SabreSpace

'“It’s cool to be starting as the opening goalie, but the game Friday matters as much, hopefully, as the last game of the season and mentally it’s the same,” Luukkonen told The Buffalo News following practice Thursday in O2 Arena. “You need to perform. Nothing is given, everything is earned. It doesn’t matter what game it is. You’ve got to be ready.”' … [Read more...] about Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finally broke through. Now, he’s driven to be even better for Sabres

'How have the Sabres done on the trade market since Adams became general manager in 2020? Here’s a glimpse at his deals and how they’ve panned out, using Evolving-Hockey.com’s Goals Above Replacement and Wins Above Replacement metrics...'. … [Read more...] about Sabres rewind: Looking back at GM Kevyn Adams’ consequential trades

'It’s hard for an NHL team to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for 13 straight seasons. As we know, the Buffalo Sabres found a way to do it. With Lindy Ruff back in charge, returning to the postseason is not just priority No. 1 for the organization; it’s a desperate need. Here’s a year-by-year look at the Sabres’ postseason drought, with overall records, point totals, winning … [Read more...] about You probably know the Sabres’ playoff drought is at 13 years. Here’s a quick look at how they got there

'“It’s on the top of our list in terms of potential events that we want to promote and make sure don’t slip under the radar screen,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly told reporters at the NHL Player Media Tour in Las Vegas prior to training camp. “And some people have kind of suggested that because Alex is Russian that somehow this should be marginalized in some way. We couldn’t … [Read more...] about Around the boards: Will the Great Eight pass the Great One?

'The Panthers are trying to join the Lightning as a rare team to make three straight finals and thus get the preseason mantle as No. 1 in our power ratings. But they’ve had a lot of roster defections, notably defensemen Brandon Montour (Seattle) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Toronto), forward Vladimir Tarasenko (Detroit) and much of their bottom-six core. So it won’t be easy.' … [Read more...] about NHL Power Rankings: Can the Florida Panthers make a third straight run to the Stanley Cup final?

'Stanley Cup champion Rangers/Avalanche/Stars.' … [Read more...] about Staff selections: Picking the winners for the 2024-25 NHL season

'“It’s crazy,” DeSimone told The Buffalo News following the Devils’ practice Wednesday in Prague. “We’re best buddies going to different teams and, all of sudden, we’re starting the season with our teams facing each other overseas.”' … [Read more...] about WNYers Dennis Gilbert, Nick DeSimone reunite on opposite sides of Sabres, Devils matchup

'Every situation is different. If you look back to where we were three years ago, we identified some of the core, and we needed to be aggressive. We had to make sure we were setting the foundation, and build off that. You have a precedent you set in certain ways with contracts you’ve done in the past, but you have to approach each one differently because one player’s … [Read more...] about Sabres Q&A: GM Kevyn Adams on rising salary cap, captaincy, gearing up for opener