Ottawa 1, Buffalo 0
It was karaoke night at the ol’ Scotiabank Centre, with the Ottawa Senators being lively and rockin’ with their rendition of Sweaty Teddy’s “Stranglehold”, while the Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller was forced to sing the sad ballad “Alone Again, Naturally”.
Miller made 31 saves Monday night in a 1-0 loss to Ottawa, a defeat that put the Sabres on the cusp of elimination. Miller made several fabulous stops, and he was there for the team in the first period when Ottawa was the only one skating. He made 13 saves in the first period, including five stellar scoring chances in a three-minute span.
“We have to thank him for the kind of effort that he gave us,” Sabres co-captain Daniel Briere said. Mainly because most of the Sabres didn’t even show up until there was less than two minutes remaining in the game and the desperation that should have been there all game finally showed.
Miller only allowed one goal, but for a Sabres team trying to get back into the series, it was a cruel goal, coming as it did not by design, but by accident.
However, it seemed to sum up Ottawa’s playoff run: The bounces are going their way.
From the left point just over the Buffalo blue-line, Jason Spezza passed across to Dany Heatley, who had just come across the blue-line on the right side. Heatley fired a rocket that was wide of the net, but the puck bounced straight back off the backboards and into the crease. A sprawled and surprised Miller tried to get the rebound under his glove hand, but couldn’t and Daniel Alfredsson didn’t take any chances and was there to slam the loose puck into the net.
“I believe you make your own luck, and I believe if you work hard you’re going to get your bounces,” Alfredsson said. “We know if we play our game to our best, we’re a tough team to beat.”
Ray Emery was hardly tested, but stopped 15 shots to register his third shutout this postseason. In improving to an NHL-best 11-2 this postseason, Ottawa has won a franchise record six straight playoff games. “I don’t think I’m surprised,” Emery said. “Everyone has stuck to the game plan to a man, and that’s the reason for our success.”
“What’s done is done. We’ve got to regroup as best we can and focus on the first 20 minutes of Game 4,” Sabres co-captain Chris Drury said. “No one’s too happy right now.”
Drury was particularly disappointed in believing the Sabres let down Miller.
“The biggest thing is you feel bad for this guy,” Drury said. “Tonight could’ve been ugly without how good he was. And we couldn’t even muster one to get into overtime. It’s tough to take.”
Could have been ugly? Being down 3-0 and having to listen to bad karaoke is pretty damn ugly.
