The Buffalo Sabres are exploring ways to give local supporters an advantage when buying tickets for their games.

A new experiment by the club will likely give preference to in-market fans based on their ZIP code, according to The Buffalo News' Mike Harrington.

"Obviously, last year, there were a handful of games where we saw the wrong color blue or the wrong color red coming into the building, depending on the jersey we were wearing," Sabres vice president of sales and service Frank Batres-Landaeta told Harrington. "It's something that we've been talking about and discussing and trying to figure out: How do we get tickets in the hands of Buffalo fans?"

The Sabres won't fully restrict people from other areas from purchasing tickets to Buffalo's KeyBank Center, but the team's goal is to put them behind locals in line.

"There will be a presale for Buffalo-area fans within our database to go in and purchase tickets before any other fans outside of our dedicated marketing area will get access," Batres-Landaeta said. "We're hopeful this experiment will work. It's part of the conversations with (Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams), and making sure we're having that dialogue is important."

Fans from cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Pittsburgh frequently flock to Buffalo because - particularly in the first two cases - getting tickets to the opponent's building is easier and cheaper.

Whether the Sabres' plan, which isn't official yet, will succeed remains to be seen. But it's often failed in other cities when teams try to keep visiting fans out during the playoffs.

"It's not going to work," Nick Giammusso, the Buffalo-based owner of ticket reseller VIP Tix, told The Toronto Star's Kevin McGran. "Season-ticket holders are used to selling their tickets to fans from southern Ontario. It's a big payday. It ends up helping them pay their season-ticket bill to the Sabres."

The Sabres' home record ranked 27th in the NHL last season at 17-20-4. However, they won 25 of their 41 road games. The home struggles included a 6-3 loss to the Maple Leafs on Feb. 21, in which Toronto fans dominated the crowd and cheered wildly when their team exploded to an early 4-0 lead. Applause also overwhelmed the booing as the teams skated off for the first intermission.

Buffalo is expected to compete for a playoff spot this season with an emerging core led by Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin, Dylan Cozens, and Owen Power.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Calgary Flames forward Andrew Mangiapane is expected to be ready for training camp after undergoing shoulder surgery in April.

"I have to get cleared for kind of the physical contact and doing all that stuff, but as far as on the ice, I'm shooting, passing, practicing like I normally would, and working out like I normally would," Mangiapane said Monday, per NHL.com's Aaron Vickers. "Still have to keep up with the physio and making everything stronger, but it's looking good right now. Everything is going as planned. The medical team and the surgeon is saying it's looking great.

"I'm excited to go back out and just play, and now I'm 100% fully healthy and everything like that. It's just more exciting to go back and be ready for camp and start the ball rolling for me."

Mangiapane said he suffered the ailment in October but gutted it out and still managed to suit up in all 82 games.

"It was kind of a weird injury," Mangiapane said. "I didn't really think anything was going on that was too serious and all that, but it happened early on, and it just kept bugging me throughout the whole season. Some games were worse than others."

The 27-year-old winger's production took a hit as a result. After racking up 35 goals and 20 assists in 2021-22, he managed just 17 goals and 26 helpers this past season.

Mangiapane has no doubt he can return to his previous form.

"I don't see any reason why I can't get back to that or do better," he said. "It's there for me. I've done it in the past. I think for me, I've just got to go out there and play my game, be tenacious and hardworking, and the scoring opportunities and the goals will come for me."

The Flames drafted Mangiapane in the sixth round in 2015 and signed him to a three-year contract carrying a $5.8-milion cap hit during the 2022 offseason. In parts of six seasons in Calgary, he's averaged 23 goals and 19 assists per 82 games.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Matt and JPat discuss Rick Tocchet's comments about the Canucks core. They are all sensational talents who have had individual success, but are they ready to sacrifice for team goals? And how does the leadership transition work? Other topics include the franchise carnage of the Jim Benning era, Émilie Castonguay sitting on a Hockey Canada panel, and ex-Canuck Zack Kassian getting a new opportunity in the Pacific Division.

Rob Williams stops by to discuss his belief in the core, the piecemeal approach to power play coaching this season, Andrei Kuzmenko's Bali adventure, scoreboard problems at Rogers Arena, and B.C.'s favourite MLB team.

And we go To The People to hear listeners' comments on segments and interviews from the past week, including a Tell Me I'm Wrong about the Lions fattening up on weak sisters, and a Hot Take about changing the Ryder Cup format.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colton Parayko's name was a regular feature in the rumor mill last season, but the St. Louis Blues defenseman is tuning out the noise.

"The last few years, I've always been in the (trade talk) mix," he said in a recent interview with The Athletic's Jeremy Rutherford. "I personally never heard anything around here, but obviously people are talking. That's part of the gig. It's pro sports and people are traded and obviously where we were last year at the deadline, things are always getting talked about. I don't think much about it. This is where I want to play."

Last season, the Blues moved on from several players who helped the franchise win its first Stanley Cup in 2019. St. Louis shipped away Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O'Reilly, and Ivan Barbashev - who were all pending unrestricted free agents - prior to the trade deadline, and Parayko reportedly drew some interest too.

The 30-year-old is under contract for seven more seasons and carries a cap hit of $6.5 million, according to CapFriendly. His pact includes a full no-trade clause, however, and he's aware that any potential deal is "always going to run through" him.

Parayko chipped in with four goals and 27 points in 79 contests last season for the lowest points-per-game rate of his career (0.34). St. Louis struggled en masse in 2022-23, finishing 14 points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18.

After a low-key offseason that saw the team add Kevin Hayes and Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis may well be on the outside of the postseason picture again in 2023-24.

Parayko, however, is focused on improvement. He said he would lie awake after some losses last season in an attempt to figure out why things went wrong, which only made things more "frustrating individually."

"I just want to show that I'm going to put in the effort and be the best version of myself and help out as much as possible," he said. "Obviously it's fun to have the fans and the city behind you.

"They spend a lot of money to come watch us play and win hockey games, so they have the right to say whatever they feel. This is a chance to get people excited, and I guess if we're talking individually, see me play again, and hopefully I can have a good season."

The puck drops on the Blues' new season Oct. 12 against the Dallas Stars.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Unrestricted free-agent forward Phil Kessel wants to continue his career in 2023-24 and is willing to sacrifice his ironman streak in order to find a fit, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Kessel established an NHL record by playing in his 990th consecutive game last October. His run reached 1,064 contests by the end of the regular season, but he only made four playoff appearances for the Vegas Golden Knights as they marched to the Stanley Cup.

The soon-to-be 36-year-old winger joined Vegas on a one-year, $1.5-million contract late last summer. Kessel managed 14 goals and 22 assists in Sin City while averaging 12:49 per contest - the lowest total of his 17-year career.

A reunion with the Golden Knights doesn't seem likely, as the defending champions only have approximately $850,000 in cap space when factoring in long-term injured reserve designations, according to Cap Friendly.

Kessel has also suited up for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Arizona Coyotes since being drafted fifth overall in 2006. He's registered 413 goals and 992 points in 1,286 career games while winning three titles.

The Wisconsin native hasn't missed a regular season game since 2009-10.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Any friction between Boston Bruins management and forward Jake DeBrusk appears to be in the past. Entering the final year of his contract before he can become an unrestricted free agent, DeBrusk says he's hoping to sign an extension with the only team he's ever played for.

"I'm hoping to stay (with the Bruins). It's the only team that I know and the team that I grew up with," DeBrusk said Tuesday, per NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. "Hopefully, it goes in that direction, and we'll see how it goes. That's why I have an agent, and I told him I wanted to stay out of this one, and in time, it'll be nice when it all gets done."

DeBrusk requested a trade from the Bruins during the 2021-22 campaign, but he rescinded the request the following offseason after inking a two-year deal.

"It's not my first time going through this. It's my third time my contract is up with them," DeBrusk said. "I kind of know what to expect, although it's a little bit different with now being a UFA. I'm not too focused on that. I've kind of tested the waters before, and I'm just going to focus on hockey."

But DeBrusk is line to receive a sizeable raise from his current $4-million cap hit. Evolving-Hockey projects he'd receive an eight-year deal carrying a $7.05-million cap hit if he signed an extension with the Bruins.

The winger, who turns 27 in October, tied his career high with 27 goals last season and posted a new personal best with 50 points in 64 games.

"If I stay healthy, I think I can score 30 this season," he said. "I've knocked on the door twice with 27, and I have 25 in there as well. I think if I stay healthy, that's obviously the goal, to finally get to that 30 mark."

DeBrusk will be counted on even more heavily this coming year after the Bruins lost a glut of forwards this past summer, including Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement, Tyler Bertuzzi to free agency, and Taylor Hall via trade.

The Bruins drafted DeBrusk 14th overall in 2015 with one of the club's three consecutive first-round picks.

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.

Jeff Paterson sits in for Blake and discusses Rick Tocchet's wide-ranging Q&A with Sportsnet. Topics include: no practice facility preventing an August centralization of Canucks players for informal skates; a PP with no dedicated coach; his refusal to commit to Pius Suter at third-line centre; an improved PK; Pettersson heading into a contract year and what the Canucks have to prove to him.

Frank Corrado stops by with his take on a PP run by committee, Kuzmenko's Bali adventure, Mikheyev's recovery from knee surgery and why a practice facility is beneficial.
Patrick Johnston joins to add historical context to the Canucks' longstanding search for a practice facility partner; the possibility that Mikheyev won't be ready to start the season; and the battle to be the third-line centre.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie Coyle knows the Boston Bruins are going to feel the losses of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in 2023-24, but the veteran center is raring to step up in the wake of their departures.

"They're world-class players and we're going to miss them," Coyle said during a recent appearance on WEEI's "The Gresh & Fauria Show." "We all wish they could play. ... But those are job opportunities right now, right? That gets me fired up, it only gets our team fired up."

He added, "It's a team effort. I like our team. ... If we need to claw our way a little more this year, so be it. That's going to help us in the long run come playoff time."

Bergeron, a six-time Selke Trophy winner as the league's premier defensive forward, retired after 19 NHL seasons in late July. He stepped away with 427 goals and 1,040 points in 1,294 career regular season contests and ranks third in franchise history in both categories. Krejci followed suit in August, capping off a 16-season tenure with his ninth career 50-point campaign.

Without them, Boston is down its usual top two centers for 2023-24. The Bruins are tight against the cap with less than $500,000 in space available, making any substantial additions difficult. Coyle is expected to slot in between Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk to start the season, while Pavel Zacha is set to play with David Pastrnak and newcomer James van Riemsdyk to round out the top two lines, head coach Jim Montgomery told the Boston Herald's Steve Conroy.

Coyle has spent the past five seasons in Beantown and posted 16 goals and 45 points in 82 games last campaign while averaging almost 17 minutes of ice time per contest, good for his best year as a Bruin.

The 31-year-old said the Bruins will notice Bergeron and Krejci's absences off the ice, too.

"We want to solidify that culture that those guys brought," Coyle said. "That's why our organization - our team - is good, because of that culture. ... So when those guys are gone, how do we emulate that? ... You can't replace those guys individually ... but we can all put our hand in and make sure we pull the rope a little more."

The Bruins enjoyed a historic campaign during Bergeron and Krejci's final year in the NHL, setting new records for wins (65) and points (135) in a single season. But that success didn't translate into the playoffs, as Boston was upset by the underdog Florida Panthers in the first round.

"It was fun, every day we came to the rink we had such a blast. It felt like we barely lost. ... It was a very special team," Coyle said.

He continued, "Of course, our end goal, we didn't meet that. ... We've gotta use that as fuel to fire us, and I think we are."

Copyright © 2023 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.