Buffalo News

'After a wave of promising young talent finally reached Buffalo at the tail-end of a 10th consecutive season outside the playoffs, General Manager Kevyn Adams is faced with the challenge of signing Ullmark and McCabe, both pending unrestricted free agents, before they reach the open market July 28.' … [Read more...] about Sabres futures uncertain for Reinhart, McCabe, Ullmark, Ristolainen

'Tokarski went 2-8-2, 3.54/.904 for the Sabres this year in 13 games but became the club's No. 1 goaltender for a spell due to injuries to both Carter Hutton and Linus Ullmark. On April 13 in Washington, he earned his first NHL victory since December 12, 2015, when he was with Montreal.' … [Read more...] about Goalie Dustin Tokarski is Sabres’ nominee for Masterton Award

'Jeanneret and Mark Preisler, the executive vice president of Pegula and Sports Entertainment, said last week they planned to talk about next season sometime after the season ended.' … [Read more...] about Alan Pergament: Rick Jeanneret suggests his future is up to Sabres; Buffalo Bills primed to get some night games

'6-24-2 – Record vs. East playoff teams Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston and the New York Islanders.' … [Read more...] about By the numbers: Lots of ugly ones and some surprising ones from Sabres’ season

'Under Granato’s watch, the Sabres posted a 9-16-3 record, including a mark of 9-11-2 since their franchise-record 18-game winless streak. He padded his résumé by implementing an effective, up-tempo system that prioritized puck possession and suited the talent on the roster.' … [Read more...] about Inside the Sabres: Coaching hire to kick-start a busy offseason for GM Kevyn Adams

'Buffalo was shut out for the ninth time this season, but this wasn’t a flat performance. The Sabres finished with 29 shots on goal, as the Penguins (37-16-3) received a remarkable performance from third-string goalie Maxime Lagace, a 28-year-old with only 17 games of NHL experience.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Michael Houser magnificent, but Sabres drop season finale

'Once considered an unlikely source for offense, Asplund has become a top-six fixture with six goals and 10 points in 22 games since Granato took over on March 17. While much of the praise heaped on Granato has revolved around Casey Mittelstadt’s breakthrough or Rasmus Dahlin’s rejuvenation, and rightfully so, the ascent of Asplund is another silver lining to a 10th consecutive … [Read more...] about Thriving in a ‘contract year,’ Rasmus Asplund wants to be part of Sabres’ future

'Ullmark has been a solid option when healthy the past two seasons, totaling a .916 save percentage. But he has missed approximately 28 games with unrelated lower-body injuries during that span.' … [Read more...] about Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark ruled out for season finale in Pittsburgh

'Buoyed by confidence-inducing back-to-back wins to cap their home schedule, the Sabres suddenly fell into bad habits. They appeared to have a blind faith that they had the speed and skill to skate off victorious, prioritizing risky offensive players over the calculated approach that’s led to success under interim coach Don Granato.' … [Read more...] about Observations: ‘Inexperience’ leads to Sabres’ mistake-filled night in Pittsburgh

'The Sabres also failed to win back-to-back-to-back games for the first time this season and are 1-6 against the Penguins this season.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Sabres clinch NHL’s worst record with 8-4 loss to Penguins

'“But I think, ultimately, I’m sitting there at the organ and doing everything I normally do during a game, which is going, ‘Yeah!’ or ‘Aww, c’mon,’ as a fan myself. So I just sort of tapped into my own energy to try to bring the music to people at home.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres organist Curtis Cook plays empty arena, strikes meaningful chord with fans

'“Like we have the past few seasons, we will sit down when the time is right to discuss next year,” said Preisler.' … [Read more...] about Alan Pergament: Rick Jeanneret to call Saturday’s Sabres finale. Will it also be his?

'Yet, Houser showed no signs of timidness in net. He snared the puck through screens and deflected rebounds wide while his teammates endured another slow start. In they end, they all cheered from the bench when he led them to victory in the home finale at KeyBank Center.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Michael Houser stands tall, leads Sabres to comeback win

'Michael Houser is the only game-ready goaltender on a National Hockey League contract, although the Sabres were allowed to add Rochester's Stefanos Lekkas on a professional tryout to back up.' … [Read more...] about Sabres goalies Carter Hutton, Dustin Tokarski, UPL done for the season

'But the majority of revenue for NHL teams, unlike NFL franchises that benefit from lucrative TV deals, comes from ticket sales and getting fans in the stands. And attendance at Sabres games has been on the decline. The franchise averaged 17,167 fans in 35 dates last season, the lowest attendance figure since 2005-06. The Sabres nevertheless announced an analytics-driven model … [Read more...] about Sabres exec: ‘How can we connect with fans on something deeper than wins and losses?’