‘The Sabres certainly weren’t ready for the opening shift. Or the second. Or the third. Just fill in any number, and odds are great the Sabres weren’t ready for that shift.’
Archives for April 4, 2017
Sabres’ Nylander gets early chance to show his skill
‘“It’s kind of crazy that I’m going to play against my brother in my first game,” Nylander said before taking on William Nylander and the Toronto Maple Leafs. “He’s helped me a lot since he came last year halfway through the season to the NHL. He’s just helping me try to develop as much in the AHL and just be ready when this moment comes.”’
Mike Harrington: This was tank-era hideous hockey
‘The Sabres were outshot, 18-2, in a first period that ended with them in a 3-0 hole. They gave up 33 shot attempts and took only 11. They lost 15 of 21 faceoffs. It was the kind of performance that gets coaches fired. The kind that gets GMs sent out the door too. The kind that should get the owner speaking out to apologize to the fans for the sham they’ve been sold.’
Sabres Notebook: Toronto’s trio of rookies making history
‘According to Elias Sports, that makes the Toronto Maple Leafs the second team in NHL history to feature three rookies with 60-plus points joining the 1980-81 Quebec Nordiques.’
Quick hits: Maple Leafs 4, Sabres 2
‘The Leafs built their advantage to 26-5 late in the second before heading to the break with a 29-8 edge.’
Sabres finally give No. 1 pick Alex Nylander a shot
‘William Nylander (22-37) is tied with Mitch Marner (18-41) for second in team scoring on the Maple Leafs with 59 points behind rookie sensation Auston Matthews (38-28 – 66). The trio represent Toronto’s last three No. 1 picks (8, 4 and 1 overall) and have the Maple Leafs (38-24-15, 91 points) poised to make the playoffs for the first time in four years.’
Sabres implode early, lose to Maple Leafs
‘There have been a lot of bad periods over the Sabres’ six-season playoff drought. It can be argued Monday’s was the worst.’
Sabres prospect Alexander Nylander debuts against Maple Leafs, brother
‘“It’s kind of crazy I’m going to play against my brother my first game,” Nylander told more than 20 reporters prior to the Sabres’ 4-2 loss to the Leafs inside KeyBank Center. “I’m super excited, very pumped.”’
Quick start by Toronto sinks Sabres, 4-2
‘Buffalo (32-35-21 overall – 76 points) had tallies from Ryan O’Reilly and Jack Eichel.’
Matthews, Eichel weigh in on Olympics
‘After the loss on Monday, Eichel didn’t mince his words about the NHL’s choice to skip South Korea. “It’s a little bit disappointing,” he said. “As a player who takes a lot of pride in representing his country and who’s done it before, I can only speak for myself. I think it’s something that the players and the NHL look forward to. As a young kid just breaking into the league it’s something that I definitely watched growing up and looked forward to every year.”’