Ullmark - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark to start against Flyers

BUFFALO – The No. 2 goalie often plays the second of back-to-back games, meaning the team in front of him isn’t exactly fresh.

Still, in his first season as an NHL backup, Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark has thrived, starting 5-0-3 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage in nine games.

With No. 1 goalie Carter Hutton day-to-day with an upper-body injury, Ullmark, 25, will start this afternoon’s tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers ... Read the full article

Sabres goalie Carter Hutton out Saturday; Scott Wedgewood recalled

BUFFALO – With Sabres goalie Carter Hutton day-to-day with an upper-body injury and out for Saturday afternoon’s tilt, according to coach Phil Housley, they recalled Scott Wedgewood this morning.

What happened to Hutton? The starter finished Monday’s 2-1 loss in Nashville and backed up Linus Ullmark for Tuesday’s 4-3 overtime loss here to Toronto.

Housley said Hutton had a maintenance day Thursday.

“It was sort of formed the last three or four days,” Housley said ... Read the full article

Sabres star Jack Eichel busts out of goal-scoring slump

BUFFALO – In about 10 minutes Tuesday, captain Jack Eichel scored twice during a wild third period, giving the Sabres a short-lived lead and equaling his goal output from the previous 25 games.

Eichel, 22, has quietly enjoyed a terrific season, compiling 27 assists and 34 points in the first 29 contests.

At his current pace, the slick center would have 76 assists and 94 points over 82 games, the Sabres’ most prolific offensive ... Read the full article

Sabres battled back, fall to Maple Leafs in overtime thriller

BUFFALO – The loss didn’t crush the Sabres. Sure, their fourth straight defeat certainly stung. They battled back and grabbed a late lead before Auston Matthews’ overtime winner with just 2.7 seconds left secured the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 4-3 victory.

But after arriving in Buffalo at 1 a.m. following Monday’s 2-1 loss in Nashville, the Sabres earned a point and had one of the NHL’s heavyweights on the ropes.

That’s probably why coach Phil Housley, ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Conor Sheary to return against Maple Leafs

BUFFALO – Suddenly, the Sabres have a three-game losing streak. Sure, they lost three road contests by one goal. It should also be noted the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators, the NHL’s top two clubs points-wise, beat them.

So the Sabres’ 0-2-1 run – they earned a point in Friday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers – isn’t a normal losing skid.

Still, the Sabres, who have another stiff test tonight against the ... Read the full article

Sabres playing games with playoff implications again

BUFFALO – Considering they endured a seven-year run of futility before their recent resurgence, the Sabres haven’t exactly played a lot of big games lately.

That’s why tonight’s road tilt against the heavyweight Tampa Bay Lightning, which, believe it or not, trails the Sabres for the first time in, umm, a long time, is so meaningful.

The Sabres, who tied a franchise record Tuesday by winning their 10th straight tilt, ranked first in the 31-team ... Read the full article

Finding ways to win late helped boost Sabres to NHL’s top spot

BUFFALO – The remarkable part of the Sabres’ nine game-winning streak has been their ability to find different ways to rally late and triumph in tight contests.

Eight one-goal victories during their torrid run helped vault the Sabres into first place in the 31-team NHL. Only once, in Wednesday’s 5-2 home win over the Philadelphia Flyers, a game in which they opened up a 4-0 first-period lead, have they throttled an opponent.

Incredibly, they’ve roared ... Read the full article

Sabres goalies Carter Hutton, Linus Ullmark forming strong tandem

BUFFALO – After earning his 10th win this season, the scorching Sabres will likely turn to goalie Carter Hutton again for this afternoon’s home tilt against the Montreal Canadiens.

Right now, having registered six victories during the Sabres’ seven-game winning streak, Hutton is enjoying a career-best stretch. In his first weeks as a regular NHL starter, the affable veteran has morphed into one of the league’s hottest netminders.

But considering the Sabres also play ... Read the full article

Sabres roar back again, beat Penguins in overtime

PITTSBURGH – By now, six games into the unlikeliest of winning streaks, the scorching Buffalo Sabres expect to conquer any deficit. Three goals? No problem. A rink they haven’t triumphed in since 2013? Big deal.

“There’s a bit of confidence now because we’ve done it a few times,” Sabres captain Jack Eichel said after his goal 45 seconds into overtime clinched a 5-4 victory over the reeling Penguins inside PPG Paints Arena.

Right now, the ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Tage Thompson to return against Canucks

BUFFALO – Over the past three weeks, the Sabres have taken a different approach to winger Tage Thompson’s development.

Instead of sending the youngster to the AHL, they’ve kept him and scratched him seven out of the last nine games, including four straight.

But they don’t want Thompson, 21, to sit for too long, so they’ve occasionally been working him in.

In Thursday’s 6-5 overtime win in Montreal, coach Phil Housley thought the play ... Read the full article