Anaheim Ducks - Buffalo Hockey Beat

Sabres showcase maturity, roar back to beat Ducks: ‘You see the change’

BUFFALO – In the not-so-distant past, a game like Tuesday’s 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Anaheim Ducks would’ve been a four-goal loss, Sabres winger Alex Tuch said.

By the third period, when the Sabres began roaring back from a 2-0 deficit, they would’ve been toast, having wilted earlier in the contest.

But they’ve matured over the last few months. Perhaps it’s too late to help them this season.

Even after earning their sixth win straight ... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Jack Quinn winning more battles, scoring goals

BUFFALO – These days, Sabres winger Jack Quinn is winning a heck of a lot more battles than just a few months ago when he struggled so badly he fell out of the lineup.

In turn, he has the puck more often and the ability to showcase his talent.

Quinn, 23, has transformed his 6-foot-1, 185-pound frame a bit during his trying season, adding strength. So far, it has paid dividends.

“It’s that a little ... Read the full article

Injured Sabres Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker to be game-time decisions

BUFFALO – Injured Sabres wingers Alex Tuch and Jason Zucker both skated this morning and will be game-time decisions tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, coach Lindy Ruff said.

Ruff said the Sabres will dress an extra player for the pregame warm-up in KeyBank Center.

Tuch, who has played all 55 games this season, departed Saturday afternoon’s 8-2 win over the New York Rangers after being hit in the corner. Zucker, meanwhile, briefly left the contest ... Read the full article

Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin on tear, quietly becoming one of NHL’s top offensive threats

BUFFALO – At his current pace, captain Rasmus Dahlin would register 72 points over a full season, one less than his career high and the second-highest total by a Sabres defenseman in the last 35 years.

Pretty good, right? Well, consider Dahlin has scored nine goals and 46 points despite battling injuries from the get-go this season and missing eight games with back spasms in December.

What kind of gaudy numbers would the ultra-talented Swede ... Read the full article

Sabres boost goalie depth by claiming James Reimer on waivers

BUFFALO – Goalie James Reimer is back with the Sabres after a five-week stint playing for the Anaheim Ducks.

The Sabres on Wednesday reclaimed Reimer on waivers from the Ducks, who took the veteran Oct. 7 after Buffalo put him on the wire.

Anaheim goalie John Gibson’s recent return from an appendectomy made Reimer, 36, expendable. Reimer played two games for the Ducks, compiling a 0-2-0 mark with a 4.50 goals-against average and an .864 ... Read the full article

Ducks claim goalie James Reimer off waivers from Sabres

James Reimer won’t be going to the Rochester Americans. The Anaheim Ducks on Monday claimed the veteran goalie off waivers from the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres signed Reimer to a one-year, one-way contract worth $1 million – a significant salary for a player they hoped to assign to the minors – to provide insurance. In Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, 25, and Devon Levi, 22, the Sabres have one of the league’s youngest goalie tandems.

Reimer, 36, served ... Read the full article

Sabres can’t put Ducks away in awful loss: ‘Gave them free chances’

BUFFALO – Almost halfway through Monday afternoon’s embarrassing 4-3 loss, the Sabres had the Anaheim Ducks on the ropes.

At that point, the Sabres had dominated the Ducks, outshooting them by about 20 as they generated a slew of prime scoring chances, including some breakaways.

Fourteen seconds after center Tage Thompson’s power-play goal put the Sabres’ up 2-1, the Ducks took another penalty.... Read the full article

Sabres notes: Henri Jokiharju displays offense; Buffalo makes roster move

BUFFALO – The Sabres mostly utilize defenseman Henri Jokiharju in a defensive role, meaning other than occasionally quarterbacking the second power-play unit, he rarely gets to display his offensive talent.

“Usually five-on-five through the regular 60 minutes of a game, he’s very responsible and focused so much on defense that you don’t get to see some of his offensive touch,” coach Don Granato told reporters Saturday in Minnesota after Jokiharju scored the overtime winner in ... Read the full article

Sabres’ Peyton Krebs confident scoring will come: ‘I have all the tools’

BUFFALO – Sabres center Peyton Krebs spoke confidently, explaining how once he starts scoring regularly, his game will be “lights out.”

“I think I have all the tools to be an elite – a really elite – player,” Krebs said following Monday’s practice in LECOM Harborcenter.

Since joining the Sabres two years ago, Krebs, who turns 23 on Friday, has established himself as their fourth-line pivot, showcasing a high-octane style, usually between Zemgus Girgensons and ... Read the full article

Sabres trade Ilya Lyubushkin to Ducks

The Buffalo Sabres trimmed their defense corps Friday night, trading Ilya Lyubushkin to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2025.

The Sabres had nine defensemen on one-way contracts prior to dealing Lyubushkin, who’s entering the final season of a two-year, $5.5 million contract.

While Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams has said he would be comfortable having a surfeit of defensemen in training camp, it wasn’t surprising the Sabres made a move.... Read the full article