With the sun setting on a disappointing season for the Buffalo Sabres, nobody expected them to put up much of a fight on Saturday against the playoff-bound Nashville Predators. After falling behind 3-1 in the second period, the performance looked like more of the same from a Sabres squad that has seldom mounted multi-goal comebacks
Buffalo Sabres
Casey Mittelstadt will make his NHL debut tonight as the Buffalo Sabres play host to the Detroit Red Wings. In case you’re living under a rock or not connected to the World Wide Web, news hit Monday when Mittelstadt agreed to leave the University of Minnesota after his freshman year to sign an entry-level contract
Hope is on the horizon. The Sabres have a number of exciting players that are already in their system. There is a definite group of players ready for NHL play. And there is a distinct group that is close but, realistically, at least a year away. One never knows exactly how a teenager or young
It’s the worst time of year for Sabres fans isn’t it? The team is once again miles away from anything resembling a playoff conversation and fans don’t even have the trade deadline to look forward to anymore. Despite what continues to be a bleak situation in Western New York, there are several interesting storylines to
Rookie general manager Jason Botterill will be desperate to prevent his Buffalo Sabres from finishing last, again, in April 2019. However, he’s going to have to be one of professional sports’ busiest executives in the next six months to prevent such a fate; and he’ll have to be both good and lucky. There are several
Buffalo Sabres fans need to face the truth. On one hand, they complain about how bad the team is – which they are – with a 19-33-11 record. On the other hand, they’re steaming mad that their rookie general manager, Jason Botterill, couldn’t get a decent return for even one of their sorry players before
As the Buffalo Sabres vie for another last-place finish, fans have openly speculated as to whether or not the 2017-18 roster is actually worse than the infamous “tank” team from 2014-15. Somehow, the Sabres could finish with fewer points than a team that Tim Murray designed with the intent of finishing dead last. Say what
It’s becoming abundantly clear that Jack Eichel has been holding this team back. When Eichel dropped to the ice, grabbing his leg in pain last Saturday night in a game against the Boston Bruins, Sabres Nation experienced the seven stages of grief in the span of a few heartbeats. But since that injury in the
The Buffalo Sabres haven’t had much to celebrate this season. The team is on pace to finish with their worst home record in franchise history and Jack Eichel may very well be sidelined for the rest of the year with a high ankle sprain. For what seems like ages, Sabres fans have had their sights set
With less than three weeks until the NHL trade deadline, Buffalo Sabres fans anxiously await a much-needed purge of the current roster. With several players set to hit free agency this summer, Jason Botterill will look to acquire future assets for players on expiring contracts. Leading up to the 2017-18 season, supporters of the blue
It’s been nearly three years since the Buffalo Sabres and Winnipeg Jets made their blockbuster, eight-player deal. The Feb. 11, 2015 trade, a few weeks before the 2015 NHL Trade Deadline, involved players, prospects and a first-round pick. At the time, the Sabres were in 30th place in the NHL standings, while the Jets were
Taylor Leier, Pat Cannone, Charles Hudon, Jakub Markstrom, Brandon Pirri, Ryan Hamilton. What do these men have in common? They’re all fringe players who’ve achieved limited (to no) success in the NHL? Mostly correct, but the answer I was attempting to extract is that they’re the most recent recipients of the AHL All-Star Game/Challenge MVP
When Sabres captain Brian Gionta finished the 2016-17 season, he had a feeling his chances of returning to the team were remote. The Greece, N.Y. native had just finished a strong season in which he compiled 15 goals and 30 points in 82 games. He skated more than 16 minutes a night, playing in all
Today marks 40 days until the Feb. 26 trade deadline. That means Evander Kane has a little more than a month to finish out his career as a Buffalo Sabre. Kane knows he’s the big fish for contending teams hoping he will put them over the top this year. His phone could ring at any
When Phil Housley took to the podium for his inaugural press conference, he promised a fast-paced, high octane offensive approach, the likes of which the fans in Buffalo hadn’t seen in over a decade. Fresh off of a deep playoff run with the Nashville Predators, he was the odds-on favorite to return to coach the
Written by former THW contributor Mike Straw and originally published on Oct. 24, 2015. Since their inception in 1970, the Buffalo Sabres have made a number of what appeared to be big moves. Some signings and trades turned out great while others blew up in their faces. Today, it’s time to focus on the latter of
Throughout the history of the Buffalo Sabres, the organization has been fortunate with the goaltending position. They’ve had some of the biggest names that have played the position don the blue and gold, as well as the red and black at one point. Thinking back on the history of goalies that have played for the Sabres,
After taking the New York Rangers to overtime on Monday in the NHL’s Winter Classic at Citi Field, the Buffalo Sabres have points in nine of their last 12 games. They’ve earned 13 points in 12 games–their best stretch this season. In a season where little has gone right for the Sabres, goaltender Robin Lehner
Jack Eichel is back. He’s playing like a superstar, raising his teammates’ games, and talking like a captain. Since Dec. 15, Eichel has seven goals and four assists for 11 points in six games. He has eight goals and eight assists for 16 points in his last 12 games. For the season, he now has
According to statisticians, it happened with 1:09 remaining in regulation. That’s when the New York Islanders rallied with a goal to tie their game against the Sabres, 2-2. Not according to Robin Lehner. “Everything is predetermined against us,” Lehner said after the game in Barclays Center. “I know Toronto already made up their mind it
The Carolina Hurricanes welcomed the Buffalo Sabres along with 14,470 fans into Raleigh’s PNC Arena last Friday night. The fans there got a glimpse at the future of the NHL – it was a good look, and hockey’s future appears to be in excellent hands. Granted, it may be difficult to imagine that hockey’s future
If you’re wearing rose-colored glasses, the Buffalo Sabres have points in five of the last six games. But the majority of fans of the Blue and Gold, have noticed that they’ve lost four of their last five (1-1-3) and 15 of their last 18 games. In games that have not been settled in regulation this year,
One of the most discussed topics leading into the 2017-18 season for the Buffalo Sabres was the future of Sam Reinhart. He was coming off a disappointing sophomore season after a promising 23-goal campaign as a rookie. Those hoping Reinhart would bounce back in year three have been let down and then some through 32 games
In a season where the Buffalo Sabres have failed to meet expectations, Robin Lehner has been a popular target of criticism. While his statistics resemble that of an average starting goaltender, Lehner hasn’t proven himself as a player who can be leaned on to steal a game, but perhaps he bears too much of the blame.
In today’s Rumor Rundown, we discuss the likelihood of a few rumored trades. What is the status of Erik Karlsson, Evander Kane and others who have been rumored to be in trade talks as their teams struggle? Evander Kane Going Before The Freeze? According to Bob McKenzie, on TSN Insider Trading, teams are talking to
The losses keep piling up for the Sabres. After 25 games, Buffalo is officially tied for dead last in the league with a record of 6-15-4. The team is in the express lane to the golf course – its seventh consecutive season without seeing postseason action. They’ve become boring, depressing and unwatchable. The atmosphere in KeyBank Center
Take a moment and think about the great captains in NHL history. Players like Steve Yzerman, Mark Messier, and Joe Sakic probably come to mind, but what made them great leaders? Perhaps it was their skill level, or maybe they were just natural motivators. Very few men have had the chance to share a locker
The Buffalo Sabres placed two more defensemen on injured reserve yesterday. Taylor Fedun and Matt Tennyson joined Zach Bogosian and Rasmus Ristolainen, forcing the team to recall Casey Nelson from Rochester. If Nelson dresses when Buffalo squares off with Detroit tonight, he will become the 11th defenseman that has been called into action for the Sabres
Groan. Crash! Thunk! Yesterday marked the 21-year anniversary of the 20-ton, 23-foot high Jumbotron crashing down to the ice in the Sabre’s new venue, Marine Midland Arena. The electronic scoreboard became a mangled mess of metal, plastic, and lights. The Sabres Jumbotron collapsed in Marine Midland Arena, Nov. 16, 1996 (Photo from Reddit courtesy of
This month marks the six-year anniversary of Boston Bruins’ forward Milan Lucic steamrolling then-Sabres’ franchise goalie Ryan Miller. More than the hit itself, it marked the anniversary of no one making him pay for it, revealing a void of pride, character and leadership. Andrej Sekera, Thomas Vanek, Tyler Myers, Jason Pominville and Paul Gaustad were