SabreSpace

'"He's been a gamer," Ruff said, "in every sense of the word."' … [Read more...] about Leadership? Drury shows he's game

'"I thought his puck support was poor in the games he played. That all leads to negative shifts. We know he's got some tools, and we've got to get back and get him working."' … [Read more...] about Afinogenov chafing in street clothes

'Rory Fitzpatrick leads the team with a plus-4 rating.' … [Read more...] about Sabres vs. Maple Leafs

'"I still think of myself as a young player, but I have been around the block a little bit and hopefully I can pass along some of that knowledge to the younger guys," Drury said. "I can't imagine what it was like last year (when the Sabres were engulfed in financial woes before being bought by Tom Golisano). Everyone is pretty charged up … [Read more...] about Drury gives Sabres an edge

'Coach Pat Quinn, who is aware of the team's dismal 2-12-3 record at the HSBC Arena, has tried everything short of voodoo to change his team's fortunes.' … [Read more...] about Buffalo routine shuffled

''"I heard some of the guys talking about (past problems in Buffalo) but I don't get caught up in past history. This is a different team," he said. "I don't think that stuff should be in our heads."' … [Read more...] about Maple Leafs watch

'Shift after shift of hustle. Shift after shift of efficiency. Shift after shift of non-descript yet oh-so-solid play.' … [Read more...] about Hustling Taylor earns his minutes

'“The road trip takes a little bit out of you,” McKee said. “I know guys were a little bit winded tonight. “(We’re not) gonna sit here making excuses for ourselves,” he said.' … [Read more...] about Sabres aren&#8217t Wild about effort in loss on home ice

'The Sabres fell to 0-5 when giving up the first goal. They're 5-0 when they score first.' … [Read more...] about Special teams trip up Sabres

'Forget what happened Tuesday night against the Minnesota Wild. Tie that 3-1 defeat to an anchor and drop it to the bottom of the lake. The Sabres were spent and out of sorts, a predictable state considering they'd been home less than 36 hours following the longest road trip in franchise history. It wasn't until the third period that they even began to find their … [Read more...] about Spunky squad developing Razor's edge

'"The fans here accepted me very early in my career, and I believe the fans make the player," Ray said. "So I want to thank you, the fans. If you didn't accept me years and years ago, I probably wouldn't be here right now. I've probably had the opportunity to have a beer with half the people in this arena. Now that I'm retired I'm … [Read more...] about Ray tribute goes overboard

'"We played great for two periods," he said. "We have to learn not to ease up. That cost us with Calgary [a 3-2 loss] and a few other games. We've got to stop doing that if we want to make the playoffs."' … [Read more...] about Wild 3, Buffalo 1

'"He's not in Montreal," said agent David Schatia, who lives and works in Montreal. "Never was. He wants to get away to somewhere that he can focus on his workouts and practicing and getting razor-sharp so he's ready if and when he comes back."' … [Read more...] about Gaborik's absence has heavy ramifications

'"I was looking at the teams we had to play and (the Sabres) were playing well and I thought, 'Oh, my God, this is going to be a tough trip for us,' " Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said. "But it turned out to be nice to get two out of three."' … [Read more...] about A ray of hope

'Filip Kuba, one of Gaborik's closest friends on the team, said he spoke to him after Saturday's game at Tampa, Fla., and had no inclination he had fired off a statement declaring he was leaving. "No clue," Kuba said.' … [Read more...] about Surprised Wild players move on without Gaborik