Anaheim Ducks Sbisa grows into all-around game for Ducks

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1 SPORT-SCAN Anaheim Ducks Sbisa grows into all-around game for Ducks Boston Bruins Sabres beat Rask, Bruins in shootout Seguin raising his game Bruins-Sabres Sums Good but not better Derek Roy scores to seal Sabres 2-1 SO win over Bruins Buffalo Sabres Sekera jumps in at the right time Sabres, Miller jump for Roy in shootout Sabres preparing to take a 1-2 punch On mend from injury, Tropp returns to NHL Tropp called up Sabres getting ready for back-to-backs against best in East Five-point gap in race more than a stretch Roy's shootout goal lifts Sabres to victory Calgary Flames Johnson: Forget a Feaster fire sale Game Day: Philadelphia at Calgary Sutter loudly gets message across to Flames Glencross return huge relief for Flames Flames retract tweet calling Oilers' signing of Hemsky 'a joke' It s up to us to respond Giordano Flames sorry for Twitter message Sutter sees troubling trend Flames' Kolanos sidelined Flames GM backtracks on trade threats Carolina Hurricanes Canes' Ward practices, might play Saturday Can Canes claw their way into postseason? Chicago Blackhawks Wolves' four-game winning streak ends Saturday's matchup: Blackhawks at Kings Hawks begin stretch with West Coast test No Toews, Hjalmarsson on trip for Blackhawks With Jonathan Toews out, Patrick Kane knows he needs to step up Hawks head to West Coast without key trio Blackhawks game day Hawks sign goalie, assign him to Rockford Injuries, competition could lead to busy off-ice weekend Toews, Hjalmarsson, Montador won't join Hawks on trip Colorado Avalanche Avalanche cruises to 5-0 victory over Columbus Blue Jackets Knee injury to keep Avs' Ryan O'Byrne out 2-3 weeks Columbus Blue Jackets Blue Jackets: Johnson happy to be here Michael Arace commentary: Carter acquisition was doomed from the start Blue Jackets: Price might be too high for Nash to be traded Avalanche 5, Jackets 0: Difficult to watch NHL 2/25/2012 DAILY BRIEF Dallas Stars Stars' streak sends message to Joe Nieuwendyk ahead of deadline Kari Lehtonen sets career-best shutout streak in Stars' rout of Minnesota Stars' streak sends message to Joe Nieuwendyk ahead of deadline Thrashing of Wild makes Stars just 10th NHL franchise to get 1,500 wins Kari Lehtonen stellar in net as streaking Stars stomp Wild, Why Stars feel return of Sheldon Souray -- aka Studley Wonderbomb -- will have big impact on the ice Stars' Jamie Benn '50-50' for return Wednesday vs. Penguins Stars' Loui Eriksson joins elite company with yet another 50- point season Stars-Wild: Dallas needs an extra edge to win the back-toback Stars send forward Matt Fraser back to AHL affiliate Wandell, Lehtonen lead Stars over Wild 4-1 Detroit Red Wings Darren Helm picks up scoring pace for Red Wings Friday's Red Wings trade rumors Red Wings' Kyle Quincey clarifies comments about Avalanche Red Wings' third line is a major hit, but don't call it HAM Wings ready to deal for a forward, and next 48 hours are crucial Abdelkader, Helm, Miller get it done without 'a lot of fanciness' Wings' Kyle Quincey regrets words as he departed Colorado Wings game earns highest regular-season TV rating since Red Wings' Ken Holland: Trade talks will increase over the weekend as team seeks forward Red Wings' line of Darren Helm, Drew Miller and Justin Abdelkader providing energy, offense Red Wings' Kyle Quincey clarifies remarks about Avalanche, says Colorado 'unbelievable place to play' Red Wings' Mike Babcock seeks more energy, emotion, wants team to skate better than it has Worst coaches in Detroit sports history: Lions' futility, rough times for Tigers, Pistons Detroit Red Wings Quincey backtracks on bags packed remarks Edmonton Oilers Oil Notes: Nugent-Hopkins returns to lineup Hemsky agrees to two-year deal with Oilers Oilers sign Hemsky for the right amount on a two-year term Hemsky agrees to two-year deal Taylor Hall s laser treatments help erase long-term scar damage Report: Oilers Interested In Defenseman Marc Methot Contest closed! Hemsky signs two-year extension with Oilers Two more years of Hemsky debate RNH returning to Oilers lineup Oilers bench boss expected back Oilers Paajarvi bounces back Oilers, Hemsky agree to two-year deal Hemsky enjoys support of OIlers teammates Oilers trade door open slightly

2 Florida Panthers Florida Panthers acquire center Jerred Smithson Florida Panthers Add Depth, Trade 6th Round Pick to Predators for Jarred Smithson Teammates, family and friends say farewell to Gary Carter Garrison may to returnsaturday; Smithson acquired via trade Los Angeles Kings Up next for Kings: Saturday vs. Chicago Kings try to stay focused with trade deadline looming Good news, bad news for rookies Stevens, Williams, Mitchell on Carter trade Richards happy with Carter reunion Minnesota Wild Wild newcomer lights a spark with prowess in shootout Momentum plunges south again in Dallas Wandell scores twice, Kari Lehtonen makes 28 saves to send Stars to 4-1 win over Wild Marek Zidlicky's exit generates a wave in return Marek Zidlicky heading to New Jersey for 2 familiar faces, lots more Backstrom gets nod as Wild looks to end winless streak in Dallas For 3rd straight season, Wild season ticket prices to remain the same Wild wins shootout in Florida, looks to extend win streak to three in Dallas Minnesota Wild learn about trade in pieces Stars 4, Wild 1: Minnesota comes up flat Wild deal Marek Zidlicky to Devils for two familiar faces and a draft pick or two Montreal Canadiens The Ovechkin magic withers away Caps beat Habs to turn up the playoff heat In the Habs' Room: "It was not a great start" against Capitals, says Erik Cole Capitals hand Canadiens third straight loss Montreal Canadiens: Andrei Markov takes another step toward recovery Blake Geoffrion off to "excellent" start with Hamilton Bulldogs The Montreal Canadiens should turn to nerds for help Montreal Canadiens: Don't expect big moves from Habs on trade-deadline day About last night Markov still hopeful he'll be on the ice this season Nashville Predators Nashville Predators see Colin Wilson's production spike Nashville Predators trade Jerred Smithson to Florida Panthers Preview: Nashville Predators vs. San Jose Sharks Predators trade Jerred Smithson to Florida for a draft pick New Jersey Devils Canucks, on a Roll, Top the Devils Zidlicky Joins Devils in Big Trade, Hemsky Stays at Oilers Canucks Deal With the Devils to Rise Above Rest Canucks Claim Top Spot Overall With Win Over Devils Canucks Beat Devils 2-1; Schneider Has 30 Saves Zach Parise: Devils are a close team, trade won't change chemistry Consensus: Devils gave up a lot, but Marek Zidlicky will help Devils fall to Vancouver Canucks, 2-1, ending four-game win streak Devils get Marek Zidlicky from Minnesota Wild for Nick Palmieri, Kurtis Foster, Stephane Veilleux Devils-Canucks: As they play Devils' Martin Brodeur can't tell the Sedin twins apart Devils' Adam Larsson won't get to face Sedin twins; Kurtis Foster returns Devils cont'd Devils assign Stephane Veilleux to Albany (AHL) Gulitti: Devils' next best move may to get healthy Devils deal for Zidlicky, then fall to the Canucks, Devs win streak ends at Wild deal lands Zidlicky in Jersey Budget factor for Devils as deadline nears Devils get Zidlicky in trade for Foster New York Islanders Rangers Play Catch Up, Then Fall in Shootout NY Rangers overcome two separate two-goal deficits, but NY Islanders net two shootout goals to down Blueshirts Ex-NY Ranger P.A. Parenteau scores pair in NY Islanders' win against old team Islanders beat Rangers in shootout Isles' Cizikas makes NHL debut New York Rangers Rangers Play Catch Up, Then Fall in Shootout NY Rangers overcome two separate two-goal deficits, but NY Islanders net two shootout goals to down Blueshirts Rangers may place Avery on re-entry waivers Struggling Rangers beaten by Islanders Parenteau, Moulson lift Isles over Rangers in SO Rangers point not well-taken in OT loss to Islanders NHL Trading places in the NHL Putin harks back to 72 Summit Series for a political boost How NHL coaches Hitchcock, Noel made a lifelong bond The tragedy of doing nothing: Ken Dryden on how sexual predators corrupt hockey NHL: Columbus Blue Jackets at a crossroads Jeff Carter in, Dustin Brown out? Jeff Carter traded to Kings Ottawa Senators Scanlan: Senators hope kitchen caper becomes a laughing matter Auld and Lehner to battle for control of Ottawa s net Craig Anderson s injury not as bad as feared Foligno grateful goal slump finally over Really, really weird sports injuries Game Day: Sens vs. Bruins Something Auld or something new? Sens wait and see on goalie trade Philadelphia Flyers Sitting back is a problem for the slumping Flyers Hartnell off scot free Dubnyk, Oilers leave Flyers blinking after blanking Giroux, Jagr, Pronger respected by peers Matchup with Flames good for Bryzgalov? Flyers realize they can't let easy points escape No discipline for Hartnell on Paajarvi hit Flyers' best and worst of the week Phoenix Coyotes Several trades make waves around the NHL Coyotes' Mike Smith outperforming Flyers' Ilya Bryzgalov Pittsburgh Penguins Top two NHL scorers tangle at Consol Energy Center A number of Penguins have experience with upcoming trade deadline No hiding Crosby's impact in big picture with Penguins Malkin, Stamkos even in scoring race Orpik's status for Penguins game today not clear Penguins recall Thiessen again Crosby skates, status unchanged

3 San Jose Sharks NHL trade deadline hangs over San Jose Sharks during tough trip Patrick Marleau, Antti Niemi lead Sharks St Louis Blues Blues-Winnipeg matchup box Blues focus on defense after Russell's injury Russell is latest Blue to suffer concussion symptoms Tampa Bay Lightning Bolts might not be done dealing yet Bolts notes: Wallace claimed from Islanders Lightning's game against Pittsburgh Penguins matches league's top two scorers in Steven Stamkos, Evgeni Malkin Game preview: Tampa Bay Lightning at Pittsburgh Penguins Should the Tampa Bay Lightning try to claim Antti Miettinen off waivers? Tampa Bay Lightning loses to Winnipeg Jets 4-3 Toronto Maple Leafs Leafs waive two players as trade deadline looms DiManno on NHL trade deadline: Leaf Luke Schenn awaits fate Cox on NHL trade deadline: Leafs GM Brian Burke feels squeeze as pressure builds Feschuk on NHL trade deadline: Leaf coach Ron Wilson s future hangs in balance NHL trade deadline: Hockey voices chime in on players Maple Leafs should target NHL trade deadline: Are Maple Leafs interested in Dustin Brown of the Los Angeles Kings? Winnipeg Jets leapfrog over the Maple Leafs in playoff berth chase with win over Tampa Bay Lightning Feschuk on NHL trade deadline: Leaf coach Ron Wilson s future hangs in balance Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs: Saturday game preview Maple Leafs place Darryl Boyce, Jay Rosehill on waivers Cox on NHL trade deadline: Leafs GM Brian Burke feels squeeze as pressure builds Brown? Nash? Leafs need a spark Quest for 'whole package' Espo slags Ovie's lack of passion Leafs distracted by trade deadline When the Leafs were kings Maple Leafs strive for quicker starts Leafs try to shrug off trade rumours Vancouver Canucks Canucks show no sympathy for the Devils, now first overall in NHL with 2-1 win Drance Numbers: Harry Potter plays soft minutes; the Sedins play optimized minutes Canucks Game Day: Vancouver may have Devil(s) of a time getting up for this one I Watched This Game: Canucks at Detroit Red Wings, February 23, Rome, Raymond spark Canucks win over New Jersey Devils Canucks shouldn't be burned by red-hot Devils and Brodeur Canucks Hat Trick: Three things for fans to ponder Luongo magic in Motor City for Canucks Canucks' Luongo revealed as Twitter jokester? Willes: Canucks and Wings showdown Joe Louis doesn't settle much Canucks' Rai hopes nightmare is over Canucks preview: Devils are red-hot Canucks Hat Trick: Wings game as good as it gets, Sedins never better, the post-game celebration was fantastic Washington Capitals Capitals vs. Canadiens: Alex Ovechkin s return sparks Washington to 4-1 victory over Montreal Alex Ovechkin scores in return to Capitals lineup Capitals playoff window closing, but there s still time Top Capitals prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov hurt in KHL game Roman Hamrlik, John Erskine likely both healthy scratches Capitals get some bulletin-board material Michal Neuvirth likely to start vs. Montreal Alex Ovechkin will play against Canadiens Alex Ovechkin skates after missing Wednesday s game Canadiens the tonic to end Capitals 3-game losing streak Alex Ovechkin returns vs. Canadiens Websites ESPN / Zidlicky a good fit for Devils ESPN / Debate: Who's under the gun? ESPN / Rumblings: Kings soften Brown trade talk, Penguins look for backup goalie FOXSports.com / Young phenom highlights WHL defensive corps NBCSports.com / Datsyuk tops poll as NHL s nicest player Sportsnet.ca / Leafs need a shake up USA TODAY / European forwards outshine North Americans in skill Winnipeg Jets Former Jet Hull still draws a hometown crowd Jets waive Miettinen, prep for Blues Golden Jet feels snubbed Reason for PP success anybody's guess Trade spectre looms View from top spectacular, but can be fleeting About the Jets Schemes, screams will fill Jets war room The Race Time for The Freezers Blues bench boss Jets Noel's mentor Jets legend left out Jets Mason could get start, Miettinen placed on waivers SPORT-SCAN, INC

4 Anaheim Ducks Sbisa grows into all-around game for Ducks February 24th, 2012, 1:51 pm posted by Eric Stephens, Staff writer Ducks general manager Bob Murray bet on growth potential with Luca Sbisa when he signed him to a four-year contract extension worth $8.7 million last spring, even though the defenseman hadn t even finished his first full season. But with potential for a 22-year-old blue-liner comes the talent that is shown one night and the mistakes that are made on another. Or sometimes in the same game. It is a process that most young defensemen go through in the NHL. A year ago, Sbisa took one step forward in becoming a regular everyday player. Now he is making the leap in his development. Any point Sbisa gets going forward will only add to his breakout season. His fourth goal of the season came Thursday night in the Ducks 3-2 shootout victory over Carolina, giving him 21 points from the blue line. Things have been going well for the team, Sbisa said. For myself, I just try to do my part and help the team out. Just try to get ready for every game the same way, no matter who you play. Whether it s on the road or home. Whatever kind of situation. I just put a lot of focus on my preparation. I know if I take care of my preparation, everything else is going to take care of itself. Refreshingly forthright, Sbisa talked about how his confidence wavered wildly last season as he dealt with an early-season demotion to the minor leagues. Now Sbisa says, I m not thinking as much out there. Just try to let my instincts take over. It s been a lot of fun. Especially with this guy helping me out over there. As he spoke, Sbisa looked at defense partner Lubomir Visnovsky, who joked that the questions had to be easy because he had a big game that night. But the good-natured veteran has had an impact on the youngster s game, as he did in in helping Toni Lydman have one of the best season of his career. Obviously, he s an elite guy, Sbisa said. He had the most points as a d- man last year. Some underestimate his defensive game as well. He s a pretty good all-around defenseman. We have a pretty good relationship off the ice,too. We re friends. It helps, too. I think it s fun to play with each other. Hopefully it shows out there. We don t yell at each other if someone makes a mistake. Hockey is a game of mistakes. I make mistakes. He makes mistakes. But we try to bail each other out. It s been a lot of fun. Averaging nearly 17 1/2 minutes a night on the ice, Sbisa has a plus-6 over his last 11 games. He s growing up but we need him to grow up at this time, Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. This is the time when we re counting on a guy like him to play lots of minutes. We need him to play important minutes, so he d better be good or we re not going to be successful. Encouraged by former coach Randy Carlyle to focus more on defense during his first season on the Ducks blue line, Sbisa is tapping into his offensive side under Boudreau. I think now I m just playing my game, he said. Coach Boudreau, Woodsy and Lausie (assistant coaches Bob Woods and Brad Lauer), they let me play my game. If I play my game, those points are going to come every now and then. But I m not going to put too much focus on that. I m just going to play my game. I try to take care of defense first. The way I play, sometimes I rush the puck up or whatever. Those points are going to come. I m just trying to play a decent all-around game. That s my goal. Orange County Register: LOADED:

5 Boston Bruins Sabres beat Rask, Bruins in shootout Fluto Shinzawa BUFFALO - Last night at the First Niagara Center, the Bruins played the Sabres even for 40 minutes, got the better of the Sabres in the third period, and had a few sniffs in overtime. For all that, the Bruins were saddled with a 2-1 shootout loss when Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy slipped pucks behind Tuukka Rask. Vanek surprised the goalie with a slapper from the slot while Roy beat Rask with a backhand glove side. Ryan Miller allowed David Krejci to shove a puck between his pads, but stood tall against Tyler Seguin, Patrice Bergeron, and Benoit Pouliot to backstop the Sabres to the win. That said, the Bruins weren t discouraged by the 1-point night. It was a hard-fought game, Bruins coach Claude Julien said. I thought the first two periods was pretty even. I thought we were obviously the better team out there in the third. It s going to be those kinds of games from here on in as teams fight for playoff spots. There s going to be tight games. You d like to see your team score a little more. But I think overall, the effort and the commitment was there tonight. I think we re going in the right direction. What Julien especially liked was how hard his team battled in the third period. The Bruins were down, 1-0, after 40 minutes, but they picked up the pace in the third, firing 15 pucks at Miller. One went in. At 2:46, Christian Ehrhoff put the puck into the safety netting and was called for delay of game. On the power play, Zdeno Chara found the back of the net. Prior to the goal, Roy corralled a loose puck deep in the left corner and tried to fire it down the ice. But Chara read the play, stepped in front, and kept it from leaving the zone. As Chara wound up for a blast, Milan Lucic posted up on Tyler Myers. With all that beef serving as a double screen, Miller didn t have much chance to see Chara s shot until the puck was behind him at 3:36, tying the game at 1. I picked a side where he could go with the puck, Chara said of anticipating Roy s clearing attempt. It worked. From that close, I was just trying to put a good shot on the net. It just went in. Not only did Chara provide the Bruins only offense of the night, but the captain also prevented the winning goal. At 19:36 of the third, Vanek was called for high-sticking Johnny Boychuk. The Sabres killed the penalty, which led to a glittering overtime chance for Vanek once he stepped out of the box. With Rask scrambling to get back into position, Vanek only had to backhand the puck from a sharp angle into an open net. Chara recovered and lunged with his stick to break up Vanek s chance. I wasn t sure if he was behind me, Rask said of Vanek. I was just focused on the shot and the shooter. Z read it and he got his stick on it. Good play by him. Rask (26 saves) is now winless in his last six starts and hasn t posted a victory since Jan. 16. But he was encouraged by how he battled amid a stretch where his confidence hasn t been as high as he d prefer. The last few days, goaltending coach Bob Essensa has been preaching patience with Rask. With Rask not being as comfortable as he d like, he s been dropping into his butterfly too quickly and leaving too much real estate up top. Rask couldn t do much to avoid that on Buffalo s only goal. In the second period, after Tyler Ennis and Drew Stafford won wall battles in the Boston zone, Andrej Sekera had a point-blank chance from the slot. Sekera sniped a shot high glove on Rask at 14:45 to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead. For the rest of the night, Rask was square to shooters, efficient with his rebounds, and generally in control of his game. It has been a weakness of mine lately, Rask said of going down too early. It has a lot to do with confidence. [Essensa] came here and we started to work on that. It s good when somebody tells you that. You don t necessarily realize it yourself. It s not always an easy thing to do when you re not feeling the best you ve ever felt. It s a challenge mentally to stay patient and stay up. But it s a step forward for me. Tonight at Scotiabank Place, the Bruins wrap up their six-game trip with a crucial match against Ottawa. The Senators are only 3 points behind the Bruins for the Northeast Division lead. The teams will square off again Tuesday at TD Garden, one day after the trade deadline. This is where a lot of things will be decided - whether we make it a tight race or we really push them down, said Julien, whose team has played three fewer games than the Senators. Those games in hand will really be handy if you win those. Boston Globe LOADED:

6 Boston Bruins Seguin raising his game Fluto Shinzawa BUFFALO - Tyler Seguin hasn t scored a goal in eight straight games. The second-year NHLer has just one goal in his last 12 games. Yet Seguin might be playing the best hockey of his career. Because of his speed, hands, and shot, Seguin can be one of the most lethal finishers in the league. Seguin has 20 goals, second-most on the club behind Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand, who have each found the back of the net 21 times. But what s making Seguin a valuable contributor is his all-around game. It s no coincidence that Seguin, Marchand, and Patrice Bergeron have remained together while the three other lines have been jumbled recently. They have come together as Claude Julien s all-purpose line. The three forwards are deployed just as rapidly to prevent a goal as they are when offense is required. None of that would have been possible had Seguin not bought in to being a two-way forward. Really no shortcuts in his game, said the Bruins coach, referring to Seguin s performance in Wednesday s 4-2 win over St. Louis. At one point, you look at what the line has done. The line performed [Wednesday] night. Whether they say he hasn t scored in X number of games, he certainly participated in our scoring. That should be just as good. I don t look at it the same way everybody does. I m sure he d like to score. I d like to see him score. At the same time, at the end of the night it s, What did you bring to the game on that specific night? I thought he was good. Last night, Seguin ripped off five shots in 19:24 of ice time. He had one of the game s best scoring chances. Early in the second period, Seguin intercepted a Paul Gaustad pass, then snapped a riser on goal. Ryan Miller got a piece of Seguin s shot to knock it over the net. The ice time reflects Julien s confidence in the 20-year-old. In his last eight games, Seguin s lowest ice time was 18:16 in the Bruins 6-0 loss to Buffalo on Feb. 8. Last year, Julien wouldn t have dared tab Seguin for shifts against opposing top forwards. Against the Blues, Seguin took regular shifts against St. Louis s power line of Vladimir Sobotka, David Backes, and T.J. Oshie. All three forwards thrive on running opponents over to create their offense. Seguin helped keep them off the scoreboard, while setting up Marchand for a game-breaking breakaway in the third period. Ready to rumble Shawn Thornton is the Bruins resident enforcer, but Adam McQuaid is also game to shed the mitts, especially when Thornton isn t 100 percent. Thornton has been sick the last three days. He didn t practice Thursday, and sat out Wednesday s morning skate before playing against the Blues. Thornton has one of the hardest jobs in the league, one that s even more challenging when he s fighting an illness. On Wednesday, McQuaid found himself in a tangle with St. Louis s B.J. Crombeen after the Bruins scored the first goal. It was the game s only fight. Even in Minnesota, he stepped up pretty big, McQuaid said of Thornton s fight against Matt Kassian in Sunday s loss to the Wild. But it wasn t like I was going into the game thinking I d have to do that. I wasn t necessarily thinking about it. But the situation seems to be finding me. There were no fights last night. On the market? According to TSN, the Kings have been accepting trade inquiries on captain Dustin Brown. The thump-first center would be in the Bruins wheelhouse. The 27-year-old has 15 goals and 17 assists in 61 games. Brown has 215 hits, second most in the league behind the Islanders Matt Martin, and is averaging 20:21 of ice time. Brown has two years remaining on his deal with an average $3.175 million annual cap hit, according to If Brown is available, the Bruins might not have the package to contend. Dougie Hamilton, the club s hot-shot blue-line prospect, is considered untouchable. The Bruins have a 2011 first-round pick, but do not have a second-rounder. There are no high-level prospects in Providence. Ryan Spooner and Jared Knight are in juniors, and will likely require at least one season of AHL play before they are ready for the NHL. High asking prices, the scarcity of picks and prospects, and the team s status as defending champion are three factors why the Bruins aren t expected to be big-time dealers before Monday s 3 p.m. deadline. Middle of the action Chris Kelly remained at center between Lucic and David Krejci. Kelly had a team-high six shots in 18:04 of action... The Bruins had four power plays and managed only two shots, one of which went in... Marchand was booed every time he touched the puck. He called Buffalo the worst city in the league during a radio interview Thursday... Former Bruin Brad Boyes didn t play for the Sabres because of an undisclosed injury. Boston Globe LOADED:

7 Boston Bruins Bruins-Sabres Sums Staff Writer Final: Sabres 2, Bruins 1 (SO) February 24, 2012 Fluto Shinzawa, Globe Staff Share All done in Buffalo. Derek Roy ends it in shootout. 5:00 OT: 1-1 Shootout time. Ryan Miller looking pretty good through 65. Tuukka Rask a bit scrambly. 2:38 OT: 1-1 Tuukka Rask gloves the puck to halt the action. Furious pace down low by the Sabres. Zdeno Chara gets in front of Thomas Vanek s chance. 20:00 3d period: 1-1 Bruins will have 1:37 remaining on Thomas Vanek s high-sticking penalty in overtime. Bruins will take the point. Bruins at their best in the third.6:05 3d period: 1-1 David Krejci tip goes just wide. Bruins finally pushing. 5:19 3d period: 1-1 Good backchecking hustle by Johnny Boychuk. Derek Roy had a chance after blocking Zdeno Chara shot, but Boychuk hustled to bust it up. 3:36 3d period: 1-1 Zdeno Chara with the PPG. Shot goes through double screen of Milan Lucic and Tyler Myers. Ryan Miller never going to see the puck with that kind of beef in front. 2:58 3d period: Sabres 1-0 Glittering SH chance for Patrick Kaleta. Puck goes wide with Tuukka Rask down and out. 0:36 3d period: Sabres 1-0 Big Johnny Boychuk block on Jordan Leopold blast. Boychuk limping after that one. 20:00 2d period: Sabres 1-0 Bruins chasing the game heading into the third. Very easy night for Ryan Miller through 40 minutes. 18:20 2d period: Sabres 1-0 Ryan Miller smothers Chris Kelly shot. Bruins not getting any sustained pressure on Miller. 15:46 2d period: Sabres 1-0 Another tripping call on Corey Tropp. At the least, Bruins have to create some momentum. 14:44 2d period: Sabres 1-0 Andrej Sekera goes high blocker on Tuukka Rask. Good wall work by Sabres to get Sekera the puck. Nice shot. 13:54 2d period: 0-0 Nothing on PP. Bruins out of practice. 11:54 2d period: 0-0 Corey Tropp off for tripping. First PP for Bruins in last two games. 7:42 2d period: 0-0 Ryan Miller gloves David Krejci s short-range bid. Miller looking sharp. 1:00 2d period: 0-0 Good chance for Tyler Seguin. Picks off Paul Gaustad pass and goes high on Ryan Miller. Shot goes over net. 20:00 1st period: 0-0 Not many scoring chances for either club through 20 minutes. 8:15 1st period: 0-0 Zdeno Chara s slapper tipped by Gregory Campbell off the post. 5:44 1st period: 0-0 Boos for Brad Marchand. Surprised he s even playing. Should have been floored with food poisoning. 0:53 1st period: 0-0 Terrific chance for Derek Roy in front. Tuukka Rask scrambles to keep puck in front of the line. No stick for Johnny Boychuk. 0:00 1st period: 0-0 No lineup changes. Josh Hennessy and Andrew Bodnarchuk out. Boston Globe LOADED:

8 Boston Bruins Good but not better Steve Conroy BUFFALO One of these days the Bruins will start a winning streak for themselves. But after a decent effort at the Niagara Center last night, they re still chasing it. A strong third period allowed the B s to tie the Buffalo Sabres and get a point, but they fell in a shootout for just the second time in nine tries this year. The last time they won consecutive games was Jan. 10 and 12, an awfully long time for a team that fashions itself a top Stanley Cup contender. But coach Claude Julien, livid with his team after a loss in Winnipeg a week ago, was heartened by his team stringing together a couple of a good, structured performances. It was a hard-fought game and I thought the first two periods were pretty even, to be honest, and obviously we were the better team out there in the third, said Julien. It s going to be those kind of games from here on in. There are going to be teams fighting for playoff spots and they re going to be tight games. You d like to see your team find ways to score a little bit more, but overall I think the effort and the commitment was there again tonight. I think we re going in the right direction. In the shootout, the B s took an early lead when David Krejci beat Ryan Miller. Thomas Vanek tied it on a slap shot that zipped by Rask, and Tyler Seguin was stopped by Miller. After Nathan Gerbe was denied by Rask, Patrice Bergeron had a chance to win it, but Miller stopped his wrister. The Sabres took the lead on a Derek Roy backhander, and the B s Benoit Pouliot then shot it over the net to end it. It was a tough way for Rask to earn another L, his sixth straight, but his game was much closer to where he wants it. Not bad, said Rask, who made 26 saves. I just tried to be more patient and not go down too early and I think I did that, except on that (regulation) goal. It was a step ahead for me and hopefully I can keep it going. Rask was kicking himself for getting beaten by Vanek s slapper in the shootout. I knew he was going to do that, said Rask. He started in plenty of time and I had made the save before he even shot it, and it still freakin got through me. Last night s game displayed little of the hostility that existed in previous matchups. In fact, the Bruins didn t get tagged with a single penalty while the Sabres got four, one of which captain Zdeno Chara capitalized on. Buffalo defenseman Andrej Sekera had given the Sabres a 1-0 lead at 14:45 on one of the few defensive breakdowns for the B s. But the B s again came on strong in the third period, which they did in their win in St. Louis, and had made one of their more definable characteristics earlier this season. With Christian Ehrhoff off for delay of game, Chara evened the game when he stole a bad clear from Mike Weber and nestled it over Miller s shoulder at 3:36. The B s, who outshot Buffalo 15-5 in the third, had their chances to win it. With 23.5 seconds left in regulation, Vanek was called for high-sticking, giving the B s a lengthy 4-on-3 in overtime, but they could do nothing with it. Then it went to the shootout. It was a game where, with a matter of a little luck, it would have been on our side, said Chara. But they had some chances, too. It was a good game. Boston Herald LOADED:

9 Boston Bruins Derek Roy scores to seal Sabres 2-1 SO win over Bruins completing a stretch of playing eight of nine games at Buffalo, the Sabres hit the road for a five-game swing that opens at the New York Rangers on Saturday.... The Bruins are in the midst of a six-game road trip that concludes at Ottawa on Saturday. Boston Herald LOADED: Staff Writer BUFFALO, N.Y. - Derek Roy scored the decisive shootout goal in lifting the Buffalo Sabres to a 2-1 win over the Boston Bruins on Friday night. Ryan Miller made 35 saves through regulation and stopped three of four shootout attempts in helping the Sabres improve to in their past four games. Andrej Sekera scored for the Sabres, who are in their past 13 games. Zdeno Chara scored the tying goal 3:36 into the third period as the Bruins salvaged a point. Coming off a 4-2 win at St. Louis on Wednesday, Boston dropped to in its past 19 games, a stretch in which it has failed to win consecutive games. After Boston s David Krejci and Buffalo s Thomas Vanek traded shootout goals, Roy put the Sabres ahead by driving to the net and lifting a backhander that tipped off the glove of Tuukka Rask, but had enough momentum to drop in behind the goalie. Benoit Pouliot had a chance to tie it, but missed the net on Boston s final shootout attempt. Boston lost despite out-shooting the Sabres overall, and 15-5 in the third period. Also, the Bruins played a penalty-free game for the first time since a 2-2 tie at the New York Islanders on Jan. 27, The Bruins have been having difficulty generating much offense over the past three weeks, in which they ve been outscored in regulation over their past 11 games, and shut out four times. That included Miller s 36-save outing in a 6-0 loss at Buffalo on Feb. 8. It doesn t help that they continue to play without forwards Nathan Horton (concussion) and Rich Peverley (sprained knee), who have combined for 26 goals and 70 points. Vanek had a chance to seal the win 2:15 into overtime when Roy set him up to the right of the net, and Rask out of position. Kicking the puck up to his skate, Vanek tried to stuff it in the open side, only to have Chara block it with an out-reached stick. Sekera opened the scoring with 5:15 left in the second period, on a great set up by Tyler Ennis. Ville Leino started the play by dumping the puck in along the left boards. Ennis drove in behind the net and secured the loose puck before coming out the right side and feeding Sekera in the right circle, from where he snapped a shot just inside the left post. Chara tied the game with a power-play goal. After having his initial shot blocked, he stopped Roy s weak clearing attempt and the right point, and slapped a hard riser that sailed over Miller s left shoulder. It was only Boston s third power-play goal in 25 chances over the past 11 games. The Sabres had a scoring chance in the opening minute, when Vanek threaded a pass through the middle, which Roy tipped toward the net. The puck caromed off Chara s skate and then hugged the goal line before Rask pushed it away. Later in the period, Chara had Miller beat with a hard shot from the left point, only to have the puck strike the crossbar. Miller was sharp, too. His best save came a minute into the second period, when Paul Gaustad s errant pass inside the blue line led to Boston s Tyler Seguin breaking in alone up the middle. Seguin snapped a shot from 10 feet only to have Miller get a piece of it and deflect it wide. Miller also had to be careful in stabbing a bouncing shot from Seguin that went through a crowd with 2:50 left in the second period. Rask has struggled, giving up 20 goals in going in his previous five starts. Notes: Bruins C Brad Marchand was booed by Sabres fans each time he touched the puck, a day after he referred to Buffalo as "the worst place in the NHL," during an interview on a Boston radio station.... The Sabres recalled F Corey Tropp from AHL Rochester earlier in the day to fill in for RW Brad Boyes, who did not play because of an upper-body injury.... After

10 Buffalo Sabres Sekera jumps in at the right time Mike Harrington Andrej Sekera has been getting plenty of ice time in recent games as part of the Buffalo Sabres' shutdown defensive pair with Robyn Regehr. Sekera has helped keep the puck out of the net, posting a plus-3 rating the last 16 games. He finally got a good chance to put one in the other team's cage Friday night. Sekera took a neat pass from Tyler Ennis and buried a snapshot past Boston goalie Tuukka Rask for Buffalo's only goal through the 65 minutes of play in their 2-1 shootout win over the Bruins. It was Sekera's third goal of the season -- and first in 22 games dating to Dec. 16 against Toronto. "I tried to play a sound defensive game and when there are openings sometimes I'm trying to jump into the play," Sekera said. "Sometimes, it works and sometimes it doesn't." It worked fine in this case, as Sekera broke free inside the Boston blue line and got a perfect pass from Ennis. "I think he saw me at the last second. My guy wasn't looking at me, so I saw an opening and jumped in," Sekera said. "I yelled, [Ennis] passed it right on my tape and I knew where I was going with it." Sabres winger Brad Boyes missed the game with an undisclosed injury, although Ruff said Boyes could play tonight in New York against the Rangers. Corey Tropp was called up from Rochester and had three shots on goal, all in the first period, but was also hit with a pair of penalties. Tropp has seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points in 22 games in Rochester, including three goals and six assists in seven February games. Tropp, 22, suffered a concussion here Dec. 9 against Florida and admitted he wasn't feeling right in three January games at Rochester so he sat out another month before finally returning. "My goal coming back was taking it a game at a time and continuing to get better each night," Tropp said. "Just worry about getting back to competing hard and having that energy and enjoying being out there again. I've been pretty happy how I was playing down there." The Sabres blocked 22 shots, including 12 combined in the third period and overtime. Jordan Leopold led the way with five, while Mike Weber and Tyler Myers stopped four each. "We really dug in, we blocked some big shots and threw our bodies in front of a couple," said coach Lindy Ruff. Weber made a big block in overtime against Boston's Zdeno Chara on a 4- on-3 penalty kill. "We thought we'd key on Chara, make sure that we fronted him," Ruff said. "That's no easy task when you're telling your D, 'Hey listen, you're going to block the one-timer that's going about 105 [mph],'" Ruff said. The Sabres have gone from 15th in the East and 10 points out of eighth to 11th place and five points back in just a week with a run. "There's a lot of teams here from ninth to 14th place," Ruff said. "We got our eyes set on eighth and it's going to take one heck of a run still. You've got to give the guys credit. They've been locked in for a good period." The Sabres improved to 6-4 in shootouts this season. Ryan Miller is 4-2 and has stopped 15 of 22 attempts. The Bruins, meanwhile, fell to 7-2 and Tuukka Rask (2-2) has stopped only six of 14. Starter Tim Thomas (5-0) has stopped 16 of Patrick Kaleta missed part of the second period due to migraines. The Sabres opened their 17th of a league-high 21 backto-back sets. They are in the first game and are in the second.... The Bruins are in their last 19 games and have no two-game winning streaks since Jan Buffalo News LOADED:

11 Buffalo Sabres Sabres, Miller jump for Roy in shootout John Vogl It's not easy for a goaltender to jump. Ryan Miller proved it can be done, though. The Sabres' goalie jumped for joy Friday night at the conclusion of Buffalo's 2-1 shootout victory over Boston, a victory that moved the Sabres to in their last four games. Miller made 35 saves during the game and stopped three of four in the shootout, leaping in the air as his teammates rushed toward him when Benoit Pouliot fired wide. Thomas Vanek and Derek Roy scored for the Sabres in the shootout, Roy getting the winner when his backhand hit the right post and went in. "I'm just happy to get some wins," Miller said. "I guess it doesn't really matter who it's against right now, but we know they're a very good team. We had to play a good game to beat them. Those do feel good." "He's playing unbelievable," center Tyler Ennis said of Miller. "We all know that is the way he plays, and we have a lot of confidence in him." The Sabres' celebration ended quickly as they left First Niagara Center for a flight to New York. They visit the Rangers tonight. The Bruins opened overtime on their fourth power play of the night. Sabres left wing Thomas Vanek got nabbed for high-sticking Johnny Boychuk with 23 seconds left in regulation. The Sabres allowed just one shot. Vanek nearly won the game shortly after stepping out of the box. Defenseman Andrej Sekera fed the wide-open sniper at the side of the net, but Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara dived to get his stick on Vanek's attempt with 2:40 to go. The Bruins finished with 36 shots, half of them coming during the third period (15) and overtime. The Sabres tested Tuukka Rask 27 times, but only five shots came during the third. "We were sitting back and letting them come to us. That's an adjustment we've got to make," Roy said. The Sabres' top chance came just 40 seconds after the puck dropped. Roy tipped Vanek's pass in the slot, and the shot struck the skate of Chara and hit the right post. The seal in front of the nets finally broke with 5:15 left in the second. Sekera's first goal in 21 games got the crowd of 18,690 roaring. Ennis collected a dump-in behind the Boston net and spotted Sekera pinching. The defenseman was alone between the circles and his wrist shot sailed into the top left corner past goalie Tuukka Rask. "Andrej did a great job of just jumping in that hole," Ennis said. The first two penalties of the game went to the Sabres in the second period, both of them coming on trips by call-up Corey Tropp. The struggling Buffalo penalty-kill unit, which entered on an 11-for-17 slide, kept the Bruins quiet on both. "The penalty killers did a great job, and that's a big part of why we won," Ennis added. Each goaltender made 10 saves in the second. Miller, though, seemed busier. He needed to get his glove on attempts by Tyler Seguin and David Krejci, and his shoulder stopped Seguin's close-range opportunity late in the period. The Bruins hadn't scored against the Sabres since Chara beat Jhonas Enroth 3:35 into the third period in their meeting Nov. 23. Miller earned a 6-0 shutout over the Bruins. The streaks by Buffalo's goaltenders and penalty killers ended with 2:46 gone in the third. Christian Ehrhoff went to the box for knocking the puck over the glass, and the Sabres struggled in their own zone. It translated to a goal when Roy's clearing attempt went directly to Chara for a one-timer. He showed off his blistering slap shot, ripping one past Miller's glove to tie it, 1-1. "That was a tough break," Roy said. "The puck was spinning on me. I didn't get all of it. He picked it off and made a pretty nice shot. I wanted to redeem myself somehow during the game. I didn't know when it was going to be, but I had a good feeling about it." The Sabres entered the night when leading after two periods, while Boston was when trailing after two. The Bruins' point percentage of.286 was tied with Nashville for tops in the NHL. Buffalo played without right wing Drew Stafford for more than four minutes in the first after he limped to the dressing room with a left leg ailment. He returned with four minutes to go. Fellow right wing Patrick Kaleta did not join his teammates for the start of the second. He returned with eight minutes left in the period. Buffalo News LOADED:

12 Buffalo Sabres Sabres preparing to take a 1-2 punch John Vogl Patrick Kaleta looked at the Sabres' weekend plans and immediately knew what he had to do. "I might have to go in the weight room here and do a couple extra reps," Kaleta said Thursday. That was not a bad idea. The Sabres will need all the strength they can muster. The Sabres host Boston tonight in First Niagara Center and visit the New York Rangers on Saturday. The Bruins are second in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers are first. Obviously, it doesn't get much tougher for a Buffalo team trying to surge into the playoff race. "Both teams, it's a good test for us," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "It will tell us where we're at." The Sabres, in last place in the conference as recently as last weekend, feel they're headed back to contention. They are in the last three games and in the last 12. They have pulled within eight points of Winnipeg and the final playoff spot with 22 games to go. "We've been playing our game and playing extremely well, solid defensively, cut our goals against way down over the last 12 games here," defenseman Mike Weber said. "It's just another huge test for our team. We've put ourselves into a position now where we've got to some life, and we've battled ourselves back to a situation where every point counts. We can still do this." The Sabres have indeed played better defensively during their past dozen games. Buffalo has allowed 2.87 goals per game this season, 21st in the NHL, but that average has dropped thanks to their goals against of 2.17 during the 12-game run. Included in that surge is a 6-0 shutout of Boston on Feb. 8. "We played Boston extremely well last time," Weber said. "The biggest thing that's changed lately is our consistency." Ryan Miller has also played a role. The goaltender has a 1.85 goals-against average and.935 save percentage in his last 12 appearances. He was with a 3.15 GAA and.897 save percentage entering his 2-1 shootout victory over New Jersey on Jan. 24. His numbers entering tonight are with a 2.75 and.908. "Lately you see Millsie getting the big save, letting you know he's in the game, he's back into form," Weber said. "When you've got an elite goaltender like Ryan Miller going it puts everyone's confidence level at a new height. That gives everyone a little boost. When he's going, I think our team's going. I think that's what you've seen lately." Miller and the Sabres' shutdown unit of forwards Nathan Gerbe, Paul Gaustad and Kaleta, with defensemen Robyn Regehr and Andrej Sekera, will need to be at its best this weekend. The Bruins are second in scoring in the NHL at 3.22 goals per game. New York, which boasts forwards Brad Richards and Marian Gaborik, is 12th at "It's a good challenge for us, a good test, too," Sekera said. "It makes you a better hockey player when you play against better guys. You've got to make sure when you get on the ice against them you think defense first. You make sure nobody's cheating behind you, then jump in the play and create opportunities to punish those lines." The Bruins haven't forgotten the punishment they absorbed during their last trip to Buffalo. The six-goal setback was the worst of the year for a team that's just 5-7 in its last 12 games. "They have a real good team, especially when they're all playing together and working hard," Bruins forward Brad Marchand said. "They seem to get up when they're playing us, and the last three games have been very good battles. They really owned us last time, so we have to be prepared." Buffalo News LOADED:

13 Buffalo Sabres On mend from injury, Tropp returns to NHL Staff Writer Corey Tropp didn't give the Sabres much offense in his 14 games earlier this year (one goal, one assist) but he gave them plenty of grit. After a twomonth battle with a concussion, he's found his offensive game in Rochester and is back in the NHL for the Sabres' game tonight against the Boston Bruins in First Niagara Center. Brad Boyes will not play tonight due to an undisclosed injury and Tropp has been called up from Rochester, likely to join Matt Ellis and Zack Kassian on the fourth line (Cody McCormick is skating with the team but has not been cleared for contact). Tropp has seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points in 22 games in Rochester, and had a two-goal game Wednesday against Hershey. He has three goals and six assists in seven February games (game-by-game stats here) "He's come back and played really well," said coach Lindy Ruff. "He had a heckuva game down there the other night in Rochester and gave us a lot of good hockey. He was a bright spot, his energy, he was on top of the puck, tough guy to play against. I really liked the way he played, high compete level." Tropp, 22, suffered his concussion here Dec. 9 against Florida and admitted he wasn't feeling right on the ice in three January games at Rochester so he sat out another month. "My goal coming back was taking it a game at a time and continuing to get better each night," Tropp said. "Just worry about getting back to competing hard and having that energy and enjoying being out there again. I've been pretty happy how I was playing down there and hopefully I can continue that up here." A good night to come is a game against the Bruins, who should be plenty ready tonight after the 6-0 whitewash they absored here Feb. 8. Tropp said the hit against Florida was an eye-opener but he's ready to keep his physical game going. "That's part of the game," Tropp said. "I definitely got my bell rung there but hopefully I'm the one giving those more than taking them here more often." Buffalo News LOADED: