Archives for March 8, 2016

Rangers-Sabres Preview (AP) Sabres host banged-up Rangers (NHL.com) Rangers vs. Sabres 3.8.16: Pregame notes (NewYorkRangers.com) W2W4: Rangers vs. Sabres 3.8.16 (NewYorkRangers.com) … [Read more...] about Tuesday’s New York Coverage

'But when the Sabres needed their marquee players to show up, they did. Eichel and Kane erased a two-goal deficit in the final 13 minutes, and Reinhart teamed with goaltender Chad Johnson to give Buffalo just its second shootout win in eight chances.' … [Read more...] about Sabres victory follows rebuild blueprint

'The Leafs are definitely behind the Sabres on Rebuilding Road – or should it be Tank Terrace? – but they have a chance to close the gap fast. And all the snickers from the 716 aside, the Leafs finally finding their way and becoming relevant again would be good for the entire NHL.' … [Read more...] about Lagging Leafs on road to becoming relevant again

'“It’s not something I’m real comfortable with,” said Bylsma, who admitted the year has been an emotional roller coaster. “I probably have been more exuberant and more emotional probably both ways, winning and losing. It takes a toll on you not winning hockey games and not having success. At the same time, the wins that we’ve had and some of the good that we’ve had has felt … [Read more...] about Sabres coach brimming with winning attitude

'The Sabres have won six games when trailing after two periods. Only Los Angeles and Ottawa (seven each) have more third-period comebacks this season. Buffalo forced overtime in three other games.' … [Read more...] about Quick hits: Sabres 4, Maple Leafs 3 (SO)

'Then rookie Sam Reinhart scored the shootout’s only goal, securing the Sabres’ 4-3 win, their first triumph in the one-on-one competition since beating the Leafs on Oct. 21 and just their second all season.' … [Read more...] about Top talent rallies Sabres past Leafs

'“If you don’t shoot, you can’t score,” he said. “It’s kind of the mentality I have behind it. If they don’t go in, they can create havoc, opportunities for other guys. Usually, 90 percent of time, shooting the puck’s the right play."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Evander Kane possesses shoot-first mentality

'Now, 12 months later, members of that same Sabres management group - the one that had been widely criticized for allegedly tanking - could sit in the press box at the ACC, point at the home bench and say: “How is that different from what we did?”' … [Read more...] about Maple Leafs following Buffalo Sabres’ tank model

'That’s the scary bit for Maple Leafs fans. There are hockey folks who’ll tell you the core of Buffalo’s young talent — the likes of Eichel, 20-year-old centreman Sam Reinhart and 21-year-old defenceman Rasmus Ristolainen — is currently superior to that of the Maple Leafs. And even given that, the Sabres seem a long leap away from scaring anyone.' … [Read more...] about The race to bottom leaves you a long way from the top

'“Obviously, there was a lot of speculation when he first came in,” Colaiacovo says. “You hear all the things about his life away from hockey, but getting to know the guy has been outstanding. I really got a different perception him. He loves being around his teammates. He’s a young kid. It’s a process of growing up. And I think he’s in the mature stages of doing that right … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Evander Kane putting distractions behind him

'“Where we’ve come from, where we were at, is over for sure,” Bylsma said. “We’re not a team any longer that wants to be, needs to be, is looking at being at the bottom. We’re starting to put pieces in place where we need to prove we can win hockey games.”' … [Read more...] about Fizzling rivalry between Leafs and Sabres has become all about the tank

'“I can tell you that there’s not going to be one guy that’s satisfied until we start winning consistently,” Sabres rookie forward Sam Reinhart said. “We knew it was going to be a process. It takes a while to learn how to win in this league. The top teams only get better and better as the year goes on. It gets tough. I’m pretty confident that we’re getting better at that and … [Read more...] about Take note Maple Leafs fans: Buffalo Sabres show rebuilding from the ground up is not a quick fix

Maple Leafs blow third period lead, lose in shootout (Toronto Sun) Maple Leafs following Buffalo Sabres' tank model (Toronto Sun) Sabres win in shootout as rivalry with Leafs starts to simmer again (Toronto Star) The race to bottom leaves you a long way from the top (Toronto Star) Sabres’ Evander Kane putting distractions behind him (Toronto Star) Fizzling rivalry between … [Read more...] about Tuesday’s Toronto Coverage

'Buffalo fought back to tie it with two third-period goals, including the 20th from Eichel, who beat Kadri to the slot after serving a penalty for roughing. The mistake in coverage was later compounded by the error from Rielly.' … [Read more...] about Third period lead slips away as Leafs lose again in close fashion

'"I won't say we took them lightly, we definitely came out flat though," said Kane, who finished with a goal and an assist in the win. "We weren't aggressive on the forecheck like we planned to be, especially in the first period there and they took advantage of that. We got outworked."' … [Read more...] about Sabres rally late, top Leafs in shootout