Buffalo at Boston 1/31/13

[bruiser11]

Looking forward to this one.

[blackngold]

Lane MacDermid will make his season debut tonight! Bourque sits.

[ValJamesRules]

Gonna be a doozy! Should be a fun game. This is the team that forced Buffalo to toughen up.

Sure wish that McCormick was playing.

Go Sabres!

[blackngold]

Originally Posted by ValJamesRules

Gonna be a doozy! Should be a fun game. This is the team that forced Buffalo to toughen up.

Sure wish that McCormick was playing.

Go Sabres!

"Buffalo's John Scott after pregame skate said that Sabres want to play their hard-nosed game: "it's fun playing against physical teams""

[papas1175]

Originally Posted by blackngold

"Buffalo's John Scott after pregame skate said that Sabres want to play their hard-nosed game: "it's fun playing against physical teams""

Be careful what you wish for. I could see scott having to go more than once. Boston is stacked

[FightingIsGood]

I am breaking my vow to only watch Pens games to watch this one tonight while DVR'ing the Pens' next loss. So they had damn well better deliver.

[papas1175]

Originally Posted by FightingIsGood

I am breaking my vow to only watch Pens games to watch this one tonight while DVR'ing the Pens' next loss. So they had damn well better deliver.

Lol im thinking of doing the same. We will def see a fight or 2. Might not live up to expectation but should be good

[frankie515]

Yea....I hope you guys are right about tonite. Can't wait...got the popcorn ready!

[Jack Schitt]

Dont hold your breath fight fans. As I posted in the "Millers Revenge" thread, Mindy Puff states that the Lucic/Miller incident is put to rest, and they are looking for the 2 points. That's either lip service to the NHL so they don't clamp down right away... or his true feelings. Given his past history, and the fact that he didn't call up Tarnasky I'd say the latter.

BOSTON -- It's been nearly 15 months but Milan Lucic-Ryan Miller was still on the media's minds today in TD Garden in advance of tonight's Sabres-Bruins game. Boston reporters swarmed new Sabres Steve Ott and John Scott in the locker room after the team's 40-minute pregame skate and peppered Lindy Ruff with questions about the Sabres' new approach.

Was adding Ott and Scott a reaction to Lucic? "It was just overall team toughness, make us a grittier team," said a clearly agitated Ruff. "It had nothing to do with the Bruins."

"You try to win the puck battles and the territorial battles. We have to win a game. Not coming out of here with points is not being successful. In a short season we need points. We've answered the physcial challenge. We've been there for each other from day one in this. We play a gritty style, a hitting style. We have to win games."

Good approach. The Sabres are last in the Northeast Division, 11th in the Eastern Conference and on an 0-3-1 skid. Winning the game is a tad more important

"We dealt with [Lucic] last year," Ruff said. "We had a game where Paul Gaustad fought Lucic and [Robyn] Regehr fought [Zdeno] Chara. We played a couple great games against them and came away with points. Hockey is about winning the game, winning the mental battle, winning the physical battle. It's about winning the territorial battles."

There will likely be some battles of the other kind tonight. The Bruins are scratching Chris Bourque and 6-3, 205-pound Lane MacDermid is in for his first game of the year. He had 73 penalty minutes in 32 games with Providence of the AHL during the lockout.

Scott said he'll be ready for MacDermid, Shawn Thornton, Lucic or anyone else who comes calling.

"Boston is physical and we try to be the most physical team on the ice," Scott said. "Steve and I were brought in for that, to try to play a role."

"Team toughness is [from] within," Ott said. "You don't have to go out there and drop the gloves every five minutes to prove how tough you are. I think the toughness comes from the locker room, every guy in here having each other's back."

Lucic and Miller didn't speak to the media today. Bruins coach Claude Julien wasn't getting drawn into the whole kerfuffle.

"That's their choice to build a team they want," Julien said of the Sabres. "As far as I'm concerned, speculations [about fights] are speculations. We've played our style of game forever and we don't plan on changing that."

Asked directly if there's still carryover from last year, Julien said: "You'll have to ask them that question. You're asking the wrong coach."

As for the roster, Ruff said Patrick Kaleta will be "out a while" with his neck injury suffered Tuesday. T.J. Brennan is going back to being a healthy scratch and Alexander Sulzer returns to the lineup after sitting out Tuesday.

We will most likely see Scott vs MacDermid and/or Scott vs Thornton. I don't think this one will live up to the hype. They usually don't.

If the Bruins start throwing their weight around, as they have been known to do- especially in TD North... there may be some more.... but the Sabres are really only a one-trick pony. After Scott... who's left? Ott? Foligno?

[blackngold]

I agree with you Jack that there probably won't be anything crazy about this game. However, we will most certainly be treated to probably 2 fights and for sure some hard hits. It'll be a typical rivalry game, I'd imagine.

[Broons66]

I think any fighting happens fairly early in the game. I'm calling it; Claude puts 4th line out for opening faceoff. Crossing my fingers for a line brawl.

[Boston Garden]

I'm ecstatic MacDermid is in the lineup, Bourque has been an empty sweater sorry to say.

[gdameo]

http://wgr550.com/SABRES--This-game-...ng-th/15417470


As far as jumping Lucic or anybody else Scott said, “Unless something really bad happens, I’m not going to do that, my role is just make sure nothing happens. The best game for me is when I don’t fight, we’re up 2-0 or 3-0 and nothing’s happening. It’s the games where I have to go out there and do something is where I make my paycheck, settle things down and we’ll see if that happens tonight, if it doesn’t that’s fantastic, if it does, I’ll answer the bell.” Scott was asked what if Scott Thornton asks him to fight. Scott said, “Then I’ll fight him. I’m not scared of anybody on this team, so if they want to fight, I’ll be right there ready to fight him.”


can't wait!

[RCSheppy]

I think the 4th line starts for sure.

That being said, i don't EXPECT too much to happen tonight, hopefully i'm wrong though. I'd like to see MacDermid pot a goal, and have a scrap for sure... He could be a well liked guy in Boston.

[Bruins29]

Originally Posted by Jack Schitt

Dont hold your breath fight fans. As I posted in the "Millers Revenge" thread, Mindy Puff states that the Lucic/Miller incident is put to rest, and they are looking for the 2 points. That's either lip service to the NHL so they don't clamp down right away... or his true feelings. Given his past history, and the fact that he didn't call up Tarnasky I'd say the latter.

As the coach though, I think Ruff kind of has to say that stuff.
MacDermid is in the lineup. Ott has a history with the Bruins. Thornton and Scott had a previous beef...and you know Miller and some of the other guys are still angry about last season even if they won't admit it. Scott knows he was signed for games like this. I think it's going to get ugly...