Lindy Ruff gave his boys the day off today.
They've worked very hard since Day 1 of camp and Lindy is rewarding his team with an extra day of R and R. They'll return to the practice ice on Wednesday morning, to get ready to face Ted Nolan, Miro Satan, Alex Zhitnik, and, the Islanders.
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9-0 is a great way to start the season. Last night's 4-1 win in Montreal gave the Sabres their team record for consecutive wins to start a new season. Pretty heady stuff, eh Liny?
" Look, its one heck of an accomplishment, especially in a league with so much parity. Its been a lot of fun."
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What are you doing to differently to keep the team focused? Do you reference the historical significance of it all?
" We ( the coaches ) stick to the smaller stuff--- we don not talk much about streaks off things like that. Its the little things that wins us games".
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So, did you pay any attention to the junk that Montreal's Janne Niinama was spouting over the weekend?
" It was discussed by the players and coaches. Those are the little things that you can use to fuel your team to victory. It was a very bold statement. They were feling good about themselves after their Colorado win, when they were down 3-0, then came back to win 8-5. Bold statement by them".
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The Sabres started slow, however, gained momentum in Montreal, against a good team.
" I liked our focus, I thought it was good in Montreal. There are area- Montreal's home powerplay was #1 going into that game-- and we wanted to attack it. We prepared for it in the morning skate". Captain Chris Drury popped his 10th goal, while The Habs had the man advantage.
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How do you characterize your team's attitude going into game #10?
" We've got a hungry group that are very confident. They are hungry to keep this thing going"
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The Vanek-Roy-Afinogenov line is wreaking havoc on the NHL. There is a reason for their success.
" The main reason is they are using each other. They all have tremendous speed-- they're all using their speed and you see the results. They are not holding on to the puck, they move it quick, while their feet are moving. It reminds me a lot of what the JP-Danny Briere-Jochen line did for s last season. The points they are achieving are "line points". Their line scores read "Roy from Afinogenov and Vanek". They are sharing the puck and they are all seeing the benefits."
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Garth
Thanks NHL
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