BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Last season: 50-23-9, snapped NHL-record 14-season playoff drought; lost to Montreal in second round.
COACH: Lindy Ruff (950-741-169 and 78 ties over 26 seasons).
SEASON OPENER: Oct. 1 at Columbus.
DEPARTURES: F Alex Tuch, D Bowen Byram, F Jordan Greenway, D Michael Kesselring, D Logan Stanley, D Luke Schenn.
ADDITIONS: F Conor Sheary, D Louis Crevier, D Olen Zellweger.
GOALIES: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (22-9-3, 2.52 goals-against average,
.909 save percentage), Alex Lyon (20-10-4, 2.77, .906).
The Sabres' first taste of the postseason since 2011 — and first playoff-round win since 2007 — left them hungry for more. It won’t be easy in a highly competitive Atlantic Division, but the Sabres are leaning on their youthful core to take yet another step after the team closed last year on a 39-9-5 surge to win its first Atlantic title. Buffalo’s lineup is even younger following the offseason departures of Tuch and Byram. How much they’ll be missed depends on youngsters filling the void, such as forwards Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius, and blue-liners Crevier and Zellweger.
The good: Captain Rasmus Dahlin is the team’s unquestioned leader, and anchors a talented blue line that also includes Mattias Samuelsson and Owen Power. Center Tage Thompson is a bona fide offensive threat after his third 40-goal season. And with the emergence of forwards Zach Benson, Josh Doan and Jack Quinn, the Sabres have the forward depth to present a balanced, three-line offensive attack.
The not-so-good: Goaltending remains a question even though Luukkonen and Lyon capably split starting duties last year, with Colton Ellis providing the occasional assist. The concerns were enough for general manager Jarmo Kekalainen to open trade talks with Winnipeg in June to acquire Connor Hellebuyck in a deal that never materialized and still could be revisited. It remains to be seen whether Ostlund and Helenius can build off their promising rookie seasons, and whether Jiri Kulich can be a regular contributor after missing much of last year dealing with a blood-clotting issue.
Dahlin finished last season with a career-high 74 points and was third in the Norris Trophy-voting after spending much of the year dealing with the personal weight of his fiancée having successful heart transplant surgery. Carolina Matovac has recovered, leaving the 26-year-old defenseman to focus on his craft. Perhaps this is the year forward Josh Norris finally sheds his injury-prone label and performs to expectations. In his first full season in Buffalo last year, Norris had 13 goals and 34 points in 44 games, while missing 38 due to oblique and rib injuries. Norris has played 60 or fewer games in five of his six NHL seasons. ___
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