Billsman
June 2nd, 2006, 4:20:46 PM
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Injuries finally catch up to Sabres</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" width="1" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Daniel Briere (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1737/)'s face was pale and his eyes were red. The Buffalo Sabres (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/teams/buf/) co-captain wasn't ready to hear how much heart his team had.
"Not right now, that's for sure," Briere said. "We'll see in the next few days. But tonight, there's nothing else to think about than the way this great ride ends."
<TABLE cellPadding=1 align=left border=0 hspace="10" vspace="5"><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The banged-up but resilient Sabres' improbable run through the playoffs ended with a 4-2 loss to Carolina in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night.
"You battle through the roller-coaster rides of ups-and-downs all year and to end it like this, it's tough," Briere added.
"You can hold your head up," coach Lindy Ruff added. "Those guys in the room are a special group that never used an excuse all year long."
Blame the injuries, but not their desire.
They forced the decisive game in the NHL's final four with a 2-1 overtime victory on Tuesday, rallying from two losses despite being down three regular defensemen and play-making center Tim Connolly (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1941/) (concussion).
It took the loss of stalwart defenseman Jay McKee (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1446/) to finally unsettle what had been a feisty group. McKee didn't travel with the team to Raleigh because he was sidelined by a leg infection that required him to require hospital treatment.
Without McKee, Buffalo's defensive corps was a patchwork group made up of two regulars -- Brian Campbell (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1923/) and Toni Lydman (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1913/) -- two journeymen, Rory Fitzpatrick (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1393/) and Jeff Jillson (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2120/), and two rookies, Doug Janik (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2639/) and Nathan Paetsch (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2936/), who spent all of last season in the minors.
Although the fill-ins played well, the Sabres lacked the spark -- particularly in their transition game -- to keep up with the just as speedy but far more healthier Hurricanes.
Buffalo came back on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead on Jochen Hecht (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1851/)'s goal late in the second period, but the Hurricanes responded in the third, going ahead for good when captain Rod Brind'Amour (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/45/) scored on a power play with 8:38 remaining.
"We were up 2-1, we thought we were in good shape," Briere said. "But we lost. We lost and that's the end of it."
Lost in the defeat is just how much the Sabres overcame this season.
This was a franchise that was three years removed from declaring bankruptcy and saved by B. Thomas Golisano, who purchased the team and kept it from folding or relocated. And this was a team that was discounted during the preseason for being too inexperienced, and knocked for failing to make any marquee moves.
The Sabres responded to win a franchise-record 52 games, doing it in the first season the NHL eliminated ties. They clinched their first playoff berth since 2001, ending the franchise's longest drought.
Buffalo was just as impressive in the postseason, eliminating Philadelphia in six games in the first round and then dispatching top-seeded Ottawa in five tightly played games, all decided by one goal.
Buffalo's 11 playoff victories were the second most in franchise history.
With rookie Doug Janik's goal Thursday, the Sabres had 21 players register at least one point and eight notch game-winners. Goaltender Ryan Miller (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2637/) also showed promise in his postseason debut, finishing 11-7 with one shutout.
With a young group that featured 13 players making their NHL playoff debuts, the Sabres are confident they have an emerging core that can be successful for many years to come.
"Obviously, it stings right now and it should," co-captain Chris Drury (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1761/) said. "But Lindy touched on it already. Hopefully, it's just the start of something."
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RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Daniel Briere (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1737/)'s face was pale and his eyes were red. The Buffalo Sabres (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/teams/buf/) co-captain wasn't ready to hear how much heart his team had.
"Not right now, that's for sure," Briere said. "We'll see in the next few days. But tonight, there's nothing else to think about than the way this great ride ends."
<TABLE cellPadding=1 align=left border=0 hspace="10" vspace="5"><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The banged-up but resilient Sabres' improbable run through the playoffs ended with a 4-2 loss to Carolina in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night.
"You battle through the roller-coaster rides of ups-and-downs all year and to end it like this, it's tough," Briere added.
"You can hold your head up," coach Lindy Ruff added. "Those guys in the room are a special group that never used an excuse all year long."
Blame the injuries, but not their desire.
They forced the decisive game in the NHL's final four with a 2-1 overtime victory on Tuesday, rallying from two losses despite being down three regular defensemen and play-making center Tim Connolly (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1941/) (concussion).
It took the loss of stalwart defenseman Jay McKee (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1446/) to finally unsettle what had been a feisty group. McKee didn't travel with the team to Raleigh because he was sidelined by a leg infection that required him to require hospital treatment.
Without McKee, Buffalo's defensive corps was a patchwork group made up of two regulars -- Brian Campbell (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1923/) and Toni Lydman (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1913/) -- two journeymen, Rory Fitzpatrick (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1393/) and Jeff Jillson (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2120/), and two rookies, Doug Janik (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2639/) and Nathan Paetsch (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2936/), who spent all of last season in the minors.
Although the fill-ins played well, the Sabres lacked the spark -- particularly in their transition game -- to keep up with the just as speedy but far more healthier Hurricanes.
Buffalo came back on Thursday to take a 2-1 lead on Jochen Hecht (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1851/)'s goal late in the second period, but the Hurricanes responded in the third, going ahead for good when captain Rod Brind'Amour (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/45/) scored on a power play with 8:38 remaining.
"We were up 2-1, we thought we were in good shape," Briere said. "But we lost. We lost and that's the end of it."
Lost in the defeat is just how much the Sabres overcame this season.
This was a franchise that was three years removed from declaring bankruptcy and saved by B. Thomas Golisano, who purchased the team and kept it from folding or relocated. And this was a team that was discounted during the preseason for being too inexperienced, and knocked for failing to make any marquee moves.
The Sabres responded to win a franchise-record 52 games, doing it in the first season the NHL eliminated ties. They clinched their first playoff berth since 2001, ending the franchise's longest drought.
Buffalo was just as impressive in the postseason, eliminating Philadelphia in six games in the first round and then dispatching top-seeded Ottawa in five tightly played games, all decided by one goal.
Buffalo's 11 playoff victories were the second most in franchise history.
With rookie Doug Janik's goal Thursday, the Sabres had 21 players register at least one point and eight notch game-winners. Goaltender Ryan Miller (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/2637/) also showed promise in his postseason debut, finishing 11-7 with one shutout.
With a young group that featured 13 players making their NHL playoff debuts, the Sabres are confident they have an emerging core that can be successful for many years to come.
"Obviously, it stings right now and it should," co-captain Chris Drury (http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1761/) said. "But Lindy touched on it already. Hopefully, it's just the start of something."
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