WNY and Buffalo NY Hockey Coverage
Calder Cup Playoffs Edition
Ralph Krueger tested positive for COVID-19 last week. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Following an eight-day break, the Sabres practiced this afternoon without coach Ralph Krueger, who tested positive for COVID-19 last week, and the nine players who are on the NHL’s protocol-related absences list.
Some quick updates from Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams, who spoke on Zoom before the session inside KeyBank Center:
– Adams said Krueger, 61, is symptomatic.
“I feel very comfortable that he’s being looked at from our doctors and trainers,” Adams ... Read the full article
Rasmus Ristolainen (55) is one of nine Sabres on the NHL’s COVID-19 list. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
The Buffalo Sabres, who have nine players on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol-related absences list, will practice this afternoon for the first time in eight days.
The Sabres’ facilities have been closed since Tuesday, when the NHL postponed four games. The league postponed two more contests Monday.
Stay tuned for more details. General manager Kevyn Adams will speak to the media at 1 p.m. The Sabres are scheduled to practice at 1:15 p.m.... Read the full article
Seth Appert instructs the Sabres during training camp. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
Seth Appert remembers feeling scared walking up the stairs that day almost 26 years ago inside Ferris State’s hotel.
A night earlier, as Miami was annihilating his school in a CCHA playoff game in Oxford, Ohio, Appert had approached his coach, Bob Daniels, during the second intermission.
Appert, a junior backup goalie, suggested to Daniels that Jeff Blashill, who had been pulled early from the blowout, should replace him. If Blashill re-entered the game, Appert ... Read the full article
Cody Eakin takes a faceoff against the New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad on Tuesday. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – With 33 seconds remaining Tuesday and the Sabres clinging to a one-goal lead against the New York Rangers, coach Ralph Krueger sent out center Cody Eakin to take a critical draw in his own zone.
Eakin has quickly become a trusted faceoff specialist, winning 59.4% this season. With winger Taylor Hall serving a boarding penalty and goalie Alexandar Georgiev on the bench for an extra attacker, the Sabres desperately needed the puck.
Eakin ... Read the full article
Tage Thompson has earned a spot on Buffalo’s No. 1 line. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
BUFFALO – Taylor Hall knew nothing about Tage Thompson before the first day they practiced together as Sabres teammates Jan. 1.
But right away, Hall said he was taken aback by watching the 6-foot-7 winger up close.
The size. The ability to handle and shoot the puck. The speed.
Hall quickly learned why Thompson, 23, is such an intriguing talent.
“You see why he was drafted in the first round and why they’re so high ... Read the full article
Jason Botterill spent three seasons as Sabres GM. ©2021, Dan Hickling, Hickling Images
Former Buffalo Sabres general manager Jason Botterill has landed a new job as assistant GM of the Seattle Kraken, the expansion team announced today.
Botterill, 44, will be working with Kraken GM Ron Francis, a Hall of Fame player.
The Kraken begin play in the 2021-22 season.
“Everyone in hockey is extremely excited about what’s happening in Seattle, and I am thrilled for this unique opportunity,” Botterill said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to ... Read the full article
Casey Mittelstadt finished last season in Rochester. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
On the surface, Casey Mittelstadt’s 36-game run with the Rochester Americans last season looks a little underwhelming.
In his first stint in the minors, Mittelstadt, 22, never morphed into a dominant AHL presence or forced his way back to the Buffalo Sabres. The center compiled nine goals, 25 points and a poor minus-15 rating – hardly numbers you might expect from an eighth overall pick with 114 games of NHL experience.
But Mittelstadt, who was ... Read the full article
Rasmus Ristolainen looks a lot happier these days. ©2021, Micheline Veluvolu
The chatter about Rasmus Ristolainen wanting out of Buffalo has ended. These days, the defenseman says he’s happy and excited to be with the Sabres.
“I enjoy being here right now,” Ristolainen said on a Zoom call Sunday. “The team looks good and ready to go and it’s going to be a very exciting year.”
Ristolainen, 26, has rarely spoken so optimistically. Prior to last season, in an interview with a Finnish TV station, he ... Read the full article
Jack Eichel scored a career-high 36 goals last season. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
Over the past few months, Buffalo Sabres captain Jack Eichel has sat down with Kevyn Adams a few times and began to build a relationship with his new general manager.
Getting to know Adams, the third GM of Eichel’s six-year career, has been an enjoyable experience. Eichel said on a Zoom call Wednesday he has found him easy to connect with and enjoyed “a lot of really, really productive conversations with him.”
Through their chats, ... Read the full article
Ralph Krueger usually talks with each of his players every day. ©2020, Micheline Veluvolu
Ralph Krueger’s ability to communicate with his players might be his greatest strength as a coach, so the idea of holding team meetings through Zoom or another video program doesn’t appeal much to him.
“Believe it or not, this is maybe how the odd team meeting will be happening this season,” Krueger said on a Zoom call Tuesday to discuss training camp, which opens Thursday when players report for testing and physicals.
In normal times, ... Read the full article
