Archives for September 20, 2013

‘“He puts himself in good spots,” Vanek said Thursday. “Those are the things you can’t teach. You either have it or you don’t, and he seems to have it.”’

‘“It definitely helps the confidence,” McNabb said in First Niagara Center. “I know I can play here. I just have to go out and show it.”’

‘“It happened so fast,” Armia said about the wraparound goal. “I don’t know what I was thinking there.”’

Photo gallery (CarolinaHurricanes.com)
Photo gallery 1 (Sabres.com)
Phot gallery 2 (Sabres.com)
Photo gallery (Buffalo News)

‘Buffalo scored the last four goals. McNabb’s left point shot was deflected by Larsson past Carolina goaltender Anton Khudobin at the 18:36 mark of the second, tying it at 2, and Cody Hodgson scored off a Thomas Vanek pass to give Buffalo a 3-2 lead in the third.’

‘Joel Armia and Johan Larsson each posted a goal and an assist, while Cody Hodgson also lit the lamp for the Sabres, who got 34 saves from Ryan Miller in the win.’

‘The Sabres broke the game open in the final frame, beginning with Cody Hodgson’s first goal of the preseason at 14:12. Thomas Vanek got the play started with a pretty pass to the streaking Hodgson, who beat Khudobin to give Buffalo its first lead of the game. Less than a minute later, right after a faceoff win, Larsson got his stick on another McNabb shot for his second goal of the evening. The goal was originally credited to McNabb and was changed following the game. Moments later, McNabb finally got on the scoresheet with a goal of his own to make it 5-2.’

‘With that, we look at some of the “bubble” players who could end up with the Amerks…’.

‘Cody Hodgson put Buffalo ahead to stay with 5:48 remaining in regulation, converting a feed from Thomas Vanek. Larsson scored again 56 seconds later, and McNabb added an insurance goal with 2:48 to play. Ryan Miller went all the way and made 34 saves.’

‘The Sabres are looking at a youth movement this season and the lineup on Thursday was filled with many recent draft picks with limited or no NHL experience. The coaching staff sees that picking up wins – even in an exhibition schedule – can serve as valuable lessons for many of the less experienced players moving forward.’