Briere responds for Sabres

Daniel Briere felt bad enough already and didn’t need Sabres coach Lindy Ruff reminding him and his linemates how poorly they played at Carolina.

Buffalo’s co-captain quickly made up for it, scoring twice Wednesday night in a 4-3 win over the Hurricanes at Buffalo, N.Y., that gave the Sabres a 2-1 edge in the Eastern Conference finals.

“We knew we didn’t do the job,” Briere said, referring to Buffalo’s 4-3 loss in Game 2 Monday. “We knew we had to improve our play. “

During a brief meeting Tuesday, Ruff said he was unhappy after Briere’s line combined for two shots in the defeat.

Game 4 of the best-of-7 series is Friday at Buffalo.

Avs hire Giguere

Francois Giguere is returning to the Colorado Avalanche as general manager. Giguere, 42, began his hockey career with the franchise in 1990.