‘“Looking forward to that storyline coming to an end,” said Skinner, who has played 720 games across 10 seasons in the NHL. “Every year, you want to make the playoffs. As you get older, I’m not going to play forever so obviously the window is closing. Hopefully it’s still got some room there.”’
Archives for January 3, 2021
Mike Harrington: When times get tough, Sabres want Eric Staal to show the way
‘He’s 36 years old, has played more than 1,200 games and has a Stanley Cup on his resume you might remember. The 2006 Carolina Hurricanes will always be the team that stole Buffalo’s Cup and 6-foot-4 Staal was a key reason why, with an NHL-leading 28 points that spring.’
Victor Olofsson’s status uncertain after suffering injury in Sabres practice
‘Olofsson was holding his wrist and/or arm while skating to the bench following the collision. Upon returning to the ice, Olofsson told an inquiring teammate he felt “good” and continued to participate in drills. But the 25-year-old’s status is now uncertain after he was replaced on the top line by Riley Sheahan for the latter portion of practice.’
Jeff Skinner, Eric Staal excited to team up as duo with Sabres
‘“That’s going to be a high-level threat but will also give Jack’s line, however it evolves, some breathing room,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said of Staal’s line on a Zoom call Saturday.’
Sabres assessing Victor Olofsson after crash into goalpost
‘Olofsson briefly left the KeyBank Center ice favoring his right arm and wrist before returning to practice, according to The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington. But Olofsson departed for good when the Sabres took a break to watch video.’
Skinner, Staal ready to rekindle on-ice relationship with Sabres
‘“You can just feel that when he gets that chance. It’s going to hit the back of the net,” said Staal about Skinner. “I think when his confidence is going, and he’s getting opportunities and being tenacious around the puck, he’s just a natural talent to put the puck in the net.”’
Skinner hoping for bounce back 2020-21 season in Buffalo
‘”I think every summer you go in and you try to evaluate where you’re at and how you can get back to baseline after a long season,” Skinner said following Saturday’s practice at training camp. “This offseason, we had quite a bit of time. So once you get the chance to realize that, you could start to, with an indefinite timeline and a lot of uncertainty, start rebuilding and working on strengths and weaknesses in the gym. How that translates, how you can best translate that to on-ice skills, and fortunately I think in Toronto I had a decent set up and was able to skate quite a bit. I think it’s probably my 10th or 11th offseason in the NHL, and every year you try and take what you’ve learned from the past seasons, what’s worked for you, what you may want to tweak and how’re your feeling in different situations and different games, how your body broke down and how your body didn’t break down. It’s a whole bunch of things. I think you have the people you work with in the offseason… it’s a team effort to try and get you to your peak come training camp.”‘
Olofsson leaves practice with upper-body injury
‘Early in Saturday’s session at KeyBank Center, forward Victor Olofsson was working against Rasmus Dahlin in a 1-on-1 drill when he lost his balance trying get around the defenseman as he headed to the net. After going down to the ice, the winger slid and crashed hard into the net occupied by goalie Carter Hutton, with his left arm making substantial contact with the goal post.’
Sabres’ Olofsson being assessed for apparent arm injury after leaving practice early
‘During practice Olofsson left early after crashing into the net, resulting in him clutching his arm during a one-on-one drill.’
Hamilton: Former teammates in Carolina, Skinner and Staal start out as linemates in Buffalo
‘Skinner said, “Any team would take a guy with 1,200 games, and any guy that’s been in the league that long has had success. He’s seen a lot of situations, and he has that experience to draw off of, and he can relate to other guys going through situations.”’