Sportsnet

'Let’s outline two assumptions that kind of go hand-in-hand: The first is that Winnipeg will not let a Hellebuyck trade immediately push it into a rebuild, and the second is, as part of the push to make the playoffs in 2027, that goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is an obvious piece to acquire from the Sabres. Luukkonen has a five-team no-trade list, but even if Winnipeg is on it, … [Read more...] about Why Buffalo should be the next stop for Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck

'In his stall, adorned by his old shoulder pads and sharp tattoos, the 30-year-old hung his long, wet, John Wick hair over his face and exhaled. Save for a couple showered teammates fielding reporters’ questions about how it all went wrong, they’d all left. Eventually, Tuch shed the last of his hockey stuff and walked out of the room without a word.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Alex Tuch still has ‘endless options’ as NHL’s most valuable UFA

'The Sabres have just scored nine of the series’ final 12 goals. They’ve just dominated the Montreal Canadiens in every offensive category of Game 7 (shots, attempts, chances, high dangers, expected goals) except the one that matters.; … [Read more...] about Why pain of Game 7 defeat won’t define best Sabres season in 19 years

'The Sabres are much too leaky in this playoff series, just their second after a 14-year drought. And because they blew leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2 in Thursday’s pivotal home game, they must fly to Montreal for what they hope is the first of two must-wins — in the cacophonous lion’s den that will be Bell Centre on Saturday night.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ defence simply not good enough against Canadiens

'“His skating, his puck-moving ability,” Suzuki said of Dahlin. “He’s really good at drawing you in, making a play, and getting by you. He wants to be in the rush, wants the puck. We’ve gotta almost kind of play maybe a bit more passive on him going out to the blue lines. He’s kind of similar to Lane (Hutson); he likes to make guys miss, so definitely gotta be aware of him … [Read more...] about Suzuki and Dahlin setting tone in showdown between Canadiens, Sabres

'“Maybe keep asking, if we’re going to keep scoring now,” McLeod said with a laugh to reporters. “Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t. But it’s a process of building it and getting your look. So I think, we got them tonight.” … [Read more...] about Sabres rediscover their power play in series-opening win over Canadiens

'While it’s not a surprise to see the favoured Sabres advance — after all, Buffalo finished atop the Atlantic and is the second seed in the Eastern Conference draw — their path to victory is a bit unexpected. The Bruins had the second-best home record in the regular season, yet Buffalo blanked the B’s in their own barn, winning Games 3, 4 and 6 as the visitor.' … [Read more...] about Takeaways: Defence delivers, Lyon roars as Sabres bust another major drought

'Samuelsson could surely spin a yarn about lighting up a building by scoring the go-ahead goal in his first post-season match. What might fall by the wayside in any retelling of the events is that he also dished out nine hits — more than everybody in the game, except his teammate Alex Tuch — and played 22:20, third of any Sabre. At six-foot-four and 229 pounds, it’s no surprise … [Read more...] about ‘More desperation’: Sabres liking this whole Stanley Cup Playoffs thing

'“The energy on the bench, the energy in the building after we got the first one, I just felt, we’re going to get one; we’re going to have a good look to get the next one,” said Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. “Because we were garnering a lot of the offensive-zone play; it was just whether we could break them down and get that good chance.”' … [Read more...] about Buffalo roars as Sabres complete epic comeback vs. Bruins in playoff return

'The atmosphere at KeyBank Center for Game 1 is going to be unhinged and the Sabres have to hope they can ride the wave of a crowd that will be going out of its mind. If ever there was a time to put stock in something as unquantifiable as “vibes,” this is it.' … [Read more...] about 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Series Preview: Sabres vs. Bruins

'The Sabres have had no issues filling the net, ranking second in the league with 3.77 goals per game since Dec. 9. On the other end, however, the gap between the Sabres’ actual and expected performances is wide. Buffalo leads the league in actual goals-against per game (2.49) but is 18th in expected goals-against per game (3.19) in all situations over that span. At … [Read more...] about What can hurt the Sabres ahead of the playoffs

'“We’ve been taking it one game at a time, but I think Saturday made a statement about us as a group,” Thompson said. “From where we were at the start of the year to now, as we started to get hot, talking about making the playoffs and now I think we’ve proven that not only can we make the playoffs, we can be a real team. I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but … [Read more...] about Surging Sabres shed years of trade-deadline dread with playoffs in sight

'Perhaps the most unexpected stat for the Sabres during this run is the 2.36 goals-against average that leads the NHL. That’s built largely on the back of strong showings by no less than three goalies, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (.922 save percentage in 10 starts), Alex Lyon (.927 in eight starts, including Saturday’s shutout on Long Island) and Colten Ellis (.913 in four … [Read more...] about Red-hot Sabres melting winter blues away one win at a time

'Tuch will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so Kekalainen has to figure this one out right away. The Sabres can’t afford to let Tuch walk for nothing, meaning he could be in play at the trade deadline if the two sides can’t come to terms. That would be a less-than-ideal scenario for Buffalo, as it has watched several key players like Ryan O’Reilly, Jack Eichel, Sam … [Read more...] about Friday Four: Most important issues Kekalainen needs to solve for Sabres

'Thompson is the engine that drives Buffalo’s offence. His 320 offence-generating plays — a statistic that includes slot passes and carries, as well as loose puck recoveries in the slot and other plays that tend to lead to goals — rank tied for 27th in the league and are 103 more than the next-closest Sabres player (forward Jack Quinn).' … [Read more...] about Reasons for cautious optimism that Sabres will end playoff drought