A rebuild in the NHL can be a grueling process. With the patience needed to develop prospects, and decide whether to add or subtract to the team and what each offseason has to offer, there aren’t many situations for a team to be in that are more stressful than this.

The Vancouver Canucks wouldn’t be the first folks to call a cousin to get them out of a tight jam. But this isn’t My Cousin Vinny; it’s My Expansion Cousin Buffalo, and we’re not talking about a legal conundrum;

It’s been a rough season for the Buffalo Sabres, who rank 30th in the NHL standings. While we knew they had a high ceiling and a low floor, few expected the floor to be this low.

The two teams played on in Boston in a low chance, low scoring game, but Morgan Geekie scored the game winning goal with 1:45 left just as a penalty was expiring and just after Mattias Samuelsson pushed Justin Brazeau into his goaltender.

Believe it or not, it’s Jan. 28, and this is the first appearance by the Boston Bruins in Buffalo to take on the Sabres. Paul Hamilton has his game preview:

Zach will play for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off, a best-on-best tournament against Canada, Finland and Sweden in Montreal and Boston from Feb. 12-20. Then he and the Blue Jackets will face the Detroit Red Wings in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on March 1 (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, TVAS-D, FX-CA).

Tage Thompson and JJ Peterka had hat tricks, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves as Buffalo rolled to a 7-2 win over Boston.

The Sabres have the assets to entice Vancouver into a trade. The bigger question is what, exactly, Buffalo might have to give up.

The club is last in the Eastern Conference with an 18-26-5 record and, barring an unprecedented run, the playoff drought that’s chased off season-ticket holders will reach 14 years.

The Winnipeg Jets lead the NHL power rankings for the first time since November, but it's tight at the top. Plus, the blockbuster Rantanen trade has another big winner.

The Sabres were properly pleased with their 5-on-5 play but were as aghast as they should have been with their power play – which went 0 for 6 in the