WGR

'Eichel wants to be a good leader and wants to be known as one of the best players in the game. He said he can’t be hard on himself, “At times I put too much pressure on myself and I forget about enjoying it, I mean it’s hockey, This is the only thing I’ve ever done in my whole life so I’m prepared for the season, excited for it, but make sure I don’t get down, I mean there’s … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Eichel wants to enjoy the season

'"From the outside, people will want to rank our players. But for me, everyone is important. The 13-minute guy that spends five of those minutes killing penalties is every bit as important as the 22-minute guy who plays eight of those minutes on the power play. It's just about getting everybody to buy into their roles, accept their roles, and execute them as best they can. … [Read more...] about Krueger: We’re sure not going to lack in effort

'Once upon a time, I was skeptical that Reinhart could ever be anything more than a winger that fed off a great centerman like Jack Eichel. Last season, Reinhart took a big step. He created plays himself more often, scored goals from outside the net-front more frequently, and had for the first time was as productive away from Eichel as he was with him. That's the step Reinhart … [Read more...] about Sam Reinhart at center is a layup for Krueger

'Scandella had a rough season last year. He would put a group of games together that were solid and then he’d put another group together where it appeared that he had lost his confidence. In the off-season he had surgery and he feels he’s ready to go, “I feel like I’ve been working one day at a time in the off season. After last season I had ankle surgery and I feel like I’m at … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Scandella looking to rebound

'After Tuesday's practice Ralph Krueger talked about Granato's illness, "The curve is in the right direction, we're optimistic that he will recover fully from this setback."' … [Read more...] about Sabres assistant coach Don Granato is hospitalized

'Buffalo does have a number of players that could be placed on injured reserve to start the season.' … [Read more...] about Sabres make seven roster moves ahead of season opener

'Pittsburgh's Kris Letang scored the first goal of the shootout in the second round of attempts. The Penguins opted to shoot first, giving Tage Thompson the opportunity to keep the shootout going and the Sabres in the game, which he did with a goal in the bottom of the second round. Three scoreless rounds would go by until after a miss from Dominik Kahun in the top of the sixth … [Read more...] about Sabres down Penguins 3-2 in a shootout

'I think Miller plays a very steady game and I think he would be good for Dahlin who struggled throughout the preseason.' … [Read more...] about Sabres finish the preseason in Pittsburgh with a pretty good effort

'"I felt like I wanted to work a little bit on my lower-body strength and become a little faster and stronger. I felt like I was able to do that, and I got myself really prepared for the season," Olofsson said following practice on Friday at Harborcenter. "I've been excited all summer, I had a great summer as well, so I'm just super excited."' … [Read more...] about Olofsson running away with his opportunity in Buffalo

'Gilmour has been very noticeable in the games, and Ralph Krueger has liked what he’s seen, “He’s another player that’s on an upward curve, continuously showing more confidence and comfort in being here and we thought he showed us a very strong game yesterday.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Gilmour is making a good impression

'Where Cozens will need improvement in his game is in the faceoff circle, where he struggled in the preseason, and even as far back as the Sabres Prospects Challenge. He also needs to build some more strength, which shouldn't be an issue playing in a physical and grinding WHL.' … [Read more...] about Sabres assign Cozens back to juniors

'Buffalo won in overtime, but I was appalled at a first period that saw the Sabres just go through the motions. It did not look like a team ready to start the season next week. Ralph Krueger said on postgame, “Our puck management was insufficient, our battle level was low, competitiveness was low. I thought we dropped off just a touch yesterday in practice, but I was pleased … [Read more...] about Sabres win in overtime, but it wasn’t a great effort

'That means injuries on the blue line include McCabe, Brandon Montour, Lawrence Pilut, Zach Bogosian and Matt Hunwick.' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ McCabe is out injured

'Nelson knows that on defense it’s going to boil down to a numbers game. He said, “You can’t worry about the game or you’re two ahead or you’re halfway through the season or next year or anything like that. You’ve just got to take it day-by-day and even during the game, shift-by-shift, so it’s all about the little things and adding them up to more of a big piece.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Nelson staying in the mix on defense

'Johansson doesn’t know if playing center is permanent, but if it is, he said, “Yes, that’s fine, if that’s what Ralph wants me to do, I’m up for it because it’s whatever I can do to help this team win, that’s what I’m here for.”' … [Read more...] about Sabres’ Johansson is OK if they want him at center