‘The Sabres are 1-4-2, which puts them 14th in the 16-team Eastern Conference. The disappointing numbers extend to Ristolainen, who has no goals, three assists and a minus-5 rating through seven games.’
Archives for October 20, 2017
Sabres Notebook: Ryan Vinz returns to crease; Lehner on long list of absent players
‘Vinz, who became part of Sabres lore in 2014, filled in for ill goaltender Robin Lehner. Rather than summon a goalie from Rochester for the workout, Buffalo used the director of hockey technology/programming for the Rinks at HarborCenter.’
Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly starting to produce
‘“It took a little bit longer than I wanted it to,” O’Reilly said after the 1-4-2 Sabres prepared for the Vancouver Canucks, tonight’s opponent at KeyBank Center. “But I feel a bit better on the ice now. I feel I impact the game more. I plan to (keep impacting) because I got to be one of the key guys on the team that’s leading the charge.”’
Sabres return from road trip banged up
‘“When you’re up top, you can see the plays develop, you can see the speed, you can see how much time you really have and how much poise you can have,” Sabres coach Phil Housley said this afternoon inside KeyBank Center. “I think it gives you a different look, and then you can see and try to translate that in my game. ‘Hey, I got more time with the puck than I really do.’”’
Friday’s Vancouver Coverage
Sabres take slice of optimism into clash with Canucks (The Sports Xchange)
Canucks at Sabres preview (NHL.com)
Canucks @ Sabres game notes (Canucks.com)
Buffalo Sabres searching for elusive improvement in their rebuilding process
‘The expectations were somewhat lower in Buffalo. After missing the playoffs the last six years and finishing with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference last season, no one was really counting on the Sabres to challenge for a playoff spot. But fans still expected to see a step in the right direction, especially after watching Toronto’s young guns seemingly go from worst in the league to Stanley Cup contender in a the blink of an eye.’
Housley: ‘Our work habits have been good’
‘”It wasn’t so much about what they were doing, it was what we weren’t doing. They’re a quick team, they work hard. They have a lot to prove as an expansion team,” Housley said with Jeremy White on WGR Thursday morning. “I thought we finally came ready to play in the third period and turned things around. We had 37 attempts and 19 shots in that third period, but it was a little bit too late trying to chase the game.”‘
Sabres focused on finding consistency in preparation
‘”I think it’s just how you prepare,” Housley said. “You look at our situation, we had a day off in Vegas. Sometimes you decompress as a player and you’ve got to get yourself geared up for the battle again at the start of the game. I think that lacked. A switch went off.’
Friday’s Rochester Coverage
Amerks ice level report (Amerks.com)
Amerks sign Percy to professional tryout (Amerks.com)