Buffalo News

'The word has been out on the Buffalo Sabres for several weeks. Take them physically. Work Eichel and Rasmus Dahlin, in particular, to grind the Sabres down. There's not going to be a whole lot of response. Who on this roster, especially among the forwards, has that kind of grit and sandpaper in their game?' … [Read more...] about In battle of big hits, Jack Eichel offers some rare Sabres pushback

'The Sabres were outshot, 43-18, but most of their pressure came in garbage time, with seven shots on goal coming over the final 2:20 after goalie Carter Hutton was pulled for an extra attacker. The Avalanche doubled Buffalo in shot attempts, 76-38.' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Offense takes the afternoon off

'They had seven shots on goal through two periods and the final count was 43-18.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Avalanche 3, Sabres 0

'I don't foresee Botterill spending much beyond locking up Skinner, so he'll try to trade some of the Sabres' assets, particularly prospects, for some secondary scoring help. They also can deal from their depth on the blue line, perhaps Rasmus Ristolainen.' … [Read more...] about Lance Lysowski’s Sabres mailbag: What will Jason Botterill do this offseason?

'As the Sabres ponder a laundry list of upgrades to KeyBank Center with the arena falling way behind its 1990s counterparts, replacing the current HD video board could be one quick way to generate some goodwill among patrons rightfully complaining about broken and dirty seats and mediocre, overpriced concessions.' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: ‘Scoreboard Wars’ is one area Sabres can make a move on

'"Especially as of late, we've done a good job having secondary scoring. It's getting better," Rodrigues said. "'Eichs' has been hot but throughout the lineup we've helped contribute."' … [Read more...] about Sabres hope to keep their secondary scoring in synch in matchup with Avalanche

'"It's frustrating, pretty wide-open hockey," said goalie Carter Hutton, who made seven of his 41 saves in a wild overtime period. "I don't know if we want to exchange chances with a team like that. We get in the habit of doing that and we don't fare too well."' … [Read more...] about Sabres do a lot, but just not enough to win

'"I think that kind of speaks to how close it is," said Hawks star and South Buffalo native Patrick Kane. "Obviously some teams that we were right there with us went on winning streaks so that didn't help us much. You can look at it that by losing a couple games you get yourself out of it pretty quick. But also if we win a few games and go on a run like we did earlier, we'll … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Hawks slip back in race, Casey Mittelstadt returns to site of draft

'The Sabres lost their ninth in a row here (0-6-3) and continue to be winless since Jan. 10, 2007, their longest drought in any NHL arena. It was the third straight year Buffalo has lost in the building past regulation.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Blackhawks 5, Sabres 4 (SO)

'"He’s a special player, a special person," Sabres defenseman Zach Bogosian, an alternate captain, said following practice Wednesday. "He’s done a lot of really good things for this city and this organization. People tend to forget he’s only 22. He’s got a lot on his plate, a lot on his shoulders for a young guy. He’s handled it well. I think at times it’s been tough, but he … [Read more...] about Burden of captaincy, Sabres’ struggles not slowing Jack Eichel’s play

'"It goes back to simplifying our game and playing a simple road game," Housley said following the Sabres' practice Wednesday in KeyBank Center. "Sometimes that’s just relieving pressure out of our defensive zone and getting pucks out. Managing pucks through the neutral zone and getting pucks in, trying to establish our forecheck and I think the simplification of our game. … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Phil Housley seeks ‘simple’ game to end road woes

'Ristolainen has lapses with decision-making and awareness. He has lost too many one-on-one puck battles along the boards, continues to turn the puck over in his own zone and commits the same mistakes in defensive-zone coverage, despite having played 412 NHL games.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ slide, defensive struggles ‘weighing’ on Rasmus Ristolainen

'They received a roar from the home crowd after scoring three consecutive first-period goals, only to hear boos as they left for their dressing room after the game. A myriad of mistakes allowed the Oilers to score three goals in a span of three minutes, 26 seconds during the second period, quickly obliterating Buffalo's momentum.' … [Read more...] about Marred by inconsistency, sinking Sabres unravel again in ‘unacceptable’ loss

'That's seven times in 10 games Buffalo has given up four goals or more. All teams drop coverage and give up scoring chances at times. Even Tampa Bay. Once in a while you need a save from your goalie. Or three or four of them.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: As frustration goes away for Connor McDavid, it just keeps growing for Sabres

'He was on pace for a career year until an upper-body injury forced him to miss nine games from Nov. 30 through Dec. 18. McCabe had two goals among 10 points with a plus-2 rating in his first 25 games, but he had two goals among four points with a minus-9 rating in his final 30 games.' … [Read more...] about Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe’s season likely over because of upper-body injury