Marchand calls late Sabres timeout ‘disrespectful'

Share

BOSTON -- Some of the Bruins werent happy with Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff taking a timeout with 13.6 seconds to go in the third period with the Sabres holding a three-goal lead in a game that had already been decided. Claude Julien said it was within the Sabres coaches right to call for a timeout, and that Ruff should be the one to be asked about the reasoning behind it.

I just played along with it, said Julien. He mightve thought that something was going to happen, which wasnt, but thats probably for him to answer. I dont know.

Brad Marchand was a little rawer in his assessment following the Bruins first regulation loss of the season to a Buffalo team hungry for revenge upon entering the TD Garden Thursday night.

Ruff wants to be a big shot, and it was not the best play to dopretty disrespectful, said Marchand. If he wants to be like that, thats fine and we just have to move on.

The longtime Sabres coach indicated that he didnt call the timeout to show up a Bruins team in a game that had already been decided when Boston was outscored by a 4-to-1 margin in the third period. Instead Ruff said that he was worried the Bruins were going to pull some shenanigans with AHL tough guy Lane MacDermid on the ice for the final shift of the game.

So the Sabres coach called timeout and put 6-foot-8 enforcer John Scott on the ice to close out the game.

When Lane MacDermid was with one of our skill players I didnt want anything to happen, said Ruff. Thats really all it was about.

The Sabres coach was likely on high alert after Scott had injured Shawn Thornton in a fight earlier in the game and Drew Stafford had managed to get away penalty-free on a dirty blow to Dougie Hamiltons head in the third period. But its also highly unlikely in this day and age that the Bruins would attack the Sabres in the closing seconds of a loss when suspensions and fines would be an automatic for a team foolish enough to recreate something out of Slap Shot.

Contact Us