Dahlin - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Maturing Sabres extend winning streak by beating Flames in shootout

BUFFALO – In the recent past, the Sabres might’ve lost a game like Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 shootout win. They blew an early two-goal lead as the Calgary Flames roared back. They had to kill a penalty just to survive overtime.

“I’ve used the phrase, ‘You’ve got to be comfortable being uncomfortable,’” coach Lindy Ruff said following the Sabres’ third consecutive victory. “The game got uncomfortable, and you have to trust how you’re playing.”

That trust ... Read the full article

Sabres raise standard, defeat Senators; Henri Jokiharju, Mattias Samuelsson scratched

BUFFALO – Hours before the Sabres ended their three-game losing streak Tuesday by shellacking the Ottawa Senators 5-1, coach Lindy Ruff demanded more of his goalies, saying his team needed bigger saves at critical times.

Ruff wasn’t pinning the Sabres’ recent struggles on Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Devon Levi. In the same breath, said he needed his scorers to finish. He has been asking more of everyone as he tries to raise the Sabres’ standard.

But ... Read the full article

As Sabres struggle, Lindy Ruff wants to raise standard: ‘OK … not good enough’

BUFFALO – If you examine each loss during the Sabres’ current three-game skid, sure, positives can be found.

On Friday, they opened the scoring against the New York Islanders and staged a late comeback. Last Monday, they roared back from a two-goal deficit versus the Florida Panthers.

In Saturday’s 2-1 loss in Detroit, they grabbed an early lead and outshot the Red Wings.

What do the 4-7-1 Sabres have to show for those games? Nothing.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Owen Power piling up points during fast start

BUFFALO – The Sabres’ best defensemen through their first 10 games this season is also their youngest.

Owen Power, who turns 22 on Nov. 22, has quietly enjoyed the fastest start of his short career. Entering Tuesday’s schedule, his eight even-strength points ranked fourth among NHL defensemen.

Right now, he has a career-long five-game point streak in which he has recorded one goal and seven points. He also has a career-best four-game assist streak. He ... Read the full article

Sabres roar back against Panthers, fall apart late: ‘It was right there’

BUFFALO – On one hand, the Sabres erased an early 2-0 deficit Monday against the Florida Panthers and made things interesting. Despite losing 5-2, they matched the Stanley Cup champions’ skill and grit.

On the other hand, the Sabres, whose three-game winning streak was snapped, showed they haven’t reached the Panthers’ class. They broke down defensively all night, took ill-advised penalties and wilted late while allowing two third-period goals.

Coach Lindy Ruff doesn’t take much ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Rasmus Dahlin feeling like himself; Nicolas Aube-Kubel set to return from injury

BUFFALO – It’s pretty easy to tell when Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin is playing at his best. Look for him to be smiling and laughing.

“That’s when it’s more freedom out there, no thinking and I move my feet,” Dahlin said following Sunday’s practice in KeyBank Center.

In the weeks after Dahlin, 24, returned from a mid-body injury he suffered minutes into the first session of training camp – he mentioned he injured his back ... Read the full article

Tage Thompson playing like superstar, helps Sabres beat Red Wings

BUFFALO – A strong argument can be made the past week or two ranks as the most significant stretch of Tage Thompson’s four-year run as the Sabres’ top center.

His gaudy statistics are just part of it, mind you. After scoring two goals and three points in Saturday afternoon’s 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings, he has recorded six goals and 10 points during his six-game point streak.

Right now, Thompson, who has a ... Read the full article

Sabres continue troubling start, lose to Blue Jackets: ‘They won more battles’

COLUMBUS – Seventy-six games remain for the Buffalo Sabres following Thursday’s ugly 6-4 loss to the Blue Jackets, so there’s time to correct things.

But having started this season a dreadful 1-4-1, they better get going in a hurry. Right now, it sure feels a lot like past years. Not much has changed under new coach Lindy Ruff.

The Sabres are a mess defensively. Their special teams are brutal.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jordan Greenway becoming big asset: ‘An incredibly smart player’

PITTSBURGH – Early in Saturday’s 5-2 win, Buffalo Sabres winger Jordan Greenway spotted 30-goal scorer Carter Verhaeghe on his radar and leveled him, knocking off his helmet before he fell to the ice.

Later in the first period against the Florida Panthers, Greenway grabbed a loose puck at the net and backhanded it under the crossbar, tying the game at 1.

Overall, he enjoyed perhaps the finest of his 88 outings with the Sabres, playing ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Devon Levi off to hot start in retro gear, pushing UPL for games

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Devon Levi has a strong appreciation for hockey history and the netminders he watched growing up and who played decades before him.

So Levi, 22, always wanted to sport a retro look that resembles the leather equipment goalies wore until the early 1990s.

During a trip to CCM headquarters in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, a borough of Montreal about 20 minutes from his offseason home, Levi spotted a pair of brown demo pads ... Read the full article