Archives for October 2014

'Gorges said after the shock of being turned loose by Montreal, he phoned his agent and asked for “time to think things over.” He understood the Leafs option, but his heart told him he couldn’t take the Leafs off his list of 15 teams he didn’t want to be traded to.' … [Read more...] about Josh Gorges happy not to wear a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey

'But at least the Sabres recognize who they are. At least they have a plan, which they began to execute last season by trading Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek for a pair of first-round picks in the upcoming 2015 draft. The players might not like it (“losing stinks, regardless,” said longtime forward Drew Stafford). But as a fan, you can buy into the process because there is a … [Read more...] about Toronto Maple Leafs should envy the Buffalo Sabres who are (at least) losing with a purpose

'The Sabres appear to be a lock for the upcoming draft lottery. And despite other poor performances around the league, it’s growing increasingly difficult to see them finishing anywhere other than dead last – although Carolina is winless and two points behind Buffalo. Few will accuse them of outright tanking, but the organization has certainly done an excellent job of stripping … [Read more...] about Sabres’ start sets course for draft lottery

'The toughest part of this is that it’s the unspoken plan from management and ownership. McDavid and Eichel are generational talents and a team has to finish dead last to guarantee that it will land one of those prospects. With a tenth of the season now in the books, the 2-8-0 Sabres seem well-positioned to take advantage of that opportunity.' … [Read more...] about Road to McDavid, Eichel paved with embarrassment

'The ultimate success of Buffalo’s complete reboot will largely be determined by the high-end picks the Sabres have either already made (Sam Reinhart, second overall last June) or are on target to make in the next year or two. That said, players like Hodgson, Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno will be huge factors in determining just how fast Buffalo turns the corner, and how far … [Read more...] about Hodgson key to Buffalo’s future

Maple Leafs skewer Sabres (Toronto Sun) Maple Leafs line dance pays off (Toronto Sun) Sabres embarrassed with performance against Maple Leafs (Toronto Sun) Facing woeful Sabres exactly what the Maple Leafs needed (Toronto Sun) Maple Leafs sharp in shutting out Sabres (Toronto Star) Leafs finally put up game they can be proud of (Toronto Star) Josh Gorges happy not to wear … [Read more...] about Wednesday’s Toronto Coverage

'Buffalo goaltender Michal Neuvirth stopped the first 28 shots he faced before the dam burst. Tyler Bozak, Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk scored three goals within a span of seven minutes, and Jake Gardiner added another, to improve Toronto's home record to 2-4-0 this season.' … [Read more...] about Maple Leafs set record for fewest shots allowed in rout of Sabres

'But by refusing to remove Toronto from his no-trade list, Gorges not only changed the course of history for himself but at least three other players and a trio of franchises. Had Gorges agreed to go, it's likely the Canadiens wouldn't have signed Tom Gilbert and possible the Leafs wouldn't have signed Stephane Robidas.' … [Read more...] about Gorges saying no to Leafs creates domino effect on Franson, Habs and Sabres

'Michael Neuvirth stopped 33-of-37 shots for Buffalo, which fell to 2-8-0 on the season.' … [Read more...] about Toronto 4, Buffalo 0

'The Sabres (2-8-0) entered Monday's contest averaging 1.1 goals per game. They were shut out for the fourth times.' … [Read more...] about Leafs dominate Sabres

'For as much difficulty as Toronto had finding the back of the net in the first two periods, it was as simple for them in the final stanza. It started off with Phil Kessel's fourth of the season as he banked one off of Michael Neuvirth to make it 2-0 less than 5 minutes in. That was followed up exactly one minute later by a James Van Riemsdyk tally as he was left alone in front … [Read more...] about Leafs Dominate Sabres 4-0

'This game was as pathetic as it gets as other than Neuvirth it was a no-show from top to bottom. The west coast excuse applies for this game and this game only. They have to be ready to play Thursday.' … [Read more...] about The Sabres very sluggish after their west coast trip

'"Our feet weren't moving and our brains weren't either," Nolan said.' … [Read more...] about Maple Leafs shut out Sabres after changes to lines

'The Sabres have scored just three goals in their past six games and have been shut out four times. They have 10 total non-shootout goals in 10 games this season.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ offense stymied in Toronto

Amerks shrug off playing in Buffalo (Rochester Democrat and Chronicle) Hot start to October (Amerks.com) Amerks recall MacKenzie from Elmira (Amerks.com) … [Read more...] about Wednesday’s Rochester Coverage