Buffalo News

'It took the Sabres only four days to spoil the momentum that they built by sweeping the three-game trip through California. They went 0-2-1 for the week, including an overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks, to drop to .500 again. Their 11-11-2 record is enough to be only three points out of a wild-card playoff spot, but it was a confounding way to end a month in which they … [Read more...] about Sabres shut out again in ‘flat’ showing against Isles: Takeaways from 3-0 loss

'"It's good to get a point out of the game obviously," said Buffalo defenseman Bowen Byram, who tipped home a Zach Benson pass for Buffalo's first goal. "You want to come away with two much as much as possible. It's still a disappointing loss. I thought we played pretty well but at the end of the day when you don't get two points, it's not a success."' … [Read more...] about Sabres takeaways: Emotions everywhere after tough penalties, late comeback and an OT loss to Canucks

'The Sabres have 14 games in the month, split seven home and seven on the road. There are eight opponents currently in a playoff spot and six that are not. Eight from the Eastern Conference and six from the West.' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: Visits by Casey Mittelstadt, Leafs and Jets highlight Sabres’ busy December

'If the effort succeeds, it would help insulate the organization from the year-to-year performance of the Sabres and the Bandits and being overly dependent on each season’s attendance. That’s especially pertinent, since the Sabres have struggled at the gate coming out of the pandemic and amid the team’s 13-year playoff drought.' … [Read more...] about KeyBank Center ‘open for business’: Arena hosting more events, seeing more activity

'Hard to gripe about Wednesday's defeat. The Sabres had 39 shots on goal and 87 attempts. They didn't score because Filip Gustavsson was outstanding in the Wild net, and just a few too many of Buffalo's good chances were right in his breadbasket and not artfully aimed at a corner of the cage.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres’ mandate for Black Friday matinee is to repeat their recipe for success

'Dahlin played 26:35 in Wednesday's 1-0 loss to the Minnesota Wild and has played at least 24 minutes in each of Buffalo's last nine games. He's second on the team in scoring with 19 points (6 goals, 13 assists) and that total is fifth among NHL defensemen.' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Rasmus Dahlin departs practice early, status unclear for Friday

'“It’s just one of those games where just try to get back in and make an impact,” said Thompson, who returned to the lineup after missing five games with a lower-body injury. “Obviously, tonight I wasn’t able to. I’ve got to find the back of the net, find a way to score.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres unable to score in Tage Thompson’s return: 5 takeaways from a 1-0 loss

'It took longer than the Sabres expected, but Leinonen is starting to look like a goalie who has the potential to become an NHL player. The 20-year-old is 7-4 with two shutouts for Mora IK in HockeyAllsvenskan. His goals-against average (2.13) and save percentage (.914) rank fourth and seventh in the league, respectively.' … [Read more...] about Sabres notes: Topias Leinonen’s improvement boosts organization’s depth in goal

'“The best part about him is practice is the game for him,” Sabres defenseman Connor Clifton said after practice Tuesday in KeyBank Center. “When he laces them up, he’s playing the same way. … Even in summertime, it’s July and he’s almost high-sticking a guy. That’s just him. He’s always on. There’s not a little level. It’s not one, two, three, four, five. And when he’s on, … [Read more...] about How Peyton Krebs has earned Lindy Ruff’s trust since Sabres training camp began

'“Honestly, I think the decision (to miss the San Jose game) – I told them I was ready if they needed me,” Thompson explained. “That’s the decision they made. I would have liked to play, but I think it was smart, for sure, to take an extra few days, especially where our team was at. ... It was more about making sure I was ready to go and not returning too soon.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres notes: Tage Thompson ready to return to lineup against Wild

'No idea what’s up with this: Buffalo is 7-1-0 against the Western Conference and only 4-8-1 against the East. The Sabres are taking advantage of a run of West teams on the schedule that continues with five of the next six games being home contests against West clubs (Minnesota, Vancouver, Colorado, Winnipeg and Utah).' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Points to ponder after Sabres’ golden sweep out West

'“I’m exhausted,” Tuch admitted, relaxing his shoulders while flashing a grin. “It’s exhausting, honestly. It really takes a lot for all 20 of us to come in. It’s 22 hours with travel, we get into the hotel at 2:30 last night, you’re sleeping as much as possible, you’re eating as much as you can, you’re taking a nap if you can. It’s a quick turnaround, honestly. … They took it … [Read more...] about Sabres complete California sweep with another comeback win: 5 takeaways from San Jose

'Barring some major pump in production over the final 60 games, Quinn has answered the question about whether he’s going to need a long-term, big-money deal going into next season. He’s not getting one and JJ Peterka probably is.' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: Sabres winger Jack Quinn insists he’s healthy. Now he just needs to score

'The Sabres (10-9-1) have won six of their last eight games and took over the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card playoff spot. They also moved above .500 after failing to do so twice last week, but they needed a comeback to prevent the Ducks (8-8-3) from playing the role of spoiler.' … [Read more...] about Jiri Kulich’s goal completes comeback, moves Sabres above .500: Takeaways from OT win

'Entering their game Friday against the Anaheim Ducks in Honda Center, the Sabres were tied for the NHL lead in goals by defensemen (13) and ranked fifth in points (50). Dahlin and his fellow blueliners accounted for 21.3% of Buffalo’s goals through 19 games, the fourth-highest mark in the league.' … [Read more...] about Sabres notes: Defense scoring a sign Buffalo’s offense is evolving