Dylan Cozens has agreed to a long-term extension – and the Buffalo Sabres will hope the investment in the young promising player will pay off.

The deal is worth a total of $49.7 million over seven years, which averages out to $7.1 million per season, according to the team.

The move to sign Cozens as he is having a breakout season, with 43 points (17 goals) in 49 games thus far.

He is on pace with 71 points this year, assuming he appears in 81 games.

While the Sabres would be more than happy with that production, it has to be taken into account that his shooting percentage is quite high this year at 13.7 percent.

In his first two seasons, Cozens shot 6.5 and 8.1 percent.

So that will likely come down – considering the greatest goal scorer of this generation, Alex Ovechkin has averaged only a 12.9 shooting percent over his career.

That said, Cozens has certainly taken his game to another level and is driving play at even strength.

Hockey analytics website JFreshHockey gives him a 74 percent offensive grade over his three-season career.

Although they are different players, Cozen’s contract compares to Clayton Keller‘s eight-year deal, which he signed in September 2019, that carries a $7.15 million cap hit per year.

Keller, who is now 24 years old, slumped after a promising rookie season – so it was even a riskier bet at the time.

However, he has rebounded since then and has just appeared in his season All-Star game with the Arizona Coyotes.

This season Keller has 42 points in 51 games.

The risk for the Sabres is hoping that Cozens continues to be a productive player.

But even if Cozens’ play does dip after this season, if he can get the Sabres consistently between 50 and 60 points, it’s not terrible.

If he does continue his current place, well – it will be a bargain

The Sabres will have $24 million in cap space next season, so the team can afford to take the investment.

The Buffalo Sabres will receive the number one overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft after winning Wednesday’s lottery. They have received the first pick twice in the past four years. They used the first pick in 2018 to acquire Rasmus Dahlin.

The Sabres won only 15 games this season, which was the fewest in the league. They were the lowest-ranked team in the NHL and scored only 37 points. They had a 16.6 percent chance to receive the first pick.

The Seattle Kraken receive the second pick while the Anaheim Ducks won the third spot. The Ducks had a 12.1% chance to receive the first pick while the Kraken had a 10.3% likelihood. The Kraken is the NHL’s newest expansion team.

The draft order for the first 10 picks now stands as such:

• 1. Buffalo Sabres
• 2. Seattle Kraken
• 3.Anaheim Ducks
• 4. New Jersey Devils
• 5. Columbus Blue Jackets
• 6.Detroit Red Wings
• 7. San Jose Sharks
• 8. Los Angeles Kings
• 9. Vancouver Canucks
• 10. Ottawa Senators

The Arizona Coyotes were not eligible to win the lottery. This was due to a violation of NHL combine testing policies during the 2019-2020 season, which forced them to give up their first-round pick. The Coyotes were also relieved of their second-round pick in last year’s draft.

“It’s a great moment for our franchise,” said Sabres manager Kevyn Adams during the lottery. “It’s obviously been a tough year for a number of different reasons… It’s a step in the right direction. We need to get better in every area in every way.”

The Sabres do not have a clear pick at number one. Matthew Beniers and Owen Power from the University of Michigan have been floated as possible picks. Power was recently ranked as the best recruit in North America by NHL Central Scouting. Other prospects include William Eklund and Simon Edvinsson from the Swedish Hockey league.

The NHL draft will begin on July 23 with the first round. Round two to seven will finish on July 24.

The Buffalo Sabres’ season couldn’t get much worse at this point, yet somehow they continue to receive bad news. Sabres captain Jack Eichel will miss the remainder of the NHL season due to a herniated disc in his neck. The team announced the injury on Wednesday, but did add that Eichel is “expected to be healthy and ready to play at the beginning of the 2021-22 season.”

The captain has been sidelined since March 7 and the Sabres were forced to endure an 18-game losing streak, the longest in the salary-cap era. They finally snapped that winless streak against Philadelphia, but it’s hard to imagine that going through that wasn’t embarrassing for the players. The team fired head coach Ralph Krueger, but things haven’t gotten much better since the change in coaching staff. 

Buffalo’s chances of making the playoffs are basically nonexistent. The team is currently 10-25-7 with 27 points. They are in last place in the MassMutual East Division, and aren’t even remotely within striking distance. 

The Sabres also went into sell-mode ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, shipping off some of their best players including Taylor Hall, Brandon Montour and Eric Staal. While Buffalo did receive some draft picks and somewhat valuable assets for these veteran players, it may be a few years before the Sabres are competitive again. They are about to miss the playoffs for the 10th consecutive year.

In 24 games this season, the 24-year-old Eichel produced 18 points (two goals and 16 assists). He has just gotten hot prior to going down with the injury, as he was on a four-game point streak before being forced to miss time. Interim coach Don Granato had told ESPN earlier this month that he was “hopeful” Eichel would eventually return this season. It appears the coach was wrong about that prediction.

“I had Jack in the U.S. program when he was 16,” Granato told ESPN. “I got to know him then, and I thought the world of him then. It’s something I’m excited to be a part of when he’s back — because we expect him back, we’re hopeful he’ll be back before the end of the year — and I look forward to that, now in the position of head coach.

“He means a lot to me personally. I love the fact that he has such strong and visible emotions of the game. I’ve reminded him numerous times that he’s got to make sure he finds the fun in all of this, too. Sometimes a lot of these great athletes are so intense, and there’s so much demand on them that they feel like they can’t have fun. It becomes such a business. They’re judged on different levels. I’m speaking generally now, but when you lose that, or you stop being aware of that, it becomes even harder.”

The Sabres will need to nail their draft picks and make some otherworldly offseason moves if they intend on moving in the right direction next year. At least they will have their captain back though.

On Wednesday night, the Buffalo Sabres snapped an 18-game winless streak as they beat the Philadelphia Flyers at home at KeyBank Center by a score of 6-1.

Sam Reinhart and Curtis Lazar both scored in the first period and gave Buffalo an early 2-0 lead. Steven Fogarty and Casey Mittelstadt also scored goals in the second period to increase Buffalo’s lead to 4-1 going into the third period.

Then, Brandon Montour scored two short-handed goals on the same third-period penalty kill. They were 37 seconds apart from each other, and he helped the team secure the win.

“Tonight was a full 60 minutes where everyone was moving and feeling good,” Montour said. “It was a tough stretch. You never want to lose. The streak we had, everyone was talking about it. Everyone had something to say, But the guys have been positive through the tough time we’ve been dealing with here.”

Buffalo interim coach Don Granato earned his first NHL victory (1-5-1) with the Sabres’ victory on Wednesday evening.

The Sabres went 0-15-3 since February 25. They own the record for the longest winless streak of the shootout era (since 2005-2006) and tied the 2003-2004 Pittsburgh Penguins for the most consecutive losses (including overtime and shootout defeats) in the 21st century.

Buffalo is 7-23-5 on the season and is in the last place in the NHL.

The Buffalo Sabres have had a middling season. Currently, they’re 30-28-8. They’re in the hunt for the playoffs but are trailing by nine points. They could’ve closed up that gap a bit on Monday night if it weren’t for one of the most memorable shots in recent NHL history.

Sabres’ Jason Pominville Blocks Own Shot

In the third period of a matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, the Sabres found themselves down by a goal with less than four minutes left on the clock. Somehow, the puck found its way to Buffalo wing Jason Pominville, positioned right by the crease, and he literally just had to tap the puck in for the tying goal. But as most Buffalo sports fans know, nothing is guaranteed. Pominville shot the puck towards the goal. It looked like it was ready to go in. Then, somehow he stopped it with his own stick. Take a look at the unexpected, wild play below:

As you’d predict, Buffalo never got a look that good the rest of the night. They’d lose 4-3. After the game, Pominville was just as confused as everyone else was about the shot. He told a reporter: “I have no idea…I mean can probably take 100 shots from that area and maybe never happen like that, it was going in and I kind of double-touched it and pulled it back.”

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That shot meant the Sabres lost for the seventh time in their last ten games, dropping them to fifth in the Eastern Conference Wild-Card race. Blocking your own shots definitely doesn’t help. Buffalo will take on the Chicago Blackhawks Thursday night at the United Center.

Kim Pegula is set to make history as the new president of both the Buffalo Bills and Sabres.

Kim Pegula Becomes New Bills, Sabres President

Pegula — a co-owner of the teams — will replace Russ Brandon, who announced his resignation on Tuesday. She will now become the first female team president in NFL history.

Kim and Terry Pegula — who will oversee team operations — released this joint statement:

“We have a tremendous amount of confidence in the strong leadership teams we have built within each of those entities over the last several years,” the Pegulas’ statement read. “We are excited about the direction of our teams, especially after this past weekend’s NFL Draft and the NHL lottery results. Our focus remains on building championship teams on and off the field for our fans and community.”

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According to a Buffalo News report, Brandon is resigning amid an “internal investigation into Brandon’s workplace behavior and allegations of personal misconduct.”

Brandon, who has spent the last 20 years as president and CEO of the Bills, said he had been mulling leaving his post for some time.

Pegula, 48, has worked as a member of the Super Bowl Committee and the NFL Foundation Board, a non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of people who work in the league. Women have previously served in minor executive positions or as assistant coaches in the NFL — like Kathryn Smith, whom the Bills hired as special teams quality control coach in 2016 — but never as a team president. Amy Trask served as CEO of the Oakland Raiders from 1997 to 2013, during Al Davis‘s tenure as owner and general manager of the organization.

Pegula will also become the only female team president in the NHL by leading the Sabres.

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Tim Graham of the Buffalo News said Pegula’s role as president of both teams will be a permanent one.

The Bills reached the playoffs this past season for the first time since 1999. They drafted Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen as the seventh overall pick last week.

The Sabres finished with the worst record in the NHL this year (25-45-12), although they have the top overall pick in the 2018 draft.

Jack Eichel was a successful hockey player in college, and now he has landed a big deal after two years in the NHL.

Jack Eichel contract extension news

The former Boston University center — who bill be 21 later this month — agreed to an eight-year, $80 million contract extension with the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.

The $10 million average annual value of Eichel’s deal ties the Sabres star with Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar for sixth on the NHL’s list of average annual salaries, per Spotrac.com.

Eichel — who called his first two NHL seasons “mediocre” when he arrived at training camp last month — was entering the final year of his three-year contract and was only eligible to become a restricted free agent next summer.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan recently interviewed Eichel and asked him what he would like to do if he hadn’t become a professional hockey player. The center gave an interesting answer.

“I would still be in college, but I wouldn’t be at BU,” the 20-year-old said with a smile. “I wasn’t a bad student in high school, but I probably wasn’t smart enough to go to BU. I probably would have gone to a school out west in California, or the South. I always thought it would be cool to be in the CIA or Homeland Security. It’s obviously kind of scary, but if you watch enough shows about it, you get curious enough.”

Kaplan added that she believes Eichel — the No. 2 pick in the 2015 draft — will be a powerful asset to Buffalo.

In his only season at BU in 2014-2015, Eichel became only the second freshman to win the Hobey Baker Award as NCAA hockey’s MVP. He had a team-best 57 points with the Sabres last season and also led the squad with 24 goals as a rookie. Eichel missed the first 21 contests last campaign with a sprained left ankle.

The Sabres underwent some coaching and front office changes this offseason. Buffalo fired both general manager Tim Murray and coach Dan Bylsma, and replaced them with GM Jason Botterill and coach Phil Housley.

Buffalo missed the playoffs last year to stretch the franchise’s longest postseason drought to six years. The team also acquired winger Jason Pominville in a trade with the Minnesota Wild in June.

The Sabres will host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday for their season opener.

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 03: Jack Eichel #15 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 3, 2017 in New York City. The Sabres defeated the Rangers 4-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The New York Rangers will face the Buffalo Sabres in the 2018 Winter Classic at Citi Field, the NHL announced Tuesday.

Rangers to face Sabres in 2018 NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field

The game will be held at the Mets’ home stadium in Flushing, Queens on Jan. 1. Commissioner Garry Bettman revealed the outdoor game would be played on New Year’s Day on television Tuesday night during an intermission of the Rangers’ 4-2 Game 6 playoff loss to the Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden, a defeat that eliminated the Rangers from Stanley Cup contention.

“The Winter Classic made its debut under snowy Buffalo skies in 2008, and we look forward to celebrating the 10th anniversary of that landmark event by matching the Sabres with their intrastate rivals, the New York Rangers, in the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field,” Bettman said in a press release.

The 2018 Winter Classic will count as a home game for the Sabres due to rules dictating the Rangers play all home contests at Madison Square Garden.

The 2018 edition of the game will mark the second time the Sabres and Rangers have each participated in the NHL’s premier midseason event.

Buffalo hosted the first-ever 2008 Winter Classic, during which the Sabres fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a 2-1 shootout at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

The Rangers visited the Philadelphia Flyers at the Phillies’ home, Citizens Bank Park, for the 2012 showcase game, and also participated in Stadium Series contests against the New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders at Yankee Stadium in 2014.

The Senators advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2007 with their 4-2 series and Game 6 win over the Rangers on Tuesday night. Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone put Ottawa up 2-0 with goals at 4:27 and 14:44 of the first period, and then led 3-1 in the second thanks to Erik Karlsson, who scored after Mika Zibanejad netted New York’s first goal at 13:32 of the period.

Chris Kreider scored the Rangers’ second goal 53 seconds into the third period to bring the hosts within one, but Jean-Gabriel Pageau secured the Senators’ victory by shooting into an empty net with seven seconds remaining.

Craig Anderson made 37 saves for Ottawa, while Henrik Lundqvist stopped 22 shots for New York, which was 0-for-4 on the power play.

“I think we played well enough to win a lot of games here,” said Lundqvist, who had won ten of the last 11 home games when the Rangers were on the brink of elimination. “We talked about it during the season that sometimes it is not about playing your best game, it is about finding a way to win games. They did that better than we did.”

One of the best goals of the game was Karlsson, who took a backhand feed from Bobby Ryan and shot past Lundqvist from the left circle at 15:53 of the second period.

“It was big for momentum, the stadium erupted when they scored and I knew they would make another push after they scored,” Anderson said. “I think we took the wind right out of their sail with that great play between Bobby and [Karlsson]”

Anderson made a big save when he blocked a shot from Kreider on a 2-on-1 with Zibanejad by sliding across the goal to stop Kreider’s rebound with his pad at 5:08 of the third period to protect a 3-2 Senators lead.

Ottawa forward Viktor Stalberg left 5:59 into the second period with an undisclosed injury.

The Senators’ next opponent and date for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final has yet to be determined. Ottawa beat the Buffalo Sabres in five games when it last played in the conference final in 2007.

The Buffalo Sabres finished their home season with a 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, although their 2016-2017 campaign hasn’t ended on an entirely positive note.

Sabres’ Kyle Okposo In ICU with Illness

The Sabres, and especially their coach, are “very concerned” about forward Kyle Okposo, who has been hospitalized in intensive care with an undisclosed ailment since March 28. Okposo last played on March 27 against Carolina.

The former New York Islanders star, who will be 29 on April 16, is being held in in-patient care in the Neuro Surgical ICU at Buffalo General Hospital, according to The Buffalo News.

As The Buffalo News stated, neurological ICUs are often intended to serve patients with neurological injuries such as strokes and brain trauma or hemorrhages.

Sabres coach Dan Bylsma provided few details about Okposo’s diagnosis and condition when speaking with reporters Wednesday after the team’s morning skate.

“It’s a difficult thing for him to be dealing with now in this situation,” Bylsma said. “Very, as a coach and a person, concerned for him and his situation.

“He’s seeing our doctors and done some tests.”

The Sabres later added in a statement that Okposo, who has now missed four games, was being treated by team doctors “as he deals with symptoms of an illness.”

“Out of respect to Kyle and his family, we will have no further comment at this time,” the team said.

Okposo signed with Buffalo as a free agent this offseason. He has been ruled out for the Sabres’ last two games this season against Florida on Saturday and Tampa Bay on Sunday.

Several of Okposo’s teammates, including defenseman Zach Bogosian and fellow forward Matt Moulson, have offered support for the player.

DETROIT, MI – DECEMBER 27: Kyle Okposo #21 of the Buffalo Sabres tries to avoid the stick of Gustav Nyquist #14 of the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at Joe Louis Arena on December 27, 2016 in Detroit, Michigan. Buffalo won the game 4-3. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Come-from-behind victories have become prevalent in sports recently.

Sabres Beat Sharks 5-4 In OT After Trailing By Three Goals

The San Jose Sharks blew a 4-1 lead by allowing three third-period goals and then the deciding goal in overtime to eventually suffer a crushing 5-4 road loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.

Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said he sympathized with how the Atlanta Falcons and their head coach Dadn Quinn probably felt after after losing a 28-3 lead to fall to the New England Patriots in overtime at Super Bowl LI on Sunday.

“I felt like Dan Quinn,” DeBoer said. “Thank God it wasn’t the finals. It was a game in the middle of February.”

The Sabres had been booed off the ice after two periods, but after they tied it 4-4 in the third frame with three goals in a span of 3:28, Jack Eichel set up Evander Kane 1:05 into overtime. Kane’s goal was his 16th of the season.

“We get the building going, get some energy in here after they were booing us off the ice, and we win a game in overtime and everyone loves us again,” said Eichel, who had two assists. “It’s interesting how that works.”

The Sabres (22-21-10) are 6-0-1 in their last seven home games and 17-1-1 against the Sharks all-time at home. San Jose (33-17-4) snapped a four-game road win streak.

Ryan O’Reilly made it 4-2 with a power-play goal 9:03 into the third. Kane followed that 2:33 later by beating Sharks goalie Martin Jones with a wraparound goal.

DeBoer challenged the goal, claiming Sabres forward Tyler Ennis was offside, but video review was inconclusive and the goal stood.

Kyle Okposo then one-timed in Sam Reinhart’s centering pass to tie it 4-4 with 7:29 remaining in regulation.

Then came Kane’s winner, which was set up by Eichel on a 2-on-1. Immediately after his big goal that sealed the comeback win, Kane crashed headfirst into the end boards.

Joel Ward, Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Melker Karlsson scored for San Jose. Brent Burns had two assists.

The Sharks seemed to be in total control of the game when Pavelski one-timed in Burns’ pass on a power play to make it 4-1 at 6:07 of the third period.

“It’s just one of those games that for them to come back, everything worked out just perfect,” Pavelski said. “Doesn’t matter how perfect it works, though. You can’t give up that kind of lead.”

The Sharks will next visit the Boston Bruins on Thursday, when the Sabres host the Anaheim Ducks.

NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 06: Evander Kane #9 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the New Jersey Devils during the third period at Prudential Center on February 6, 2017 in Newark, New Jersey. The New Jersey Devils defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2-1. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

Jack Eichel scored his second goal of the game at 2:35 of overtime to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 5-4 road victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

Jack Eichel Nets Winner In Sabres’ 5-4 OT Victory Over Predators

Eichel beat Predators forward Colin Wilson and shot past goaltender Juuse Saros for his 12th goal of the season.

“I was just trying to build some speed and attack them,” Eichel said. “I noticed that I had a forward playing [defense] back there, so I just tried to use my speed and go after him and obviously try and get a shot on. He’s a really athletic goaltender and he makes it hard on you, so I’m just trying to move him a little bit and get it up.”

Sabres forward Kyle Okposo tied the game 4-4 with 1:05 left in the third period on a shot from the right face-off circle. He beat Nashville forward Ryan Johansen to the puck and fired it past Saros for his 15th goal. Okposo’s goal came on a Sabres power play.

Zemgus Girgensons and Brian Gionta also scored and Robin Lehner made 35 saves for Buffalo (20-18-9), which has now won three straight.

James Neal finished with a goal and an assist, and Filip Forsberg, Cody McLeod and Viktor Arvidsson also scored for the Predators (23-17-8), who had won three in a row. Saros blocked 32 shots.

Gionta scored to make it 4-3 at 14:10 of the third period. Girgensons made a cross-ice pass to Gionta, who beat Saros for his 11th goal.

Arvidsson gave Nashville a 3-2 lead at 5:08 of the third on the power play. The winger got the rebound of his own shot and flicked the puck past Lehner for his 12th goal.

Eichel scored his first goal of the game, which tied it 2-2, with 17.4 seconds remaining in the second period.

Buffalo defenseman Dmitry Kulikov returned to the lineup after missing 12 games with a back injury. He played 24:11 and blocked seven shots. Wilson returned to Nashville’s lineup after missing eight games with a lower-body injury.

The Sabres next visit the Dallas Stars on Thursday, when the Predators host the Columbus Blue Jackets.

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 03: Jack Eichel #15 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on January 3, 2017 in New York City. The Sabres defeated the Rangers 4-1. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Jack Eichel scored twice in the third period to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 home victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday.

Jack Eichel Scores Twice To Lead Sabres To 4-3 Win Over Rangers

The 20-year-old center, a former Boston University player who won the Hobey Baker Award in 2015, played in his home debut with the Sabres Thursday.

Eichel gave Buffalo a 4-3 lead when he sent the puck out of the corner and it bounced off Mats Zuccarello and past Henrik Lundqvist (30 saves) with 5:32 remaining in the third period.

“It’s kind of hectic down there and [you] just try to find a soft spot and [Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh] makes a great play,” Eichel said. “I knew that Lundqvist got over, so I was trying to hit [Evander Kane] coming back through and luckily I got a nice bounce; kind of rewarding.”

Eichel’s first goal tied the game 3-3 and came on the power play just 1:43 before his game-winner. He took a pass from Kyle Okposo and raced up the right wing where he took a wrist shot that beat Lundqvist low to the far side.

The rookie had a goal and an assist when he returned to the lineup Tuesday in a 5-4 victory against the Ottawa Senators after he missed 21 games with a high ankle sprain.

“Did I anticipate a two-goal game type of bump? No,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said of Eichel. “It just kind of shows what kind of player he can be, what kind of player he is. He’s a dynamic player and he brings so much to our team in speed and attack. Everyone feeds off it … it has carried over to other players.”

The Sabres (9-9-5) have won two consecutive games. The Rangers (16-8-1), meanwhile, have lost two of their last three games.

Marc Staal’s second goal of the season gave New York a 3-2 lead with 8:18 remaining in the second period. Staal took a pass from Jesper Fast and fired a shot that beat Anders Nilsson (22 saves) over his shoulder.

Johan Larsson scored his fourth goal 18 seconds into the game to give Buffalo a 1-0 lead.

McDonagh’s first of the season made it 1-1 with 3:45 left in the first.

Rick Nash gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead 8:15 into the second period with a power-play goal. Nash hit a rebound of a shot by Adam Clendening that was deflected by Jimmy Vesey through Nilsson’s legs for his 11th goal.

Sabres captain Brian Gionta tied it 2-2 at 9:48 of the second with his fifth goal. Gionta tapped a pass from behind the net from Marcus Foligno past Lundqvist. Foligno’s assist marked his 100th NHL point.

The Rangers next host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, while the Sabres will host the Boston Bruins that day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltzqQCtr1Tk

NEW YORK, NY – APRIL 09: Jack Eichel #15 of the Buffalo Sabres skates against the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center on April 9, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Sabres defeated the Islanders 4-3 in overtime. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek scored shootout goals, and the Philadelphia Flyers rallied from three goals down in the third period to beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 at home on Tuesday.

Sabres Lose 3-Goal Lead In 4-3 Shootout Loss To Flyers

Voracek secured the victory in the third round when he beat goalie Anders Nilsson with a high wrist shot. He had missed the final 3:20 of the third period and part of overtime following a hard hit from Buffalo defenseman Dmitry Kulikov. 

“I felt pretty good,” Voracek said. “As soon as I got up, I was a little shaky, but that’s normal, it was a big hit. I was feeling pretty comfortable that I was going to be able to come back, and that’s what happened.”

Travis Konecny, Brayden Schenn and Mark Streit each scored a power-play goal in the third period for the Flyers (3-3-1). Goalie Steve Mason made eight saves after relieving starter Michal Neuvirth in the second period and stopped the two Sabres he faced in the shootout.

Konecny’s goal was the first of his NHL career.

Tyler Ennis opened the scoring early in the second period for his first goal of the season, and then Matt Moulson scored twice on the power play to give Buffalo a 3-0 lead going into the third period. Nilsson made 38 saves in his first start for the Sabres (1-2-2).

“It’s on us to be better,” Sabres captain Brian Gionta said. “We showed we could take over the game and make something happen. It’s tough. We need to find a way to go into that third and get a win.”

Streit scored with 1:51 left to tie the game 3-3, hitting his rebound over a pile of players in front of the net. Sabres coach Dan Bylsma challenged the goal for goaltender interference, but the call stood after video review.

Konecny tipped an Ivan Provorov shot past Nilsson for his first NHL goal at 4:30 of the third to make it 3-1, and 24 seconds after Kulikov was assessed a charging penalty for his hit on Voracek, Schenn scored with 2:56 remaining to pull Philadelphia within a goal at 3-2.

Neuvirth allowed three goals on 17 shots.

Ennis gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 2:06 of the second when he tipped a sharp-angled shot from Zemgus Girgensons past Neuvirth, and then Moulson won a race for a loose puck in the Flyers zone and scored on a backhand from in front at at 3:56 to put the Sabres up 2-0.

One of Nilsson’s best saves came with 5:46 remaining in the first period. After Giroux made a diagonal pass through the Sabres zone to Matt Read, who was alone in front, Nilsson stretched his right pad to stop Read’s backhand.

The Sabres next host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, while the Flyers will host the Arizona Coyotes that same day.

PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 25: Steve Mason #35 of the Philadelphia Flyers makes a save at the goal on a shot by Nicolas Deslauriers #44 of the Buffalo Sabres during the third period at Wells Fargo Center on October 25, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Jack Eichel, rookie for the Buffalo Sabres and former Boston University Terrier, has proved to be an unstoppable force.

Sabres Rookie Jack Eichel Skates End To End To Score Goal Over Avalanche

Eichel stunned the crowd during the Sabres’ 4-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo on Sunday, after he went end to end to score the first goal of the game just two minutes into the first period.

The centerman took the puck in the neutral zone and reset in the Sabres end before skating past the Colorado defense and firing a wrist shot past goalie Semyon Varlamov.

Eichel,19, was drafted No. 2 overall by the Sabres in the 2015 NHL Draft. He also received the 2015 Hobey Baker Award, which is given to the top NCAA men’s ice hockey player.

The Sabres are now 23-28-6 this season. Eichel has 17 goals and 21 assists this season, for a total of 38 points.

Caption: MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 03: Jack Eichel #15 of the Buffalo Sabres skates the puck during the NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on February 3, 2016 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Buffalo Sabres defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Last season, the Buffalo Sabres and the Arizona Coyotes finished with the worst two records in the NHL. Thanks to the lottery, however, the Edmonton Oilers ended with up with the first overall pick (Connor McDavid), bumping the Sabres and Coyotes down to second and third, respectively. On Monday night, Jack Eichel showed the Coyotes what they could have had, as he scored his 14th goal of the season in a 2-1 Sabres win.

Eichel also picked up an assist on the night, bringing his point total to 29 in 46 games. “It was in the back of your mind,” he said when asked if he thought he might end up in Arizona. “I knew the whole situation would take care of itself. … And I was fortunate enough to go to Buffalo.”

Other then Eichel, goalie Chad Johnson starred for the Sabres. He made 26 saves including 11 in the first period; Arizona had six minutes of power play time in that frame and failed to convert on any of their extra-man opportunities.

“We’re a little bit off on our shooting. A lot of shots being blocked,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. “The second half (of the season), it gets tighter.”

After the game’s final whistle, though, Coyote frustrations boiled over, with a battle in front of the net developing into a brawl. When everything was said and done, 61 penalty minutes were handed out.

“A little bit of old-school hockey,” Buffalo head coach Dan Bylsma said. “Guys coming together and sticking together. It was good to see.”

Photo: Shane Doan #19, Oliver Ekman-Larsson #23 and Anthony Duclair #10 of the Arizona Coyotes come together in a post game scrum with Sam Reinhart #23 and Zach Bogosian #47 of the Buffalo Sabres following the NHL game at Gila River Arena on January 18, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Sabres defeated the Coyotes 2-1. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Before today, there were two teams that were currently without a head coach, the Buffalo Sabres, who originally pursued Mike Babcock, and the New Jersey Devils.

But today, the Sabres, a perennial last place team, have decided to hire former Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma.

Buffalo Sabres Hire Dan Bylsma

As a result of hiring Bylsma, the Sabres have to give the Pittsburgh Penguins a conditional third round pick. Though Dan was fired after the Penguin’s 2013-14 season — the organization cleared house that year, even replacing GM Ray Shero with Jim Rutherford — he remained under contract until 2016.

The NHL established a rule that if a team hires a coach already under contract, then they have to give up a draft pick to the previous organization: a third rounder if it is during the offeseason and a second rounder during the hockey year. So like Toronto giving Detroit a pick for the hiring of Mike Babcock, the Sabres will have to give the Pens one third round pick over the next three years.

Dan Bylsma replaced Michel Therrien — current Montreal Canadiens coach — in the middle of the 2008-09 season. But both men are responsible for giving the Pens franchise a resurgence, as they both led the team to eight consecutive playoff appearances.

And in his first season as the Penguins coach, Dan went 18-3-4 and beat the Detroit Red Wings to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 17 years. He would go on to rack up 252 wins with a winning percentage of .670, which are both franchise records.

However, after his Stanley Cup victory, the team struggled in the playoffs: twice exiting in the first round despite boasting 49-plus wins in each of those seasons. The best the team would do was an Eastern Conference Finals loss to the Boston Bruins in 2012-13.

This hiring provides a nice shot in the arm to the Buffalo Sabres franchise. They have only made the playoffs four times in the last 13 seasons. On top of this, they have had three consecutive last place finishes, where they never registered more than an abysmal 54 points.

The New York Islanders have been the talk of the town: with their 4-3 overtime victory over the Washington Capitals, the Isles are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place — it is the first time the team on the island has had a share of first place this late in the season since 1990, nearly 25 years.

At the same time, December has been one of the weaker months for the Islanders: they will finish the month on Wednesday against the Winnipeg Jets, but at the moment they are 7-4-1. Now, this record does not look poor on the surface — especially with the most recent four game slide by the Pittsburgh Penguins who are 6-4-3 — but it hides a sinister secret that has hindered the Islanders in the past: goaltending and defense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7scLoU7dhw

The team that has seemingly been on fire has blown three goal leads in four separate games: the most recent during the aforementioned Monday’s night win against the Washington Capitals. They also did it during the December 6 loss to the St. Louis Blues, the following loss to Minnesota Wild and Saturday’s shootout loss to Buffalo.

Now, this could partially be blamed on the back up goaltending: lets face it, besides Jaroslav Halak the Islanders’ goaltending has been severely lacking. Compared to back up Chad Johnson, Halak’s numbers look MVP caliber: Chad Johnson gives up 3.54 GAA and has an abysmal save percentage of .867 — yet somehow New York is 5-5 when he is in net. And this Saturday, the Islanders decided to bring back Kevin Poulin from the minors: despite going up early, Poulin’s aggressive play waned in the third, letting in a savable short hand goal that in retrospect meant the game.

However, the back ups can only account for two of the four games, with the other blown leads coming from star goaltender Halak: who is sporting 2.27 GAA and a save percentage of .917, which is 19th in the league. Perhaps, one can say both the Blues and the Capitals have a top ten offense; but it is very rare for teams to go up three goals and lose the game, let alone do it four times in one month. So while goaltending has not been the greatest — despite Halak’s numbers he has picked up pace from November on — the other half of the blame has to be put on the defense.

Even with Poulin in the net, the defense seemed to be nonexistent against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday: allowing them to skate freely through the crease or down the middle of their zone — basically they were allowing the team ranked dead last in goals per game to get back into the contest. Yes, the Islanders have been playing increasingly better than last season: winning one goal games shows that Garth Snow somewhat addressed their defensive issues with the acquisition of Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy. At the same time, blowing four leads does cause one to worry; are they tired therefore these games are flukes or are they showing a lack of discipline — the latter has plagued Coach Capuano’s career.

So should Islander fans be in full panic mode: no, it is an 82 game season and the Isles still happen to be in first going into January. But it is important to be aware of this problem because blowing leads is something that could severely affect them down the road.

In what is probably uSports’ favorite Vine of the year — and the greatest display of manliness since the invention of Ron Swanson — Buffalo Sabres’ Patrick Kaleta punched himself in the face while fighting Ottawa Senators defenseman Jared Cowen. For those who do not believe what we just wrote, yes he indeed just punched himself in the face: actually psyching out Cowen in the process.

One can only assume that Kaleta did this purposefully, perhaps as a way to psych himself up. But as most should know, people who fight do not normally do this, which is why I never want to be caught in a dark alley with Patrick Kaleta.

Unfortunately, the right winger would later be injured from a check into the boards by Jared Cowen; though he is helped off the ice, there is a chance he could play Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

H/T: CBS Sports