Buffalo News writers Rachel Lenzi and Mike Harrington hop the boards for another Ice Time to discuss the Sabres' strange and disappointing week. After a dynamite night and a 5-1 win against Edmonton on Monday, the Sabres suffered a humiliating 6-2 defeat to Calgary, the worst team in the NHL. 

Mike and Rachel first discuss the Sabres' level of effort in that loss, in which the Flames erupted for four third-period goals. They also discuss Lindy Ruff's postgame comments, which included a reference to some (unnamed) players as bystanders.

Plus, the Sabres' three-goalie problem, their injured players (including Jason Zucker, whose fiery nature might've helped in that third period) and the rest of their four-game homestand, which includes the Blackhawks on Friday and the Hurricanes in a Sunday matinee.

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

Buffalo News writers Rachel Lenzi and Mike Harrington hop the boards for another Ice Time to discuss the Sabres' difficult schedule ahead, their difficult luck with injuries and the all-too-difficult Eastern Conference.

Mike and Rachel first take a look at the Sabres' road trip, which began Wednesday in Utah and hardly gets easier from there. They pay a visit to Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche, then head to Detroit before a four-game homestand.

From there, it's the all-too-frequent topic of injuries. Mike and Rachel discuss Jiri Kulich's unfortunate-but-scary blood-clot issue and how it affects the Sabres' center situation. What does Lindy Ruff want from his centers? What about Buffalo's face-off percentage ... which, in case you hadn't seen, ranks 32nd in the NHL. There's also the matter of Jason Zucker's potential timeline to return.

Finally, Mike and Rachel also discuss their most surprising teams in the all-too-tough Eastern Conference, as well as the tall tasks the Sabres face when they do come — Edmonton, Calgary, Chicago and Carolina.

The Buffalo News Ice Time Podcast is sponsored by Express Windows

Join our Buffalo News writers, Rachel Lenzi and Mike Harrington, for another shift on Ice Time as they go through the latest with the Buffalo Sabres at the start of November. Mike and Rachel give their takeaways from the Sabres' fifth straight overtime game, their first such streak in three years. But, they haven't created enough 3-on-3 scoring chances, and they appeared a little flat-footed late in Monday's overtime loss to Utah. 

However, the Sabres have been strong on special teams - their PK unit is the best in the NHL so far. The bad news? Injuries, injuries, injuries as the Sabres prepare for the Blues and a four-game road trip.

Plus, the wild, wild Eastern Conference, where every team is seemingly racking up points and the timeline for a Stadium Series game to return to Buffalo, perhaps in 2028.

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

Rachel Lenzi and Mike Harrington hop the boards for the latest episode of Ice Time as the Buffalo Sabres get set to take on the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals in their next two games. 

So, with 10 points after 10 games, why was Lindy Ruff in a fairly good mood? Our writers think Lindy has several reasons. This Sabres team looks closer to being a complete team than the one that took the ice last season. He had to like the competitiveness shown in their latest overtime loss, as well as the self-awareness about sluggish starts and presence in front of the net.

Plus, why the Sabres continue to carry three goaltenders, Wednesday's game at Boston and potential NHL history at KeyBank Center on Saturday, when Alex Ovechkin could go for his 900th career goal.

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

They vowed to get off to a better start. Then they scored two goals in 180 minutes; their coach lamented their lack of "compete" in Game 3 of 82; they're off to an 0-3-0 start; and already, the Buffalo Sabres feel like they're against a wall.

Other than that, things are going great. Mike Harrington and Rachel Lenzi hop the boards to discuss all that and much more in the latest edition of Ice Time. 

Mike and Rachel kick around the Sabres' latest game, a 3-1 defeat in a Monday matinee against Colorado, and look ahead to their next three games against Ottawa, Florida and Montreal. They also discuss Zach Benson's (potential) return to the line up, three injured Sabres returning to practice ahead of Wednesday's game against Ottawa and the most pleasant development of the young season to date — surprise! — goaltender Alex Lyon.

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

Mike Harrington and Rachel Lenzi hop the boards for the latest edition of Ice Time, now that the NHL draft, the big wave of free agency has passed and Sabres development camp is over.

Mike and Rachel take a moment to discuss the news of the Sabres going into salary arbitration with Bowen Byram, which first broke Sunday night. They discuss what it means and what comes next.

Then it's on to the NHL draft and the flurry of NHL offseason moves — in particular, the two biggest headliners: the Mitch Marner trade to Vegas and Nikolaj Ehlers' move to Carolina, among others (what is Boston doing?).

Finally, they give their takeaways on players who made impressions during the Sabres' development camp, which wrapped up last week, as well as a final prediction on what happens with Byram.

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

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

Rachel Lenzi and Mike Harrington hop the boards for this week's edition of the Ice Time podcast to review the Stanley Cup Finals and brace themselves for a busy offseason of Sabres madness. 

To start, we welcome Rachel to the beat with some Sabres connections from her past and thoughts on the Florida Panthers dominant finals streak. The Panthers keep their players, while the Sabres struggle to figure out what to do with their young guys like JJ Peterka and Bowen Byram.

We also discuss the future of Alex Tuch, who’s comments about his contract extension seemed up in the air. Rachel reminds us that these negotiations take time, so don’t panic (yet). As NHL Draft week approaches, will the Sabres keep their number nine pick or trade it off? All this and more coverage to come on this newest season 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 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