{13319155652191}Buffalo Sabres games broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network (formerly VERSUS) in 2011-12 have garnered the highest ratings in four seasons for Sabres telecasts. Through the first 10 games broadcast on the network, Sabres games have earned a cumulative average rating of 8.5, the highest average rating for Sabres telecasts on NBC Sports Network/VERSUS since the 2007-08 season.
 
“Our fans have supported the team in a big way this season, and it’s not surprising to see that fact represented in our national broadcast ratings,” said Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black. “It’s a great reminder that we have the best fans in hockey, both here in Western New York and around the country.”
 
Sabres games have earned at least a 9.0 rating on NBC Sports Network/VERSUS four times this season. The highest-rated Sabres telecast on the network was the Dec. 7 matchup between Buffalo and the Philadelphia Flyers, which earned a 9.5 rating. The team’s Feb. 1 game against the New York rangers drew a 9.2 rating on the network while the Oct. 25 game against Tampa Bay and the March 14 game against Colorado each earned a 9.0 rating.
 
The Sabres’ other nationally-televised game, a Feb. 19 game against Pittsburgh on NBC, drew an 11.1 rating, another four-year high for the Sabres in a non-playoff game on NBC.
 
Buffalo will be featured in one more nationally-televised game this season – to be broadcast on either NBC or NBC Sports Network – when the team travels to Boston to take on the Bruins on April 7 at 3 p.m.