Buffalo News

'“I think after the first three shifts, I settled in,” he said.' … [Read more...] about NHL debut ‘surreal’ experience for Sabres rookie winger Zach Benson

'Expectations for the Sabres are higher than any point of the 12-year playoff drought. And their season opener Thursday night in front of a sellout crowd in KeyBank Center will serve as another reminder to Granato's players that they must lean on past experiences as they try to accomplish what they couldn't in April.' … [Read more...] about Sabres unable to mount comeback, drop season opener with 5-1 loss to Rangers

'The Sabres needed to shoot more to force the Rangers out of their 1-3-1 defensive structure, a system that several teams deployed last season to give them fits. Granato thought that hesitation was their primary issue because a shot can create chaos, like Peterka’s goal, and an aggressive approach can send an opponent’s team defense into a scramble. Their forwards had a … [Read more...] about Observations: Sabres’ season-opening loss a reminder that ‘simplifying’ is key

'Under new coach Peter Laviolette, the Rangers flustered the Sabres with their 1-3-1 defensive scheme, a point that Buffalo captain Kyle Okposo acknowledged after the game. The Sabres' entire forward corps, in fact, had just seven shots on goal for the first two periods. It took 38 minutes for the Sabres to get a power play and that was largely because they didn't have the puck … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: For openers, the Sabres’ festivities were beautiful but you can’t say the same about the game

'Pegula should hire two people and give them the COO titles parallel with general managers Brandon Beane (Bills) and Kevyn Adams (Sabres), meaning they only report to Pegula.' … [Read more...] about Ryan O’Halloran: Hey, Terry Pegula, follow this plan point by point in search for new Bills, Sabres leadership

'The Sabres now have five players signed until at least 2029-30: Power, Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Dylan Cozens and Mattias Samuelsson. Each was a difference-maker during the team's playoff push last season, when their 91 standing points were only one shy of the Florida Panthers for the Eastern Conference's final playoff spot. After signing both defensemen, the Sabres are projected … [Read more...] about Sabres sign defenseman Owen Power to 7-year contract extension on eve of opener

'JJ Peterka, whom the Sabres selected 26 picks after Quinn in the 2020 draft, used his summer in Germany to try to become more of a complete player after he produced 12 goals and 32 points in 77 games as a rookie. He worked with a new skills coach, Alex Kercs, to try to be even more dangerous with the puck and studied his own shifts from last season to improve his awareness in … [Read more...] about JJ Peterka planning to take ‘next step’ with Sabres after learning from rookie season

'For more of their first 43 seasons, until Ryan Miller was traded to St. Louis in 2014, the Sabres have relied heavily on their goalies and most delivered. You know the names. Roger Crozier and Gerry Desjardins. Don Edwards and Bob Sauve. Barrasso and Daren Puppa. Dominik Hasek. Miller and Marty Biron. Lots of disappointment since then.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Hype and history surround Devon Levi as he claims the crease for Sabres opener

'Two sources within the organizations told The News that Roth was involved in a romantic relationship with D’Angelo, who reported to him, and thus created an unethical situation.' … [Read more...] about Shakeup at Buffalo Bills and Sabres as John Roth, Kathryn D’Angelo removed

'Chew on this: The last time the Sabres were in a playoff game was in 2011 against Philadelphia – when Benson was 5. Now he’s getting ready to suit up in his first NHL game, Thursday’s season opener against the New York Rangers.' … [Read more...] about Zach Benson’s breakout preseason play made the Sabres’ decision easy

'Delaware North will unveil the upgrades it has made to foods such as hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, barbecue, chicken tenders, nachos and hometown favorite beef on weck Thursday when the Buffalo Sabres open their season against the New York Rangers.' … [Read more...] about Classic arena fare gets reboot at KeyBank Center

'“How competitive our players are, that they felt that loss was unacceptable from a, ‘We’re so close and now we’re not in,’ ” said General Manager Kevyn Adams, reflecting on what he saw from his team as it went 9-2-1 over its final 12 games to finish with 91 standing points. “They felt that. It also showed me how much they cared about each other. They knew that they needed each … [Read more...] about ‘It’s go time’: Sabres determined to take next step in their rise as a contender

'"This is kind of his home. He's going to have a family here, build his home through the Buffalo people and the team," said center Peyton Krebs, who came to Buffalo with Tuch in the 2021 Jack Eichel trade with Vegas. "I want to play with these guys as long as I can, and 'Tuchie' is one of those those guys when you go to the rink, you're always excited to see."' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Vegas’ Stanley Cup win is motivation for what Alex Tuch wants to see someday in Buffalo

'“I think if you go back to over two years ago, and I probably said it in some way, shape or form at the time, but it was a really, really challenging year – three seasons ago – for a lot of reasons,” Adams told The Buffalo News inside his office at KeyBank Center. “I guess the good part of that was the fact that we were able to call Owen Power’s name on draft night.”' … [Read more...] about Path toward the playoffs: Seminal moments that shaped Sabres into contender

'Kulich and Rosen are back in Rochester to develop their games under the guidance of coach Seth Appert. They aren’t the only Sabres prospects that will help the Amerks this season, though.' … [Read more...] about Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen among Sabres prospects in Rochester pushing to reach NHL