Kevin's Watch

Did anyone see that macho Canucks win last night? It was maddening to listen to the guys calling the game and the intermission crew continually propping up Turco, and not giving the Canucks their due props. The canucks' Linden line is excellent.

I'd love to see Vancouver win it all. I used to love the Canucks in the early 90's...Pavel Bure was a great player to watch.

Give me a rematch of the Rangers vs. Canucks!!!!

I'll take that too!
For no other reason than I would like to see a Canadian team win again (and as long as it's not Ottawa .. heheheheh)

Buffalo is close to Canada. and they are scoreless in the first...

Okokok .. yah, it's true. And there is a radio station here in To that is giving away tickets to a Sabres playoff game, so that tels you how close we are...
Sabres won game 3... 3-2. Not bad. At least they got some scoring from someone other than defence.
And Lightning taking it to the Devils! Woo hoo! Lead the series 2-1.

Ooo Calgary steals one from the Wings .... not exactly a road to utter victory, but encouraging.
Senators look to be in control of the Pens.
Canuks moving along quit well too....

Buffalo 4, NY Islanders 2

NY- Chris Drury and the Sabres left Long Island in better shape than when they arrived. Drury scored twice and Ryan Miller made 24 saves to help Buffalo beat the Islanders 4-2 on Wed night, giving the top-seeded Sabres a 3-1 lead in the 1st rd series. Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville also scored for Buffalo, in position to end the series Fri night in Buffalo after 2 road victories. Jason Blake and Mike Sillinger scored for the Islanders, and Rick DiPietro stopped 27 shots in his third start since returning from a concussion. The Islanders thought they had tied it with 1:42 left after Miller was pushed across the goal line in a big scramble in front. Referee Mike Leggo, positioned behind the goal, immediately waved off the goal and his decision was upheld by replay.
Pominville then beat DiPietro with 1:12 left to seal the victory. Drury, who also scored twice in Buffalo's Game 1 victory, gave the Sabres a 3-2 lead with a power-play goal 39 seconds into the second period. He scored from the slot off his own rebound after DiPietro and defenseman Tom Poti failed to control the puck. After Blake opened the scoring for the Islanders at 6:24 of the first, Vanek and Drury scored in a 1:48 span to give Buffalo a 2-1 lead. Vanek tied it with 8:43 left, beating DiPietro from the high slot off a rebound. Drury then slipped the puck past DiPietro from the edge of the crease off a feed from Dainius Zubrus. Sillinger tied it at 2 on a power play with 16 seconds left in the period, beating Miller from the slot off Viktor Kozlov's pass from behind the goal. Blake scored a second after a New York power play expired. After Miller stopped Blake twice and turned aside Miroslav Satan's close-range attempt, Blake took a cross-ice feed from Poti and beat Miller with a quick shot from the right slot. Blake missed most of the second period after crashing headfirst into the boards late in the first. Buffalo's Teppo Numminen was penalized for boarding on the play, leading to Sillinger's power-play goal.

The Senators dust off the Penguins ....

gah! The Canucks failed to put the Stars away last night. Whatta shame.

Buffalo 4, NY Islanders 3

Buf -When in doubt, panic. It worked for Ryan Miller, whose blind glove save in the final seconds was enough to solidify the Buffalo Sabres' trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals. "I panicked," Miller said, on his stop that prevented Miroslav Satan from rallying the Islanders from a 3-goal, 3rd-period deficit. "And luckily I got a hold of it." Miller's save was the difference in allowing the Sabres to hang on for a 4-3 victory on Fri night and win their best-of-7 1st rd series in 5 games. The save came with 12 seconds left and with the Sabres reeling, barely hanging on after nearly squandering a 4-1 lead in the final 13 minutes. "It was the save of the series," Satan said. "I don't know how he saved it." With the Islanders' net empty, Satan got in behind the defense, streaking across the top of the crease from the right circle. Getting Miller to make the first move, Satan deftly cut around the sprawled goalie and was looking at a wide-open side before Miller thrust out his glove in desperation to deflect the puck just wide. Miller then scrambled back into position to prevent Alexei Yashin from poking in the rebound. "At that point, we were holding on and I didn't want this to be a turning point in the series," said Miller, who stopped 30 shots. "We fought for everything we got." Maxim Afinogenov had a goal and assist. His goal, set up by Thomas Vanek's drop pass on a transition rush, was the difference, giving Buffalo a 4-1 lead 6:38 into the third period. The Sabres advanced to the second round for the 2nd straight year and will face either the Rangers or Tampa Bay, should the Lightning get past NJ. The Rangers have already advanced after sweeping Atlanta, while NJ is up 3-2 in its series. Satan and Chris Campoli had a goal and assist each for the Islanders. It was a wild and fitting end to a series that was much more competitive than anticipated. The top-seeded Sabres entered as the prohibitive favorites against an opponent that sneaked into the postseason by winning its final four games. "We should be proud of ourselves," Islanders forward Jason Blake said. "For the last month, every game we played was like a Game 7." If only the Islanders had been more consistent, or gotten some breaks. NY entered the game already unhappy after disputed goals went against it in each of the past two games -- including a potential tying goal disallowed in a 4-2 loss in Game 4. Then the Isles learned hours before Friday's game they'd be without Sean Hill. The veteran defenseman was hit with a 20-game suspension by the NHL for violating the league's drug policy. "I don't even want to think about that," Islanders coach Ted Nolan said, referring to the timing of Hill's suspension. "I fully concentrated on this game. We just came up a little short." The Sabres appeared to take control when Jason Pominville, set up after Daniel Briere stripped Satan, scored 39 seconds into the second period to make it 2-0, and Derek Roy scored 11 minutes later. Back came the Islanders. Down 4-1, Trent Hunter converted a rebound in front with 10:17 remaining. Campoli scored 3:24 later, also converting a rebound after Miller foiled Richard Park's shot from the slot. Miller, however, recovered, stopping the final nine shots he faced. "It was tense for everybody, but Ryan was huge again," Sabres co-captain Chris Drury said. "The last five to six minutes, he was unbelievable." Drew Stafford also scored for the Sabres. New York lost its fifth consecutive first-round playoff series, and hasn't advanced since reaching the conference finals in 1993. "We didn't compete in the first two periods and that cost us," said Ryan Smyth, acquired at the trade deadline in February and eligible to become an unrestricted free agent this summer. "We battled hard in the third period, but by then it was too late. It's frustrating and disappointing. It's tough to swallow right now."

Vancouver wins!!!!
whew, it was looking shakey there. Dallas was loking strong early on and scored first. But the Canucks pulled it off!

Now we have Sabres vs. Rangers (Sabres)
Devils vs Senators(hate it, but have to favour Devils)
Canucks vs Ducks (Canucks although Anaheim have the 'X' factor...)
Red Wings vs Sharks (Detroit)

Alas for the Canucks. The Anaheim Ducks have nothing but great lines and are well-rested. Hopefully the experience of Trevor Linden and the 'nucks goal-tending will keep them in it, but it looks like the Ducks should win.

An upset in the making may well be the Sharks over the Wings. The Sharks are as big as the wings and while the wings have Hasek, the Sharks do a good job of creating shot opportunities.

In the East it looks like the Senators and the Sabres.

Now we have Sabres vs. Rangers (Sabres)
Devils vs Senators (Devils)
Canucks vs Ducks (Ducks)
Red Wings vs Sharks (Red Wings)

hey, null, after the rather quiet series with the Isles (they were just so friendly to one another compared to the other team series), but now the Rangers are picking up the garbage-dishing factor. Already Avery (what do you expect ) is dissing the Sabres...

Please PLEASE PLEASE someone on the Sabres just shut THAT guy up and I will e a happy camper.

<we need an emoticon showing one guy taking another HARD in to the boards, please...>

I am so sick of the Devils. I ewant them to lose and lose big. A Senators v. Sabres series would be GREAT.

Also a Canucks V Sharks would be great too, but I am pretty sure the Ducks will beat Vancouver.

Usivius : the Rangers seem quiet now.

Buffalo 3, NY Rangers 2

Buf- With Chris Drury and Thomas Vanek scoring clutch goals, the Sabres didn't need to play an entire game to beat the Rangers for a second consecutive time. On Fri night, all it took was the 3rd period.
Erasing 40 mins of offensive frustration, Drury and Vanek scored 10 minutes apart, rallying the Sabres to a 3-2 win to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. "The timing was pretty good," Drury said, who scored 24 secs into the period to tie the game at 2. "Out of the break, we talked about having a good 5 mins. We got one right away and it energized us." Vanek then scored his second straight game winner, converting a scramble in front with 9:49 remaining.
Coach Lindy Ruff could sense the boost the Sabres got from Drury's goal. "It's great for us and does harm to them for their psyche," Ruff said. Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr knows how important this win was for the Sabres. "They probably think it's over," Jagr said. "But you never know. A series can change on one play." The Rangers, who lost 5-2 on Wed, need to regroup quickly with the best-of-7 series shifting to NY for Game 3 on Sun. The Sabres won because their best players pulled through in the clutch -- and that included goalie Ryan Miller, who stopped 31 shots, including all 11 in the final period. The Rangers, meanwhile, had nothing in response. New York managed just one shot in the final two mins, when the team enjoyed a two-man advantage with Buffalo's Daniel Briere in the penalty box and the Rangers goalie pulled.
Jagr had the best opportunity to tie the game with 2:02 left, when he was set up by Ryan Callahan while driving to the net. Jagr got a strong shot off but Miller kicked out his left pad and got his glove out to turn it aside. "Tough luck, you know," Jagr said. "Next time, maybe it's going to be in." Martin Straka and Paul Mara scored for the Rangers, who have lost two straight since sweeping Southeast Division champion Atlanta in the first round. Rangers coach Tom Renney said he doesn't think this loss will deflate the confidence of his team. "I certainly hope not," Renney said. "I can't do anything more than continue to prepare our team." Sabres defenseman Brian Campbell had a goal and registered a key assist on Vanek's goal. As he was being pushed down from behind in the corner, Campbell shoveled a pass to Drew Stafford in front. With his back to the net, Stafford chipped the puck into the slot, where Vanek flipped it in over Henrik Lundqvist. It was Vanek's fifth goal of the playoffs, and third in two games. What the Sabres lacked in offense, they made up for with a strong physical game. Buffalo rattled the Rangers by delivering numerous checks, including Dainius Zubrus upending Jagr with a clean open-ice hip check late in the second period.
Jagr declined to discuss the hit. "I don't think there's frustration," Jagr said of the team's overall mood. "We have to keep fighting and have some luck on our side." The Rangers outshot the Sabres 33-18 overall and 22-9 through two periods. It was a considerable improvement after they allowed 37 shots in Game 1, and watched the Sabres score three times on four shots during a 4-minute span in the second period. "We played a good game but didn't get the result we wanted," Rangers forward Brendan Shanahan said. "I don't think it's a mystery. They're a great hockey team and you can't ever give them life or give them a chance."

Buffalo 1 - Rangers 2 in double OT.

In a game that had only 2 goals scored through 4 periods of hockey, you would not think it would be a very exciting game, but if you have the good fortune to watch that afternoon game on Sunday, you would have been treated to a VERY exciting, end-to-end action game! Wow. I was very impressed with that game. Although the Rangers won (boooo), it was a great game!

i did get to see the game, the first i have seen in a couple of years. very exciting/nerve wracking. hated the outcome.

Buffalo 2, NY Rangers 1, OT

BUF- Benched one game, the ot star the next: Maxim Afinogenov sure knows how to make up for miscues. Afinogenov scored a power-play goal 4:39 into ot to cap Buffalo's come-from-behind 2-1 win over the Rangers on Fri night, moving the Sabres within a win of the Eastern Conference finals. "Definitely happy," Afinogenov said. "We're up right now. It's a happy day for us." Leave it to co-captain Chris Drury -- who forced overtime by scoring with under 8 seconds remaining -- to put Afinogenov's performance into perspective. "It's a great story, the highs and lows of playoff hockey," Drury said. "He's pretty down the other night as we all were and comes back with obviously a huge goal." Buffalo rebounded from two straight 2-1 losses to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, which resumes in New York on Sunday. And the top-seeded Sabres were rewarded for producing their most complete game of the postseason by finally finding a way to beat goalie Henrik Lundqvist. Drury's goal, off a rebound in front, came on Buffalo's 37th shot. Afinogenov's slap shot from inside the blue line sneaked through the goalie's legs as teammate Thomas Vanek provided a screen in front. He scored 11 seconds after Blair Betts was penalized for hooking Afinogenov, who was driving to the net from the left circle. The Rangers were outshot 40-23, but took a 1-0 lead when Martin Straka scored with 3:19 left in regulation. "That hurts," Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr said. "There's no question about it. That's probably the toughest for me in 5 years." It's now the Rangers turn to respond in a series in which the home team has won each game. "It's a tough loss, plain and simple," coach Tom Renney said. "We weren't close to being the better team on the ice tonight. It was close for one reason, and that was our goalie." Lundqvist was spectacular in frustrating a Sabres team that had scored an NHL-leading 308 goals. He foiled Sabres co-captain Daniel Briere on one-timers twice in the first period. Lundqvist's most impressive save came 8 minutes into the third period when he got his blocker up to stop Tim Connolly's hard snap shot from the slot. He then quickly covered the rebound before Ales Kotalik could get to it. "It's a tough one," Lundqvist said over and over again. "They made a good play at the end and it paid off. You can't think too much about this. You have to move on." Drury's goal came on a scramble in front and after Lundqvist stopped Connolly's shot from the left point. The rebound caromed directly to Drury, who snapped it into the open side from the lower left circle. Miller was sharp, too, in stopping 22 shots. His best saves came in overtime when he blocked Brendan Shanahan's redirection from in close during a Rangers power play at 1:18. A minute later, Miller snagged Karel Rachunek's blast from the left point. NY had a goal disallowed with 7:46 remaining in regulation when Michael Nylander beat Miller, but referee Don VanMassenhoven immediately waved it off and issued Rangers forward Brad Isbister a penalty for goalie interference.
It was a fortunate break for the Sabres, after Briere had a potential tying goal disallowed in the final seconds of a 2-1 loss in Game 4, when video replays were inconclusive in determining whether his shot crossed the goal line. Afinogenov's goal was indisputable, and he celebrated by taking a swan dive at center ice. "I just wanted to celebrate and nothing was coming in my head, so I just dove," Afinogenov said. And he had no hard feelings regarding his benching. Coach Lindy Ruff sat Afinogenov, believing the dynamic forward was forcing the play and, as a result, creating too many turnovers. "I can't be angry. Definitely, I want to be there, help the guys and help the team," Afinogenov said. "But there's nothing I can do. They tell me I'm not playing, I'm not playing."

Buffalo 5, NY Rangers 4

NYC- Chris Drury and the Sabres waited a year to get back to the Eastern Conference finals. After vanquishing the other two NY teams, the Sabres are one round from a shot at the very elusive Stanley Cup.
Drury had a goal and assist in the Sabres' 4-goal 2nd that erased an early deficit and sent Buffalo to a 5-4 victory Sun over the Rangers in Game 6. Dmitri Kalinin, Jason Pominville and Jochen Hecht joined Drury in the offensive onslaught that lasted 9:46. Michael Nylander gave New York a 1-0 advantage in the 1st, Paul Mara tied it in the 2nd and Jaromir Jagr scored his 72nd career goal in the 3rd to bring the Rangers within 4-3. Hecht tipped in his 2nd of the game -- and the playoffs -- with 5:10 left. Daniel Briere, co-captain with Drury, had 3 assists. Nylander added his 2nd of the game with the Rangers' 3rd power-play goal to make it 5-4 with 2:59 remaining. It just wasn't enough against the NHL's highest-scoring team. Ryan Miller made 32 saves for the Sabres. Lundqvist stopped 24 shots in the net for NY, which dropped its 1st home game in the playoffs (4-1). Miller jumped into a hug with defenseman Henrik Tallinder when the Sabres cleared the zone as the final seconds ticked off. Drury again led the Sabres, who eliminated the Islanders in the 1st round and are shooting for their first Cup title after posting the league's best regular-season record. He tied Game 5 by scoring with 7.7 seconds left in regulation to keep the Rangers from a 3rd straight win that would've given N a chance to end the series the other way on home ice.
Drury and the Sabres now can erase last year's bitter memories of losing Game 7 at Carolina with a trip to the Stanley Cup finals on the line. Buffalo will have home-ice advantage this time when they face Northeast Division-rival Ottawa next. NY's lead was lost quickly when Kalinin tied it at 1:29 of the second. Kalinin took a pass from Ales Kotalik at the left point and wound up for a shot as New York forward Nigel Dawes dived in front to block the puck. The Rangers rookie, a surprise addition to the lineup Sun, got a piece of it but it was just enough to change the flight and send it knuckling past Lundqvist to make it 1-1. It was the jolt the Sabres needed to get Lundqvist off his game and send them into a full press. Buffalo outshot New York 11-8 in the 1st, but the margin was much larger before Nylander broke through with 2:50 left in the period. That was forgotten when Pominville gave the Sabres their 1st regulation lead since midway through the 3rd period of Game 2. Again a deflection proved costly to the Rangers as Pominville's shot hit defenseman Karel Rachunek before darting past Lundqvist at 2:53. But Mara restored the faith into a suddenly nervous Garden crowd when he fired a shot in from above the right circle to tie it at 2, just 1:14 after the Rangers fell behind. The goal came on NY's 1st power play of the game that produced after going 0-for-7 in Game 5. Balloons again filled the arena that soon became quiet enough to hear them pop along with the Rangers' hopes of reaching the conference finals for the first time since '97. On a 3-on-2 rush, Hecht took a pass from Drury in the left circle and sent it hurtling over Lundqvist's left shoulder to give Buffalo a 3-2 advantage at 7:41. Drury then got free in front during a power play and took a pass from Daniel Briere, who carried the puck behind the New York net before moving it to Drury for a one-timer 3:34 later. The Rangers held a 15-11 shots advantage in the second period, but that was the only highlight of the frame that ultimately ended their season. Buffalo book-ended strong middle periods in the first and last games of the series, taking over the opener with a 3-goal spurt en route to a 5-2 win.

about frik'n time....



OK, Buffalo vs Ottawa... that's going to be a killer series!

Anaheim casts Vancouver aside.

And we are just waiting for San Jose to come back and beat Detroit....

buffalo wins the east.

btw, the nbc coverage was horrible. i thought blatant homerism was out. rangers this, rangers that. blaaaaaaaah!