Kukla's Korner Hockey
Category: Buffalo-Sabres
Goal Reviews and the Islanders
by Alanah McGinley on 04/19/07 at 12:03 PM ET
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From Mark Herremann at amNewYork,
Oddly enough, for the second time this week, the action was frantic in Toronto, perhaps hockey’s greatest hotbed. They’re not playing hockey there now, but they’re watching it in league headquarters. And for the second time in two games, the watching went against the Islanders.
Actually, this time, the trained eyes in the NHL’s home office didn’t make the ruling. They just conferred with referee Mike Leggo, who had ruled that Brendan Witt’s apparent tying goal with 1:42 left in Game 4 didn’t count because Sabres goalie Ryan Miller had been pushed into the net.
The Islanders have video that suggested otherwise, but, hey, as they say up north, “That’s hockey.”
Filed in: NHL Playoff Talk, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Familiary Breeds Contempt in Buffalo
by Alanah McGinley on 04/19/07 at 10:27 AM ET
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From Tim Graham of The Buffalo News,
The Buffalo Sabres posted the NHL’s best regular-season record with speed, skill and depth.
Co-captain Daniel Briere mentioned another element the Sabres have been able to feed off: contempt.
Briere noted a healthy disdain for the New York Islanders has contributed to their 3-1 series lead in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal.
“I think the first couple games there wasn’t enough emotion. There was no hate out there,” Briere said after he drew an aggressive penalty that led to Chris Drury’s winning goal in a 4-2 Game Four victory Wednesday night in Nassau Coliseum. “I think slowly we’re starting to see guys hate each other. We’re getting sick of playing against the same guys over and over.
Filed in: NHL Playoff Talk, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Sabres’ Connolly Might Sit Out Tonight
by Alanah McGinley on 04/18/07 at 05:48 PM ET
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From David Shoalts at the Globe & Mail,
The Buffalo Sabres may have to make one lineup change for Wednesday night’s game against the New York Islanders.
Centre Tim Connolly is “sore” according to Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff and may not be able to play.
Connolly missed almost all of the regular season with a concussion and stress fracture to his leg.
“I hope he can play, but we won’t know for sure until later,” Ruff said after Wednesday’s game-day skate.
However, this came as news to Connolly, who said he felt “fresh.”
Filed in: NHL Playoff Talk, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, | KK Hockey | Permalink
The Refs Were Right
by Paul on 04/17/07 at 01:31 PM ET
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from Jim Baumbach at Newsday,
Stickle agreed to talk, but you’re not going to like what he told me. “I’m happy with the job that was done tonight,” he said.
As part of his job, Stickle sits in the press box and focuses on the officials, watching every call (and non-call) live and then on the replay. He was a linesman for 27 years, so he knows penalties.
“I did that job for a long time, so I see things that could become a bone of contention and take a look at it,” Stickle said. “Sometimes we’re wrong, too. But not in these cases tonight.”
Filed in: NHL Playoff Talk, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Head Hunting
by Paul on 04/17/07 at 09:34 AM ET
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from the Buffalo News,
Miller took two hard shots off his mask, summoning medical attention right after each.
“It was just a matter of not being able to get the hell out of the way. I was just stuck,” Miller said. “You either take it off the head or surrender a goal. I couldn’t get my glove around on either of them….
“Obviously, I think they were shooting at his head,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said with a smile before making a theatrical throat clear. “They hit him twice, so they must be shooting at his head. There are times you shoot at a goaltender’s head, try to rattle him. I thought maybe after two in a row . . . ”
Filed in: NHL Playoff Talk, Buffalo Sabres, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Miller Needs His A-Game
by Paul on 04/16/07 at 12:35 PM ET
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from Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News,
We won’t be at this for even two weeks if Miller gives up too many soft goals. Sure, it’s only one game, one bad goal. It’s a team game, as Miller is always quick to remind us, and the Sabres are the superior team. They’ve been a terrific road team in the playoffs under Lindy Ruff and could ease everyone’s angst by winning two on the Island.
But it’s 1-1 now, and more of a series than most experts imagined. And whether Miller likes it or not, the goalie battle is a big issue. Goaltending is a huge factor in a Stanley Cup series and always will be. Many a Cup dream has gone up in smoke because one goalie caught fire in the playoffs, or because a favorite’s netminder wasn’t quite on his game.
Filed in: NHL Playoff Talk, Buffalo Sabres, | KK Hockey | Permalink
You Want To Play But Can’t
by Paul on 04/16/07 at 11:37 AM ET
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from Mark Herrmann at Newsday,
“It’s not something you want to see anybody go through,” said Connolly, 25, whose concussion last May 8 kept him out until the final two regular-season games and the first two games of the Islanders series.
“It’s definitely an injury I wouldn’t wish on anybody,” said DiPietro, 25, who had two concussions in March and returned to spark the Islanders to a series-tying 3-2 win in Buffalo on Saturday, his first appearance since March 25.
The goalie knows how lucky he is to be back so soon. He called missing a few weeks “torture.” He doesn’t have the words to describe what Connolly went through, given that Connolly also missed a season after his first concussion in 2003.
Filed in: Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Islanders Show Up
by Paul on 04/15/07 at 10:42 AM ET
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from Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News,
Let’s be honest, the Islanders have no business staying with them in this series. Anyone can break down the categories, examine the matchups from every conceivable angle and draw the same conclusion.
Ruff has more than three times as many playoff victories as Nolan has playoff games coached. Ruff is better at making adjustments on the fly. He junked his lines in the second period, shipping listless Ales Kotalik to the fourth line and giving Stafford time with Drury and Dainius Zubrus.
The difference Saturday night was Nolan’s players showed up. The Sabres were absent just long enough for one to slip away. In the playoffs, that’s all it takes.
Filed in: NHL Playoff Talk, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Give The Sabres Their HD
by Paul on 04/14/07 at 10:54 AM ET
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via the Buffalo News,
Since the Sabres games are usually the highest-rated programs of the week on cable, you might expect Time Warner and the Sabres to accelerate HD coverage.
Gordon Harp, the top local Time Warner executive, explained this week that the issue with HD is available bandwidth capacity. He added that other than a handful of Sabres games, the programming on Versus isn’t appealing enough to devote to HD daily with the current bandwith capacity.
Harp said MSG in HD isn’t available off the satellite but T-W has looked at bringing it in through its fiber system.
Filed in: Hockey Broadcasting, Buffalo Sabres, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Satan Doesn’t Want The Attention
by Paul on 04/12/07 at 03:10 PM ET
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from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,
Shortly before the 2004 trading deadline, Satan scored a goal in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at HSBC Arena. Instead of the usual celebration, he took off his glove and put his hand to his ear, mimicking a telephone conversation. In other words, Sabres GM Darcy Regier had better get on the phone and trade him.
This did not go over well with the fans and almost a month later, in the Sabres’ last home game, Satan was chosen the first star. He came out and instead of lifting his stick in the usual salute to the crowd, he waved goodbye. This was a sincere attempt to say thank you for the good times and goodbye but by then the fans were not having any of it.
“Last year it was a little more noticeable,” Satan said of the booing. “It’s a little quieter this year but at least they remember me.”
Filed in: NHL Playoff Talk, Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, | KK Hockey | Permalink
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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.
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