Norris - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres bounce back against Lightning, earn much-needed win: ‘Our guys had great pushback’

BUFFALO – In a grueling six-month, 82-game NHL season, slumps are inevitable. That the Sabres avoided losing two straight games in regulation for almost four months illustrates how dynamically they performed for more than half of the schedule.

But a slump finally materialized last week – albeit a short one – when in dropping back-to-back contests, the Sabres looked nothing likes themselves.

One of the league’s elite teams looked out of whack defensively and struggled ... Read the full article

Sabres fall to Senators in first attempt to clinch playoff spot: ‘We weren’t good enough’

OTTAWA – Barring a collapse of epic proportions, in the near future, the Buffalo Sabres will secure their first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 15 years, and Thursday’s 4-1 loss to the Senators will become an afterthought.

That they failed in their first attempt to clinch, losing to a desperate and depleted Senators team before the crowd of 17,086 fans in the Canadian Tire Centre, certainly stings a bit.

In their biggest game ... Read the full article

Sabres on precipice of clinching playoff spot, ending NHL-record drought

Fifteen years and 1,151 games later, the day has finally arrived.

The Buffalo Sabres’ magic number is just two, meaning if they defeat the Senators tonight in Ottawa, they will clinch their first berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since April 8, 2011.

Repeating: the Sabres, whose stunning run of futility ranks as the longest in NHL history, are on the precipice of securing that coveted playoff spot.

A heck of lot has transpired – ... Read the full article

Years after trade, Sabres’ Peyton Krebs becomes first-liner and driver; Buffalo expected to change lineup

BUFFALO – Few envisioned the long and often arduous path Peyton Krebs would take to becoming what coach Lindy Ruff called one of the Sabres’ “drivers.”

Krebs, 25, needed more than three years to get here. He struggled for stretches, sometimes failing to meet the lofty expectations that accompany high-end prospects. He reinvented himself, earning his keep as a high-octane checking forward willing to showcase a rugged style and drop the gloves.

At times, it ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Josh Norris healthy and thriving one year after trade

PITTSBURGH – One year and just 27 games later, Buffalo Sabres center Josh Norris is happy, healthy and geared up to potentially experience the postseason for the first time in his six-year NHL career.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time (in Buffalo),” Norris said prior to Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at KeyBank Center. “The locker room is unbelievable, and it’s honestly so much fun coming to the rink every day.”

Still, his ... Read the full article

After stunning turnaround, Sabres join NHL’s elite: ‘Do something real special’

BUFFALO – Over the past three months, as the Sabres have morphed into a heavyweight that appears capable of wreaking havoc in the postseason, coach Lindy Ruff has contemplated his team’s unique transformation.

The Sabres haven’t infused talent through a trade, big or small, or altered the roster in any significant fashion.

Every player who will face the Vegas Golden Knights tonight at KeyBank Center had a roster spot opening night or began the season ... Read the full article

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin excited for long-awaited run to playoffs; Tage Thompson set to play

BUFFALO – As captain Rasmus Dahlin, still in full practice gear and sweaty from a long session, stood behind a podium fielding questions, the topic turned to the Sabres’ upcoming stretch of 25 games in 50 days to close the regular season.

For the first time in Dahlin’s career – he and center Tage Thompson, having both arrived in 2018-19, are the team’s longest-tenured players – the Sabres are in the driver’s seat for ... Read the full article

When will Tage Thompson return to the Sabres following the Olympics?

BUFFALO – In last Wednesday’s quarterfinal game between Team Sweden and Team USA at the Olympics, Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin said center Tage Thompson, his close friend and NHL teammate, had an opportunity to thump him.

“He decided not to hit me one time in the corner … so that was nice,” Dahlin said following Monday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter, his first session after returning from the Milano Cortina Games. “I think he had a ... Read the full article

Sabres’ UPL, Zach Benson near return; Jordan Greenway trying new treatment for injury

BUFFALO – In the near future, Sabres goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and winger Zach Benson, both of whom were injured prior to the Olympic break, could start practicing again, coach Lindy Ruff said.

Ruff said Luukkonen, whose lower-body injury forced him to miss the Milano Cortina Games, skated on his own Wednesday before the Sabres’ first post-break practice.

“He’s within days of joining us,” Ruff said following the session in LECOM Harborcenter.... Read the full article

Sabres injury updates: Josh Norris out, Jordan Greenway examining options

BUFFALO – Oft-injured Sabres center Josh Norris won’t return to the lineup before the Olympic break.

Coach Lindy Ruff said this morning that Norris, who has missed the last 11 games with an upper-body injury, will sit out tonight’s contest against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Norris began practicing again last week.... Read the full article