Take the point and run
NEWARK, N.J. -- As road games against elite teams go, it's hard to gripe about the final 45 minutes of the Sabres' 2-1 shootout loss to the Devils Friday night in the Prudential Center.
The Sabres had the better of the play much of that time, only to be foiled by Devils legend Martin Brodeur. Ryan Miller was equally good until a freak bounce off the boards led to the tying goal with 6:23 left. Buffalo was a no-show in the first period, registering just two shots on goal and staying afloat only because of Miller.
"We set a record for the number of times we got to their blueline and turned the puck over," scowled coach Lindy Ruff. "We talked about that for 10 minutes after the period. ... Then the second period was basically all ours and we sat on it a little bit in the third period. It was the type of game we knew we'd be in and we thought we could get through it."
Too bad the Sabres didn't. It would have been nice to get the two points, especially since they got caught giving up a goal in the final seven minutes with a lower-rung quintet on the ice (Adam Mair, Clarke MacArthur, Mike Ryan, Nathan Paetsch and Dmitri Kalinin). That group probably doesn't see the ice again in regulation if it gets through that shift.
Still, if Miller isn't way above average, there's no point to be had in this one at all.
So it's on to Pittsburgh and we can finally get the Ice Bowl hype revved up. Turns out it's a big series too, with the Sabres and Pens part of a four-way logjam for fifth place in the East five games away from the halfway mark.
---Mike Harrington
(Photo: Martin Brodeur foils Ales Kotalik in the shootout/Associated Press)
