In the deserted dressing room after the game, Sabres captain Craig Rivet backtracked from a

message he delivered the other day and invented a new one. Rivet had been one of the heroes

after scoring the winner in Game One but suggested afterward the Bruins were actually the

better team.

Rivet has been around the block a few times, so perhaps he was trying to make sure his

teammates didn't get too full of themselves. Or maybe he was simply telling the truth,

acknowledging that the Bruins easily could have won the first game had it not been for all-

world goaltender Ryan Miller.

Boston was certainly superior Saturday in a 5-3 victory in Game Two. The series is tied but

logic would suggest the Bruins returned home with the better team and momentum after two games

in Buffalo. Rivet wasn't going there, not with his team needing any positive vibe they could

find going into Boston.

"For the most part, we're going to try to drag some good things out of this game," Rivet

said. "At the same time, we're going to go over some things that we can do a lot better. It

will help our game in the long run."

The playoffs are often about maintaining the right mind-set, and the Sabres showed no signs

of panic Saturday. Fair enough. Take a look around the league, and every series is tight. If

Washington can lose to Montreal, San Jose can lose to Colorado and Chicago can lose to

Nashville, Buffalo is certainly capable of losing to Boston.

This is no time to overreact, but the Sabres were so calm after Game Two that it almost

seemed rehearsed. It was difficult to ascertain whether their demeanor was an act or an act of

denial. Mike Grier and Miller sounded much like Rivet. Coach Lindy Ruff was spinning a similar

tune.

Is it me or did the Sabres blow a grand opportunity Saturday?

Buffalo has a 14-1 record all time when winning the first two playoff games, including six

straight under Ruff. Boston has never won a playoff series when dropping the first two games,

an 0-32 record that dates back to the Original Six. The Bruins had lost six straight playoff

games in Buffalo and were ready to fall again after the Sabres had a 2-0 lead. But what did

they think, Boston was just going to roll over?

Let me put it this way: The Sabres showed as much passion after the game as they did for

most of the final two periods. They blew a two-goal lead. They lost for the first time all

year when leading through 40 minutes. And they handed over home-ice advantage to a stubborn,

patient and suddenly dangerous Boston team.

Oh, and they also lost Thomas Vanek.

But based on their reaction Saturday, you would have thought they dropped the last game of

a successful road trip in November. They were as nonchalant afterward as they were in the

third period, when they had no shots for 10-plus minutes.

Tim Connolly completed a common playoff double, disappearing during and after the game.

Heaven forbid the longest-tenured Sabres forward would stand up and show some semblance of

leadership without slithering away and needing a formal interview request. Apparently, he was

comfortable with having his play do his talking for him.

Well, he was silent again.

Connolly failed to score for the 19th straight postseason game. He had an opportunity to

tie the game in the third period but elected to overpass to Derek Roy when a scoring

opportunity was available in the left circle. Connolly was hardly alone, but he stands out

more because more is expected from him.

Tyler Ennis was the culprit for an inexcusable four-on-two break that led to Michael Ryder

tying the game in the third period, but Connolly didn't help matters, either. He also made a

soft play along the wall and was beaten, allowing another softy, Miroslav Satan, to chip the

puck to Zdeno Chara for the winner.

The Bruins desperately needed their best players to show up for Game Two. Big Zed had two

goals. Ryder had two goals. Mark Recchi put it away. The Sabres' goals in this series have

come from Vanek, Rivet, Tyler Myers, Matt Ellis and Jason Pominville.

"They have a lot of character over there," Grier said. "It's not much different than the

team last year, which was second overall in the whole league. Every game we played them this

season was a close game. Anyone who thought this was going to be a quick series probably

didn't know too much about hockey. It's going to be a long grind."

It could be even tougher without Vanek, who is gone with who knows what for who knows how

long. He left with a lower-body injury — knee, ankle? — in the first period after

crumbling into the boards after a two-hander from Johnny Boychuk. And just like that, the

Sabres lost their energy, their enthusiasm and their way.

Stronger, more competitive teams would have had a stiff response to seeing their star

winger leave the ice, but with the Sabres it was just the opposite. They looked sloppy,

confused, uninspired and fragile for the first 10 minutes of the second period, rationalizing

the Bruins' two-goal rally came from bad bounces and tough breaks.

Sorry, but in the playoffs, you work for your bounces and create your own breaks. The

Sabres can convince themselves that they deserved better. The truth is they're fortunate that

the series is tied.

After all, the Bruins have been better.