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BUFFALO, N.Y. – Daniel Briere scored twice in 2:05 span in the second period for his first multigoal game in more than six months, leading the Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-4 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night.

Mike Richards had a power-play goal and two assists, and Simon Gagne, Mike Knuble, and Jeff Carter also scored to help Philadelphia snap a two-game losing streak. Martin Biron made 39 saves, and Kimmo Timonen had three assists.

Thomas Vanek, Dominic Moore, Derek Roy, and Chris Butler scored for Buffalo, which is trying to climb back into playoff contention but has only one win in its last six games. Patrick Lalime stopped 25 shots.

Link: http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=txsabresmiller&prov=st&type=lgns

BUFFALO, NEW YORK (TICKER) —Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller left Saturday’s 4-2 win over the New York Rangers in the third period with a high ankle sprain and did not return.

The 28-year-old is out indefinitely and his status for Tuesday’s home game against Anaheim is uncertain.

Miller was playing the puck behind his own net when Rangers center Scott Gomez came from behind and got his skates tangled up with Miller, who was down on the ice for a few minutes before skating off and going directly to the locker room.

Miller, who was noticeably limping when he went back, made 20 saves and did not allow a goal before leaving the game two minutes into the third session.

“It’s stiff, it’s an ankle sprain. We took some X-rays, those didn’t show anything,” Miller said. “These are things you have to feel out. There’s no timetable. It’s your comfort level. Right now I just want to get through the night, to the morning, and see how my body reacts.

“I haven’t seen the replay. I know Scott personally. I don’t think he would ever come in and try and injure me, especially when I’m not facing the play. Some of the guys say he may have lost an edge. The referee said he lost an edge. He’s not that kind of guy.”

Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff saw things differently.

“I don’t think there’s any secret it was deliberate,” Ruff said. “They wanted to disrupt us. We put in a cold goaltender to face a power play.”

Sabres backup Patrick Lalime, who allowed both goals on 13 shots against New York, will take over while Miller is out.

A native of East Lansing, Michigan, Miller entered the contest 28-16-5 with a 2.54 goals-against average this season.

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Sabres C Connolly to have season-ending hip surgery
By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer

Buzz Up PrintBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP)—Sabres center Tim Connolly will undergo season-ending surgery to have bone chips removed from his hip.

Buffalo general manager Darcy Regier said Connolly is scheduled to have surgery on Monday in Colorado. The procedure will be performed by hip specialist Dr. Marc Philipon, who recently operated on Mike Sillinger and Rick DiPietro of the New York Islanders.

“It was a combination of the time it took to recover, his inability to practice in between (games), and a rising level of pain,” Regier said Friday night during the Sabres game against Toronto. “We think he’ll be fine for the start of next season.”

The injury has bothered Connolly for much of the past three months, and he hoped to complete the season before having surgery.

He missed 13 games from Jan. 10-Feb. 8, before returning to the lineup. The play-making center played in 14 of the next 16 games, before aggravating the injury when he crashed heavily into the boards during Buffalo’s loss to the New York Rangers on March 10.

Connolly hasn’t played since, but with 40 points (seven goals, 33 assists) in 48 games, he still ranks sixth on the Sabres in scoring.

“We could certainly use him,” Regier said. “It’s what best for him and the organization.”

The injury was the latest setback for Connolly, who missed all but two regular-season games last season because of a neck injury and post-concussion symptoms. He also missed the entire 2003-04 season because of a concussion.

Connolly has one year left on a three-year, $8.7 million contract, and is scheduled to make $3.5 million next season

Posted by: Collin Bishop, Special Projects Producer

Created: 2/26/2008 11:16:58 AM
Updated: 2/26/2008 11:30:54 AM

TSN reports that the Buffalo Sabres have traded Brian Campbell to the San Jose Sharks.

2 On Your Side’s Adam Benigni is at Sabres practice this morning and says Campbell appeared to be called back into the locker room when the rest of the team began practice.

Keep refreshing this page for updates as details become available.

From wgrz.com

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Buffalo 10, Atlanta 1

Preview - Box Score - Recap - Highlights

January 18, 2008

AP - Jan 18, 11:10 pm EST

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Ryan Miller had a good feeling Friday was going to be the night the Sabres ended their lengthy winless skid. The goalie even figured it could be a blowout. He couldn't have been more right.

Drew Stafford and Derek Roy had hat tricks and Buffalo routed the Atlanta Thrashers 10-1 to end a 10-game stretch without a win.

Thomas Vanek and Jochen Hecht each had a goal and two assists for the Sabres, who got off to a fast start with four goals in the first period. It was Stafford's first three-goal game, and he also had two assists for a career-high five points, while Roy registered his third career hat trick and added an assist.

Miller made his prediction over lunch with teammates Tim Connolly and Maxim Afinogenov,

"I said, 'You know, it's just going to have to be one of those games where everybody's clicking and we win something ridiculous like 7-1,"' Miller said. "Even my one-cent prediction got blown away."

And how. Buffalo, which came within two games of tying a franchise-record 12-game winless stretch set in 1991 and matched in 2002, scored its most goals since a 10-1 win over Los Angeles in Jan. 2006. That was also the last time two Sabres players had hat tricks in the same game for the first time since Jason Pominville and Hecht did so against the Kings.

"It doesn't happen often, scoring 10 goals in a game," Roy said. "I think everybody was anxious to get out there and contribute."

Daniel Paille and Ales Kotalik also scored for the Sabres, who won for the first time since a 6-5 shootout victory over Philadelphia on Dec. 22. They had scored just 16 times during their 10-game winless stretch.

"We weren't trying to do anything fancy, we were just trying to outwork them," Stafford said. "It feels good to finally win."

Colin Stuart scored for Atlanta, which was playing 24 hours after losing in a shootout to Montreal. The loss, coupled with Carolina's win over Edmonton on Friday, dropped the Thrashers out of first place in the Southeast Division.

Atlanta goalie Johan Hedberg allowed four goals on 11 shots before being pulled 12:41 into the game. Kari Lehtonen gave up three more goals on 21 shots through the second period before Hedberg returned for the third. He finished with 21 saves overall.

It was the most goals allowed by Atlanta in franchise history.

"This feeling is something I don't want to feel again," Hedberg said.

"It's our most embarrassing loss in a long, long time," captain Bobby Holik said. "I don't think the team needs losses like this to learn from."

The Sabres followed their four-goal first with three more in the second. They also netted three goals on the power play overall, the first time in six games they were able to convert with the man advantage.

Paille scored just 1:54 in, and Stafford made it 2-0 at 5:14. Roy, returning after a four-game absence because of a shoulder injury, capped the Sabres' opening-period barrage with two goals in under a 4-minute span.

Stuart made it 4-1 at 10:08 of the first with a short-handed goal.

After pumping 16 shots on goal in the first 20 minutes, the Sabres followed with another 16 in the second, with Hecht, Roy and Vanek each scoring.

Stafford made it 8-1 8 minutes into the third, then completed his three-goal night with his 11th of the year at 11:38.

Kotalik capped the scoring with a power-play goal with 2:18 left in the third after Thrashers forward Eric Boulton picked up 29 minutes in penalties when he instigated a scrum involving Hecht at 12:49.

Sabres forward Michael Ryan sustained an eye injury late in the game when Stuart high-sticked him.

Notes

The Sabres will play their next seven games on the road. ... Hedberg made his first start in five games, and just his eighth appearance in the past 25 games. ... Atlanta LW Brad Larsen (groin) missed his third game. ... Lehtonen was yanked after allowing five goals in 40 minutes in Buffalo's 6-0 win over Atlanta in October. ... Buffalo defenseman Dmitri Kalinin added three assists, his first points since the season opener. ... Atlanta LW Ilya Kovalchuk was held without a point for the second straight game after an 10-game point streak.

New Jersey 3, Buffalo 2, SO

By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer
January 12, 2008

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Even on an off night, Martin Brodeur can come up with the big stops when the New Jersey Devils need them most.

Brodeur shook off two fluke first-period goals to stop the final 20 shots he faced, including two in a shootout, allowing the Devils to rally to a 3-2 victory over the free-falling Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night.

While the Sabres lamented how they squandered a two-goal lead to extend their winless streak to nine games (0-4-5), Brodeur was able to sit back in his locker and smile. It didn't matter that he allowed Daniel Paille to score twice, the second one from a bad angle, the puck somehow sneaking in between Brodeur's skate and the left post.

What was important was how the Devils found a way to bounce back.

"For some reason we stayed in there and they didn't score that big goal they needed to take a big advantage on us," said Brodeur, who allowed two goals on the first five shots he faced. "They let us hang around and we made them pay."

New Jersey's David Clarkson forced overtime by scoring on a wraparound with 67 seconds left in regulation. Brodeur then did his part, first foiling Henrik Tallinder's one-timer from the slot with 34 seconds left in overtime, and then stopping Ales Kotalik and Thomas Vanek on what proved to be two weak shootout chances.

After Brian Gionta scored New Jersey's first shootout goal, Patrik Elias sealed the win by slipping a backhander through Ryan Miller's legs.

It's the fourth time the Devils have won this season when trailing by two goals. And they're 3-0 against the Sabres, all three victories decided in a shootout.

"We found a way to win," Sergei Brylin said. "Call it whatever you want, but two points is two points."

Two points is something the Sabres haven't produced since a 6-5 shootout win at Philadelphia on Dec. 22. The nine-game drought is now the fourth-longest in team history, and worst since the Sabres went through an 0-9-2-1 skid during the 2002-03 season.

The Sabres haven't been playing poorly. The loss to New Jersey was their third straight decided in a shootout. And yet, Buffalo continues to struggle offensively -- having produced 11 goals in its past nine games -- and the killer instinct the team possessed when it ran away with the regular-season title last year is missing.

"We're playing good hockey," said Miller, who had a tough night despite stopping 23 shots. "We're not just going through the motions. We haven't been getting the victories."

Paul Martin cut the Sabres' lead to 2-1 late in the second period when his shot from the right point knuckled in off the webbing of Miller's glove. Clarkson scored from beside the net when Miller was late getting down to protect the short side.

"I wasn't thrilled with the last goal," Miller said. "The puck hits a skate and goes right to a guy I didn't see. It's kind of what we're going through."

Even Brodeur felt bad for the Sabres.

"They're snakebit it looks like," Brodeur said. "I thought they outplayed us. I thought they probably deserved better. But I think when you're not winning, sometimes you find ways to lose games."

That's not a problem for the Devils, who are 8-2-0 in their past 10 and 19-5-1 in their past 25.

Brodeur's also on a roll. He improved to 8-1-0 in his past nine starts, a stretch in which he's allowed only 12 goals.

Notes

The Sabres play eight of their next nine games on the road. ... Devils C John Madden played in his 600th career game but missed the third period when he was cut by a skate. ... Paille's opening goal, scored 58 seconds in, was the earliest scored by Buffalo this season. ... Brodeur hadn't allowed two goals in the opening period since giving up three in a 4-3 overtime win over Boston on Dec. 5.

Buffalo 2, NY Islanders 1

Preview - Box Score - Recap - Highlights

By IRA PODELL, AP Hockey Writer
December 19, 2007

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- There were no on-ice signs that the New York Islanders missed Chris Simon.

They played with energy, focus, drive, and made it a very busy night for Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller. They just couldn't score enough, which isn't Simon's job anyway.

Maxim Afinogenov scored with 2:17 left in the third period, just as Buffalo's sixth power play ended, and Miller made 42 saves to lift the Sabres to a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders on Wednesday night.

New York even out-hit the Sabres 25-10, despite the loss of Simon, who earlier in the day was handed an NHL-record, 30-game suspension. The Islanders' lone goal was scored by their resident hardest-hitter Brendan Witt, who tied the game in the third period with his first goal in nearly a year.

"We did everything but score," Islanders captain Bill Guerin said. "We have the hard work part down, but it's still a loss."


For the second time in nine months, Simon received an NHL-record long suspension. This time he was banished following his slew foot and skate stomp against Pittsburgh's Jarkko Ruutu in New York's 3-2 home loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Simon, already granted a leave by the Islanders on Monday so he could seek counseling, isn't eligible to return from his eighth NHL suspension until Feb. 21. He was suspended 25 games in March, a penalty that carried over to the first five games of this season

"That's what the league felt he deserved so we have to live by that, and we will," Guerin said.

Dealing with their seventh loss in eight games (1-6-1), despite a 43-17 shots advantage was also tough to take.

After five failed Buffalo advantages, Afinogenov took a cross-zone pass from Brian Campbell in the right circle. With a knee down on the dot, Afinogenov got just enough of the puck to send it past the right arm of Rick DiPietro.

That helped Buffalo win its fourth straight. Derek Roy also scored for the Sabres, who split the four-game series after losing twice to the Islanders in the first two games of the season.

It took a rare goal from Witt on New York's 30th shot for the Islanders to tie it at 3:50 of the third period.


Fellow defenseman Radek Martinek made a fine play to keep the puck in the Buffalo zone at the right point and moved it over to Witt. He wound up above the left circle, sending a shot through a jumping screen by Sean Bergenheim for his first goal in 71 games, dating to Jan. 9 against the New York Rangers.

"You get a few shots, and you start to feel more comfortable out there," Miller said. "The goal that got by, I was putting up my glove in a defensive position, and I didn't see the puck until it was too late."

DiPietro kept it tied shortly after the Islanders' fourth failed power play of the night when he stretched out to block Thomas Vanek's spinning back-hander with his left pad.

Buffalo entered with the NHL's seventh-best power play, but lost Roy in the first period and fellow center Tim Connolly in the third. Roy injured a shoulder, and Connolly was forced out by the flu. X-rays on Roy were negative.

"He had what you'd call a nerve stinger, and we decided to hold him out the rest of the game. Tim is just sick," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "We've lost these kind of games in the past. When you lose your top two centers, and they're your playmaking centers, you have to win some games ugly. That was probably the most shots we've allowed in a while."

The Sabres led 1-0 after the first period despite being outshot 14-5, and protected that advantage all the way through the scoreless second when the Islanders held a 27-12 edge in shots.

Roy fired a shot that hit New York defenseman Freddy Meyer, and the rebound kicked back to Roy. The next drive hit DiPietro's left leg and continued into the net at 6:11 on Buffalo's first shot.

It was quite a different defensive stance by the Islanders, who allowed 41 shots in a 5-3 loss at Buffalo last Wednesday. That started the Sabres' winning streak in which they have outscored opponents 15-8.

"We played the game we wanted to play. We played smart," DiPietro said. "Buffalo's bread and butter is their power play. You don't want to get to the box too many times. Unfortunately it ended up costing us at the end."

Notes

RW Blake Comeau, recalled by the Islanders to fill Simon's roster spot, played on a checking line with Richard Park and Tim Jackman. ... Buffalo became the ninth NHL team to reach 100 goals this season. New York has an NHL-low 72.

Boston 4, Buffalo 1

Preview - Box Score - Recap - Highlights

December 10, 2007

AP - Dec 10, 9:56 pm EST

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- Alex Auld is quickly earning the respect of his Boston teammates.

Auld made 44 saves in his second start since being acquired from Phoenix on Thursday, and Marc Savard had a goal and assist to lift the Bruins to a 4-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night.

Auld was spectacular in his second straight win, and made several scintillating saves in the second and third periods when Boston was outshot by a 33-15 margin.

"When he played for Florida last year he had our number, so I knew he was a good goaltender," Savard said. "Phoenix had a lot of goalies, so their loss is our gain right now for sure."

The 26-year-old Auld was just 3-6 with a 3.54 goals-against average and one shutout in nine games with the Coyotes this season before being assigned to San Antonio of the AHL. He made 25 saves in his Boston debut Saturday at Toronto, a 2-1 Bruins win.

"I have a lot of confidence in what I can do, but at the same time you don't want to get too ahead of yourself," Auld said. "I feel I can play in this league and I feel it's where I belong."

Despite Auld's play, Boston coach Claude Julien said Tim Thomas will continue to be Boston's starter when he fully recovers from a groin injury sustained last week. Still, Julien praised Auld's showing against the Sabres.

"It's nice to have a situation where you can depend on who you are going to put in there," he said. "It was a solid performance on his part. The outcome could have been a lot different, especially if he hadn't bailed us out there in the second period."

P.J. Axelsson, Peter Schaefer and Glen Metropolit also scored for the Bruins, who won their second straight and third in five games.

"It wasn't one of our best efforts," Savard said. "We don't want to ride our lead like we did tonight. Thankfully, we had Alex back there. ... He was fantastic."

Jaroslav Spacek scored for Buffalo, which lost for the fourth time in six games. Sabres goalie Ryan Miller finished with 17 saves.

"We have to find a way to score," said Buffalo forward Jason Pominville, who had a game-high eight shots. "We're not going to win many games getting one goal."

AP - Dec 10, 9:44 pm EST

The Bruins' struggling offense scored three goals on their first five shots. Coming in, Boston had scored just 11 times in its last five games.

"Auld played a strong game, but I need to make some plays," Miller said. "You can't start a game with three quick goals. I have to do better."

Savard got things going with his sixth of the year 6:29 in when he picked off Sabres defenseman Toni Lydman's cross-ice pass and sent a wrist shot into the net.

Axelsson made it 2-0 with his fourth just 44 seconds later, beating Miller with a quick wrist shot from the slot.

Spacek scored his seventh goal, on the power play, to cut the deficit in half, but the Bruins regained their two-goal cushion on Schaefer's fifth 70 seconds later. Schaefer scored from the right circle after another Lydman turnover.

After a scoreless second period, Metropolit scored his seventh at 10:08 of the third, banking home a rebound after Miller stopped Milan Lucic's shot.

Miller was shaken up after the goal and was tended to by a Buffalo trainer for about three minutes on the ice, but he remained in the game. Afterward, he said he tweaked his ankle, which briefly went numb.

"We did the right things, so to not come out with a win still hurts," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.

Bruins second-leading scorer Marco Sturm was hit in the eye with the puck in the first period and didn't return. Julien said he shouldn't miss any time. ... The Bruins will conclude a stretch in which they'll have played 11 of 13 on the road Wednesday at Atlanta. They're 7-4-1 thus far. ... The Sabres began a stretch of four games in six days. ... Bruins D Dennis Wideman extended his points streak to seven games when he picked up an assist on Axelsson's goal. ... Five of Spacek's goals have been on the power play. ... Lucic had two assists.

Buffalo 3, Montreal 0

Preview - Box Score - Recap - Highlights

November 24, 2007

AP - Nov 24, 9:58 pm EST
MONTREAL (AP) -- Jocelyn Thibault made the most of a rare opportunity to start for the Buffalo Sabres.

Thibault made 24 saves for his first shutout for Buffalo, and Jaroslav Spacek and Thomas Vanek scored second-period goals to lead the Sabres to a 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night.

Thibault, who played for Montreal from 1995-98, recorded his 38th career shutout -- his first since March 14 for Pittsburgh in a 3-0 win in New Jersey.

"It's always special any time I get a chance to play against Montreal, even more here, and I was happy that Lindy (Ruff) gave me a chance to play tonight," Thibault said. "I think the guys knew that this game meant something special to me, coming back home. The guys just put up a great effort tonight."

It was just his third start of the season for Buffalo, which signed him as a free agent in the offseason.

"We did research on him and we were looking for a veteran guy that could be positive and support a guy that he knew was going to play a lot," Ruff said. "We felt we brought in a good guy and his work ethic and attitude has been tremendous. I was thrilled for him tonight."

Spacek scored on a power play midway through the second and Vanek made it a two-goal lead later in the period as the Sabres extended their winning streak to four, including three against the Canadiens.

Jochen Hecht scored into an empty net with 26.3 seconds remaining as Buffalo beat Montreal for the second night in a row.

The Sabres improved to 3-2 in the season series against their Northeast Division rivals following Friday's 4-2 win.

Cristobal Huet stopped 32 shots for Montreal, which has lost five of eight since getting off to a 9-3-3 start.

"(Thibault) made some nice stops, he deserves the shutout but we didn't get nearly enough quality chances on goal," Canadiens left wing Christopher Higgins said. "We were just turning the puck over way too much and not getting the puck deep and against that team, they're good on the transition, they feed on our turnovers and we made a lot of them tonight and made them look pretty good."

Buffalo defenseman Henrik Talinder left with a shoulder injury in the second period. He did not return.

"Right now, we're looking at days," Ruff said. "We'll get an update probably when we get back."

Spacek scored his fifth goal 9:38 into the second, just 9 seconds after Montreal's Tom Kostopoulos was sent off for hooking.

The Sabres defenseman scored on a tight angle shot from the right side of the net after he collected a rebound of Bryan Campbell's point shot.

"It's key to get a lead at any time," Campbell said. "You shoot the puck and find some holes."

Vanek made it 2-0 with his sixth goal at 13:54.

Notes

Thibault had one shutout with Pittsburgh last season, 28 with Chicago from 1998-2004, seven with the Canadiens, and one with Quebec in 1994-95. ... Sabres G Ryan Miller has a 2-2 mark against Montreal this season despite maintaining a 1.76 goals-against-average in four starts against the Canadiens. ... Huet fell to 2-2 against Buffalo this season. Rookie G Carey Price stopped 28 shots Friday in his first career appearance against the Sabres.

Sabres-Penguins outdoor game is a hot item with 42,000 tickets sold

September 18, 2007

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- It's a hot ticket for what could be a very cold hockey game.

It took less than 30 minutes Tuesday morning for fans to buy all 42,000 tickets made available for the NHL Winter Classic, an outdoor game between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins to be played at Ralph Wilson Stadium on Jan. 1.

"I don't know if anybody anticipated that," Sabres spokesman Michael Gilbert said, referring to the speed of ticket sales. "It's another indication of how special this market is toward hockey."

Gilbert said 32,000 tickets have been held back for Sabres season-ticket holders, who have the option to buy more tickets in addition to the ones they have. Tickets have also been reserved for the NHL, as well as both teams.

Tickets went on sale one day after the NHL announced it would hold its second outdoor game and first in the United States.

The stadium in Orchard Park is home to the NFL's Buffalo Bills and has a seating capacity of about 74,000.

Fans began lining up outside the stadium before midnight. Ticket buyers also jammed the Sabres phone lines for most of the day.