WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Stanley Cup Playoffs Edition
Buffalo’s white Reverse Retro jersey was unveiled Thursday. ©2022, NHL/Adidas Hockey
Get ready to see a new twist on a popular Buffalo Sabres jersey.
The NHL on Thursday unveiled a blue and gold version of the “Goathead” jersey the team wore from 1996 to 2006.
The Reverse Retro white alternate jersey by Adidas will be worn eight times this season, starting Nov. 2 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center.... Read the full article
Buffalo scratched Anders Bjork twice this season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday assigned forward Anders Bjork to the Rochester Americans after he cleared waivers.
Bjork, 26, lost his spot in the lineup late last season and never regained it. The Sabres scratched him for the first two games this season.
The 6-foot, 197-pound Bjork hasn’t played in the AHL since a seven-game stint with the Providence Bruins in 2019-20. He has spent most of his career in the NHL, making just 29 ... Read the full article
Ilya Lyubushkin signed a two-year contract in the offseason. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – There are two distinct sides of Sabres newcomer Ilya Lyubushkin.
There’s the gritty, high-octane defenseman who’s detested by opponents. When Lyubushkin’s on the ice, you better have your head on a swivel.
“He’s a Russian bear,” captain Kyle Okposo said Monday in KeyBank Center after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s road game against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers. “We enjoy having him on our side, for sure. He plays a hard ... Read the full article
Anders Bjork lost his spot in the lineup last season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – The Sabres on Monday placed forward Anders Bjork, a healthy scratch both games this season, on waivers, according to reports.
Bjork, 26, lost his spot in the lineup late last season and never regained it, sitting out more than a month straight.
This year, the American had an underwhelming training camp, and he never appeared to be close to cracking the forward corps.
With forward Riley Sheahan ready to be activated from ... Read the full article
Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk and Buffalo’s Alex Tuch shove each other in Saturday afternoon’s game ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – If you’re wondering, following Saturday afternoon’s entertaining 4-3 loss to Matthew Tkachuk and the Florida Panthers, the Sabres don’t play their budding Atlantic Division rival again until Jan. 16.
That three-month wait is too long for coach Don Granato, who loves the grit and tenacity the Sabres displayed while refusing to back down to the Panthers, one of the NHL’s heavyweights.
Saturday’s heated affair at KeyBank Center looked more like a late-season contest ... Read the full article
Rochester rookie Isak Rosen (left) celebrates his goal with Sean Malone on Friday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu, Rochester Americans
ROCHESTER – Americans winger Isak Rosen took off from the point, moving up as a penalty killer stumbled in his pursuit of defenseman Lawrence Pilut.
As Pilut fended off some hectoring, he fed the open Swede a soft pass in the right circle.
“Got it right into the wheelhouse,” Rosen said following Friday’s 4-2 win over the Toronto Marlies at Blue Cross Arena, his AHL debut.
The Sabres prospect unleashed a wicked one-timer, beating ... Read the full article
Eric Comrie has played just 28 NHL games. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Following an eight-day rest, goalie Eric Comrie will likely make his Sabres debut this afternoon, the first of perhaps 50 starts he could earn this season.
The Sabres awarded Craig Anderson, 41, Thursday’s season opener, and the veteran enjoyed a terrific night, stopping 35 shots in a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators.
This season, however, the Sabres expect Comrie, 27, to emerge as their No. 1 goalie. Having established himself as ... Read the full article
Craig Anderson stops Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle on Thursday. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – After making some breakaway saves during the first 40 minutes of Thursday’s 4-1 win, 41-year-old Sabres goalie Craig Anderson said he told his teammates he usually stops 80 percent of those chances.
“So I’ve stopped four, the fifth one’s probably going in, so we should probably clean that up,” Anderson joked following his splendid 35-save performance in the season-opening victory over the Ottawa Senators.
Kidding aside, the NHL’s youngest team showcased maturity as ... Read the full article
Victor Olofsson scored 20 goals last season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – As Victor Olofsson’s goal drought dragged on last season, Sabres coach Don Granato began offering some insight into why the winger suddenly stopped scoring.
Olofsson, Granato explained, was battling a soft issue injury – it turned out to be his wrist – that hampered his shooting, his greatest asset. He would massage the puck, and that extra split-second allowed the goalie to catch up.
“He was frustrated and very down because he couldn’t ... Read the full article
Craig Anderson is beginning his 20th NHL season. ©2022, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – In Craig Anderson, Sabres coach Don Granato sees a passionate veteran goalie who understands the end is nearing.
“Craig is a guy that’s very connected to his love of the game, and he sees, hey, my career’s coming to an end, I’m clear and definitively going to miss this, so I’m going to love what I’m going to miss,” Granato said after the Sabres prepared for tonight’s game against the Ottawa Senators ... Read the full article