|
Conklin shines in first start for Sabres
2007-03-20
Ty Conklin is already winning over his new Buffalo Sabres teammates. Conklin made 42 saves Thursday night and helped the Sabres snap a season-worst, four-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the Florida Panthers. "My mind-set going into it was that I want to make a good impression, you want the guys to feel confident with you in the net," Conklin said. "While it's only one game, it's a bit of a start." Conklin, acquired from Columbus on Feb. 27 for a fifth-round pick in this year's draft, stood tall for the Sabres, who were outshot 45-20. "I think it gives everybody a lot of confidence," Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. "He hasn't played a lot. For him to get in and see the action he did, we're happy with the win and happy with the way he played." Chris Drury broke a 3-3 tie at 9:50 of the third period when he tipped in Brian Campbell's slap shot from the point. Drew Stafford scored twice for Buffalo, including an insurance goal at 15:17. Jason Pominville and Dainius Zubrus also had goals for Buffalo, which hadn't won since beating Toronto on March 3. Campbell had three assists. "We're desperate a little bit right now," Campbell said. "It's a big game for us. We've struggled in this building, too, lately and we knew that going in. So we came in trying to play a little bit more of a team game." Nathan Horton had two goals for Florida, which lost at home in regulation for only the second time in 11 games (8-2-1). Stephen Weiss added a goal and two assists for the Panthers. His linemate Martin Gelinas had two assists. Ed Belfour, who tied a franchise record with his 22nd consecutive start, stopped 15 shots. "When you get 45 shots you expect a little more," Horton said. "Obviously, their goalie played good. We didn't score when we needed to and they did. That's the game." Buffalo, which leads the Eastern Conference with 96 points, rallied from deficits of 1-0 and 2-1 and took a 3-2 lead into the third period. Horton tied it at 2:45 when a wrist shot from the point was deflected to the side of the net. He then one-timed it past Conklin. Conklin, whose last start came on Feb. 25, kept the Sabres even with a couple of big saves off deflections, including a tip by Florida center Olli Jokinen. "He played a great game for us," Campbell said. "He faced a lot of tough shots from the point that were deflections. For not playing for a couple of weeks, it was an effort we really needed from him." After Drury put Buffalo in front, Stafford made it 5-3 when he one-timed Campbell's pass from behind the net. "We've got a pretty good skill level as a team, we've got a lot who can make plays," Stafford said. "It's easy when you're just standing there, and Brian Campbell makes good passes and Thomas Vanek, playing with those guys. All you have to do is keep your stick on the ice." Weiss' goal gave Florida a 1-0 lead after the first period, during which the Panthers held a 15-5 shots advantage. The Sabres answered with three goals in the second period. Stafford gave Buffalo its first lead of the game when he finished off a pretty three-way passing play by tipping in Campbell s cross-ice feed. "For the first time coming here and making an impression like he did, that was huge," Stafford said of Conklin. "The first period, he kept us in it. "He saved us. We just had to get back to playing, and we did. A lot of guys played well, starting with Conklin all the way out." Notes:@ Buffalo D Toni Lydman left the game in the second period with an undisclosed upper body injury. Ruff said he didn't expect Lydman to be able to play Friday at Tampa Bay. ... Roberto Luongo had set Florida's record for consecutive starts last season. ... Buffalo already led the NHL with 104 second-period goals before adding three against Florida. ... It was the fourth time this season the Sabres allowed at least 40 shots. ... The line of Weiss, Horton and Gelinas has 31 points in Florida's last 11 games.
Senators make first Stanley Cup finals (2007-05-19)Capitals' youth movement experiencing growing pains (2007-03-27)Conklin shines in first start for Sabres (2007-03-20)Devils close on Eastern lead with late win over Sabres (2007-03-11)High-flying Sabres take top spot (2007-03-03)
| 
