Buffalo News

'The owner’s series of bad decisions is largely responsible for the Sabres’ playoff drought approaching 14 years, and the general manager built a roster that is last in the Eastern Conference with a 16-22-5 record, but the lack of leadership shown on the ice falls on the players.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ leadership void on display during an ’embarrassing’ 6-2 loss to Kraken

'Beware of those: Buffalo is just 7-15-2 against the East this season – the worst record in the conference against its own.' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: As Sabres try to climb, a look around the East at halfway mark

'“He’s a world-class player. I have a lot of respect for how he is as a player and what he does for his team and how he leads that team,” Gilbert said after practice Friday in KeyBank Center. “I get that (fighting Gilbert) might not be the best tradeoff in his mind. ... He’s a tough kid and you’d like to see him answer the bell right away, but I get it. So as a team, we … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: Dennis Gilbert steps up to answer Brady Tkachuk’s hit

'He has such a visible position that you would think the Sabres would have offered an explanation as to why he missed some games and worked others on radio when the team’s games were carried on national outlets.' … [Read more...] about Alan Pergament: Rob Ray’s brief disappearance from MSG illustrated media’s lack of transparency

'“I feel like everybody knew it was important game and that’s what made it even better,” said Luukkonen after he made 35 saves for his seventh career shutout. “It was a big thing for us to win tonight. Lindy and Dahls pointed out how big this game is. Everybody had to bring their A game, and I feel like that makes it even better that everybody showed up tonight.”' … [Read more...] about Jack Quinn’s 2 goals propel Sabres in must-win division game: Takeaways from Ottawa

'The Sabres need more from Cozens. He knows it. Only four Sabres forwards have more power-play ice time than Cozens, yet he has only two points on the man advantage. Lindy Ruff gave Cozens the first-line center assignment last week when it became clear that someone else needed to take faceoffs while Tage Thompson played through a bothersome, undisclosed injury.' … [Read more...] about Dylan Cozens is wanted by other NHL teams, but why would Sabres trade him?

'McLeod is centering the second line between JJ Peterka and Alex Tuch because Jiri Kulich is listed as being out week to week with a lower-body injury suffered Monday against Washington. The unit will be together again Thursday night when the Sabres play in Ottawa.' … [Read more...] about Sabres notebook: With Jiri Kulich on the shelf, Ryan McLeod needs to keep chipping in

'But when you looked at the standings after Monday’s game and saw that Montreal, of all teams, had snuck into the last East wild card spot, you also noticed Sabres were just six points back of the Canadiens. Not 16 points or 26. Six.' … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Sabres somehow still have life after a wacky first half

'His 23:37 of ice time was the most that he's played in his 200 NHL games. He totaled five shots on goal with eight shot attempts, and he had two assists. It wasn't against a weak opponent, either. The Capitals are 26-10-4 and motivated to win as Alex Ovechkin chases Wayne Gretzky's NHL career-goals record.' … [Read more...] about JJ Peterka’s recent improvement a silver lining for Sabres midway through difficult season

'Brodie Ziemer, a third-round draft pick of the Sabres in June, assisted on Teddy Stiga's goal 8:04 into overtime Sunday in Ottawa that gave Team USA the gold medal and a 4-3 victory over Finland. Adam Kleber, whom Buffalo selected one round earlier, skated 9:58 on defense.' … [Read more...] about Konsta Helenius, Brodie Ziemer were Sabres’ top performers at World Juniors

‘ There's a realistic scenario in which Pegula sells a minority stake of the Sabres, but he's not walking away. His love for the sport began before the Sabres' inception in 1970 and blossomed into a passion during the era of the French Connection.’ … [Read more...] about Sabres Mailbag: Terry Pegula isn’t going to sell the hockey team after nearly 14 years

'Ovechkin has 19 goals this season, leaving him one shy of getting to 20 in all 20 of his seasons in the league. He missed 16 games with a broken fibula suffered in a game Nov. 18 in Utah and neither he nor his team have been derailed.' … [Read more...] about Sabres Notebook: Alex Ovechkin’s goal chase makes only appearance in KeyBank Center on Monday

'The Sabres were outshot, 26-10, in the first 40 minutes of this one − and had the same number of missed shots in that span. It didn't matter they finally showed some spunk with 14 shots on goal in the third period to close the final count to 33-24.' … [Read more...] about Sabres takeaways: What happened in Vegas needs to stay there in wake of dreary loss

'Thompson missed five games in November with a lower-body injury. In the first five after he returned, he had three goals and 24 shots on goal, averaging nearly five per game. And then the shots stopped coming.' … [Read more...] about Inside the NHL: Tage Thompson’s turnover in OT ruined a bounceback offensive game

'In watching this club for 54 of its 55 years of existence, these eyes had never seen a loss as hideous as the Dec. 3 collapse in KeyBank Center against the Colorado Avalanche, when a 4-0 lead after one period turned into a 5-4 defeat. It was the first blown four-goal lead at home in franchise annals and the first time in NHL history a team went up by four in the first 15 … [Read more...] about Mike Harrington: Even for these terrible Sabres, latest collapse to Avalanche felt unthinkable. But was it?