Buffalo News

'“We’ve had that almost snake-bit feeling from the back end for a long time this season,” defenseman Cody Franson said Wednesday. “We’ve put good shots in, and we’d hit our own guy coming through the lane. We’d block our own shots or we’d tip pucks and they’d hit crossbars. Ones that were going in would get tipped wide.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ defense finally getting the points

'Lehner improved to 12-12-5. While this win came on an off night, he’s suffered losses during solid outings. Here are his records this season...'. … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Supporting Lehner; O’Reilly clan on trip

'“That overtime goal shows off exactly what he has in his toolbox and what kind of player he is,” Buffalo coach Dan Bylsma said after the 5-4 overtime win. “That’s a great player scoring a great goal, a highlight-reel goal on a great shot.”' … [Read more...] about Eichel’s overtime magic caps another Sabres comeback

'“Hopefully, it’s the last time I had to rehab it,” Kulikov said in Bridgestone Arena. “At this point, it feels better than it ever did at any point of the season.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Kulikov back; McCabe, Gorges out awhile

'The Sabres have three straight wins for the first time since Nov. 1. They improved to 4-1 in their last five games and 9-3-2 against Western Conference opponents.' … [Read more...] about Quick hits: Sabres 5, Predators 4 (OT)

'“Over the past month, we’ve had opportunities to win some big games to catch teams and get back into the mix,” Bylsma said Monday. “With these last two wins and the four points in 32 hours, we get within three, four, five points.' … [Read more...] about Sabres hit the road feeling good after OT wins

'“She’s liked the camaraderie of meeting other parents,” Ennis said. “My parents were always social. They enjoyed tournaments when I was a kid. Hanging out with parents, they made a lot of friends that we still have today.' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Parents join trip; Preds rolling

'“Yeah, I would have thought we were further along than we are, but situations happen,” Gionta said. “It’s a pretty fluid thing, so it’s constantly evolving.”' … [Read more...] about Gionta wants to get Sabres’ timeline back on track

'Bailey's streak is the longest in the American Hockey League this season. He has boosted his stats to 17 goals and 27 points in 34 games. Bailey and Rochester teammate Nick Baptiste are tied for sixth in the AHL in goals.' … [Read more...] about Amerks’ Bailey has goals in seven straight games

'"I really wanted to have a bounceback game today," Lehner admitted. "We got into this building, go into overtime and we win it. That's a great feeling. Things got a little bit bigger than they should have been. You move on with your life, look for the next game.' … [Read more...] about Roll the highlight film for Lehner in OT victory

'Asked if he felt like he had played 35 minutes, Ristolainen said, "I knew it was somewhere around 30." Told that coach Dan Bylsma was probably going to call on him for 28-30 minutes a night as long as McCabe is injured, Ristolainen said, "It's not my call. It's about the coaches. I try to be ready for the game, play my best game and earn the ice time like everyone else."' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Ice time log blows up for Ristolainen

'Buffalo snapped a four-game winless streak away from KeyBank Center by rallying for a 3-2 overtime victory over the Atlantic Division-leading Montreal Canadiens in Bell Centre. Zach Bogosian won it with a blistering slapper at 1:48 of overtime. It was his first goal of the season.' … [Read more...] about Quick Hits: Sabres 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)

'“I’ve got to be one of the key guys that has to be a leader on the stat sheet,” O’Reilly said. “In the room, I’ve got to be a voice. If we want to get back and get in the playoffs – which is possible – it’s going to be tough, and it’s got to start with myself first and go from there.”' … [Read more...] about Determined O’Reilly wills Sabres to needed win

'But from this view, even in the nice glow of a hard-earned win, the defense corps that General Manager Tim Murray presented to Bylsma hasn't been remotely good enough and that's the biggest red flag to this entire mess. Now it's even thinner without McCabe, clearly its No. 2 guy.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Hard-earned win is nice but soft ‘D’ remains major issue

'“Any time you lose one of the guys in the back end, especially a guy that plays the big minutes like Jake does, you come together as a group,” defenseman Cody Franson said. “You know that everybody is going to play with everybody, so you prepare yourself mentally for that.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: When McCabe went down, defense adjusted