Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Despite scoring twice, Sabres prospect Filip Cederqvist costs Amerks win

ROCHESTER – In scoring his first two goals for the Americans, rookie Filip Cederqvist showcased why he has developed into one of the Buffalo Sabres’ most intriguing forward prospects.

Early in the second period of Friday’s 6-5 overtime loss, Cederqvist, 22, grabbed Isak Rosen’s pass beside the net on the power play and quickly stuffed the puck past Cleveland Monsters goalie Daniil Tarasov.

The 6-foot-3, 196-pound Cederqvist scored another power-play goal midway through the period, ... Read the full article

Sabres captain Kyle Okposo to miss game against Bruins

BUFFALO – A lower-body injury will force captain Kyle Okposo to miss tonight’s game against the Boston Bruins, according to the Sabres.

Okposo, 34, is day to day.

With Okposo sidelined, rookie winger Jack Quinn, 21, will return following a one-game absence.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Casey Mittelstadt producing despite struggles at even strength

BUFFALO – Late in the second period of Thursday’s 7-4 loss, Casey Mittelstadt grabbed a short pass in the left circle and darted to the net. When the Sabres center approached the crease on his forehand, it briefly appeared he would shoot.

But Mittelstadt held the puck and, a split second later, he lifted a quick backhander past Vegas Golden Knights goalie Logan Thompson, tying the game at 2.

The slick goal, his second power-play ... Read the full article

Golden Knights’ Jack Eichel hears boos, has hat trick against Sabres: ‘Felt good’

BUFFALO – Sabres fans didn’t even wait for Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel to touch the puck Thursday. As soon as his skates hit the ice, they began booing loudly. When he gained possession, the jeering intensified.

The season-high crowd of 15,757 fans at KeyBank Center booed when the ex-Sabres captain lost a faceoff and again when goalie Eric Comrie stymied him on two breakaways. When the video boards showed replays of the saves, ... Read the full article

Jack Eichel felt boos from Sabres fans last season: ‘A little bit hurt’

BUFFALO – For most of his six-minute pregame media availability, ex-Sabres captain Jack Eichel spoke blandly, offering cliché answers about facing his old team as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.

But when the topic turned to the booing he endured March 10 throughout his return to KeyBank Center, Eichel, the face of the Sabres for six seasons, briefly opened up.

He felt the jeers and vitriol from the raucous crowd.

“It was ... Read the full article

Visit from Jack Eichel, Golden Knights gives Sabres stiff test they embrace

BUFFALO – Instead of blocking out the noise and trying to treat it like any of the other 82 games this season, captain Kyle Okposo wants the Sabres to embrace the stiff challenge facing Jack Eichel and the Vegas Golden Knights presents.

Games as anticipated as tonight’s haven’t materialized often over the last decade.

Right now, having won eight straight contests, the Golden Knights rank first overall. Their leading scorer, Eichel, the ex-Sabres captain, has ... Read the full article

Henri Jokiharju practices with Sabres; Vinnie Hinostroza expected to return

BUFFALO – Shortly before Wednesday’s practice, Sabres defenseman Henri Jokiharju was on the KeyBank Center ice skating in a gold jersey and tinted visor. When the session began, he stayed out, participating in a non-contact role.

Jokiharju’s first practice since suffering an upper-body injury Oct. 20 is simply a first step, Sabres coach Don Granato said. Right now, there’s no timetable for his return.

The Finn, 23, hasn’t played since a puck hit him in ... Read the full article

Sabres look sluggish in loss to Coyotes: ‘We wanted an easier game’

BUFFALO – Barely 20 seconds into Tuesday’s 4-1 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, Sabres defenseman Owen Power left the puck behind the net, and his partner, Kale Clague, overskated it, creating an easy goal for Lawson Crouse.

The gaffe turned out to be a harbinger for the Sabres, who looked disjointed and sluggish throughout the night, often drawing the ire of the announced crowd of 10,296 fans at KeyBank Center.

The Sabres’ third straight loss ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Kale Clague earning keep on blue line; Rasmus Dahlin returns

BUFFALO – In his previous stops, Sabres defenseman Kale Clague couldn’t always play aggressively. That often neutralized his skating, his greatest strength.

The Sabres, however, want to attack and push the pace. If players make mistakes, coach Don Granato and his staff can live with them.

“The system (here) allows me to be aggressive, whereas maybe some teams prior I’ve been a little bit more on my heels a little bit, based on that,” Clague ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin set to play after one-game absence

BUFFALO – Rasmus Dahlin’s absence last game wasn’t just related to getting sucker punched in the face by the Carolina Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

“It was an accident after,” the Sabres defenseman said this morning of the upper-body injury that sidelined him Saturday. “I was hit kind of late. My neck was a little bit off. I don’t know, it was a mix of everything. So it wasn’t that situation.”

Dahlin, 22, will return for tonight’s ... Read the full article