BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Sabres coach Ted Nolan will keep building what he started in Buffalo -- minus the interim tag. Nolan is staying on as the head coach beyond this season after signing a three-year contract extension Monday. The deal comes 4-1/2 months after Nolan returned to Buffalo for a second stint -- this time, initially, on an interim basis. And its a reward for Nolan, who has provided a spark to a young, patchwork lineup on a last-place team. "I said back in November that it was a dream to be able to come back and coach the Sabres, and thats still true today," Nolan said. "Im excited by the challenge facing our team and our organization. And Im truly thankful to have this opportunity." The extension was more of a formality than a surprise. The two sides established the framework of a contract about a month ago and agreed to the deal in principle last week. Nolan took over in mid-November after coach Ron Rolston was fired along with general manager Darcy Regier after Buffalo got off to a franchise-worst 4-15-1 start. The Sabres (20-45-9) havent done much better at 16-30-8 under Nolan and are likely to finish in last place with only two weeks left in the season. Buffalo is 1-10-1 in its past 12 games in preparing to host New Jersey on Tuesday. Record aside, rookie GM Tim Murray is impressed by the job Nolan has done during what he called "a trying situation." "I dont know if there was one Eureka moment," Murray said. "But I certainly got to the point where I knew I wanted him back, and I wanted him to be our head coach. And that wasnt yesterday or the day before." The next step is providing Nolan more talent. "We have to get him better players," Murray said. "It doesnt take a genius to figure that out." The Sabres are a shell of the team that last made the playoffs in 2011, with Nolan the teams third coach in a little over a calendar year. Regier began purging an over-priced and under-achieving roster last season. And Murray, who was hired in January, completed the overhaul in the days leading up to the NHL trade deadline on March 5. Thats when Buffalo made four trades, including one that sent goalie Ryan Miller and captain Steve Ott to St. Louis. The future looks promising with the team having stockpiled a series of first- and second-round draft picks over the next three years. Nolan has a reputation as a motivator with a solid track record of developing young players. This is Nolans second stint in Buffalo. He went 73-72-19 in two seasons before leaving in the summer of 1997 because he was unhappy with the teams one-year contract offer after being selected the NHLs coach of the year. Nolan then spent two seasons coaching the New York Islanders and led them to the playoffs in 2006-07, before being fired after the following season. Nolan also enjoyed a successful stint at the Sochi Games, where he coached Latvia to an eighth-place finish -- the countrys best in five Olympic appearances. Sabres players greeted the news of Nolans contract extension as an important first step toward establishing stability. "Hes a guy that I think is perfect for this type of rebuild as far as motivation and making sure the right guys are staying around," forward Drew Stafford said. "Its been a real challenging season, a lot of shake-ups, a lot of changes. To get that interim tag off is definitely some stability now." Nolan is staying on even though Pat LaFontaine -- the person who brought him on board -- abruptly stepped down as Sabres president of hockey operations on March 1, after only 3-1/2 months on the job. Thanking LaFontaine for the opportunity, Nolan said hes focused on the head coaching job. "Im really excited about going with the next step forward and helping shape this team into a very competitive team," Nolan said. "With Tims knowledge in getting us the right players, hopefully, I can coach them good enough to win." Darryl Kile Jersey . Winners of two straight, the Flames will try to become the first team in 25 years to go three consecutive games without taking a penalty Saturday night in San Jose. Zack Greinke Astros Jersey . -- Top-ranked Stacy Lewis birdied the last three holes and five of the final six Thursday for an 8-under 64 and a share of the lead with Mi Jung Hur in the Yokohama Tire LPGA Classic. https://www.cheapastros.com/. "Win basketball games," Collins said. He will get at least a few more chances. Collins played the final minutes of a winning home debut with the Brooklyn Nets, who cooled off the Chicago Bulls with a 96-80 victory Monday night. Luis Gonzalez Astros Jersey . A fully booked flight forced me to leave two hours later. After a nice meal in which I studied the stats of the Argo win, I prepared to leave the restaurant. As I was gathering my things to leave many large individuals began to walk up and wait for tables. Aaron Sanchez Jersey . Pearce had a career-high four hits and drove in two runs, and Wei-Yin Chen shut down Texas again as the Orioles completed a four-game sweep of the Rangers with a 5-2 victory on Thursday night.​Nottinghamshire and England batsman James Taylor has been forced to retire because of a serious heart condition. Scans on Monday revealed the 26-year-old is suffering from ARVC (Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Arrhythmia), a similar condition to that suffered by former footballer Fabrice Muamba, and he will undergo surgery in the coming days. James Taylor wrote on Instagram it had been the toughest week of his life Taylor, who originally withdrew from last weeks fixture against Cambridge MCCU with what was believed to be a viral condition, tweeted on Tuesday morning, writing: Safe to say this has been the toughest week of my life! My world is upside down. But Im here to stay and Im battling on! #lifestooshortLater on Tuesday, he tweeted: Absolutely overwhelmed with all the support Ive received. You dont understand how much it means to me and how much it helps! Thank you!Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell told the clubs official website: Myself and all of James teammates & colleagues are terribly sad to hear this news, which comes as a big shock to us all.He is a model professional, the most hard working Ive ever known in cricket, making it all the more difficult to accept that his career has been cut short in this way.It goes without saying that he has the very best wishes of us all in terms of recovering from his operation, and that we are looking forward to seeing him back at Trent Bridge when he is fit and able. Taylor was part of Englands successful tour of South Africa over the winter Speaking to Sky Sports News HQ, Newell added: His reaction is obviously devastation that all hes wanted to do since he was a little kid has been taken away from him now, although the realisation that he is still alive and can have a full and healthy life has tempered that to some extent, because his general all-round fitness has helped him on this occasion and possibly saved him from a worse fate.Muamba, whose heart stopped for 78 minutes after collapsing at White Hart Lane while playing for Bolton against Tottenham in 2012, tweeted Taylor his best wishes on Tuesday, writing: having life is a great option. Retirement is inevitable but for some of us its just earlier than expected. Enjoy life. Mick Newell, Nottinghamshires director of cricket, says the news of James Taylors retirement has shocked everybody at the club England Team Director Andrew Strauss added: It is both shocking and saddening to hear that James career has been cut short in such a sudden and unexpected manner.dddddddddddd.Throughout his career, he has constantly impressed with his determination to make the absolute most of his ability, and it is immensely cruel that such a hard working player will be unable to fulfil his great potential in the international arena. Taylor made 27 ODI appearances for England, scoring 887 runs The ECB will work closely with Nottinghamshire and together we will do everything possible to help James through this difficult period, and aid him in his recovery.Taylor, who began his professional career with Leicestershire before moving to Trent Bridge five years ago, scored more than 9,000 first-class runs at an average above 46, and hit 20 centuries. Social media reaction to James Taylors forced retirement from cricket His 27 one-day international appearances for England yielded 887 runs at an average of 42.23.He made his Test debut against South Africa at Headingley in 2012, but after his first two caps that summer he had to wait more than three years to begin to re-establish himself in the team, which he did on the tour to South Africa over the winter. Also See: County ins and outs CC Division One preview CC Division Two preview Pundits county picks ' ' '