Buffalo News

'"You have lots of special players around the league. The last team I was with Patrick Kane was on the team. It's pretty neat to go into a foreign country wearing the USA jersey and pooling all this NHL talent together. And coming together as a team within a really short span is one heck of an experience."' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: Don Granato’s appointment to Team USA staff gives Sabres another window to the Worlds

'"When I do see him text – which is fairly frequent in my opinion, based on his intense schedule – it's pretty darn nice," Granato said after practice Friday in KeyBank Center. "And it was from the first moment I took the job, through the offseason, through trade deadlines, through whatever. He sends a text and it's pretty special, knowing how intense his schedule is and … [Read more...] about Don Granato on Sean McDermott’s pregame visit with Sabres: ‘I was obviously picking his brain a lot’

'"I did listen, it was hard not to," Tuch said with a huge smile after practice Friday. "I even had a couple of people tweet it at me and I was like, 'Oh, I'll give this one a listen.'"' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Alex Tuch gets his wish with a goal called by Rick Jeanneret

'There were several notable plays in which Power showcased his poise with the puck and his mature game defensively. Even against an imposing club that ranked sixth in the league in regulation wins (39), Power won puck battles and killed Blues possessions by cutting off an opponent’s progress with the puck.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Another night of firsts for Owen Power in Sabres’ loss to St. Louis

'There was no veteran to guide Power through the game, either. The six defensemen in the Sabres’ lineup were all under the age of 26, including Power’s partner, 22-year-old Henri Jokiharju. Casey Fitzgerald, 25, was the eldest of the blue liners, but he’s appeared in only 30 NHL games.' … [Read more...] about Owen Power part of Sabres’ foundation for a ‘bright future’ on defense

'At only 19 years old, Power finished with 19:50 of ice time and a plus-2 rating on defense. He kick-started his team’s offensive attack with crisp breakout passes, played sound defense around his own net and stabilized the Sabres’ defense corps.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Owen Power’s impressive NHL debut ends with Sabres win

'"Honestly. I had no anxiety because I've watched him play so much," Granato said. "He has such a calm to him and such a presence. You see his ability to almost slow the game down ... I just knew he would he would get a feel for the pace and everything right away."' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: This didn’t feel like an NHL debut. It felt like Owen Power has been here all along

'There were brief chats between practice repetitions with assistant coach Marty Wilford and defenseman Henri Jokiharju, with whom Power was paired. When the skate ended and the Sabres gathered for a stretch around the center-ice logo, Power was pushed to the middle. His teammates then banged their sticks repeatedly to welcome the 2021 No. 1 draft choice to the NHL.' … [Read more...] about Hype, scruitny will follow Sabres’ Owen Power, but Rasmus Dahlin can help

'Jokiharju and Rasmus Dahlin have been the fixture top pair for months this season and for much of last year. But in Sunday's game, Casey Fitzgerald couldn't get out of his own way and Mattias Samuelsson was minus-4. There's real fear that Auston Matthews & Co. had enough of the Sabres during Buffalo's two wins last month and could induce similar damage as the Lightning.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres got the Power, so they’re going for the gusto on ‘D’ right away vs. Leafs

'The Sabres surely need to find that intensity. Because there wasn't much of it during the game Sunday in Amalie Arena.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Lightning thunder past Sabres to snap four-game skid

'"It's pretty cool," Power said. "Obviously, it wasn't a real practice, just morning skate, but it's definitely nice to get out here and just get on the ice. It was pretty easy to adjust. All the guys were great. So it was lighter skate this morning, nice to kind of get out there and just get a sweat."' … [Read more...] about Owen Power hits the ice with Sabres, countdown to debut starts moving

'"We do want to experiment. We've we've kind of felt that way with our team and all our young guys," Granato said. "When we move Peyton Krebs to wing and Dylan Cozens to wing and back to center, we're thinking, 'OK, what does this hold for the future for us as we watch these guys evolve their game and develop so early in their career?' And Owen's another one. ... He has a … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: Five things Sabres can do in the Owen Power lab the rest of the way

'There’s also his relative lack of college experience. Though Levi appeared in 32 games this season, a rib injury suffered at the IIHF World Junior Championship prevented him from competing for Northeastern as a freshman. More experience in the crease will help Levi handle the various situations he’ll encounter at the next level, either in Buffalo or Rochester.' … [Read more...] about Sabres prospect Devon Levi reflects on ‘tough decision’ to return to Northeastern

'On the winning goal, Rasmus Dahlin was unable to clear the puck out of the defensive zone and was caught in no-man's land as the Panthers quickly turned it into a three-way passing play. Dahlin was thus unable to get back to help down low as Barkov fed Bennett just to the left of goalie Dustin Tokarski for the winning goal that sent the crowd of 17,728 into a frenzy.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Sabres blow another lead as Panthers roar back to win in final minute

'The final few weeks of the Sabres' season will be Power's preview to his NHL career. He returned to Michigan – the first No. 1 draft choice to wait to turn pro since Erik Johnson in 2006 – to win a national championship as a sophomore and experience a normal college hockey season after the Covid-19 pandemic prevented him from playing in front of large crowds as a freshman. … [Read more...] about ‘There’s a lot of excitement and there should be’ as Sabres sign No. 1 draft pick Owen Power