It's the little things, most hockey watchers know, that can make a difference in the

playoffs. It's finishing checks to let opponents know it'll be a long series. It's getting in

the way of slap shots, even if they're some of the hardest in the NHL. It's refusing to lose a

race for the puck, especially with a chance to kill the final seconds off the clock.

It's those little things that Mike Grier does well. Anyone who had forgotten received an

emphatic reminder during Game One of the Buffalo-Boston series.

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Jerry Sullivan:

The goaltending of Ryan Miller and timely scoring by Thomas Vanek and Craig Rivet

highlighted the Sabres' 2-1 victory Thursday in the opener. The all-around play of guys like

Grier are why the Sabres are looking forward to Game Two this afternoon in HSBC Arena.

Grier helped get the crowd into the game and the Bruins a little off it with a game-high

seven hits. The decibel level rose whenever fans saw Grier barreling toward the boards because

they knew he wasn't going to let up.

He certainly wasn't going to ease up with the game on the line. The Bruins, with goaltender

Tuukka Rask pulled in the final minute, were desperately trying to tie when the puck popped

out of the zone toward center ice. It was a race between Grier and Bruins defenseman Zdeno

Chara, and Grier wasn't losing.

Grier got the puck, Chara got a hooking penalty and the locals got a chance to celebrate

with no worries for the final seven seconds.

"This time of year you've got to find a little extra with whatever you have left," Grier

said Friday. "That was a big chance to make sure we win the game, get the puck out and get it

down to their end to try to run out the rest of the clock."

Moments like that are why the Sabres targeted Grier in the offseason. They'd seen him do

similar things at similar times during his first stint with Buffalo, from 2004 to 2006. After

two years out of the playoffs, the Sabres knew one of the qualities they lacked was a

determined veteran presence.

"The intangibles are something that he brings, and he brings it every night," coach Lindy

Ruff said. "The effort, the hustle, the second effort, his leadership and voice in the room

have been awesome all year. It's great to know what you're getting, and we knew what we were

getting back again."

Players have repeatedly — and without prompting — praised Grier since training

camp for giving them guidance.

"He's a true professional," center Matt Ellis said. "The way to describe it, it's inspiring

to his teammates. We're sitting on the bench seeing a guy who's scratching and clawing and

giving everything to get the job done. You see that, and you get a charge from it. You want to

emulate that. You see a veteran like Mike laying it on the line, and it's something guys want

to aspire to be."

Those aspirations will need to materialize if the Sabres intend to take a 2-0 lead in the

best-of-seven series. It's universally accepted that Boston, which controlled just one-third

of the opener, is determined to dominate a higher percentage.

"We can certainly do some things better, and hopefully that will happen," Bruins coach

Claude Julien said. "You've also got to build on the positives. The guys came and played hard.

One thing was missing, and maybe it's a few more goals."

There were a number of chances on both ends despite talk before the series about defensive

systems. Miller stopped 38 shots while Rask turned aside 30. There's a chance fans filing in

for today's 1 p.m. faceoff could see even more.

"I think we can play better, and I'm sure they feel like they can play better," Grier said.

"The first game's always kind of a feeling-out process where it's not as smooth and as crisp

as you would have liked. I think [this] afternoon it will be a little bit more of an

up-and-down, better pace of the game."

The Bruins' main objective is to crowd Miller more, force the goaltender to peak around

players or jockey for space. The Sabres are hoping for better puck control and more shots.

Ruff was disappointed several players, including Grier, Vanek and Tyler Ennis, failed to fire.

"[The Bruins] did a really good job of just making sure they threw everything at the net

they could," Ruff said. "I felt we passed up a lot of pretty good opportunities to put some

pucks on the net."

Aside from Rivet's goal, they didn't have many chances in the second period. The Bruins had

a 24-8 shot edge, caused in part by the Sabres' inability to keep the puck.

"They just controlled the puck," Vanek said. "We just chased them."

Improvement in the faceoff circle would help stop that cycle, too. The Sabres lost 24 of

the 36 draws through two periods before going 12-6 in the third. They were on top of the

hitting stats, however, 41-25.

"They're a big hitting team," Sabres defenseman Tyler Myers said, "and we want to prove

that we can handle that type of play and even set the tone with our physical play."

Grier, as usual during the postseason, helped with that.

"That's what you've got to try and do this time of year," he said. "You've got to finish

your checks, try to wear guys down a little bit. All the little extra effort you can give, if

you can block some shots, get pucks out, get pucks in, I think all those little things go a

long way through seven games."