Olean Times Herald

'Eichel seems to be handling the injury OK. He was upbeat during his eight-minute chat Friday, occasionally smiling. Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said Eichel’s spirits have improved. Eichel has kept attending team meetings, something Bylsma said is “absolutely” fine.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Jack Eichel knows he can’t rush back from ankle injury

'“The crappy part is he’s at the goal line, not eight feet from the boards or 10 feet from the boards,” Bylsma said Friday following practice inside KeyBank Center. “It makes it a dangerous play.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Evander Kane out ‘weeks’ with 3 cracked ribs

'In a span of just 36 hours – young star Jack Eichel suffered a high ankle sprain in practice Wednesday – the outlook on the Sabres’ 46th season has quickly shifted from optimistic to gloomy.' … [Read more...] about Sabres lose opener to Canadiens, Evander Kane to injury

'“Historically, that’s what they’ve been,” Murray said of the sprains. “I guess some guys have come back after four, but we can’t count on that. We can’t sit here for four weeks to come and think it’s all going to get better. … You know me, glass half empty. Prepare long term and anything better than that is a bonus."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Jack Eichel could miss 6-8 weeks; GM Tim Murray signs contract extension

'“That would be a big factor in it,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said this morning. “Every game he’s had he’s added solid play where he’s strong below the hash marks in the offensive zone at the net. But the details of his game are extremely good. He’s a guy that every time he’s been on the ice he’s had a positive effect, be it on the offensive side or defensive side of the puck."' … [Read more...] about Attention to details helped Hudson Fasching make Sabres

Update: The Sabres have announced Eichel has a high ankle sprain. No timetable has been set for his return. TSN’s Bob McKenzie, however, tweeted the Sabres anticipate Eichel will miss at least four to six weeks, perhaps longer. … [Read more...] about Jack Eichel’s ankle injury rocks Sabres before season opener

'“I think he came out of the gates for the first 40 games or so, played a real strong, really almost dominating game for us on the backside,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said. “The consistency, he played a ton of minutes for us.”' … [Read more...] about Rasmus Ristolainen happy to have contract done

'The Finn’s deal falls in line with some other contracts top young defensemen have signed in the last year or so, according to generalfanager.com. Calgary’s Dougie Hamilton (six years at $5.75 million per), Columbus’ Seth Jones (six at $5.4 million) and Toronto’s Morgan Rielly (six at $5 million) are all comparable players.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Rasmus Ristolainen signs 6-year, $32.4 million contract

'It’s hard to imagine Grant, 26, not at least being on roster when the Sabres open the season Thursday at home against the Montreal Canadiens. Rosters must be finalized by 5 p.m. Tuesday.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Derek Grant close to earning roster spot

'“Once that happened, something just kind of clicked in my head, I figured out that I needed to dial in my nutrition, dial in my training and dial in some different things to try to be the best,” Okposo said. “The latter half of that year I started to play better, and then the playoffs I thought I played well.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Kyle Okposo has reaped benefits from changing approach

'“He’s showed quite a bit in digging in … and playing a very good, solid, hard second and third period in both of the last two games,” Bylsma said this morning. “It’s earned him one more game. The defensive situation with injuries, he’s got a possibility of earning another game if he plays well tonight for us.”' … [Read more...] about Prospect Brendan Guhle could make Sabres

'That meeting helped ignite the best four-month stretch of Foligno’s career. Sabres coach Dan Bylsma quickly awarded him more ice time and responsibility. He finished with a career-high 10 goals and 23 points and skated around 15 minutes a game in the winter.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Marcus Foligno primed for breakout season

'O’Reilly, who was playing his first preseason game following the World Cup of Hockey, didn’t practice this afternoon inside KeyBank Center. He’s out of Friday’s exhibition finale in Ottawa, Bylsma said.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly day-to-day

'He skates hard minutes, killing penalties and constantly taking faceoffs. He took 1,790 draws in 71 games last season, a whopping 25.6 per outing.' … [Read more...] about Sabres want to rely on star Ryan O’Reilly less this season

'“It was amazing,” he said. “It was a quick little turnaround. I got thrown right into game I didn’t expect to play. … It was a great tournament, some of the fastest hockey I ever played. The team we had, a few of the guys I’ve played with before, but a lot of guys I haven’t. The depth of Canada, seeing all these guys, getting to play with them, seeing every little thing they … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly back from World Cup of Hockey