Roy Signs Long-Term With Buffalo

Derek Roy of the Buffalo Sabres earned $627,000 last year and was supposed to be an average 3rd-line centre. But he quickly joined Thomas Vanek as the future stars for the Sabres.

Roy had 63 points last year with Buffalo, good for 5th best on the team, which is amazing considering the Sabres had players like Chris Drury and Daniel Briere in their lineup. Today he got rewarded for his hard work with a new 6-year, $24 million dollar contract, which is $4 million per year.

The announcement of this deal came just before Roy was scheduled for salary arbitration in Toronto.

He will be counted on to play a big role next year with the Sabres after the departure of Chris Drury and Daniel Briere. He, Vanek and Maxim Afinogenov will have to be the top forwards for Buffalo next year.

''Derek is a solid young player who will only continue to improve,'' general manager Darcy Regier said in a statement. ''He will play an increased role for our club, and we look forward to having such a quality player in our organization for many years to come.''

Roy should continue to become one of the best players in the NHL.

Alfredsson Does It Again

For the 3rd time in 3 years, a Canadian hockey team will be going to the Stanley Cup Finals.

It was a must win in Buffalo this afternoon and the Sens silenced the crowd.

Well actually, it was the Alfredsson, Heatley Spezza line that silenced the Buffalo fans. They scored all 3 goals in the game that Ottawa scored. The 1st was to tie it up with 5 minutes left in the 2nd, and another to get the lead with 1 minute left in the 2nd. And then, the final goal was by the hottest player in the league right now, Daniel Alfredsson.

He scored 9:32 into the O.T Saturday to win the game for Ottawa. It was only fitting that the 1st 2 guys to celebrate with him were Heatley ans Spezza.

Now the question is, "who will Ottawa face". Right now, the Red Wings and Ducks are in a tied series that will continue tomorrow.

Unlike the past 2 Canadian teams to make it to the final, the Sens are actually favored. Well maybe not favored, but they still have a good chance. After beating the Presidents' Trophy winning Sabres, it is clear to anyone that Ottawa faces that they are for real.

Sen-sational

The Ottawa Senators have been without a doubt the best all around team in the playoffs so far. They proved that again last night.

For the 1st time in Senators history, they have a chance for a sweep. Yesterday they scored only 1 goal against the powerhouse Sabres, but that was enough to beat them. The only goal was scored by, guess who, Daniel Alfredsson.

The score really did flatter the Sabres as the entire game as the Sens had 32 shots to Buffalo's 15. Miller was the only one who can really go back into the Sabres dressing room and say he played his best. He was forced to make 13 saves in the 1st, and 10 in the 3rd.

The key for this series has been the power-play. Ottawa is about 25% as they are 4/17 on the PP while Buffalo is a very disappointing 0/18.

The Sabres are playing like the Sens of of old as they are buckling under the pressure of being the favorite.

If you take a look at the Sens roster, they are built for playoff play as they have tough, gritty guys, players who can score and good defence and goalie.

They are also getting the breaks they they haven't been getting in years past, as the only goal of the game was scored of the boards and of Miller's glove, right to Alfredsson.

Now the only time a NHL team has come back from a 3-0 deficit are the 1942 Maple Leafs in the Cup Final and the '75 New York Islanders. But it is safe to say that those teams weren't playing the 2007 Ottawa Senators.

Up 2

Well it definitely took awhile. 2 overtime periods, but they did it. The Ottawa Senators won the game in Buffalo last night to take a 2-0 series lead. That's right. 2-0 for Ottawa. 2 games in Buffalo. They now put themselves in great shape to go to the Stanley Cup Final.

It seems Ottawa is finally getting into a groove in the playoffs. Buffalo had a early 2-goal lead in the game, but Ottawa came back and scored 3 straight. After Buffalo tied it up late in the 3rd, Joe Corvo potted the winner in double overtime.

"I was just trying to catch the highlight of my goal on TV in the room and I missed it," said the overtime hero. "But I told the guys, `It's alright, I'll catch it again at 5 a.m. when I'm still awake." Corvo said.

"It's obviously the biggest goal in my life." said the 29-year-old native of Oak Park, Ill. "Just total elation when it went in. It's something I'll remember for the rest of my life."

And Alfredsson's stellar playoff continued yesterday as he set a Ottawa record with playoff goals. He also was the one who brought life back in the Senators when they were down 2-0, as he scored the 1st goal of the comeback.