Game Summary

What a game! The Sabres came out a bit flat and played uninspired hockey in the first and second periods. They constantly were giving the puck away, at times just trying to be to fancy. Leaving the ice after the second, they finally heard it from the Buffalo faithful, the 'boys' were booed off the ice! That has not happened for some time, but the fans felt they needed to take matters into their own hands! Hats off to the fans, because a different Sabres team took to the ice in the third! The Sabres went on the offense with a relentless forcheck! If they make the playoffs, this game will go into the books as the game that push the team over the hump.

Jochen Hecht Interview

Hecht on Ruff in between the 2nd and 3rd:

Hecht: " we just have to stick to the system, keep it simple and work hard! We are a team that rely's on our speed, move the puck quick to create a lot of chances.Lindy came in disappointed! You know we turned the puck over a quite a bit, and we had some chances that we didn't shot the puck, and you can't do that against good teams. We are fortunate enough that we were able to come back from a 4-1 deficit."

Jason Pominville Interview

Pominville on the fans:

Pominville: " The fans were UNBELIEVEABLE, they got into the game, it got even louder when we got that second goal 16 seconds later. And from that point on we all realized that we could do it. By far tonight was the best comeback given the time of year and how important this game was for us, this was the best comeback I have ever been a part of!

Derek Roy Interview

Roy on the comeback:

Roy: "They way we did it , the fashion we did it, it was great! Going out there and getting a huge boost from Jochen's line was great. They came out with a lot of fire, and they got a couple of goals on for us early. I think all the other lines said to themselves that we have to go out and contribute offensively, do what they do and just work hard!"

PRE-GAME

HockeyScape.com was on hand at the Sabres vs. Lightning morning skate. The Sabres skate was optional, yet most of the ' Boys ' were out there with a lot of jump! With the recent stumble of both the Bruins and the Flyers, the Sabres have new life! Also, it looks like the new line combinations is exactly what some of the players needed to get them back on track and playing good hockey! You can see the guys start to gel with their new linemates. As for the young 3(Weber, Funk, Sekera) it is great to see there tremendous work ethic! Every practice that Hockeyscape has attended, those guys are staying on after team practice working with James Patrick! The future looks bright for the Sabre Defense!

The Lightning on the other hand are a team with nothing to lose! They were extremely loose for their practice, and seemed to be going through the motions at times. The 'Stars' of the team were noticeably absent, which includes: Lecavalier, St. Louis, Halpern, and Boyle. A team that has nothing to lose can be very dangerous, Buffalo needs to be ready at the drop of the puck!

Derek Roy Interview

Roy on the the flyers and Capitals winning:

Roy: " We can't rely on other teams to help us. We just need to go out and take care of our own games."

Roy on the depleated line-up:

Roy:" We just need to take this line-up and go with it. Work hard every shift, and make sure we play defense first! "

Adam Mair Interview

Mair on the Lightning:

Mair:" They are a team that still has lots of skilled players, you know St. Louis and Lecavalier. The fact that they are out of the playoffs makes them real dangerous! They are playing loose, they have nothing to lose. Offen times that is when you play your best, when you are not gripin the stick to tight. Look across the league, a team like Columbus beat Calgary last night 3 - 0, anything can happen! Its still really tight, they have a lot of good players, so we need to be ready to play! "