Ice Time

Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington hop the boards for this week's edition of Ice Time to take stock of the Sabres' season and potential changes that lay ahead.

First things first, perhaps the surprise of the Sabres' end-of-season news conferences was that Kevyn Adams gave little assurance that he'll be back as general manager. Will he be gone? Will he take on another role? Will he stay put? It's all unclear. (Adams, to his credit, took ownership of the Sabres' shortcomings of late.)

Lance and Mike also look at how the Sabres evolved and improved, albeit too late, under Lindy Ruff (for more, read Lance's story on how they bridged their disconnect.) And more on the team's leadership corps, how it might change next season and which of the Sabres' restricted free agents might stay or go.

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com

 

Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington hop the boards for this week's edition of Ice Time on the day of the Buffalo Sabres' less-than-grand finale. First things first: The Sabres' season is obviously a disappointment (again), but let's drill down on that. More than anything, it's a major missed opportunity. In a year in which the Bruins, Red Wings, Penguins, Rangers and Islanders will all miss the playoffs, the Sabres had a great chance to move upward in the Eastern Conference hierarchy.

That didn't happen. Mike and Lance discuss (again) the reasons — suspect defense and goaltending, front-office inactivity during that 13-game winless streak, etc. — for why Buffalo is now playing the woulda-coulda-shoulda game.

The guys also discuss some of the Sabres' wild splits (22-15-3 at home, 13-24-4 away) and some players who particularly struggled away from the KeyBank Center.

Finally, Lance and Mike discuss Owen Power's apparently serious lower-body injury and what they'd like to see and hear from Lindy Ruff and Kevyn Adams, who will speak Saturday as the players clean out their lockers.

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com

Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington are back for another shift on Ice Time, The Buffalo News' hockey podcast, to discuss the Sabres' late-season surge — and why it's a good thing, not a bad thing.

Yes, the Sabres are officially out of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Yes, they've beaten some of the NHL's best teams this year, only to be undone by that 13-game winless streak, not to mention losses to ... well, Montreal, Philadelphia, Seattle, you name it.

But Lance and Mike are here to argue that, first and foremost, you still play to win the game. The Sabres clearly haven't packed it in — and even if they were tanking for a draft pick, history shows that's not always wise.

Also, the guys argue: This time feels a little different. The Sabres are playing with some structure and smarts. One other thing: They've got some players.

Don't look now, but Tage Thompson has his 40-plus goals for the second time in the past three seasons (As Lance notes, Thompson is doing something no one in the NHL has done at least since 2007.) Bowen Byram and Rasmus Dahlin are legit. So, too, are players like Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka.

Speaking of which ...What should the Sabres do with Tuch and Peterka? What will it take to re-sign them, and which of the two should get a deal first? Lance and Mike discuss that and much more.

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com

Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington go on another shift for this week's edition of Ice Time — just hours after the Buffalo Sabres dispatched another playoff-bound team with a season sweep of the Ottawa Senators.

What to make of this too-late-too-little surge from the Sabres? Mike and Lance agree on this much: It's better than a late-season swoon. They discuss what it means for the future, if anything. The Sabres need to make the most of Alex Tuch and 39-goal Tage Thompson as they enter their prime years, and it's been nice to see Jack Quinn come on strong in March and April, as well.

But then there's the goaltending issue. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is supposed to be the No. 1, but his confidence appears to be shot. And although James Reimer has sparkled of late, he'll soon turn 38 and isn't likely to be a 40-to-45-game goalie next season.

The guys also discuss finding a long-searched-for right-handed partner for Owen Power on the blue line and a look at the wild race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference — which, of course, could've included the Sabres, if not for that 13-game winless streak.

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com

Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington hop the boards for the latest Ice Time podcast, discussing Lindy Ruff's first year back, the Sabres' goaltending issues and Jack Quinn's curious season.

The guys conclude that in their dealings with Ruff as of late, it's clear to them that the coach, who just earned his 600th win with the franchise, is still motivated to mold the Sabres into a winner. (Yet again: If it weren't for that 13-game winless streak ...) Lance and Mike, however, wonder what changes might be coming to Ruff's coaching staff in the offseason.

The guys then discuss the Sabres' goaltending issues — James Reimer started in net again Thursday, and the well-paid Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 3.60 goals-against average since the 4 Nations break — as well as Jack Quinn's disappointing season.

Finally, there's the small matter of Alex Ovechkin, his pursuit of Wayne Gretzky's all-time goals record, the Capitals' turnaround and the Sabres' visit to Washington next week.

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com

From a new NHL destination, Mike Harrington joins Lance Lysowski to discuss the Utah Hockey Club, the Sabres' latest contract extension and potential NHL expansion cities.

The guys take stock of the Sabres' extension with Jacob Bryson and take a moment to discuss the rest of the defensemen when Mike brings up an interesting question: Is Owen Power, at the ripe old age of 22, really that far off at this point from where Rasmus Dahlin was two years ago?

Mike and Lance also take a longer look at one offseason move that certainly paid off — the addition of Ryan McLeod — while others didn't pan out as well as they should have. Plus: Dylan Cozens enjoying his new surroundings in Ottawa while Josh Norris sits out the Sabres' game in Utah.

Finally, a fun topic: What is the NHL's next logical destination? Atlanta? Phoenix? Houston? Quebec City?

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com

On this installment of Ice Time, Mike Harrington and Lance Lysowski offer insight on the rumors around Rasmus Dahlin and what they saw after the Dylan Cozens trade. 

Plus, how Josh Norris can make an impact with the Sabres, the Atlantic Division at large and playing against Jack Eichel this Sunday.

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com

From the addition of Josh Norris to Kevyn Adams’ introspection, Mike Harrington reports from Fort Lauderdale to give you his instant takeaways on how the Sabres dealt with the NHL trade deadline in this mini episode of Ice Time. 

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com

Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington team up for the latest Ice Time podcast to discuss the Sabres' incoming contract extension with Jordan Greenway and what might happen as the trade deadline approaches.

The guys first discuss Greenway, who has proven to be a good fit with his skill and muscle, before moving on to a more difficult, nuanced topic: Jason Zucker.

Zucker is the best forward free-agent signing in two decades — a player who's been better this season than he was last season in Arizona and Nashville. Can the Sabres re-sign him for two or three years? Does he hit the trade market? Do they deal Alex Tuch, or is it wiser to keep a player who wants to be in Buffalo? Do they send some of their middle-of-the-pack players elsewhere?

Lance then asks a tough question: Of the following four players — J.J. Peterka, Ryan McLeod, Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram — whom would you prioritize re-signing first? And after 14 years of regular-season failure, the big question remains: Will the Sabres make major changes in the front office?

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com

Team USA came up short in the 4 Nations championship, but our own gold medalists, Lance Lysowski and Mike Harrington, are here to discuss the runaway success of the new tournament. Rasmus Dahlin and many others had insisted that NHL players would take this moment seriously — and they did. This is just the beginning, too: The 2026 Winter Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey will be on deck.

Plus, the guys cover whether the NHL should adopt the 3-2-1 points format; how general manager Bill Guerin (and assistant GM Chris Drury, our old friend) fell short in selecting players for Team USA; and finally, that small matter of the final two months of the NHL season. 

Lindy Ruff's message to the Sabres for the final 28 games: This is your playoff push. Their goal, he said, should be to earn seven standings points in every five games. Can they do it? The odds are, shall we say, not on their side. But we're about to find out.

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows.

Full Ice Time episodes are now available to subscribers at buffalonews.com