Buffalo News

'When you consider the Sabres finished in last place in the league this season, the 20 percent drop isn't that bad.' … [Read more...] about Sabres TV ratings end season with 20 percent drop

'"I never expected this," Housley said in KeyBank Center. "It was a difficult season in that respect. I'm not used to having the results that we had. That was an adjustment of keep trying to push our players, keep motivating our guys, keep them together because we could have easily broken apart.' … [Read more...] about Housley vows to get second season behind Sabres’ bench off to better start

'"There needs to be change," Eichel said. "Everybody obviously needs to look at themselves and figure out what they're doing and change it. Myself, whatever I've been doing hasn't been working. What we've been doing as a team hasn't been working. All you can really do is focus on yourself and changing yourself and I think that's what helps change the culture and change the … [Read more...] about Jack Eichel: ‘We’re going to change things around here’

'"Yeah, it's crazy," O'Reilly said as the Sabres cleaned out their lockers in KeyBank Center. "It's just at different times. Obviously, so privileged to be able to play this game professionally. It's the NHL. It's the best job in the world, but at times throughout the year I've felt I lost it.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly says he lost love of game, lacked mental toughness

'Even before the injury, the Russian defenseman spent much of the season watching as a healthy scratch. He said he hasn't decided whether he'll be in the NHL or KHL next season but would be open to staying in North America.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Victor Antipin has no memory of Scott Hartnell hit

'"His leadership has taken the next step," said Evan Rodrigues, Eichel's friend and former college linemate. "He wants to take that role, and he wants to be a leader. I think you can see it in the way he acts and the way he talks in the room. You can sense that he wants it."' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: The time has come to stitch the ‘C’ on Eichel’s sweater

'"For a lot of games, for like 20 out of 29, it just seemed like a mess," Johnson said. "Things need to obviously change for a goalie to have success. You look at any team, if they play the way that we play ... I think any goalie, whether you're Pekka Rinne or (Andrei) Vasilevskiy, if a team doesn't play a certain basic standard, it's going to be a mess."' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Johnson needs to see change, Josefson denies reports of Sweden return

'Since 1994, only one Sabres goalie had a goals-against average above 3.00 (Jhonas Enroth, 3.27 in 2014-15). Both Johnson (3.55) and Lehner (3.01) were above the mark this season.' … [Read more...] about Sabres dial too many wrong numbers in season to forget

'"This is about him getting more experience," coach Phil Housley said over the weekend during the team's season-ending Florida road trip. "There's times he's really handled himself and times it's been a bit of a push because of the teams we're playing, the speed and the transition."' … [Read more...] about Mittelstadt a work in progress during promising first NHL stint

'Buffalo has sent forwards Nick Baptiste, Alexander Nylander and Kevin Porter; defensemen Brendan Guhle, Casey Nelson and Matt Tennyson; and goaltenders Linus Ullmark and Adam Wilcox back to Rochester.' … [Read more...] about With season over, Sabres send eight back to Amerks

'"Four years ago when I came here, you set a goal in mind to help change this organization, help get this team back in the playoffs," said Gorges, who arrived in 2014 after refusing a trade from Montreal to Toronto. "To look back at it now four years later and realize we didn't make those steps, it feels like a failed effort. That's not a good feeling for anybody. Those are … [Read more...] about In last game with Sabres, emotional Gorges ponders end of NHL career

'"It's every parent's worst nightmare obviously and my heart goes out to those people in Humboldt," Sabres coach Phil Housley said during his pregame media briefing. "The familes, the community. ... It's one of those things where you're riding the bus, you're free of life and you just feel like you're protected. Something like this happens and it's totally unfortunate and it's … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Housley among those paying tribute to Humboldt

'The loss left the Sabres with a final record of 25-45-12 for 62 points, a drop of 16 points from last season. Buffalo went 11-25-5 at home and 14-20-7 on the road. The 62 points are the fourth-lowest in franchise history for a full season. The Sabres had 51 points in 1971-72 and totals of 52 and 54 points, respectively, in their tank seasons from 2013-2015.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Panthers 4, Sabres 3

'In the grand scheme, it would be hard to give up Lehner for nothing after trading a first-round draft pick for the netminder in 2015. Botterill, though, is in position to wash his hands of that deal. He can say, "This was Tim Murray's move, and it's best to cut our losses and walk away." Botterill wouldn't be at fault.' … [Read more...] about Inside the Sabres: Saying goodbye to underachievers won’t be easy

'This year, for the first time, the PHWA has made an excellent decision in voting for full transparency. That means after the awards are announced in late June in Las Vegas, the individual ballots will be revealed. It's something that's been done for many years in baseball and is long overdue. Of course, the craziness of this year's Hart ballot ensures voters will take a … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: Historic logjam at top of Hart ballot