Buffalo News

'O’Reilly and Nylander have not yet been in Buffalo. Schneider (one assist in two games) and Bailey (no points in two games) have made appearances, joining Baptiste (two goals in 12 games), William Carrier (no points in seven games) and Rodrigues (no points in two games) as the season’s recalls.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ youngsters haven’t yet answered the call

'I'm sorry, there's no excuse for scoring eight goals in seven home games, six of them losses, or for losing consecutive games by a 4-1 score. They're not deep or fast enough; the defense isn't nearly good enough, and the Sabres don't play with enough of an edge, regardless of where they are in their development.' … [Read more...] about Injuries matter, but no excuse for slovenly Sabres

'NHL teams don’t benefit from the cap-relieving device known as long-term injured reserve until they need to exceed the ceiling, so every injured player is on Buffalo’s cap. That includes forward Cody McCormick, who hasn’t played in almost two years because of blood clots, and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who is day-to-day. Jack Eichel, Tyler Ennis, Ryan O’Reilly, Zach Bogosian … [Read more...] about Injuries have Murray thinking cap

'Ristolainen practiced with a Bauer Nexus after using a Warrior Covert for the opening 17 games. He broke a white Warrior during the morning skate Thursday, then snapped another at night against Tampa Bay. It’s happened often, usually during a power play.' … [Read more...] about Ristolainen may switch sticks; turkey drive

'For those scoring at home, that's eight goals in seven games downtown. The NHL's worst offense has scored one goal or less nine times in 17 games overall. The per-game average is down to a paltry 1.82.' … [Read more...] about Belief in short supply as Sabres’ slide continues

'"I've made some calls just to see what's going on and what's out there. It's very hard to make a trade because it has to be money for money," Murray said Thursday night during his weekly appearance on WGR Radio. "We've had 27 guys on our roster right now and we're right up against the cap so it's a daily grind.' … [Read more...] about Sabres GM Murray: ‘A lot of vague talk’ on trade market

'How refreshing it would be if the Sabres adopted the same mentality after moping through most of the first 18 games. Sure, they had tough luck. It cannot be disputed and should not be overlooked. Eichel’s high-ankle sprain left them physically shorthanded and emotionally shaken, a fragile team to be sure.' … [Read more...] about Bolts show Sabres how to succeed without superstar

'"I think it’s just by committee," Killorn said of Tampa Bay's offense without Stamkos. "There’s not one guy that’s going to step in and take Stammer’s spot. I think a couple guys – three, four guys have to step up and chip in here and there and help the team for sure.' … [Read more...] about Lightning find a way to win without Stamkos

'The Sabres played the Bolts four times in the first 15 games last season and the only win came in the finale, a 4-1 triumph in Tampa on Nov. 10, 2015. In recent seasons, playing Tampa is a tall task in good times and a brutal one when times are tough.' … [Read more...] about Quick Hits: Lightning 4, Sabres 1

'“I saw the milestone in the game notes but didn’t know it was coming until I read it,” Bylsma said Wednesday.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Bylsma looking to win in his 500th game on bench

'“I always feel better about going best-on-best and playing against the other team’s best,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said Wednesday. “That’s what you want to compete against, what you want to beat. But at the same time, no one’s going to sit around and feel sorry for anybody with the injuries you have or the injuries they have."' … [Read more...] about Stamkos, O’Reilly out; Nelson sent down

'The Sabres are 5-7-4 and have either been shut out or scored just one goal eight times -- exactly half their games. They're 0-3-2 in the last five games, scoring only five goals. They have 30 goals overall, a last-in-the-league average of 1.88. Those are astonishing numbers, injuries or not.' … [Read more...] about Even at early stage, Sabres’ season slipping away

'"It was definitely nice to get those two games at the end of the year. It kind of proved to myself I could play here and gave me more motivation going into the summer," Rodrigues said. "I think I wanted to get up a little bit earlier. Having it come later rather than never was a nice thing. Being able to get a couple points also helped. It gives me a lot of confidence coming … [Read more...] about Rodrigues gets another call to NHL

'The game was tied at 1-1 through 40 minutes and the Sabres nearly took the lead when Johan Larsson cranked a shot off the crossbar 13 seconds into the third period. St. Louis took the lead at 44 seconds as Jaden Schwartz had an easy dump into an empty net from the goal crease after Dmitrij Jaskin cut in on Buffalo goalie Robin Lehner.' … [Read more...] about Quick Hits: Blues 4, Sabres 1

'Carrier, 21, doesn't have a point yet in his first tour of duty in the NHL. But he's creating scoring chances, helping the Sabres get some odd-man rushes and is a bull on the puck, just as he showed over the summer and during the team's September prospects tournament. That's more than the club is getting from several players on its offensively-challenged roster.' … [Read more...] about Carrier expected to keep top line slot for Sabres