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Sabres Salvage Road Trip With Win In Winnpeg

Sabres Salvage Road Trip With Win In Winnpeg

Yahoo24-03-2025

After an embarrassing loss in Salt Lake City and a listless effort against Minnesota on Saturday, the Buffalo Sabres responded with an excellent effort in a 5-3 victory over the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets to split their four-game road swing. The Sabres got top performances from a pair of Manitobans, as Souris native Tyson Kozak scored his second goal of the season and Morweena's James Reimer made 33 saves for his third win of the campaign.
'(Reimer) gave us a heck of a game.' Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. '(Kozak) had a lot of people here, and he gets to play in front of a lot of family. I couldn't be happier for him. I thought he played hard, he played well. At that time, it was a big goal for us."
Reimer 😂 #Sabrehood #GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/oXNnbzaWhC
— Buffalo Hockey Moments (@SabresPlays) March 23, 2025
Buffalo got a season-best four-point outing from Ryan McLeod (1 goal, 3 assists) and goals from the usual suspects (Rasmus Dahlin, JJ Peterka, and Alex Tuch), but also got contributions from the unexpected in Jacob Bernard-Docker, who assisted on the first two Sabres goals.
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It was not all good news for Buffalo, as Jordan Greenway suffered a lower-body injury late in the first period and did not return. Ruff could not provide any update on the big winger after the game, other than to say that he would be looked at by team doctors. The Sabres did not practice on Monday after back-to-back weekend matinees, so Greenway's status will be updated after the morning skate in preparation for the club's first meeting with former teammate Dylan Cozens and the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
Follow Michael on X, Instagram, and Bluesky @MikeInBuffalo

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BUFFALO, N.Y. — Most of the NHL's general managers had already departed Buffalo by this weekend, as the conclusion of the NHL Draft Combine isn't required viewing. They made their visit to Buffalo, observed what needed to be observed, met the prospects they wanted to meet and then made their way home. Advertisement Kyle Dubas stayed a little longer. Dubas is not only the Penguins' general manager but also the president of hockey operations in Pittsburgh. While those titles illustrate Dubas' considerable importance to the Penguins' fortunes, the truth is he's a scout at heart. He missed many of his team's games last season because he wants the future in Pittsburgh to be special and was thus scouting draft prospects in every corner of Canada and the United States — and even Sweden — to see things for himself. This is Dubas' time to shine, so he stayed a little longer, got to know prospects a little better. 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This is pretty typical. The Penguins are certainly interested in centers such as Jake O'Brien and Brady Martin, both OHL standouts. Neither player is expected to be there when they pick at 11, however. If they don't trade up, a defenseman or winger might be the reasonable pick, especially if the run on centers goes as expected. Advertisement Given Evgeni Malkin's age and the shortage of talent at center in the organization, the Penguins would be happy to select one in the first round. But they don't want to reach. • Back to Aitcheson. He's someone to keep in mind when the Penguins pick 11th, if they don't trade up. He's an impressive kid, on and off the ice. There's a nastiness and a sturdiness to his game that the Penguins love. Let's be honest: On paper, the Penguins are soft. Really soft. Especially on the blue line. There is nothing soft about Aitcheson. Should the Penguins select him, they'd really have something brewing in their system, at least on their blue line. They love Harrison Brunicke, and for good reason. Finn Harding (Martone's teammate in Brampton) looks like a seventh-round steal last season. Two years ago, they took Emil Pieniniemi in the third round, and his stock is rising quickly. Don't forget about Owen Pickering. Bringing in Aitcheson would really solidify the Penguins defense in their system and allow them to focus heavily on forwards in the rest of the draft, should they choose that route. • Dubas is big on skill, of course. And he's always lumped in with analytics. When we think analytics, we don't think physical, tough players. We think purely of talent, right? Well, I'm telling you, Dubas wants the Penguins to be harder to play against. Something to keep in mind in this draft. • Dubas is kind of a rock star at the combine. The players all love him. Why? Well, let's count the reasons: As general managers go, he's so young (39). I imagine this makes him more relatable. Also, as general managers go, he scouts players far more than the others. He's always around tiny rinks in Ontario in January, and naturally players notice this. Many of these prospects are also from Toronto. You may have heard that Dubas is a pretty big name in that neck of the woods, especially for kids who grew up Maple Leafs fans. He's done well with limited picks in two drafts with the Penguins. In his third draft, he's got 10 or 11 picks to use, depending on what the Rangers decide. It's his time to go to work. He's certainly done his homework. (Top photo of Kyle Dubas: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)

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