Sabres Edge

This is the place for live updates on Patrick Kane's homecoming to HSBC Arena, which also includes a game between the Sabres and up-and-coming Chicago Blackhawks. While The News, of course, has given plenty of ink and cyberspace space to Kane's return, the normally disinterested-in-hockey Chicago media has done likewise.

Here's the Chicago Tribune's story on Kane's homecoming.

Lindy Ruff had a funny tale this morning about a meeting with Kane in the locker room last year.

"I thought there's no chance this little guy is going to play in the league," Ruff recalled. "Not only has he played but he's been creative, made moves he shouldn't make at that age and he's going to be an absolutely fabulous player. He is already now but he's going to get better."

Third Period

It's over: The Sabres win it, 3-1, for their third straight. Chicago had a 27-23 edge in shots, 8-3 in the third period. Kane had five shots, most on either team, and was named the third star, tipping his hand and stick to the crowd as he came on to the ice.

46.3 seconds left: The Sabres wrap it up as Jason Pominville finds the open net. The play was set up when Kane lost the puck in the Buffalo zone and Tim Connolly fed Pominville.

5:41 left: Ryan Miller is keeping the Sabres on top, stopping Kane on a backhand and then robbing Tuomo Ruutu from point-blank range.

10:30 left: The Sabres still lead, 2-1, in a tight-checking period that has seen both teams get just two shots on goal. The Hawks were buzzing the net on the last shift with Kane nearly setting up Jonathan Toews on one play and then just sending a deflection wide.

Second Period

0:00: The Sabres lead, 2-1, after two and have outshot the Hawks, 20-19. Chicago had a 12-10 edge in that period but Miller was up to the task. Kane has played 16 shifts totaling 10:53. He has four shots on goal, tied with Drew Stafford for game-high honors.

4:16 left: Miller robbed Kane from the slot to keep the Sabres in front. Kane has a game-high four shots on goal in 9:12 of ice time.

9:42 left: Some good pressure from the top line resulted a goal by Drew Stafford to put the Sabres up, 2-1. Some inauspicious work by Hawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin to control the puck intially and then to corral Stafford's quick wrist shot.

10:38 left: The Sabres killed off a power play (Daniel Paille was off for delay of game), with Miller getting some help from the crossbar to deny Kane on a wrist shot from the faceoff circle to the right.

14:54 left: Yanic Perreault takes a slashing penalty to put the Sabres back on the power play. Maxim Afinogenov took a puck to the face a few seconds earlier but is still on the bench and seems to be OK.

17:08 left: Thomas Vanek ties it at 1-1 with his 10th goal of the season on the power play after a nifty feed from behind the net from Derek Roy. It came 33 seconds after Ryan Miller stoned Brent Sopel on a breakaway that could have put the Hawks up by two and given the visitors all the momentum.

First Period

End of the period: The Sabres have a 10-7 edge in shots but played a pretty lifeless period. The building itself is quiet too. Hmmm. Kane played eight shifts totaling 5:23 and had two shots.

1:29 left: Things have been relatively quiet for the last 10 minutes until Kane was stopped by Miller on a slapshot from the slot with 2:45 to go. The Sabres are short-handed as Nathan Paetsch was sent off for roughing after clearing house on Tuomo Ruutu in front of the Buffalo net.

12:29 left: Kane gets sent to the box for hooking. The Sabres have a 5-1 edge in shots. The power play ended 66 seconds later on a tripping call to Jaroslav Spacek.

17:25 left: He scores! Kane just beat Ryan Miller from the slot on a perfect pass from Patrick Sharp to put the Hawks up, 1-0. There were some cheers in the crowd and plenty more when the scoring play was announced on Kane's first goal in 14 games. The crowd was a little confused when the puck went in as Kane was pumping his fist in the corner. It's almost like the fans can't figure out if they're allowed to cheer for an opposing player. Wonder if his grandfather and father were even back in their seats after the opening ceremony.

19:00 left: Kane's first shift lasted a minute, including a part of a power play as Jochen Hecht was sent off for slashing at 26 seconds.

20:00 left: Classy touch from the Sabres with a video saluting minor hockey in Western New York in honor of Kane. The Hawks rookie then joined Buffalo captain Brian Campbell in a ceremonial faceoff with the pairs fathers and Kane's grandfather as most of the crowd saluted Kane with a standing ovation. Don't look for a similar love-in Friday night with Danny Briere.

Pregame chatter

6:30 p.m. The Blackhawks have started their warmup and a helmetless Kane drew cheers and whistles from the early arrivals as he hit the ice. There are red Blackhawks jerseys sprinkled throughout the arena and dozens of people crowded around the tunnel entrance as Chicago took the ice.

So are you all out Christmas shopping before the snowstorm? No one has any thoughts on this afternoon's entry? What's with all this panic about snow anyway? Traffic, supermarkets, TV weathermen and businesses big and small are all in freak-out mode. It's Buffalo. It snows. Suck it up, folks. When did we get so weak about it?

6:45 p.m. Kane is the last one off the ice to the cheers of the crowd. As he disappeared into the tunnel, he handed a puck off to a young fan in the seats by the tunnel.

6:59 p.m. More cheers as Kane is announced in the starting lineup at right wing with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. Nice touch by Hawks coach Denis Savard. He gets it.

---Mike Harrington