Sabres 3, Maple Leafs 1
Sabres stay alive with Toronto victory
Carolina is next stop on the must-win tour
TORONTO — The Buffalo Sabres exited Air Canada Centre still alive in the playoff race, still breathing in hope. There's no chance to exhale.
There's another game today that can end the season, and this one figures to be more demanding physically and mentally.
The Sabres managed to stave off elimination Wednesday, scoring two quick goals in the third period en route to a 3-1 victory over Toronto. The Sabres then boarded their charter for a flight to Carolina, where they face the Hurricanes tonight in RBC Center.
"We can't get too excited, bounce around too much," Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller said. "We've just got to go out and just play."
They've got to do more than that. They've got to win, and they have to hope one old friend takes care of another.
Daniel Briere and the fourth-place Philadelphia Flyers visit Chris Drury and the eighth-place New York Rangers tonight. Just one point by the Rangers ends the Sabres' season. It's a good reason to give Briere a call and fill the former co-captain full of motivation.
After all, the Flyers and Hurricanes both have 97 points, so a little "we'll scratch your back if you scratch ours" might be in order.
"I should," Sabres forward Jason Pominville said of dialing up his pal. "They need the points, too. They're kind of in a race. Everybody at this point wants to be climbing in the standings, and hopefully we can get some help from them."
The Sabres sure don't expect any from the Hurricanes. Carolina has won nine straight games, and dreams have been shattered before in Raleigh (see: Game Seven, 2006 Eastern Conference finals). Plus, the folks in RBC Center aren't shy about tweaking the Sabres.
They usually pull little scoreboard tricks during the game. They show Bills legend Jim Kelly saying "Let's go, Canes," even though he's talking his alma mater, the Miami Hurricanes. Last time out, they wrote, "As part of President Obama's stimulus plan, America has offered Buffalo to Canada. Canada politely refused." It's certain to get worse.
Miller, who stopped 32 shots by the Leafs, is prepared to deflect the Canes and their mind games with the postseason on the line.
"I'm sure they'll try and use some psychology, put the score up and maybe announce it," he said. "I've been in rinks where they've done that before, where they've announced an important score going against the other team. Who knows? Whatever. We've got to win. If we can win out, I think we can feel decent about the effort we put in the last few weeks here."
A loss Wednesday in Air Canada Centre would have ended the Sabres' hopes (as would a loss tonight), but a flurry midway through the third period kept them alive.
Thomas Vanek scored with 11:51 to play, snapping a 1-1 tie. Just 26 seconds later, Paul Gaustad tucked the puck into an open net to settle the suspense.
"That's what we wanted, just to stay alive, stay in this and put the pressure on the other teams," said Pominville, who had a goal and an assist. "We have to look at our side of things, though, and that's winning games. It starts with one, and we've got to build off this."
On a night when Leafs goaltender Curtis Joseph tied Gump Worsley for the most losses in NHL history (352), the Sabres' goaltending returned to form. It was only the second time in 15 games that Buffalo allowed fewer than three goals.
"It was nice to have a night where it didn't show three goals on the board," Miller said. "Coming back off the injury, it's been a little tough getting my rhythm back and feeling really good about myself."
The Sabres felt good about the Leafs' inability to bury chances. Toronto hit two posts, and Matt Stajan and Jamal Mayers found harmless air instead of open yards of twine.
"It was nice to see a couple posts in our favor this time," said Sabres defenseman Chris Butler, whose team has been hurt by missed opportunities all season. "It's a little nerve-wracking, a little exciting knowing you have your backs against the wall. We don't have any other option but to win games. We put ourselves in a tough situation, but for the most part we responded pretty well. Now we move on to Carolina, and it's the same situation. We have to win again."
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments