December Edition
BUFFALO – In his first days here, Marcus Johansson quickly established himself as one of the Sabres’ most reliable presences on and off the ice.
Sabres coach Ralph Krueger named Johansson an alternate captain before he played a regular-season game. Krueger also switched the veteran to center, a position he hadn’t played regularly since his rookie year.
Johansson, 29, started the season scorching as the No. 2 center, scoring four goals in the first nine ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Coach Ralph Krueger said he could feel the electricity hours before captain Jack Eichel starred in the Sabres’ wildly entertaining 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The season’s first meeting against their fiercest rival would be more than a normal regular-season contest.
“You could feel that it was a highlight day,” Krueger said following Friday afternoon’s win before the bipartisan sellout crowd of 19,070 inside noisy KeyBank Center. “It was an experience ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Like most elite prospects, Casey Mittelstadt was a dynamic scorer in junior and college. So struggling for weeks sometimes in the NHL has been a new experience for the Sabres winger.
“It’s not easy, I’m not going to lie,” Mittelstadt said after scoring in Friday afternoon’s 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs inside KeyBank Center, his first goal in 17 games. “But at the same time, I’ve scored pretty much my whole ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – In the second period Wednesday, Sabres rookie Rasmus Asplund grabbed a loose puck in the right corner, spun off a defender in the circle and quickly cut to the net.
Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson hectored the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Asplund in the slot, but he fended him off before creating a prime scoring chance goalie David Rittich stymied.
Asplund’s seventh NHL game, a 3-2 overtime loss, was perhaps his best performance since the ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – In the last month, a wretched stretch in which the Sabres have lost 11 of 13 games and plummeted down the standings, winger Jimmy Vesey said he has seen some positives.
“There’s a lot of games I think we liked the way we played for most of it,” Vesey said after scoring a breakaway goal for the second straight game in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames.
But what has that ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The two-game suspension the NHL laid on Erik Cernak for elbowing Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin in the face and concussing him seems light.
Cernak, who wasn’t penalized for the hit, can return to the Tampa Bay Lightning’s lineup Saturday. Dahlin, meanwhile, is out indefinitely, the Sabres announced prior to Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Calgary Flames.
“We’re just going to accept the result as it is,” coach Ralph Krueger said inside KeyBank ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – The concussion defenseman Rasmus Dahlin suffered in Monday’s 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning will sideline him indefinitely, the Sabres announced this morning.
The NHL suspended Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak two games Tuesday for elbowing Dahlin in face.
“We’re just going to accept the result as it is,” coach Ralph Krueger said after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s game against the Calgary Flames at KeyBank Center. “Again … you would always rather ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – When the Sabres acquired Jimmy Vesey in the summer, it seemed like he could earn an opportunity to play with top center Jack Eichel.
Of course, no one thought that chance would materialize after scoring zero goals in his first 18 outings. But right now, Vesey is the reeling Sabres’ No. 1 left winger.
“Getting put up there kind of gives you a shot in the arm and a little bit of a ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Finally, some good news for the struggling Sabres.
Assistant coach Don Granato, who took a leave of absence Oct. 1 after being hospitalized with severe pneumonia, returned to the Sabres today.
Granato, 52, was on the ice for practice inside KeyBank Center and accompanied the Sabres on their three-game road trip, which begins Thursday in Boston.
“That was a real-life story,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said. “It’s amazing that was Sept. 28 when ... Read the full article
BUFFALO – Throughout his first 15 outings this season, winger Jimmy Vesey has embraced whatever role the Sabres have cast him in.
Vesey, 26, has spent the bulk of his ice time skating beside center Casey Mittelstadt and killing penalties. That regular spot on a scoring line hasn’t materialized.
“Jimmy coming in here didn’t have a lot of expectations about his role, which is really positive,” Sabres coach Ralph Krueger said.
But Vesey probably expected ... Read the full article
