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Sabres clinch playoffs by beating Flyers 4-3 in OT
NHL.com ^ | Saturday, 04.09.2011 / 12:13 AM

Posted on 04/08/2011 9:51:07 PM PDT by Gondring

The Buffalo Sabres honored their past before Friday night's home finale, then assured a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in their immediate future. Nathan Gerbe scored a highlight-reel goal midway through the third period to tie the game and Thomas Vanek won it with a breakaway goal 1:16 into OT as the Sabres beat the slumping Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Friday night.

The Sabres (42-29-10) can finish no worse that seventh in the Eastern Conference -- they can go as high as six by getting one more point at Columbus on Saturday than Montreal does at Toronto.

[...]

(Excerpt) Read more at nhl.com ...


TOPICS: Sports
KEYWORDS: buffalo; flyers; sabres
Whew...great comeback. Gerbe's 270-degree turn and backhand goal was awesome, but when Hartnell put it right onto Vanek's stick and Venek sprinted it right down the ice for the win...well, that was the frosting (no icing) on the cake!

And the Flyers still can't get a win.

1 posted on 04/08/2011 9:51:12 PM PDT by Gondring
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To: Gondring

To hell with that East Coast mentality; Anaheim Ducks just clinched, and that’s the real hockey news.


2 posted on 04/08/2011 9:54:58 PM PDT by Bertha Fanation
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To: Bertha Fanation
Anaheim and LA...and hockey playoffs... the world is coming to an end!
3 posted on 04/08/2011 9:58:49 PM PDT by Gondring (Paul Revere would have been flamed as a naysayer troll and told to go back to Boston.)
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To: Gondring

I have a man-crush on Nathan Gerbe, all 5’5” of him.


4 posted on 04/08/2011 10:03:45 PM PDT by fhayek
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To: Gondring

Buffalo has a gritty team and could be the dark horse of the playoffs. I am glad they went back to their traditional uniforms. They looked like clowns for the past 10 years.


5 posted on 04/08/2011 10:04:56 PM PDT by bwc2221
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To: Gondring

Well, that certainly makes it a moot point against the CBJ tomorrow night.


6 posted on 04/08/2011 10:06:30 PM PDT by buccaneer81 (ECOMCON)
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To: Gondring

Seriously. And without a semi-remotely barely present powerplay, the Kings’ season will come to a quick end (pun half intended).

The Blackhawks are in an EXCELLENT position - Fan Appreciation Day at United Center against Detroit, and all they have to do to clinch a playoff berth...is to not lose in regulation. If they get just one point, they end with 98. Dallas, even with a regulation win, could only get to 97. Bye bye Dallas.

Now, if - let’s say - Chicago does lose in regulation, and Dallas wins its last game on Sunday, in Minnesota. That would give both teams 97 points. Dallas would have to win the game either in regulation or overtime to match Chicago’s current 38 ROW (reg + ot wins) to force the third tiebreaker and it is convoluted as hell.


7 posted on 04/08/2011 10:13:50 PM PDT by Christian4Bush (Public Service Announcement. As of 4/8/11, 578 days 'til we take out the trash. (November 6 2012))
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To: Bertha Fanation

Oh yeah? Once my Canucks come to the Pond, let’s see them try and stop the Sedin twins. (Now in L.A., but I grew up in BC, Canada and can’t shake my loyalty to the Nucks’.)


8 posted on 04/08/2011 10:16:12 PM PDT by max americana ( NF)
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To: Gondring

I was there at game 7 last year when the Kings were eliminated by the Canucks...GD sweet. Walked out of Staples Center with a damn smile on my face for the next 24 hours...even after being threatened to get my ass kicked.


9 posted on 04/08/2011 10:19:54 PM PDT by max americana ( NF)
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To: Gondring

I got to watch Vanek play his pre-collegiate minor league hockey here in SD a few years back. There was always the feeling he was going to be really good.


10 posted on 04/08/2011 10:31:31 PM PDT by SoDak
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To: SoDak
He may finally be turning into that good - or elite, really - player that you had envisioned. But it has been a struggle, and it wasn't looking like a sure thing even earlier in the season. But we'll see what he does in the playoffs - he was Mr. Clutch in his U of M days, but we haven't seen that yet in a Sabres uniform.
11 posted on 04/08/2011 10:49:14 PM PDT by Major Matt Mason (Redistribution = theft.)
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To: Bertha Fanation

Anaheim Ducks clinched???

Praise Jesus!!!!


12 posted on 04/08/2011 11:47:27 PM PDT by bigoil (Study Thy Nixon)
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To: Gondring
The Buffalo Sabres honored their past before Friday night's home finale

Did Taro Tsujimoto show up?

13 posted on 04/09/2011 12:12:18 AM PDT by seton89 (Aequinimitas per ignorantiam)
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To: Christian4Bush

Name an NHL team that was in 8th place in the Conference, with its last game at home and needing just a win against a team with nothing at risk to secure a playoff berth...

Hint: The (not-nick) name starts with ‘C’ and ends in a vowel; also, the name contains only the vowels A, I, and O.


14 posted on 04/10/2011 12:15:24 PM PDT by mikrofon (<-- Buffalo native)
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To: mikrofon

Couldn’t believe it when I heard the news of their loss.

And actually all Chicago needed was a point, and they were in no matter what Dallas did tonight. Now they need Dallas to either lose, or get to a shootout. Even if Dallas wins a shootout, Chicago has the tiebreaker (ROW) and if Dallas loses the S/O, Chicago gets the spot on points.

BTW that Dallas/Minnesota game is on now. Don’t know the channel.


15 posted on 04/10/2011 4:46:11 PM PDT by Christian4Bush (Public Service Announcement. As of 4/10/11, 576 days 'til we take out the trash. (November 6 2012))
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To: mikrofon

cont’d - It is now 2nd intermission, Dallas and Minnesota are tied at 3. Dallas’s season could effectively be over in 25 game minutes.


16 posted on 04/10/2011 4:53:43 PM PDT by Christian4Bush (Public Service Announcement. As of 4/10/11, 576 days 'til we take out the trash. (November 6 2012))
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To: Christian4Bush
If they lose, it'll be due to the "kiss of death" at the WH:

Right now, 3-3 DAL/MIN at the 2nd Intermission.

If you want to listen to the game, it's on a stream from KSUM.

17 posted on 04/10/2011 4:56:34 PM PDT by mikrofon (NHL Bump)
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To: mikrofon

No doubt. But it was not to be. Minnesota beat Dallas so Chicago is in.


18 posted on 04/10/2011 7:58:46 PM PDT by Christian4Bush (Public Service Announcement. As of 4/10/11, 576 days 'til we take out the trash. (November 6 2012))
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