Bill Hoppe - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Odds are Sabres won’t get top pick in NHL Draft Lottery

TORONTO – If the Sabres lose tonight’s NHL Draft Lottery – given they have just an 18.5 percent chance at the No. 1 pick, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin likely won’t be coming to Buffalo – the consolation prize won’t be a talent as special as center Jack Eichel.

Three years ago, after a season of not-so-subtle tanking garnered the Sabres the highest odds at the top selection, they dropped to second in the lottery.... Read the full article

Report: Sabres to sign Swedish defenseman Lawrence Pilut

BUFFALO – The Sabres will likely have at least one Swedish defenseman in their arsenal next season.

The team has agreed to a contract with Lawrence Pilut, a high-scoring defender from the Swedish Hockey League, according to HockeyPuls.se, a Swedish hockey web site.

The 5-foot-11, 179-pound Pilut, 22, scored eight goals and 38 points in 52 games with HV71 this season.

... Read the full article

Sabres prospect Hudson Fasching ends season struggling with Amerks

ROCHESTER – Barely two years ago, Hudson Fasching stood out as one of the Buffalo Sabres’ top prospects. Just days after leaving college, the power forward scored minutes into his NHL debut. Months later, he cracked the big club out of training camp.

Fast forward to today, and Fasching, having just sat out two AHL playoff games as a healthy scratch, might have an iffy future with the Sabres.... Read the full article

Amerks goalie Linus Ullmark emotional after season-ending loss

ROCHESTER – Linus Ullmark struggled to answer the question. The goalie paused for a moment and fought back tears following what could be his last AHL appearance.

Talk to any member of the upstart Americans, and they’ll likely tell you how a great group of guys helped buoy them to their first playoff appearance since 2014.

So when Ullmark, 24, tried talking about what made the team so special following Wednesday’s season-ending 6-3 loss, he ... Read the full article

Sabres sign prospect Victor Olofsson to entry-level contract

BUFFALO – The Sabres have signed forward prospect Victor Olofsson, the Swedish Hockey League’s leading goal scorer this season, to a two-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today.

Olofsson scored 27 goals and 43 points in 50 games during his career-best campaign with Frölunda HC.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Rasmus Ristolainen only knows losing at NHL level

BUFFALO – Rasmus Ristolainen normally offers little insight. Whether the defenseman’s talking about himself or the Sabres, his answers are short and, well, pretty bland.

But after the Sabres completed another miserable season earlier this month, Ristolainen, 23, opened up a bit and talked about how the constant losing he has experienced has taken its toll on him.... Read the full article

Sabres’ Ryan O’Reilly named finalist for Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

In 1,686 minutes, 10 seconds of ice time over Ryan O’Reilly’s 81 appearances this season – that’s a hefty 20:49 each game – officials whistled the Buffalo Sabres center for just one penalty.

No wonder the NHL on Friday named O’Reilly one of three finalists for the 2018 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, awarded “to the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ... Read the full article

Sabres owner Terry Pegula says in letter season-ticket prices won’t go up

BUFFALO – Owner Terry Pegula understands the unhappiness of fans following a wretched season in which the Sabres finished dead last in the NHL.

So the team won’t be raising season-ticket prices for the 2018-19 season.

Pegula explained the decision and his feelings on the Sabres’ sorry state in a letter many season-seat holders received Thursday.

... Read the full article

Sabres’ Zach Bogosian on injuries: ‘I’ve had a tough go’

BUFFALO – Since Zach Bogosian joined the Sabres on Feb. 11, 2015, the defenseman has missed a whopping 114 games – 42 percent of his team’s outings – to injuries.

This season, Bogosian’s 10th in the NHL, was supposed to be his breakout campaign. If anyone could unlock his potential, it would be new Sabres coach Phil Housley, right?

Well, Housley, a Hall of Fame defenseman, never really had an opportunity. Bogosian played only ... Read the full article

Youngster Jack Eichel could be Sabres’ captain next season

BUFFALO – When the Sabres chose to rotate four alternates this season instead of awarding the prestigious ‘C’ to a single player, they likely started center Jack Eichel’s ascension to the captaincy.

The Sabres, of course, couldn’t name Eichel their captain last October. He was entering just his third NHL season and still prone to bouts of immaturity. He had never worn a letter, either.

So they let him sport an ‘A’ with veterans Zach ... Read the full article