TORONTO -- The Sabres are heading home from Toronto as 4-3 losers, a one-goal deficit that could partially be blamed on the first goal. Ryan Miller allowed Dion Phaneuf to score from the blue line, setting the tone for the loss.
"Not quite the effort we wanted," Miller said in Air Canada Centre. "I had a chance to set the tone on my end and didn’t do it, and it just kind of went from there.
"I just didn’t close off cross-body. It was rising up and I didn’t have a step on it, so I just looked stupid."
The full audio of Miller's postgame chat is below.
Carolina pulled within three points of the Sabres with a victory over Washington, while the Leafs pulled within five points.
Also of note, forward Jochen Hecht played just one period after reaggravating his upper-body injury. Defenseman Shaone Morrisonn played just 8:36 while putting up a dismal minus-3.
"It was a game where I just want to throw it in the garbage because it just wasn’t there," Morrisonn said. "The focus wasn’t there. It’s a tough way to play a game. It can’t happen again."
---John Vogl
