Buffalo News

'When Victor Olofsson scored in Sunday's 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers, it gave Buffalo a power-play goal for the fourth time in six games. The Sabres are 5 for 23 in that stretch, a far cry from the 3-for-52 disaster of the previous 26 games. They scored on the power play in only three of those contests and won only five.' … [Read more...] about It’s a work in progress, but Sabres finally seeing results on power play

'Considering the circumstances, it’s hard to imagine any player would look good in the Sabres lineup right now. But concerns remain over offensive consistency and the ease in which these defenses can push Mittelstadt out toward the perimeter and away from the dangerous areas of the attacking zone. Add that Mittelstadt’s never been a great individual shooter or a strong … [Read more...] about Travis Yost’s Sabre Metrics: What the numbers show about Casey Mittelstadt’s recent surge

'Defense remains a priority for Granato, though. Pressuring opponents is an effective way to regain possession. And while the Sabres rank last in the NHL in shots allowed per game since March 31, Granato’s preferred method of defensive-zone coverage has limited the sort of high-danger scoring chances that were common in Ralph Krueger’s final days as coach.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Mistakes on defense cost Sabres in loss to open road trip

'The Sabres (13-29-7) could have moved out of last place in the National Hockey League with a win and New Jersey Devils regulation loss. Instead, Buffalo dropped to 7-6-2 since snapping a franchise-record 18-game winless streak March 31.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Sabres’ comeback falls short after ugly first period at MSG

'But the final weeks of the season have been about looking at prospects, and the Sabres have gone with a kiddie corps on defense – with an average age of 22.7 years...'. … [Read more...] about Don Granato opting to go young with Sabres’ defense corps

'That Norfolk team set a professional hockey record with a 28-game winning streak and you should have seen the smile on Tokarski's face when I asked him his memories of that streak, which only ended due to the close of the regular season.' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: Dustin Tokarski has fond memories of historic AHL run

'“No directive shall be extended or modified to the extent that such directive prohibits the adoption by any municipality of this state a local executive order within such municipality’s existing power except where such an order conflicts with any executive order issued by the state.”' … [Read more...] about 45 words at center of Cuomo-Poloncarz dispute over stadium vaccination requirement

'Luukkonen’s teammates helped and hurt him at times. The Sabres (13-28-7) backed him with five consecutive goals, capped by Sam Reinhart’s second of the game. A young defense corps helped sweep away Luukkonen’s rebounds and prevented the Bruins from earning quality scoring chances from the middle.' … [Read more...] about Latest chapter in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s ‘journey:’ Securing a Sabres win

'Now, let's not go all Dominik Hasek or Ryan Miller here after the big Finn beat the Boston Bruins in his NHL debut. Keep in mind that Luukkonen is 22 and will probably spend the bulk of next season in Rochester. Yes, I said next season.' … [Read more...] about Luukkonen’s debut victory is a silver lining moment for a tough Sabres season

'The Sabres (13-28-7) snapped their 10-game winless streak against Boston that dated back to Dec. 16, 2018. Buffalo also improved to 7-5-2 since its franchise-record 18-game winless streak ended.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Sam Reinhart’s hat trick helps Sabres snap skid against Boston

'The Sabres are last in the NHL on the power play since Feb. 27, converting at a paltry 7.3% clip in 30 games during that span. Comparatively, Buffalo ranked first in the league through its first 17 games (34.5%).' … [Read more...] about Observations: Power play squanders Sabres’ chance to rally against Bruins

'Ruotsalainen’s third goal in eight NHL games was the primary offensively highlight, while goalie Dustin Tokarski stopped 33 of 38 shots while making his 11th appearance of the season for the Sabres.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Sabres’ struggles against Bruins continue in 5-1 loss

'Quinn, a 19-year-old forward, had two goals with seven assists for nine points in 15 games with the Amerks. The timing of the procedure will allow Quinn to have a healthy offseason of training to prepare for the 2021-22 season.' … [Read more...] about Sabres prospect Jack Quinn undergoes season-ending surgery to repair hernia

'This will be the most anticipated goaltending debut since Ryan Miller, the franchise's all-time leader in wins, first donned the Sabres crest in a regular-season game on Nov. 19, 2002. Hockey fans in Buffalo have watched Luukkonen’s ascent from afar, from his gold-medal winning performance for Finland at the IIHF World Junior Championship to earning Ontario Hockey League Most … [Read more...] about Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on cusp of Sabres’ most anticipated goalie debut since Ryan Miller

'“They were adamant tonight and they showed a very strong, competitive identity,” Granato said. “We got ourselves in trouble early, probably puck management, and chased the game. We chased the game. Rask was good when he had to be, but we didn’t set the pace. They set the pace.”' … [Read more...] about Observations: Don Granato, Sabres must find a way to solve the Bruins