Die By The Blade

Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via The 2019 draft pick finally made his NHL debut - and it was worth the wait. Winger Lukáš Rousek became the second member of the 2019 Buffalo Sabres draft class to reach the NHL on Monday night, making his debut in a shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens. (The other member of that draft class to play in the NHL so far is, of course, Dylan Cozens.) Rousek’s long-awaited debut certainly didn’t disappoint, as he scored his first NHL goal on his first shot, on his first shift, in his first game. It doesn’t get much better than...

Photo by Joe Hrycych/NHLI via Buffalo blows third period lead, can’t close out game.  Score: Sabres: 3 Canadiens: 4 (SO) Shots: BUF: 33 MTL: 41 Buffalo Sabres Goals: Lukas Rousek (1), JJ Peterka (10), Riley Stillman (1) Montreal Canadiens Goals: Jordan Harris (4), Alex Belzile (6), Brendan Gallagher (6), Michael Pezzetta (SO Winner) Plus 1: Rousek Rips First One In After Jordan Harris scored a backhander on Eric Comrie just 1:22 into the first period, Lukas Rousek answered back two minutes later to tie the score at 1. No. 13’s first NHL goal calmed Buffalo fans’...

It might only be mathematical, but the Sabres are still in it. Once again the Buffalo Sabres have pulled back into the Eastern Conference wildcard race seemingly having corrected their slump with two straight wins beating Metro Division contenders New Jersey Devils and then their direct wildcard rivals New York Islanders. This week the schedule does get a bit softer, but as we’ve already learned, Buffalo cannot really take any opponents for granted with how they’ve been playing recently. It starts with home games against the Habs and then the Rags, followed by a trip to...

Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Game 73 Buffalo Sabres (35-31-6) vs. Montreal Canadiens (29-38-6) Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY TV: MSG Radio: WGR 550 SB Nation Habs Blog: Habs Eyes on the Prize

Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via The Habs come to town on the heels of a big win over Columbus, despite a struggling season. Game 73 Buffalo Sabres (35-31-6) vs. Montreal Canadiens (29-38-6) Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY TV: MSG Radio: WGR 550 SB Nation Habs Blog: Habs Eyes on the Prize Know Your Opponent Montreal Canadiens Record: 29-38-6 | 64 PTS Division Ranking: 8th in Atlantic Division Last Game: 8-2 win over Columbus Last 10: 3-5-2 PP: 28th (17.3%) PK: 29th (73.1%) What to Watch 1. Who’s Hot Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch each have four points -...

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports Sabres score two crucial points in a goaltender’s duel Score: Sabres 2 | Islanders 0 Shots: BUF 35 | NYI 27 Buffalo Sabres Goals: 1) Okposo (Lyubushkin) 2) Skinner (Cozens, Mittelstadt) New York Islanders Goals: … Minus 1: Goaltending - The Miracle Cure There are few things that change a hockey game like stellar goaltending. It can stifle a dominant offense and give a team a chance to steal points after being vastly outplayed. This is exactly what happened during this battle. The Sabres dominated most of the game and generated...

Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Game 72 Buffalo Sabres (34-31-6) vs, New York Islanders (37-27-9) Puck Drop: 5:00 PM EST | UBS Arena | Elmont, NY TV: ESPN+, Hulu Radio: WGR 550 SB Nation Isles Blog: Lighthouse Hockey

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports The Sabres face the Islanders for a 5 p.m. puck drop. Game 72 Buffalo Sabres (34-31-6) vs, New York Islanders (37-27-9) Puck Drop: 5:00 PM EST | UBS Arena | Elmont, NY TV: ESPN+, Hulu Radio: WGR 550 SB Nation Isles Blog: Lighthouse Hockey Know Your Opponent New York Islanders Record: 37-27-9 | 83 PTS Division Ranking: 4th in Metropolitan Division Last Game: 5-4 loss to Columbus Last 10: 6-2-2 PP: 29th (16.8%) PK: 11th (81.6%) What to Watch 1. Thompson Questionable, Rousek Recalled Friday’s game was a big win for the Sabres, but top...

Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Tuch, Thompson and the Kidz Line do their magic as Buffalo return to winning ways Score: Sabres 5 | Devils 4 Shots: BUF 26 (12-5-9) | NJD 31 (13-5-13) Buffalo Sabres Goals: Dylan Cozens (28), Tage Thompson (44), Jack Quinn (14), Alex Tuch (31, 32) New Jersey Devils Goals: Yegor Sharangovich (13), Kevin Bahl (2), Jack Quinn (38, 39) Plus-1: Slump Busted The Buffalo Sabres ended a four-game losing streak with a nailbiting 5-4 win over the New Jersey Devils on Friday night. Lindy Ruff’s side came to town looking to clinch playoff...

Photo by Joe Hrycych/NHLI via Game 71 Buffalo Sabres (33-31-6) vs. New Jersey Devils (45-18-8) Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY TV: MSG-B Radio: WGR 550 SB Nation Devils Blog: All About the Jersey

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports Sabres host Devils for Military Appreciation Night as playoff hopes hang on by a thread. Game 71 Buffalo Sabres (33-31-6) vs. New Jersey Devils (45-18-8) Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST | KeyBank Center | Buffalo, NY TV: MSG-B Radio: WGR 550 SB Nation Devils Blog: All About the Jersey Know Your Opponent New Jersey Devils Record: 45-18-8 | 98 PTS Division Ranking: 2nd in Metropolitan Division Last Game: 2-1 OT Loss vs. Minnesota Wild Last 10: 5-3-2 PP: 19th (20.8%) PK: 8th (82.3%) What to Watch 1. Buffalo, What Happened? This month began as the...

Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Here’s what to expect in the next two weeks. Hi all! While things are certainly rough for the Buffalo Sabres, things seem to be progressing smoothly here at Die By The Blade for our transition to an independent site/community. Here’s what you need to know: There will almost certainly be a (hopefully short) period where this URL - diebytheblade.com - will be stagnant. It might be a week, I’m not sure - but there will likely be a period where nothing new will be posted here as we await the official transfer of the domain. Since the...

Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Buffalo’s poor defensive awareness and goaltending once again lead to a thrashing in a 7-3 loss to Nashville. Score: Sabres - 3 | Predators - 7 Shots: BUF - 31 | NSH - 27 Buffalo Sabres Goals: Cozens (27), Thompson (43), Skinner (30) Nashville Predators Goals: Tomasino (4), Duchene (20, 21), Novak (14), Evangelista (4,5), McDonagh (2) Minus 1: Unwatchable Once Again The Sabres have seemingly reverted back to their old form this past month, as many of the games have been tough to watch and the team once again, looks out of sorts. Aside...

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports Game 70 Buffalo Sabres (33-30-6) vs. Nashville Predators (34-26-8) Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST KeyBank Center TV: MSG Radio: WGR 550 SB Nation Predators Blog: On the Forecheck

Photo by John Russell/NHLI via With both teams reeling from 7-0 losses, who wins this game? Game 70 Buffalo Sabres (33-30-6) vs. Nashville Predators (34-26-8) Puck Drop: 7:00 PM EST KeyBank Center TV: MSG Radio: WGR 550 SB Nation Predators Blog: On the Forecheck Know Your Opponent Nashville Predators Record: (34-26-8) Last Game: 7-0 loss to the New York Rangers Division Ranking: 5th in the Central Division PP: 26th (18.36%) PK: 10th (81.86%) What to Watch 1) Who Will Get Two Points? Each opponent in this contest comes off a 7-0 defeat, with Nashville’s crushing...