Buffalo News

'Power, the defenseman whom the Sabres made the No. 1 overall pick, is third on the team in scoring with six points (one goal, five assists). Portillo, a third-rounder in 2019, has won all four games in goal, posting a 2.00 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.' … [Read more...] about Sabres prospects Owen Power, Erik Portillo are keys as Michigan takes No. 1 in the polls

'The move was also out of necessity. The Sabres are thin down the middle, with Casey Mittelstadt out multiple weeks because of an upper-body injury and Jack Eichel awaiting a trade out of Buffalo. Dylan Cozens, a 20-year-old drafted seventh overall in 2019, ascended to the top-line center role against Arizona. In addition to the Thompson experiment, Granato moved Arttu … [Read more...] about Sabres’ shuffling at center yields promising results through two games

'“He’s a special player, a special talent,” said Sabres goalie Dustin Tokarski, who stopped 20 shots in regulation and overtime before sealing the victory with two saves in the shootout. “Even tonight, in the second period, he made that sprawling save on that wide-open net. So, he made it on the defensive side and the offensive side. It was fun to watch.”' … [Read more...] about Observations: Rasmus Dahlin a ‘special player’ as Sabres start season 2-0

'The Sabres are buzzing around the ice like a bunch of gnats. The Montreal Canadiens and the Coyotes had to be exhausted after dealing with them the first two games.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: The Sabres are suddenly annoying on the ice – in a very good way

'The Sabres will carry eight defensemen on the active roster: Wolanin, Rasmus Dahlin, Colin Miller, Jacob Bryson, Will Butcher, Mark Pysyk and Robert Hagg. Samuelsson is expected to resume practicing with the Sabres this week after missing the past month with a lower-body injury suffered during the Prospects Challenge.' … [Read more...] about Sabres claim defenseman Christian Wolanin off waivers from Los Angeles

'"You never want to see anyone get injured and then obviously first game of the season with so much excitement," said center Tage Thompson. "But I think we've got the guys to do it, guys who are capable of stepping up and filling that role. I think everyone is just going to pull together."' … [Read more...] about Two key injuries quickly shake Buffalo Sabres back to reality after big opening night

'"That's what I'm trying to bring every night, play hard, play physical and blocking shots when you have to do that," said Hagg, who played the last four years in Philadelphia and was acquired in July as part of the Rasmus Ristolainen trade. "I think that's something everybody can do. I don't know if I can say I was lucky last night to block a couple but it's part of my game … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Robert Hagg has a block party on defense in opener

'On an opening night when many in the arena were still wearing the No. 9 of the injured Jack Eichel, and awaiting a trade that would send the frustrated former captain out of Buffalo, his replacements showed the short-term outlook may be brighter than fans expected.' … [Read more...] about Observations: With all eyes on young core, Sabres veterans shine in opening win

'The announced attendance of 8,467 was the smallest for an opener in the building's history. But props to those of you who came. You made such a difference and you got rewarded with a 5-1 crunching of shell-of-itself Stanley Cup finalist Montreal.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: In stellar opener, the connection was back between Sabres and fans

'“Everyone has to show up,” said Dahlin, a 21-year-old defenseman entering his fourth NHL season. “It’s not just – you were talking about Eichel and those guys – but now it’s everyone. We’ve got to really work to score, and we’ve got to do it together.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres aim to develop, win as young core takes center stage in 2021-22

'There can be no longer be any sneering from fans (or media) at images of empty buildings in places like Florida, Carolina or Ottawa. It will be pretty easy for similarly ugly shots to come out of Buffalo. Longtime observers figure no more than 4,000 fans were in the house for any of the three preseason games, and the Oct. 6 game against Columbus had to be the smallest … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres’ box office might take the biggest hit from another non-playoff year

'"We feel they're great leaders, two of our veteran guys that have a passion and love for not only the Sabres but Buffalo," Granato said. "They have homes here, they enjoy their time here, they spend a lot of their offseason here. They do a great job in the locker room as well as on the ice, so we're excited to have those guys. I'm excited to have those guys in the locker room, … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: Veterans Kyle Okposo, Zemgus Girgensons named alternate captains

'“I love potential,” beamed Granato, who was hired as full-time coach on June 29. “Potential is exciting for the player and, to me, it's extremely exciting as a coach, because you're trying to be as creative as the player in getting the player to (reach that potential) as fast as you can get them there. ... And that's fun for me. That's the drive for me.”' … [Read more...] about Driven to build a winner, Don Granato applying past lessons to improve young Sabres

'The Sabres are not tanking. It's reasonable to expect them to be terrible but they're not trying to lose. They're going to be overmatched most nights but you're going to see effort. Based on what we saw at the end of last season, you stand a chance to see some entertainment through patches of games, too, because coach Don Granato believes bad and boring is just death. Props to … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Stop with the tank talk. This time, Sabres might actually be rebuilding

'Sam Reinhart is gone. Jack Eichel’s disagreement with the team regarding his preferred treatment for a herniated disk has led to a stalemate and a trade is inevitable. There’s a young, unproven roster with two question marks in goal and a significant void at center. So much is riding on the progress of Mittelstadt, Rasmus Dahlin and Dylan Cozens, among others.' … [Read more...] about With questions abound, Sabres determined to show they’re ready to succeed