Don Granato was short on time, something he knows a thing or two about. The day he took over as Buffalo Sabres interim head coach on March 18, the team’s morning skate was cancelled due to the National Hockey League’s COVID-19 protocol.
The only chance he had to gather his reeling roster was a couple hours before puck drop and Granato was tasked with finding the words to shake a sleepwalking team out of an abysmal 12-game winless streak, one of the longest in the NHL this century.
“I looked at them and I said, ‘I guarantee you this is not the worst thing you will go through. I assure you our situation is not bleak. Pick our heads up,’” Granato recounted Thursday.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) â The heavy lifting for Brandon Beane is just getting started after the Buffalo Bills general manager upgraded the teamâs pass rush and bolstered its depth with eight selections in the NFL draft.
Beane has until Monday to make two critical decisions in determining whether to commit some $35 million in combined salary to pick up the fifth-year options for quarterback Josh Allen and middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
Beane said Saturday heâll turn his attention to making those decisions now that the draft is over.
Whatever choices he makes, increased concern about the salary cap is part of the price of success for Buffaloâs shift from pushover to contender. The Bills are coming off a season in which they won their first AFC East title since 1995 and reached the AFC championship for the first time in 27 years.
Updated April 29
Bruins move closer to playoffs with another win over Sabres
Charlie Coyle ends a long scoring drought and Boston gets three goals in the third period to beat Buffalo, 5-2.
By DOUG ALDENAssociated Press
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Charlie Coyle fires the puck past Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for the go-ahead goal in the third period, lifting the Boston Bruins to a 5-2 win Thursday night at TD Garden.
Elise Amendola/Associated Press
BOSTON David Krejci and Brad Marchand each had a goal and an assist, and the Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Thursday night.
David Pastrnak scored his 199th career goal for Boston just 1:16 into the game, and Charlie Coyle snapped a 2-all tie on a breakaway midway through the third period for his first goal in two months.
Updated: 11:46 PM EDT Apr 29, 2021 By Doug Alden, Associated Press David Krejci and Brad Marchand each had a goal and an assist, and the Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Thursday night. David Pastrnak scored his 199th career goal for Boston just 1:16 into the game, and Charlie Coyle broke a 2-all tie on a breakaway midway through the third period for his first goal in two months.“We gave up an early one in the third and we didn’t get down on it,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He gave us the boost back.”Taylor Hall also scored for the Bruins, and Tuukka Rask finished with 29 saves. Cassidy said Rask, who missed 11 games in March and early April with an upper-body injury, was solid in net for the Bruins. Cassidy said Rask was actually a little busier against the Sabres than he had been Tuesday in a 3-1 win at Pittsburgh, when Rask faced just 26 shots. Boston won both and Cassidy said it s good to see the Bruins top goalie playing well with the play
BOSTON David Krejci and Brad Marchand each had a goal and an assist, and the Boston Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Thursday night. David Pastrnak scored his 199th career goal for Boston just 1:16 into the game, and Charlie Coyle broke a 2-all.