#FlattenTheCurve
Five more “Sabres Classics” – this time regular-season games from 2005-06, one of the most memorable campaigns in franchise history – will be rebroadcast on MSG next week.
That season, of course, the Sabres morphed into a powerhouse after the NHL lockout ended, roaring to the Eastern Conference final. Co-captains Daniel Briere and Chris Drury led what was arguably the league’s deepest and most exciting lineup.
The games are being aired because the COVID-19 pandemic ... Read the full article
For hockey-deprived fans waiting for the NHL season to resume, five memorable Buffalo Sabres games will be rebroadcast next week on MSG and also be available on the team’s YouTube channel.
So get ready to relive goalie Dominik Hasek’s legendary 70-save performance, the final game at historic Memorial Auditorium and other “Sabres Classics.”
The games, of course, are being aired because the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NHL to suspend its season indefinitely March 12.
The ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Daniel Briere couldn’t believe what he heard. The former co-captain knew the Sabres have endured some lean years. But he had no clue their postseason drought started so long ago.
“That was the last playoff round for the Sabres?” Briere asked incredulously when a reporter informed him the Sabres hadn’t made the postseason since 2011, the year his Philadelphia Flyers defeated them in the opening round. “Wow, I knew the last few years ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Jason Pominville understands why he is sitting out. Having played 1,052 NHL games, the Sabres know what the veteran winger offers them.
Nine contests remain in a miserable season. The Sabres, who have fallen from first overall to sixth in the Atlantic Division, want to evaluate other players.
So the Sabres scratched Pominville, 36, for the second straight game Wednesday.
“It’s just the situation we’re at,” Pominville said prior to the 4-2 loss ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Martin Biron said he remembers it like it happened yesterday. After the Sabres’ stunning run of 10 consecutive wins to open the 2006-07 season ended, coach Lindy Ruff walked in the dressing room, looked around and grabbed a marker.
“Everybody’s heads were down, everybody was mad, everybody was angry that we had lost a game, right?” the former goalie said of the 5-4 shootout loss to the Atlanta Thrashers on Oct. 28, 2006 ... Read the full article
For years, Martin Biron only knew about Ray Emery’s ultra-competitive side.
Their 2007 fight, the centerpiece of a memorable brawl between Biron’s Buffalo Sabres and Emery’s Ottawa Senators, ranks among the wildest goalie scraps ever and provided the seminal moment of the teams’ fierce post-lockout rivalry.... Read the full article
BUFFALO – In the hockey world, the Drury name holds weight, so having those five letters stitched on the back of your jersey can be a blessing as well as a burden for a youngster like Jack Drury.
Drury’s uncle, Chris, is a legend in these parts. In his three seasons here, the former co-captain nearly led the Sabres to the Stanley Cup final twice, cementing his reputation for clutch play. The center also won ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – You won’t find any slick youngsters like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews or Patrik Laine – franchise-changing talents capable of starring in the NHL immediately – at the top of this year’s draft class.
“You don’t have that headliner, like (people) used that word ‘generational’ player,” Dan Marr, the NHL’s director of Central Scouting, told the Times Herald on Friday. “The fact you had back-to-back years with McDavid and Eichel ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Given the speed at which the offseason moves, the Sabres must find a new general manager soon, perhaps in the next month, to replace Tim Murray, who was fired with coach Dan Bylsma on Thursday.
Of course, given owner Terry Pegula’s track record, would the Sabres even hire a GM first?
Remember, Pegula hired Pat LaFontaine as the team’s president of hockey operations in November 2013. LaFontaine lasted less than four months ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Right away, everything has clicked for center Ryan O’Reilly. In just half a season here, the 24-year-old has quickly become the Sabres’ MVP and perhaps their most popular player.
O’Reilly plays more minutes than any other NHL forward. He leads the Sabres in scoring and has 17 points in the last 17 games. No one in the league has taken more faceoffs. Following losses, he regularly takes responsibility for his performance and ... Read the full article
