Buffalo News

'The Sabres were a Jekyll-and-Hyde outfit last season, going 20-11-4 at home but ruining their hopes with a 10-20-4 road record that ranked 28th out of the 31 teams in points away from home.' … [Read more...] about Sabres looking to reverse trend of not taking kindly to the road

'"They're a lot stronger than what I'm used to, so that's a big adjustment there," he said. "But I think the biggest thing I've picked up on is just how much guys take care of their bodies. Especially in a year like this, where there's so many games in such a short period of time, I think the biggest thing is just ensure I take care of my body."' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Dylan Cozens gets a bigger role with move to second line

'Despite some lean offensive seasons, Rieder was among the Sabres’ top targets when free agency opened in October and General Manager Kevyn Adams signed the penalty-kill specialist to a one-year, $700,000 contract. Rieder was among the standouts in training camp, providing the straight-line speed this team has lacked in the bottom six.' … [Read more...] about Tobias Rieder ‘can fly,’ provide spark for Sabres all over the ice

'“We played free today,” said Krueger. “We beat them in pretty well every category except for the scoring. It was excellent to see the execution, extremely painful to see the final result. But what changed was we outskated them, we put pucks into places where we created foot races and they really struggled with that. We just ran into an extremely hot goaltender at the other … [Read more...] about Sabres’ improved firepower stifled by Capitals’ rookie goalie in 2-1 loss

'It seems simple really. Monday in Philadelphia, Krueger needs to roll Hall-Eichel-Reinhart and Skinner with Eric Staal and Victor Olofsson. Don't overthink it.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres coach Ralph Krueger needs to make quick pivot with Jeff Skinner

'After peppering rookie goalie Vitek Vanecek with 26 shots through two periods, the Sabres finally broke through with Rasmus Ristolainen’s wrist shot going off a Capitals defender and into the net to tie the score, 1-1, only 31 seconds into the third period. The Sabres' push continued, but Washington took the lead when Wilson was left alone in the right circle to uncork a shot … [Read more...] about Wraparound: Capitals 2, Sabres 1

'“We had a very disappointing start,” Krueger said. “They came with a lot of speed. We had trouble adapting after the break. … They did a very good job of getting on us and taking away space and time and the pressure. I thought it took us at least a period and a bit to finally see our legs coming.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres can’t overcome ‘very disappointing start,’ drop season opener to Capitals

'You get the point. There was nothing. Just eerie quiet.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: A weird backdrop was fitting for slipshod Sabres opener

'One of those spots must be filled by a goaltender. The Sabres have Jonas Johansson as their taxi-squad goalie and the 25-year-old has split his practice time in recent days between the NHL roster and a small group. Johansson, or whoever fills that role throughout the season, will travel with the team and can be recalled on a game day if he tests negative for Covid-19 and is … [Read more...] about Sabres taking precautions to protect goalies from worst-case scenario outbreak

'Cozens logged 11:12 of ice time across 17 shifts while recording one shot on goal and a plus-1 rating.' … [Read more...] about Wraparound: Sabres lose season opener to Washington Capitals, 6-4

'No Sabres line since has featured two players with the same blend of otherworldly speed and playmaking ability. Until now.' … [Read more...] about ‘Batman needs Robin:’ How Sabres’ Jack Eichel, Taylor Hall could be elite duo

'They can't realistically be expected to do much in the made-for-2021 East Division and that word – that head-to-desk-inducing, seven-letter word – is thus a major player in our sports lexicon again. Drought.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Another drought? Sabres on edge of dubious NHL history

'If we can't see playoff games here, we have to see fun. I think the Sabres can at least provide more of that this year than in previous seasons.' … [Read more...] about Forecasting where the Sabres will finish in the rugged East Division

'If the Sabres are to emerge as a playoff team in what’s unquestionably the top division, they’ll need a capable No. 1 goaltender. Ullmark, a 27-year-old whom Krueger has referred to as a “centerpiece” of the team, is in the final season of his contract and showed for a two-month stretch in 2019-20 that he can be the guy for Buffalo.' … [Read more...] about Sabres roundtable: Answering lingering questions ahead of the 56-game season

'“It’s very intimate,” said Sabres center Cody Eakin, who played in front of no fans while in the playoff bubble with the Winnipeg Jets. “In there you can hear the skates cracking, guys chirping. You don’t have the fan support to give you that momentum off the kill, the power play or some zone time, but you have to generate that off the bench. I think there are pros and cons. … [Read more...] about Sabres prepared for new ‘norm’ of playing in front of no fans