miller. "If this was a playoff game we'd be talking about how we have to put this behind us and look to the next game. That's exactly what we have to do."' … [Read more...] about Pittsburgh 5, Buffalo 3

'With the loss, Buffalo remains tied for 8th place in the Eastern Conference with Washington. Both teams have 86 points with four games remaining. The Sabres are at sliding Toronto on Saturday for a 7:00 p.m. faceoff while the Capitals host Montreal.' … [Read more...] about Sabres Tripped Up By Pens 5-3

'Five on five they’re doing a nice job on Malkin, but with four points in the first 35 minutes of the game, Crosby has been too much. Buffalo couldn't stay out of the penalty box as both Malkin’s points and two of Crosby’s came on the power play.' … [Read more...] about Sabres can’t totally contain the big guns

'“We had our opportunities even late in this game. We had two point-blank opportunities. If Van get his rebound opportunity up, we've got a tie game. And Staff's alone, where the puck goes off the end of his stick, we've been able to capitalize on a lot of those great opportunities. We didn't capitalize on a lot of good ones and when you don't, you keep yourself in a tight … [Read more...] about The final buzzer: March 30

'“We’ve talked about it for almost two months now of not getting too excited after wins and enjoying the win and putting it away,” Ruff told The Buffalo News. “I think we’ve done a good job of that. We knew that [Capitals] game was like a four-pointer. That was a game we wanted to get, and we got it.”' … [Read more...] about Surging Sabres knocking on playoff door

'"The desperation, the shotblocking, guys giving up their bodies, some of the work coming back into our end, I think are the types of things you see in a playoff," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "There's a physicality about some players that maybe you don't see during the regular season."' … [Read more...] about Many reasons for Sabres’ sudden surge