Buffalo News

'Olofsson seemed like a long-term fixture in Buffalo after his 20-goal rookie season in 2019-20, but he’s a restricted free agent this summer. As DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli noted recently, Olofsson’s career production – 42 goals in 158 games – could earn him a $4.5 million award in arbitration this summer. This led Seravalli to include Olofsson on a list of NHL players who … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Victor Olofsson could answer plenty of questions with strong second half

'When Phil Esposito scored 76 goals in 1970-71 to set the NHL record for most goals in a single season, some Boston Bruins fans altered bumper stickers: “Jesus saves – but Espo scores on the rebound.” In 1982, on the night when Wayne Gretzky broke Esposito’s record at Memorial Auditorium, organist Norm Wullen one-upped that gag by greeting Gretzky with the opening bars of … [Read more...] about Erik Brady: The night Gretzky broke the goals record in Buffalo, and the organ played on

'This one was all about the Sabres' sloppy play in their own zone, especially in the first period. Passes were misfiring all over the ice and there were turnovers aplenty. Buffalo forwards weren't able to find open spots to give their defense outlets and the Sabres stayed bottled up.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Streaking Canadiens look sharp in handing Sabres fourth straight loss

'"It was nice to get back at it," said Dahlin, who needed a night off after accumulating lower-body soreness during Saturday's matinee against Colorado. "And I was not sure it was going to feel 100 (%), but I did. So it's great. I'm happy to be back."' … [Read more...] about Sabres get good news as Rasmus Dahlin returns to practice, preps for road trip

'"It will definitely be a little bit of a different atmosphere," Sabres center Tage Thompson said. "Will be a little more exciting to play having some noise in the building. It should be good."' … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: A rare season sweep of the Canadiens is up for grabs

'"I don't think our team really realizes yet that we could have something really special here for years to come," Tuch said during a recent interview with The Buffalo News in KeyBank Center. "We have guys that are pushing in the right direction. We have guys that are buying in, and it takes time. And for guys that have been on the scene for a little while, they have to … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: What happened in Vegas is never far from Alex Tuch’s mind

'Without their do-it-all leader on defense for the second game of a back-to-back, the Sabres looked exhausted. The effort was there. The execution wasn’t. Uncharacteristic mistakes, particularly on defense, led to scoring chances for the Blue Jackets.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Sabres can’t overcome mistakes with Rasmus Dahlin sidelined

'Thompson recorded the Sabres’ second hat trick in seven days – Skinner had a four-goal game last Sunday in Montreal – and goalie Dustin Tokarski delivered 31 saves in a battle of wills that ended in a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Tage Thompson helps Sabres keep up with red-hot Avs in loss

'Simple. No degree in advanced analytics or decades in NHL management needed. Memo to Kevyn Adams: No reason to overthink this one. Just do it.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: The Sabres’ goaltending situation now calls for UPL to return

'The results were strikingly similar: Bills fans spent an average of $65.39 per person. Sabres fans, meanwhile, spent an average of $64.86 per person. Since the Sabres play downtown, 80% of that spending happened in the city. By contrast, only a third of the Bills-associated spending happened downtown.' … [Read more...] about Game day spending, player payrolls, small-market economics: What public documents tell us about the Buffalo Bills

'Drafted eighth overall by Buffalo in 2017, Mittelstadt can help the Sabres in several areas. He’s shown poise on the power play and possesses the blend of speed and skill that’s tailor-made for Granato’s puck-possession, attacking system. And Mittelstadt’s return gives the Sabres more options to build an effective lineup that can produce secondary scoring.' … [Read more...] about How Casey Mittelstadt’s return could impact Sabres’ lineup now, in the future

'"I think it was an accumulation of not doing our job well enough in the first two periods, and they took the game over in the third because there was accumulation on the wrong side," said Granato. "We didn't get pucks to where we could pursue and we made the game much more difficult on ourselves."' … [Read more...] about Observations: Sabres fall to Senators as Craig Anderson is beaten by old mates

'But in what rates as no surprise after nearly 11 months off the ice, Eichel was rusty and not remotely his normal dangerous self in the offensive zone. He fumbled the puck a couple times, failed to corral passes he would normally receive with ease and misfired on a couple passes that are usually routine. He even took a pair of penalties.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: No surprise to see Jack Eichel rusty as Vegas is blanked in his debut

'"I think more about how excited I am about Alex and Peyton and the first-round pick and the second-round pick than what's going on there. But I am happy for him on that personal level. It's good for him."' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Kevyn Adams happy to see Jack Eichel back on the ice

'“We have so many guys in such a short span that it’s irrelevant as far as anybody sitting is going to be back in,” Granato explained. “It’s not like they’re sitting and they’re actually going to lose a bunch of time at all. So, there is an advantage, especially in tight schedules and games, for young guys to sit and just step back, take a breath. As it is for older guys. I … [Read more...] about Sabres using rotation on defense to rest veterans, evaluate for future