Buffalo News

‘The Sabres were 0 for 7 until Jack Eichel scored with 47 seconds left and Linus Ullmark on the bench for an extra attacker. That was Buffalo’s third chance at a two-man advantage on the night. The first two were feeble.’

‘”He’s one of the most competitive guys I’ve ever seen. Not just hockey. Everything,” said Addison, whom Cozens rates as one of his best friends on the team. “Every single thing in the world, he’s the most competitive guy. Hates to lose. Always wants to be the best of everything. It shows.”‘

‘The power play managed just four shots on goal during its bunch of attempts. It failed to score on a two-man advantage that lasted 24 seconds and two other chances in the first period where a goal would have created a 2-0 lead. It also failed on another 5-on-3 chance in the third period.’

‘Hall is making only $6 million this season, but he’ll likely command anywhere between $9 million to $11 million as an unrestricted free agent in July. He may not be interested in signing with Buffalo, and the Sabres would be wise to not invest so much money in three players. Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner already account for $19 million each season. Sam Reinhart and Brandon Montour are pending restricted free agents.’

‘”It was shorter than it should have been,.” Hall said before a 7-1 loss to Krueger’s Sabres in KeyBank Center. “I had a great experience with him. Two years he was an assistant coach, and he looked after the D. Even then, speaking with him, obviously his attitude was evident. The way he looks at life and hockey was always positive. It was always great chatting with him. We had the lockout-shortened year where he was head coach and really enjoyed playing for him, whether it was his systems or the environment he created at the arena. I thought it was always great to be around the arena then.”‘

‘Why is that the case? HockeyViz’s shot maps do a great job visualizing where offense is being generated from, and in Buffalo’s case, it’s not in the dangerous areas of the ice. Most high-powered offensive teams generate their offense from just outside the crease and from the circles, whereas Buffalo’s offense mostly comes from the perimeter.’

‘”The language within the room is we really feel like we’ve settled into a game that’s pretty consistent without the puck and that’s what all the hard work was about, is making sure we understand what we need to do defensively to be strong as a team and give ourselves a chance every night,” Krueger said. “Now, it looks like habits are starting to show up versus always having to process every single step during a game. It’s happening more naturally now and that definitely frees you up on the offensive side, so hopefully we can continue to build on this feeling that we have right now.”‘

‘”It’s something you think a lot about post-career, and that’s the first thing that kind of pops into my head, as I’m sure it did with a lot of other people that know my history,” Okposo said when asked if retirement crossed his mind. “When these things happen repeatedly, I just want answers. I want to make sure I’m going to be OK later. I don’t have a crystal ball. Nobody else has a crystal ball, either, but I saw the right people and I got the information that I needed to hear to continue to play. I’m excited to be back and I’m happy to be back out there feeling fresh and feeling 100 percent.”‘

‘Eichel had one goal among three points, Conor Sheary scored twice and Asplund, Jeff Skinner, Henri Jokiharju and Victor Olofsson contributed a goal. Nico Hischier scored for New Jersey, which is last in the Metropolitan Division with 22 points.’

‘Family members of both Knox brothers will be on the ice for a pregame ceremony and video presentation. Family members of the original board of directors also will be recognized throughout the night.’