Buffalo News

'Most of the 14,741 fans in attendance Tuesday night began to file toward the exits, and others joined the chorus of boos directed toward the Sabres for their latest embarrassing effort. They allowed four third-period goals while losing 6-2 to the NHL’s last-place Sharks only three days before the NHL’s trade deadline.' … [Read more...] about Lance Lysowski: Sabres GM Kevyn Adams needs to explain how he’s going to fix this

'The Sabres have lost three games in a row for the first time since their 13-game skid ended Dec. 23, and they are 24-29-6 after dropping four of their last six games. They were outscored 21-11 while going 0-3-1 against Montreal this season. In some ways, the game was a microcosm of their tumultuous season.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ special teams, goaltending spoil comeback in OT loss: Takeaways from Montreal

'The plan isn’t to sell off expiring contracts for draft picks or prospects. The Sabres need players who can help them win next season. The mission to improve the roster now will be balanced with the harsh reality that Buffalo may have no choice but to trade a pending unrestricted free agent to not lose them for nothing in July.' … [Read more...] about Sabres deadline preview: Which players could be on the move this week?

'This used to be the norm in the NHL, in the days when teams played divisional rivals eight times a year. You got a lot of feistiness built up and it wasn’t uncommon to see the sets played on consecutive days. But with divisional rivals played as few as three times a year these days, this is the Sabres’ only home-and-home set of the season in NHL rinks. (The Sabres opened the … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: An old-school rematch with Habs starts frenetic week

'A particularly frustrating 4-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in KeyBank Center was marked by the fact the Sabres had possession of the puck on the first two Montreal goals and gave it away. Same on an empty net goal. And Buffalo was burned for the game-winner in the final seconds of the second period when it couldn't get a hold of the puck.' … [Read more...] about Takeaways: Sabres are their own worst enemy in yet another loss to Montreal

'Rantanen is looking at massive money in free agency after the season. He already can get it from the Hurricanes, who are the only team that can give him an eight-year deal and reportedly already have provided an offer north of $100 million. But he has to decide if the fit is right for him after the stunning trade from Colorado in January for Martin Necas.' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: As trade deadline approaches, all eyes on Carolina and Mikko Rantanen

'“We should have responded better as a team,” lamented Sabres winger Alex Tuch, whose 21st goal of the season cut the deficit to 3-1 with 56 seconds left in the first period. “We knew they were going to come out with a lot of energy. They’ve been struggling the past couple of games, and we needed to do better. … We have to have a better start.”' … [Read more...] about Dysfunctional power play prevents Sabres from overcoming ugly start in loss to Canes

'Kulich had not scored in five consecutive games, but he’s been one of the NHL’s most productive first-year players this season.' … [Read more...] about Sabres notes: Jiri Kulich unfazed by full-face shield; Sam Lafferty staying ready

'The Sabres carry a 10-game winless streak in Raleigh, N.C., into their matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes at the newly named Lenovo Center. It’s an 0-8-2 skid that stretches to March 22, 2016, and is Buffalo’s longest current road drought against any NHL opponent. The Sabres have been outscored, 44-22, in the 10 games.' … [Read more...] about Especially in Carolina, Sabres aren’t taking good path to success on the road

'“I’d say three months ago it would have been a 5-1 loss, honestly,” said Tuch, who scored his 20th goal of the season at 5:34 into the third period to tie it 2-2. “You just see the maturity, you see the change. You see no one was down. We were pushing each other. We were pressing each other. We were making sure each other were held accountable and making sure we were doing the … [Read more...] about Sabres’ ‘growth’ was evident during come-from-behind win over Ducks: 5 takeaways

'Not only do they need to gain strength, but they must learn which technique works best and how to avoid getting kicked out of the faceoff dot by an official. A few of the Sabres’ centers have improved from last season, most notably Krebs and Cozens, but the team’s 48.2 winning percentage on all faceoffs ranks 26th out of 32 teams. They had won at least 50% in only 24 of 55 … [Read more...] about Sabres are ‘getting better’ at faceoffs, but they’re still not winning often enough

'“A lot of it is confidence,” said winger Tage Thompson, whose two goals pushed his season total to 28. “Goal scoring comes in waves, but I think we’ve been doing a better job getting to the net with simple pucks, not trying to look for too much. Sometimes, we pass up some shots to try to find that extra pass, extra play. Coming through the neutral zone, playing pucks behind … [Read more...] about Sabres look to keep rolling on offense as top players are piling up points

'Goaltender Devon Levi was named the league's player of the week after posting back-to-back shutouts against Cleveland and Toronto.' … [Read more...] about Red-hot Amerks goalie Devon Levi named AHL Player of the Week

'"All week in practice as you guys probably saw we were looking to get up and down the rink a lot," said Greenway, an absolute beast in his first game since mid-December. "Play quick. I think that's a big strength of our game. We said, 'Let's go out there, transition quick, get the puck going, don't let them set up. Just keep them on their heels the whole game, especially in … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres are still bought in, no matter what the standings say

'Ruff implored his players to treat the final 28 games of the season as their playoffs. He wants the Sabres to gain at least seven standings points every five games. His message was to play fast, responsible hockey with an emphasis on team defense. His words resonate, but they’re more impactful when they’re put into action by his team captain and the face of the Sabres.' … [Read more...] about Rasmus Dahlin leads with ‘special’ plays in Sabres’ rout of Rangers: Takeaways