Pos | Role | Name |
C | 1 | Jack Eichel  ActiveJack Eichel has been chosen as the third star of the week. Eichel notched three goals and five assists in three games during the period ending Apr. 1. He leads the Sabres with 25 goals and 62 points in 63 games this season. Apr 2 |
| 2 | Ryan O'Reilly  ActiveRyan O'Reilly might be a casualty of the Buffalo Sabres looking to make changes this off-season. O'Reilly made headlines last week during the exit interview when he said that he at times lost passion for the game of hockey during the season, causing an uproar amongst the fanbase. However, TSN's Bob McKenzie said on Friday that he believes the Sabres had been shopping him around before those comment were made, saying: "Quite aside from his comments, he was one of the guys that I think they were thinking of trading anyways,". Teams looking for solidify their center ice position include the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, Arizona Coyotes and the Carolina Hurricanes. At this point, we'd consider it more likely than not that O'Reilly will be dealt. As usual, the NHL Draft is usually the date where the biggest names get dealt. This year's draft is scheduled for June 22nd. Apr 14 |
| 3 | Sam Reinhart  ActiveSam Reinhart will be a restricted free agent this summer. Reinhart just completed his entry-level contract. "I have not spoken to his agent yet about a contract," Buffalo GM Jason Botterill said. "We felt where we were in the standings, it wasn't a situation where we wanted to talk contracts during the year. Craig Oster certainly has quite a few players on our team, and I'll be reaching out to him in the next couple months." Reinhart tied for the team lead with 25 goals in 2017-18 and he posted 50 points in 82 contests. Apr 12 |
| 4 | Evan Rodrigues  ActiveEvan Rodrigues (ribs) returned to action on Thursday March 15. Rodrigues registered two assists in his return. He had missed Buffalo's previous five contests, but he's now recorded at least a point in his last three appearances. Mar 16 |
| 5 | Jacob Josefson  SidelinedJacob Josefson denied a report that he has already spoken to Djurgardens about a return to the SHL team. Of course, returning home to play in Sweden for his old team could be a possibility, but Josefson would like to be back in the NHL in 2018-19. He isn't expected to return to the Sabres, though. Josefson posted two goals and two assists in 39 games this past campaign. Apr 10 |
| 6 | Johan Larsson  ActiveJohan Larsson has typically performed very well in March. Larsson recorded a goal and an assist on Monday night against Toronto. "It's probably just a little more opportunity at the end of the years with trades and injuries," he said. "That could be a factor, too, as well. But I don't think too much right now. I'm just playing and feel good about it." Larsson has posted 10 goals and 21 points in 32 games during the month of March. Larsson has accounted for 16 goals and 41 points in the other 210 games he has appeared in during his career. He also has three goals and seven points in 14 games during April. Mar 6 |
LW | 1 | Benoit Pouliot  ActiveBenoit Pouliot will be a healthy scratch in Wednesday's game against the Ottawa Senators. Pouliot has 13 goals and 19 points in 74 games this season. This will be the second time in four games that he'll serve as a healthy scratch. Kevin Porter, Josh Gorges and Matt Tennyson wil also watch the game from the press box. Apr 4 |
| 2 | Zemgus Girgensons  SidelinedZemgus Girgensons has undergone facial surgery. Girgensons will miss what little is left of the season as a result. He took a puck to the face on March 23 and had been wearing a shield before having a procedure Wednesday. He had seven goals and 15 points in 71 games this season. Apr 4 |
| 3 | Jordan Nolan  ActiveJordan Nolan found the back of the net in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes. He managed to put an end to his 41-game goal drought in the process. Nolan scored the game-tying goal at the 11:42 mark of the opening period, but Arizona managed to go ahead before the end of the frame thanks to a power-play goal from Derek Stepan. Nolan finished the game with a plus-1 rating, two penalty minutes, one shot on goal and four hits in 10:44 of ice time. The 28-year-old has three goals and four assists in 62 games this season. Mar 21 |
| 4 | Scott Wilson  ActiveThe Buffalo Sabres are giving Scott Wilson a bigger role with Kyle Okposo sidelined. Okposo sustained a concussion on Thursday and missed Saturday's contest as a result. With him unavailable, Wilson was moved to the top line and the top power-play unit. Those are obviously juicy roles, but Wilson hasn't capitalized on them yet. He had no points and a minus-one rating while logging 22:23 minutes of ice time in Buffalo's 2-1 shootout loss to Vegas on Saturday. Mar 11 |
RW | 1 | Kyle Okposo  ActiveKyle Okposo scored his 14th goal of the year in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Ottawa. Okposo cut the Senators' lead to 3-2 going into the third period, but that was as close as the Sabres would come. He has three goals and two assists in the past six games. Apr 5 |
| 2 | Jason Pominville  ActiveJason Pominville scored his 14th goal of the season in Monday's 5-2 loss to Toronto. Pominville has recorded two goals and two assists over a four-game point streak. He has been skating on the top line alongside Jack Eichel. Pominville scored 13 times for Minnesota in 78 appearances last season. However, he only has 32 points through 79 outings in 2017-18 when he had 47 points with the Wild. Apr 3 |
| 3 | Justin Bailey  ActiveJustin Bailey will be a healthy scratch in Monday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bailey has watched three straight games from the press box. He has three goals and an assist in 12 games this season. Josh Gorges will also serve as a healthy scratch on Monday night. Mar 26 |
D | 1 | Rasmus Ristolainen  ActiveRasmus Ristolainen has amassed 22 points in the last 28 games. Ristolainen had a big game Monday against Toronto with two helpers, five penalty minutes, four hits, five blocks and a plus-3 rating. He has rebounded nicely following a sluggish start to the season. Mar 7 |
| 2 | Marco Scandella  ActiveMarco Scandella (lower body) was fine to play on Monday. Scandella was hurt during Friday's game, but he didn't end up missing a full contest over the ailment. He had a plus-two rating in 25:47 minutes of ice time on Monday. Mar 6 |
| 3 | Zach Bogosian  I.L.Zach Bogosian will undergo season-ending hip surgery. The Sabres revealed that this hip problem is the one Bogosian sustained during the preseason. He didn't make his season debut until Dec. 1 as a result and only played in 18 games before ending up back on the sidelines. He had apparently re-aggravated the injury and while the Sabres initially projected that he would be out for four-to-six weeks this time, in the end he has been shutdown for significantly longer. The silver lining is that he should be ready for training camp. Jan 26 |
| 4 | Nathan Beaulieu  ActiveNathan Beaulieu (illness) returned to action on Wednesday April 4. Beaulieu was sidelined for two straight games. He had a minus-one rating in 13:28 minutes of ice time Wednesday night. Apr 5 |
| 5 | Jake McCabe  SidelinedJake McCabe is projected to miss 4-6 months following shoulder surgery. McCabe underwent surgery on his thumb earlier this month and he hasn't played since Feb. 6. "Jake has been progressing well in his recovery from his previous injury, but we decided that this was a good opportunity to take care of a problem that he has been dealing with for a while," Sabres GM Jason Botterill said. "Jake will have time to fully recover before the beginning of the 2018-19 season." Feb 20 |
| 6 | Josh Gorges  ActiveJosh Gorges, who can become an unrestricted free agent this off-season, isn't ready to retire yet. "I'll take some time, then when it's enough I'll reevaluate things and kind of see what's in store," Gorges said. "Obviously, there's one thing left undone, and that's winning it all. It'd be hard to say that I don't want to go back and have a chance at that. ... That fire to win that is still there, so we'll wait to see what the summer brings." The 33-year-old defenseman appeared in 34 games during the 2017-18 campaign. Apr 10 |
| 7 | Victor Antipin  SidelinedVictor Antipin sustained multiple injuries, including a concussion, when he was smashed into the boards Saturday night. Antipin also suffered facial lacerations, a broken nose and dental injuries. He will be out indefinitely. Antipin will travel with the team from Nashville, but obviously you shouldn't expect to see him play again until next season. Apr 1 |
| 8 | Justin Falk  ActiveJustin Falk will be a healthy scratch in Saturday's game against the Florida Panthers. Falk has suited up in Buffalo's previous six games. he has one goal, one assist and a minus-16 rating in 46 games. Josh Gorges will take his spot in the lineup. Kevin Porter and Matt Tennyson will also watch the game from the press box. Apr 7 |
G | 1 | Robin Lehner  SidelinedRobin Lehner (lower body) will not require surgery. "He'll be healthy for next year, which is a great thing," Sabres GM Jason Botterill said Wednesday. Lehner will become a restricted free agent this off-season and he will need a $4 million qualifying offer from Buffalo or else he can become an unrestricted free agent. It's unclear at this time if the team plans to bring him back. Apr 12 |
| 2 | Chad Johnson  ActiveChad Johnson is eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer. Johnson is open to returning to the Sabres, but that would depend on the team's willingness to make changes. "I know I can be a good goalie in this league and I showed that when things were the way they should be," Johnson said Monday. "I have to see the change, whether it's through players or somehow convince me through contract, through whatever it is, to come back." He posted a 10-17-3 record with a 3.55 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in 36 games. Apr 10 |