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Penguins beat Sabres in snow

Jan 1, 2008 - 11:24 PM ORCHARD PARK, New York (Ticker) -- The Winter Classic was an appropriate name for the NHL's first outdoor game in the United States.

Braving snow, sleet, wind and a bevy of delays, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1, in a shootout on Tuesday.

Sidney Crosby scored the deciding goal in the shootout for the Penguins, who won before a record crowd of 71,217 at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home to the NFL's Buffalo Bills.

Darting through the snow, Crosby avoided a pokecheck from Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller and slid a shot through the netminder's pads in the last round of the shootout to give the Penguins the win.

"When you're playing outside obviously there's a little bit more snow so you can't stick handle as much, so I try to bring it to the net," Crosby said. "My worry was just getting the puck to that area (where I can shoot) and once I got there, I just wanted to react."

"I lost the puck, I felt like he just kind of threw it back in," Miller said.

The game started with snow falling and a temperature of 33 degrees, and players sat on heated benches wearing ski hoods beneath their helmets that covered their ears and heads.

Miller also tried his best to stay warm, as he sported a ski cap over the top of his mask.

With the weather wreaking havoc, both teams had to deal with numerous stoppages to make the chippy ice playable. Maintenance crews scooped snow off the ice and into plastic buckets on numerous occasions.

However, Sabres coach Lindy Ruff thought the outside game was a positive for the league.

"I thought it was good for the game," he said. "I think it brings back the roots. For most players, this is where it all started. It might not be the best hockey game because of the conditions, but the atmosphere was incredible."

Sabres right wing Jason Pominville also raved about the experience.

"Besides losing the game, that was the only sad part," he said. "From the fans, the tailgate, from everything surrounding it, it was perfect."

The game was played on a rink built in the middle of the stadium, complete with boards and protective glass and surrounded by ice and snow.

In the stands, many in the crowd sat bundled in parkas, fleeces and snowsuits.

Once the game started, the Penguins did their best to dampen the crowd's enthusiasm as they jumped on top just 21 seconds into the contest.

Crosby drove to the Buffalo net and put a quick shot on net. Colby Armstrong gathered the rebound in the slot and put a shot past Miller for his sixth goal.

Armstrong had no complaints about the conditions.

"The ice was good. I thought it was all right for outdoors," he said. "They had to scrape it all the time. There was a few holes they had trouble with. For the most part it held up all right. We got through it.

"The whole big picture, sit back and look at it. Packed stadium, snow falling, Crosby putting it in to win with his little celebration. I thought it was great for the game and we got two points, too, so that's a big the thing."

Penguins goaltender Ty Conklin, perhaps used to the circus-like atmosphere, made nine saves in the opening period to keep the Sabres off the board.

"Some offensive chances got kabashed with all the snow," Conklin said. "It had the potential to be a higher scoring game, certainly."

Conklin started in goal for the Edmonton Oilers, who faced the Montreal Canadiens in the league's first outdoor game on November 22, 2003 at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. That contest drew a then-record crowd of 57,167 and featured a temperature of around zero and wind chill that reached 15 below.

Conklin was the busier of the two netminder's, as the Penguins managed just two shots during a woeful second period in which snow turned to sleet.

Just 85 seconds into the middle session, the Sabres tied the game at 1-1 when Brian Campbell snapped a shot past Conklin from the right faceoff circle for his fourth goal.

Conklin finished with 36 saves.

The third period and overtime also featured unique aspects. Each session was split in half to give each team equal time on both sides of the rink.

When play resumed after the 10-minute mark, snow started falling as hard as it did all day.