Bring on the Senators...again!
If anyone thought the Rangers were going to be easy, all they had to do was
to look at Ryan Miller after he raised his arms to signal the Sabres had finally
escaped Madison Square Garden with a hard fought victory. It was absolute war,
and Miller looked as if he had fought hand-to-hand combat with a mortal enemy.
Actually that description isn’t too far from the truth as Miller had to
withstand barrages of shots fired his way throughout the series. Miller would be the first one to give the Rangers all the credit in the world
for playing with fire in their bellies on under their skates. He had to be at
his absolute best to prevent the Rangers from coming back and tying Game 6, just
like the Sabres had done in the previous game. Shot after shot, bullet after
bullet, Miller was there to block. With Henrik Lundqvist pulled for the extra
attacker, the Rangers swarmed around the Sabres beleaguered goalie while his
leathernecks in front of him couldn’t clear the puck. Finally, when the final
horn sounded and the Sabres had escaped MSG with a hard-fought victory, Miller
could finally ease up and raise his arms to celebrate the win. The Sabres withstood the final Rangers assault to win 5-4 and take the second
round series in 6 games. Had the Rangers cracked Miller’s shield one more
time, Game 7 was looming Tuesday and anything can happen when it comes down to
that final battle. "It’s a very satisfying feeling right now," said a relieved and
battle worn Miller. "They had a lot of good chances, and we held on." The Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the first, but the Sabres stormed back with 4
goals in the second period. Chris Drury started the rally and he was an integral
part in the Sabres win. Daniel Briere had 3 assists and Jochen Hecht scored
twice for the Sabres. The Sabres finally solved Lundqvist with four goals in the second period, but
then they had to hold on to dear playoff life as the Ranger battled back twice
to make it a one-goal game. Bitter rivalry Fasten your seat belts! Get ready for a bumpy and turbulent ride. The two
Northeastern rivals will really be fighting it out in the Eastern Conference
Finals. The Senators have something to prove after they were quickly eliminated
by the Sabres in last year’s playoffs. The Sabres have two big scores to
settle: Peter Schaefer’s KO hit on Tim Connolly and Chris Neal’s hit from
behind KO on Chris Drury that resulted in a riot on the ice. The Senators have turned the corner and are ready for the Sabres this time.
After losing in the second round last year to shock the hockey world, the
Senators have been pointing to a revenge match with the team that beat them in 5
(which included 3 overtime wins for the Sabres). The rivalry is even more
intense since that incident with Neal taking out Drury from behind last February
which resulted in an old fashioned brawl on the ice. There is no love lost
between these two arch rivals and there may be even more blood on the ice when
this series starts. There couldn't be a better matchup for the TV ratings. It is almost like a
Yankees-Red Sox matchup for the ALCS. The Sabres and Senators have a bitter
history, starting mostly a year ago when the two battled it out in the playoffs.
Add a couple of timely hits on Sabres stars Tim Connolly and Chris Drury that
resulted in concussions, and this series will be the most closely watched of the
two conference finals. "We definitely have some history with Ottawa, and we’re going to have
to go out and play our best hockey, so far, to have a chance to win that
series," related Miller. "Everybody knows what happened this year," chipped in Briere.
"All I know for sure is it’s going to be a battle." Sabres must sign Drury To Sabres fans, Chris Drury is a hockey god. To the opposition, he's a hockey
demon. There's no getting around the fact that Drury is Mr. Clutch, the man you
go to when you need to overcome all odds. Drury's dramatic goal in Game 5 with
7.7 seconds left to force overtime is something legends are made of.
HOME
SEASON'S RESULTS
SABRE TALK MESSAGE BOARD
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99 PLAYOFFS
By Rick Anderson
May 7, 2007
Ryan Miller raises his arms in conquest as he celebrates the Sabres winning Game 6 against the Rangers 5-4. The Sabres now advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Ottawa Senators.
[Bruce Bennett/Getty Images]
The Sabres had 2 goal leads twice, 4-2 and 5-3, but the Rangers scored 3
powerplay goals to keep the game close till the end. At the very end, the Sabres
were holding on by their nails as the Rangers swarmed Ryan Miller and peppered
him with shots.
New York had 3 powerplay goals and when they pulled their goalie for the extra
attacker late in the game, the Rangers were pouring it on just like the Sabres
had on Friday when they tied it up with 7.7 seconds left. Ryan Miller stood his
ground and prevented the Rangers from doing onto the Sabres what they did to the
Rangers Friday. In the end, the Sabres finally had beaten the Blue Shirts in
Madison Square Garden and now meet their bitter rival Ottawa Senators in the
Eastern Conference Finals.
Drury's goal in Game 6 Sunday wasn't as heart-stopping, but it did give the
Sabres a comfort zone in the second period. The fact that the Rangers did come
back and make a game of it doesn't diminish the fact that the Sabres need to
work out a deal for their captain now, not after the season when he will be
offered outrageous numbers to sign with other teams.
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