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4-2 SABRES, 4:14 LEFT IN THE 3RD |
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I'm off to the rooms... check back in a bit........
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Miller makes a big save on Schubert from the left point with :41 seconds left in the penalty.
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The Sens will go on the PP, as Hecht called for a slash.
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Expect John Paddock to double shift Heatly-Alffie-Spezza ith six and change to go.
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Fisher off for highsticking at 6:02, Chris Kelly travels coast to coast, drops the shoulder and drives hard in on Miller, shoots----POST!!! Touche for the post that Connolly hit in the first period.
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Sens kill it off. Buffalo were tentative and passive with their passing in the Ottawa zone.
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The Hecht-Mac-Pommer line is a combined minus 6 tonight. Each are a -2. Hecht just coughed up puck up in front of Miller, and the puck ended up on Spezza's stick. Stupid turnovers will kill momentum. Jochen knows better than that!
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Chris Neil just hammered Jaro Spacek with a clean open ice hit, in the Buffalo end, as Spacek was releasing a pass up to his forwards. Heads up, Spach!
Neil-Fisher-MacAmmond are a gritty line and they have been throwing the beef around all nightlong.
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Buffalo PP fails to generate a shot on Emery to start the third. Successful kill Sens, back to 5 on 5 hockey.
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The Vanek-Roy-Stafford line have accounted for two goals and four assists through two periods. They are skating well and defending even better. TV looks like Steve Nash tonight, distributing the rock to his linemates with panache and authority.
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Sabres lead shots on goal, 25-22, after two periods.
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Buffalo found life late in the second as they pushed the puck and created several offensive chances. They stoped skating for several key stretches of the period and it cost them. Especially in the defensive zone.
Ottawa came on strong in the second.
Sens outshoot Sabres, 15-11.
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Heatley takes a ill advised elbow penalty with one minute left in the second period. We'll see if the Sabres can make it count.
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TV feathers a gorgeous saucer pass to Drew Stafford. 4-2 Buffalo.
Staff's 4th of the season.
TV has been dominant as his hands and feet seem to be working a beat or two ahead of that of the Ottawa D.
The E-M-E-R-R-R-R-R-R-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y chants is wafting down from the rafters to the ice.
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@ 16:04 Miller just made a sick glove save in his crease to preserve Buffalo's one goal lead.
Emery still looks wobbly.. more shots, more shots! Buffalo have not tested him much at all here in the second.
FIRE!
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Kotalik was in the bin for a millisecond fror tripping when Heatley scores the PPG to make it 3-2.
Suddenly, shots are 20-20. Ottawa are outshooting Buffalo 13-6 at this point of the second.
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Tallinder commits a bad defensive zone turnover, with Heater on his back the whole time, and the errant puck ends up on Alffies's stick-- behind Ryan Miller. Not Miller's fault. Credit Heatley and Spezza for their work in the Buffalo end.
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61-19-12 are having a solid second period.
They are forechecking hard and they are getting great down low pressure. They'll get rewarded for their hard work tonight. They are playing an honest game.
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The Buffalo forwards continue to impress me with their dumps ins. Nothing pretty, however, very effective. Rather than carry the puck in teh Ottawa zone, the fowards are soft dumping the pucks in the corners and this is forcing the Ottawa D to have to turn their back to the attacking forwards to go retrive the loose pucks. The Sabres forwrads are aggressively forechecking the Ottawa D, and they are winning the majority of loose pucks.
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Ottawa's first PP of the game was uneventful as Ryan Miller was sharp in his crease. Miller's rebound control has been spot on thus far.
The Buffalo PKers formed a letter perfect diamond and forced all shots to the outside. Mike Ryan made a nice block in Millers right crease.
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Gratuitous Plug:
I just spent some time with Brad Riter. He and Bob Gaughan have a new show on Time Warner Cable, Channel 13 on Monday nights at 8pm.
Brad say the Sabres have outscored their opponents, 13-2, in the three games that he's attended this season.
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You can't ask for a better period from your team if you are Lindy Ruff. The Sabres rolled four lines and applied heavy pressure on the Ottawa D and Ray Emery.
They scored first for the second game in a row.
They outshot Ottawa 14-7 in the first period.
Were it not for a fortuitous goalpost, the Sabres lead would be 4-0.
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Cue the Aaron Lewis..... Its been a while...
Derek Roy scores his 7th of the season from Vanek and Stafford.
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Emery just denied Vanek on a breakway. TV split the D and fired a low shot that Emery steered to the left corner.
Buffalo are rolling four lines and and applying mad pressure. The Buffalo game plan is is simple so far: get pucks deep and for
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CONNOLLY JUST CLANKED A TAP-IN PUTT OFF THE LEFT POST!!
BURY YOUR CHANCES!!
Vanek set up Connolly as best he could, yet Connolly coulkdnot convert.
The Ottawa forwards are not leaving their end early and they are not cheating because they too sense that Emery does not have his sea leags yet.
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Al Kotalik took a Sunday stroll from behind his own net and fired a harmless wrister at Emery from 43 feet away. The shot beat Emery glove low, along the ice. Emery looks very shaky and the Sabres are firing pucks from all angles. Ryan Miller gets the assist, the first of his NHL career.
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Paille-Gaustad and Ryan score the game's first goal at 1:26. Buffalo created great puck pressure in the Ottawa zone and the gola was a result of hard work by this gritty line.
For the second game in a row, Buffalo draw first blood.
They are a dramatically differentteam when they are playing with a lead, as opposed to having to come from behind all the time.
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God Bless Ronan Tynan! What an amazing rendition of "God Bles America".
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Both teams left the ice. There's already bad vibes in the air!
Brian McGrattan stuck around to intercept the full ice shot that Andrew Peters shoots at the end of every pregame skate.
McGrattan threw his stick in front of Peters' shot and the shot died in the corner. Petey went back to the Buffalo end, grabbed another pucked, and screamed a slapper down the ice----top shelf!
As Peters skated to the gate, McGrattan gave him an earful for shooting on the Ottawa net.
Ding Ding!
To quote the immortal Mills Lane: " Lets get it on!!!"
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Sabres in home whites and Sens in road red.
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We're ten minutes awat from the teams coming out for their skate.
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