Archives for September 30, 2026

'“It wasn’t necessarily anything that I couldn’t finish,” said Luukkonen, who added that he felt good in practice Tuesday. “It was just more a precautionary, a just didn’t want to make anything worse kind of thing. It’s a little tweak there, one play there, and I just felt it. I just wanted to give myself a chance to be ready by the season’s start.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen returns to practice but questions remain

'“It’s not just talent and skill that are going to get us there,” Kekalainen said. “We need to compete. You can never be outworked. That’s one of the things that is unacceptable. No matter how much talent or skill you have, you can’t get outworked. Once we started getting some success and understanding that that’s how you get there, there was more buy-in from the team that, OK, … [Read more...] about The Sabres’ drought is over. The next test: proving they’re perennial contenders

'“My goal is to be really good defensively,” Crevier said. “To be really solid defensively is my main goal, and I think I can also bring some shots on net. Nothing really fancy offensively, but I like to follow up on the play and get some shots once in a while."' … [Read more...] about Meet new Sabres defenseman Louis Crevier, the 6-foot-8 youngster with patience

'“You hate to see someone like that go, especially a leader on our team and a guy that everyone loved in the locker room,” said Tage Thompson, Tuch’s center for most of his time here. “Obviously, a big player for us. But with that being said, there’s always a silver lining and a door that opens, and that’s a pretty big door opening for a lot of young guys in our group that are … [Read more...] about Sabres grooming new leadership wave in wake of Alex Tuch’s departure | Mike Harrington

'Love seeing Kulich back. Great points. But I'm going with Helenius because, in the wake of Alex Tuch's departure, it's paramount he becomes the guy we saw in the playoffs on an every-game basis in the regular season. The early head start to his career playing against pros in Finland as a teenager seems to have really accelerated his development. The veteran I'm watching is … [Read more...] about Three goalies, power-play talk, breakout candidates: 5 questions the Buffalo Sabres face this season

'Ruff has coached 1,938 games with the Sabres, Dallas and New Jersey, and is 62 shy of joining Maurice and Scotty Bowman as the only coaches to get to 2,000. Barring any schedule changes, Ruff will reach that mark Feb. 24 in Philadelphia. He has earned 657 victories in Buffalo, second on the all-time list with one franchise to the 740 games that Al Arbour won with the New York … [Read more...] about A look at Lindy Ruff’s NHL coaching career heading into the new season, in 4 graphics

'Strengths: Versatility, depth, scoring. Areas for improvement: Special teams, experienced two-way forwards.' … [Read more...] about The 2026-27 Buffalo Sabres opening-night roster, position by position

'7. Buffalo Sabres: The preseason injuries have been problematic, and that Game 7 overtime against Montreal feels like a massive opportunity lost. But Rasmus Dahlin is Norris-capable, and the forward depth is solid. They're deep-run-ready.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington’s NHL power rankings: Who’s fit to grab Canes’ crown?

'Stanley Cup: Avalanche...Avalanche...Avalanche.' … [Read more...] about The News staff’s 2026-27 picks: Cup winner, awards, Sabres season