Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres’ Michael Kesselring out ‘weeks’ with injury; Zach Benson ‘doing well’

BUFFALO – Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring, who left Saturday’s game after suffering a lower-body injury, will be sidelined “an extended period of time,” coach Lindy Ruff said.

“On the longer side,” Ruff said following Tuesday’s practice in KeyBank Center. “Weeks.”

Kesselring, 25, left the Sabres’ 5-4 overtime win in Detroit after he hit Red Wings forward Emmitt Finnie about halfway through the game. He took another shift later in the second period and one early ... Read the full article

Rookies Noah Ostlund, Colten Ellis lead Sabres to complete win over Oilers: ‘Probably our best game’

BUFFALO – In the next week or so, two of the Sabres’ top forwards, Josh Norris and Jason Zucker, should be ready to play, meaning some difficult roster decisions will likely materialize.

After center Noah Ostlund’s slick two-goal performance in Monday’s 5-1 shellacking of the Edmonton Oilers, it’s hard to imagine the Sabres will create room by sending the rookie back to the Rochester Americans.

Ostlund, 21, dazzled in his 11th NHL game this season ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Josh Norris, Jason Zucker skate with teammates; Michael Kesselring out injured

BUFFALO – Among the 1,300 or so players who participated in NHL preseason games, Sabres center Josh Norris stood out as perhaps the most dynamic performer.

It can be hard to put much stock in exhibition contests, but the oft-injured Norris, who participated in Monday’s pregame skate, looked ready to seize his role as the Sabres’ top pivot following a full summer of training.

Then late in the season opener Oct. 9, he suffered an ... Read the full article

Sabres, Tage Thompson impose will in OT win; Michael Kesselring injured

BUFFALO – Early in Saturday’s overtime, Sabres center Tage Thompson used his 10-inch, 40-pound size advantage to knock Alex DeBrincat to the ice after the Detroit Red Wings star blocked his shot in the right circle.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Thompson grabbed the puck and backhanded it to defenseman Mattias Samuelsson, who beat goalie John Gibson to secure the Sabres’ unlikely 5-4 win in Detroit.

Three-on-three overtime, of course, rarely features much physicality. But Thompson, whose ... Read the full article

Captain Rasmus Dahlin rejoins Sabres after temporary leave of absence

Captain Rasmus Dahlin rejoined the Buffalo Sabres today in Detroit after taking a temporary leave of absence to return to his native Sweden for a personal matter.

Dahlin, who left the Sabres last Friday, skated with his teammates this morning and will play against the Red Wings tonight.

The defenseman missed the first three games of Buffalo’s road trip.... Read the full article

After early goalie change, will Sabres start Alex Lyon, UPL or Colten Ellis?

Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff’s decision to yank goalie Alex Lyon barely six minutes into Thursday’s 6-3 road loss wasn’t performance-related.

“It had nothing to do with Lyon,” Ruff told reporters following the game against the Colorado Avalanche.

No, with the Sabres trailing 2-0 – Martin Necas scored on a breakaway at the 52-second mark before Artturi Lehkonen converted a rebound at the net – replacing Lyon with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen essentially gave them a much-needed ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Devon Levi pulled from game during career-worst slump with Rochester: ‘He’s got to be better’

ROCHESTER – The fifth puck past Americans goalie Devon Levi, a shot from the far bottom of the right circle, forced coach Mike Leone to make a late goaltending change.

For the just the second time in his 76-game AHL career, Levi, the Buffalo Sabres’ top goalie prospect, got yanked from a game.

In Wednesday’s 6-4 loss in Blue Cross Arena, the Amerks roared back late, scoring three straight goals after the Belleville Senators ... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Konsta Helenius taking ‘big jump’ in development, playing big minutes for Rochester Amerks

ROCHESTER – Having lost three of their most talented forwards to recalls, the Americans have recently been forced to lean heavily on center Konsta Helenius, playing the Sabres prospect a whopping 23 or 24 minutes some games.

“He’s playing probably too much right now, to be honest,” Amerks coach Mike Leone told the Times Herald prior to Wednesday’s 6-4 loss to the Belleville Senators in Blue Cross Arena.

The Amerks, who have lost Josh ... Read the full article

Sabres assign free agent to Rochester

The Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday assigned forward Carson Meyer to the Rochester Americans after he cleared waivers.

Meyer, 28, began the season on injured reserve after undergoing ACL surgery last year as a member of the San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ AHL affiliate.

The Sabres signed Meyer on July 1 to a two-year, two-way contract worth $775,000 per season in the NHL and $375,000 per season in the minors.... Read the full article

As offense struggles, Sabres need Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch to keep scoring

BUFFALO – Early in the third period of Saturday’s 6-3 loss in Carolina, the Sabres busted out of their week-long offensive slump, scoring twice to creep within one goal against the Hurricanes.

First, winger Alex Tuch beat goalie Pyotr Kochetkov from the right circle at 3:23, moving them within 4-2. Winger Tage Thompson followed up at 6:29, converting center Ryan McLeod’s nifty feed from the slot.

In a span of 3:06 the Sabres scored as ... Read the full article