Buffalo News

'"What I love about Ras the most is he’s one of the most competitive guys on the ice," Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe said. "He doesn’t – guys start hitting him or chirping him throughout the game, it just elevates his game to another level. He has this compete and drive that really is going to continue to take his game to the next level and the next level after that."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin using playoff miss as ‘fuel’ during long offseason

'The Hail Mary of new life in a sudden 24-team tournament wouldn't cause the sort of civic celebration that Andy Dalton's fourth-down pass in Baltimore prompted among Bills fans on Dec. 31, 2017. But it would count nonetheless and this team wouldn't hear about tying the NHL record of 10 straight years out of the playoffs ad nauseum come next season.' … [Read more...] about It’s a big loss for this Sabres core to not take first playoff step against Penguins

'"I’ve got to be better," Krueger said during his end-of-season Zoom conference call with reporters Friday. "I’ve got to be better as a coach. I’ve got to be better as a leader. That’s where it starts. And then I have to drive that into the people around me. I have to drive it into the staff, into our high performance staff, into our players and that’s how we will build a … [Read more...] about 5 takeaways from Sabres coach Ralph Krueger’s end-of-season press conference

'"I'm a competitor," he continued. "I want to win every time I'm on the ice. I want to win the Stanley Cup every time I start a season. I've already started preparing for next season now. I'm already back on the ice. I'm already training. I'm already doing things to try and better myself for the start of next season whenever that is. ... But yeah, I'm definitely not in the … [Read more...] about Sabres captain Jack Eichel ‘fed up with losing’ through a ‘tough five years’

'Such a measure would be dependent on approval from medical authorities, the NHL and the players association. Additionally, any plan for nonplayoff teams won't be decided until there is a clear timeline for when play can resume.' … [Read more...] about Sabres have approached NHL about possible camps for nonplayoff teams

'But the 50th anniversary season in the rear-view mirror leaves you wondering just how in the world this team finished 25th overall. It came down mostly to bad special teams (especially the penalty kill), key injuries to Victor Olofsson and Linus Ullmark and inconsistent goaltending from Carter Hutton. This was a close shave of a season as the Sabres went 15-8-8 in one-goal … [Read more...] about Look back on schedule and Sabres aren’t as far away as most people think

'Most of the teams in the play-in round – particularly the teams in the 17 to 24 range – have some core competency that allowed them to be competitive enough to stay afloat. Winnipeg has elite goaltending and a surefire Vezina Trophy winner in Connor Hellebuyck. Montreal outshot and outscored opponents at an incredible rate at 5-on-5. The New York Rangers couldn’t get out of … [Read more...] about Sabres’ quandary: Not good enough, but not bad enough, either

'Botterill told reporters Wednesday the Sabres are prepared to draft now and did not express any concern with the change to the lottery. Although Botterill said he isn't in a position to trade numerous high draft picks, he did not rule out using his first-round selection as a trade chip.' … [Read more...] about Seven Sabres takeaways from Jason Botterill’s first offseason chat with media

'Reaction: Miss the playoffs. Lather, rinse, repeat. Miss the playoffs. Lather, rinse, repeat.' … [Read more...] about Jason Botterill’s chance to set a new tone for Sabres falls flat

'Although there is a clause in the contract that would allow Pilut to leave for the NHL, it's unclear if he can do so during the season. There is a chance Pilut can begin next season in the KHL and return to Buffalo when the Sabres are able to resume play. Pilut's agent, Patrik Aronsson, declined comment when contacted by The News regarding the contract.' … [Read more...] about Sabres defenseman Lawrence Pilut signs contract with Russian team

'Bettman also revealed the NHL will host a 15-team draft lottery June 26 to determine the top three selections. The Sabres will be joined by the six other teams not participating in the return-to-play plan and the eight teams who lose the playoff play-in games.' … [Read more...] about Sabres receive finality, clarity with NHL announcing playoff format, lottery

'Bettman stated that next season could begin as late as January. The NHL is focusing on completing this season before it outlines a plan for 2020-21. A later start date may buy the league enough time for fans to be able to attend games, although the past two months have taught us that long-term planning is difficult during a pandemic.' … [Read more...] about What’s next for Sabres with regular season officially over?

'The roll call of career games without any playoff experience continues to climb for other Sabres as well. It looks like this: Rasmus Ristolainen (493 games), Zemgus Girgensons (489), Sam Reinhart (400), Johan Larsson (393), Jack Eichel (354) and Jake McCabe (340). Ugly numbers, especially when you consider four of those six players were first-round draft picks.' … [Read more...] about With bizarre playoff near-miss, Sabres’ season finally goes on permanent pause

'All fans have seen is Botterill fail to lead a team to an 80-point season in his three years. And so much more: He hired a woefully overmatched coach in Phil Housley and fired him after two seasons. Made one of the worst trades in recent NHL times by dealing Ryan O'Reilly and becoming the first GM in history to trade a player who became the Conn Smythe Trophy winner the next … [Read more...] about Jason Botterill wasn’t going anywhere, but Kim Pegula’s explanation defies belief

'There's been weirdness aplenty at times over the course of this club's five decades. So, in honor of franchise icon Gilbert Perreault, we present our list of 11 Strange But Trues from Sabres history...'. … [Read more...] about Strange But True: Weird tales from the Sabres’ 50 seasons