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Sabres excited about second season
Posted: Monday April 10, 2000 08:14 PM
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) -- The relief that coach Lindy Ruff felt after his Buffalo Sabres eked into the playoffs has given way to exhilaration. Now the real fun begins. "With all the expectations that came with going as far as we did last year, all we wanted was another chance at it this year," Ruff said Monday, a day after the Sabres' clinched the final Eastern Conference playoff berth with a season-ending tie at Washington. "After a disappointing start [to the year] ... I think everybody's excited about getting at it again." Buffalo will face the conference's top seed, the Flyers, in a first-round series that opens at Philadelphia on Thursday. But there is reason for optimism as the Sabres enter the postseason riding a momentous roll. The Sabres ended their year with a 7-2-1-1 surge, earning 16 out of 20 points to wrap up their fourth straight postseason berth. Buffalo's performance has been bolstered by the play of two late-season acquisitions, Doug Gilmour and Chris Gratton, and by a rejuvenated All-Star goalie Dominik Hasek -- selected as NHL player of the week for the final week of the season. Hasek has had a fine season after missing the first half with a groin injury. It's enough for some to consider the Sabres -- an improved version over the club that lost last year's Stanley Cup finals to Dallas -- as this year's playoff dark horse. Ruff wouldn't entertain questions as to whether the Sabres should be favored, but noted that the season's turning point immediately followed a dreadful 6-3 loss at Vancouver on March 16. "The Vancouver game was flat-out embarrassing," Ruff said. "Either we were going to take a step in the right direction, or we were going to fall right off the map." Buffalo lost only one game in regulation after that, while allowing just 13 goals in the final 10 games. The Sabres went 1-3 against Philadelphia this season, although the teams haven't met since Feb. 12, a Flyers' 3-2 overtime victory. Hasek did not play in any those games. This will be the seventh playoff meeting between the clubs, and fourth in six years. Philadelphia holds a 5-1 edge in those series, including a six-game victory in the 1975 Stanley Cup finals. Buffalo's lone series win came in 1998, the teams' last meeting, when the Sabres advanced to the second round in five games. Ruff said the teams match up in many areas, including depth and a stingy defensive style. He noted Philadelphia might have the edge in size, but Buffalo has an advantage in speed. The Flyers wrapped up their season with four straight wins, and are 7-3 in 10 games. The Sabres, making their 24th playoff appearance, are 11-12 in first-round series, and have advanced to the second round the last three years. Buffalo enters the playoffs healthy. The only question mark is Gilmour, who missed the final two regular-season games because of a stomach virus. Ruff said Gilmour's condition is improving, but he now has a cold that could keep him from practicing on Tuesday.
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