It took until roughly 48 hours before the NHL trade deadline, but Jordan Greenway and the Buffalo Sabres were able to reach a contract extension. And despite it happening so close to the deadline, Greenway said Thursday he was always confident the two sides could come to an agreement.

The Edmonton Oilers might be looking for a depth forward and trying to manage their salary cap with the uncertainty surrounding Evander Kane‘s health. As such, as long as the Oilers acquire useful players,

Improving the Sabres' faceoff win percentage was one of Lindy Ruff's priorities when he returned as coach in April. Buffalo finished last in the NHL in each of the previous two seasons.

While underscoring how disappointing the season has been, the Sabres spinned the positives and pitched the long view.

During this past off-season, the Buffalo Sabres acquired McLeod and prospect Tyler Tullio from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for former top prospect Matthew Savoie. Since then, McLeod has emerged as a key part of the Sabres' roster.

Off, there wasn’t a lot of excitement surrounding the Buffalo Sabres. In fact, it became easier to look at past failures or the names of yesteryear rather than ahead to a tilt with the New York Rangers on Saturday evening.

FINAL | Sabres 8 - Rangers 2 Rasmus Dahlin speaks to the media Ryan McLeod speaks to the media Jordan Greenway speaks to the media Lindy Ruff speaks to the media The Sabres host the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, which is **Black History Celebration** at KeyBank Center. Tickets are available here.

The Buffalo Sabres capitalized on a five-goal first period in an 8-2 win over the New York Rangers on Saturday night.

MSG Networks and Optimum may have come to an agreement just in time to patch Saturday’s Rangers game back into homes, but fans probably wished they hadn’t.

The Sabres (23-27-5) surged to a 5-0 lead in the first period, securing their fifth win in six games. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen contributed 26 saves, while Ryan McLeod added two goals and Jason Zucker notched three assists.

Buffalo Sabres (23-27-5, in the Atlantic Division ... TOP PERFORMERS: Tage Thompson has 28 goals and 23 assists for the Sabres. Ryan McLeod has seven goals and two assists over the past 10 games. Frank Vatrano has 17 goals and 15 assists for the Ducks.

BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres will look to end their three-game road skid in a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina has a 21-6-1 record in home games and a 33-21-4 record overall. The Hurricanes have gone 15-7-1 in games they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponents.