Buffalo News

'“Speed, competitiveness,” said Granato. “He’s got a deep passion and love for the game. He plays hard. He plays a quick game. He can play up and down the lineup. He can penalty kill, he can keep up speed-wise and push the pace with your top players. He just fits anywhere up and down the lineup.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres claim forward Drake Caggiula off waivers from Arizona Coyotes

'For the first time since Granato took over March 17, the Sabres were outworked for much of the game against a young, relentless Devils team led by coach Lindy Ruff. The Sabres, now 9-24-6 and unable to extend their point streak to six games, managed only two shots during a third period in which the Devils scored three goals.' … [Read more...] about Observations: ‘Hungrier’ Devils show Sabres are still a work in progress

'In the pandemic world of 2021, we're left with a Sabres-Devils game to mark that anniversary on a Thursday night with no fans in the building. And it was an absolute clunker, a 6-3 loss in a game that was tied at 3-3 through 40 minutes. Turnovers and sloppy play all over. You'll barely remember anything about it in 10 hours, let alone 10 years.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Major battles ahead for Sabres against marquee foes

'The Sabres spent much of the second period hemmed in their own zone. The effort was there. The execution wasn’t. Breakout passes were misfired. Issues on defense reared their ugly head. Inevitable regression on the penalty kill has finally arrived.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Sabres’ comeback falls short, point streak ends with 6-3 loss

'With Hall still on the roster, the Sabres don’t have enough salary cap space to add a forward to the active roster. This forced Granato to deploy an 11-forward, seven-defensemen lineup for a second consecutive game Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils.' … [Read more...] about Taylor Hall ‘still involved’ with Sabres as trade talks continue

'Dahlin rarely showed joy under Krueger this season. Dahlin wasn’t carrying the puck with confidence. His lack of engagement offensively carried over into his own zone, where there were continued lapses in coverage around the Sabres’ net. He seemed to be second-guessing himself and his abilities.' … [Read more...] about ‘Confident’ again, Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin thriving under interim coach Don Granato

'“I know that the medical team here, the trainers have been looking at that,” Granato said following an optional practice Wednesday when asked about vaccinations. “I don’t have any news today on it, but they’ve been looking at that for a while, when this will potentially become available for our guys. So, I’m sure they’re hard at work on it. I know, like I’ve said, they’ve been … [Read more...] about No timeline for Sabres to receive Covid-19 vaccinations, says interim coach Don Granato

'They don't want a repeat of what happened in Columbus, where 31-year-old forward Riley Nash would have been a nice depth piece in a deal but suffered a sprained knee in Sunday’s game at Florida and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Taylor Hall chatter is no distraction as Sabres’ strong play continues

'On the winning goal, Dahlin nearly found disaster at the New Jersey blueline, but kept the puck on against pressure from Travis Zajac and Pavel Zacha. He burst through the right circle with it and found Mittelstadt in front for a tap-in past New Jersey goalie Scott Wedgewood. Dahlin and Mittelstadt each had a goal and an assist in the game, forging their first multi-point … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Sabres extend point streak to five games by squeezing past Devils

'"That's the best way you can draw up a debut," Tyce Thompson said. "To be able to play against my brother makes it that much more special. Speechless really, I can't describe how I really feel. It's just really exciting."' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: It’s a family reunion as Tage Thompson watches brother make NHL debut

'By stopping all three shots Saturday, Ullmark improved to 33 of 38 in his career, and his .868 save percentage took over first place all-time in the NHL for goalies with at least 10 shootouts.' … [Read more...] about On top of his solid season, Linus Ullmark has become a shootout dynamo

'"We're interested in seeing him at some point. We plan on that at some point," Granato said. "He has earned it by his his work ethic, his commitment, all the intangibles. He's done a nice job down there, consistently progressed."' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Arttu Ruotsalainen gets the call, now waits for his chance

'What might be a bit more concerning is that the Sabres – for the third season in a row – aren’t seeing a ton of offensive pop with Dahlin on the ice, particularly at 5-on-5. The Sabres score just about as efficiently with Dahlin deployed (2.37 goals per 60 minutes) as with him resting (2.30 goals per 60 minutes), and that’s with a lot of his minutes intermixed with stronger … [Read more...] about Travis Yost’s Sabre Metrics: Is there more to Rasmus Dahlin’s struggles than just playing on a bad team?

'The Sabres play faster under Granato. They have pace. The defensemen are engaged in the offense. They're willing and even encouraged to make some high-risk plays. He's getting better play from guys up and down the lineup.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres’ progress could make Don Granato a candidate for the job

'This game illustrated how far the Sabres have come in only two weeks and the power of ending a 34-day run of futility that plummeted Buffalo to the bottom of the NHL standings before former coach Ralph Krueger was fired.' … [Read more...] about Observations: ‘Fast,’ effective Sabres show some resilience with another comeback