Olean Times Herald

'“Somebody establishing himself as a very dependable, responsible defensive (player) without negotiating offense, there’s no question they’re going to have opportunities to go forward,” Bazin told the Times Herald by phone Thursday, hours after Smith inked his entry-level deal.' … [Read more...] about Commitment to defense helped C.J. Smith reach Sabres

'Did Reinhart try to convince Bylsma and Murray to let him play? “A little bit,” he said. “I wanted to let them know (expletive) happens. Sorry to swear. I didn’t sleep in. … I misread a text.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Sam Reinhart says misread text led to benching

'“There’s a … young core in here that’s going to grow this program,” Smith said.' … [Read more...] about Sabres newcomer C.J. Smith believes Buffalo ‘fits the person I am’

'Smith, a 22-year-old winger, compiled 56 goals and 125 points in 120 games with the River Hawks, including 41 appearances this season. Notre Dame eliminated UMass Lowell from the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.' … [Read more...] about Report: Sabres to sign college free agent C.J. Smith

'The benching came with a twist. Instead of simply scratching Reinhart, Bylsma dressed him and let the former second overall pick sit on the bench 60 minutes. Reinhart doesn’t receive credit for a game played because he never touched the ice.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Sam Reinhart benched for violating team policy

'“It was an emotional night,” Gionta said. “(It was) a great thing the organization did and my teammates being a part of it was pretty special. Seeing my family out there was pretty emotional. I’m just happy to get through it and have them share in the moment.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres reward captain Brian Gionta with win over Panthers

'“That’s a huge, huge honor in this league, a huge milestone and accomplishment,” Sabres winger Marcus Foligno said. “A thousand games in the NHL is rare.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres captain Brian Gionta honored for 1,000th game

'How old is Gionta? The Greece native made his NHL debut in the New Jersey Devils’ 2-1 road win against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 30, 2001. That was 5,566 days ago. Gionta’s teammate Jack Eichel was only 5 years old then.' … [Read more...] about 1,000-game milestone special for Sabres captain Brian Gionta

'“His two practices last week were the best he’s looked, and in the game, he also had the opportunity to also be on the power play,” he said. “He looked real good running that power play with Jack up top, making the pass and scoring the goal.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Dmitry Kulikov turns corner

'The Sabres, whose rebuild was supposed to be ahead of Toronto’s, trail their fiercest rival by 11 points. Still, perhaps they take some solace in continuing the Leafs’ run of futility here.' … [Read more...] about Sabres silence Toronto fans, beat Maple Leafs

'“I’ve definitely had a little bit of a different role this year than I’ve been used to. That’s something you really can’t pinpoint one thing or another. It just seemed to be the way things were going this year. I’m just trying to finish strong here."' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Zach Bogosian has chance to impress

'“He’s trying to prove what kind of player he is and where he fits in our lineup right now, and I think that’s something he’s done a little bit better of recently, and going forward, that’s his challenge for the next eight games,” Bylsma said.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Tyler Ennis worried about future

'Sabres defenseman Josh Gorges added: “It’s split-second decisions. That’s all it is, a split-second. If that ended up coming, didn’t get separated, didn’t get separated, it’s a clean hit and we don’t even talk about this. But I think the intentions of the hit were not to be dirty, malicious or hurt anybody.”' … [Read more...] about Rasmus Ristolainen’s suspension surprises Sabres

'“They were just scared of it getting worse, and they were scared of me keeping pushing on it,” Carrier said. “And the way I play, I play physical and all that, it just kept getting worse and worse until I couldn’t play anymore.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ William Carrier, Kyle Okposo healed, ready to contribute

'“Ristolainen has sufficient time to adjust his path to avoid or minimize this hit, and instead he finishes a hard, forceful body check on a player who is not eligible to be hit,” Burke said. “We acknowledge Ristolainen’s argument that because he is approaching this hit leading with his back he was unable to adjust his path quickly when the puck was deflected.' … [Read more...] about NHL suspends Sabres’ Rasmus Ristolainen 3 games for hit