‘”It would have felt a lot better if he had gotten the win. He deserved that one big time,” Thompson said of Tokarski, whose last win in the NHL dates back to Dec. 12, 2015 with Montreal. “He played a great game, made some huge saves for us.”‘
Archives for April 2, 2021
The Wraparound: Rangers pile up the shots, finally beat Sabres in OT
‘Coming off Wednesday’s 6-1 win over Philadelphia that snapped their 18-game winless streak, the Sabres played a strong first period in which they outshot the Rangers, 12-10. But they had no legs the rest of the night. New York outshot them, 15-2, in the middle frame and 21-7 in the third period to improve to 4-1 against Buffalo this season. The winning goal was their only shot in OT.’
Sabres notebook: It’s a family affair as Don Granato gets salutes for his first win
‘”It’s great. The support I’ve had with friends and family through my whole life, I’m pretty lucky in that regard,” Granato said prior to Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers. “I feel very fortunate. So it was nice.”‘
Erik Brady: Remembering when Sabres were an April Fools’ joke for the gags, not their play
‘Just don’t think that Wieland takes the Sabres’ 18-game losing streak that ended Wednesday night as a laughing matter. He very much does not. It’s just that a joke is the best way for him to express his anger these days.’
Goalie Dustin Tokarski steals point for Sabres in OT loss: ‘He was spectacular’
‘Snatching the unlikely win would’ve been special for Tokarski, a decorated AHL goalie who has played 38 NHL games. He hasn’t won a big league outing since Dec. 15, 2015.’
Sabres’ Jacob Bryson becoming trusted defenseman beside Rasmus Ristolainen
‘“He wants his guys always in motion, layers on the puck,” Bryson said of Granato. “So it makes it easier for all of us defensemen as far as gapping goes or breaking pucks out, guys are always in the right areas. When we’re gapping up, he wants us to circle up a lot. It makes it a lot easier for the forwards to come back. It’s been a lot easier for us, too.”’
Curtis Lazar’s lower-body injury makes Sabres woefully thin at center
‘In addition to Lazar, three other centers – Jack Eichel, Dylan Cozens and Eric Staal – have been injured or traded in the last month.’
Friday’s New York Coverage
Rangers put themselves in thick of playoff race with win over Sabres (New York Post)
Mika Zibanejad’s overtime goal bails out Rangers in win over Sabres (Newsday)
Rangers’ Ryan Strome extends point streak to career-high 11 games (Newsday)
Postgame takeaways: NY Rangers narrowly avoid letting Sabres win two in a row (White Plains Journal News)
Photo gallery (NHL.com)
Photo gallery (Buffalo News)
Zibanejad scores in OT, Rangers beat Sabres 3-2
‘“Fatigue is a factor certainly when you play back-to-back and the other team didn’t. I mean, there’s not a way around it,” Sabres interim coach Don Granato said. “But I thought our guys elevated tremendously in the last few minutes to get that goal.”’
Sabres start strong but stumble in OT loss to Rangers
‘Despite the last-second heroics from Thompson, it was Mika Zibanejad getting the last laugh on this night. The Rangers forward teamed up with Artemi Panarin, and the duo combined for a perfectly-executed 2-on-1 which culminated with a one-time blast off the stick of Zibanejad with 27.7 seconds left in the extra frame.’