Skinner - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Alex Tuch breaks loose late in Sabres’ win over Maple Leafs; Dylan Cozens misses game with injury

TORONTO – No, it wasn’t quite a piano off Alex Tuch’s back. The Sabres winger had scored this season before his two third-period goals Saturday secured a 6-4 win over the Maple Leafs. He said he believes he had been skating well.

Piano’s too heavy for the expression.

“Monkey more than piano,” said Tuch, bringing the weight he was carrying early this season down about 700 pounds.

Fresh off a breakout 36-goal campaign, Tuch hadn’t ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt showing star qualities, realizing potential

BUFFALO – It took about five years, an eternity for an eighth overall pick, for Sabres center Casey Mittelstadt to reach this level.

On his way to becoming a top point producer, he endured a surprising demotion to the minors, a position switch, stints on the taxi squad and an injury-riddled season.

Mittelstadt, 24, needed time – a commodity not often given to top prospects thrust into the NHL as teenagers – to figure things ... Read the full article

With Sabres goalie Eric Comrie injured, Devin Cooley earns first NHL recall; Buffalo changes up lines

BUFFALO – Sabres goalie Eric Comrie’s lower-body injury will likely sideline him at least few weeks, general manger Kevyn Adams said. Meanwhile, rookie Devon Levi is still recovering from his lower-body injury.

So on Saturday, the Sabres, the same team forced to scratch a healthy goalie four times earlier this season, recalled Devin Cooley on an emergency basis from the Rochester Americans.

Cooley, 26, will back up Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for this afternoon’s game against the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Alex Tuch starting to score, bust out of early-season slump: ‘I thought I let my teammates down’

BUFFALO – Sabres coach Don Granato loved the emotion and energy winger Alex Tuch displayed while fighting twice in the last week.

Tuch, 27, quickly made New York Islanders defenseman Adam Pelech pay for trying to knee linemate Jeff Skinner late in Saturday’s 3-1 win. Then when surly Ottawa Senators star Brady Tkachuk challenged Tuch following a trip late in Tuesday’s 6-4 victory, he accepted.

“I’m not going to say no, he’s already got (his ... Read the full article

Sabres outplay Canadiens, still lose: ‘We controlled the play’

BUFFALO – Sabres center Tage Thompson stood in the dressing room following another loss, visibly agitated, trying to explain what went wrong against the Montreal Canadiens.

In falling 3-1 on Monday to their rebuilding opponent, the Sabres’ underwhelming start officially moved into the concerning category.

Yes, they have 76 games left, starting with tonight’s road contest against the Ottawa Senators. But their 2-4-0 mark has them sharing the Atlantic Division basement with the Florida Panthers. ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen will likely start against Senators

BUFFALO – After playing two consecutive games, Sabres goalie Eric Comrie will likely take a breather tonight in Ottawa, allowing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen to make his first start this season.

Sabres coach Don Granato said rookie goalie Devon Levi, who started the first four games, is still nursing a “nagging” lower-body injury and will likely be unavailable against the Senators. Levi, 21, did not skate Monday morning.

“We don’t expect it to be much longer and ... Read the full article

Sabres deliver signature effort in win over Islanders: ‘Absolutely phenomenal’

BUFFALO – As the Sabres struggled out of the gate, they rarely played to their identity – a fast, relentless attack – and dropped three of their first four games.

Another loss would’ve moved their underwhelming start into the concerning category. More than a week into the season, they hadn’t had a signature effort.

Well, they finally showcased what makes them so dangerous in Saturday’s 3-1 win over the New York Islanders, a game not ... Read the full article

Sabres change lines in midst of slow start, insist they won’t panic

BUFFALO – For the time being, Dylan Cozens might be a winger again, having joined Sabres center Tage Thompson and Jordan Greenway on a line during Friday’s practice.

Of course, in the near future, Cozens will likely shift back to center, his natural position. The Yukon native, fresh off a 31-goal breakout season, is a budding star. Thompson and Cozens give the Sabres one of the NHL’s best one-two punches down the middle.

But having ... Read the full article

Sabres start fast, beat Lightning in OT: ‘They earned it’

BUFFALO – For more than half of Tuesday’s 3-2 overtime win, it felt like the Sabres might throttle the Tampa Bay Lightning and cruise to their first victory this season.

In opening up a 2-0 lead by the 15:28 mark, the Sabres had the Lightning on the ropes. But they let their Atlantic Division rival hang around, and the struggling heavyweight tied it with seven seconds left in regulation.

In the end, center Dylan Cozens’ ... Read the full article

‘Mature game’ helping Sabres rookie Zach Benson make fast impact

BUFFALO – Some top prospects carry what Sabres captain Kyle Okposo called “a naivety” into pro hockey. They’ve grown up as the best player on their team, so graduating to the sport’s highest levels doesn’t intimidate them.

“There’s no learning curve of the (AHL) where it’s like, ‘This is pro hockey,’” Okposo said following Monday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “It’s like, ‘No, I’ve always been the best player and this is what I do.’ And ... Read the full article