'“Benson was good. (Jordan) Greenway and Mittlestadt, those three were good,” Buffalo coach Don Granato said. “They had some chances ... backdoor type stuff that one little inch or two would have been in. I thought the three of them were together, developing chemistry.”' … [Read more...] about Nelson, Islanders recover to defeat Sabres in season opener
The Sabres Report - Oct 15, 2023
Benson tallies first NHL points as Sabres fall to Islanders
'The trio of Casey Mittelstadt, Jordan Greenway, and Zach Benson combined for a pair of goals for the Buffalo Sabres, but a tally late in the third period by the New York Islanders proved to be the difference as the Sabres fell 3-2 at UBS Arena on Saturday.' … [Read more...] about Benson tallies first NHL points as Sabres fall to Islanders
Sunday's Rochester Coverage
Riley Stillman embracing demotion to Amerks; Sabres prospect Nikita Novikov impressive in debut (Olean Times Herald) Amerks rally in third, top Marlies in overtime (Amerks.com) Toronto Marlies Open 2023-24 Season With Game Against Rochester Americans (Marlies.ca) … [Read more...] about Sunday’s Rochester Coverage
The Sabres Report - Oct 14, 2023
NHL debut 'surreal' experience for Sabres rookie winger Zach Benson
'“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
Sabres’ Jordan Greenway healthy, ready to be heavy power forward
'By the end of game, he had skated 16 minutes, 56 seconds – two seconds more than star center Tage Thompson.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Jordan Greenway healthy, ready to be heavy power forward
Saturday's New York Coverage
Buffalo visits New York in Eastern Conference play (AP) Game Preview: Islanders vs Sabres (NewYorkIslanders.com) … [Read more...] about Saturday’s New York Coverage
Friday Four: How Dahlin, Power contracts set the Sabres up to explode
'Between Dahlin, Power, Tage Thompson (seven years, $7.142 million) and Dylan Cozens (seven years, $7.1 million), Adams has identified a core of young players and made his bet on these two centres, a franchise defenceman and another No. 1 pick who may fully be worth his cost as soon as this season.' … [Read more...] about Friday Four: How Dahlin, Power contracts set the Sabres up to explode
Sabres Dahlin knows how they can do better against the Islanders
'“Get the puck in deep, we’ve got to come with speed more because the neutral zone was a challenge yesterday, so we’ve just got to keep it more simple and we’ve got to play more north/south hockey.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres Dahlin knows how they can do better against the Islanders
Greenway feeling healthy, confident as season kicks off
'“… For game one, I was pretty happy,” Greenway said. “I feel I played hard, and I played pretty well defensively. Offensively, I think there’s more. We expect more as a line, as a team, as an individual. But yeah, overall, my game was alright.”' … [Read more...] about Greenway feeling healthy, confident as season kicks off
Saturday's Rochester Coverage
Amerks can't hold third-period lead in season opener, fall 4-3 to Bridgeport in overtime (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) Amerks open season with overtime loss to Islanders (Amerks.com) Recap: Islanders 4, Americans 3 (OT) (BridgeportIslanders.com) … [Read more...] about Saturday’s Rochester Coverage
The Sabres Report - Oct 13, 2023
Sabres unable to mount comeback, drop season opener with 5-1 loss to Rangers
'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
Observations: Sabres' season-opening loss a reminder that 'simplifying' is key
'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
Mike Harrington: For openers, the Sabres' festivities were beautiful but you can't say the same about the game
'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
Ryan O'Halloran: Hey, Terry Pegula, follow this plan point by point in search for new Bills, Sabres leadership
'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
Sabres fall in early hole, lose opener; Zach Benson sharp in NHL debut
'At times, Thursday’s highly anticipated season opener felt like a throwback to the Sabres’ dreary days of the not-so-distant past.' … [Read more...] about Sabres fall in early hole, lose opener; Zach Benson sharp in NHL debut