Buffalo News

'The Habs won the shootout, 2-1, on Michael Pezzetta's goal in Round 6 – which he celebrated with a riding of the stick a la longtime Toronto enforcer Tiger Williams, to the delight of the Montreal fans in the crowd of 16,435.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Lukas Rousek gets first NHL goal as Thompson-less Sabres fall to Habs in shootout

'Lyubushkin, who joined the Sabres on a two-year contract in July, returns to his home country each summer, where he and his wife have family. Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an expanded anti-gay law in December that outlaws any forms of so-called LGBTQ "propaganda" through adverting, books, film and theater productions, among other forms of media.' … [Read more...] about Buffalo Sabres’ Ilya Lyubushkin sitting out warmups on Pride night for safety concerns

'Cozens has two goals and five points with 10 shots on goal in his last three games. Finishing the pass from Quinn made Cozens the first Sabre with 28 goals in an age 21 or younger season since Pierre Turgeon (32) and Alexander Mogilny (30) in 1990-91.' … [Read more...] about Dylan Cozens continues to rise for Sabres in breakout season

'The Sabres bided their time and kept pushing until Okposo broke through on a short-side shot from the left circle that beat goalie Semyon Varlamov with 6:29 left in the third period, and Jeff Skinner added an empty-netter to lift Buffalo to a 2-0 win.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Patience pays off for Sabres with Kyle Okposo’s game-winner vs. Isles

'Tuch gave the Sabres a three-goal advantage that was slashed to one in the third period after Devils center Jack Hughes scored twice in 4:13, but New Jersey was unable to draw closer as goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen snapped his five-start winless streak with 27 saves. Buffalo (34-31-6) had four different players with two or more points, led by Tuch's three, and prevented New … [Read more...] about Observations: Sabres’ ‘swagger’ returns, as Alex Tuch scores twice in 5-4 win

'The Devils were a 63-point team last season and Ruff's job status was tenuous at best. When they hit town Friday, they were a 98-point club looking to clinch a playoff spot and catch Carolina for the lead in the Metropolitan Division.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Lindy Ruff doesn’t get his playoff clincher, but he has team that can go distance

'“It’s out of my control, so I can’t really think about it,” said Levi, describing his mindset while waiting for immigration approval. “How I was thinking about it was, you can’t keep the beast tamed in the cage for too long. So, it’s just a matter of time, getting out and being hungry. I’m just super hungry to get out there and stop pucks.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: Devon Levi ‘hungry’ to get to work after immigration approval

'You won’t see the Sabres hand out long-term contracts in free agency, nor should they. Those sorts of decisions rarely work. It’s time to build around the core, though. This team needs another top-four defenseman, in addition to the forwards and possible goalie mentioned above. Adams will be aggressive within reason. There's a way to get this team closer to the playoffs … [Read more...] about Sabres Mailbag: How should GM Kevyn Adams react to the recent struggles?

… [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: Eric Comrie ‘ready to go,’ as Devon Levi awaits immigration

"'It didn’t happen after my first year in Buffalo, but I learned, you're in the entertainment business. This happened to be the avenue of sports. Being in Buffalo, they have such great sports fans. ... At the time, the Bills were doing really good, and it was fun to see the following they had, and to see the loyal people with the Sabres. I saw a real passion in Buffalo, and … [Read more...] about Dave Snuggerud on playing for the Sabres, how he found Canisius College and on his son Jimmy’s hockey career

'Since Game 7 in Philly 12 years ago, every NHL team has played in at least 25 playoff games (We're not counting Seattle, which just entered the league last season). There are 13 teams that have played at least 70 games.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: As another non-playoff season slips away, Sabres keep climbing on dubious list

'Johnson and Huglen have kept in contact with the Sabres over the course of the season, using what they learned at development camps and applying it to their program at Minnesota.' … [Read more...] about Sabres draft picks Ryan Johnson, Aaron Huglen pace Minnesota in NCAA Tournament meeting with Canisius

'In the latest entry in a string of embarrassing defeats, the Sabres were blitzed in a four-goal second period. Veteran goalie Craig Anderson, the 41-year-old who has given Buffalo plenty of strong outings in the crease, had a terrible time in this one.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Horrendous home play continues as Sabres hit more wrong notes in ugly loss to Nashville

'The final three weeks of the season will serve as Levi’s introduction to the NHL after the 2020 seventh-round draft pick signed his three-year, entry-level contract with Buffalo. He’ll begin practicing with the team once he receives approval from immigration. His new equipment also must be cleared for competition by the league. However, when Levi skates with his teammates for … [Read more...] about Devon Levi’s lessons from Northeastern will be put to the test with the Sabres

'And if Levi were to give up a few goals and take a loss, what's the harm? How many more shellings of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen do we really need to watch?' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: The goalie matters, but Sabres’ woeful defense is letting all of them down