Pysyk | Buffalo Hockey Beat

After sitting out late, will popular Mark Pysyk return to Sabres?

BUFFALO – By the end of the season, after five months of regular duty, Sabres defenseman Mark Pysyk morphed into a spare part.

Down the stretch, the Sabres utilized a blue line comprised entirely of youngsters – Casey Fitzgerald, at just 25, was the oldest defenseman – so Pysyk, Will Butcher and Colin Miller rarely played.

The Sabres scratched Pysyk 13 times over a 22-game stretch, including eight straight contests, before he returned for last ... Read the full article

Sabres make roster moves ahead of season finale, send help to Amerks

BUFFALO – The Sabres made three roster moves prior to Friday’s season finale against the Chicago Blackhawks, sending defenseman Casey Fitzgerald and goalie Aaron Dell to the Rochester Americans and recalling netminder Michael Houser.

The Amerks, who thumped the Utica Comets 8-1 in Friday’s regular-season finale at Blue Cross Arena, needed the victory to stay alive the AHL North Division playoff chase. Their defense has been decimated by injuries and recalls, so Fitzgerald’s arrival was ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Jeff Skinner scores late in win, annoys Islanders: ‘Lucky to have him’

BUFFALO – Opponents detest Jeff Skinner, one of the NHL’s foremost pests. The Sabres winger has a knack for getting under their skin, whether it be by running his mouth, relentlessly hounding the puck or scoring goals.

“He’s one of my best friends and I’m pretty sure I would hate his guts on the other side,” Sabres winger Casey Mittelstadt said after Skinner agitated the New York Islanders and scored late in Saturday afternoon’s ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tage Thompson faces Blues as one of NHL’s rising stars

BUFFALO – Sabres center Tage Thompson acknowledged that, yes, the Stanley Cup that Ryan O’Reilly won in 2019, his first season in St. Louis, is always in the back of his mind.

“But at the same time, it doesn’t change my objective,” Thompson said prior to Thursday’s 6-2 loss to the Blues, his former team, at KeyBank Center. “My objective is to come here and help our team win and help any way I can ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Mattias Samuelsson injured, questionable for tonight’s game

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who briefly left Tuesday’s 5-2 win after blocking a shot, is questionable for tonight’s game against the St. Louis Blues with a lower-body injury, coach Don Granato said.

“Mattias is hour to hour, day to day,” Granato said this morning inside KeyBank Center. “He could potentially still (play). We can’t rule him out for tonight, but it’s day to day if he’s not in there tonight.”

Update: Samuelsson ... Read the full article

Owen Power, Sabres’ young defense turning heads: ‘Bright future’

BUFFALO – Winger Alex Tuch figures the Sabres set some sort of record in Tuesday’s 5-2 road win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

“It’s got to be the youngest D corps to ever step on the ice tonight, I feel like,” Tuch said after defenseman Owen Power, 19, made his NHL debut in Scotiabank Arena. “The oldest guy’s Casey Fitzgerald at 25.”

Incredibly, the average age of the Sabres’ defense in Tuesday’s contest ... Read the full article

Auston Matthews’ dominant season no surprise to Sabres coach Don Granato

TORONTO – Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews has ascended to a new level of superstardom this season, scoring an NHL-high 58 goals in 68 outings.

Matthews, who was held pointless in Tuesday’s 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, recently became the first player since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96 to score 50 goals over a 50-game stretch. Matthews is on pace to score 66 times this season, a number that hasn’t been reached since Lemieux scored ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Devon Levi wants to ‘feel that pressure’ at Northeastern

BUFFALO – When goalie Devon Levi told Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams he would be returning to Northeastern, the prospect explained how another season in college could offer him what he craves.

“He’s such a mature kid the way he looks at it,” Adams said this morning inside KeyBank Center. “And one of the things he said that I found interesting is that, ‘I wanted to feel that pressure every day of people looking at ... Read the full article

Sabres rookie Mattias Samuelsson injured, likely out against Jets

BUFFALO – An undisclosed injury will likely keep Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson out of tonight’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, coach Don Granato said.

“He’s day-to-day,” Granato said this morning inside KeyBank Center. “He could be potential for tonight, but I don’t expect him tonight.”

The rookie did not skate this morning.

Update: Samuelsson is out tonight.

Granato said Samuelsson played through the injury and finished Monday’s 6-5 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Defenseman Mark ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Vinnie Hinostroza wants to stay, feels something special building

BUFFALO – Winger Vinnie Hinostroza said he reads Twitter, so he knew all about the negativity surrounding the Sabres.

But while exploring his options as a free agent last summer, Hinostroza, 27, saw an opportunity in Buffalo. He talked to Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams and coach Don Granato and learned about their vision for the team.

Hinostroza liked what he heard, and he signed a one-year, $1.05 million contract.

The American had a good ... Read the full article