The kids are alright in Sabreland

It's taken a few weeks, but the Buffalo Sabres have gotten rid of the stench left by former head coach Ralph Krueger. The defensive, systemic load that Krueger shoveled for the entirety of his 97 games as Buffalo's bench boss has been sent to the incinerator of extreme ineptitude and has been replaced by a refreshing dose of speed and puck control with an emphasis on driving play and creating offense. 

And Sabreland couldn't be happier.

What Buffalo's lineup might look like in 2021 w/extra goalie + taxi squad

The National Hockey League is really trying to get things rolling on January 13 and their tentative agreement with the NHL Players Association is a big step in that direction. Yesterday it was announced that plans are in the works for a 56-game season with training camps set to open January 3 for the 24 teams that made the 2020 NHL Playoffs. The seven teams that missed out would open camps on December 31 giving them very little but still very necessary time to shake off nine months of cobwebs. 

That means the Buffalo Sabres can hit the ice on New Year's Eve.

Some other notes via TSN's Frank Seravalli:

--there will be no exhibition games

--the season is tentatively set to end May 8 with the Stanley Cup being awarded the first week in July

--there are still some snags which includes ratification by the NHL Board of Governors and the NHLPA and what will happen with the five Canadian Provinces and any Covid-19 restrictions which will affect the "All-Canadian" division for this season

Also from Servalli, in addition to player escrow and salary deferrals agreed upon by the two sides:

--players may choose to opt out of the 2020-21 season

--no change to the rosters as they will be capped at 23 men with an $81.5 million salary cap

--a maximum of 29 players will be allowed to practice and travel with the club which includes the 23-man roster plus four to six members (number decided by the club) for the team's "taxi squad," which must include a goalie

--taxi squad players will be treated as if they were in the American Hockey League:  they will need to clear waivers to be "sent down" and they will be paid an AHL salary if on a two-way deal

As of now the four divisions remain as laid out pending Canadian decisions on pandemic travel and restrictions. For the Sabres that means a division featuring:  Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals. And, from Elliotte Friedman this morning on twitter, "playoffs will be top four in each division -- each division produces a champion for the Stanley Cup Semifinal."

That's a huge "ouch!" for the Sabres as they're trying to break a league-long, nine-year playoff drought in what might be the toughest of four divisions.

With that said, hockey's coming and Buffalo will be icing a team and this is what the roster and taxi squad might look like:

Taylor Hall - Jack Eichel - Sam Reinhart

Jeff Skinner - Eric Staal - Dylan Cozens

Victor Olofsson - Cody Eakin - Kyle Okposo

Zemgus Girgensons - Curtis Lazar - Tobias Rieder 

Rasmus Dahlin - Henri Jokiharju

Brandon Montour - Rasmus Ristolainen

Jake McCabe - Henri Jokiharju

Linus Ullmark

Carter Hutton

Those are the 20 givens with training camp and/or waivers-eligibility deciding the other three roster spots and the four to six man taxi squad.

We'll begin filling out the roster with Tage Thompson who is no longer waivers-exempt so he'll be on the 23-man roster and add in Rasmus Asplund who played one and a half seasons in Rochester plus 29 games for the Sabres last year. Asplund also played for Vasteras IK in Sweden's second-tier professional hockey league. Buffalo signed veteran defenseman Matt Irwin to a one-year deal.

The taxi squad will be interesting as the team will probably opt to keep young players in the NHL for proper development. If we start with the mandatory third goalie, the Sabres will probably assign 31 yr. old Dustin Tokarski to the taxi squad. The veteran goalie is on a two-year, two-way deal and should easily clear waivers. That would allow 25 yr. old Jonas Johansson another year in the minors to further develop.

Center Artuu Routsalainen was off to a roaring start for Ilves of Finland's top league, Liiga. The 2019 free agent signee has 27 points (16+11) in only 19 games and should be making a strong push for a roster spot during camp.

Andrew Oglevie is set to begin his third pro season after two partial seasons with the Rochester Americans. The 25 yr. old forward is on a two-way deal and produced 39 points (20+19) in 83 games for the Amerks over two seasons. He is waivers-exempt.

Defenseman Casey Nelson has been in the Sabres organization since he signed a free agent deal coming out of college in 2016. Nelson has played in 151 AHL games and 93 NHL games and is signed to a two-way deal. He will need to clear waivers again.

Buffalo could stop there as they fulfilled NHL requirements and leaving it as so gives them room to expand should a player or two have an impact at training camp.

Many saw 24 yr. old defenseman Will Borgen as set to make a strong push for a roster spot this season. The rugged 6'3" 196 lb. righty has made marked progress in Rochester for two seasons and with a strong camp he could displace Irwin on the roster. And even though Sabreland has counted out forward Casey  Mittlestadt, a good camp and/or a move to the wing could be his ticket to the NHL this season. Mittelstadt came to life in the second half of last season for the Amerks and was showing very good improvement before the season was halted. Having either or both of those two make the roster would be a huge plus for Buffalo.

One final possibility for either a spot on the roster or as a reserve is left wing C.J. Smith who's done yeoman's work since signing with the organization in 2017. Smith most of his time with the Amerks (57 goals and 129 points in 169 games) and didn't look too far out of place in 13 games for the Sabres (2 goals.) With left side in Buffalo is loaded up front, a one-way deal and a probable leadership role in Rochester, Smith may not be in the Sabres plans. However, a strong camp and the fact that he's not waivers exempt could put him in the conversation come January 13.

Buffalo beats San Jose 4-3 in OT plus your five-game Sabres recap

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-23-2019


We're not sure if you can ask for a much better start to the Sabres season. After their 4-3 overtime win last night, the Buffalo is now 8-1-1 and though it's not the 10-game winning streak from last year, early indications are that this is not the same team as last year's either. This edition of the Sabres looks like they have many of the pieces in place to make this more sustainable, not 120-point sustainable, but at least playoff contender-worthy right now.

With last night's win over the San Jose Sharks, Buffalo is still undefeated at home, although three of the five wins came in the extra session and in two of them they blew two-goal leads. Against San Jose they actually came back from a 2-0 deficit and played their game to a 3-2 lead before surrendering the game-tying goal past the half-way point of the third period. They never wavered in this one and finished the Sharks off in overtime.

Sabres have answers in San Jose, are now 7-1-1

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-20-2019


Who would have thought?

Coming into the 2019-20 season most pundits looked at the Buffalo Sabres lineup and it didn't look as if they'd made enough significant changes to even get close to their goal of ending an NHL-long, eight-year playoff drought. Some of the more rabid Sabres fans even called for the head of general manager Jason Botterill for not doing enough while hanging on to a list of what they considered hockey deplorables. Vladimir Sobotka was the king of the list with names like Johan Larsson, Zemgus Girgensons, Kyle Okposo and Marco Scandella deemed terrible. Many couldn't wait until defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen finally got traded for top-six help up-front even though in some fans eyes he rivaled Sobotka for the dubious distinction as most deplorable Sabre.

Although it's still way too early in the season to uncork the champagne in celebration of finally making it to the post-season, there are plenty of signs that this team will at least be able to make a run if they continue to play they way they have and their 7-1-1 start to the season most certainly helps. New head coach Ralph Krueger has each player believing in themselves and in their intrinsic value to the team. He's found four trios up front that he can roll and his pairings on the back-end have in the very least been solid but maybe more importantly, he's got this team playing as a five-man unit with support in every zone.

Proper response by the Sabres in 3-0 shutout of Kings

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 10-18-2019

For the first 20 minutes of yesterday's 3-0 shutout win at Los Angeles, the Buffalo Sabres looked as if they'd shrugged off their loss the prior night. While in Anaheim on Wednesday, the Sabres got off to a great start but got thrown off of their game as a big and fast Ducks team got uber-physical and laid 200' pressure on Buffalo from late in the second period onward. The result was a 5-2 Sabres loss as their once potent powerplay went a meager 1/7 with the man advantage and their frustrations had them playing Anaheim's game instead of their own.

The Sabres goal heading into Staples Center against the Kings for the second game of a back-to-back, was to stick to their game regardless of what Los Angeles threw at them and for the first period, they did were able to play Sabres hockey. Buffalo scored two goals in the first 5:20 of the game and kept their foot on the gas as much as they could the rest of the period. In the second period they took advantage of an early powerplay by upping their lead to 3-0 before Los Angeles turned the tide.

Plenty of Sabres players to watch as Buffalo visits Columbus tonight

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-17-2019



Last night the Buffalo Sabres displayed some star-power in their opening preseason game at Pegula Ice Arena on the campus of Penn State University. The 'Pegula' mentioned above is the Pegula family lead by patriarch Terry who sold interests in his East Resources Energy company and donated over $100 million dollars to his alma mater to start a NCAA Division I hockey program. The crown jewel of Terry's generous donation is the 6,000-plus seat multi purpose arena that began hosting Sabres preseason games in 2016 with a game versus the Minnesota Wild. For the past three years Buffalo has opened up the home portion of the preseason against the Pittsburgh Penguins, an organization that Pegula also has ties to.

So it's not surprising that the Sabres trotted out captain Jack Eichel, 2018 first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin, 40-goal scorer Jeff Skinner and 2019 first round pick Dylan Cozens for last nights game in the hopes of some fireworks, especially with a new head coach in Ralph Krueger. The Sabres dominated the first two periods outshooting the Penguins a whopping 37-9 and took a 4-1 lead into the third period. That would dissipate, however, as Pittsburgh scored three unanswered goals to send the game to overtime. Eichel saved the day as he scored the overtime winner with only eight seconds left in the extra session.

Building the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster--C, Casey Mittelstadt

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-29-2019


In this series we build the 2019-20 Buffalo Sabres roster one by one leading up to the season opener on October 3.

C--Casey Mittelstadt
20 yrs. old
6'1" 202 lbs.
2017, eighth-overall

Career stats: 80 games | 13 goal |17 assists | 25 points | -18

Last year during our roster build, we quoted The Athletic's Scott Wheeler who made Sabres rookie center Casey Mittlestadt one of his 10 Gifted prospects to watch heading into the 2018-19 campaign. Wheeler wrote of the 19 yr. old Mittelstadt, who'd just turned pro after one year of college, "[he's] already extremely talented yet super, super raw."

Mittelstadt had battled hard at the University of Minnesota as the Gophers only real threat (outside of maybe sophomore, Rem Pitlick) and finished his lone season with a rather average 30 points (11+19) in 34 games. He hit the NHL and had an impressive six-game debut with a goal and four assists. The trade of No. 2 center Ryan O'Reilly created an opening behind Jack Eichel and only Mittelstadt and veteran Patrik Berglund seemed to be in the running for that opening. Berglund would end up being the choice for the Sabres with the rookie starting out on the third line.

Impressions of, and questions concerning--C, Casey Mittelstadt

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 4-27-2019

Center--Casey Mittelstadt 

DOB:  November 22, 1998 (20 yrs. old)

Draft:  2017, 8th-overall

How acquired:  Drafted by Buffalo

Last contract signed:  March 26, 2018, ELC 3yrs./$4.4475M ($925K base salary)

Final year of contract: 2019-20

2018-19 Stats:  77 games | 12 goals | 13 assists | 25 points | -19 | 13:27 ATOI

Buffalo Career Stats:  83 games | 13 goals | 17 assists | 30 points | -18 | 13:30 ATOI 

What we wrote preseason:  Buffalo Sabres rookie center Casey Mittelstadt has rated very high in a number of prospect rankings and is considered one of the top NHL prospects for 2018-19. The prevailing theme [GM Jason Botterill] and his scouts saw with Mittelstadt may have been summed up nicely (albeit maybe just a tad overzealously) by  [Scott] Wheeler [The Athletic] when he wrote last weekend that the Eden Prarie, Minnesota high school graduate has a "rare mix of [being] already-incredibly-talented and yet still super, super raw."

At the 2015 NHL Draft the Buffalo Sabres selected center Jack Eichel second overall to be the future No. 1 center on the club and traded for O'Reilly to be No. 2. Three years later Eichel is the franchise center and O'Reilly has been replaced by Mittelstadt. Both of those are very good one-two punches but in a few years, that Eichel/Mittelstadt duo may be amongst some of the best in the league. It all starts this season with Mittelstadt cutting his teeth in a full time No. 2 center role. And I don't think the 19 yr. old will have much difficulty with either the high expectations placed upon him or the transition.

What we wrote mid-season:  The mid-six in Buffalo's lineup has been in a constant state of flux this entire season as Housley can't seem to find the right mix, at least on a consistent, long-term basis. Having said that, the most skilled of those players is Mittelstadt. The 20 yr. old rookie has been thrown into the fire somewhat with the trade of O'Reilly, Buffalo's No. 2 center, and the failure of various players, including vets, to fill that spot. Mittelstadt isn't lighting up the scoreboard as he only has 10 points (5+5) in 37 games, but Housley has raved about him at times while calling attention to his focus upon playing a 200' game. As of late Mittelstadt has really been showing off some of the skills that made him a 2017 eighth-overall pick and we've seen him skating and stickhandling with much more confidence after getting acclimated to the speed of the NHL. He's done pretty much everything but consistently hit the scoresheet all while playing with a surprising amount of grit and dogged determination that belies his baby face. Some of his scoring woes can be traced back to little or no chemistry on a line that's facing tough competition on a nightly basis while some of it also has to do with the lack of time and space he's yet to adjust to. Mittelstadt has been finding himself in good spots on a consistent basis, especially as of late, but his trigger needs to be a touch faster and once he gets that, we should see his numbers spike upward.

Impressions on his play this year:  Mittelstadt wasn't ready for No. 2 center duties, it's as simple as that, but going back to what Wheeler said, the talent is there but he most definitely is "super, super raw."

What we saw this season after he got more acclimated to the NHL game was a player in Mittelstadt who looked as if he tried to do way too much on his own. He's an excellent skater and stick-handles the puck very well but this is the NHL and the players he faced on a nightly basis are mostly quick and skilled and know how to stick check. Many of the good ones on the better teams have played in systems that know how to eliminate that kind of individualized talent and it wasn't all that difficult to take out this rookie when he tried to do it on his own. 

From a pure numbers perspective, Mittelstadt's 25 points weren't all that impressive, especially when you consider his o-zone starts were above 70%, and his minus-19 rating is downright ugly. On many occasions we'd see the puck head the other way when Mittelstadt and his linemates were on the ice and of all the lines for the Sabres this season, it seemed as if his line had the most trouble getting it back out of the zone.

Some are already writing him off, which is a crazy notion. Mittelstadt has a lot of raw talent and skills to work with and despite his struggles, a little more work in the weight room, some wingers he can mesh with and a coach behind the bench that knows what he's doing should help move him along nicely. This is about development not only on an individual basis, but from a team perspective as well. You can draft all the top-10 picks you want but if they're not developed properly, what good are they?

Questions moving forward:  Will the Sabres organization stabilize the hockey department and get it moving forward? Will the development plan Botterill and the team have in place take hold and allow their players to blossom? Will Buffalo be able to land a middle-six center who can handle No. 2 center duties while Mittelstadt continues to develop? How much muscle can Mittelstadt add on? How much will he work on his shot over the summer? How much progress should we expect from him next season? 40 points? More? 

Contract info via CapFriendly, stats via sabres.com and hockey reference.com.

Sabres take their horrific road-show to Colorado

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-9-2019


No one in Sabreland should have been surprised the Buffalo Sabres lost 5-4 in Chicago. That it happened in the shootout maybe, but the real surprise was the names on the score sheet for Buffalo. Vladimir Sobotka, Zach Bogosian and Kyle Okposo, three players mentioned in the last blog as being "miscast and/or overpriced vets" all scored for the Sabres against the Blackhawks. Newcomer Brandon Montour, who was acquired at the NHL trade deadline nearly two weeks ago, scored his second goal in the Blue and Gold but the Sabres blew a third period lead and lost in the shootout as goalie Carter Hutton was unable to stop any of the three Chicago shooters that came his way.

What a waste of a night, but it's par for the course for Buffalo as of late and especially on the road. The Sabres woes in the Windy City continued as they haven't won in Chicago since January 10, 2007 (0-6-3) and they presently have the NHL's second-worst road record of 11-18-5. Since the end of the Sabres 10-game winning streak in November, the club is only 3-14-4. Post All-Star break when it's time to play for keeps in a playoff push, the Sabres are 1-6-2 with their only win coming in Columbus the day after the break ended.

Buffalo's home record post-break of 5-4-1 isn't great but it's fairly respectable and had they been able to move the needled on the road from abysmal to meh with a couple of wins, their playoff deficit wouldn't have ballooned from two points on January 30 to 10 points today.

Such is the season.

Fork meet Sabres

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 3-5-2019


You just can't do that. When you're up 3-1 and in control of the game, you just can't allow three unanswered goals in three-minute span at the end of a period and leave the ice down 4-3. It's a serious no Bueno.

Apparently the Buffalo Sabres never got one of the many memos on that topic as things like that have been happening since their 10-game winning streak ended.

The team we saw last night, and the one we've seen on many occasions this season when it really counted, is so reminiscent of the pre-tank Sabres. Sure, unlike those prior Buffalo teams this one has a sure-fire top-line center in Jack Eichel, who scored two of the three goals last night, and they have 18 yr. old defenseman Rasmus Dahlin who looks poised to do some incredible things down the road, but at the core of this team lies an ugly characteristic that stretches back to the post-Chris Drury/Daniel Briere days. When things are going great, like when they went on their November winning streak, they're world-beaters, but when the pressure's cranked up, they crumble.

Win one for Kyle plus, Mitts returns and lines get a good shakeup.

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 2-17-2019


Plain and simple, Sabres forward Kyle Okposo got smoked at the hands of NY Rangers d-man Tony DeAngelo in a one-punch fight on Friday night. Props to Okposo for defending himself for a "hit" that wasn't even close to being as malicious as the Rangers took it to be, but then again, Okposo really shouldn't be dropping his gloves in the first place.

First off, fighting is just not in his makeup. At 30 years old and with over 700 NHL games played Okposo has been in a total of five fights over his 12 yr. career with his last one being over four years ago, according to hockeyfights.com. In addition, considering what he went through with his March, 2017 concussion, the follow-up treatment that landed him in the Intensive Care Unit and the long, slow process of once again playing the game without reservations, all potential hits to the head should be avoided at all costs. Yet, there he was going toe-to-toe with a young buck who's had 10 fights in just over three years.

Can Buffalo replicate in Dallas what they did in Columbus?

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 1-30-2019


Sure, the Buffalo Sabres had a rough patch last night in Columbus where the Blue Jackets tied the score on two goals with just over three minutes left in the second period. It certainly was a rough patch and something we've seen with regularity all season. Sometimes you have to give the other team credit for sensing apprehension and jumping all over the opportunities they present. The NHL is a league with plenty of parity and when two similar teams meet, like Buffalo and Columbus, breakdowns are going to happen.

However, what matters most is how a team rebounds from that and the Sabres did just that. Just 2:12 into the third period Connor Sheary pounce on a rebound in the crease to put Buffalo up 5-4 and they held the fort the rest of the way. Once again, there were some tense moments, especially when the Jackets pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, but these are the moments where Buffalo's goaltending needs to shine and Carter Hutton did that for the Sabres. Columbus sent shots his way, none got by, and the Sabres headed to Dallas last night with a win pocket and some wind in their sails.

Ooh, aah, Sabres on the warpath!

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 11-20-2018


Six games. Six one-goal wins. Two in overtime, two in the shootout.

Just who are these guys?

That's what Saberland is waking up to this morning after another thriller, this one in a 5-4 overtime win in Pittsburgh.

There should be nothing but respect for a Pittsburgh Penguins organization that has won three of the last 10 Stanley Cups and even though they're in a very unusual position at the bottom of the Eastern conference, and played last night's game against the Sabres without superstar Sidney Crosby, they still have firepower and have the heart of champions.

Such was on display last night through the first 25 minutes as Pittsburgh staked their claim to a 4-1 lead over Buffalo with equal parts desperation, ferocity, skating and skill. It was something the Sabres have seen often, especially when playing in Pittsburgh, however, what we haven't seen from Buffalo is the intestinal fortitude to come back from a blitzkrieg like that.

But we're seeing it now.

Three goals down? No problem. Defenseman Zach Bogosian makes it 4-2 mid-way through the second period and with less than two minutes to go in the frame and another defenseman, Casey Nelson, cuts the lead to one goal with his first of the season. Just past the midway point of the third period Casey Mittelstadt wired a wicked wrister top-shelf to tie the score at 4-4. This one's worth another look (via NHL.com):

Then, in overtime, it was time for Captain Jack (via NHL.com):

It was the fifth time during this six-game winning streak that the Sabres overcame a third period deficit to win the game.

For as much as Sabres head coach Phil Housley wants his team to come out of the gate faster, it hasn't happened. Actually, what he's gotten has been just the opposite as Buffalo goalies look like ducks in a shooting gallery through the first two periods. During this six-game stretch Buffalo's opponents have outshot them 85-57 in the first period with four of those teams registering 15 shots or more. Somehow Buffalo has managed to come out even over those six games as both they and their opponents have scored seven goals apiece.

There's a similar shot deficit in the second period (77-54) and their goal differential is worse as they've been outscored 8-4 over that span.

However what is happening, much to the delight of the team and it's fans, is that the Sabres are owning the third period. During this six-game win-streak Buffalo has outshot their opponents by a collective 71-46 margin in the final stanza and have outscored them 7-1. The Sabres haven't given up a third period goal in the last four games and to stretch it a bit further, Buffalo hasn't allowed a goal past the 7:10-mark of the second period in those four games.

Sabres goalie Carter Hutton faced a 40-shot onslaught last night with 31 of them coming in the first two periods. Like he's done throughout this streak, Hutton single-handedly kept Buffalo in the game last night despite giving up four goals. Over his four starts and a third period relief appearance at Montreal, Hutton has faced a total of 140 shots through 17 periods of play and has allowed nine goals for a rather remarkable .936 save-percentage.

Hutton, and to an extent backup Linus Ullmark, have kept the Sabres in games they had no business being in and they've also allowed Buffalo's skaters to make their mistakes while getting into the flow of the game. Both Hutton and Ullmark (who allowed two goals on 29 shots in a win at Minnesota) were rewarded with some remarkable clutch play and goal-scoring by the team in front of them.

It's something we haven't seen in Buffalo since Chris Drury and Daniel Briere co-captained the "Ferrari Sabres" back 2006-07 when they fearlessly pushed the puck up ice while goalie Ryan Miller held the fort stopping odd-man rushes on a nightly basis. That season just happens to be the last time the Sabres had a winning streak over six games. The eventual President's Trophy winning Sabres started out that season with 10-game winning streak which matched a franchise high and also tied an NHL record for most wins in a row to start the season.

Buffalo takes on the Philadelphia Flyers tomorrow night at KeyBank Center but until then enjoy some of the sights and sounds from that 2006-07 season mikeak21 on YouTube:

From Clinton to Pittsburgh, Sabres preseason rolls on

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-26-2018


Those in attendance last night for the 2018 Kraft Hockeyville USA preseason game between Buffalo and Columbus may have left the rest of the hockey world a little envious. Clinton arena in the sleepy village of Clinton, NY, just outside of Utica, hosted the game and there was ample star power on the ice for the roughly 2,000 in attendance who won the opportunity for a seat via the lottery. For Sabres fans it would be akin to a preseason game being held at HarborCenter which seats about 1,800.

Among those skating for the Sabres in their fifth preseason game were forwards Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner and Sam Reinhart, which will probably be Buffalo's top line for the season opener on October 4. Also skating up front were young guns Casey Mittelstadt and Alexander Nylander while 2018 first-overall pick Rasmus Dahlin was working some magic from the Sabres blueline. The Blue Jackets had some star power of their own as forward Artemi Panarin and defensemen Seth Jones were part of a group that downed the Sabres 4-2.

Some notes on the game:

--Dahlin is one slick son-of-a-gun. Because of his incredibly fast and fluid skating ability, the 18 yr. old just seems to appear near the puck and he did so last night. He also showed some nice "bat-control" as he took a puck off the boards in mid-air and bunted it to himself to escape the forecheck. And then there was that pass where he whirled in his own zone and hit Eichel at center ice who then entered the Columbus zone with speed. Eichel beat the defender and found Reinhart for the layup.

--Once again, Eichel's speed was jaw-dropping. He hit the blueline with some speed then hit the after-burners and in three strides he was around the defenseman before sending a perfect pass to a streaking Reinhart.

--Speaking of Reinhart, he's off to a very fast start this preseason after holding out in a contract dispute. One would think that he and his agent weren't 100% pleased with the 2yr./$7.3 million contract he signed last week and it looks as if he wants to make the Sabres pay later. Good for him and good for the team if he can do that.

--Casey Nelson was Dahlin's d-partner most of the night and he had a real good game. He got Buffalo on the board early with a nice shot from a pretty tough angle. He finished the night a plus-1 and logged substantial minutes.

--Nylander got the primary assist on Nelson's goal and generally had another strong game although he did have some gaffe's, especially on the penalty kill. No worries, Sabres fans, if he does make the roster, he probably won't see any PK time.

--After some fairly lackluster efforts so far this preseason, Mittelstadt put together a real nice game and was as engaged as we've seen him all preseason. He's a tenacious player when he's on his game and when you add in his skill and smarts, he can make things extremely difficult on the opposition.

In general the defense looks much better as they're using their mobility to jump into the play and head deep into the zone. Although they still have some trouble in their own zone, they're getting better at that, especially because the forwards seem to be supporting them more. In fact, if the forwards aren't in attack mode they're doing a much better job of supporting their team mates all over the ice.

Head coach Phil Housley has said that he expects mistakes and that his team shouldn't be afraid to make them. And there have been plenty of them but that's why there's preseason. But perhaps he should modify it just a tad and force any player to the bench who makes a blind, back-hand pass to the slot in their own end.  It's Hockey-101, don't send blind passes to the slot in your own end (or anywhere, for that matter.) There's such a thing as getting too fancy and using the "I'm allowed to make mistakes" alibi.

The Sabres lost by two goals last night, the exact number of goals they were outscored on the powerplay. Buffalo went 1/1 while the Jackets went 3/3.

Tonight the Sabres "B-squad" is in Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins who loaded up on their forward ranks. Early indications have the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel, Patrik Hornqvist and Phil Kessel, among others, skating against Buffalo tonight.

The Sabres might be countering with a preliminary lineup like this (via sabres.com):

Forwards
28 Zemgus Girgensons - 17 Vladimir Sobotka - 29 Jason Pominville
20 Scott Wilson - 22 Johan Larsson - 95 Justin Bailey
41 Victor Olofsson - 74 Rasmus Asplund - 72 Tage Thompson
13 Nicholas Baptiste

Defensemen
6 Marco Scandella - 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
24 Lawrence Pilut - 5 Matt Tennyson
82 Nathan Beaulieu - 27 Taylor Fedun

Goaltenders
40 Carter Hutton
35 Linus Ullmark

Of note, they originally had F, Kyle Criscuolo in the lineup on the fourth line but according to reports, he's been waived. With him out they'll also need a couple of bodies from last night to fill in.

Game time is 7 pm.

Buffalo finishes 2018 Prospects Challenge strong. On to training camp.

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-11-2018


Buffalo defenseman Rasmus Dahlin did not play in the final game of the 2018 Prospects Challenge at HarborCenter in downtown Buffalo, but the Sabres still iced some star power with Casey Mittelstadt and Alexander Nylander. The two forwards were joined in the lineup yesterday by Rasmus Asplund, who made a name for himself throughout the tournament, and a group of players that featured eight undrafted players and a slew of lower-round picks.

The Pittsburgh Penguins prospect roster was that of a team only one year removed from back-to-back Stanley Cups. It featured only one player, Calen Addison  (2018, 53rd overall) drafted in the top three rounds, one player drafted in the fourth round (Sam Lafferty, 2014, 113th) and 12 undrafted players. It's the price you pay for winning Stanley Cups and there's not a person in Sabreland who wouldn't trade positions with Pittsburgh.

But as we well know, hockey in Buffalo right now is about the future, and the future looks very bright.

Dahlin had a whale of a tournament as he busted out of the gate with two goals and an assist in the first game and looked every bit as advertised against his peers. His d-partner, Will Borgen, was a beast reveling in his role as a physical, stay-at-home defenseman while forward Tage Thompson (2016, 26th, STL) looked strong wearing the Blue and Gold for the first time.

With those players out of the lineup and the Sabres playing against a weak Penguins squad, it was time for players like Mittelstadt and Nylander, a pair of eighth-overall picks (2017 and 2016, respectively) to take over the game, which they eventually did.

Mittelstadt centered Buffalo's top line with Nylander on his left wing and undrafted forward Cole Coskey on the right. Although it took Mittelstadt and Nylander two periods to click, when they did it was pretty magical. Nylander scored his first goal just :20 seconds into the third period with a nasty wrister that picked the top corner to make it 4-0 and he finished off a nifty give-and-go with Mittelstadt to make it 6-2 at the 6:21 mark. Nylander also had two assists, both primary, to finish the day with four points.

The driving force on both of Nylander's goals was Mittelstadt who admittedly wasn't at his best through the first two games and the first two periods of this one. "The first two games and a little bit of the third (game) I might have been pushing it a little bit," he said post-game yesterday. "There were times I should have been shooting it or make a quicker play but I think I'm getting back into it. Even in the third (period) I started making plays I normally make with my hands and feet."

That he did.

The first of his three consecutive primary assists came on Nylander's first goal when Mittelstadt  controlled the puck along the wall and drew two Pens defenders to him before slipping a short pass to his winger who stealthily split the d. The second came when he sent a pass through the slot right on the stick of defenseman Nicholas Welch who was pinching in on the play and the last was that give-and-go with Nylander.

Buffalo GM Jason Botterill liked a lot of what he saw over the weekend and into Monday and has been talking about having more internal competition for roster spots at training camp. This tournament was the first opportunity for players to put their names into the conversation and perhaps no one did so more than center Rasmus Asplund.

The 2016 draft pick (33rd overall) just came over from his native Sweden and impressed at the Challenge. We'd read about his strong two-way game playing in the SHL and he brought that with him this weekend but he showed off some skill and moxie on his goal yesterday as he undressed four Pens at the Pittsburgh blueline before finishing strong. Asplund also brings a very high hockey IQ to the table, some great on-ice vision and a lot of compete as well.

"You see the play he made on his goal," said Mittelstadt of Asplund, a teammate he's spoken highly of this off season. "You see him do things like that but there are a lot of other things he does that people miss. Winning faceoffs, he's always in the right spot defensively and in the neutral zone."

One of the things that you won't see on the highlight reel was his compete on Buffalo's first goal yesterday. After picking up the puck inside his own blueline he fought through a check, got through an entanglement with the ref in the neutral zone and fought off another check at the Pens blueline before hitting defenseman Devante Stephens who was trailing on the play. Stephens then sent a shot to the net with Andrew Oglevie potting the rebound.

Asplund looks bigger than his 5'11" 189 lb. frame and skates extremely well. He finished with a tournament-high six points (1+5) and may be in the mix for a bottom-six slot on the Sabres.

In addition to Dahlin, Mittelstadt (for a full season) and Asplund, there's a big wave of talented players coming into the organization this year. Forward Victor Olofsson (2014, 181st) will be making his North American debut as will defenseman, and fellow Swede, Lawrence Pilut whom the Sabres signed to a free agent contract. Borgen, who played eight games with Rochester last season after leaving school early, leads a group of college players that includes Brandon Hickey, who's rights came over in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes and who signed with Buffalo, and forward Oglevie (an FA signee) who will be battling for spots in Buffalo and/or Rochester. And, although Botterill didn't commit to any training camp invites amongst veteran players and/or Challenge invitees "right now," they have talked to players about that possibility which would further the competition for spots.

"We've talked a lot as a group about bringing in more internal competition and giving [head coach] Phil [Housley] more options at different positions," said Botterill yesterday. "We think we've done that this summer, especially at forward, bringing in some guys but also having some young guys who are going to be competing for positions."

And by the looks of it, they've done pretty good job.

The 2018 Prospects Challenge is in the books and it's on to the opening of training camp on Thursday with physicals and Friday they start practice. Here's the schedule:

Friday, Sept. 14

Session one: 9:45 – 10:20 a.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 10:25 – 11:15 a.m. (KeyBank Rink)

Session two: 11:45 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 12:25 – 1:15 p.m. (KeyBank Rink)

Saturday, Sept. 15

Session one: 9:45 – 10:20 a.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 10:25 – 11:15 a.m. (KeyBank Rink)

Session two: 11:45 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. (New Wave Energy Rink) / 12:25 – 1:15 p.m. (KeyBank Rink)

Sunday, Sept. 16

Practice: 9:45 – 10:15 a.m. (Both rinks)

Scrimmage: 10:30 – 11:15 a.m. (KeyBank Rink)

Buffalo's first preseason game is Monday at 7 pm in Columbus vs. the Blue Jackets.

Buffalo has a lot of talent heading into 2018 Prospects Challenge

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-5-2018


The third annual Buffalo Sabres Prospects Challenge is set to commence this Friday with the Sabres and three other teams--Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins--trotting out their prospects in a round-robin tournament. Here's the schedule:

Friday, Sept. 7

• Pittsburgh vs. Boston, 3:30 p.m.
• Buffalo vs. New Jersey, 7 p.m.

 Saturday, Sept. 8

• New Jersey vs. Pittsburgh, 3:30 p.m.
• Buffalo vs. Boston, 7 p.m.

 Monday, Sept. 10

• Boston vs. New Jersey, 9:30 a.m.
• Buffalo vs. Pittsburgh, 12:30 p.m.

All games will be HarborCenter. Tickets are $10.

The Sabres announced their Prospects Challenge roster yesterday and amongst the youngins that will be hitting the ice are center Casey Mittelstadt and defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, both of whom are expected to be in Buffalo's opening night lineup on October 4.

Mittelstadt was selected eighth-overall in 2017 by Buffalo and displayed NHL talent while playing in six games for the Sabres at the end of the last season. The 6'0" 209 lb. center left the University of Minnesota after his freshman season and scored his first NHL goal while adding four assists in six games for the Buffalo.

Dahlin was drafted first-overall at the 2018 NHL Draft and put on a skills clinic at Sabres Development Camp in June. The 6'3" 186 lb. Swedish defenseman is making the jump to the NHL as an 18 yr. old and this will be his first taste of competition against other NHL teams.

For Buffalo fans, you can't ask for much more when it comes to those two prospect headliners but there are some other intriguing names ready to hit the ice beginning Friday as an array of picks and free agents from various years compete to not only win, but also catch the attention of Buffalo's brass. In just under a year and a half, Sabres GM Jason Botterill has culled together a group of youngins that was recently dubbed the top farm system in the NHL by The Athletic's Corey Pronman. "And it wasn't even close," Pronman wrote.

Besides blue-chippers Mittelstadt and Dahlin, the Sabres Challenge roster includes defenseman Brendan Guhle (2015, 51st-overall,) who just finished his first full season with Buffalo's AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. The very athletic and smooth-skating Guhle looked poised for an opening night roster spot in Buffalo until the Sabres drafted Dahlin yet he still might force his way into the conversation come opening night. Guhle was dominant at development camp in June and there's no reason to think that he won't take all the professional experience he's gained the last year-plus and use it to make an impact at the tournament.

Two-way center Rasmus Asplund is making his North American debut this season after spending the last three seasons playing against men in the SHL, Sweden's top hockey league. The 20 yr. old said at this year's NHLPA’s Rookie Showcase in Toronto that initially he was disappointed he had to spend last season in Sweden but that afterwards he was happy that he played with Farjestad in the big role he was given for a playoff team.

The Swedish invasion continues with forward Victor Olofsson and defenseman Lawrence Pilut, both of whom were 2018 SHL award winners and acquitted themselves well at June's development camp. The 23 yr. old Olofsson is a 2014 seventh round draft pick (181st) who enjoyed a breakout season in the SHL as he sniped his way to a league high 27 goals earning the Hakan Loob Trophy given to the league's top goal scorer.

Pilut also enjoyed a breakout 2017-18 season in the SHL with career highs in goals (eight) and points (38.) The 22 yr. old lead all defensemen in points and assists (30) and was 13th in the league overall in scoring garnering him the Borje Salming Trophy as the SHL's best defenseman. He was one of only three undrafted defensemen to win the award. (For more on his game click here.)

An American duo coming from different directions will also be skating for he Sabres. Winger Tage Thompson was selected with the 26th-overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. He was a part of the return when Botterill traded Ryan O'Reilly to St. Louis. The burgeoning 6'5" 196 lb. powerforward has a good skill package and has a top-six opportunity waiting for him this fall. That opportunity begins now for the 20 yr. old native of Glendale, Arizona who decided to turn pro in 2017 after two years at the University of Connecticut.

Undrafted free agent Andrew Oglevie left Notre Dame after his junior season. The 23 yr. old from Fullerton, California finished his NCAA career with 41 goals and 89 points in 107 collegiate games for the Irish. Oglevie left college after leading Notre Dame to the NCAA Finals where he scored their lone goal in a 2-1 loss to the University of Minnesota-Duluth in the championship game.

Two fan favorites will also be skating for the Sabres in the 2018 Prospects Challenge.

Seventh-round pick Vasily Glotov churned his way into the hearts of fans at development camp with his Max Afinogenov-type darting and quickness while earning himself an AHL contract with Rochester. Glotov was selected 190th-overall at the 2016 NHL Draft and finished his two-year QMJHL career with 93 points (44+49) in 128 games.

Matej Pekar was selected at the top of the fourth round (94th) in June and made his mark at development camp as a pest in the Brad Marchand mold. Pekar dished out a hit to Dahlin and received an earth-shattering one in return from the 2018 first-overall pick. He also needled Mittelstadt off his game in their first 3-on-3 matchup at D-camp to the point where sticks were raised. Not only did Pekar draw the ire of Mittelstadt he also got a physical greeting from winger Brett Murray (2016, 99th) who take kindly to what Pekar was doing to his team mate. Something that got lost in Pekar's rat-like tendencies at D-camp was him undressing Dahlin for a goal in the first game of the 3-on-3 tournament. (For more on Pekar click here for Part I and here for Part II.)

The most intriguing name for Sabres fans might be left winger Alexander Nylander. The 2016 first rounder (eighth-overall) is battling bust-status not because of his immense skill but, moreso because of his seeming lack of desire. Nylander has struggled through his first two pro seasons, first as an 18 yr. old who made the jump direct from Sweden's Junior league to the North American pro game after the draft and last season he after suffering an injury early in the off season. Although it's still a little too early to dub the 20 yr. old a bust, he's got his work cut out for him.

Other notables include well-traveled 22 yr. old defenseman Brandon Hickey, who was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes along with Mike Sislo in exchange for winger Hudson Fasching. Hickey was a 2016 third round pick (64th) of the Calgary Flames who traded his rights to the 'Yotes. Hickey finished his college career this season at Boston University as captain of the Terriers and signed with Buffalo.

Left wing Pascal Aquin, an undrafted free agent out of the QMJHL, signed an AHL contract in May and had himself a strong development camp. Another undrafted free agent to keep an eye on might be LW, Kevin Hancock who tallied 54 goals and 154 points in 121 games for the OHL's Owen Sound over the past two seasons.

And finally, goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen opted to sign with the Sudbury Wolves (OHL) rather than return to his native Finland and because of it finds himself at the Prospects Challenge. The towering (6'4" 196 lb.) Luukkonen was a 2017 second round pick (54th) of Buffalo. The Sabres other goaltender this weekend is Jonas Johansson, a third round pick (61st) in 2014. At 6'5" 214 lbs. Johansson is physically huge in net but despite that size he hasn't been able to get the job done in North America.

Here's the full roster from Sabres.com:

Number--Player, Position

Forwards

76-Pascal Aquin, LW
74--Rasmus Asplund, C
46--Eric Cornel, C
79--Cole Coskey, RW
83--Shane Eiserman, C
77--Vasily Glotov, C
86--Kevin Hancock, LW
37--Casey Mittelstadt, C
92--Alexander Nylander, LW
52--Andre Oglevie, C
41--Victor Olofsson, LW
73--Matej Pekar, C
75--Judd Peterson, RW
78--Myles Powell, C
72--Tage Thompson

Defensemen

67--Arvin Atwal, RHD
70--Tobie Bisson, LHD
33--William Borgen, RHD
26--Rasmus Dahlin, LHD
45--Brendan Guhle, LHD
44--Brandon Hickey, LHD
58--Oskari Laaksonen, RHD
24--Lawrence Pilut, LHD
61--Devante Stephens, LHD
84--Nicolas Welsh, RHD

Goaltenders

34--Jonas Johansson
01--Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster--C, Casey Mittelstadt

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 9-1-2018


C--Casey Mittelstadt
19 yrs. old
6'1" 201 lbs.
2017, eighth-overall

Career stats: 6 games | 1 goal | 4 assists | 5 points | +1

Buffalo Sabres rookie center Casey Mittelstadt has rated very high in a number of prospect rankings and is considered one of the top NHL prospects for 2018-19. Just a few examples of who placed him where:

--NHL Network ranked him fifth amongst the top 50 prospects of 25-and-under
--Steve Kournianos of @TheDraftAnalyst has him rank fourth on his list for the Sporting News
--Scott Wheeler of The Athletic has Mittelstadt ranked fourth
--TSN has him fifth

and so on and so on.

Mittlestadt was selected by the Sabres with the eighth-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and they were thrilled he dropped to them there. Buffalo general manager Jason Botterill, overseeing his first ever draft as a GM, told the media after the first round that they were ecstatic to get [Mittelstadt]" and when asked if he thought Mittelstadt would be there at eight, a big, cat-that-just-ate-the-canary, ear to ear smile came across his face. "Isn't that the cliché?" he asked with an internal chuckle in response. "You've got to say, 'Oh I couldn't believe that he was there."

Botterill knew exactly what he was getting in Mittelstadt and was thrilled he dropped to the Sabres at No. 8. The prevailing theme he and his scouts saw with Mittelstadt may have been summed up nicely (albeit maybe just a tad overzealously) by Wheeler when he wrote last weekend that the Eden Prarie, Minnesota high school graduate has a "rare mix of [being] already-incredibly-talented and yet still super, super raw."

Mittelstadt's talents were laid out by Wheeler as part of a 10-part series he did for The Athletic called, "The Gifted," where he analyzed top young prospects "that [are] so uniquely different from everyone else in approach or in ability, that you can’t help but notice [them]."

As he dove into his detailed analysis, complete with videos, Wheeler points out that Mittelstadt's hands are high on his stick giving him maximum maneuverability and that he makes very difficult plays look easy. Some other traits that Mittelstadt displayed were his composure and anticipation and how the plays he's a part of are "dictated by [his] contribution." He's "always the biggest factor in the plays that happen when he’s on the ice," wrote Wheeler.

Wheeler noted one of Mittelstadt's most important attributes when he documented how the teenager always pushes things to the center of the ice using a number of video as examples including Mittelstadt's first NHL goal seen here via sabres.com:

"In that situation," wrote Wheeler, "a lot of young players probably stop up. They look for the cross-ice pass or put the puck back down low when their net-front option releases from the defensemen to open up. But Mittlestadt isn’t a lot of young players. He’s thinking: 'attack the middle' and as soon as the puck touches his stick he turns and takes two strides to do that."

The raw part of Wheeler's assessment is obvious for most teenagers--the need to add strength to play at the NHL level. The 5'11" 199 lb. Mittelstadt was infamously shown being unable to do a pull-up at the NHL combine, which isn't a big deal when you have the talent an hockey IQ he has, but it was fodder for a while.

However he landed in a good program a the University of Minnesota and played in a rugged Big-10 conference on a Golden Gophers team where the opposition's focus was almost solely on him every game. He figured it out against bigger, stronger, older opponents and excelled in the process with 11 goals and 30 points in 34 NCAA games. He furthered the notion that he can hang with the big boys scoring with five points (1+4) in six NHL games for the Sabres last season.

This off season was dedicated to getting stronger. “For me it was getting in the weight room, obviously; everyone knew that,” he said to the media at at the NHL Players’ Association’s rookie showcase event last weekend. “Skate as much I can and work on a lot of little things, but my main goal was definitely getting stronger.”

The strength will eventually come as he fills out his frame and adds muscle leaving lack of experience as the only real drawback to his game right now. And apparently Botterill doesn't think it will be too much of a problem as he traded away top-six center Ryan O'Reilly and has Mittelstadt slated at the No. 2 center on the team. Botterill won't throw the rookie completely to the wolves as he acquired veteran center Patrick Berglund in the O'Reilly trade with the St. Louis Blues but the fact that they traded O'Reilly, whom some look at as a No. 1 center, shows the confidence they have in Mittelstadt.

Maybe the most important aspect of Mittelstadt is found in his character and composure he displays on and off the ice. Botterill talked of Mittelstadt's conviction when the youngster decided to finish his high school career at Eden Prairie before heading back to the USHL's Green Bay Gamblers prior to the draft. Playing for the Golden Gophers, Team USA at the World Juniors and the Sabres made for five teams in a year but it didn't phase Mittelstadt.“I completely enjoyed it,” Mittelstadt said of his journey (via Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times.) “It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind, I think, moving and going back and forth places. But I’ve loved it, so I won’t complain too much.”

At the 2015 NHL Draft the Buffalo Sabres selected center Jack Eichel second overall to be the future No. 1 center on the club and traded for O'Reilly to be No. 2. Three years later Eichel is the franchise center and O'Reilly has been replaced by Mittelstadt. Both of those are very good one-two punches but in a few years, that Eichel/Mittelstadt duo may be amongst some of the best in the league. It all starts this season with Mittelstadt cutting his teeth in a full time No. 2 center role.



Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:

LW, Conor Sheary / C, Jack Eichel / RW, Sam Reinhart
_______________/ C, Casey Mittelstadt / __________

LHD, Marco Scandella / RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen


G, Carter Hutton

A look back at the 2017-18 Buffalo Sabres season--March

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 8-17-2018


With the season gone, the Buffalo Sabres ambled into the month of March without their top left-winger, Evander Kane, and their top center, Jack Eichel. They were coming off of their best month of the season (6-6-2) and had played some pretty good games in the process. Buffalo took down the top two teams in the division, Tampa and Boston, two times each in February and that trend continued in March as they played some of their best game against some of the best teams in the league. They beat the Atlantic division's third place team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, twice and also came away with an impressive 7-4 win against the Predators in coach Phil Housley's return to Nashville.

Those three wins represented 60% of their five-win total for the month and their downward spiral continued as they went 5-8-1 in March which included a dreadful 1-4-1 six-game homestand which would drop them to the bottom of the league. Buffalo had an overall 2-6-1 record at KeyBank Center and other than their mini Stanley Cups against teams like the Leafs and Preds, there really wasn't much for the fans to get excited about. Even Eichel's return was met with cynicism as fans wanted to see him protected by having him shut down for the rest of the season.

Eichel told the media (via Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times) that's not how he rolls:

"It’s a pretty simple answer, to be honest with you, I’m playing because I’m a hockey player. It’s kind of ridiculous for somebody to think we’re out of the playoffs and we don’t have an opportunity to really do anything with our season that I would just pack my year in. It’s not who I am as a person, it’s not who I’ve ever been, it’s not who I am as a hockey player.

“At the end of the day, I love to play hockey. Whether we’re in first place or last place in the league, it doesn’t matter to me. I like to put my equipment on, go out there and play hockey. That’s why I’m playing. I love to play and I have a lot of fun doing it. It’s what I look most forward to in my day. There’s not really quite a feeling like it, so I enjoy it every day.

“I’m a competitor, I want to be out there competing. I want to play, so that’s why I’m playing. There should be a lot more questions asked if I decided I did want to pack it in, end my season."

While fans were debating the Eichel injury and beginning to dream about landing a franchise defenseman in Rasmus Dahlin at the draft, a series of events with huge ramifications was beginning to unfold.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers were on the precipice of making the NCAA tournament and needed one of six teams to lose in order to get into the post season. All six won meaning that their season was done in the middle of March leaving freshman center, and 2017 Sabres first round pick (eighth-overall) Casey Mittelstadt with a decision to make on his future.

Mittelstadt had an excellent season with 11 goals and 30 points in 34 games and showed signs of being ready for the NHL. He also wowed at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championships which were held in Buffalo. His 11 points (4+7,) which included primary assists on all three USA goals in their shootout win over Team Canada at New Era Field, helped lead Team USA to a bronze medal and earned him Tournament MVP honors.

With Minnesota missing the post season and question marks surrounding the coaching staff, Mittelstadt decided to turn pro and he suited up for his first game as a Buffalo Sabre at home against the Detroit Red Wings on March 29. Mittelstadt would earn his first NHL point as he won a draw in the Wings zone and Evan Rodrigues would snap a shot home from the slot.

Mittelstadt would get points in five of the six games he played in, including his first NHL goal, and looked good in the process. The 6'1" 201 lb. center displayed deft stick work, solid skating and the ability to keep up with the speed of the NHL game. He was ready for full time NHL duty and because of it, the Sabres were able to trade No. 2 center Ryan O'Reilly in the off season to make room for him. Although there were other factors involved in the decision to trade O'Reilly and they did get some protection when they landed veteran center Patrick Berglund in the trade, the Sabres liked what they saw in Mittelstadt's six-game debut to the point where they felt the could make the move to youth now instead of later.

It was a long, cold season, just like the winter, and by the end of March most couldn't wait for it to be over. The Sabres were at the bottom of the standings, were last in goals/game (2.38,) last in goals against (3.31) and their -73 goal differential wasn't that far removed from the tank years.

Individually both O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart picked up the slack in Eichel's absence with Reinhart continuing his production surge that began with the Winter Classic on New Year's Day. Reinhart, who was downright awful in the 2017 portion of the season, had 14 points (9+4) in 14 games during March (including a hat trick) and matched his career highs in goals and points with four games still remaining.

There was light at the end of the tunnel as Mittelstadt was just the beginning of some good fortune rolling Buffalo's way. Not only would April mean the end of the season, but it also meant the NHL Draft Lottery and a shot at landing the first pick to select Dahlin.


For Buffalo's March team stats click here, for their individual stats leaders for the month click here.

For my March archive, click here.

The Sabres top-5 prospects to watch after Dahlin and Mittelstadt

Published by hockeybuzz.com, 7-27-2018


Once Swedish defenseman Rasmus Dahlin was selected first-overall in last month's NHL Entry Draft he immediately took his place at the top of the Sabres prospect pool. The teenager just completed a full season competing against men for Frolunda of the Swedish Hockey League and was impressive. After being drafted by Buffalo he hit development camp and showed why many feel he should be considered a franchise defenseman bordering on generational talent.

He's got that much going for him.

Dahlin displaced center Casey Mittelstadt as the Sabres top prospect. Mittelstadt spent last season playing for the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big-10. The Minnesota native was one-and-done in the NCAA finishing with 30 points (11+19) in 34 games for the Gophers but more importantly, Mittelstadt proved he could battle through tough defenses focused almost exclusively on him and produce against many players much older than him. It was with little surprise that he came to Buffalo after signing his entry-level deal and looked like he fit right in scoring a goal and adding four assists in six NHL games.

Those two represent great news for the future of the Buffalo Sabres. Even moreso when you add them to franchise center Jack Eichel and young workhorse defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

The cool part about the prospect pool is that it doesn't stop at Dahlin and Mittelstadt. Buffalo is emerging from a period where the system was gutted as past draft failures and underachieving prospects left the entire organization with bottom-dwelling teams. That, however, is changing. A few players like Evan Rodrigues, Casey Nelson, Nicholas Baptiste, Justin Bailey and goalie Linus Ullmark have graduated but instead of a huge void in Rochester and the other developmental leagues, a wave of prospects and free agents drafted and acquired over the last few years (and maybe a bit beyond that) are ready to step up.

General manager Jason Botterill has done a fine job augmenting decent group of prospects ready to hit the pro ranks this season and it looks as if his two drafts (2017 ands 18) will continue to strengthen the prospect pool.

For this exercise the phrase "prospects to watch" is used because they may have the most impact at the AHL or possibly NHL-level this season. Talent is definitely a criteria but also the ability/probability of them reaching their potential this season and in the future. And we begin with:


1. D, Brendan Guhle

Prior to the drafting of Dahlin, Guhle was the Sabres top d-prospect. The 2015 second round pick (51st-overall) has surprised and excited the Sabres and their fan base since his first training camp three years ago. Until he got walloped by a clean Dion Phaneuf hit in the preseason, Guhle looked as if he was headed for the opening night roster. That hit set him back but when he did make his NHL debut as an emergency call up in December, 2016 for three games, he certainly looked the part.

The 6'3" 192 lb. Edmonton, Alberta native can really get up ice and although he wasn't drafted as a scorer has shown some serious touch. Both smart and athletic, Guhle was put on the slower developmental track last season by Botterill who is a firm believer in getting prospects as much development as possible.

Guhle played top-pairing minutes for the Amerks last season and was up for 18 games with the Sabres last season. Although he and the rest of his Rochester teammates faltered in the playoffs, everything he has to offer was on display at development camp as the  20 yr. old looked like a man amongst boys.

His waivers exempt status and the fact that Buffalo is overflowing on defense right now may mean he'll start the season in Rochester, which really isn't a bad thing for any party involved and you can bet your bottom dollar that if that's the case, he'll be the first defenseman called up and will retain that status throughout the season.

NHL Projection:  Top-four defenseman


2. F, Victor Olofsson

Simply put, Olofsson has proved to be a sniper. After plying his trade in his native Sweden since Buffalo drafted him with the 181st pick of the 2014 NHL Draft, the seventh rounder had a breakout season for Frolunda of the SHL. Olofsson lead the league with 27 goals in 50 games winning the Haaken Loob Trophy for the top goalscorer in the league.

The 5'10" 176 lb. winger found his niche while being deadly on the powerplay with a scorching one-timer. Because of that he's been labeled a powerplay specialist but he's a swift skater who has a knack for finding open ice. With the offensive skill there, Olofsson was said to have been working on his defensive game and a couple of things he'll also need to work on jumping the pond to North America is the smaller ice surface and a more rugged North American game.

If he can bring his defensive game to a respectable level and learn to avoid some of the North American aggression, especially as a smaller player, the Sabres could have found themselves a real seventh-round gem.

NHL Projection:  Top-nine winger/Powerplay Specialist


3. D, Lawrence Pilut

Pilut is a very intriguing free agent signing out of Sweden by Botterill and the Sabres as they landed the reigning SHL defenseman of the year.

The 5'11" 181 lb. Pilut had a breakout season for HV71 of the SHL as he lead all defensemen with 30 assists and 38 points on his way to the Borje Salming Trophy. When describing Pilut's game, we'll let HV 71 head coach Johan Lindbom tell it. "[Pilut] he wants to be involved in the play all the time," Lindbom told me over the phone back in May. "He's not the toughest, he's not the strongest in front of the net," said the coach, "but he reads the play really well.

" Larry (as the team called him) was very talented at a young age. Maybe a little too small from the beginning but he's a fighter. He takes his hockey very seriously. He practices very hard and that's what makes him successful."

Lindbom had Pilut working on his defense last season and we're pretty sure Amerks bench boss Chris Taylor will be doing the same in Rochester. But as we saw from the 3-on-3 tourney at development camp, Pilut has too much ability to be corralled. He'll definitely need to play defense in North America but look for him to be jumping into the play often once he gets his footing.

NHL Projection:  No. 4/5, offensive-minded defenseman


4. C, Rasmus Asplund

Asplund was the draft-eligible focal point of former GM Tim Murray when he mad a draft-day trade back in 2016. On the second day of the draft Murray pulled the trigger on a deal where the Sabres would move up from No. 38 to No. 33. There was no guarantee Asplund would be there but Murray was pretty sure to the point where the swap was insisted upon.

The 20 yr. old Asplund has been developing his strong two-way game in Sweden having spent almost four full seasons in the SHL. In 170 SHL games he tallied 62 points (20+42) and was a plus-17 for Farjestad BK. But stats aren't full where it's at with him.

Asplund plays an advanced two-way game where his high hockey IQ and hard working play were relied upon throughout the game. He has all the makings of a classic third-line/two-way center who's responsible all over the ice and can chip in on offense

NHL Projection:  Third-line center.


5. LW, CJ Smith

Smith is another good free agent signing for the Sabres. Buffalo signed him out of UMass-Lowell in 2017 and he just finished a very solid rookie campaign in Rochester scoring 44 points (17+27) in 57 games for the Amerks.

Although Smith doesn't have ideal size at 5'11" 185 lbs., he's got plenty of skill and chutzpah, is a solid two-way player, has a strong work ethic and plays the game fast with plenty of determination.

NHL Projection:  Top-nine winger


Honorable Mentions:

D, Brandon Hickey--a very intriguing trade with Phoenix this off season by Botterill brought in an excellent skating defenseman with size (6'2" 201 lbs.,) some physicality, leadership qualities and some offensive acumen.

LW, Alexander Nylander--if his desire ever rises to his skill-level, he's got top-six sniper written all over him. Key word 'if''.