Buffalo Hockey Beat - WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage

As time in Sabres organization possibly nears end, Lukas Rousek starring for Rochester Amerks

ROCHESTER – In what could be his final game here, Americans winger Lukas Rousek displayed the talent and smarts that helped him play 17 contests for the Buffalo Sabres and earn a one-way NHL contract.

To wit: in Friday’s 5-3 come-from-behind win in Game 2 of the AHL North Division final, Rousek, 26, scored the tying goal late in the second period before his slick pass created center Jiri Kulich’s go-ahead power-play goal in the ... Read the full article

Jiri Kulich plays hero, helps Rochester Amerks even series versus Laval Rocket

ROCHESTER – It felt like only a matter of time before Jiri Kulich put his mark on the Americans’ hotly contested second-round series against the Laval Rocket. The center, after all, is now an NHL player, having spent nearly all season with the Buffalo Sabres.

Kulich, however, has returned to the AHL for one final run with the Amerks during the Calder Cup Playoffs. Having just about outgrown the minors, he’s expected to be a ... Read the full article

How Brendan Warren developed into asset for Rochester Amerks and Sabres organization after almost losing career

ROCHESTER – Brendan Warren had nothing going on in his hockey career. The Americans winger couldn’t even find a place to skate.

Two NHL teams that had held his rights passed on signing him. After finishing an underwhelming tenure at the University of Michigan, he briefly latched on with the Indy Fuel, an ECHL team.

At the end of training camp in 2019, the Fuel cut him.

So Warren, a third-round pick by the Arizona ... Read the full article

Rochester Amerks fight to finish, fall to Laval Rocket in second-round opener

ROCHESTER – The Laval Rocket has won seven of its nine meetings with the Americans this season, including Wednesday’s opener in the AHL North Division final.

The Amerks, of course, have ranked among the AHL’s heavyweights all season, boasting a deep and skilled lineup. However, Laval, having finished first overall, is the class of the AHL, which it proved again in Game 1 of the best-of-five series in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

The Rocket erased ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Devon Levi becoming dominant force for Rochester Amerks in playoffs

ROCHESTER – Buffalo Sabres prospect Devon Levi can’t tell you how many shutouts he has recorded this season or the gaudy save percentage he registered during the Americans’ first-round sweep that leads the Calder Cup Playoffs.

“I don’t know my shutouts,” Levi told the Times Herald following Friday’s practice in Blue Cross Arena. “I don’t know my save percentage, either.”

For the record, the goalie has compiled nine shutouts, including an AHL-best seven during the ... Read the full article

Agitating style helping Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius’ development with Rochester Amerks

ROCHESTER – In the not-so-distant past, Buffalo Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius would’ve been anywhere but in front of the net battling an opponent.

“First half of the year … he would be somewhere in the corner, hiding in the second or third row, hiding in the weeds, you know?” Americans assistant coach Vinny Prospal told the Times Herald following Friday’s practice in Blue Cross Arena.

But Helenius, who turns 19 on Sunday, has matured throughout ... Read the full article

Sabres make first move of offseason, hire Eric Staal as special assistant to GM Kevyn Adams

Hiring former NHL center Eric Staal as his special assistant marks the second time Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has turned to his friend and former teammate.

In his first trade as GM in 2020, Adams acquired a graying Staal from the Minnesota Wild. The move, of course, did not work out, and Adams traded the respected veteran months later in the midst of an 18-game winless skid.

Still, perhaps the roughest stretch of ... Read the full article

NHL Draft Lottery: Sabres fall two spots, will pick ninth overall

The Buffalo Sabres moved back two spots to the ninth overall selection in Monday’s NHL Draft Lottery.

The New York Islanders, who had the 10th-highest odds for the first selection, just 3.5 percent, won the lottery and the right to select perhaps defenseman Matthew Schaefer or center Michael Misa first overall.

The Sabres, thanks to their disappointing 79-point finish, had 6.5 percent odds for the top pick.... Read the full article

NHL Draft Lottery: Sabres will likely get nice prospect with first pick, but could they trade it?

There’s a belief that instead of using his first-round pick to draft a prospect next month, Buffalo Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams might trade it to pry away some established talent from one of his counterparts.

In his first five years, Adams has resisted the temptation to deal one of his coveted early selections before the NHL Draft.

Ten months ago, however, he sent center Matt Savoie, the ninth overall pick in 2022, to ... Read the full article

Fresh off career season, will Alex Tuch sign contract extension with Sabres?

BUFFALO – Over the final 30 games this season, Sabres winger Alex Tuch ranked among the NHL’s elite offensive threats, scoring a whopping 20 goals.

From Feb. 4 until April 17, that gaudy total tied for the most in the league with Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin, the most prolific goal scorer in history.

That’s elite company, for sure.

Tuch, who turns 29 on May 10, showcased remarkable consistency during that torrid stretch, never enduring ... Read the full article