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Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Matt Cooke is most well-known for his questionable and often irresponsible hits, but on Saturday night against the Atlanta Thrashers, karma finally dealt Cooke the hardest hit of his career. Of all players to deliver Cooke the blow, it was rookie Evander Kane with a right hook 1:59 into the second period of Atlanta’s 1-0 win. “He challenged me and asked me to fight, and I was not going ...

Playing on home ice is important to most teams heading into the playoffs. I say “most teams” because there are those rare teams that play better away from home, like the St. Louis Blues—who will be golfing this time next week. The sign of a good team is one that can play well home or away, like the Washington Capitals, who have the best home and away records in the NHL. But ...

Less than a week before the NHL playoffs begin and the Buffalo Sabres finally have gotten hit by the injury bug. Thomas Vanek is set to return from a lower body injury on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators, but that still leaves a number of the Sabres' key players out of the lineup. Jochen Hecht (upper body), Tim Connolly (foot), and Patrick Kaleta (hand) have all been ruled out for the rest of ...

The playoffs have finally arrived! The normal teams like the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the mix, as well as a couple of new contenders, like the Phoenix Coyotes and the Los Angeles Kings. There is also a ton of talent entering this year’s postseason. Most players you may have expected to make this list, but some you might not have. Goalies are obviously the most important player on ...

When it comes to sports films, I have my favorites—Field of Dreams, Major League, and Caddyshack are all at the top of my list. It’s tough to find modern sports films that rival the classics. Rocky, Raging Bull, Hoosiers, and Bull Durham are also all considered heavy favorites by the overwhelming masses; it’s tough to argue with a list like that. But my all-time favorite sports film is without a doubt, the hilarious ...

Ryan Miller’s amazing blocker save on sniper Marian Gaborik, combined with three points from rookie Tyler Ennis, helped the Buffalo Sabres clinch the Northeast Division title in a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. The key point in the game came midway through the second period, when Brandon Dubinsky found Gaborik on a cross-ice pass on a two-on-one. Gaborik quickly snapped the puck at a wide-open net, ...

As a Buffalo Sabres fan and featured columnist, I usually don’t venture into rants about other teams, but this is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I have been a Long Islander my whole life, and I have gotten a crystal-clear look at the New York Islanders and their workings. Let’s start with the Nassau Mausoleum, excuse me, I mean the Nassau Coliseum—I always do that. From a personal perspective, I ...

As many of my faithful readers know, when it comes to the Buffalo Sabres, I fancy myself a bit of a coach/GM. So I figured that before the playoffs started, I would put together the line pairings I would use in the first round. This is something I’ve wanted to do all season, and what better time than now? You’ll notice there are quite a few changes and several names missing, but ...

Most of this season has been focused on teams with “true” starting goaltenders, who have carried their team on their backs and into the playoffs. Buffalo’s Ryan Miller, Phoenix’s Ilya Bryzgalov, and of course, New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur, are all shining examples of goalies that have taken on a bulk of the load in their respective cities and done an amazing job. But there are teams that have relied on goaltending duos ...

The Buffalo Sabres are on their way to the playoffs, but it is still a mystery as to which team they will play in the first round. Buffalo has been on a roll as of late and is 10-3-1 in its last 14 games. Head coach Lindy Ruff is confident that the Sabres can continue their winning ways by using the team’s depth as its main weapon. “We look at all lines ...