The Buffalo Bandits spiral into oblivion took another bad turn tonight, as the team fell to the equally woeful Philadelphia Wings tonight at HSBC Arena, before a deflated crowd of 15,336 fans.

Buffalo never led in this one. The Wings took advantage of consistent faceoff wins, hustle in the corners, and mediocre goaltending by Angus Goodleaf, who nonetheless faced 58 Philadelphia shots, to take control of this game. Each time the Bandits made a bit of a run to make the score close, such as Tommy Montour’s shorthanded netter in the third, Philadelphia immediately answered. The Wings built a four goal lead going into the fourth quarter, thank to a last second third period goal which caught the Bandits napping.

Yet the Bandits would make it interesting. Early in the fourth back to back goals by John Tavares and Kevin Dostie brought Buffalo within two. But that was as close as they would come. Defensive miscues by Buffalo cost dearly as the quarter continued, with Philadelphia answering with two more goals of their own. The Wings added a power play goal in the final minute to seal a 15-11 victory, only their second win of this season.

“It’s definitely a low point. But this season is not over. We have to bear down and win some games here,” said Coach Darris Kilgour after the game. And what is not working? “Goaltending, Offense and defense,” Kilgour shot back.

Rookie sensation Kyle Clancy was kept out of the lineup tonight despite his impressive performances in the two previous games. Leading scorer and star Mark Steenhuis was held scoreless for the game, netting only two assists, and was pretty much a non factor. “He had a bad shooting night tonight,” said Kilgour. “Accursi didn’t have a good shooting night. We missed some good chances in the fourth when it was 12-10. We hit two posts, Brett (Bucktooth) hit one right down the middle. Johnny (Tavares) had a breakaway, and didn’t bury it. We’re not playing hard. We’re not playing as a team. That’s the bottom line.”

The team members had a lengthy closed door meeting following this game, and it was a while before any of the players came out into the hall to speak to the media. Kevin Dostie, who scored twice tonight, said, “It’s about as low as Buffalo has ever been. We’re 2-6, and we definitely think we still have a good team.” Dostie added, “We had a long talk in the dressing room, and we need to think about some things this week and come back with a victory against Orlando. Hopefully the guys will show up mentally prepared from now on. I’m sure you’ll see some changes next weekend.”

While an improbable 6-2 second half would leave the Bandits at 8-8, even that may not be enough to secure a playoff berth. Billy Dee Smith, who scored one of his patented highlight reel breakaway goals, set the bar higher. “The leadership is there, we’ve got to look at ourselves and change something. I’m thinking of going 10-6. I think we can go on a run here. Anything can happen in this league.”

To turn this season around, the Bandits will next have to face the Orlando Titans. Last season this team was based in New Jersey, and beat the Bandits three times in 2009, including their playoff win where they held the Bandits to just three goals. When the season began, Coach Kilgour and several of the Bandits players had this date circled on the calendar as a must win retribution game.

Game time at HSBC Arena next Saturday is 7:30 PM.

The new green field shimmered like a freshly manicured golf course; Darris Kilgour’s retired #43 was reconstituted and hung from the rafters with no pomp or ceremony; Annoying P.A. Guy was in his full throated enthusiastic voice after a seven month hiatus, and the crazy fans of Banditland were eager to respond. A near capacity crowd of 17,207, with a healthy sprinkle of Rochester road trippers in attendance, all combined to raise the curtain on the Buffalo Bandits 2010 season tonight at HSBC Arena.

When it was all over, it was the Rochester Knighthawks who came out on top, winning 13-11 to go to a perfect 2-0 record in this young season. The game was not decided, however, until the final minute, when Steve Toll put away an empty net goal to seal the win.

“I thought we outplayed them, I thought we out hit them, I thought we out shot them, but we gave up some stupid opportunities in the fourth quarter. We gave them some fast breaks on their chances and we didn’t capitalize on our chances, and we couldn’t get a goal when it counted,” said a disappointed Coach Darris Kilgour.

Buffalo got on the board early, scoring the first three goals of the game. Following Mark Steenhuis’ goal to make it 3-0, a melee broke out in front of the Rochester net. At one point Mac Allen was on top of Steenhuis, “giving him the business” while Steenhuis was pinned and helpless. A total of 34 minutes in penalties was doled out once order was restored, but both teams would get into penalty trouble throughout the night. The break in the action seemed to give Rochester a chance to regroup and regain some momentum. “It’s a joke” said Kilgour. “If I said what I thought I’d be fined so I am not going to comment. I don’t know how we ended up even after that. They grabbed our offensive players and took their liberties with them. Right now I don’t feel happy about the calls.”

At halftime Buffalo led 6-5.

Both teams traded goals in the third, and Rochester took their first lead, 8-7 at the 6 minute mark of the third quarter, a lead which the Knighthawks would not relinquish. Former Bandit Cory Bomberry made it 9-7 a minute later with a laser from the point.

The Rochester team then took control of the play in the fourth quarter. Goaltender Pat O’Toole was unspectacular in this game, stopping 33 of the 44 shots he faced,and did allow a dribbler to get by him courtesy of Mark Steenhuis, which closed the gap to 10-9 Rochester in the 4th. Each time the Bandits made it close, Rochester pulled away, and held the Buffalo team scoreless for most of the late part of the game, until Brett Bucktooth’s power play goal late, his second of the night, brought the team within striking distance for the equalizer.

One player who is sorely missed on the team is their superstar, John Tavares, who missed his second game with “a lower body injury.” Speaking to the media after the game, Tavares still lists himself as day to day and will try to make a go of it next weekend. Tavares participated in the pregame warmup, but then decided he could not play. “The older you get, the longer it takes to get over injuries,” said Tavares. “I am definitely jealous of anyone who can run right now. But I’ll get over it.”

Tavares has been an ironman of sorts with the Bandits since joining the team in 1992.

Buffalo native Frank Resetarits scored one goal tonight, and was happy to be playing for his hometown Bandits. Nursing a bloody nose and plenty of blood spatter on his shirt, Resetarits said, “It was cool coming out on the floor tonight, it was like a surreal feeling being out there finally. It would have been nice to send the home crowd and fans home with a win, but it’s still pretty cool to be out there.”

Now at 0-2, Buffalo will try to get on track next weekend, and will be following the Sabres on an extended road trip, with games in Everett, Washington against the Stealth next Friday and in Edmonton against the Rush on Saturday. “Yeah we’re two games out but the good thing is that Toronto and Rochester still have to play each other. We’re just looking for our first win and we’ll go from there” said Kilgour.

For two periods at HSBC Arena last night, the Buffalo Sabres were on autopilot.

The doormat Carolina Hurricanes, who have yet to win a game on the road this season, were nursing a 1-0 lead, thanks to a bad giveaway off a dropped pass courtesy of Tyler Myers early in the game.

Missed opportunities, pucks shot wide. It seemed that the Sabres would have trouble finding the net.

Then Ryan Miller came up with the save of the season, the likes of which Coach Lindy Ruff compared to the old days when Dominik Hasek was in town. “It was Dom-like” said Ruff, not understating that the play was a game changer. “It was great to see people get out of their seats.”

Here was the situation: it was late in the second period and the Sabres were still trying to find their groove in this game. As Carolina was swarming around the net, shorthanded no less, Miller laid sprawled on the ice, and Rob Brind’amour had the puck on the rebound, and nothing but open net in front of him. “I was able to get my feet back under me a bit” said Miller. “It was half stick and half guess.” Nonetheless, Brind’amour’s shot ended up in Miller’s glove, and most of those watching in the building were rubbing their eyes in disbelief.

At the next whistle, the fans rose in a thunderous standing ovation for Miller, and even Miller’s teammates on the bench were tapping their sticks on the boards in support of their goaltender.

That was all the Sabres would need. Come the third period it was a different team out their right off of the opening faceoff. “I think the guys were a little discouraged,” said Miller. “It all comes down to the guys executing on the ice and I thought the guys did a good job of getting the puck to the net.” That they did. Mike Grier scored Buffalo’s first goal two minutes into the frame, and then Clarke MacArthur added a power play goal shortly thereafter to give Buffalo the lead.

Said Mike Grier, “This was like a slap in the face, a wake up call. I think we’re trying to grow up as a group. We shouldn’t need the coach to come in here and yell at us. To a man we said ‘let’s go’. Let’s get something done this period and get these two points. We don’t want to be looking back later on at the end of the year and seeing these points lost.”

Coach Ruff wasn’t unhappy with his team’s performance, despite the lackluster start. “There were things I liked about the second period. I liked the chances we created, we killed penalties which took some of their momentum away, and for the third I said ‘Let’s just go after them. There’s nothing to be afraid of let’s just go after them.’ You have to give the players credit. Even when we got the second one they kept going after it.”

The Sabres find themselves in fifth place in tightly wound eastern conference standings, where only 7 points separate 3rd seed and 13th seed. Mike Grier is convinced that every game is huge, even this early in the season. “Every game is a tough game. There are no easy nights. We want to win our division. Boston and Ottawa are right there they’re winning every night. We’ve got to keep pace and beat those teams below us in the standings.”

Buffalo and their legions of fans painting their faces, waving tin foil Stanley Cups and engaging in obnoxious behavior heads up the QEW this Monday for a showdown with the Toronto Maple Leafs, before returning home Thursday to begin a five game homestand.

All the buzz, pageantry and excitement of opening day at HSBC Arena ended in a thud, as the Buffalo Sabres wasted a solid effort against the Montreal Canadiens. Brian Gionta’s overtime goal, coming at 2:32 of the extra frame, gaves the Habs the 2-1 victory.

The front office called this a sellout crowd of 18,690, although a couple rows of empty blue seats in each of the upper corners suggested otherwise, and fans here were pumped for another season of Sabres hockey. The team came out of the zamboni entrance amidst lights and fogs machines, and joined in a circle at center ice to give the fans a hearty salute. Each player was introduced, with the loudest cheers saved for Buffalo native Tim Kennedy, who earned a roster spot with a strong training camp effort.

Buffalo came out of the gate smoking, with strong chippy play. Pesky Patrick Kaleta was a physical force all night, and goaded Glen Metropolit into a penalty early. Buffalo then struck almost immediately, with Tim Connolly giving the Sabres a 1-0 lead.

From there the frustration built, and the Canadiens took over the flow of the game in the second period, scoring mid way through the frame on a puck that went in as the net came off its moorings. The replay clearly showed that the puck was in the back of the net before it came loose.

Buffalo retook control of the game in the third period, outshooting Montreal 11-1, but Carey Price was spectacular in net, and stopped Jason Pominville stone cold in the last minute of regulation, after Pominville got a perfect feed pass from Tim Kennedy right at the blue line.

From there it went to overtime, and Buffalo had a couple chances to win the game, until Montreal took the puck into the offensive zone and shot around the lanes onto the boards behind the net. The puck caromed perfectly towards a waiting Brian Gionta, who flipped the puck past Ryan Miller and ended the game.

Head coach Lindy Ruff didn’t seem too upset about his team’s loss. “Our guys did a lot of things right we just didn’t score. You’ve got to give them (the Canadiens) credit.”

Ruff was especially pleased with the play of his two rookies, defenseman Tyler Myers and winger Tim Kennedy. On Myers: “He was real good. He made good decisions. He made good plays.” Ruff decided early on he was going to let his youngsters play. “If you have young players you’ve got to play them. They both had a good feel for the game.”

Tim Kennedy was glad to get onto the ice, and said he shook off the butterflies early on. “I already went through that when I played here last year, so that was all behind me. Plus I only had like six friends and family members here tonight so I could concentrate on my game.”

Was Kennedy surprised to see so much ice time in the season debut? “Not really I expected to get a lot of playing time tonight” Kennedy replied. Then he added, “Well maybe I was a bit surprised.”

Jason Pominville added that the scrappy physical effort his teammates put out there will be something the fans will see more of this season. “We have to battle in the corners. Behind the nets. We’re not going to give an inch and tonight it showed. This will definitely pay dividends in the long run.”

For whatever the schedule makers were thinking, the Sabres are now off until Thursday, when they host Wayne Gretzky’s Phoenix Coyotes, and by that time they should have 16 games in hand or so on their competition. Game time is 7:05PM and it is one of the few value priced games on the schedule.

TARO SEZ—

-Why in the world does anyone boo anthem singer Doug Allen? He is one of the most solid and talented performers anywhere in the NHL (with no disrespect towards The Constable in Ottawa). Anyone who boos please post a reply here and explain why in a way that makes sense.

-A couple ugly incidents outside the arena after the game made for some unpleasantness. Security had a hard time clearing the pavilion after a large group of revelers dressed in red blue and white gathered and refused to leave, raising the decibel level with their chants of “Ole Ole Ole”. On the way to our traditional postgame watering hole (Washington Square Lounge) we observed a couple of heated conversations along the curbs which were bordering on fisticuffs. C’mon folks, it’s only a game! As NFL coach Sam Wyche once said… “This isn’t Cleveland!”

It was the final home exhibition game of this September, and tickets for this game were not included in the season ticket packages. But for the 11,008 fans who were at HSBC Arena, including the usual smattering of blue and white clad Leaves fans, the crowd tonight was thoroughly entertained, as the Sabres defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2, thanks to second period goals by Jason Pominville, Jochen Hecht and Cody McCormick.

Buffalo took control of this game early on, outshooting the Leafs 18-5 in the first period, but were unable to finish and put the puck past netminder Joey McDonald. New Sabres tough guy Cody McDonald and Leafs forward Jay Rosehill got into a spirited fight early on, call it a draw. And Mike Grier, lined up with Paul Gaustad and Jochen Hecht, showed flashes of brilliance throughout the game, none more so than in the first period.

The Sabres got on the board early in the second thanks to a one timer from the slot by Nathan Paetsch. Jochen Hecht made it 2-0 a few minutes later, but Toronto got back into it thanks to a penalty shot goal by Jiri Tlusty, after he was upended from behind by defenseman Tyler Myers (assist on a bad giveaway by Chris Butler, who looked lost out there all night long and was arguably the worst performer on the ice). Cody McCormick then netted his first goal in a Sabres uniform to make it 3-1, but give props to Jeff Cowan for taking the puck to the net, the type of play we have seen too little of these past two seasons.

“We’re taking a little bit of a different approach this year,” said Nathan Paetsch after the game, who learned that he was indeed awarded the first goal of the game, following a scorers decision that at first gave Jason Pominville the tip in. Paetsch, who is fighting for one of the final roster spots on the defensive bench, a position he is all too familiar with, added, “Our guys are sick and tired of not making the playoffs, for our fans, for our team, for our coaches.”

Pominville stated that even though it’s only preseason, these two division rivals were in regular season form out on the ice tonight. “There was a real sense of passion and desperation out there tonight. Our fans feed on it, and everyone rises to it. We definitely put on a better show when Toronto comes to town, and here it is only September.”

Coach Lindy Ruff was in a particularly spirited mood following a solid outing by his team. While appreciating Cody McCormick’s toughness on the ice, Ruff stressed that this will be a team effort. “When it comes to that you can look in a lot of directions, we got Rivet and Gaustad and Kaleta. I think we’ve got a pretty good team that’s tough.”

Talking about the game, Ruff said, “We don’t really want to take the foot off the gas that much. I’d rather have the team play a tight game, These are good games to play in. We have to protect the lead. We have to learn to play the tight games. Tonight could have been 3-0 if Pominville scores. Instead it comes the other way and they get a penalty shot and it’s 2-1 and you have to battle to stay in the game.”

The Sabres are now 3-0-1 on this preseason, and travel to Canada this weekend for games against Montreal and Toronto. The regular season begins a week from Saturday at HSBC Arena against the Montreal Canadiens.

–Best line of the night… Lindy Ruff commenting on Drew Stafford’s busted lip. “Stafford had his lip stitched up in Washington, following a high-stick in Washington. Then his first shift out he got hit in the face again and blew it wide open, so he had to get stitched up again. At least it was after the red carpet walk.”

“Survive and Advance”.

That is the mantra of college basketball’s March Madness, but could certainly be fitting for the Buffalo Bandits, as last night they began National Lacrosse league playoff play at HSBC Arena.

When it was all over, the Bandits racked themselves up a huge 11-8 win over the Boston Blazers, setting up for a second round playoff showdown against the New York Titans next weekend.

The Bandits came out smoking in this one, doling out punishing hits and taking physical control of the game early. Cory Bomberry earned fan honors for the “Carrubba Collision”, delivering a hard body check 5 minutes into the game which had the crowd on its feet, but nonetheless earned a penalty for “illegal cross check”. “I didn’t think it should have been a penalty,” Bomberry said after the game.

Buffalo took an early 4-1 lead, but the Blazers crawled back to tie it, before Buffalo would score in the final second of the first quarter to go up by one. John Tavares then scored on a shorthanded breakaway to give the Bandits a two goal cushion, but Boston would tie it again, and by halftime the Bandits were nursing a one goal lead.

The third quarter was a defensive affair on both sides, with slow and sluggish play and neither team able to seize opportunities. Boston scored the only goal of the frame, a power play goal late, with Dan Dawson getting yet another assist, he had seven on the night of Boston’s eight goals.

So it all came to down to one period, and it was Buffalo who broke the tie early, with John Tavares’ second goal of the game a laser fired from the top of the slot at the 1:26 mark. Shortly thereafter Mark Steenhuis’ long shot found the back of the net, and Buffalo was again up by two. Boston got one back, but then Steenhuis netted his fourth of the game. Steenhuis gave credit to his teammates Mike Accursi and Cory Bomberry for their help in his successes. “Cory and Mike are the workhorses. They created the space that allowed me to get open. Give the credit to them.”

From then on it was stellar defense and clutch saves from Ken Montour to keep the Blazers at bay. A last second empty net goal by Tom Montour put an exclamation point on the evening. Final score: Buffalo 11, Boston 8. It was party time in Banditland.

Bandits Coach Darris Kilgour was especially pleased with the way his defense played. “Our defense played great for four quarters. Kyle Schmelzle… Joe Smith.. I could go up and down the line.” If there was one area where the Bandits got into trouble it was on the penalty kill. The Blazers netted four power play goals, many coming late on the penalty, where they controlled possession and clock time. “I wasn’t too concerned,” said Kilgour. “Yeah they managed to collect the loose balls and rebounds, but five on five we outplayed them.”

13,343 fans were in attendance, a bit of a disappointing turnout considering the packed houses the Bandits have enjoyed for most of the regular season. Those who did attend certainly had their best game faces on, many clad in black and orange and turning on the chants and rhythmic clapping throughout the game. Annoying P.A. Guy was also in his typical rare form, and we surmise he might have even hoisted a couple before (or during) the game. Early in the 4th quarter he screeched “Bom-Berryyyyyy!…… DAMN!” on a missed goal opportunity…. Later in the game he announced that the Bandits would be taking on the New York SAINTS in next week’s playoff game. The team is named the Titans. The New York Saints were a former NLL franchise, long since departed. And the “Swennie Says” segment… yeah he totally botched it, beseeching fans to get up and sit down like jackrabbits. The last man standing won a team jersey, and A.P.A.G. then told the guy “Put that jersey on!” while the winner was in full view up on the video board. Only problem is the fan would have had to shed about 100 pounds to shimmy in to that puppy.

The Bandits will travel to New York next Saturday at 7;30PM to take on the New York SaintsTitans at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. A trusted source in the Bandits organization told us that the Bandits tried to “purchase” the game and have the venue moved to Buffalo, offering as much as $75,000 for the home rights, but that offer did not pan out. The Titans have had trouble getting traction and establishing a dedicated fan base in the New York market, and have played their home dates at three different venues throughout the Tri-State area. This past weekend the Titans only drew about 4,000 patrons to their first round playoff game.

Kilgour expects a tough fight against a team that the Bandits have struggled against this season. “We need to limit Casey Powell’s opportunities… and we have to find a way to beat (goaltender) Matt Vinc,” said Kilgour. “No one in this locker room has been happy with the second half of this season,” added Mark Steenhuis. “We want to go in there and play better.”

Will there be more playoff action at HSBC Arena this year? That all depends. Of course, the Bandits would have to take care of business in New York next weekend. They would then take on the winner of the West in the Championship Game. If Calgary comes out of the West, that game will take place at the Pengrowth Saddledome. If San Jose defeats Calgary in the western final next weekend, then the championship will be played right here in Buffalo in two weeks.

Updated Sunday 5/3 8:35PM

It wasn’t the sexiest game you want to watch. And for a while there, the Bandits looked a bit forlorn, surrendering the lead in the 3rd quarter and looking tired in the process. But thanks to some key scoring late in the thrid quarter by Pat McCready and Mike Accursi, a strong fourth quarter where the Bandits scored five times, and fabulous netminding by goaltender Ken Montour, the Buffalo Bandits defeated the Rochester Knighthawks 13-9 tonight at HSBC Arena.

17,118 fans turned out for this one, including a small but vocal smattering of fans from Rochester, and watched the Bandits take an early 2-0 lead. Even Phil Sanderson got in on the scoring in this one, scoring his first of the season on a nifty pass from behind the goal by Pat McCready, leaving him all alone in front of the net. Stars John Tavares and Mark Steenhuis, both of whom have been battling the flu, combined on a nifty two on one, with Steenhuis left with nothing but empty net, totally fooling Rochester goalie Pat O’Toole.

Rochester would come back however, scoring three straight in the third quarter to take their second lead of the game. But Buffalo answered quickly, and opened up the game in the fourth. Cory Bomberry went airborne to make it 9-7, then Roger Vyse’s laser long shot upped it to 10-7.

With the score 11-8 Bandits five minutes into the fourth quarter, Montour electrified the crowd with two point blank saves, one reaching out his stick to block what would have been a sure goal. The play then went the other way, and Roger Vyse’s next patented laser gave the Bandits a four goal lead, their largest of the night. Said Montour “I was out of position and just stuck my stick out. I guess I got lucky. Ten seconds later I just dove and the ball hit me.” Coach Darris Kilgour heaped praise on his netminder, saying “Kenny gave us all he had tonight.” Montour faced 61 shots tonight, and stopped 52 of them. “When Kenny’s on his game, he’s unstoppable,” added teammate Mike Accursi.

Rochester pulled their goaltender with less than two minutes left in the game, and managed to get continuous possession, until Buffalo intercepted the ball in a crowd in front of their net. John Tavares’ dribbler traveled 150 feet and slowly made it into the empty Rochester net to seal the win for Buffalo. Final score: Bandits 13, Knighthawks 9.

Coach Kilgour liked what he saw not only from his goaltender, but from his defense. “Our defense played well in front of him (Montour),” said Kilgour. “We got timely goals in the fourth quarter. They’re a big team. We wanted to shoot from the outside. We wanted to restrict the flow tonight.”

With the win, the Bandits have secured at least one home playoff game. The divisional semifinal will be played the weekend of May 1 at HSBC Arena. But their work is not done – the team will seek to clinch the East Division and home field advantage for the first two rounds of the playoffs, as they travel to New York to face the Titans Saturday night. And for even more scoreboard watching – the Calgary Roughnecks lost tonight, dropping to 10-4 in the West. Where Calgary ends up could have home field implications should Buffalo and Clagary make it to the championship game. As for tomorrow, Kilgour stated that Mike Thompson will get the start in goal down in New York, with Montour slated to start next weekend. “I have every trust in Mikey,” said Kilgour.

With back to back games this weekend, might fatigue become a factor down in New York? Accursi responded, “It’s always a concern, and they’re down there waiting for us, but now we’ve played and we can be a bit loose as well. It works both ways. Plus, they came in here and beat us so we have something to prove.”

After this weekend the team will then conclude the 2009 regular season at home against the Boston Blazers next Saturday with a 7:30PM start.

GAME NIGHT EVENT CREW THOUGHTS —

We’re gonna lighten up a bit on Annoying P.A. Guy, after hearing loud and clear from the folks in Banditland how much beloved he really is. Turns out, he wasn’t at his usual post for tonight’s game, a rare absence for one of the most dedicated and passionate parts of the Bandits game night crew. Bandits Media Relations Chief Chris Ostrander reported that there was a schedule conflict on this night, and backup Rich Gaenzler capably filled in on the mic, still keeping going some of the Bandits signature chants (Bom-Bom-Bom-Berry), although at a slightly lower decibel.

Done. Over. “Ooh! Ahh! Sabres on the golf course!”

Tonight at HSBC Arena, the Buffalo Sabres lost a game they had to have in order to establish a toe hold in the desperate race for the eighth and final spot in the Stanley Cup playoff derby. In the end they could not seal the deal, as the visiting Detroit Red Wings handed the Sabres a 4-1 defeat, before an announced sellout crowd of 18,690, which included a healthy smattering of red and white clad Detroit fans.

The Sabres hung with the Red Wings for almost two periods, matching their up tempo style of play and their speed for shift after shift, but could not generate many sure fire scoring chances, despite matching the Wings in the shot column. Brad Stuart’s power play goal for the Red Wings came off the point at 18:41 of the second period, and gave Detroit the first lead of the evening. “It was one of those seeing eye goals and it was a game changer” said defenseman Jaroslav Spacek.

With the teams playing four a side early in the third Detroit made it 2-0, as Marian Hossa buried a rebound past Ryan Miller. Hossa, who earned the game’s first star, added his second of the game a few minutes later to make it 3-0.

But the Sabres then immediately got on the board as Paul Gaustad swooped in on the Detroit net, burying a rebound past Chris Osgood. That gave some life to the crowd.

Unfortunately, that did not spark the Sabres bench, and the ‘Wings played keepaway hockey and the Sabres could not muster any real offense. “They are such a good team. A patient team. The don’t give you many chances and when you get them you have to take advantage. We just couldn’t find it tonight,” said Spacek.

The Sabres pulled goaltender Ryan Miller for an extra attacker with 1:46 to play. Detroit then put an exclamation point on the night with an empty net goal in the last minute, sending the fans scurrying for the exits.

Paul Gaustad refused to give up on the season. “We need to win out. And we need help. It was a tough loss. Now we have three games to win.”

“We hoped a lot of things would go right,” said a disconsolate Coach Lindy Ruff after the game. “We didn’t give up a lot. We just couldn’t find the things to make the difference. In the first period we had two golden opportunities.”

With the loss the Sabres remain 4 points out of the 8th spot in the conference with just three games to play. The team will hit the road for games in Toronto and Carolina, before returning home to close out the regular season this Saturday at 4PM vs the Boston Bruins.

TARO SEZ…

Picking the winner of the Sabres Foundation 50-50 raffle tonight… none other than former Sabre (and best Kansas City Scout ever) Wilf Paiement. So we gotta do this…

“Taro Sez… Clap for the Wilfman!”

The “Animal House” clip of John Belushi (Over!! Nothing is over until WE decide it is!!) and the strains of Pearl Jam’s “I’m Still Alive” raged overhead as the puck was dropped for tonight’s Sabres/Devils game.

And why not? After being left for dead just a few days ago, the Sabres headed into the game in control of their playoff destiny. Despite being four points behind the eighth placed Rangers and two back of ninth place Florida, the games in hand that they have over New York and Florida combined with tiebreaking rules gave the Sabres the edge amongst them.

And so the stage was set for tonight’s match featuring a reeling Devils club and the Buffalo side on a roll with just an overtime loss blemishing their last five games.

So what happens? The Devils edge the Sabres 3-2 by playing classic New Jersey hockey for two periods, then holding off a furious Sabres charge as the game wound down.

The Sabres fell behind within the first six minutes of the game on a pair of Devil goals by David Clarkson and Zach Parise. Jamie Langenbrunner would add another near the seven minute mark of the second period and from then on the Devils went into their shutdown mode.

If you’ve been a follower of the NHLyou know what I’m referring to…the kind of game which makes it seem as if the guys in red and black have about seven or eight guys on the ice whenever Buffalo has the puck. Constantly harassing the man bringing the puck up ice, allowing little room for shots coming from the blue line to get through. It had the makings of an ugly rout of the blue and gold on this night.

 Then came the final stanza…..

It started in bizarre fashion with Michael Tellqvist starting the game in net. According to both Miller and Lindy Ruff it was a move “to shake things up a bit, get something going” and unrelated to any physical problem Miller may have.

It may have worked, as the Sabres scored goals coming from Jochen Hecht and Clarke McArthur to draw within one with under four minutes to play. And in the game’s final minutes it was all Sabres. Derek Roy missed a gigantic opportunity with about two minutes go, missing from point blank range directly in front of the net. And when the Devils were called for delay of game with a half minute to go, there was a last ditch six on four opportunity for Buffalo. But the Devils won the faceoffs and the final score stood.

Afterwards, Ruff attributed some of the team’s success to shortening the bench a bit. “When we got down to three lines, we got a little more rhythm”. And concerning Miller on the bench he also added that ” we have seven games in eleven nights.” alluding to giving Miller a little rest.

Other notes:

Tim Connolly tends to be reviled for being soft. But who is the first person(again) to step in when someone tries to take out Ryan Miller? Yep, Connolly. He drew a four minute roughing penalty after hammering Zach Parise from behind following Parise’s mixup with Miller behind the net.

A town devastated by horrific tragedy of national attention and left emotionally reeling. Their local pro hockey team plays a big game under incredibly somber circumstances and pulls out a critical victory.

Buffalo: February 13th? Nope…Binghamton: April 4th, as the B-Sens capitalized on the energy of the crowd after a game tying shorthanded goal to explode for three more in a ten minute span of the second period, surging them to a 5-2 win over the Albany River Rats. The win keeps them one point ahead of Philadelphia for the final playoff spot in the AHL’s East Division with three games to go in the regular season.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the City of Binghamton and  those affected by the terrifying and tragic incident there on Friday…

Call this one wasted opportunities. Countless shots ringing off the post. An anemic power play.

Despite outshooting the New York Titans 59-40, the Buffalo Bandits failed to capitalize on their chances, and fell to New York by a score of 11-9, before a near sellout crowd of 18,550 at HSBC Arena.

One of Buffalo’s prettiest goals happened early on. John Tavares was fighting for control of a loose ball just off to the side of the New York net while his teammates were making a player change. That change was very slow in happening, leaving Tavares to fend for himself. Getting no help, he managed to outfight four New York defenders and send the ball back to Tom Montour, who then re-fed it to right back to Tavares, then burying the ball behind goaltender Matt Vinc.

Otherwise, Vinc was absolutely fabulous in the crease tonight, especially in the first quarter, when he held Buffalo to just two goals on 19 shots, making several highlight reel saves in the process. At the other end, goalie Mikey Thompson was the last minute starter as Ken Montour was scratched due to the flu. “Matt was terrific tonight he made the difference,” said a disappointed Coach Darris Kilgour. “From our end, I thought Mikey (Thompson) let in a couple easy ones.” Kilgour added that Thompson did not know he would be playing until just half an hour before the game.

Buffalo trailed 6-3 at the half, and then brought it within two early in the 3rd on a strange looking dribbler that was credited to John Tavares. From there Buffalo went into an offensive funk for most of the 3rd quarter, until Mark Steenhuis lit the lamp twice late in the frame, one on a laser shot.

That gave Buffalo a spark heading into the 4th quarter. Billy Dee Smith tied the score at eight on a breakaway just over three minutes into the frame, but New York immediately retook the lead, and every time Buffalo made it close, the Titans answered. “Yeah it’s frustrating,” said Smith. “I was in the right spot for that breakaway, and I just knew I would bury it. That was the time for a momentum changer but we could not seal the deal.”

Buffalo earned a 4 minute power play at the 6:38 mark, thanks to Bill Greer’s check from behind on Mark Steenhuis, but the Bandits could not mount much of any pressure during that time, misfiring on most shots and not being able to find their shot lanes. Steenhuis brought it to within one with less than three minutes to go, but as was the case all night, New York immediately answered, closing out the scoring and an 11-9 win. “Our power play was horrible, we had so many opportunities to put this one away and we didn’t,” said Mike Accursi, who had a goal and two assists on the night. “We must have hit 10 or 15 posts tonight. I have to give New York credit they made the big plays when it counted.”

Buffalo did get some help on the scoreboard tonight (Gee those are words you’ll never read in a Sabres story), as Rochester defeated Boston, and Toronto also lost, and now the Bandits find themselves nursing just a one game lead on Both New York and Boston. “This is a tough division,” said Accursi. “Remember last year, you look at this division, there were four teams at 10-6, that speaks for itself. I expect nothing different this season it will be a dogfight.”

The Bandits head to Boston next Saturday to face the Blazers in a first place showdown. “This isn’t a typical expansion team, they are stacked with seasoned veterans,” said Accursi. Coach Kilgour added, “They start with (forward Dan) Dawson and finish with (goalie Anthony) Cosmo. They are about as tough a team as they come.”

John Tavares scored four points on the night, bringing him within just six points to 1400 in his amazing career.

CHEERS AND JEERS…

Cheers to HSBC Arena management, for putting the Sabres game against Montreal, still in progress, up on the video board as soon as the Bandits game ended, inviting fans to stick around and watch. The game was past the halfway mark of the 3rd period tied at 3 at the time. And that leads to…

Jeers to HSBC Arena management, for cutting the game off at the end of regulation, with the score still tied at 3, and shooing the fans out of the seating bowl. Gratefully, the game was still running on the monitors in the pavilion (sans sound), and after doing our postgame interviews we stuck around with about 500 other hardy fans to watch the game to its exciting conclusion, a six round shootout won by the Sabres.

Goalie Mike Thompson can just look on in disbelief as New York opens a 6-3 lead late in the second quarter.
-Photo credit: Mark Byrnes, WNY Media