Buffalo News

'The Sabres – who got back to .500 for the first time this season at 5-5 – broke an eight-game pattern of four wins followed by four losses. And they did it on a night they struggled to generate much offense as they were outshot by the Flyers, 40-15. In fact, they had only eight shots in the final 40 minutes but scored on three of their four shots in the third period.' … [Read more...] about Observations: On a night without much juice, Luukkonen and Power provide spark for Sabres in win over Flyers

'“I definitely wouldn’t be surprised,” Mittelstadt said when asked if more NHL players might consider wearing protection. “Obviously, I have the [cut-resistant protection] on my wrist and ankles now. I mean, I’ve never really considered (a neck guard), and then you see something like that, it definitely makes you start thinking about it. That’s tough. He’s had a similar … [Read more...] about Sabres, rest of hockey world ponder player safety after Adam Johnson’s tragic death

'Levi (1-3, 3.26/.892) looked particularly sluggish in the net during Buffalo’s 4-3 loss to Calgary on Oct. 19, even though he made a season-high 32 saves. His movements were less fluid than normal and he had some issues with rebound control, which could have been indicative of battling through whatever lower-body ailment he was dealing with. “The third period was tough. I was … [Read more...] about After an unplanned break, Devon Levi returns to Sabres’ practice. Now when does he get the net?

'“It’s really exciting,” Biro, 25, said after practice Tuesday in KeyBank Center. “It was pretty disappointing last year getting hurt and missing out on it, so I’m excited to be here now and ready for the opportunity.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Brandon Biro gets the call from Rochester for ailing Zach Benson

'Last year, the Sabres went 6-3 in October but then fell apart in November with a 4-9-1 record that included an eight-game losing streak that ultimately sentenced the season to another year outside the playoffs. This November will be difficult, with 10 of the 14 games on the road and a pair of three-game road stretches.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres hope some October numbers transform to November winning streaks

'Cooley was not selected in the NHL draft and signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Nashville Predators as a college free agent after he played three seasons at the University of Denver. With the Pioneers, Cooley had a 15-9-4 record, 1.93 goals-against average, .927 save percentage and six shutouts.' … [Read more...] about Meet Devin Cooley, the Sabres’ goalie with the Slug logo painted on his mask

'“For him to keep them off the scoreboard until we could get our legs under us and find our rhythm was everything,” Sabres coach Don Granato said after his players’ best performance of the season. “You don’t want to give that team confidence, and he denied that with some early action against him.”' … [Read more...] about Observations: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen’s game-changing saves ‘everything’ for Sabres

'The Sabres are finding their game offensively. That’s 14 goals in the last three games in the wake of Monday’s gutpunch against Montreal that saw them score just one on 79 shot attempts.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres get a win that finally plays up to their preseason hype

'Clifton's right shoulder made contact with Hischier's head as the Sabres defenseman finished a check on the Devils center in the neutral zone. Ondrej Palat, one of Hischier's teammates, rushed to his defense and fought Clifton with four minutes left in the first period. Hischier did not skate for New Jersey in the third period as a "precaution," according to Devils coach Lindy … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Connor Clifton suspended two games for hit on Devils’ Nico Hischier

'“You just want to win it, but to get it right after it was pretty cool,” Johnson said. “I’ll never forget it. I just remember him getting it and he was tearing up. You just know all the work you put in comes to fruition and you fulfill your goal. Nothing better. You want to bottle that moment up for the rest of your life. That’s as good as it gets."' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: New Sabres blueliner Erik Johnson reflects on his triumphant Cup tale

'The Devils outshot Buffalo, 18-4, in the third period after the teams went to the second intermission in a 3-3 tie. The Devils won the game on Erik Haula's goal with 5:43 left, which came less than two minutes after Dylan Cozens had tied the game thanks to a Kyle Okposo pass.' … [Read more...] about Observations: Badly outplayed in the third by Devils, Sabres now have to ponder goalie injuries

'“We sat together a lot in the locker room. Good guy. A lot of funny, funny memories of him,” Hughes said of Power prior to the game. “Really focused, really committed to the sport. He kind of pushed me up the mountain and I pushed him back. A lot of fun, fond memories of him at Michigan.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Owen Power and Devils’ Luke Hughes learned from each other as they dealt with Michigan hype

'The Sabres aren’t scoring enough to compensate for what they’re giving up defensively. Their primary issue hasn’t been defensive-zone coverage, either. Turnovers are the problem. They’re giving teams easy offense by forcing passes or overskating the puck on breakouts. Any goaltender in the league would have trouble stopping the barrage that Luukkonen faced in the third period … [Read more...] about Sabres postgame Q&A: Is it too soon to worry about playoff chances?

'Through seven games, Thompson’s line with Greenway and Cozens on the wings has controlled 65.57% of the shot attempts and 76.4% of the expected goals share at 5-on-5, according to Natural Stat Trick. They’ve earned 11 high-danger scoring chances in those situations and, as impressive, they’ve only allowed four while often skating against the other team’s top players.' … [Read more...] about How Tage Thompson, Jordan Greenway and Dylan Cozens have given Sabres two top lines

'“The soreness is not resolved to the point that, under our situation with three goaltenders and Comrie and Upie playing well in the last two games, we’re not pushing based on all of that,” Granato told reporters. “There’s no need to push it. We have three goalies and that’s the luxury when it comes to this.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Eric Comrie or UPL to start again while Devon Levi remains out