Buffalo News

'The Sabres dominated the shots on goal count at 36-23 – and the Islanders only had five in the game's first 34 minutes. The shots attempted were 59-48, also in Buffalo's favor. Quite a departure from last week's two losses to the Islanders at home. Same result.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ forward shuffle produces lots of chances, still not enough goals

'The Sabres outshot the Islanders 36-23 in the game and held them to just five shots on goal over the first 34 minutes of play, but Semyon Varlamov made many key saves to keep the Islanders in range.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Sabres sunk by late power-play goal, fall to 0-3 against Isles

'Of bigger importance is the fact this was the final year of McCabe's contract and he is heading into unrestricted free agency this summer. McCabe likely was looking at a decent raise from his current $2.85 million salary and a good market for his services on a multi-year contract. Given the severity of his injury, McCabe won't be able to cash in this summer.' … [Read more...] about Sabres defense stalwart Jake McCabe out for the season with major knee damage

'The conclusion is clear: Unless coach Ralph Krueger has a sudden change of heart, Skinner is joining Thompson in the scratch brigade for Monday's game against the New York Islanders in Nassau Coliseum.' … [Read more...] about Still stuck at no goals, Jeff Skinner may take a seat as Sabres meet Isles

'"He's one of the main guys in the locker room and a main guy on the ice, so it's going to be a huge loss," Rasmus Dahlin said of McCabe. "Risto is gone, too. We just have to make the best out of it and try to compete. ... It's not fun for sure when those type of things happen."' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Jake McCabe’s injury could be season-ending

'Forget Stanley Cups. These days, the Sabres can barely score a goal. Now, they get full marks for Saturday's 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils -- a game that saw them take their first lead in more than 255 minutes of play. They looked great well into the third period, making you wonder why they can't do that a lot more of the time. It's to the point where if they lay an egg … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: A nice win but the big picture under Terry Pegula remains cloudy

'The Sabres outskated the Devils all afternoon and finally started causing traffic around the net with regularity to build a 3-0 lead through two periods. The defense was crisp, and faceoff wins by Eric Staal and Jack Eichel directly led to the first two Buffalo goals.' … [Read more...] about The Wraparound: Reinhart scores twice, McCabe hurt as Sabres run past Devils

'“That helped me to realize it’s not something that’s going to happen overnight, to be a really good professional player,” Luukkonen, now a 21-year-old Sabres prospect, said during a phone interview with The Buffalo News. “It’s a long road. Getting to that environment early was eye-opening for me.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen making strides during ‘long road’ to NHL

'"One of my biggest takes out of that game yesterday was the fragile psychological state of the team right now," Krueger admitted after practice here Friday in Prudential Center. "And managing that properly so that there is an edge, but that the edge doesn't go over to being too tight – which is exactly what is our biggest enemy at the moment. Everybody's trying to play within … [Read more...] about Ralph Krueger admits he’s coaching a fragile team as Sabres’ funk continues

'Ristolainen, who co-hosts a fitness podcast and documents his intense offseason workout regimens on social media, was playing some of the best hockey of his career. The former first-round draft pick paired with Jake McCabe to form one of the top defense pairs in the NHL. Ristolainen’s performance amid his eighth season in Buffalo was one of the bright spots in a disappointing … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Rasmus Ristolainen endured intense chest pain during bout with Covid-19

'Coach Ralph Krueger called the shorthanded goal a "turning point," yet it would not have held as much weight if his team solved its inability to score at 5-on-5. Hall and Jack Eichel have combined for one even-strength goal. Jeff Skinner has yet to score this season. The bottom six did not generate much offense Thursday, either.' … [Read more...] about Even-strength struggles haunt Sabres in 3-1 loss to begin 4-game road trip

'“With Risto, we’re going to take our time,” Krueger said ahead of puck drop against the Capitals. “You can see the writing on the wall, that he needs more space to get his energy level up. Every one of us that had Covid has a different pathway back. His will still take some time. I really don’t expect him to join us on this trip. So, that’s actually what we’re expecting. We … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: Rasmus Ristolainen not expected to join team on road trip

'It's unclear if Mittelstadt will be available to coach Ralph Krueger in Washington, but he is the ninth player to rejoin the team across the past week. A player can only be removed from the protocol list after serving a mandatory minimum quarantine and producing negative Covid-19 tests.' … [Read more...] about Sabres have zero players on Covid protocol list for first time since Feb. 1

'The initial announcement included only three games for each team, as Knicks tickets went on sale Tuesday and tickets to the Rangers, including a March 2 game against the Sabres, will be available Thursday. However, for now, only season ticket members and suite holders will be able to attend games at a minimum cost of $50. Both teams plan to host and recognize essential workers … [Read more...] about Rangers’ plan to allow fans provides clues for what to expect at KeyBank Center for Sabres

'The Sabres failed to score first for the ninth time in 12 games, as they allowed two goals in the first period and failed to mount a comeback in a 3-0 loss in KeyBank Center. The Sabres fell to 4-6-2 and have scored only one goal in their past two games. They also own a negative-8 goal differential in the first period this season and are 0-6-1 when trailing after two.' … [Read more...] about Sabres observations: Another slow start proves to be a ‘tough hill to climb’