Buffalo Sabres silence and shutout New York Rangers 4-1 -NHL Update
The surging Buffalo team is closer than ever to fulfilling their playoff dreams as the Sabres silenced and shutout New York Rangers to tie with eighth place Washington Capitals, 4-1, Friday night, March 23, 2012, at the sold-out Madison Square Garden in
New York.
Sabres have 82 points and are definitely putting Washington on the edge during the fight for the last playoff spot as Buffalo continues to dominate each team that crosses its path.
"We're just trying to ride this wave as long as we can," Buffalo’s Drew Stafford said.
"We've put a lot of work into getting to the position where we're at right now, but obviously we're not there yet," Stafford added. "We're not worried about the other teams around us. We know if we play well, take care of our business and win the games,
we'll be sitting just fine. Right now we haven't accomplished anything."
The teamwork was getting Buffalo goals as the Sabres took control of the puck like a group and charged at the New York net at every opportunity side-by-side. Travis Turnbull got the first of the night and of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular
season on a turnover 3:14 into the second.
Brian Boyle tried to kill off the Buffalo momentum with New York’s first and only of the night nearly midway through but Drew Stafford followed right up with Sabres’ second on the 2-on-1 man advantage.
Tyler Ennis took the puck and faked a pass to another player while potting his 12th of the year at the 14:00 mark of round-three. Stafford capped it off with his second of the night at 16:09, taking the match way out of New York’s hands with a 4-1 lead.
Ryan Miller also performed spectacularly for Buffalo with 26 of 27 saves for a near shutout and continues to be an x-factor player for the Sabres in each and every matchup.
Buffalo Sabres are definitely aiming to overtake Washington for the last postseason spot and a fourth straight victory against Minnesota Wild on Saturday.
New York Rangers had their two-game winning streak but will most likely bounce back against Toronto Maple Leafs on the same day.
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