The Sabres had the opportunity to take the series lead back to Buffalo but once again allowed the Carolina Hurricanes back off the canvas. The Sabres took a commanding 3-1 lead in the second period only to see the Canes quickly strike back and tie it up.

With the game tied 3-3, the Sabres started off the overtime with a powerplay, but couldn’t score. When the Canes got a powerplay with 8 minutes gone by, they capitalized and got the winning goal from Cory Stillman as the Hurricanes beat the Sabres 4-3. That gave Carolina a 3 games to 2 lead with game 6 being played back in Buffalo on Tuesday.

Matt Cullen had to replace Erik Staal, who broke his stick, and Cullen shot the puck wide of the net. The puck had a strange bounce right out to Ray Whitney, but it somehow went off his stick to Stillman, who slipped the puck though Ryan Miller’s legs for the winning goal.

"I thought Ray was actually going to put it in," Stillman said. "I think the goalie (Ryan Miller) thought so too. It jumped over his stick. I got a whack at it and put it through his five hole."

With the goal and the sudden death victory, the Canes put the Sabres on the brink of elimination.

When Martin Gerber was replaced with Cam Ward when the Sabres made it 3-1, the feeling from here was that the Sabres would not score another goal. It had happened when the situation was reversed on Wednesday. The Sabres had scored their 4th goal on Ward and he was replaced by Gerber. The Sabres didn't score another, but held on to win 4-3. The next game Gerber shut them out.

This time the two goalies swapped again and once again the Sabres were shutout by a better goalie than the Sabres fielded.

The defeat cannot be blamed on the defense. The blueliners limited the Canes to but one shot in the third period and a lot of the overtime. Instead, the offense has failed to bury opportunites. The powerplay seems to be a thing of the past for the Sabres as they are shooting blanks this entire series. Maxim Afinogenov has to bury that breakaway he had late in the third period to end this one. Instead, he shoots the puck dead center on Ward.

The Sabres now are on the brink of the Falls. Unless they can pull some magic out of their bag of tricks, their season will end abruptly on Tuesday.

The ECF is turning into a chess match between the two coaches. Hurricane coach Peter Laviolette is quick on the draw in making goalie changes. Lindy Ruff is sticking with Ryan Miller, through thick and through thin. It has been mostly thin for Miller in this playoff series.

Ruff is losing, not only on the ice, but in the coaching chess match with Laviolette. Laviolette is willing to make a goalie change at a moment's notice. Ruff is sticking with his rookie Ryan Miller instead of pulling him and putting in veteran Marty Biron. By doing so, it could possibly be Ruff's undoing. Miller has looked shakey at best during most of the series. He has made some good saves, but also has shown some glaring weaknesses.

As has been discovered, Miller is often the victim of the long shot taken from the point. The Canes found yet another weak point in his armor, the five hole. The first and the last goals by the Canes got through his legs and it ruined the chance for the Sabres to take a 3-2 lead in this series. Now it will be up to Miller to perform to a level he has yet to display in this series. Miller has to be his absolute best if the Sabres want to send the series back to Carolina for a game 7.

Once again Miller allowed two goals that would have never gotten past either of the Canes goalies. The Sabres, after they had a dramatic opening goal by Chris Drury, found the game tied up just 17 seconds later when Miller didn't get down in his butterfly position quick enough and the puck slipped through 5-hole.

The Sabres and Hurricanes battled to a 3-3 tie in regulation and a pretty lame penalty was called on JP Dumont 8 minutes into the first sudden death period. Once again, it was a shot that went five hole that ended this one and may have put the Sabres in a hole they can't climb out of. Cory Stillman's goal at 8:46 very likely sealed the Sabres fate as the Hurricanes take a 3-2 lead in the series.

Miller has yet to play up to the level he did in the first two series and the Sabres fans are still waiting for him to steal a game. So far, both Ward and Gerber have stolen the last two games in a row. Now it's Miller's time to answer the bell.

Special teams and goaltending are deciding this Eastern Conference Finals. Carolina has both and the Sabres are trying to become efficient in those categories but are falling way short.

The Sabres powerplay has been inept to say the least in this conference finals. If they converted on just 10% of their man advantage opportunities, they would probably be up in this series or have it won already. Instead, they are not getting any pressure on the powerplay and are still looking for answers on how to score goals on the rotating Hurricanes goalies.

The Carolina Hurricanes are a great team. They have overcome great odds, not only during the regular season, but also during the playoffs. After losing their first two to the Canadiens, they bounced back and won 4 straight. Against the Sabres, they keep bouncing back, period. They lost the first game, bounced back and won game two. It has been like a tennis match, with one team and then the other returning the favor...that is until Sunday night in Raleigh.

The Canes withstood the pressure in the third period where they only got one shot on goal and took a powerplay opportunity and capitalized on it, winning the game 8:45 into overtime and putting the Sabres on the brink of elimination.

The Canes use adversity to really get going. They seem to play their best when behind, either in games or on the scoreboard. There doesn't seem to be anything that can deny them their lofty goal of the Stanley Cup this season.

     HOME           SEASON'S RESULTS      SABRE TALK MESSAGE BOARD      NEWSROOM      99 PLAYOFFS    
THE PLAYERS      STATISTICS      SCHEDULE      PROSPECTS      LIVE GAME RADIO      HISTORY      TEAM INFO     
PHOTO GALLERY     MULTIMEDIA      SABRES POLL      TROPHY CASE      LINKS      THE STAFF      E-MAIL SABRESWORD

Copyright © 2006 Sabres Central, all rights reserved