Buffalo News

'There are 23 teams in a playoff spot or within four points of one as play resumes Monday night – including 13 of the 15 teams in the Western Conference.' … [Read more...] about NHL playoff races are wild as deadline looms

'Nelson, who signed with the Sabres as a free agent in March 2016, was amid a career year before suffering the injury during the first period of a 4-3 overtime loss to Toronto on Dec. 4. He has one goal among five points with a plus-6 rating in 22 games this season.' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Defenseman Casey Nelson returns to practice

'Eichel and Skinner both scored a goal in the game, which was 20 minutes long and played in two 10-minute halves. Skinner's goal at 56 seconds of the second half got Atlantic even and Toronto's John Tavares scored 32 seconds later to make it 4-3 but Washington's Holtby pitched a shutout the rest of the way and his team got him four unanswered goals.' … [Read more...] about Eichel and Skinner each get a goal in Atlantic Division loss

'Carter Hutton has been a victim of circumstance at times. For whatever reason, the Sabres have played worse defensively in front of him. The 33-year-old was 8-0 with a .936 save percentage during the win streak. He has since won only two of 12 starts while posting a .898 save percentage. Linus Ullmark, meanwhile, is 10-4-3 with a 2.93 goals against average and .914 save … [Read more...] about Inside the Sabres: Pressing questions entering post-break playoff push

'One of Bettman's key points was how more information of this kind could come into play for daily fantasy and betting as a whole. The NHL was the first sport to embrace Las Vegas – with incredible results last season – and is not shying away from the gambling and fantasy implications for the sport.' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: Player and puck tracking usher in a new kind of numbers game

'"As a player, you just focus on things you can control and that's not something that has an effect on the game for me," Skinner said late Thursday night at Media Day in the City National Civic Auditorium. "For us right now, we're in the thick of a playoff race. You want to play hard, pick up as many points as you can and put yourself in a good situation. That right there is … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: $$$$kinner has leverage, so he’s not fretting about pace of contract talks

'Skating seventh of eight competitors, Eichel completed his lap in 13.582 seconds to take over the lead. Flying around the SAP Center rink, Eichel reached a top speed of 24 mph as NBC showcased the NHL's new player tracking system unveiled earlier in the day by Commissioner Gary Bettman.' … [Read more...] about Connor McDavid nips Jack Eichel to win NHL’s Fastest Skater contest

'A growing possibility for an opponent for the Sabres could be the Vancouver Canucks, as the 1970 expansion cousins will be celebrating 50 years in the NHL and each has a huge young Swedish star on the roster: Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and Vancouver center Elias Pettersson.' … [Read more...] about All-Star Notebook: Sabres still awaiting word on NHL’s 2019-20 international games

'"At the beginning of the year, we were on the positive side of things and now we're on the negative side, losing one-goal games we should be winning and getting points in. We knew the second half would be more competitive. We have to dig deeper, be crisper. we can't have these lapses. You see all our games. It's really a fine line between winning and losing and we're already … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres, city need Captain Jack now more than ever

'Buffalo Sabres rookie defenseman Rasmus Dahlin and winger Jeff Skinner each placed second in a category as the Professional Hockey Writers Association announced its midseason awards Thursday in conjunction with the start of All-Star Weekend.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin, Jeff Skinner earn nods in writers’ midseason awards

'"You're not going to have a good season unless your teammates are playing well. That's the cool part," Skinner said when the vote was announced Jan. 11 on the day he returned to Carolina. "My family was thinking about it more than me. It just shows the passion and how much the fans love the Sabres. It's a pretty cool feeling."' … [Read more...] about In Eichel and Skinner, Sabres adding double dose of talent to All-Star Game

'But that many minor-league games can be mentally trying for a player of Nylander's pedigree. While others his age or younger are thriving in the NHL, Nylander is still fine-tuning his game in the minors. That has created both internal and external angst at times.' … [Read more...] about Former Sabres top pick Nylander encouraged by progress with Amerks

'His transformation from raw prospect to hero did not happen overnight.' … [Read more...] about Sabres prospect Luukkonen eyeing pro career following gold medal win

'The larger takeaway is that Kim Pegula seems to be influencing the organization’s zero-tolerance policy for anything resembling sexual misconduct. Her leadership sends a strong message that the “boys-will-be-boys” culture that has pervaded many businesses, in and outside of sports, will not be tolerated.' … [Read more...] about Editorial: Kim Pegula sets zero tolerance tone after incident with Sabres execs

'Only one team in history – the 2016-17 Philadelphia Flyers – has had a 10-game winning streak during a season and failed to make the playoffs that spring. Are the Sabres going to become No. 2? An improvement from 62 points to, say, 88 points that would have been notable in October will now be bitterly disappointing in April.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: With season sliding away, Sabres are facing tough choices